My Recurring Top 6 Embarassing Moments

Hello All,

Since several of these have often plagued me throughout my years on earth and since many have occurred in the last several days, I thought that I might share them with you. Perhaps you will find them somewhat ridiculous or have a better stable than mine, but these rank pretty high for me.

#6 The Wrong Phone Number. Yeah, it seems that this would not be so bad, as the person on the other end cannot see your face, but I always am embarrassed by getting the wrong number. On a few occasions, I make this worse by thinking that I mis-dialed, only to discover that I was initially accurate. The only thing worse than hearing, "Wrong number" is to hear the words,"Wrong number again." And the only thing worse than that is hearing the words "What number are you trying to dial?" as in "You are too stupid to be using the phone!"

#5 Calling Someone The Wrong Name. I remember when I first met our good friends, Gregg and Shannan several years ago. For the first several times that we met, I had it in my head that his name was Steve. I kept saying, "So Steve..." Finally, Gregg, in his usual polite manner said, "My name is Gregg." I wish that this was the only time that this has happened. On this particular occasion, I might have also added the words, "Are you sure?," as in, "Are you sure that that's your name?"

#4 Saying Goodbye Only To Run Into Them Seconds Later. So, you have this deep spiritual conversation. Both of you are spent. You've prayed, said that you would keep praying and that you'd catch up with each other in another day, week, whatever. You go your separate ways, only to find that you are both going to the same spot on the grounds that the other person is going to! In some cases, it's the parking spot next to the other person! Somehow, that's embarrassing to me.

#3 Completely Forgetting What It Is That We Committed To Pray About! That person that you had a great spiritual conversation with comes back the next week to tell you about the great victory that they achieved and by the looks on your face, they know that you haven't thought about them at all! Being completely caught off guard, you call them by their wrong name!

#2 Is It A Handshake Or A Hug!? You've got the right name, you're on the same page and you're about to greet one another. In your mind, a handshake is in order, but in their mind it's time for a hug. Of course, when you see the "hug sign," you immediately rethink your position and go for the hug. Just then, the other person has seen that you threw the handshake sign, and put out the right hand of fellowship! In the meantime, you are both moving at a rapid pace toward one another, one with hands out, the other with a hand between you. The worst is when you both make a third adjustment! I'm surprised that I haven't been injured!

#1 Responding To Someone Else's Wave. You walk into the gym and across the room, there is that person waving toward the door that you just came through. They are waving enthusiastically, so glad to see you. Of course, in your mind, their excitement is justified. You are, in fact a pretty cool dude! Frankly, you really can't place this person. They look somewhat familiar, but the memory is illusive, but no matter: They are happy to see me. I can hardly hide my satisfaction, as I smile in return and then return the wave. It's at this point when their eyes meet yours and they wave you off, letting you know that their excitement was not for you, it's for that person who you did not even notice was behind you. The pride you felt a second ago has turned to the embarrassment that only crawling under a rock can dilute!

So there you go my friends. Wanna embarrass me? There's how you do it! I'm grateful, as I consider this list, to have such gracious friends, who know how to laugh when we are caught in these moments. It makes them much less painful.

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez

It's A Video Fest!! Merry Christmas!

Hello All,

Several notable items have come to my attention over the last week or so, and a few of them have Youtube videos attached to them. Of course, the first among them is the video directly below this blog post, containing our latest video of our kids, which we believe to be the funniest video we have produced. If you haven't seen it, we invite you to enjoy at your leisure. Lazy and you need a link? Here it is!

But there are other videos. For example, a great video that our church administrator Carrie Allen participated in with her friends from Biola made me laugh incessantly. Carrie makes me laugh quite often in the office and at her blog. With post titles like this, it's hard not to! So the video: It's called "All Things Are Better In Koine." "Koine" being the common Greek that is used in biblical texts and spoken in popular language during New Testament times. Here's the video:



Then I caught this just this evening. Most of you who know me, know that I LOVE words. I credit my 11th grade history teacher, Steve Hickok with this love affair. I took "Communication" with him and he introduced me to a world of words that I just needed to master. I believe it's enriched my life, though at times, it has been a curse to others. To them, I say: Get a dictionary! Ah, but a dictionary is what this next video is about. The New Webster's Dictionary has chosen it's "Word Of The Year." I did not know that there was a "Word Of The Year" so I will follow this from now on. In explaining the word of the year pick, there is also some interesting social commentary that you might be interested in if you happen to be in the younger generation of readers. Here is that video:



And finally, on a most serious note, I found these videos last week. It is Pastor John MacArthur, being interviewed by Kirk Cameron on TBN. The subject? The Gospel. Take a look for yourself:






I know that MacArthur is responding to the type of theology that is espoused and celebrated on TBN. While I do not endorse THAT, I also would say that there might be a balance to what Pastor MacArthur said. The gospel does NOT promise riches or a "happier life" but it DOES produce a qualitatively better existence than living without Christ and the good news of His victory. I DO believe that we have something to celebrate, smile and enjoy.

THAT being said, I LOVE John MacArthur's take on the Corinthians passage. I have definitely used that illustration many times and am very grateful for that excellent bit of biblical work.

(Now, as I am increasingly sensitive to the discernment ministry hounds that have become as prevalent in Christian circles as the paparazzi have in the world. It makes me feel like writing a disclaimer, probably one that would look like this:

"Frank and Lela's use of the following quote/media does not represent endorsement of this person's ministry. We are unaware of their "ology" (enter "pneumat, eschat, bibliol, or bi") or any comment or teaching they have presented, which may or may not agree with our theology. Additionally, we are sorry if their actions have hurt or offended you in any way. We are unaware of that and do not intend to promote them or their ministry in a consistent manner on this blog. Our endorsement is solely related to that which has been quoted or presented on this blog, believing that the content of that quote or media alone is consistent with our feelings on that particular subject alone. Thank you.")

I join wholeheartedly with Pastor MacArthur and his passion for the purity of the message of the Gospel and it's indictment against that which is passed off as preaching the "Gospel" today. I'm thankful for men like him, for that stance specifically, that stand in stark contrast to so many "peddlers" that have gained so much attention for their addiction to "itching ears" theology.

Now, some non-"Tube" related things, but still of interest. As many of you know, President Elect Obama has invited Pastor Rick Warren to do the Inaugaural Invocation. Many in the homosexual community have taken offense at this. I read this and thought that it was interesting.

And FINALLY: Hopefully, this article KILLS all those drummer jokes that I have heard for years. I'm so happy for this vindication!

Merry Christmas all and GO LAKERS!

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez

What Did I Do Before Al Gore Invented The Internet?

Hello All,

As many of you know, I am an Internet Ranger! I love surfing the web, finding everything and anything that I might want to know about. Over the last several months, I have been especially enjoying a few websites that many of you may or may not know about. I figured that I would include my top ten favorite sites that are admittedly more entertainment driven. (I would include favorite Christian sites, but am afraid of stumbling Christian people who feel certain people are too ___________ reformed/intellectual/charismatic/political, etc.). So I felt that maybe this would engender a more relaxed enjoyable vibe for all of who like to seek some entertainment in our lives that fits our particular filters. At the same time, if you would feel so inclined, I would love you to share some of your favorites with me in the comment section. These are the sites that I enjoy late into the night, well past my kids and wife's bedtime! Beware: In order to keep your life in balance, you might have to keep such hours to enjoy any or all of these!

These are in no particular order, as each one is my favorite depending on my mood.

#10 Facebook & Soup. I have a Facebook and my very own "soup." My "soup" is where all my blogs end up when they have been posted. But whenever I upload to flickr, the photos appear there as well. It's a great catch-all for the things that I write. With my soup page, I generally like to fool around with the layout. I like that there is one place for all my blogs and pics, to go. Facebook, my only social utility, has really been a lot of fun. I like the fact that I have caught up with so many friends that I have not seen or heard from in several years. On one particular night recently, I chatted with a friend who I have not seen since my days in the Saturday Night Life band. When he "friended me," I was shocked that he even remembered who I was. But one thing led to another and I chatted with him until 12:30 one evening. We caught up and it was good to see that he had remained faithful to the Lord, even participating in music ministry. If you are a Facebook user, feel free to friend me, or go over and have a little Frank Sanchez Soup!

