What is this?

I never thought about the spiritual aspects of giving my kids a bath or standing in a line at a grocery store. However, God has recently showed me some insightful biblical truths in some of the most mundane tasks in life. Whether I am driving, showering or sleeping each of these activities has a biblical truth tucked inside of it. In the forest of life, God’s biblical truth is inside each one of these trees. My hope is that others view the ordinary aspects of life through a spiritual lens and see what God teaches you.







Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy New Day!

One of my favorite New Year’s memory from when I was a child was when my mother would throw a bucket of water out our front porch at midnight to wash way the previous year and eat 12 grapes for the New Year. Every culture has its way of celebrating the New Year and this was the Cuban way. While everyone celebrates the New Year in a different way, the meaning is the same. New Year= New beginnings.  Gone with the old and in with the new! The funny thing is that we act as if New Years is the day we have to put our financial house in order, or restore our relationships or begin a new eating plan.  We act as if it is the starting line. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Why are we waiting till January to make changes? We are a new creation. The starting is not January 1st. The starting line is with Jesus and it has already begun! Happy New Day!

Monday, December 24, 2012

The Precious Name of Jesus

I can still remember when my husband and I found out the gender of our two children and the massive search for names.  Being both school teachers, many names had a face and a story attached. Some good, some bad but nevertheless a face and story.   I thought we would never find a name. People often ask when you know the gender of your baby what the name is. I don’t know was not a very popular thing to say. The pressure was on to find a name.  There were so many things we evaluated when choosing names.  Meaning, pronunciation, spelling, connotation are just some of the things we considered.   
Mary never had to go through this. Luke 1:31 says “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bare a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” Mary never had to search long and hard for a name for her son. The name was given to her. Mary had so many other pressures going on, I am glad a name for her child was not one of them.  Despite being given a birth name, Jesus also has several other names. With my own children, I have several pet names for them and depending on the situation determines which one I use. There are pet names for cuddle time, there pet names for silly times, there are pet names for mischievous times.  I think this is also true with the precious name of Jesus.  Now, I am not talking about giving Jesus little pet names like Little Jay or J.C :). But, the bible is full of names that Jesus goes by that can minister to our hearts depending on our situation.
Prince of Peace can bring a sense of comfort during times of turmoil. Immanuel, God with us,  can bring a sense of security when we feel alone.  Wonderful Advisor brings confidence when we are praying diligently for an important decision. Jesus has so many names that are dear and precious that we can claim. Savior, Redeemer, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Son of God, Son of Man, Author of Life, Alpha and Omega, Word of God, Deliverer, Lamb of God, Light of the World, Rabbi  just to name of few. And I thought I had a lot of pet names for my kiddos :).
Which name speaks to you today as we celebrate His birth?
Merry Christmas!  

Thursday, December 20, 2012

December Birthdays


Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
December birthdays are hard not just financially but spiritually. As a parent, I want to give my daughter a special birthday filled with love, laughter and joy. As special as her birthday is to us, it is hard to explain to a preschooler that two days later that someone else’s birthday is much more special not only to us but to the world.
Since my daughter’s birthday is so close to Christmas, I’ve recently found myself thinking more about Mary as a mother during the Christmas season. Being a parent is tough and a lot of work. I wonder if being Jesus’s mommy was easy. After all, He is perfect! I wonder if Mary ever gave Jesus a spanking, raised her voice at Him or put Him in time-out. If so, we know that it was due to poor parenting J.  I can somewhat comprehend a perfect man but a perfect preschooler? toddler?  That definitely takes faith!
All moms think their children are special. We love to talk about our kids. My little Johnny did this at school. My little Susie does this at home. Our kids may be great at something but Mary’s son truly was special.  As smarts as my kid is, my child was not a scholar at a young age.  As kind hearted as my kid is, my child did not help the poor and widows like Jesus did. As talented as my kid is, my child did not perform miracles.  Mary had an extraordinary child! I can’t imagine what it would have been like to “parent” Jesus.  I can only be thankful that she took on this responsibility and helped give the world the most precious gift of all!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Busy Time of Year!

