No, I have not dropped off the face of the earth! I’m still here… just busy keeping up with life – kids, work and training for my marathon.
I need to apologize to my regular readers for not posting new daily happenings, devotionals and CIA updates. My new job at 24Hr Fitness has me working long hours and most days of the week. The days I don’t work I’m doing CIA stuff or running errands and having play dates with the kids.
But as soon as my busy schedule slows down… I am praying for better time management and an easier work load; I will continue to update my posts daily and keep you informed of my new adventures. I have to say the last few weeks havebeen very interesting to say the least. My 1/2 Marathon is this weekend – Saturday June 28th, 2009. I’m ready for it!! My kids will be cheering me on as I cross the finish line. Bella will be in Las Vegas this weekend for a wedding. Bella is the flower girl… she is growing up too fast! Soon I will be giving her away… but that would be too far ahead to think about today!
Here is a devotional to pray for if you ever get too busy to remember to set aside time for God – “Be still and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” – Psalm 46:10
I have a habit in my prayer life: before I pray any prayer, it is almost spontaneous that I take a deep breath. I just relax, settle down and release any tension. Then I am ready to talk to God.
So when you pray – be real and relax: “Go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.”- Matthew 6:6
Have a blessed day my friends.
P.S. – I will get back to daily posting soon! Vince
Today I enjoyed a day off from work and spent some much needed ‘quality time’ with Annabella & Tyler. After breakfast we got to play some games and the kids got to exercise and work out with Dad a little this morning at the new 24 Hr Fitness Super Sport Club. We are only one day away from our grand opening to the public; but Dad gets the perk of using the gym everyday. Plus the kids love the Kids Club – it’s so hard to get them to leave!
The kids really like to play with their friends, especially with the families and kids that live in our neighborhood. I also went to check out a local pre-school for Tyler today, Smart Start Academy in Apple Valley, CA. It seemed like a nice school for Tyler to continue his day care and still learn the basics for Kindergarten.
Today we had a play date with Samantha and Cami at our house. The kids had fun playing games, tearing down the train tracks, playing musical instruments and dressing up. We had hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner with salad, chips and fresh fruit. My kids lover the healthy menu items Dad cooks, but the guests are still getting accustomed to it all. The Sapina family is committed to healthy eating, regular exercise and a positive spiritual development and mindset.
After that, we went to the new Cinemark Theatre in Apple Valley (right next door to the 24Hr Fitness Super Sport Club) and watched the new Disney/ Pixar movie – UP, with Samantha and Cami. We all had a great time eating popcorn, snacking on M&M’s and chewing on Red Vines. Tyler crashed out on my lap for a good half hour, he usually naps in the afternoon, especially after school. The days can get a little too long for him sometimes.
Today is Pastor Don’s 57th birthday. I spoke with Don earlier in the evening to wish him a happy birthday; he was heading to the Bass Pro Shop in Rancho Cucamonga to pick up his brand new kayak. I’m glad he is getting one, now we can both go kayaking on Spring Valley Lake and get the much needed exercise we need to achieve our fitness goals.
Well tonight the kids are at their mom’s for the weekend. Dad gets to have some quiet time and relax with friends this coming weekend. Tomorrow is our 24Hr Fitness Grand Opening (I have an early start to the day), then I’m heading to Montana’s in San Dimas for some dinner with friends, then I’m working all day on saturday, celebrating Ryan’s birthday in the evening and then hosting a big surprise party for Pastor Don on Sunday after the church service. I finally managed to get all the church congregation to bring a pot-luck item for the dinner. It was hard to get started, but we managed to get everything we need to make it happen. Not a really busy weekend for me!
Today’s scripture reads – “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” - Psalm 139: 23-24
Click on the above Audio Button to listen to the podcast.
Tonight I got the chance to record a “Somebody Cares” Podcast for a Christians In Action marketing campaign. What an awesome opportunity to grow and extend myself… not only am I directly responsible for the CIA initiative, but also I’m an active CIA volunteer and I get to go out into the community to serve others with needs.
