Lifehouse Everything Skit

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ee73e63418003b47d7d5

I don’t have any words to describe how viewing this skit makes me feel…it exposes an inner hunger & longing for a more meaningful relationship with Jesus. This skit is so powerful…not a single word is spoken by the teens who performed it but yet the message is perfectly clear.

What an awesome thing it will be the day I stand before my Creator maybe as Isaiah I will become undone when I stand in his presence & finally see with my own eyes, my Creator. The one who foreknew me & formed me in my mother’s womb before the foundation of the earth.

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. – Isaiah. 6:5

He loves (us) mankind beyond measure…& yet for the most part we still don’t get it.

View it & you decide…as of just a few minutes ago it has been viewed 3,480,234 on Godtube.com

One other thing…the photo is not part of the skit, it is just part of my continued documentary on Apostolics.

Debating The Non Existent God

Have you ever wondered about the existence of God. Early in my Christian walk I remember questioning & even doubting the existence of God but I think this was done more out of not understanding my own existence. Ignorance or lack of knowledge
I’m sure everyone at one time or another has had questions or has had doubt as to the existence of the Creator. I mean how can you believe in what you don’t see, feel, touch, hear or smell? In some sense I have a harder time understanding the thinking behind atheism; atheists not only doubt but they also claim that God does not exist & to make matters more confusing they believe it with every fiber of their being. Yeah, I know go figure.

The thing that gets me about atheists & the atheism ideology is how they put so much time, effort & energy into debating the non existence of God with those of us who believe in the existence of God. Does that make sense? Think about it for a moment, you have a group of people who are in essence non-believers, yet they are believers of a non existent God. Their whole belief system is based on being a believer & follower of a belief system that teaches God does not exist.

It’s a religion of believers of the non existent God or rather a religion of non believers who believe in no God. To believe in anything requires faith. And among atheists there is no lack of faith when it comes to believing God does not exist. They are misdirected creatures, too much knowledge, thinking has gotten the best of them. The word of God says about non believers “the fool hath said in his heart there is no God” – Psalm 14:1

Often times I think fair enough atheists believe there is no God, but my question is why spend a good portion if not all your life fighting against something you believe is not there? Or does not exist? Why do atheists debate & fight against what does not exist? They remind me so much of kicking & screaming children when they don’t get their way.

Christians are mocked for believing & worshiping the Creator but it seems to me like atheists are in no position to be mocking anyone. As a Christian we only believe because the Creator asks us to believe, plain & simple trust is all that is required.
We believe in existence of the great I AM…the Alpha & Omega..the First & the Last!

This is a small act of faith in the one who is everything to me.

The atheist ideology is a dead theology.

(Atheism) Debating + The Non Existent God = Dead (End)

Death Cometh

A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. – Ecclesiastes 7:1

There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death:… – Ecclesiastes 8:8

What an amazing time it has been to experience life since my last post, I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted but trust me we have been slammed with many, many, many things to do. I don’t have enough hours in a day to accomplish the things I need to do or accomplish the things that I love to do. I know that you understand where I’m coming from…I really do.

I don’t know if I can find the words to fully describe what I’m feeling, I don’t know that I can put into words all that I feel but recently some things have taken place that have really brought about wave after wave, after wave of heaviness, sadness, depression. These waves of despair seem to come & go. We pray & all this heaviness seems to lift but then after some time, you actually feel the waves coming back at you. You ever experience anything like that? We have had everything from the daily trials of life to major trials that test our faith in the most extreme way come at us. The onslaught from the enemy has no end.

Along with all the normal things that take place in our lives, in three months time there have been two deaths in our family, this in & of itself is where most of our pain is coming from. We have experienced everything from great joy to profound sadness all in the same time frame.

These deaths have in some way brought a sense of reality back to life, they have helped me to see my own mortality. Physical Death is real! Death of a living breathing person is a very real experience. I’ve witnessed death coming & it has left me in shock, I’ve witnessed death come & conquer! So to speak. I’m not giving it any glory mind you…it’s just that I’ve not been a witness to death before, the last member of my family that passed away was back in the seventies & I was a small kid back then. But now as an adult I’ve become a witness to it’s capacity to end life.