Santa picture source


Thanks to online shopping I have officially finished my Christmas shopping. It seems like every year I do more and more shopping online. I used to love going shopping during Christmas time, rushing from store to store looking for the best deals with sales ads in one hand and lists in the other. However, with 2 small children this pastime is in the dust and I get my thrill experience through online shopping instead. This year as I navigated online, I came across a service that buys your groceries for you and delivers them to your front porch for a handsome fee.  I began to dream how nice would it be not to go to the store with small children and just input my quantities online and have them shipped to me.  Online shopping has made it so easy not to have to leave the house. I mean, with WebMD who needs to visit the doctor? LOL.  We can now buy groceries and clothes, pay bills, get our prescriptions all without leaving our home.  This lifestyle has also transferred into our spiritual life as well. With church podcasts, worship music on from our favorite radio station or apps, and social media, we feel the experience of attending church without having to leave our home. With our weekends being busy with Christmas parties and shopping, this slight change in how we “attend” church seems reasonable.
I have been guilty of this as well. I have found ways to justify when I miss attending church especially during the holidays. I am just too busy right now….I have a tough week…..When things slow down…… The irony is that we blame the busyness of the season and overlook the reason of the season.  Then, I am reminded of a scripture and four small words and the power they hold.  Luke 4:16 “He (being Jesus) went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.”  As was his custom? Jesus made it point to attend church regularly?  Why would the man that knows it all do this?  What could He possibly gain from attending church? Now, I am not going to take the time to explain why Jesus did it, but if we want to be “transformed into His image” this would be an easy place to start.  The only busyness this holiday season should have is the busyness of worship.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

The Band-Aide

Well, this is the longest I've gone without updating my blog. For some reason, I have not been at peace about the three compositions I have written since last time I posted so I have put them on the "shelf" waiting to see what God wants me to do with them.   In the meantime, I hope you enjoy reading what I've titled The Band-Aide.
Every year around the holiday time I seem to injure myself in the kitchen. I think I get caught up in the excitement of the holiday that I don’t pay close attention to what I am doing and I either cut or burn myself. Therefore, every year around holiday time as I make my list, my husband gently reminds me to buy Band-Aids.  A few Thanksgivings ago, I cut a portion of my index finger while chopping in the kitchen.  (Sorry if that is too graphic.) My index finger had an indention in it from the careless act.  Of course, when I went in search for a band aide we were all out.  Therefore, I decided to make an imitation band aid using paper towels and duct tape. (Oh, how I wish I had a picture of it).
Sadly, I am afraid that many of us have been walking around with wounds that we have placed imitation Band-Aids on.  The holidays are a great reminder of the cheap imitation Band-Aids we’ve been using all year long because they just can’t handle the stress holidays bring. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a pessimist about the holiday season. I love seeing people filled with love, laughter, and joy.  However, I am also aware that the holiday season brings hurt and pain to people. For some people the holiday season is filled with heartache, stress, and burden.  Relationships that are on thin ice to begin with are magnified during the holiday time with all the togetherness that the holiday season demands. On the other side of the spectrum, the lack of togetherness because families are strained creates a sense of loneliness and hurt.  I have to say in the past, I have experienced both.  However, I have also discovered victory in this!
Psalm 147:3 says “He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.” How can the answer be so simple yet so complicated? Jesus can heal these relational wounds.  Jesus can heal these wounds maybe not by fixing the relationship (although He could do that) but by getting rid of any guilt, sorrow, and worries you have about it. In essence, He leaves you at peace and not in the turmoil of before.  The scar may be there, but the wound is not.  The scar becomes NOT a mark of pain but a mark of PERSEVERANCE.  The scar is not there to dwell on the past but to look toward the future. 
With my index finger, after an hour of the cheap imitation Band-Aid, my hubby ran to the store and got me the REAL thing. My index finger skin that I cut off grew back and it is now a laughable story.  Don’t waste your time on the imitation stuff.  It will never do the job.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Who is the Real Candidate?


