Meet Dr. Anthony C. Rodriguez

Born in Miami, Florida from Hispanic parents (Cuban/Puerto Rican descent), I’ve learned a lot from a city that embraces different cultures/perspectives growing up. This diverse way of thinking was also apparent in religious practices.

My earthly father didn’t care to go to Church services, but I would see him praying to God all of the time. My mother wouldn’t go to a physical church building either, but she would put on Christian sermons weekly in the living room. As with many families in the Hispanic culture, my parents raised my siblings and I in the Catholic religion.

As I got older, and I discovered that aspects of the religion no longer resonated with me, I found myself becoming more of a non-denominational Christian. As I often say, it is not like Heaven has a Baptist section, Presbyterian section, Catholic section, Pentecostal section, etc. We are all gathered together worshiping the Lord as one creation. Likewise, we are to model that here on earth as well. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10 NMB).

Now?

I’m a happily married man to a Messianic Jewish woman, and we adhere to Jewish practices that Christ followed. This includes weekly Shabbat dinners as well as celebrating Jewish feasts/holidays rooted in Scripture. Our son is also being brought up in the ways of the Lord with patience, love, and understanding. As Joshua 24:15 says, “as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

After a monumental moment in my life, I have dedicated my life to Him and passing the same love He’s shown me forward to other people. At first, it was through the lens of physical therapy, as I became a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy. Serving as one of His many vessels on earth in the field of medicine, I would not only work as a willing vessel of His healing power on the body, but also in the spiritual — often professing the Good News and emulating His loving character to the best of my ability. It had changed to a Divine calling to evangelize His people through books, as well as physically ministering to others outside the confines of a church building as a staff member of La Iglesia Del Dios Viviente (laiglesiadeldiosviviente.com).

Putting faith into action, for “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17 ESV).

• Laying hands on the sick.
• Fellowshipping with other believers, as we edify one another.
• Casting out nets as a “fisher of men” (Matthew 4:19).
• Seeking out His lost sheep and shepherding them towards the Good Shepherd.

“If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?” (Matthew 18:12 NIV)

For Jesus of Nazareth said, “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11 TLV). And this sheep lays down his life for His.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” (Psalm 23:1 NIV)