Death is so personal & yet so open for all to witness. Death is so unforgiving, so careless, so cold. It will leave you thinking, it will leave you wondering. Death will answer some things about life & death & will leave many unanswered questions about life as well. One thing for sure death will put you in touch with your own mortality & bring you back down to earth.

Those in Christ have nothing to fear for the Lord has the final say & His word has been established in heaven & on earth.

The bible tell us:

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces;… – Isaiah 25:8

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. – Revelation 20:14

VBS 2007 New Life U.P.C.I Austin, Texas

New Life church celebrated it’s vacation bible school this past week, all of the kids & many of the grownups had a blast. The theme for this years VBS was Avalanche Ranch, a cowboy & cowgirl western themed children’s event celebrating Jesus. Everyone learned about Jesus faithfulness to those who put their trust in Him.

The Truth Matters Ever So Much

Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault [at all] -John 18:36-37

When Pilate asked Jesus the question, What is truth? He didn’t stick around and wait for Jesus to answer the question. Pilate asked a very profound & deep question that to this day is at the core of man’s search for meaning.

Like many people it seems Pilate was more concerned with having the last word in the conversation than he was waiting on Jesus answer. He was not interested in knowing what truth was more than he was concerned with questioning Jesus claim to being a king.

The truth matters ever so much!

I suppose that if Pilate would have waited for Jesus to answer that he would have walked away with an understanding that Jesus was truth. He would’ve walked away with an understanding that Jesus as the Son of God, as God wrapped in flesh came to earth to reveal truth to the world. But! no as fate would have it the question Pilate asked that day would go unanswered.

Truth can be any number of things to any number of people but the truth of Jesus Christ is not easy to put down & ignore, either you will accept Him or reject Him & that decision is in the power of your hands alone.

What will you do with truth? Does truth matter to you? Is truth important in your life? What will you do with it?

The Rejected

Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath neither form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, [there is] no beauty that we should desire him.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

- Isaiah 53:1-3

What I’m about to share does not come easy, I’m not sharing my heart because I want or need people to feel sorry for me, I’m writing this because I know there are thousands of people who are hurting & dealing with rejection in some form or fashion.

Have you ever been rejected? Do you remember the tears, anguish, hurt, pain, sorrow that accompanied those painful experiences? Maybe it was rejection from a parent, friend, wife, husband or even maybe someone in church or worse yet someone you look up to in church.

Unfortunately, rejection takes place in church as well. Think it’s not true? Pay attention & you might notice some things you’d never thought would take place in a church. You’ll notice those who are accepted for how long they’ve been in church, how much money they have, what they wear & how they dress, who they know, what they know & the inner circles they belong too.

You will also notice those who are rejected for who their not, for what they wear or don’t wear, for their education or lack thereof, the color of their skin, their faithfulness to church & maybe even the amount of money they give in the collection plate.

You might find a young teenage person sitting by themselves while the rest of the teen group socializes without ever noticing. Or you may even notice a person who does not socialize much if at all, why? Is their a past hurt that keeps everyone at arms length? It may be obvious or not noticeable at all, but hurting people are sitting in churches on any given Sunday.

At some point in life it is inevitable you, me & everyone else has to deal with rejection in some form. It is unfortunate but rejection is a part of life & a part of what molds & shapes our character. The rejection can become so painful if we allow it; that often times we are susceptible to becoming bitter over rejection. The hurt can be so great that we begin to close in & we begin to avoid others as a form of self preservation.

I remember growing up in different places around the country as my family moved from one place to the next throughout my childhood. We were a poor migrant family not really having much, my parents moved between dusty farms in Ohio & Texas searching for work. We always traveled from early spring to late fall. Taking the money that my parents made & using it for household needs.

My parents divorced when I was about 5 yrs. old. My father from what I know was insecure, jealous & prone to fits of anger; he was a typical wife beater, alcoholic & womanizer. I remember many beatings he’d give my mother, those images & the noise are so ingrained in my memory so much so that just thinking on them still causes a little uneasiness in me. Did those beatings traumatize me? I believe so, after all these years they still bother me if I think about them long enough. They have never gone away, they are still there in dark recesses of my brain & occasionally they still manage to stick their heads out every so often when they seek to torment me.