#9 Pandora Radio. Imagine you are studying deep in the evening hours and you need a little mood music. Your iTunes library, well over 5,000 songs, does not have any Neil Diamond. You consider, "What sort of weird food did I consume to want to study to Neil Diamond?" Once you get over the fact that such random events occur to even the most ardent anti-Neil person, you reconcile that you must satiate this feeling, or lose the momentum that you have gained in your study. Where do you go for a little "Sweet Caroline?" Pandora.

Pandora takes requests and allows you to check out mixes of tunes according to genre. You simply type in Neil Diamond and it picks a list of tunes that fit that...ahem...genre! And the kicker: It's totally free! My favorite word!!

#8 Bloglines. Have a lot of friends with blogs? Back in the day, you had to go to each individual url to find out if they had updated their sites. If you have a lot of friends, this could cause you to have to deal with carpal tunnel syndrome, as you navigated to each and every blogspot that there is. And if you have friends who have a blog, but have never actually blogged twice, this could be a frustrating exercise. Bloglines feels your pain. Bloglines has come to the rescue.

With one click, you can check on all of your friends from one place. You subscribe to their blog and if they have updated it, the sidebar will show up with their names boldened, indicating that there is some juicy news that you can now consume about them. Bloglines rocks!

#7 Dark UFO. No, this does not have to do with Unidentified Flying Objects. This peculiar name represents the best of the LOST community sites that I check out during the LOST television series. Want to see some screencaps? How about the latest theory on why Locke is in the coffin? Want to vote on your favorite LOST icon, character or episode? It's all right here! There are several other lost sites, but for my time, I like to spend a few minutes here. It's a fun place for a LOST-O-HOLIC like myself.



#6 House Of Drumming. I discovered this gem of a website back in 1999 while doing a Google search for Vinnie Colaiuta, my favorite, and indeed the world's greatest living drummer! It's run by a drummer from Hollywood, who himself has some serious chops, Steve Holmes, and boasts an incredible array of drummers who gather weekly on the HOD forum. This is where I get all the info on current happenings within the Jazz fusion arena that I love the most. Where Vinnie or Dave or Steve will be playing or what happened when they played last, will undoubtedly appear here. Or, if I have a question about the drums, I am able to get a solid, professional answer here. Of course with any site, there are some threads that are useless, but the predominant feel of HOD is fantastic for any serious drummer. You might also want to check out drummerworld.com or...

#5 Drum Channel. Amazing drum stuff. Great new instructional material, live streaming drum concerts that are killer! It's just getting started up, but I already have learned quite a bit from this brilliant site. It's a by drummers, for drummers site. Nothing more needs to be said.






#4 E-How. Wanna know how? So do I! That's why I hang out at eHow. I can get a lot of helpful information there, and you might just be able to figure out anything you would want right there as well. The great thing is that it's all video instruction. No typing or reading. You can watch whatever you want to learn, done right before your eyes! Cool!

#3 Wizzard TV. Alright, so I love OLD stuff! The Twilight Zone, and old comedians like Abbot and Costello, Jack Benny and Steve Allen. And while Wizzard TV does not have all of these guys, they have a few. What's cool is hearing an old radio broadcast, complete with campiness, commericials and all. One of my favorites thus far is the Zero Hour, which was a suspense half hour drama, spread out over 5 installments. Rod Serling, the voice of the Twilight Zone, is the MC and is just plain creepy. It is a lot of fun for those who have a good imagination.

#2 YouTube. Now, you cannot go wrong here when you are looking for some great entertainment. For those who have read this blog, or my drum blog, you have seen some incredible stuff. The Korean Drummer, "Ken Lee" and of course, the Sanchez family videos, are all on this great site. In addition, there are also fantastic instructional vids, as well as really cool documentaries. I watched a Rod Serling documentary a month ago that was better than anything on T.V. that night, by far. And just a little trick for everyone, though I am pretty sure that I might be the last one at the dance on this one, but if you put in "&fmt=18" after any YouTube address, you can see it in superior quality if it was uploaded in high quality.

