a 2012 mix tape

In a world long long ago…there used to be these small plastic rectangular objects that we called cassette tapes. This was pre iTunes, pre mp3 and pre cd’s. When we wanted to add some variety to our musical experience we would make a mix of some of our favorite and or most impactful jams… hence the name mix tape. So here is a 2012 mix tape:

Some tough songs: 

-Our Grandma Rodriguez going home to be with the Lord. Losing an incredible woman that has impacted so many is sometimes overwhelming… and she is greatly missed… but we will see her again.
-Knowing so many friends and family that suffered from great loss, financial crisis and the struggle that comes in navigating through the tough intersections that life sometimes brings us. 
-Watching so many people in the world experience great tragedy via crazy storms, mindless killings and brokenness.

Some encouraging songs: 

-Observing people and the church coming together to reach out to those dealing with some of the loss and tragedies that have gone on this year.
-Seeing supernatural provision for so many… and seeing so many ‘only God could have done that’ things go down. Amazing!
-Being reminded and becoming even more aware of Gods love and faithfulness through time in His presence, the love of others and the fulfillment of so many promises found in His word.

Some incredible songs: 

-Learning to be thankful for every day that we get blessed with no matter the circumstances. This life is short… like a vapor as James put it but we get the privilege… the opportunity to experience it to the fullest with following Jesus, loving Him and others with all we are!
-Walking through life with my incredible bride! This year we celebrated 11 years of dating and an incredible 8 years of marriage! Everyday we grow closer to Jesus and each other! This year we celebrated 7 years in youth ministry! This year we took the biggest step of faith in our life thus far next to following Christ and getting married… moving from Florida back to the Northeast to begin the incredible journey of planting a life-giving church… daybreak church! And Lord willing we will launch September of 2013 in York, PA!
-Being reminded that experiencing true life only comes through a ever growing relationship with Jesus Christ… and that life is best lived when done together with others. Acts 2:42-47 is alive and well and if we embrace it… it could change everything!

As we enter into 2013 I will be starting the year with some much needed time in prayer. If you would like for me to agree with you in prayer please email me at daybreakchurch.info@gmail.com 

If you would like more info on daybreak church or would like to partner with us in prayer, we have a prayer list for the 1^st 12 days of 2013 at www.daybreakchurch.info

So here-here to 2012… I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for 2013!

Be encouraged friends!

-p.jimmy akers

steady as we go...

The other night while spending time with my wife the great song 'Steady as we go' by Dave Matthews Band came to mind.

As we listened to the song together I was overwhelmed with gratitude and amazement... I actually get to walk out this journey that we call life with this incredible woman?! Thank You Jesus!

Over 11 years ago we started dating... and as life often does, ups and downs attempt to throw us off course. But I firmly believe... if we will stay focused on Jesus, continue to grow in our faith and love God, each other and others well... we will continue to experience the abundant life that John 10:10 speaks of!

I am so excited to see what this journey holds!

...as we follow Jesus... love each other... love others... plant daybreak church...

I wrote this to tell Jesus thank You... for giving us life and blessing us in so many ways!
I wrote this to tell Amber that I love You so much... steady as we go love!
I wrote this to tell everyone that has prayed and supported us... thank you!

1 Corinthians 13 (MSG)

13 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

² If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.
^3-7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

^8-10 Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

¹¹ When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
¹² We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
¹³ But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

 steady as we go...

Why plant? / Why York?

Over the last few months, when sharing the step of faith we were taking in moving from FL to PA to start daybreak church, we have been asked lot's of great questions. So we wanted to try to answer the ones that seemed to be asked the most. In this post we will address the top 2 questions we have been asked.

1. Why plant/start a new church?

1st ...because God called us to. 

-The day was: Tuesday May 8th, 2007. Check out the "our story" tab on www.daybreakchurch.info to read the full story.

-"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19, 20

2nd ...people are looking for Hope. We believe that true Hope is found through a relationship with Jesus. 

-"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans 5:5 

3rd ...we believe the local church plays a major role in bringing Hope to Life!