http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224394

Millions of people will be going to the polls tomorrow to vote for the next President of the United States.  We all have many reasons for why we support our candidate, but ultimately we have chosen our candidate HOPING that they will keep their promises to us and do what they said they were going to do.   As I stood in line to vote during early voting last week, I felt very cynical and thought to myself "my candidate probably isn’t going to do half of what he said but I am still going to vote for him and stand in this awful long line?” I have to confess.  I got out of line and got back in my car.  Then, God spoke to me.   God has chosen me KNOWING that I have not kept my promises nor done what I said I was going to do.   He chose me knowing that I would disappoint. He chose me knowing I would do everything I hate that politicians do.  
John 15:16 states “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—.” Needless to say, I felt very convicted.   You see, God isn’t an undecided voter thinking about whether to choose you. His momentum for me isn’t going to change and swing to another “candidate” in his creation.  God is my biggest donor. God is my biggest supporter. God is my campaign manager so I better listen to his council.  
I love the NIV version that uses the word appointed. When a new president takes office one of his duties is to make appointments to several positions within the US government.  He appoints heads to several governmental agencies as well as appoints his aides, advisers, and assistants.  Some must be approved by the Senate, blah, blah, blah. The list of appointments is exhaustive to say the least.  Not only has God chosen me but I have a job to do. I wasn’t chosen to look pretty….although my husband says I do that wellJ.
The best part about being chosen is that I wasn’t chosen last.  God didn’t conduct the awful school yard pick that we remember as kids. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 says “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” When I watch the news, the statistics of undecided voters is surprising.   After months of speeches, interviews, and debates people still are uncertain. I am so thankful that my God is NOT undecided. In fact, he chose me from the beginning and his vote for me never changed.  
So who is the real candidate on Election Day?  

Thursday, October 25, 2012

50 Shades of.......LOVE

The best Halloween costumes are those costumes that look effortless to make, no one has to ask who you are and everyone chuckles when they see it.  Every year I am amazed on what people can come up with.  This year is no surprise! Slap on a pair of gray sweatpants and sweatshirt, snatch fifty gray paint samples from your local Home Depot or Lowe store and pin them all over your body and you have the best seller book costume 50 Shades of Grey.  I have to admit when I saw this that I did chuckle. However, I am NOT recommending the book, nor have I read it, nor do I have any plans to read it.  But, the costume was funny and creative!  Despite practically knowing nothing about this book, I was able to recognize the costume immediately. What if love toward others worked this way?  No one has to say anything but when they see it, they recognize it immediately. John writes in 1 John 3:18 “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” How clearly do your actions say that you love others? I’ve recently realized that if your love action needs an explanation, it probably wasn’t done in love. I want to love others like Jesus but it is hard. I let my judgmental, biased attitude interfere with the work of the Spirit and in the end what comes out was a nice favor but not true love.
 One of the poorest ways we express love to others is by seeking something in return. Love is not expressed in the concept “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” mindset.  The irony is that we tell ourselves that we are seeking nothing in return, but secretly…. a little thank you or recognition would be nice…. a little favor down the road would be nice…. a little blessing from above would be nice.  To serve others with the thought of TRULY receiving nothing in return is hard. I do not want my love action to be interpreted as a favor but as genuine love.  I want nothing in return but want to sacrifice as much as I can.
 I recently cleaned out my closet and bagged up some clothes to donate.  Drove down to the donation center, dropped my big bag of outdated clothes and thought I am supposed to feel good about myself.  I just did a wonderful thing. WRONG!  What did I sacrifice? 30 minutes of my time to bag some clothes and drive down the street. If anything, the donation center did ME favor.  Now please understand, I am not saying that donating clothes or things you no longer use is a bad thing. (I love hand me downs!) We need to continue to do these things because some people need these items and it does show that you are being thoughtful.  However, this is not an expression of true love but again a nice deed. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” John 15:13.  Ultimately, I ask myself, what did I sacrifice? Jesus sacrificed is life to show love. How can a bag of outdated clothes compare?  I remind myself again “I want nothing in return but want to sacrifice as much as I can. “ If we could show love in this capacity, 50 Shades of love would be a best seller!

Monday, October 15, 2012

What a privilege!