#1 Hulu. Now, I think that I might have misrepresented myself here. Either that or my subconscious has rooted out my favorite website. Hulu is the place where I almost literally watch all the T.V. that my schedule might have made me miss. I can watch new shows, like "Fringe" or I can get a blast to the past, like the Incredible Hulk from the 70's. This site is incredible! Anyone remember "Alf?" How about the "White Shadow?" It's all fun, all at my command! And what about movies? Well, you can take your pick, cause there are plenty to choose from. Hulu is definitely my favorite site this year.

Well, there it is. Remember: These sites are meant to be enjoyed AFTER all other things are put in order. Don't neglect your walk with the Lord, your family (something these sites tempt you to do) or your work. But when you have the time, there's nothing else to do, and you have some time to explore, take a look at some of these sites for some fun.

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez

Goodbye September!

Dear September,

It's likely that I won't miss you. For the most part, I am pretty happy you are gone, especially because of this wretched heat wave that you threw at us in these last couple of days. So September: I bid you adieu!

Hello All,

I thought I would just get that off of my chest. And then, while I was at it, I thought I might just wrap up September with a miscellany post, which is sort of a stop gap in my little blog mind. So here are some things that I have been thinking about lately.

- My daughter Renae really enjoyed her birthday party this last weekend. Lela mentioned to me that the days of big birthday celebrations are inevitably moving toward extinction. I admit that my first thought was one of utter celebration, but then I realized what a sad reality that would be. Probably the very best thing about these birthday parties is the family time. I have had so many great conversations and wonderful laughs at these parties. Of course, there are always the memories of every pinata that the kids have demolished, including the 15 foot Elmo that my Dad brought for one of the kids early birthdays. I believe that it was made of industrial strength steel. In any event, to lose that family time would truly be a sad loss. So with that, I'll be looking forward to Lizzy's birthday, which is the next one on the calendar for the Sanchez family.

- Some of you will remember the blog entry that I wrote about perspective. In that blog, I mentioned having to go to the mechanic's with the end result being that I shared the gospel with them. Yesterday, I went over to Garden Grove to get some tires for our car. This time, it was my turn to be ministered to. My friend Alex Gonzalez set me up with the tires and then spoke into my life. It was great to be there with a trusted brother, and to receive some honest wisdom. Alex, thank you for being such a great friend and a great encouragement to me.

- I am on session #3 of my new study in the life of Paul and have been really enjoying what the Lord has been speaking to me and the men from Kingsfield Church. You can check out the notes and discussion questions here. They are updated every Tuesday, usually by the afternoon. What has been most impressive has been the thought that there are Sauls all around us, diamonds in the rough, who are just about to be Pauls. Whoever your Saul is: Don't give up!

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez

Frank Learned How To Swim This Week*

Hello All,

That's right! The above line is no joke: I did in fact learn how to swim just this past Monday evening. It is truly a random happening in my life, as I have always maintained that I had little or no interest in swimming. And as it happened, I actually learned to swim by a complete accident. I have been interested in the use of our pool for certain exercises that might be helpful to me. On Monday night, I was doing one of these exercises, when I tripped in the pool and unconsciously began, defensively, to swim.

I was taken aback, and actually a little embarrassed, even though I was completely alone. Somehow, watching my kids swim in this pool that only gets to 5 feet, has rubbed off on me. The motions were there and everything. So I decided to try to purposely repeat what I had just done. I did 5 feet, then 7 feet. I was very surprised that this was happening! It was almost too good to be true. So, tonight, I performed in front of my wife and kids, and they confirmed that I have entered into the world of people who can swim, though I will say that my swimming is confined to one pool in Ladera, and can only be exercised for about 7 to 10 feet. If I don't drown, I'll keep you "a breast stroke" on my progress!!! Swimming humor! I love it!

Some further randomness for this Friday, going into Saturday...actually, it's Saturday already as I write this.

First, I love the internet! Two sites that I have been enjoying this week especially are Hulu and Pandora. I was introduced to them by our staff, those young hipsters, back at the staff retreat. Hulu is a collection of old and new T.V. shows that can be viewed for free. The kicker there is that they have a few seasons of one of my all time favorite shows from the 80's, Alf. So for those who would like to drop on by and check it out, head on over here. Pandora is the same thing, except that it's involving music that can be listened to for free. All you have to do is set up a free account, enter in the name of the musician you want to listen to and you have a free sampling of music. If you have never been exposed to the music of Paco De Lucia, please do yourself a favor and enjoy some authentic, virtuosic flamenco music, direct from the area of Spain that we lived in for some time.