-"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord". Ephesians 3:10, 11

4th ...studies show that starting new churches is one of the MOST effective ways to reach people that don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

-http://www.irvinepres.org/pdf/fewhyplantchurches.pdf

-http://www.amazon.com/The-American-Church-Crisis-Groundbreaking/dp/0310277132 
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2. Why York? 

1st ...When we felt called to plant, Pennsylvania was immediately drawing us. As we have continued to seek God, He has literally given us an overwhelming love for this region.. and it is increasing daily.  Not just York city... but York county.

2nd ...In 2010, the population of York County, PA was 434,972. In 2000, it was 381,751. The total population increased by 13.9%. The number of people that claim any affiliation to religious groups listed was 168,962, which was 38.8% of the total population in 2010. So that means 266,010  or 61.2% are not affiliated with any religious organization. The city of York and its surrounding zip codes are following suit, with just over 50% that are NOT a part of a local  church, or claiming to know Christ. Which means... Lots of people in this region need to hear, see and experience that Jesus loves them and that He has an incredible plan for their life! And even with the people that say they have a religious affiliation or go to church... chances are many of them still may be disconnected from the church, hurt by the church or not actually in a growing relationship with Jesus.

-http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/c/42/rcms2010_42133_county_name_2010.asp

-http://www.city-data.com/county/York_County-PA.html

http://www.city-data.com/city/York-Pennsylvania.html

_____________________________________________________________

So instead of why plant & why york? We can't help but ask WHY NOT?

Partner with us in Bringing Hope to Life! 

To find out how... Click HERE

We are still better together.

Over the last few weeks between being temporarily without a daily work obligation and logging over 2400 miles in our chariot of awesome... I have had some extra time to reflect on life. One thing that has risen to the surface in all of the world changing thoughts that have crossed my mind...

Our relationships still matter the most.

Obviously following Jesus to start a new church presents lots of new obstacles/opportunities that we have never had to work through before. But the value of relationships won't change because we are not trying to build our kingdom... but Gods kingdom. With Gods help we will not just rent or build big buildings just to brag about what we have accomplished... we will instead rejoice in the lives that will be changed as a result of people coming into a life-changing relationship with Jesus. And as the daybreak church family grows we will remain focused on building up people over building programs.

We all have had those relationships that seemed to have caused more harm than good...  or the ones that for whatever reason have experienced a little bit of a disconnect... or the relationships that had to end intentionally... 

We need not neglect the value in the lessons that we have learned from our relationships. Whether the experiences were good, bad or ugly they help shape us and as a result we can come to a place where we can greatly appreciate the people we are blessed to do life with... even if it was just for a season.

So the response Jesus gave still stands true...

“Teacher, which  is  the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” -Matthew 22:36-40

Like peanut butter and chocolate... 

We are still better together.

-p.jimmy akers

Moving forward update...

This Sunday July 29th, Lord willing we will be starting our journey on the road out of Florida. The last 17 months have been filled with joy and growth, but through it all God has been so good to us! I wanted to give you an update on all God has helped us to experience recently and a picture of what the next few weeks will look like.

-July 1st we finished up our season of serving at Celebration of Praise in Clermont, FL. If you didn't already read that Step of faith blog posted June 17th read it HERE:
-July 2nd we arrived at the Hannekens house in Ft Myers, FL.
-Since being here we have had the opportunity to REST, spend time with our Missionary friends at NMSI/YouthHOPE and be a part of times of worship and prayer here, meet with a few incredible leaders and worship at some amazing churches in Southwest, FL.
-We made some important progress for daybreak church.
-Monday July 16th we launched www.daybreakchurch.info If you would like to stay updated on all things with our new church plant please visit this site and get added to the email list and follow us via facebook, twitter and google plus. If you would like to partner with daybreak church please click HERE.

From this Sunday to mid August we are going to be logging over 1700 miles.

A few things to keep in prayer:
-Our travels.
-For us as we attend our Leadership and Church Planting training.
-Financial provision and open doors for www.daybreakchurch.info
-Open doors for us to minister and share the vision about daybreak church.
-Job's in or around York, PA.
-For a home in York, PA.
-For wisdom and strength as we travel and move forward in all God is calling us too! 

