PEACE

PEACE is being able to walk in your circumstances and stay patient as God guides you down the path He has planned for your life. However, sometimes, if we are not careful, we will take our frustrations out on others... doing and saying things that we later regret.

As difficult as it can sometimes get, do your very best to be kind to others during those days that seem to be challenging and you ge...t a bit frustrated, being careful as not to use others as your "bad mood" pin cushion! Take time out for yourself to get back to a place of calm and relaxation just as God intends for you to be.

Remember to treat others with love, respect and compassion at all times, even in the times you are afraid, you feel anxious or you are having a very challenging day. Always allow God's gift of peace to remain upon you by spending some "alone time" with Him. Only He can restore you and help you leap hurdles over your circumstances as you patiently wait for Him to answer any prayer requests and open up doors of favor on your behalf. HE LOVES YOU AND HE UNDERSTANDS.

“And the PEACE OF GOD, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

 

GOD IS UP TO SOMETHING

One of the most baffling things each of us face as “Believers”, is how our circumstances can sometimes seem to be getting worse than better. Prayers are consistently going up, but it just seems like God does not hear… Why God, are you taking so long? Have you forgotten me? Is it something I've done wrong?
It is in these moments that GOD IS EVEN CLOSER than you may realize. Every prayer and request that you have cried out to Him, He has heard and is working to answer you in w...ays you cannot begin to imagine. Contrary to what you may be feeling in your current situation, GOD WILL NEVER ALLOW YOU TO FALL beyond the point of resurrection. What looks to be your last or when you feel you simply are down to nothing, is really God’s way of giving you a brand new and fresh start in your life or current situation. Your “tomorrows” are in His hands and you can count on Him to come through for you at just the right and perfect timing. He’s never early… and equally HE IS NEVER LATE!

Whenever you’ve given it absolutely all you’ve got and you’ve prayed until… well… you don’t even know what to pray for anymore… GOD HAS HEARD AND HE’S WORKING EVERYTHING OUT FOR YOU. Contrary to what your situation “looks like”, God wants you to TRUST HIM and know that He will never, ever fail you! Use your Faith and watch in amazement at the things He’s about to do in your life. TRUST HIM… because that’s all He wants from you.
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows FAVOR and HONOR. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO TRUSTS IN YOU! (Psalm 84:11-12)
“Therefore I tell you, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR LIFE, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? SO DO NOT WORRY, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:25-34)

Yes, He died for YOU!

  No matter what you do or think, Jesus died for you. It is that simple. You can never get away from that fact, even by saying you don't believe it, because it is a well documented fact. No matter where you are at in y...our life, no matter how much the enemy of your soul wants you to believe that you can never be good enough for Jesus or God to love you, the real truth is that you can never be too far away from Him. He suffered the most horrendous beating and death, so that you, through faith in Him, might have eternal life. You do not have to do anything, He has done it all, you do not have to 'be better' or work harder, you just have to confess that you are a sinner and that you believe that God sent His only begotten Son to die as your sin offering. Invite Jesus Christ into your heart and ask Him to forgive your sins and He will save you and give you eternal life. We offend Jesus when we strive to 'do' something to earn our place beside Him in heaven - if we could do that, then He would not have had to suffer and die for us.

The horror and suffering of the cross gives way to the amazing understanding that He is RISEN! Jesus conquered the grave, death could not hold Him and through His resurrection power, we have eternal life. Hallelujah! Not only can we look forward to an eternal life in heaven with our Lord and Saviour, but we can live an abundant life here on earth. We have the Holy Spirit within and we have had ALL our sicknesses and diseases removed and nailed to the cross, they died with Jesus, and He most definitely did not resurrect them! So begin to believe the truth, do not believe the lies of the enemy who puts symptoms of illness and disease on you. Start to claim and visualize your healing and good health and it will come. Let us begin to live the life that we are born to live, one free of the shackles that the enemy would bind us with. Let's stand and be strong in the power of Jesus' finished work at the cross.

The flavor of George Soto in Hispanic Music

George Soto was born en El Barrio de Newton Avenue in the great city of Seguin, Texas. George didn't have a dad; His dad died in the war in Europe in early 1943 before George was born. His mom lived in San Antonio, Texas. He was raised by his abuelitos or grandparents. Adding to his sense of family was a black lady, Mrs, Redix, who lived next door and often asked George to stay and eat. He felt so close to her he called her aunt.

 In 1949 at the age of six George was enrolled at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School in Seguin, Texas. In 1955 George graduated from said school. George also lost his grandmother Leoner Martinez in the middle of 1955 and only George and his grandfather were left. Next school he attended was Joe F Saegert Jr. High and he graduated from that school in 1958. In 1955 George started playing Football, Basketball, Track, Baseball and Gymnastics. All that ended in 1960 at Seguin High School after passing to the eleventh grade, George left school.

George and Munchie (Ramon Salazar Jr.) were old friends. One day he watched Munchie's brother, Rudy, play the harmonica and guitar. George sensed a flicker in his blood. "To me Rudy was more of an inspiration than anybody else," remembers George. But of the Salazar brothers, Munchie was George's buddy. When Munchie bought a guitar in 1958 and began to practice, George's musical ambitions heated up. "When Munchie bought that guitar, it even inspired me more because we were always together," recalls George. "I also bought my own guitar, and we started practicing together." Several months went by and Ramon Salazar Jr. left and joined Charles McIntyre and his band while George stayed practicing by himself. Another Two or three months went by and Ramon requested to rejoin George. For the record George Soto never played with Charles McIntyre or any other band!!

