“Give me five”. As you know this is a kind of a popular thing that many do or say to celebrate winning a game or making an agreement or something like that. I like to teach it to little babies, and you’ll be surprised to see how fast they will be doing it too.

But what we really want to do here, is to ask you to graciously give us a few minutes of your precious time (less than five, I promise). Not to have another devotional to read (I hope). There are so many already, and many are really good!. What we want is simply that God may use this to speak and   encourage you (spirit, soul and body) with the power of His grace and fill you with the Holy Spirit to guide, direct, control your emotions, will, mind (Eph. 5:18) that you’ll present yourself totally, a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God as your true act of worship each day, and thus be in His will, transformed completely from the inside-out, with a taste of His power, and the joy of pleasing Him.

So, I want to be honest and direct in our aim, without apology, but hoping to hit the target with you.

Thank you for so graciously “giving me five” today out of your busy schedule.

May “the LORD bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. The LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace” (Num. 6:24-26).

M.

In 1960, while an architectural student at the University of Havana, Marco felt the call of God in his life to serve Him.  He then began to serve the Lord in his church in Cuba.

Marco Married his wife, Mirta, in 1961.  He and Mirta moved to the USA in 1965 with their oldest son Ariel.  Later, their daughter, Eunice, and second son Abdiel were born in the USA.

Upon arriving to the USA, He began to serve with the Spanish ministries in the Baptist church they attended in Southern California and later in English with youth ministries.  At the same time He worked with a local architectural firm.

During the early seventies Marco and his family started attending Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa.  After sitting under Pastor Chuck’s teaching for about two years, He got involved teaching a Bible study in Spanish and attended what was called the Maranatha Evangelical Association Shepherd School (for a week) in 1976.

In 1977, the Lord opened the door to start a Calvary Chapel in Claremont, where He served as pastor until 1979.  He then continued to practice architecture and helped serve at Calvary Chapel West Covina teaching in the Bible School.  To date the original Calvary Chapel Claremont still exists, but now under a different name.

In 1992 the Lord renewed His call back to the pastorate, and Marco left his position as Principal Architect of a local firm to start another Calvary Chapel.  In 1993, the second Calvary Chapel Claremont was born.

Marco and his wife, Mirta, have three adult children, seven grandchildren and two grand dogs.  They live in Claremont, CA.