After the divorce my father moved on without us from what I know his life never amounted to anything significant in the lives of others or ours. He traveled between Texas, North Carolina & Florida working odd jobs to keep from paying child support. He never came around, he never sent a card, never called, and never bothered to make any type of contact with me or my two brothers. Even as a 5 yr. old I don’t ever remember much about him, I don’t ever remember a smile, a laugh, a joke or any other act of kindness that you’d expect from a father.

After a year or two my mother remarried, she married another man who was divorced himself. When we first met my mother’s new “friend” he was nice, kind & very friendly. Needless to say this was short lived, again I was once again rejected but this time there was a new twist, I was the one getting beat. For as long as I can remember from the time I was about 6 yrs. till the time I turned 16 yrs. the beatings continued in the form of whippings, kicks, punches…you name it. Punishment came fast, severe & in many forms & for the smallest infractions.

For the most part my mother never said much. To this day I don’t know if she just looked the other way to overlook the obvious or she never knew what was going on, needless to say I do remember a few occasions where she attempted to protect us but it never amounted to much, the beatings still came. The beatings & whippings stopped after I turned 17. But the rejection was still very present in the home. I was not welcome & I was not accepted. A mean look, a prolonged stair that’s all it took sometimes to get me to leave the house. The friction was too much for me to take that by the time I turned 18 I was on a plain headed to San Diego, California to embark in a career with the U.S. Navy.

I had to come to a point in my life where I accepted the fact that I was rejected by the man who fathered me, a man who in some sense never became a father. Looking back now the animosity, bitterness & hatred that had grown inside me my entire childhood was far greater than anything else I had ever felt. It grew more than love, joy, kindness or any other emotion that I knew. This poison infiltrated my entire being & it happened without me even knowing what had taken place…that is until I met Jesus Christ.

To make this short I’ve been delivered from this affliction of rejection by the one whom himself was rejected by all of mankind. This is why I started off with the scripture describing the rejection of Jesus, no man desired him, Jesus was not popular, he was not famous, he was not honored, he was hated, he was rejected by men during His time here on earth. In some sense people still reject him to this day.

In order to be set free from the lie of rejection you must understand that:

1. The Father, Creator of Heaven & Earth has chosen you & he has a plan for your life! (Ephesians 1:3-14)

2. Our God & Savior is the father of the fatherless. Mankind [you] can choose to become His adopted child. (John 3, Acts 2:38, Ephesians 1:5)

3. The Creator accepts you! (Ephesians 1:6)

4. The Creator will never leave you alone! (Ephesians 1:10)

5. You belong to Him, He owns you! (Ephesians 1:12-13)

 

More About Me

I was delivered into this world on September 12th ¹⁹⁶⁹. My father & mother decided to name me half of my father’s full name, don’t know why so don’t ask. I have been called many other names since, some of which I won’t mention here out of a sense of not offending readers, but in the mean time you can call me Carlos.

I am educated in some ways but not as educated as I would like, I have not reached a point where education has been enough. I am currently working on many projects some of which I believe will be completed before my death. I’m working on several photography books as well as other photography projects. I’m hoping to get published someday soon however if & when that ever does happen I will continue to keep myself busy on my current body of work. I have primarily been working as a freelance photographer, amateur writer & digital artist as well as creator of other fine art work. I also enjoy firing an AR-15 on occasions, I’ve been known to be a good marksman. At least that’s what my friends tell me anyway.

I have lived in many places all over this beautiful country from the most Southern & Northern parts of the country as well as the furthest reaches of the Western U.S. At the moment, I reside near a church & graveyard in Cedar Park, Texas just Northwest of Austin. A small but fast growing city that was once considered “country” the weather is unpredictable, winters are short and summers are sizzling hot.

My sun is setting on my 30’s & starting to dawn on 40. I have seen & experienced the good & the bad side of life both as a child & as an adult, In other words I’ve lived. I have been married to a beautiful dark-eyed little lady for over 14 years, and we have 4 beautiful children (3 girls,1 boy). We met each other in high school, I was 17 she was 15 we are & have been total opposites since the beginning & at the same time totally inseparable.