In 1958 George Soto and Ramon Salazar Jr. formed a Rock-N-Roll band and named themselves the Playboys, a popular name at that time. Sometime between 1960 and 1961 the Playboys became the Broken Hearts. George started developing a special gift that he didn't know he had. George stated, "If I knew a song it changed when I started playing it, my feelings took over and the song came out different. My feelings controlled every song that I played." George who had the talent and his own original style also arranged (Rhythm-Lead) many of the group's recordings, and broke new ground in tejano music with the guitar arrangement of Las Cuatro Milpas, an instrumental recorded in 1964, featuring George on guitar. Las Cuatro Milpas Became a Hit for the Broken Hearts.

Concerning Las Cuatro Milpas, Lupe Gonzales of Tierra Tejana in 2011 stated, "On that polka, George Soto played those famous pasadas on his guitar that no one to this day can duplicate"! A Littlefield, Texas fan in 2011 also stated "You forgot the best Broken Hearts song...Las Cuatro Milpas....played by George Soto....I watched him in Littlefield, Texas in 1964." Sergio Martinez posted to George Soto B H; "George it is my pleasure to meet you through FB. You are indeed a legend in Chicano music. My best to you," Sergio! Joe Ybarra stated "Your one of a kind George, especially in "Las Cuatro Milpas" we don't have bands like that anymore, I mean playing with your Heart! We do have great Bands now & I like to change with the times music wise but back then...well it's hard to explain, you know what I mean George! Del Corazon, Great Memories. God bless you my friend". Margie Gonzales on Las Cuatro Milpas, "Great Song, love it"! Luisa Medina Arteaga stated on facebook, "Hi George! I just finished reading your story in the "About" section. It is a VERY impressive story...you are a true Tejano Legend. To be honest with you I have not heard of you or the group Broken Hearts. I just listened to the videos you uploaded on YouTube and you are an extraordinary guitarist. I just wanted you to know that I'm honored to be part of your friends." Raul Sanchez" WOW! That's a great story, GEORGE SOTO "EXTRAORDINARY GUITARIST" April 11 at 12:54pm 2014. "To George a very dear friend & one of the greatest Lead Guitarist I've ever had the pleasure of knowing" by Chepe Ramirez

George Soto's guitar riffs were highly original. The manner in which he combined different musical genres in his guitar riffs was truly remarkable. Those "pasadas" could imitate a "bajo sexto" or imitate a "requinte" and a "keyboard" as well. What the guitarist (George Soto) in "The Broken Hearts" did was a make up for the instruments they may have lacked and accentuate the instruments that they did have as well as the vocalist in their band. Their "sound" was unlike any other band of that era. Every song George recorded had a Rock N Roll and Jazz Flavor. He was one the first Guitarist to combine Rock N Roll and Jazz into Hispanic Music.

At the beginning of 1967, George Soto left the Broken Hearts. On June 2, 1969 George invited Jesus Christ into his heart and asked Him to forgive his sins and the Lord saved him, changed him and gave him eternal life. George became a complete new person in Christ. Soon thereafter, he met Angelita Ramirez Cervantes and on October 29, 1971 she became his wife. George never finished high school so he started his quest for education by getting his GED and then getting diplomas as a Medical Laboratory Technician, Accounting, Electronics, Communications, Land Titles and etc. George became Responsible Head of a Blood Bank and Laboratory in San Antonio, Texas. That lasted for over twenty years. After that, he became a Customer Service Representative specializing in surveys for a title company.

George did his most important work serving the Lord with his wife. They ran a Sunday School Bus Ministry, bringing over 150,000 (after thirty years of service) children and adults to church and overseeing their lives many of whom are now serving the Lord. In 1969 George was appointed Choir Director at Bethel Mexican Baptist Church. That lasted until 2005 at another Baptist Church. George also served the Lord as a Lay Preacher, Bus Director, Sunday School Director and Usher. George and Angelita are still serving the Lord by presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world and have a Ministry called "JESUS ONLY" in Facebook.

George Soto is a member of the National Hispanic Music Hall of Fame inducted February 1, 1991 in El Paso, Texas and Tejano Roots Hall Of Fame inducted January 05, 2013 in Alice, Texas.
 

 

 

 

When death comes knocking at your door!!

When death comes knocking at your door you will not be able to pretend you're not at home. You will not be able to tell him to come back later. You will have no choice but to answer the door. The Bible says "...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27) We all have an appointment with death! The question you must ask yourself is. If death came knocking today.... Where would you go? Heaven or Hell? Would you consider yourself a good person? Good enough for Heaven? Have you ever lied, stolen, or used God's name in vain? Even once? If so you are a liar, a thief, and a blasphemer and you have to face God on judgment day! Will you be innocent or guilty? Will you go to Heaven or Hell? The Bible says "...There is none righteous, no, not one." (Romans 3:10) You know you will be guilty and end up in Hell! That's not God's will! The Bible says "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (II Peter 3:9) Two thousand years ago. Jesus Christ came to earth and lived a sinless life. He took your punishment when he died on the cross. He was buried and three days later rose again defeating death. No one knows when death will come knocking. You are not guaranteed tomorrow. The Bible says "Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." (Proverbs 27:1) Repent and trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation. Invite Jesus Christ into your heart and ask Him to forgive your sins and He will save you and give you eternal life. He is the only way! Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6). The ultimate statistic: 10 out of 10 people die!