As I sat there recording my testimony, talking about CIA and what we do; I thought back to my first day as a CIA volunteer. Late one friday evening, I got a call from Jeff who was running the ministry at that time, and he invited me to join Matt and himself to complete a small CIA project together. I thought to myself – “I don’t want to do it… What’s in it for me?” But something clicked in my head (probably the slap of God!). I ended up going out that Saturday morning to clean up someone’s yard and trim some trees. The best part of the day was that [we] made an impact in that person’s life, and I got to know Jeff & Matt a little more.
Today, Jeff and I work closely together at CIA. Jeff is the gifted audio/visual technichian and web design expert. Any marketing or branding idea that I need done, Jeff always has a plan, preliminary draft or boldly presents a whole new marketing campaign I did not think about… isn’t God awesome! He planted us two together for this purpose, and we have taken CIA from a small church ministry to something bigger.
But we have not stopped there… we are on the radio airwaves with daily PSA spots on KFROG 103.1 and Stardust 910AM. We are also in the Victor Valley Daily Press Newspaper with weekly printed community announcements in the Religious Section & Volunteer Connection, and now we are doing regular Somebody Cares Podcasts.
I am proud to be the Executive Director for CIA, but I cannot take the credit for this initiative; there is a whole group of committed staff, volunteers and corporate sponsors who are actively involved in making this initiative successful.
Today’s scripture speaks of service – “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?…In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead…Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” James 2: 14-18
Another weekend over and a new week beginning. We had an eventful weekend, but we are closer and stronger in our journey to be holy. This morning I am thankful for all my blessings. We have an awesome God – He loves us as his own children; He listens to our prayers and blesses us with His love and grace.
I went to work today with a positive attitude about where I am in my life and what I want to accomplish – sometimes we need to pause for a moment in life, and appreciate the many blessings and favor we have received. Today, I am healed from my hurts of a broken marriage, happy to have my two children, Annabella & Tyler with me, whole and complete to be closer to my God, blessed to have a job and good friends who care about my family, and prosperous to know that God will listen to my requests and provide all my needs.
Today I was reading my daily devotional about obstacles in your way – “God is a miracle-working God. Stop talking to God about how big your mountains are, and start talking to your mountains about how big your God is!” - Joel Osteen
I met Joel Osteen a few months back when I visited Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas for a weekend get-away. Joel and I spent some time talking about where I was at in my life, how God has been instrumental in my transformation - physically, emotionally and spiritually, and how God has a a great plan for my life… [we] just need to let go and put our faith and trust Him!
Joel didn’t know who I was. When I first met him, he asked if I was a minister for the church, I answered, “No, I’m just an ordinary Christian believer.” Joel responded, “In God’s eyes you are not ordinary, you are His child, and he sees you as extraordinary - you are a victor, not a victim!” Those words spoke to my mind and my heart. I fulfilled a dream to meet Joel Osteen that weekend, and I walked away knowing that I am right with my God, and that He has a great plan for my life… I’m excited about my future!
So as I get ready to sign off and get to bed, earlier this evening the kid’s mom dropped the kids off at my work, and they again had a ball checking out the new 24 Hr Fitness Club; I am thankful for my blessings. May God bless you all and stay safe.
Saturday was a fun day out with the kids, but it ended with a terrifying event – a traffic accident.
After the movie night at church we decided to go to McDonalds for a dinner snack, and to let the kids play in the play place. We all had a great time at the restaurant and were on our way home, when suddenly, we were “T-boned” from the side by an oncoming vehicle that failed to stop at an intersection.
Everyone was OK! Thank God for his protection (We were driving a new Chrysler Town & Country, and it surely has safety features to ensure every occupant was safe); only Laura, Samantha’s mom, was injured as her side of the car absorbed the impact. We went to visit Laura and Samantha today after church, and they are doing well! Praise the Lord.
I suppose this incident taught me a very valuable lesson – to place your trust in the Lord, your God.
Psalm 91 speaks of God’s protection: “Whoever goes to the Lord for safety,whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty can say to him, “You are my defender and protector. You are my God; in you I trust.” He will keep you safe from all hidden dangers and from all deadly diseases. He will cover you with his wings; you will be safe in his care; his faithfulness will protect and defend you. You need not fear any dangers at night or attacks during the day.”Psalm 91:1-5
Accidents do happen! But we must remember that God is always watching over us, keeping us safe and offering comfort and protection from dangers. I was proud of Annabella and Tyler during the whole incident; they both stayed calm, offered support and comfort to their friend Samantha. Maybe Dad has taught them to be ready for adversity and to be prepared for the unexpected, or it may be that they are strong leaders and have the gift to pacify and show composure during trial and hardship? Either way this strengthens them both and I’m proud of Bella & Ty.