This week I’ve uttered a phrase to my daughter that has surprised me.  Many times this week, I’ve asked my 4 year old princess to “watch” her brother while mommy runs to the laundry room or “watch” her brother while mommy changes her clothes or “watch” her brother while mommy gets lunch ready. Translation, please make sure your brother does not touch any electronic devices, rummage through the trash or decide to spill the dog’s food and water while I am temporarily away for a few minutes.  The gleam in my daughter’s eye is quite amusing. I have just given her dominion and made her ruler of an 18 month old.
 I began to dwell on this experience as I read Psalm 8: 3-8 this week. The psalm states “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.  This verse echoes what is written in Genesis, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 
In the end, I’ve always understood these verses to mean that as humans we were created a step up from everything else in creation.  As humans, we have been made special, we’ve been made rulers compared to everything else God created, and He has allowed us to have dominion over his mighty work.  What a privilege! However, there are some negative feelings that tend to creep up when I read these verses. Just like Satan to attack. I can’t help but feel a bit powerful, arrogant and mighty. With an evil chuckle, I think I have been made above everything else….ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
 These feelings are quickly put in check when I compare myself to everything else in God’s creation.   Let’s face it, if I was placed head to head with a lion, I wouldn’t feel like I have dominion over it.  When I compare myself to the beautiful mountains God created and think how many people have died climbing them, I don’t feel so supreme. When I think of a tree planted in the ground and think of its life span and all the wind and weather damage it endures in its lifetime, I do not feel like a strong ruler.  In fact, when I compare myself to God’s creation I feel inferior not supreme.
Having dominion over something, doesn’t mean we are so powerful. When I read these verses, I do not want to feel sense of supremacy, power or mightiness.  When I read these versus, I want to feel special, and honored that God has allowed us to have dominion over what He created. In the end, I’ve never seen a lion tame human, I’ve never seen a tree be able to withstand the axe man uses to cut it down, nor I’ve never seen a mountain conquer anything like man does when he climbs to the top of it.   
With my four year old daughter, that gleam of superiority in her eye quickly changes into despair when her brother starts getting into things. She quickly realizes she is not so powerful and it is not so easy. Being given dominion over God’s creation is something of reverence and awe not superiority and power. Therefore, let us be good care takers of what God has entrusted us and have a healthy view of what having dominion is really about. We were not created above everything else to boast.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Autumn Attire

Cooler weather, leaves changing, pumpkin recipes are some of the things I love about fall season. Another one of my favorite things about fall weather is the clothes I get to wear. Boots, scarfs, sweaters, light jackets are clothes that one  doesn’t  get to wear much living in Texas, but when the temperature remotely drops I quickly pull out those clothes and take advantage of it. I have to admit, I get excited about wearing clothes that I haven’t seen in 9 months. It is like I went on a shopping spree except I didn’t spend any money!

http://imgfave.com/view/1561985
As I began to try on my fall clothes that were pushed at the back of my closet, I thought about the scripture in Colossians 3:12 which states “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”  I have to say I felt convicted. God wants me to clothe my spirit and I am interested clothing the flesh.  It made me wonder how many of us run around with a naked spirit. We would never leave the house undressed (or at least I hope not) but I feel that we walk out the door without clothing ourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
  My daughter is at the stage now that she gets dressed on her own. It is great! One day, I asked her to go and get dress with the clothes I’ve laid out because we needed to run to the store.  She quickly got dressed and off we went.  While we were at the store, I noticed her pants were falling and a tiny piece of skin crept out from the back. I walked over to her and said in a soft, gentle whisper a question I thought I would never say, Sweetheart, where is your underwear? Her response was priceless. “Oh no, I forgot!  I thought something didn’t feel right!”
How you forget to put on underwear is beside me.  Nevertheless, I wish something didn’t feel right when I didn’t clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. God wants me to put these virtues on daily. It is not natural and certainly not easy but with God all things are possible. God’s Word says to “clothe yourselves.” These are powerful words for a girl who loves fashion.  Without these things, our soul should feel like your wrist feels when you are not wearing a watch or how your ring finger feels when you are not wearing your wedding ring. As beautiful as I think autumn attire is, God has called us to dress our souls with something much more elegant, much more profound and much more humbling.

Go Texans!

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To say that my husband is a Houston Texans fan is an understatement. Therefore, when my son was 17 months old it only seemed logical to teach our son how to cheer for the most important football team by saying Go Texans.  My husband, wanting to pass down his love to sports to our son, was so proud.  Anytime our son would see the Texans emblem he would say Go Texans! It didn’t matter if he saw the emblem on a t-shirt, hat, bumper sticker, or flag; he could recognize it and say Go Texans! It didn’t matter if we were in the car, at the store or at a restaurant. If he saw the emblem, he would point and say Go Texans! This cute expression soon changed when I showed him the cross hanging on our wall and he said…… nothing. The puzzled look on his face as he tried to search for the word of this object was heartbreaking.  I felt awful. I’ve taught my son the Texans emblem before teaching him what the cross was.
You see, my son not only knows when and how to say Go Texans, but he also knows that this symbol is associated with words like football, tackle, and hut-hut just to name a few.  I wonder how many of us see the cross and associate it with love, mercy, grace, sacrifice and forgiveness. I am afraid that we look at the cross with the same puzzled look my son gave me and forget its true meaning. The cross is not just the place where Jesus died but much more.  One of my favorite versus about the cross is Colossians 2:14 which states “having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”  This verse makes me imagine a cross not only with nails at the hands and feet of Christ but the cross filled with nails and strips of paper all over it that marked our judgments and they were cancelled and nailed to it.  The cross is big and enough to hold it all. This is what I want to see every time I look at the cross. This makes me think of love, mercy, grace, sacrifice and forgiveness.