I have no illusions about my imperfections, no political persuasion, and I don’t believe in religion as a matter of fact I can’t stand it; but I strongly believe that there is a God. The Creator, A friend who now lives inside my heart, He lives inside me & He loves me more than words can describe. I have been sealed and branded with the Holy Spirit!

I don’t live by my own philosophies, or the philosophies of others but I live according the teachings & examples of the one person who paid the ultimate penalty for my sins, my Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ. Next to Him all other philosophies fall & pay homage for no other master, teacher or prophet can claim or experienced His life. If your brave enough to ask me & if you give me an opportunity I will tell you about this Jesus I know, rest assured you will never be the same again. I wasn’t raised in church like some people are fortunate enough to experience, I simply shared in a title that in some ways made me feel secure. My home was a godless home more or less, no real relationship with any divine being, we lived with an understanding that God was there, somewhere close but far away unknowable, untouchable.

I believe in prayer, I believe in the miraculous, Gods Word & unconditional love. I believe in dreams and hopes and in the beauty all around me. I am sensitive and curious about myself and others. I am also guilty of sins for which I despise for being such a cruel task master to me & my fellow man. Some people find me very open, friendly & outgoing, others a little straight forward. I am confused as well as in my right mind all at the same time. What can I say this is me.

I love Sunday afternoon naps, Chinese food and hibiscus iced tea with my wife, a beautiful little lady named Roeana, starry nights, the word of God, hymns, gospel music and listening to my two favorite pastors preach the word of God on a Sunday morning & night. I like quiet, silent places, solitude, the country, walks in the park, the sweet scent of Mountain Laurels in the spring time as well as the scent of rain as it comes down & kisses the earth beneath my feet.

I draw no conclusions about my life in general. It is continually evolving emotionally, physically as well as spiritually. I don’t know what’s next and at times I have no desire to know, I carry on as though my time here on earth is short fully knowing & understanding that all good things must come to an end.

Yet it’s not an ending but it’s the beginning of an eternity that awaits us all. You see we are immortal in a sense, although we die physically we live on spiritually I mean after all we are spirit beings who will one day return to The Father, our Creator finally returning home & seeing Him face to face to dwell with Him forever & ever & ever.

This is my desire…

 

Men of God

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. -John 15:12

Once in a life time, if your fortunate you cross paths with people who will touch your life in a special way, that someone who will help you change your life around. I’m not talking about my wife, a close friend, a Hollywood celebrity or sports star.

I’m talking about men of God, I’m talking about men of prayer, men of faith, men after God’s own heart. I’m talking about two men who hold a special place in my heart. I’m talking about my pastors, Pastor Bernard & Pastor Shaw. If there ever were men to look to when in dire need of God & prayer, these two men are the men that I’ve turned to In my time of need. Both of these men have played very large & important spiritual roles in my life & for this I am eternally great full to my Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ.

When we first moved to Austin, I thought I was moving away to start a new life, a new job a better future. Looking back now I now understand what I was really doing, I was running, I was running away from God. Little did I realize that what I was actually doing was running straight into the hands of God. Prior to moving to Austin we had been living in South Texas. If I remember correctly we were baptized in Jesus name & filled with the Holy Spirit in November of 1993, I don’t remember the exact day all I remember is that something indescribable happened to us & we have never been the same since.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. – John3:3 Also read John 3:1-12, Acts 2:38

When the Lord poured His Spirit into our hearts, we knew something miraculous had taken place. We had a life changing experience & we had stepped into a new relationship with God. At this point we did not have a full understanding of what had taken place, all we knew was that something supernatural had taken place, I now understand that when God touches your life, your gonna know it.

Receiving the Holy Ghost is unlike anything you will ever experience in your entire life you may not understand it all but there will be no doubt in your heart that the Lord has touched you. Your brain may not comprehend the significance of what has occurred but trust me when God has touched you & marked you as his own, you will know it.