Have a blessed evening! Drive safely and pray for protection.
Today we went to Cami’s 2nd Birthday Party! Now that I am settling into single parenting and meeting other new people, we are going to lots more kids birthday parties these weekends; Annabella & Tyler love going to birthday parties, play dates and fairs, especially when there is a bounce house!
The kids had a great time playing, we also had Samantha our neighbor, join us for the party too! I’m glad that Bella & Ty are meeting new friends and getting to interact with other families and kids. Since we moved here 4 years ago, it has been hard to make ‘good’ friends, but the Sapina family is adjusting to the changes and we are meeting many new families and friends.
During the party, Ty got me to get into the bounce house and jump around with the kids… big mistake! Have you seen the movie – “Four Christmases,” with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughan? Remember the part where Reese’s character gets into the ”jump, jump” with the kids and gets tackled and jumped on by the little kids… well picture that with a twist of WWF wrestling with 13 kids all over you, pinning you down to the floor and not letting go of you! Even my own two children, Bella & Ty, were egging on the other kids to get their dad! Shame on those kids!!!
Hanging out with Stephanie’s family was nice. I got to meet her grandmother, Roberta, who lives around the corner from our house. What a small world we live in, especially in a small town like Apple Valley, CA. These people are good Christians, and I am thankful to have met them.
After the party we went to our church for a movie night. We watched “Night at the Museum” with a group of other kids and parents. We had not seen this movie before and the sequel is out now at the movies. Tomorrow we are going to the movies to watch “UP,” the new Disney/ Pixar movie just released.
Anyway, we are all tired and need to get some sleep. Sunday is our day to relax, go to church and have a nice family afternoon out at SVL lake.
Today’s scripture – “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” - Hebrews 12:14-15
Today was Bella & Ty’s last day at school for the year. Annabella will be starting kindergarten in August, and Tyler will be going to a new pre-school soon. On the last day of each month the kids have – Pyjama Day at school, and they get to wear their pyjamas for the day. The kids had a great last day with their friends and teacher, Miss Tanya – we thank Miss Tanya for all her dedication, fun & friendly learning environment and love for our children Bella & Ty. We will miss you!
After school the kids got to come to work with dad for a while. We are getting ready for the grand opening of the new 24 Hr Fitness Super Sport Club in Apple Valley, CA next Friday June 5th. So the kids got to try out all the cool new exercise equipment, check out the pool and basketball courts, and hang out and play in the new Kids Club area testing and try all the toys, games and fun interactive stuff. Check out the pics below.
My kids enjoy hanging out with dad at work and at play. Ty is always asking questions like “What’s that?” and “Can I try this?” Bella is always watching me and trying to keep up with everything I’m doing. Watching the kids play together was nice, especially on the techno-dance platform. Bella loves to dance and move to the groove.
One day a few weeks back, I brought the kids to my weekly line dancing class, and they both had a blast! Sue, our dance instructor, was kind to teach the kids the “Chicken dance” and the traditional Greek dancing in the the circle. Bella was the star of the morning. I hope Bella pursues her love of dance and singing, maybe we’ll have a Brittany Spears or Celine Dion performer in the family?
Anyway, after work we came home and relaxed before going on a play date to Cami’s house. Tomorrow is Cami’s 2nd Birthday party. We had a great time playing in the bounce house, had pizza for dinner and stayed to watch a movie with delicious popcorn. Bella & Ty are good kids, I’m proud of them!
Well the weekend is here again and we some fun things planned. Tomorrow is Cami’s birthday party. After the party we are watching “A Night at The Museum” at church and on Sunday we are heading to SVL for a picnic and fun in the sun.
As you know we live in the Hi-Desert in Southern California, and it does not get much rain here! But today we were blessed with a nice rain shower for a few hours. What a difference it makes when some refreshing rain come through and brings life to the desert. I miss the rain!