For all the words of encouragement, prayers and support we want to say THANK YOU!

Be encouraged friends... God is mindful of you!

-p.jimmy and amber


Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God’s throne! 
- Hebrews 12:1-2

Step of faith part 2....

If you missed the Step of faith part 1 blog you can read it below this post or click HERE. God has done incredible things already and we believe He has even greater things in store as we continue to move forward in planting a life-giving church. 

BIG day!! ...the site is live! Check out http://www.daybreakchurch.info

Step of faith...

We will all have moments in our life that will forever stand out in our minds. Amber and I had one that I would like to share with you...

Tuesday May 8th, 2007 we were ministering at the young adult ministry of our church and something crazy happened... It was a fairly small group gathered that night, maybe 20 or less. We had just finished leading the group in worship and I began to share the message for that night. I don't even remember much of what I was sharing that night except for a quote I had heard Pastor Francis Chan share during a message of his...

'The rarest thing in the world is to find a young man without pride and an old man without regret.'

At some point during my message I kind of zoned out for a moment and had this crazy feeling overwhelm me. When I looked out I didn't see the small group gathered that night, but I saw a room full of people in a building that I didn't recognize. To try and sum it up... I felt like for the 1st time in my life I could see us leading a church. Many people have told us that they saw us leading as pastors of a church one day, but this was the 1st time I actually entertained the thought. After a few minutes I refocused and finished my message. At the end of the night I asked my wife Amber what she thought of the night. Her response was a little overwhelming! She shared a similar thought with me that she felt during the gathering that night before I got a chance to tell her what I saw and felt. The next night we talked more and felt like God was starting to open our hearts to the idea of one day planting and pastoring a church. At that time it was just a dream, but we knew that it was something that would be a process, so that night I wrote all of that stuff down in a journal.

Fast forward to Summer of 2011... we are serving at an incredible church in Florida and God is doing so much in our midst! God started working on my heart one night while I was praying. He challenged me with this thought. He did not just bring us to Florida for the things that we could do for him. More importantly He brought us here because of the things He desired to do in us. As we started to seek Him, the vision for planting a church started to re-surface... but this time it didn't go away. Almost daily in some way, shape or form God started to speak to us about this idea. He started to give us more and more vision for this dream and the Holy Spirit really started to challenge us to prepare our hearts for this next step of faith that we were going to be taking!

January 2012 during a time of fasting and praying God reminded us of the experience we had in May of 2007. After finding the journal entry, God confirmed that our season in Florida was coming to a close. We prayed about this and shared our hearts with our Pastor. Embracing this call is the culmination of many prayers, time in the word and steps of faith. God has used many people to speak into our lives, bless and encourage us throughout this process of seeking Gods will for our life. Everywhere we look we see God calling us to plant a church. August 2012 Amber and I will be transitioning to plant a church in York, PA. This is not a rushed decision, nor is it one that we take lightly, but rather the public announcement of something God has been stirring in our hearts for years. July 1st will be our last day at Celebration of Praise.

Since following Gods lead to move to Clermont, FL we have been blessed to minister among a truly great church family and staff at Celebration of Praise. We have made wonderful friends and shared incredible experiences. Celebration of Praise has treated us with the utmost honor and we will always view our time here with fondness. You have cared for us as individuals and as a couple and you are to be commended for it. We could have easily made this our home forever, but God is leading us to start walking out the vision that He has been birthing in us the last several years.

To all of our family and friends, we love and appreciate you so much! We humbly ask for your prayers and support as we take this huge step of faith.

Thanks for taking the time to read. Our story is not finished... once again we are stepping into the water! Check out Joshua 3.

If you would like to stay connected with us on this journey please keep checking back to www.jimmyandamber.info

More info will be available soon! God has some incredible things in the works!

Are you a Crazy One?

This past week I was listening to a message from the Arc All Access Conference given by Greg Surratt. He shared a few things that have been echoing in my mind since I heard them.

"Here's to the Crazy Ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world - are the ones who DO!" -Apple

He then shared this...
  