We moved from Harlingen to Austin due to a promise of a job for my wife, all the money we had when we made the move was around $120, on the way our car radiator gave out in Riviera, Texas. I paid for repairs which left us with about $35, we brought all we could bring in our car & that was it. We moved in with my wife’s aunt & stayed a month until I was hired on at Dell Inc. we then found our own place & moved out. We were now set or so we thought, unbeknown to us at the time we had an appointment with the Creator of the Universe.

I was running, running from things I did not understand or at least in my own mind I thought I was running, I was running away from the Pentecost I had experienced, I was running away from the truth I had been exposed too, I was running from attending church, I was running from godly people, I was running from the word of God & most importantly I was running from serving the living God. Now, if you didn’t get that you’ll get it on the way home, just think about it for awhile.

At that time I did not realize that there was going to come a day when my family would cross paths with Pastor Bernard, Pastor Shaw & the people of New Life church.

I remember when we first started to attend New Life back in November of 1996, my wife & I were going through so much, I was a spiritual catastrophe, a spiritual disaster, I was spiritually confused & I was a spiritually broken man. To put it bluntly I had crashed and burned & all that remained were heaps of ashes, not only was my heart broken my wife’s heart was broken as well. Our marriage was falling apart & I had broken it. We were trying to work on our relationship & we were attempting to repair only what God could fix. The temporary band aids that I used were not enough.

The Lord had just blessed us with a son, the son that my heart had always desired, even in the midst of trials & tribulations the Lord brings blessings, did you know that? It was at this time that our 7 yr. old daughter (she is now 15 yrs. of age) was diagnosed with a brain tumor, another tumor in one of her ovaries as well as sciatic nerve damage along with a large number of smaller internal hemangiomas in one of her legs.

I asked myself, my wife & I asked God could anything else go wrong? Could it get any worse than this? Little did we realize that this was to be the beginning of a 7 year trial, 7 long trying years are what awaited us. Can you imagine, spending 7 years in a valley & seeing no end in sight? Making many, many Doctor visits, spending countless hours on the road to make those appointments & at the same time not knowing what to expect. It seemed we would never find a way out but God had different plans.  When your in a midst of trials your never alone & the Lord is never far away. He’s as close as the mention of His name.

Due to my unstable life mixed with my spiritual immaturity we stopped attending New Life for awhile, but it seemed that as things kept getting worse Pastor Bernard would start calling us. I don’t know how long I kept us from going back to church but I always remember his calls. Time & time again he would call & ask us how we were doing & if everything was alright. We always said things were going well but I honestly believe Pastor Bernard knew better. Sometimes I wouldn’t answer his calls, sometimes I would ignore them & at times I’d think to myself that if I didn’t answer his phone calls that eventually he would get the hint & stop calling us. But, the Lord had different plans for us & he used this man of God to touch our lives. Pastor Bernard would call, then allow a little time to go by between calls then he’d call again. For some reason he always called at the right moment & he would always make it a point to invite us back to church. Praise God he never stopped trying to reach out to us.

Once we started attending church services Pastor Bernard prayed with us & for us, he stood by us every step of the way. He & bro. Shaw made many visits to our daughter’s hospital bedside. These two men counseled us for sometime as we were in desperate need of all that God had for us, but slowly & surely everything was restored & everything has since become new. It has been a hard road that’s for sure but through it all the Lord God has been gracious & merciful to us, to Him be all honor & glory forever & ever.

Next to touching God daily the 2nd greatest need that I have today, tomorrow & the next day will be for a man of God to turn too. We all need men of God in our lives, we need them to lead us, guide us, teach us, correct us as well as stand by us when life becomes a little unbearable. To be very honest it has not always been easy to deal with the things the Lord has shown me that are wrong in my life, but I have always found it easier to accept all that the Lord wants for my life when I humble & submit myself to God, His word & the men he has placed over my life.

If your in a situation where you don’t know where to turn too, my advise would be to first get on your knees & seek the face of God through prayer, 2nd turn to a man of God confess & seek guidance. Healing only comes about when we confess our faults to a man of God.

The word of God says:

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. – John 5:16

New Life 15th Anniversary

Last night we celebrated our 15th anniversary at New Life, we had the largest gathering of Apostolics on a Sunday night in Austin, Texas.

We viewed a photo & video montage showing New Life’s early beginnings which started with services being held at the Bernard’s home back in 1992.