These sites might especially be fun if you are living in Spain and are disconnected from the world. I hope that they work for our dear friends there.

Oh, and the last cool internet find that I discovered this week is a device called the "Wordle." Pretty fun collage making software. I took my latest sermon, delivered just this last Wednesday for Kingsfield's High School group, found here, and copied the text into Wordle. I hope this works, but this is what it looked like:

I know: I am a geek! But so are some of you! You can make your own "Wordle" here. Hey preachers: It's fun to see what becomes of your sermons when they are entered in. Carlos, it might be fun to see it in Spanish!

Finally, a big Happy Birthday to my brother Mike. We tease each other a lot, as brothers will do, but, in my humble estimation, there are few men that I know who have the character and the godliness that my brother possesses. He is a true man after the heart of God and he has all of my respect and love. Today, I wish him the very best, and that the Lord would bless his every venture.Well, that's all for now...I have no idea why blogger gets so buggy sometimes, but the blue underlined font is not my idea at all!

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez

Miscellany V

Hello All,

Once again, I find myself behind on events or things that I have wanted to write about. It's time for a Miscellany blog entry. This is my fifth installment.

RECENT BLOGS
Alright, this is crazy. The El Burrito blog reached a new milestone here at frankandlela.com. It is the blog with the new record for comments. We reached 34 comments, which is just unbelieveable! But some of the more surprising comments came in Lela's birthday blog entry. The sentiments were very kind toward Lela and also quite kind toward me! I did not expect to get the props that I got for the tribute that I wrote to my wife. That was pretty cool...actually Lela is pretty cool...She makes a great burrito...maybe we'll break a record...

OUR NEW SIGN
Not much has been said, but we finally got our church sign placed on our building last week. I have to say that I am very proud of it. I love the way that it looks.

Getting this sign took a long time to get done due to various municipal codes, but the finished product was worth the wait. Kudos to SignMaster, as well as Jonathan Moore, the designer of this logo.

It seems pretty silly to be excited about a sign. I can't really say why I am excited about it, but it made me happy to see something go up, look as good as it does, and sit there permanently among all the other business signs around the block.

SPEAKING OF KINGSFIELD
Our staff has been notoriously competitive since I joined just over a year ago. For the most part, our competition has been limited to board games and Catch-phrase. I will say that thanks to a very deep seated need to win at any cost, and being a man, I have been on the winning side each time.

Recently, there has been a slew of competitive jousts that have taken the staff outdoors. For example, there was a tennis game between two couples. Then there was a bike ride. I felt a little left out, so I decided to challenge one of the couples to a 2 on 2 basketball game.

Well, word leaked out, and the other couple on staff, not wanting to be left out, has entered into the fray, counter-challenging Lela and I. So now, we have a three team 2 on 2 basketball, mini-April madness, tournament. It will be happening soon, and I'll keep you abreast of who wins.

Actually, I could care less who wins. I just love that our staff loves to hang out and have fun together. That is priceless...ok, I can't lie...I CARE VERY MUCH WHO WINS!!!! I'll let you know!

COUPLES RETREATS AND RESURRECTION WEEK
Lela and I got to go to, and lead worship for our couples' retreat. We came home inspired and re-energized with some great tools to even further improve our marriage. It's amazing how much you take for granted over 10+ years of marriage.

In the same week, we celebrated Resurrection week. Again, the same principle applied. You can take the most wonderful news in World History for granted and treat it as though it were mundane. Jesus Christ rose bodily from the dead, and ascended into heaven after 40 days, with His disciples looking as He rose from the Earth! This is revolutionary information and no matter how long you have been a part of the bride of Christ, when you think about this, I mean really take time to consider this, you are freshly amazed at what it is that God has performed in order to redeem sinners from their fallen state.