“If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” -Jesus... Mark 9:23 

Are you a Crazy One? Do you believe? Are you willing?

My heart and soul say YES! Dreaming WIDE open!

-p.jimmy

PS. For we walk by faith, not by sight. -2 Corinthians 5:7

Where do you find Hope?

Amber and I went to see the movie The Hunger Games. This post is not a review of the movie but there was one quote from the movie that stood out to me that I wanted to share and comment on.

“Hope is the only thing greater than fear. A little hope is effective; a lot is dangerous.” -President Snow speaking to Seneca Crane

This quote has been ringing in my head since I heard it. When I see the news, read the paper, listen to the radio and talk with people on a day to day, one thing that seems to be lacking is a sense of hope. I have always thought of myself as a glass half full kind of guy... but when you are struggling, when you see so much brokenness, sometimes it is hard to keep from focusing on what you don't have, how hurt you really are, or how unattainable or impossible your dreams and goals may seem...

but...

3 We also have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience. 4 And patience produces character, and character produces hope. 5 And this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts. He gave us his love through the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us. -Romans 5:3-5

So God makes a Hope that will not disappoint available to us?! A pretty incredible truth!

Is God the source of your Hope?

If Hope is greater than fear... I want it. I want it for you too!

Be encouraged friends... God is mindful of you. Speak life.

Will we trust Him?

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His names sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever. -Psalm 23

If He is our shepherd... that means He desires to lead us. No doubt lots of folks have let us down... but will we trust God enough to follow him?

2 weeks ago Pastor Jesse Duplantis preached on this passage at our church. Today I listened to Pastor Steven Furtick speak on this same text. Something Pastor Steven shared that spoke to me today is this:

'I thank God that we can know His will, but we have to acknowledge that so often we don't know His ways.'

I think we struggle with that because so often we desire to have control of where we are headed or how we get to where we are headed but today walking through the hallway of our church I felt like God was sharing something with me. Even though there is much to be desired in not understanding how or why God does things the way that He does them... some things that we can rest assured in is that...

God LOVES us!

God is WITH us!

God is FOR us!

God is FAITHFUL!

God desires to be our shepherd. He wants to lead us.

But... will we trust Him?

Be blessed and encouraged friends. God is mindful of you!

-p.jimmy

PS. I know that this is easier said then done... you are not the only one that feels that way but I know it is going to be worth it!

A priest tells a story of a meeting he had with Mother Teresa in Calcutta. Upon seeing the priest Mother Teresa asked: “And what can I do for you?” The priest asked her to pray for him. “What do you want me to pray for?” The priest replied: “Pray that I have clarity.” And Mother Teresa’s response was a flat out “No. When asked why, she said that clarity was the last thing that the priest was clinging to, and had to let go of. The priest commented that Mother Teresa always seemed to have the clarity that he longed for. Mother Teresa laughed and said: “I have never had clarity; what I’ve always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust.”

Don't miss it...

Sometimes we mistake quantity for quality. Early in our marriage my bride helped me to understand that just because we worked together frequently... it did not replace the need for us to spend time with each other.

Today in our Joy Ministry the Lord had me share from Luke 10:38-42. Jesus gets invited to Martha's house. Her sister Mary spends time with Jesus but Martha was too busy serving to spend time with Him.

Tough part was that Martha was serving... not a bad thing. But because she was distracted she neglected that which was most important... spending time with Jesus.

We often stay busy doing work, school, life, etc. ... and we neglect that which is most important.

When Jesus was asked what was most important in Matthew 22:36-40 he gave a simple but profound answer. His response can be summed up in 4 words...

Love God. Love People.

Our relationships matter most...

Don't miss it...

Be be encouraged friends... God is most certainly mindful of you!

To all of our friends and family... we love and appreciate you so much!

NOT a Dress Rehearsal?

I read a Relevant Magazine article by Jeff Goins today that really got to me. One of the lines that especially stood out was...

'This is your life—today. It’s not a dress rehearsal for the future; it’s all you have.'

Wow! 

Then I realized today, that yet again God had done something in our life... without our help... knowing what we needed... and I am sure He did not even sweat!! He is Faithful!

