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.