One man said this last week, "The resurrection is God's 'amen' to Christ's 'it is finished.'" Jesus, by the resurrection, proves everything that He ever declared about Himself during His earthly ministry, especially that He and the Father, were one and the same. I pray that your faith was freshly stirred again wherever you were for Easter, but even more, that we might be more aware throughout the year of this miracle of redemption that we live and move in, because of our wonderful Savior.

FINALLY...JUST A FEW THOUGHTS
1) Who of you out there have a blog? I have been discovering blogs left and right from people who are our friends. I love reading blogs from my friends and if you have one, please let us know. Email us so we can bookmark you.

2) To the ones who have appreciated us lately: One young lady referred to me as a hero on her MySpace and another group sent us an anonymous gift through the mail and a third person gave us a very thoughtful card. I am still reeling from the generosity and the kind feelings and sentiments that have been expressed to us. Thank you so much. The Lord has used your kindness to bless and encourage us in the ministry.

3) April 1st, I am speaking at the Packinghouse for the Youth Group. I am looking forward to seeing some friends and sharing with the group where I literally first started speaking. If you think about it, please pray that the Lord would use the message that I share with this special group this next Tuesday.

Well, there, I am caught up!!

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez

Miscellany IV

Hello All,

There is a myriad of things to talk about, none of which are interrelated, except for the fact that I want to write about them. This makes this an excellent time for a miscellaneous post!

"BUT WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE!?"
Our family went down to Sea World yesterday, so that we could get our very first "fun pass." At Sea World, you pay the admission once and then you get the rest of the year's entrances free. I have always loved Sea World and thought that this would be the best, hands-on environment for them. This seems to be the best choice for our family, seeing that I am not a big fan of Disneyland, and the kids aren't old enough to enjoy Magic Mountain.

So, we get there and the first thing we see the killer whale exhibit. By this time, I have purposed to make this trip my personal marine-life education. I came down the ramp and asked the trainer a few whale questions. After he answered the typical "life expectancy" questions, I felt that I wanted to know about what to expect when one of these whales died. Now before I tell you what happened, I should probably note that when I first came upon this particular Sea World employee, he was having a very private moment with one of the three whales in the tank. The whale had stopped to face the man and he stood there, smile on his face and his hand on the glass. That should have tipped me off to the emotions that might be tied to any answer that he would give!

And sure enough, when he told us the answer, he got a little teary-eyed and choked up. I put an arm around him and said, "It's gonna be okay...now, what does it taste like!" HA! Only kidding! It was a moment that I could have capitalized on, but didn't. Needless to say, it was a great day. I will continue this post, and while the subject matter will change, you will see some gratuitous pictures of our kids at Sea World.

I'M ON iTUNES!!
I mentioned not too long ago that Kingsfield Church has entered the digital age! Our church "Vodcast," (video podcast) feed is up and running. Because I spoke not too long ago on Sunday morning, my sermons are on that feed. If you subscribe to the Kingsfield Church vodcast, look for "Breakthrough," which will be my two studies in Joshua. I am currently downloading them and will watch them on my iPod tomorrow. It will be fascinating and perhaps very illuminating to watch. I just hope that if you watch them, that you might be encouraged and strengthened in your walk with the Lord.THE FOUR SEASONS, THE FOUR HOMES
Many of you know that I am a big fan of ABC's hit show "LOST." This is the only television show that I have watched in 4 different homes. Season 1, I watched as I was moving out of our Highland home, on our way to Spain. Season 2 was watched in Spain on our laptop. Season 3 I watched in the Lowry's home in Highland. Now, tomorrow, when Lost returns, I will be viewing season 4 from Ladera Ranch.

Now, on the surface, this is just a "shout out" for my favorite show. It sort of is...I admit it! It might just be some useless trivia, but to me, I also see a tremendous reminder of just how much our family has been through over these last 3 years. I am thankful that as I begin season 4, there seems to be no change in sight.

WORDS FROM SPAIN
Last week, I was home from lunch when we got a phone call from none other than Pastor Carlos Casco. It was so good to hear my friend's voice and the report of his recent good trip into Morocco. The Lord has given him such favor and is doing such great things through Pastor Carlos. Soon, he and my Father-In-Law will be traveling back into Latin America to do another Inductive Bible Study seminar with Latin American Pastors, who otherwise have no access to Pastoral training. For more information about Pastor Carlos and for a great slide show, please visit his site here.