The thing God seems to keep putting in front of me is this...

Are you doing the best you can... 
with what you have... 
where you are???

God allows us the crazy opportunity to Breathe and have a Heart Beat... God blesses us with Hope, Relationships, Time, Gifts, Resources...

But are we faithful with the things He has given us to steward over?

Moreover, it is [essentially] required of stewards that a man should be found faithful [proving himself worthy of trust]. 
-1 Corinthians 4:2 Amplified Bible

It's a good question. In those things that we are not found faithful... I feel like we are being reminded that it is time to change it up because we still got time left in the game.

Don't give up Hope... with God all things are possible!

Remember... this is NOT a Dress Rehearsal!

Be encouraged and blessed friends! God is for you!

Purity is worth it...

I was reminded today of a conversation I had with a friend about our desire to see God move. In our conversation He shared this from the Bible:

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. -Matthew 5:8

We both shared that we wanted to see God and to see God move.

Purity is worth the effort in every way. One of the greatest struggles we will ever face while robed in flesh is sexual purity... but I think a close 2nd is that of having pure motives.

In both of these area's we have a choice. 

To walk in the flesh... or in the spirit. Which will you choose?

When we hear the word purity do we instantly think of people we know that have fallen in this area or do we acknowledge that we have all fallen short according to Romans 3:23? I thought of this while I reflected on some people that from my perspective, have made some decisions that seem to have been birthed out of ill motives. As I wandered how they could do or say the things they have... God reminded me that if I do not strive to walk humbly and in purity... I could make the same decisions and fall.

So... let me encourage you to walk in purity. It will be worth it.

I want to continue to see God move... and one day we will see him face to face!

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from Your presence and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. -Psalm 51:10-12

Be still...

When I was a kid I hated nap time. Now I would pay for a nap. Often my mom would take us to the library to get books... cause books are good and the library is free... but when she wanted us to read I decided to do everything but sit still. Now I can't read enough because I have learned not only do I not have it all figured out... but people have something to say. I am learning... more important than people... God has something to say.

Unfortunately we rarely take the time to listen or reflect on what He is speaking. 
Often we go to church and hear a message but half way through we start thinking about lunch and before we get to the football game... we forget it is even Sunday. Maybe I am the only one that struggles with this... if so... this is my James 5:16 confession time.

Many times in the gospels in some way, shape or form Jesus makes reference to people having 'eyes to see' or 'ears to hear'. 

Realistically whether you are a follower of Christ or not... you too struggle with getting caught up in the craziness of life without taking a second to breathe and reflect on what has happened.

This past week on numerous occasions God stopped me in my tracks and showed me that He is not only mindful of us... but He is speaking.

He probably has been speaking all along... I just wasn't listening... a l l  a l o n g.

Truth: He has something to say... and He will get the glory.

So take some time...

Take a deep breath...

and be still...

Psalm 46:10 (NIV) ¹⁰ He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 

 Be encouraged friends!

It is hard to believe...

But before we were even born God had a plan for our life.

Monday night God reminded me of something else...

January 2005... 7 years ago God called us into full time ministry.

We have grown closer to Jesus every single day. 

We have grown closer in our marriage as we serve together.

We have learned what it looks like for us to actually walk by faith. 

We have been blessed to build incredible friendships with amazing people. 

We have seen people embrace Gods calling on their life.

We have learned that we have to earn the right to speak into somebody's life.

... and most importantly... 

We have seen people walk from death to life! 

It has been an incredible 7 years... but we know we are just getting started. God is birthing His vision for our life daily. A long time ago I heard Joyce Meyer say 'God didn't call us to be busy... but fruitful'.

This is a daily struggle... but well worth the effort.

In Matthew 22:35-40 Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was... and His response was simple yet profound.

Love God.

Love People.

Every day we are striving to do this more and more. God has done so much and we are so thankful. But we can't wait to see what He has in store.

Be blessed and encouraged friends... God is most certainly mindful of you! At times I have taken my focus off of Him... but I am grateful that He has never taken His hand off of us. He has great things for you. Don't settle!

-p.jimmy