Today’s scripture to reflect – “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot.”- Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
Today I was driving to work and saw a “slug bug.” I bet your wondering what am I talking about!!! Well for those who do not know what the Sapina family play whenever we are driving in the car, here is a quick run down.
A slug bug is any car, truck or bus that is yellow. Pretty simple right? Well here are the technical rules for qualifying a slug bug: Firstly is must be yellow, have wheels, drive on the road, cannot have a black or white roof and can be any make or model. But a ‘true’ slug bug is a Wolkswagon Beetle car – see picture above. And when you see this car you give the person closest to you a nudge, or punch to claim the car yours.
Bella & Ty love playing this game whenever we are driving around town; actually I catch myself calling out “slug bug” even when I am alone in the car, or when I have a friend with me! Crazy I know! So now you all know something new about the Sapina family.
I had a good day at work, still training for next week’s big grand opening of the 24 Hr Fitness Super Sport Club in Apple Valley, CA. The team is getting closer as we are spending more time getting to know each other more. We have Stephanie, Melissa, Morgan & Kevin in the sales team; we’re a good mix of guys and gals who are very passionate about fitness and lifestyle wellness.
This afternoon I had a Settlement Meeting with the kid’s mom. We finally came to an agreement on our divorce settlement and will have the divorce finalled in the next 2 weeks. I’m glad that we managed to work out the issues and put our personal feelings aside to make this deal work. The kids ended up winning in the end! Thank you to everyone who prayed and offered advice throughout this difficult situation. God is great!
So as I sign off tonight, I am thankful for all God has provided to me – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.” - Galatians 5:22-23
This morning the kids woke up in my bed again. Last night after baths they got to spend some time with dad relaxing watching Hi-5 on Disney. They each have their own bedrooms, but at some point during the night they crawl into my bed and snuggle… now I am not complaining, it’s just hard to have three in a bed – especially when they both sleep across the bed and their feet kick you in your back and someone is haning off the bed! But I love them both.
Tonight I spent the evening with Jeff, he’s the Associate Pastor and Worship Leader at The Harvest Church; Jeff’s also my colleague at CIA, my life group leader and a good friend. Jeff is younger than me, but we have many interests and common traits that we balance each other out. Whenever I have a vision for a new marketing program or initiative for CIA, all I need to do is email my ideas to Jeff, and bang!… a few hours later I have my whole marketing strategy and initiative laid out ready for approval. I like working with Jeff!
Anyway, after work tonight, Jeff and I spent the night on the road driving around the Hi-Desert scouting new buildings for our church. This past weekend Pastor Don launched a new vision and purpose for our church – see the post – Stepping off the spring board. The church congregation was very supportive of the new direction, and we needed to build on this momentum, we can’t just let this excitement deflate and go back to the same old stuff.
So tonight we located 5 new buildings we would like to set up as our home base for church services. We currently use the SVL Community Center for church services on Sunday’s, but we need our own building to meet the needs of our congregation and continue to focus on our core values and cause – authentic worship, service, witness, fellowship & mentoring.
Christians know that the church is not just four walls and a roof, even though we worship in these buildings; the church is greater than a building, it is greater than one person - the church is the sum of all it’s parts. Sometimes church leaders get so caught up on the number of seats on pews and the pennies in the plate, but this is not the church that Jesus envisioned. We need to practice authentic worship, that’s what Sunday services are about; but we must also continue to live a ‘holy’ life – we can live a Christ-like life if we put God first.
I am excited about the potential our church has to be something great, something different, but greater. We spoke with a real estate agent about some of the properties available and look forward to finding the right building to continue our cause. Jeff gave me some resources for church launching and a couple of Pastor Don’s preaching series on DVD and Audio disks.
I also spoke with Bella tonight, the kids are at their mom’s house tonight and tomorrow, Ty was sleeping when I called the kids. It was nice to speak with Bella, I miss the kids when they are at their mom’s house. But they’ll be back on Friday. We have a play date with their friends on friday after school. Each time the kids leave the house, whether they are in school or at their mom’s house, I pray for their safe return home.
Tonight I spoke with a couple of friends, a few people have read yesterday’s post – Heart Dis-’ease’, and so they called to give me support and prayer for tomorrow’s legal meeting I have with the kids’ mom. I have been praying about the current situation and I know God will be there with me tomorrow. He is a faithful God! If you trust in God, He’ll fight your battles for you.
