14 May

You can’t change the facts…

Written by UrbanVox 9 Comments

I am probably about to lose quite a few readers and people I know in person with this post so bear with me… read it to the end and I REALLY want to know your position on it… so don’t forget to leave your comment.

I don’t believe in God.

At least not the same way you do. And in 90% of the cases not the same God. Not the limited God we learn to believe at church.

Yes… I have a problem with the church as an institution… Yes… I believe the church is a bankrupt institution, the biggest fail in the past 1800 years give it or take it a few years… and Yes… I am an Ordained Minister having being a pastor for the past 3 years or so.

I am not here to speak about CHURCH today tho, so let me stop here before I get started on the subject.

I am also refraining myself from talking too much about what I believe today.

I am here to talk about fact. To present my case and to know what YOU think.

I was 18 years old when it happened… and it was all because of a broken heart… looking back at it I say it was the most foolish thing I’ve ever done… well at least the most foolish one for the most stupid reason.

Let me rephrase that… the most foolish withn I’ve ever ALMOST did for the most stupid reason ever (what??? you wanna know the reason? I’d been broken up with… the one and only person EVER to brake up with me).

That wasn’t the only reason, but it was the one that made me reach the amount of things I could hold at once in my chest. (I was never one to open myself to anyone about what was going on with me).

It happened over 10 years ago but I remember the episode as if it was yesterday… I got into the house, went to the bathroom’s cabinet, picked up a bottle of aspirin (one of those with 500capsules they sell in the US) and locked myself in my bedroom.

The moment I turned the key I started crying.

Aspirin was my weapon of choice for 2 reasons (I could have chosen the .22 rifle I had inside my wardrobe): 1) I knew that based on my age/size/weight that as little as 20 could have killed me (I had a pot with nearly 500) 2) I am extremely allergic to the Acid Acetilsalisilic which is the main component of aspirin.

You see… I was born and raised in the church (my dad is a Worship Minister/Pastor and mum is a Bishop)… and it doesn’t matter how confused I was about things I had “discovered” (things I always noticed but only then started to make sense) I still had the “Fear of the Almighty” within me.

I made an ultimatum to God… He had 15 minutes to TELL me in a way I would know without doubt WHY should I not kill myself and made a series of questions which I knew I would never in 15 minutes would be able to get responded to me. I took my watch, took off my wrist an turned on the chronometer, opened the bottle and sat looking at it reading myself to have it.

with 15 seconds to spare my phone rang. My first impulse was to ignore it but I answered just for the hell of it.

On the other side was one of my closest friends. What he told me was more proof than I ever dreamed.

“Hi Yuri. I was praying just now and God touched me telling me to call you and tell you… that and that… and that… and that… (THAT meaning every single one of the things I demanded to know)”

So you see… for as much as I loathe the Church I have more than enough reason to believe in God.

And really… I don’t care the name you call Him/Her/It: Jehovah, Gaia, YHWH, Allah, I Am, The Force… There is something or someone out there with a bigger plan than you can thing or imagine.

And don’t start with the whole why doesn’t Got stops catastrophes, Tsunamis etc… they are all part of life.

I still believe God is LIFE.

I am still a believer… I BELIEVE IN LIFE!

How about you????

What do you believe on?????

13 Apr

I Take Pictures

Written by UrbanVox 6 Comments

… that’s what I do…

It is compulsive and without a camera (any type of camera… even it it is just my mobile’s one) I feel naked…

I take Pictures… and that is my thing… and my addiction since… well since when I can remember. I photographed trips and days at work. Births and funerals. The first time I saw my wife and the first time I saw my sons.

I took pictures when London was bombed and of many od the celebrations that happened in the city. I photographed the Brazilian Community Night life and the day to day lives of people walking on the streets.

I’ve been published. Done photos for Magazines, Newspapers and News Portals. I’ve also done some Marketing and advertisement work.

I’ve done pretty pictures for models and hookers (OK… not hookers… they called themselves Escorts…). And Did Fun Driven Family Portraits and Celebrations for achieving the “age of the she-wolf).

I am working on a photography Book / Exhibition… OK… I’ve been working on that one for the past 2 years on and off… but hey… One day it will be out there for everyone to see it.

I can see beauty through my lenses… There is beauty everywhere and we get so busy with the ugly things that we forget to look at the pretty flowers.

You are beautiful too… no matter what you think… OK that sounds too Pink(ish)… but it is true.

I can see God through my lenses… On the minimal things… and all little thing is a celebration of LIFE!! (I don’t care if you call God God, or Ala, or Jeovah… Or THE FORCE!!! YHWH is everywhere… Spiritus… the air we breathe… LIFE and that’s what we should live and worship… LIFE… that would end soooo many wars if all saw that same lil thing… And Nope… I am not trying to convert you to any religion… RELIGION IS THE RUT OF ALL EVIL!)

But back to the subject before I start going through another tangent…

I take pictures… And that’s how I show what and how I’m feeling… The day you see me without a camera is the day you should worry about me.

Then why on earth Shouldn’t take pics of Mr. A’s LP??? Is that not part of life????

How about you??? How do you express yourself????

18 Jun

Sense of Purpose

Written by UrbanVox 0 Comments

I was reading that in one of the blogs I usually follow (www.hollywoodpastor.com), and as I was laughing I couldn’t do but to notice the genius of it… And with that I came the sudden realization (again)… EACH one of us has a purpose! Each of us has a mission! Some times MANY different ones under one Ministry, but each of us has a Purpose.

Acting solely out of this purpose causes us the same affects than giving “punches on the tip of knives” (Meaning it doesn’t accomplish anything, and it hurts you on the process)!

Their purpose is to reach out to people involved in the Hollywood Industry… One can only communicate to a targeted group by speaking “the same language” this groups speaks!

That is CWI’s prime directive! To be diverse, to use the language of wherever we are. TO COMMUNICATE!

How hard can that be????

HOLLYWOOD PASTOR BELIEFS
We believe in God the Father. We believe a guy named Jesus died for you, your agent, your housekeeper and your good friends. We believe Hollywood could use a little more Jesus. We believe when you get some time today you should engage God, perhaps ask Him questions or simply pray for somebody. We believe the Farmer’s Market is a great place to hang out, get a bite and talk. We believe parties are good and never turn down an invite. We believe that Bible that sits on your shelf should be pulled down at least once a week and be read. We believe you should help people whenever you can. We believe that being a disciple of Christ does not mean you’re a freak nor should it make you one. We believe that your private life is your private life and should be respected. We believe very much like you and want a chance to show you what God is doing in our lives. We believe most Christians do a crappy job at being Christians and we urge them to just do better. And finally… we believe in you and your need to know God. We want to help that grow.

We also believe that the people looking to complain about what we’re doing are idiots. Pray for us instead of writing e-mail. Thank you.

This is their purpose… what’s yours???

Zya!

Posts Tagged ‘GOD’

You can’t change the facts…

I Take Pictures

Sense of Purpose