I had the opportunity to attend the “American Friends of Ariel” dinner in Aventura last night. My good friend Kelly was one of the honorees, so I planned on attending to support him. A couple of days before the event, I was asked to give an invocation and introduce Kelly as he received his award. I don’t normally get nervous when I speak, but when I was standing next to the mayor of Ariel (in ancient Samaria in Israel), and the former Israeli ambassador to the United States, I was nervous. Plus, the rabbi that spoke before me was off … Read More

Carey and I are at the hospital… Water has broken… Drugs have been administered… Mia Grace is on the way… Videos, pictures, interviews, TV footage… It’s all forthcoming! Please pray for a safe and smooth delivery! Thanks, Bob, Carey and Mia…

I was supposed to be at the Calvary Chapel Southeast Pastor’s Conference this week, but Carey’s Doctor informed us that she needs to be on bed rest for the next couple of weeks until Mia is born. This has changed my schedule considerably and it’s OK. While it’s always nice to hook up with my CC brothers, I have the privilege to serve my wife as I help out around the house. It’s also giving me some time to finish up Mia’s room (I’ll post pictures soon – It looks like something out of a catalog) So if you remember, … Read More

People have been so kind to Carey and I giving us gifts for our daughter that’s going to be here in a month. But one of my favorites has been this. Someone gave us a CD of all Metallica songs in lullaby form. They have Coldplay, U2, Nirvana, the Cure and a bunch of others. It’s good to get rock music instilled in your kids early. Because if my daughter ends up liking Hip-Hop, I might lose my mind…

– In sports, dropping the ball is a bad thing. – At work, dropping the ball is isn’t good either. – Yet somehow, millions tune in to watch a ball drop…and that is a good thing. Maybe now that the ball has dropped, it means we won’t drop the ball and we’ll see all our dreams come true in 2007… Happy New Year!

I had lunch with one of my best friends today who is pastoring a growing church in Hartford, CT (If you think church planting is difficult in your area, go to a place where the majority of people are 3 generations unchurched). I find it so refreshing to talk to someone who gets it and sees life from a similar perspective. We had a great time talking about ministry, life, books, and quoting 80’s metal lyrics 🙂 We all need people like this in our lives. If you don’t have one, go out and find one. If you don’t life … Read More

This was the year for the Franquiz household! I got my coveted scrapbook from my Israel trip in 1999! Carey did an absolutely incredible job on it. It is the best looking scrapbook I have ever seen. It looks like something out of a catalog. Plus, she got me the Swiss Army watch that I’ve been wanting for years. It looks awesome! But because she knows me so well, she got me a Brother P-Touch labeler. It might not sound like much to you, but for organizational freaks like me, it is glorious! I’ve been labeling all morning and it … Read More

As I sit here on Christmas Eve ready to leave for a friend’s house, I’m thinking about what I want for Christmas (honestly, this has been the busiest Christmas season of my life and I haven’t thought much about it). So here’s what I’m hoping for under the tree: – A black Gibson Les Paul Standard – A Marshall Mini-stack – A Swiss Army Watch – A Scrapbook of my trip to Israel in 1999 – An assortment of movies that I’m constantly raving about – The Crash movie poster that was hanging in the control room of the theatre … Read More

Carey and I had our second birthing class on Monday night. It was good. My favorite part is hearing Mark groan when they show gross stuff in the videos 🙂 I don’t care if it’s natural, it’s still not fun to look at. I got to learn about all the drugs that are available to women during labor. The only part I didn’t like so much was when the teacher asked the men to lay back, put their legs up and push like they’re giving birth. This was to help us appreciate what our wives are doing. I pushed twice… … Read More

Here’s a couple of “Preview” pictures of my daughter Mia. Mia’s official arrival isn’t until February 9th, but here’s what she looks like today.