Sunday, September 30, 2012

The Night Light

"God is light and in Him there is no darkness. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. " 1 John 1:5-6.
Since my daughter was a baby we’ve always had a plug-in night light in her room. As she grew older, the night light wasn’t enough. She then wanted the plug-in and the closet light on cracked slightly open. Slowly she began asking me to open the closet door more and more. She wanted the maximum of light possible in her room. I wonder how our lives would be if we desire more and more light (God) in our life. We want God to be there but indulge ourselves in sinful behavior. We want God to be there but want the freedom to live a lifestyle of our choice. We want God to be there but disobey with our actions. The scripture says that God is light and in Him there is NO darkness. We want God to be a night light. The problem is there is no such thing as a night light life with God.  Darkness does not exist with God.
 God wants us to walk in the light as He is in the light. Many of us are afraid of the light because of what it will expose.   In our living room we have a ceiling fan with 4 light bulbs. One day one light bulb went out. It caused our eyes to blink but we quickly got use to the new lighting.  A few months later, another light when out. Again, our eyes adjusted. However, when we finally went down to one light bulb we decided we needed to go and buy some light bulbs before being in complete darkness. After replacing three light bulbs in our living room at once, we were shocked how we managed to operate with such little lighting before. My daughter said it best when she said, “Mom, our living room looks different! It looks amazing.” Many of us allow sin to creep into our lives slowly like one light bulb going out. The sad part is that we notice for a second and then adjust. It isn’t until we are in complete darkness that we cry out and decide to make the change.  The good news is the Light is always there. You don’t have to stumble around looking for batteries for a flash light or matches to light a candle. God is here immediately and waiting for you to step out of the darkness and join Him.  There is a reason children fear the dark. We should too.

Self-Control



“Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control” Proverbs 25:28.
One of my son’s favorite breakfast foods is waffles.  The problem is that my sweet boy thinks he can eat waffles on his own but he can’t. Syrup ends up not only all over his hands, but his clothes, hair, chair, floor, his sister, the table and the dog. He then turns to me and says “sticky, yucky.”  He lacks the self-control and discipline to eat waffles properly.  In the beginning, he starts off pretty good.  The first few bites enter his mouth very carefully and seamlessly. However, this pattern is easily broken and things end up a mess.  Adults are not different.  We think we know how to do things without God until they turn into a sticky mess.  The mess not only affects us but the others around us.  We may start off good, but it quickly turns into a disaster. Whether it is emotions, thoughts, words, finances, relationships, food, or anything else, without self-control these things can turn sour quickly.  Proverbs 25:28 states “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” A city whose walls are broken down lacks structure and is vulnerable to the enemy’s attack.  Without self-control, our lives lack structure and are an easy target for the enemy. It is the lack of self-control over envy and jealousy that caused Cain to kill Abel.  It is the lack of self-control that caused Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.  It is the lack of self-control that causes David to commit adultery with Bathsheba. Notice a pattern? It is no surprise that the lack of self-control brings devastating results.
 So how do we attain self-control?  We must surrender control to Him.  To gain self-control one must surrender control to the Father. This paradox is hard to grasp.   With my son, despite the several requests I make to let mom control the fork, he refuses and wants to do things on his own terms. The result is a catastrophe! The irony is that if he surrenders his fork, I will give him what he desires. This is true about our heavenly Father. “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4).  The problem is that the connotation of surrender has such a negative stigma attached in our culture. Surrender sounds like one is weak or gives in easily. However, surrendering to the Lord is quite the opposite.  Yet, another paradox. By surrendering to Him, one is not giving up but strengthening.  God wants us to attain self-control.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23.  He wants us to attain self-control but it is only possible by surrendering control to Him.
When my son ultimately surrenders his fork, I let him eat his waffles. The funny thing is that a couple of days later when we have waffles again for breakfast, how quickly he forgets. Surrender the fork to mom and I will get my waffles without half of them ending up on the floor and feeling yucky and sticky.  Surrendering is not a one-time event but many times an ongoing process.  Oh, how I can’t wait till my son can feed himself waffles without making a mess but it is going to take some maturity on his part. “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature” 1 Corinthians 14:20. Self-control requires Reliance on Him and Maturity in you.