And in more news about Spain, we are glad to hear that Ivan and Eunice have made it back to Spain to begin their ministry. If you need a refresher on who Ivan and Eunice are, check out this post from "back in the day" here. Their website is here. Our connection to them came when we met with Paul and Cori Roybal from Calvary Chapel of Upland. Ivan and Eunice are their cousins, who came from Spain to receive training at the Bible College. Truthfully, these two, and Paul and Cori for that matter, are some of the sweetest people that we know. I hope that for those who continue to pray for Spain and the works that would go there, that you will add Ivan and Eunice to your prayer list.

IF AN ASTEROID WON'T GET YOU, A SATELLITE WILL!
The good news is that it's midnight in California, and the previously announced asteroid of mass destruction has not hit us. Surprised? Probably not, especially since those scientists calmed our fragile nerves with their authoritative note of confidence that this asteroid would not hit us. Well, no sooner had they collected their breath, when new word came that a spy satellite would now be our latest threat. Good luck everyone!Well, that's it for now. We love you all very much. For those in or from Redlands or Spain, we miss you all incredibly and wish you, indeed pray, that you are blessed and enjoying your walk with the Lord and are being fruitful in your service to Him. Thanks for checking in on us and being part of our life.

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez

Miscellany III

Hello All,

Time for a quick wrap up on all things Sanchez...time for Miscellany III, the blog that allows me to touch on subjects affecting this last week all in one entry!

We Are In The Market!
We started searching for an Orange County domicile this week. We looked at two properties, the second of which being located in Rancho Santa Margarita, known to the locals as "RSM." We viewed a 3 bedroom condo on Wednesday afternoon with our realtor. We liked the area, and even the size of the condo, but did not like the shared entry or the immediate introduction to the eating area. We will continue to look next weekend, after we have met with a lender friend of ours who believes that we will be pre-approved for MILLIONS OF DOLLARS!!! Well, probably not that much, but enough to be comfortable.

As the search continues, please pray for us to have wisdom and insight into this very pivotal decision in our lives.

Anyone For Barbecue!?
One thing that can be said for Calvary Laguna: There is never a shortage of barbecue opportunities! Our body came together for it's inaugural Wednesday night study this last week. Lela and I made it back shortly after looking for some place to live and immediately got the BBQs up and running. Our congregation sat out in the hot sun (it got to about 87!) and enjoyed some burgers and dogs.

Then, just when you thought that we would be Barbecued out, the Men had their monthly Steak & Study on Thursday night! It was phenomenal! The men of Calvary Laguna are such warriors and so on top of the event, that it sets up and tears down with ease, due to the hard work and dedication that is exhibited. Speaking of dedication, they are also dedicated to putting out some serious quality beef. My cut was...well, let's just say GYNORMOUS! I am actually ashamed to say that the steak made me tap out! I could not finish it! Oh, but I wanted to!

The steaks were awesome and so was the study. This month's speaker, last night, was radio personality, Jim Burns. He is the founder and host of Homeword, a program devoted to the family. His message was great and 6 men came to know Jesus Christ at the altar call. You can check out his website over to the right. I frequent that site often as it has many helpful family resources.

Next month, Pastor Don McClure will give the message, and if you are reading this and you are a man, then you are invited!

How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways!
As anyone who reads this blog knows, I am an Apple Man! I am the happy owner of an iPod, an iHome, would LOVE an iPhone (Christmas will come sooner than you think!) and I have even understood that for all these years, I have been wearing iGlasses!

And just as much as i Love Apple, i also love Apple programs. The most beloved to me is iTunes. I have been touting iTunes for a while as a great resource for FREE material from great bible teachers like Bob Coy, Jack Hayford, James MacDonald and Jack Abeeleen.

Now, as if that were not enough, there is iTunes U, where you can download classes, lectures and news from great universities. If you go there, you can look up Concordia Seminary and literally download Greek and Hebrew classes, as I did this week! Great, FREE RESOURCE for those that love to learn for FREE! The best things in life are, you guessed it....on iTUNES!