Here is a scripture to reflect on tonight – “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” – Proverbs 17:7
Yesterday was a tough day for me… but I refuse to go backward. I am going forward with God. I’m going to be the person He wants me to be. I’m going to fulfill my destiny. Have a blessed day.
Today I dropped the kids off at school for a half day whilst I went to work for a few hours. We had a scheduled doctor’s appointment for Tyler down the Hill in the afternoon and it was going to take up the rest of the day to get there and back.
Tyler was born on his due date – a normal, healthy and strong kid, but he was also born with a heart condition called Supra-Ventricular-Tachycardia (SVT). This heart condition is not really life-threatening, but for any parent it is no doubt a stressful and sometimes scary experience to deal with, especially when your child spends 2 weeks in the NICU. I know I can speak for Tyler’s mom, it was one of the most difficult challenges [we] had to manage and adjust our lives around.
But Tyler is a fighter, he is strong, determined and lives without fear – see the previous post Stepping off the spring board. I am so proud of Tyler for his ability to adapt to the condition, dedication to take his medication every day and night, and for his sense of humor about life. He’s just 3 years old, but I see him growing into a great man. He probably does not really know why his parents were so loving and caring of him the last 3 years, maybe our parenting has shown both the children we really love them regardless. But I also want to give his sister Bella some praise too. Annabella was at the hospital every day to see her brother. Even though Tyler’s mom stayed by his side every waking minute; Bella & Dad would visit every day to see them both and just be a support for Tyler and his mom.
I remember the day after Tyler was born and we found out about the SVT, I bought Bella a baby doll, it was very real and life-like - it could actually pee, cry and laugh if you played or nurtured the baby the right way. We prepared Bella for Tyler’s arrival home and she did a great job to help mom, take care of Ty, and love him as her brother. Today, Bella & Ty are ‘best friends!’ I am so proud of them both and I hope to encourage them to stay close as they grow older.
Today the Cardiologist gave Tyler a full “all clear” for his heart condition. We’ve prayed for Tyler’s recovery everyday during the last 3 years. Recently we stopped Tyler’s medication that regulated his heart rate and he has done very well to adapt to the change. No episodes to date. The cardiologist sees him growing up and not having another SVT episode, but the chances are slim for a recurrence about less than 5%. Isn’t God amazing, He is a loving and healing God!
But today, I have been struggling with my heart – No, I don’t have any heart condition or illness, but more of a heart ‘dis-ease’ in my view and feelings towards the kids’ mom. Divorce is hard, no doubt about that, but it is even harder when you are genuinely trying to make the changes and transition from one family into two families easy on everyone, amicable between parents and always putting the best interest of our children first.
I am trying to be a supportive partner with the kid’s mom, but it doesn’t always get reciprocated back. I speak to many people about this divorce – family, friends, colleagues, pastors, attorneys and even stranger; but everyone has a different take on divorce and how it should be. I also seek counsel from our heavenly Father daily during my prayer time and scripture readings, and I always take away from [our] conversation that I need to admit my weaknesses and failures, be more supportive and understanding of others, keep a loving and gentle tone during conversations, be willing to forgive and seek forgiveness, allow time to heal our hurts, practice patience and continue to put God first.
I would like for you to pray for me today. Help me see the kid’s mom through Jesus’ eyes. Help me to practice patience and see the good qualities in people, rather than expect the worst and see every action as selfish and driven by motive. I know I can’t force people to work things out on my schedule, but I am trying and offering to open up the first line of communication to discuss parenting concerns and issues, without getting the past brought up. Maybe I need to give more time for us all to heal before I can see an improvement in our partnership as co-parents.
If you have some advice, please feel free to give counsel to me. I refer to scripture often when I am not ‘holy’ in my thoughts, words and deeds. Tonight… I am confused, hurt and feeling like I should give up on trying to make it work with the kid’s mom. Help me with this heart ‘dis-ease.’
Tonight I read my scripture that sums up everything about my life – “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails… And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1Corinthians 13:4-13
I pray that you all seek God’s good counsel and continue to put God first. Have a blessed evening. Vince