We did not have a “normal” Sunday night service with Pastor Bernard preaching, we had an awesome night reliving all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in the last 15 years. The night was filled with family, friends, lots of laughter & many, many tears of joy. The Lord’s presence was everywhere & on everyone. His presence could be felt all over the sanctuary.

When we first came to New Life in November of 1996 we did not realize how much of an impact Pastor Bernard & the people of New Life would have on our lives, we were new to Pentecost & had little to no understanding of Apostolics or Apostolic teaching. We were in essence very naive but as the years have come & gone we have experienced much & have learned many things that pertain the kingdom of God, most of what we have learned has come through teaching, knowledge & understanding of the word of God as well as many, many trials & blessings.

…In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

- John 16:33

But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; – Hebrews11:32

U.P.C.I South Texas District Conference – Ordination

I documented the U.P.C.I South Texas District Conference tonight & last night here in Austin,Texas.

What an awesome move of God’s presence we experienced on both nights. Apostolics truly know how to usher in & dwell in the presence of the Lord. Hallelujah!! On the first night we had Bro. Terry Pugh take the pulpit & deliver a message on just sowing the seed of the word of God & leaving the increase to God, we were exhorted not to grow trees. The 2nd night Pastor & District Superintendent David K. Bernard took the pulpit & delivered a powerful message on dying to self.

Two outstanding messages from two mighty men of God & even though I was moving around photographing the entire time the Lord did a work in my heart as well. I love Jesus, I love his word, I love truth & I love the men he has placed over my life. I was blessed beyond measure!!

I’ll post more images soon!

Tent Revival – Bertram, Texas

Have you ever attended a church service held under a tent? I had the pleasure of being able to attend as well as document such a service, here are some images from that tent service held in Bertram, Texas in the Summer of 2006. The day was bright, sunny, breezy & beautiful. On this day the Lord surely looked down upon the small town of Bertram and touched the hearts of those in attendance.

Praise…

Pastors exhortation

The word of God…

Prayer…

Anointing Oil…

& heartfelt worship.

I love documenting baptisms, Jesus Christ teaches us in the book of John that a person must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. See John 3:1-12 & Acts 2:38-41, being born again is also called the “new birth” a spiritual awakening so to speak. Part of that commandment is to be born of water, baptism fulfills that requirement.

You may ask why is this required? Why did Jesus leave such a commandment? Simply put, he requires obedience. Some people say that this is not so but we’ll discuss that at a later time. Suffice it to say that if you trust Jesus than you have faith in Jesus, if you trust & put faith in Jesus than it only makes sense to obey Jesus. If you don’t obey Him, than there is something wrong in your Christian walk & you have to re-evaluate yourself & your walk with Jesus Christ.

If I remember correctly this lady received a 2nd chance at life, she received an organ transplant after another person died. Sometimes people see their own mortality when they experience life’s trials, I suspect that in some way’s that may be a good thing but for most people a 2nd chance never comes. On this day she wanted to make sure her eternal destiny was fully secured.

What are you doing to make your calling & election sure?

1

In Jesus name…

Now praise Him.

Please People Stop All The Comments…

I’m starting to get a little excited, lately I’ve been seeing all these visits to this photo journal. People are stopping by to view my work & maybe read some of my thoughts but no one is commenting or even as saying hello. This leads me to believe that my work is getting some type of reaction. Whether positive or negative I’m not sure but people are viewing my work which I think is great.

Let me ask you this, do you like my photographs? Are my photographs too radical? Do my photographs make you uncomfortable? Do they rub you the wrong way? Are they too emotional, too raw for you? Or maybe you just don’t know what to think & that’s okay.

If your reacting positive or negative that’s great!! That’s what I’m trying to achieve through my images. I want these photographs to touch a nerve I want my photographs to cause you to think, too wonder, too ask questions such as who, what, when, why & where? But most importantly I’d want you to seek some answers to these questions, only then will you fully understand what your viewing.

Until next time…

The Secret

I like the idea and the concept of spreading this message of positive thinking, positive speaking and positive visualization. The Secret & the marketing behind it is clearly, something that is aimed at satisfying mankind’s desire to feel and live better and there is nothing wrong with this in and of itself. But I’d like to add by saying this is not all there is to life.

I heard about Oprah’s segment & her panel of “successful people” and thought to myself, they were discussing spiritual principles that lead to a better way of life if followed ritualistically. These spiritual principles are also found & taught in scripture. Before Plato, Socrates, Seneca and other ancient philosophers the word of God was already teaching some of these very same principles, the bible and Gods plan of salvation continues to be the only hope for mankind.

The Secret is nothing new and hardly a secret to those of us who already know God’s will for ourselves & the rest of mankind. I saw this as nothing but a slick marketing ploy which feeds off of peoples greed & desire for satisfying the “ME” in all of us. I mean it’s great that people want to improve their lives but this is not all there is to life but of course they will never share that information with you.

Jesus Christ teaches that we must first seek the kingdom of God then shall all these things be added unto us. The Secret is only sharing part of the message, people will only find true joy, happiness & fullfilment when they are willing to accept the Lord’s plan of for their lives. Consider the following scriptures.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. -Luke 6:45

Children’s Baptism

Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 18:3

I used to wonder why the Lord made this statement & I’d ask myself what he meant by it. As a Christian I now have a better understanding of this scripture.

Do you remember when you were a child? When we were children, we were so innocent, loving, caring, forgiving, tender hearted & trusting. Maybe as an adult if you were fortunate you kept some of these traits. Speaking for myself I have to admit that somethings must of happened along the way. Things changed, I changed. There are lots of reasons, too many to list here. At any rate as I got older I noticed bitterness, creeping in and a host of other issues.

As adults we’ve experienced life, we’ve experienced it’s ups & it’s downs. I suppose in some way’s life makes us hard. We allow ourselves to stop feeling so to speak, to stop the pain, the hurt. But you see there lays the problem as adults to a certain extent we lose focus & we stop enjoying life, we stop trusting, we stop loving others as we should .

The Lord knew this was going to happen, he also knew it was going to be difficult to let go of some things but nonetheless he left us a commandment & he left the power of decision in our own hands.

What will you do today, how will you live the rest of your life? Will you become an innocent child once again? Will you surrender? Will you cry out to Jesus? Will you humble yourself? Will you forgive once again? Will you trust again? Will you love again? Will you become tender once again? The Master is waiting on you.

The unexamined life is not worth living. – Socrates

*** NEW *** 2008 Wedding Rates W/additional Details

 

 

*** NEW *** 2008 Wedding Rates

**** Complete Wedding Collections – start at $2,499

**** Digital Negative Collections -$999 – $1,999

Ceremony, formals & reception: I photograph your entire ceremony, formals, reception and you receive post produced CD with all your Black & White & Color images, your responsible for printing & printing costs.

 

**** Hourly Rate: $699 first hour, $399 each additional hour. You receive post produced CD with all your images, your responsible for printing costs. Ideal for small weddings or renewal ceremonies.****

 

Wedding Packages

**** Intro Wedding Collection ****

$2,499 – [ Includes Bridal & 1-16" x 20" matted print, Engagement session & 2- 8" x 10" prints, 5 hours of wedding day coverage, 200 - 4" x 6" color, b&w toned prints in a white embossed album or 300 - 4" x 6" prints in a photo box, edited negatives on CD & Photo Montage on DVD**

**** Standard Coverage ****

$2,999

* 6 hours of wedding coverage

* Me as your Photographer and assistant photographer

* Online proofing and print ordering

* Set of 4” x 6” prints, typically 400 images, but higher or lower depending on your event

* Extra coverage hours: $200/hour

 

**** Exclusive coverage ****

$3,499

* Up to 8 hours of coverage time

* Photographer and assistant photographer

* Online proofing and print ordering on request

* Full size images, aka “Digital negatives” on DVD

* Highlights montage slide show; that will play on your TV

* Extra coverage hours: $200/hour

 

**** The Documentary ****

$3,999

* Up to 8 hours of coverage time

* Photographer and assistant photographer

* Online proofing and print ordering

* Set of 4” x 6” prints, typically 600 images, but higher or lower depending on your event

* A leatherette bound Acid-Free Portfolio containing 48 custom 8” x 10”s, hand selected by the photographer to provide a narrative of your day.