Pray For The Boys
I'll leave this a little cryptic, but I met with some boys, brothers, today, 11 and 13 respectively, who came to see me because their parents are divorcing. I asked them how they felt about everything and they said that they felt frustrated and confused. My heart went out to these boys, nameless here, but known by the Lord. These boys both seemed comforted by what I had relayed to them, but I know that they were both going back out into a world that they neither understand, nor desire. Pray that the Lord would meet them in a special way and that they would draw closer to the one who will never fail them.

That's all for now. There is quite a bit coming up, including a speaking stop in Yucaipa at Wildwood Calvary, the first weekend in July! I am looking forward to being there with our friends and ministry "cousins." Just thought I would put the bug in your ear about that especially.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez

Miscellany II

Hello All,

Lela and I had the opportunity to watch our nephew Adam this weekend down in lovely Oceanside. Since that was the case, I thought it might be a good time for another miscellany post. So here it goes...

- We heard about this in Spain last year when we were there. It is now public here. Pope Benedict has reversed the Roman Catholic position on limbo. Check out the article here. If you have no idea what "limbo" is, check out this link. We heard in Spain, a very negative reaction to this, as several generations of good Catholics were forced to pay fees for baptisms that may, according to the Pope, not matter at all.

- We might know what limbo is very soon! This past Tuesday, we put our house on the market for sale. It is an important cog in the machinery with regard to our ministry at Calvary Laguna. We need to sell this house in order to buy in Orange County. It's a delicate time matter, so we ask for your prayers for as smooth a transition as possible.

- Speaking of Calvary Laguna, things are going very well. As I mentioned last week, I spoke for the first time in front of the Sunday Morning service. It was a blessing to do that and have been really thankful for the feedback I have received. I am continuing to teach the Men's Ministry Morning Fill Bible Study, which has been my favorite activity. It's also the easiest travel day, as I leave around 4 AM to get there by 5 for set-up! I might be hosting audio files from this study soon. If so, I'll let you know.

- I have really been enjoying the band 33 Miles lately. Check out their Myspace page here. If you can buy tunes from iTunes, our family suggestion is "Salvation Has A Name." Beautiful tune!

Well, that's it for now. Please do pray that our house will sell in an appropriate time and that we will be able to find something to buy in an equally appropriate time.

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez

Miscellany!

Hello All,

I might have been inspired by my last post to be a bit more random. No, you won't hear my rendition of "Friends Are Friends Forever," so you can exhale! However, I digressed quite a bit and I realized that I liked that. In that spirit, I proceed:

- Check out updates on my Bible blog and my drum blog. The Bible blog now has all my sermons from Spain (In English!) and covers our new Men's Morning Fill Study, updated every Tuesday afternoon. The drum blog has a classic YouTube video up right now that just about anyone will enjoy.

- Speaking of the Men's Morning Fill, I had the chance to teach that for the first time this last Tuesday to the 25 men who assemble themselves here at 6 AM. I admit that the first couple of minutes were a bit nerve wracking, but after listening to the recording, I felt that most everything was clear. It's a real blessing to be able to teach at this ministry, and I look forward to how this particular study progresses. Thanks for praying!

- I highly recommend the teaching ministry of Pastor Jack Abeeleen from Morningstar Christian Fellowship in Whittier, California. His teaching style and depth of communication skill have been a real blessing to me as I commute. If you have an iPod and are looking for a good, solid set of teachings, then Pastor Jack is your guy! I have found his studies on Nehemiah to be exceptional.

- I had the opportunity to talk with a missionary from Hungary this morning from my office. I just wanted him to know that we were thinking about him and it blessed Him. See how easy that was! Of course, we are lookoing to be in contact with him on a more consistent basis, but this was my first chance to contact him. His name is Mark Beckwith, and I ask that you pray for him as he plans trips to the Sudan and the States in the summer.

- Speaking of trips, please lift up Pastor Carlos Casco as there are a few trips in his near future as well. I am sure that his website will have info on that soon.

- Check out Jason Dean's latest post with some pictures of the beautiful Australian coastline. There is a cool story of a miracle in that post as well. Being a former "gold guy," I check out his site frequently!

- Is "Miscellany" a word? If not, it should be!

Well, that is about it for my first random post. I might have gotten it out of me! We'll see.

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez