John 3:16

First off, I want to say that in order to understand a verse fully, you have to read a little bit before and a little bit after. So today we will dive into what is the entirety of John 3:16

First let’s read a little bit before and little bit after John 3:16, starting with verse 13 and ending with verse 19

            “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, een the son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” –John 3:13 – 19 KJV.

            Enough said right? No, I just recently had a talk with my mom and she said this, I want the Lord to help me better understand just exactly what he did for me on the cross. He did so much for me. Look at it this way, Jesus who is the son of God, came down and became a man for man sake. Jesus, who has angels surrounding him and worshiping him day and night decided to step down from his throne and get whipped and die for our sake. My mom started to tear up when she was saying all of this and she starts telling me stories that I’m not going to share here but she started just sharing the good news with me. She started talking about death and how God didn’t design death but how death was a consequence of sin because men chose to sin rather than follow God. It was the best conversation that I’ve had with my mom in a while and the entire time she kept saying how God prevailed in her life and how God was the one to change her life and how God is the hero in her life. I trust my mom over all of the media that there is in the world. I hear from the media that science is the God that you’re supposed to follow and money and fame and fortune. My mom and my leaders however tell me that I shouldn’t chase those things and that I should chase after Godly things and treasures. So, I will trust my Godly leaders and mom and dad.

            I hope that this shed light on to the subject no pun intended. Thank you all for listening in. German Gonzalez signing out

Faith based goals for my entire family

Having goals is a good thing, it doesn’t make you any less Christian and it actually shows a little bit of responsibility. Having faith based goals for you and your family is something holy. Not only are you wanting to commit to God on a day by day basis, but you also want to influence your family into being more Christian as well. Today I’m going to share with you all what are some of my faith based Christian goals for my family.

Get all of us to go to church

            Right now, it’s just my mom, my sisters, and I going to church; my dad doesn’t go. So, my goal is to pray and fast so much that my dad would go to church with us. Also, my goal this year is to go to church every Sunday! I don’t want to miss a beat because I know that my spirit needs God’s word on a consistent basis. Sometimes I go to church and my mom doesn’t go or sometimes they go and I don’t go to church and we should all be going to church on Wednesday, Sundays, and Saturday.

Start a family prayer group

            Every night before we go to bed, we pray. We pray that God would guide us and other petitions so that way we can ease our minds and prepare for us to go to sleep. However, I want something more than that. I want my entire family to pray consistently in a separate time so that way we can discuss beforehand what exactly is on our minds and develop our relationship not only with one another but with God as well. This family prayer group could also pray for various topics around the world or in our lives.

Get rid of all of our earthly desires

            I used to watch this show called Breaking Bad. It was a show about a high school chemistry teacher who decides to make meth and sell it to support his newly diagnosed lung cancer condition. I know that the show isn’t something for a Christian and I still watched it, but, I know for a fact that it does not make it mine. Sometimes, I’ll go back and watch a few episodes, but, in reality I don’t want to watch it because I know that it’s something that God wouldn’t want me to do. I used to listen to gangster rap and hardcore rock, I know for a fact that that type of music isn’t what God wants me to listen to because of the lyrics. Not only do they not worship him but they also speak of vain and vulgar things. They speak curses and it just hurts me, trust me when I say it that it does hurt to listen to those things.

Get my dad and I to go to the men’s prayer group over at my church

            My dad is someone special in my life and I would hate to see him get hurt or continue to get hurt over this sinful world. I want my dad to pursue God with the same passion and intensity as I do. I wish that my dad would go to church, so; can we all pray for my dad. I want prayers for my dad to get spiritually strong so that way, the heavens can rejoice.

These are some of my spiritual goals, I hope that I have given some encouragement to everyone that’s reading these posts. Please feel free to ask me any question regarding Christianity and the Christian life. I have been a Christian almost all of my life I have a lot of insight and yeah. Thanks for listening, may God bless you all.-German Gonzalez

The importance of praying

Let’s have a moment to discuss prayer. Prayer is our communication with God, It’s our time to really ask God the important and maybe not so important questions. We can develop our relationship with God because of praying, so; let’s talk about why we should be praying on a consistent basis.

It’s in the bible

            The bible is law. It’s what has to happen, not only because it’s good for us, but because God is the one who said it. Loving your brothers and sisters is something good, having compassion is something good, living a life that God wants you to lead is something good, Prayer, however; is something incomparable. We must pray because the bible says for us to pray. We must pray out of sheer desperateness because we need God desperately. God doesn’t need us and it’s by his good grace that we’re even alive. Praying shows God that we care about him, it gets God on our side, it develops our spirit, feeds us mentally, physically, spiritually, it counsels us, provides therapy, relieves stress, becomes a doctor, is a provider, gives you power. God is the one who does these things not prayer. But praying to God is the powerful aspect because God can and will do amazing things in your life if you include him. Stay committed to him and he will guide your steps.

It’s powerful

            Prayer can go a long way, when you commit to a praying schedule where you pray to God every day or every other day, then we can develop spiritual power. With God nothing is empty, nothing is perverted, and nothing is corrupted, so; if you pray to God, you will find your life full of joy and happiness and power but power that is everlasting, power that is fulfilling, power that is Godly. Even though you might never become president of the USA, or CEO of a billion dollar corporation, even though you might never be a rock-star God promises good things and the good things that God promises are full of life and hope and love.

God will provide for you

            God provides to those who love him. God doesn’t give up on people and he won’t start with you. Praying to God shows that you love him and treat him like the king, God, like the father that he is. With your dad, you are respectful, you are courteous, and you are loving, so why wouldn’t you be to the father that loves you the most? Why wouldn’t you show an easy task that can do so much for you? God doesn’t gain anything by providing for us or listening to our wants and needs. God has universes of wealth and power and that’s not even scratching the surface of God. That’s an understatement of God.

            Well guys that’s it for today, be sure to go to church, read your bible, pray, listen to your parents, and always follow God. This has been German Gonzalez signing out.

Faith based Goals for the year

Reading the bible, praying more, fasting, giving to charity, tithing, all of these are examples of faith based goals for the year. So, today I’m going to share with you my goals for this year.

Read the bible more often

            This of course should come to no surprise to everyone reading my blog. I wish to read the bible more often so that way, I can discern what is good and holy and acceptable to God. If I meditate on his word, then I could better understand what he’s trying to tell me. However, reading the bible involves more than just memorizing scripture and endlessly reading it. You have to actually comprehend and take it to your heart. Overall, it’s a good thing to do, wouldn’t you agree?

Pray more often

            God answers prayers, there are no questions regarding that. Even though God knows what we need and want, it’s good to ask him to give you what you need and want. It shows a dedication to God that is just loving. God asks us to pray to him, so why not listen to him? I remember a few times I have prayed for things and no matter how insignificant it was, God gave me those things. I remember a few times I prayed for a few things and God did NOT give me those things. There is something important to learn here. Even though we pray to God for something, doesn’t mean that God has to give it to us. God doesn’t have to give you what could hurt you, God will only give you things that are good for you. If you truly seek out God and love him with all your heart, then you will know what he wants and what he doesn’t want. So it should be easier to pray to him.

Go to church more often

            All of these are life goals, but going to church every Sunday is a commitment to God that shows your dedication towards him. I remember one time I had a few friends that said that they wanted to see how it would be like if they went one week without God. They said it was the biggest mistake of their lives. They said it’s impossible to live without God because God provides life to the people that love him. So imagine going a week without church? How can your spirit be fed when you don’t give it any food?

Fast

            I feel like fasting is often overlooked at. Fasting is showing God that we are willing to sacrifice ourselves for him. I would sacrifice anything for God because God very well deserves to be praised with everything that we have. The bible says to present yourself as a living sacrifice to God, so; give up what you have and give it to God, that way, God knows you’re serious about him.

Giving to charity

            Giving to charity, shows people what kind of God you serve. I remember a few times I have given to a homeless man on the street and the next thing you know, you see a vast amount of people giving to that man. Be a trend setter, show people that giving is receiving a blessing from God that is unmatched by anything that there is in the world. Even though you might never receive your reward on earth, God will be the one to reward you in heaven for having such a big heart.

Commit

            This year, I want to commit to God. I want to have the same dedication that I have for God as I do with music or writing or learning. My God has been there for me since day one and I have to show that I appreciate him. He has never failed and always guided me throughout all of the bad. My goal for this year is to initiate my commitment and the goal for my life is to stay committed to him throughout all of the bad and good.

Make Christian friends that believe in what I believe

            I wish to make friends that are Christian. The reason for this is because I have a lot of friends who wouldn’t necessarily say that they are Christian, I don’t like that. I want to surround myself with like-minded people because they will encourage me and help me with my bible and relationship with God.

Well, if I said absolutely every single goal that I have for myself, I would be here for days. I hope that I shed some light as to what Christian goals should look like. Thanks for tuning in this has been German Gonzalez  

How has my faith changed over the years?

My faith has been like an upward roller coaster. It goes up and down over the years, but; it’s always improving over time. I see my faith and realize that my God has truly been there with me since day one and I have become to be who I am, not because of my mom, but because of my father which is in heaven. Today we will look at how my faith has changed over the course of my lifetime.

It started bad

            When I first started believing in God, I had a lot of doubt, disbelief, confusion, uncertainty, sin, and ungodliness. I was a mess on the inside, however; My God had grace on me and chose to let me be a Christian and one that would follow him wherever he went. God is the one who has guided me all throughout my life and because of him, I can now look back at my old days and say wow, I was truly lost. Instead of rotting away in a jail for years, God has had the grace to make me wise and smart and a Godly man. I thank him for that. I can still remember all of the bad things that I thought when I was a kid. I had so much hate and violence in my mind and it was just wickedness. Think back yourself to a time when you were young and realize just how bad you actually were, then you’ll realize that it was God who changed your heart and mind.

It’s a process

            Becoming something that shines brighter than any other star is something that only God gives. A lot of times I receive compliments from people telling me what a respectful man I am or what a gentlemen I’ve become, it’s because of God. God is the reason why I can smile at night and sleep peacefully. Once God puts that seed in your heart to be good, then you have the choice to enact upon it. So, if God puts it in your heart to follow him, then by all means you must follow him. It takes time to be able to make the decisions that God wants us to make, so, we have to be patient and expect that God enacts on our hearts in a positive manner. God has always answered in a good way to me, he has never failed and the more I grow older I see that God has always protected me from everything.

Prayer is essential

            The praying man is a strong man, so it’s important for us to pray. I remember a few of my prayers that I said in the middle of the night. I know that humans don’t even know how to pray, so, I prayed to God to give me prayers, prayers that are holy and righteous because I wanted to be a righteous man. I prayed to God to make me a holy man, and I know he’s still working in me but I am not who I once was. Who I once was, was someone arrogant and selfish. I was something to not look at, so, God changed who I was. I listened to my preachers and teachers and they developed who I was until I became who I am today.

My God gave me the heart to withstand all those years

            God gave me the heart to withstand all of those years of hardship and pain. I remember a few times I thought about suicide, however, I never enacted upon it because I said to myself that if God ever wanted me dead then I would be dead and so I’m not dead now so I assume that God wanted me alive. So now I dedicate my life to God because he has allowed me to live, I trust in that.

Never give up on God

            God has always had your back, so why on earth would you give up on him? He has always been there for people, he loves those that love him and he is righteous. Trust that he hasn’t let you down and he will guide your feet.

            I know as Christians we have heard these words over and over again. We hear that we aren’t supposed to give up on God and we’re supposed to trust in his word always. We need to develop and meditate on those words and always continue to fight the good fight. Thanks for listening, this has been German Gonzalez

The biggest struggles I’m facing with my faith

I honestly have a lot of difficulties with my faith. From dating to eating, the subject is a matter of whether something is right or wrong and also a little bit of commitment. Here are some of my biggest struggles facing my faith.

Commitment

            Commitment is by far the most problematic area of my faith. I know that my commitment to God has to be the strongest commitment I have, but; I just can’t seem to do it. I also know, that if I get closer to God, then I’ll become more committed to my relationship with him. If I pray, read my bible, and go to church like I should be doing, then I will have no problem knowing what God wants, what I should do, and also my destiny. I know, I know, I’m a Christian that doesn’t go to church, it doesn’t make any sense. I want to go to church, I just find myself doing other things from eating late or sleeping in, I’m just constantly doing something else on Sunday afternoons. I love God with all of my heart and there’s no excuse as to why I don’t go to church every Sunday, there is none.

Praying

            A praying man is a strong man. Says every pastor that you can talk to. This statement couldn’t be anymore truer. God guides those that get closer to him, he establishes their ways and shows them what the right path is. Praying is your form of communication with God and should be treated with respect, honor, and humility. God loves a humble heart, so ask God to make you more humble and you will become wiser and more humble every day. Praying is difficult to me because when I have the chance to pray, I get lazy, or am too comfortable to even close my eyes and talk to God or I Just don’t commit to it. I am very forgetful, so that makes me to forget my obligations and responsibilities with God. I have duties as a Christian soldier and I want to fulfill them, it just gets hard.

Giving

            As Christians, we should have a giving mindset. Giving to people not only involves giving money to our local charity or church, it also involves loving people to the point where you go out and make sure that the homeless have toothpaste and toothbrush and make sure orphans have toys. We Christian’s should give what we can and not brag or feel doubtful about it because we know that our God is the one who rewards us and we can confide in him always. I struggle with this. I give to a homeless man when I have money, but; I don’t make it my life’s work to make sure that the poor are fed or the homeless sheltered, I should though.

Spreading the Gospel

            This is a big one, the one task that Jesus ordained us to do, and I can’t even say it to someone else. Spreading the gospel requires a lot. It requires an understanding of the bible that’s deep and a relationship with God that is passionate and on fire. You have to understand that not everyone wants to hear about the bible and that not everyone should listen to what you have to say. Hear me out, Jesus spoke of “don’t give that which is holy unto the dogs nor cast ye your pearls before swine, else they turn against you and rend you” in the bible. This is speaking of the gospel of what is Jesus. Understand this, that God is the one that changes the hearts of people, not you. You can’t change someone’s mind, if however; you want to pray about that person and share with them some scripture because they ask for it, then by all means go ahead and share it. Pray for the people in your lives and God will most assuredly be the one to guide your words. This is the reason why I started this blog, I wanted to have an outlet to let out my emotions and spread the word of God in a positive manner to Christians and people that already want to hear the word of God.

Doing the right thing

            I struggle with this all the time. I tend to do things that aren’t Christian and I wish to do the right thing, however; my sin nature guides me into the wrong thing. The heart is gravely sick is what the bible says and it’s true. Through the heart comes deceitfulness and sin and other lusts that are just contradictory to what a Christian should be doing. My heart tells me to be lazy, my heart gets me distracted, my heart guides me into rage, and on and on the list goes. I trust that God is the one guiding me because if it wasn’t for him then I don’t know where I would be.

Trusting in God

            The last thing that I have trouble with is trusting in God. I have so much trouble doing so and the worst part about that is…. I don’t have a reason to do so! God has been faithful to me ever since day one and all throughout my child and all throughout my adulthood, God was the one there for me. My parents have failed me before, my friends have failed me before, the only one that hasn’t failed me Is God. How on earth could I have trouble trusting him when he has done so much for me and he continues to do so much for me today? It’s sin! It’s ungodly! It’s horrible that I can’t keep my eyes focused on him long enough to see that he has done well in everything in my life.

            Overall, my biggest struggle facing my faith is my relationship with God. If I just go to church more often or read my bible more and pray a lot then I know that God’s will would shine in my life brighter than any star. Thank you everyone for listening in German Gonzalez signing out  

A testimony

So, here is my favorite testimony that ever happened to me.

            When I was 21, I found myself doing things that weren’t exactly Christian. The things that I was doing weren’t criminal, but; I eventually did find myself in jail. I wasn’t sad and in fact at that moment I knew that God didn’t get me there, I did. So, I got on my knees and I started to pray. I prayed so hard and so long that night, it truly was a sight to see. I specifically prayed that God would get me out of jail. I prayed to God to get me out of jail in whatever manner that he thought best. There’s a million ways God could’ve gotten me out of there but he chose one way. The same night that I prayed to God to get me out of jail, someone random comes into the jail and puts bail in my name. I asked the guard who was this person and he said and I quote

            “it was your father”.

So I said “Can you describe my father for me?”

            He said “he was light skinned”

            I said “that’s impossible because my father is dark skinned”

            And then I said “What was his name?”

And all the guard ever said was “it was your father he put 300 dollars of bail on you”

There are several reasons as to why my father couldn’t have done that.

            First, my father was 700 miles away

            Second, My father didn’t even know I was in jail

            Third, My father couldn’t afford it

The guard said that my father came to the jail! And bailed me out! I honestly couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I knew that God had answered my prayers. I knew that God had answered in a mighty way, like he always does. After I said that, the guard came to me and said,

            “can we have your number so we can contact your parents? Let them know you’re here so they can come and pick you up.”

            My God was there for me, even though I hadn’t been there for him. Even though I was involved with all that filthiness, that wrong, that sin, God had mercy on me and chose to release me from jail. God was the hero in that situation God is the one who loved me God is the one who was faithful. God is good and he is loving to those who love him, so love him.

Faith based bucket list

Having Godly goals is good to develop your relationship with God. It develops your spirit and makes you a more mature Christian. Mature in the sense that you want more of God and your own Christian self has grown. Today I want to show you what my faith based bucket list is and why it’s important to me.

Read the whole bible

            I wish to read the whole bible because it would be a milestone in understanding of what God would want in my life. I have done a pretty good job at reading the New Testament but sometimes I can’t follow the language or I get confused with what they’re saying. Sometimes the New Testament refers back to the Old Testament and I don’t understand the context of what they’re saying so I have to go look it up. I have read the entirety of Genesis I have read a few books in the Old Testament but I still haven’t figured out all of the details. So I must continue in my journey.

Memorize the entire book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes

            Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are the wisdom books in the bible. I have always wanted to be a wise man, so; I have to read what God is saying in the bible and understand it, learn it, engrave it in my heart. I wish to not only read it but memorize it because that’s the best way that I learn. I actually learn best by memorizing everything that I read. It’s just easier for me to learn that way. Memorizing to me is actually a lot more than just learning it too. Memorizing is meditating on the word because you’re actually engaging in it. You engrave it in your heart when you memorize it, which is important.

Go on a mission trip

            I have always wanted to go on a mission’s trip. I have known of times when I could’ve went but I didn’t because either the country was too dangerous or I just didn’t have the resources to go. I wish to go to my country, El Salvador, I wish that my people would hear the word of God and start to change their lives. I know God can do great things for my country, however; it’s up to them if they want to listen.

Start a Charity

            I know that God is a loving God, so; I have to show the world just exactly what kind of God I serve. I wish to specifically start a homeless shelter and maybe an orphanage. I know for a fact that there are many people out there that need help in this world, but, God is the only one that can help them. If anything good comes from me, it had to be from God first.

Help start a church

            God needs to be everywhere in the world. I for one am a proud supporter of churches being built like McDonalds (all over the world).

Well this has been my spiritual bucket list, I hope that you guys can find some sort of hope in this. May God bless all of you and keep safe –German Gonzalez  

The prayer that God has answered in the most unexpected way

First off let me start by saying that God answers every prayer it’s just a matter of identifying it. God has answered so many of my prayers that it’s hard to just narrow down to one. Today we will look one of the prayers that God has answered and why it was so strange.

            Backstory time: When I was 5 years old, I had prayed to God to give me a guitar. I had prayed to God to let me be a guitarist because I had seen the people at church perform and I heard the electric guitar play on the stereo system of my car and I just thought wow! So, I prayed to God to give me a guitar. All my parents ever said to buy me a guitar was NO! A big fat no because they thought it would be something that I would pick up and just leave it alone. I assured them that I wouldn’t but they wouldn’t let me. 6 years later when I was in the 6^th grade they finally said yes to the guitar and got me my first electric guitar. That Christmas will forever be engraved in my mind. So I started practicing the guitar and reading books and taking classes and then finally by the time I got into the 11^th grade I had been named most outstanding music student of the year and I won an award from the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. (I had actually prayed to God to make me a great musician) It’s not the fact that I prayed and that it’s because of me, but God has the plan to place me a desire to learn more about music every single day and so I did. All of this to say that I prayed to God to give me a guitar and to make me a guitarist and he did so. God had blessed me.