* Extra coverage hours: $200/hour

 

**** The Fine Art Collection ****

$6,999

* Everything that's included in the Standard and Digital packages above

* Unlimited shoot time on wedding day

* Photographer and assistant photographer

* Bridal and Engagement shoots

* Kolo Leather 10” x 14” or 12” x 12” custom album, 20 leaves (40 sides) in digital design, classic matted design, or mixed style with slip case.

* Two matching 7” x 7” or 5” x 7” clone albums for your parents

 

**** Black & White Gallery, with Color ****

$7,999

* Real Black & White film only! No digital negatives here.

* Enlarger printed on true Black & White paper.

* Up to 50 rolls of film shot

* Nothing digital touches the final Black & White prints

* You choose a format for proofing Black & White images: traditional contact sheet (very cool, but tiny images), 4” x 6” proof prints, or scanned photographs on photo CD

* 100 hand-printed 5” x 7” prints in an acid free box

* 20 signed 8” x 10” exhibition prints on double weight fiber paper, gallery matted and mounted on archival board (your choice of 11” x 14” or 16” x 20” prints) in an acid free portfolio box (Option: Frame some or all for an additional fee.)

* Second assistant photographer shoots color digital as supplement

* Online proofing and ordering of color images

* 500 4” x 6” Color proofs

 

A la Carte

Albums$ Please Inquire

* There's a custom album for almost any budget. Rather than try and list all the possibilities here, please discuss your album preferences with us to get a custom quote. Example: A 12” x 12” or 14” x 10” Kolo leather album in matted or digital design, or a mix, with 12 leaves (24 sides) is offered at $1,400. 20 sides offered at $2,000.

**** Extra shoots -Bridals & Engagements with prints. $299**** - **** Each additional shoot, such as bridal portrait, engagement, or rehearsal dinner. These shoots include either digital negatives OR a complimentary print (8” x 12” or 11” x 14”) with option of online proofing upon request.
*** Digital Negatives in color, black & white toned finishes: Edited $699, Unedited color $599*** A copy of original-size JPEG images, aka “digital negatives” with reproduction rights licensed for non-commercial use only.

**** Polaroid Prints ****

**** 100 - Color or Black & White Polaroid 3"1/4 x 4"1/4 Prints $499

**** 150 - Color or Black & White Polaroid 3"1/4 x 4"1/4 Prints $599 - *Go nostalgic & vintage with Polaroid prints, using vintage Polaroid cameras from the 60's & 70's we will capture portraits of family & guests, a nice addition to any wedding package. These Polaroid prints are unique & make a great gift for your wedding guests, unlike professional digital images where you have to wait a few days or weeks for prints, Polaroid prints are small and develop instantaneously and are ready within seconds. Their unique size sets them apart in that these prints are true one of kind originals, no copies here. Ready to take with you on your honeymoon.
*** Portfolio of 10 - 5" x 7" custom matted prints in an 11" x 14" black archival clamshell box. $399**
*** Portfolio of 20 - 8" x 10" custom matted prints in an 11" x 14" black archival clamshell box. $499**
** Hourly rate: 1st hour $699 / $299 every hour thereafter. [2 hour minimum,ideal for very small weddings or renewals with less than 50 guests, includes retouched digital negatives only, no prints included with this option]**
** Ceremony only $999
[Includes edited/retouched digital color, black & white toned digital negatives on CD, no prints included]**
** One set of our [TRUE ART] photographic negatives on CD [see the many examples in this Craigslist ad][10-negatives]$199 [20-negatives]$399 [30-negatives]$599 or ** An entire set(50)[TRUE ART] Color, Black & White Toned digital negatives $799,(Rates are slightly higher due to the additional time & creative work that goes into designing these works of art.)

**** The Wedding Essay ****

$799

* A leatherette bound Acid-Free Portfolio containing 48 – 8” x 10”s, hand selected by the photographer to provide a narrative of your day.

Please ask if you want something customized!

God Bless,

Carlos & Roeana Hernandez

Phone: [512][828-6946]