            I always said that if God ever made me a guitarist, then I would use it to write songs and sing praises to him. I will honor my promise because every time I practiced the guitar, I would always say a prayer to help me. There are some things that you guys don’t know about me that would prompt you guys to believe that it had to be God that worked in me in those early days. It has to be God that’s working in me now. God is the only reason why I am who I am and I couldn’t be more grateful.

            So, the moral of the story is this, if you pray to God for a good thing, he will undoubtedly give it to you. A job is a good thing, a house is a good thing, food are good things, a wife, kids, wisdom, intelligence, all of those things are good things. There are other good things out there but you have to ask God if it’s appropriate for you.

            I hope that this has been a good story to share with you guys. Ask God for the things that you need and want and God will hear you, there’s nothing shameful in that. God answers in unexpected ways so be prepared for an unexpected answer. -German

What path is the right path?

Good and evil, what’s the difference? God has a specific way of doing things and he states in the bible that there is evil in the world and that there is no good that comes from this world except through him. God is the source of goodness and without God we couldn’t be good. Today we will go over how to know the difference between right and wrong and what should you do with the new information.

First, pray

            God continually tells us that a wise thing to do on a daily basis is to communicate with him. Praying is our connection with God. God listens to our prayers and fasting; he knows when we’ve been good and the good decisions that we make. So, with that being said, God also knows when we are confused. God can steer us in the right direction if we ever get lost. Pray to God to tell you what is the right path and you can confide in him that the right path will be open up to you and you will see the difference between right and wrong. I remember I talked to a pastor one time and he said something that changed the way that I see things. The pastor said that things change, people change, churches change, people fail and churches fail, bibles can change too. But what can’t change is our connection with God. This is why it’s important to have a relationship with God. God is the one who will show us which bible is the correct bible, he’ll show us which church to go to, tell us which friends we should hang out with, what job we should pick, etc. etc. God is the answer to all of our problems. So chase God above all else.

            I knew then that I had to pray immediately for I had not prayed in a long time. I wanted to get close to God. I started praying like I’ve never prayed before. I pray hard and I love it, I confide in it, I enjoy it, it’s fun to me. It’s not fun because I’m having a blast, it’s fun because I’m talking with someone who gets it. I’m talking with someone who understands everything that I’m going through and he knows exactly the right thing to do.

Go to church

            German, what church do I go to? Go to the church that God leads you to. There are good churches out there and there are bad churches out there, so pray to God to guide you towards a good church. I remember in German class (the class about the language not the person) we learned a little bit about World War 2. We learned that Hitler had tried to get the churches to side with him. Many churches went with what he said, but some churches refused claiming that it was ungodly and not Christian at all. Hitler persecuted these churches because of course anybody against Hitler would be pronounced dead. These are examples of good churches. They knew the difference between right and wrong and chose to do the right way. God was in control the entire time and you can be assured that God never forgot about anyone during those dark times.

            Church will minister to you. It will give you a direction to go to and resources and people to go to when you need more information as to the right path. Church will teach you new concepts and guide your spirit, feed your spirit, and let you grow spiritually. If you’re new to the church or Christian faith, Church will be your foundation as to Christianity and work in your body and mind to convert your mind into a wholesome mind that thinks nothing but good.

Read your bible

            There are many types of holy bibles, but the one that I use is the King James Version. I use it because I think through evidence and facts that the King James Version of the bible is the most accurate as to what the first century Christians and early Jews were saying. If you want to use another version of the bible, it’s alright, just consult with God first and do your research as to which bible is the correct bible. God will guide you to the right bible.

Warning

            There are loads of disputes between churches concerning almost every significant and insignificant matter in the bible. From Jesus’ birth to the laws regarding what is right and wrong. People interpret the bible in many ways, to gain fans and followers or maybe to get money. This is why we have to be well read in the bible and know the ins and outs of it, pray to God, and use our resources to tell us what is the right way. Do not be scared though because God is greater than any man in the world. So, go and find that church, that bible, those friends that are good for you. Become a Christian, Love God with all of your heart. God will reward you, trust me he will.

This has been another German Gonzalez blog post, German Gonzalez signing out