Wrestling Match

Come near to God, and He will come near to you – James 4:8

I cannot be more ready for when my son is potty trained.  Not for the fact that I would be saving money (although that is an added bonus) but to put an end to the wrestling match of Operation Fresh Clean Bottom.  The WWE has nothing on the number of Wrestlemanias I’ve performed in! 

I don’t understand.  Doesn’t my sweet boy know that momma wins every time! Why does staying dirty so appealing? Why does a fresh, clean diaper cause such an uproar?  Despite the incentives……. and warnings, when the time comes, “come to mama” only directs my son in the opposite direction.

However, there is nothing like a 22 month baby boy and 80s wrestling matches to shed light into your spiritual life.   Come near to God, and He will come near to you (James 4:8).  My life can be in such a mess but I refuse to come the one who can clean it up.  It doesn’t make sense, but it happens more times that I’d like to admit.  All I can say is submission is hard.

Luckily, my wrestling matches with my sweet baby boy are just a few minutes. Experiencing a wrestling match like Jacob did with God sounds frightening and humbling at the same time. I chuckle when I read the part when God puts his “finishing move” on Jacob and knocks his hip out joint (Genesis 32:24-25).   I can still remember Yokozuna’s banzi drop, Macho Man Randy Savage diving elbow drop from the top rope and Bret Hart’s the sharpshooter.  All these classic moves brought an end to the long battled wrestling match.  This “finishing move” meant it was over for your opponent. We knew right away who the winner was going to be. (Yes, growing up with two brothers in the 80s gives you some deep insight into what was called the WWF).

Now, I hope that I haven’t scared you into thinking that God is out to put some killer move on you. (Ok, well…….He could). My point is this. The winner of the world wants to transform all areas of your life for the good and all you want to do is turn and run the other away. Yes, some pain may be required but the gain is greater than the pain.  As much as my son despises to get his diaper change and the momentary pause I've caused in his world of play, aftewards he is always better than before.   Come near to God, and He will come near to you – James 4:8

Loud Mouth Christian

Loud Mouth Christian....another reason why I hate Megaphones

Man-with-Megaphone

My husband and I had the privilege of going to a Houston Texans play-off game. Despite the freezing weather, we had a great time!  However, there is one memorable scene that I just couldn’t stop thinking about. As we were entering the game, there was a man standing on the corner with a megaphone and huge sign consistently and loudly telling people as they walked into the game that they were going to hell. Everything in my being wanted to say, NO I AM NOT like some kid but I smiled and walked by. The crazy thing was that he was still there after the game. Really??? Four hours of shouting that! This man was loud, dedicated and persistent! I wondered how many people repented of their sins. I wondered how many seeds were planted. I wondered if any lives were changed. Sadly, I think the answer is NONE!

I hate to say this but perhaps there might have been a slight truth in what this crazy man was saying; however, his delivery was far from proper.  I can’t help but think of the verse in Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh words stirs up anger.”  I think the part that was the most disturbing was the selective choosing of scripture to share the message. Now as I write, I will try to take what Jesus said in Matthew 7:3 (“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”) into practice. As harsh as I want to be toward this man, the premise of his goal (although executed poorly) is to win people to Christ.  I am going to remove the plank from my eye. What have I done to share Christ with others? God has called us to be the Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World.  I have to confess I want to be those things without being “too salty” or “too blinding.” I want people to say there is something different about this person (in a good way) because they see the work of Christ.   Not……there is something different about this person and I just need to stay away like salesman knocking at your door at 8:00 pm or a highly contagious disease.  I want to be the right seasoning to bring out the greatest flavor. I want to be the perfect lighting needed for a dark room.  Sadly, I don’t think loud mouth Christian took these things into consideration.

Our Resolutions vs His

Well, we are a week into the New Year and I am excited that I have kept my New Year’s Resolutions. In my household, we don’t set major life changing New Year’s Resolution for the simple reason  that if something life changing is needed, well, I am not going to wait till January 1 to do it J.  Although I am not oppose to anyone making that type of resolution either.  I recently heard at a New Year’s gathering of someone giving up television for a year!

However, in our house we set minor goals. They are usually those things that we should be doing but we’ve been a bit lazy. Last year, my New Year’s Resolution was to clean out my purse once a month. I couldn’t believe the stuff I had stuffed in there and forgot about.

This year one of our resolutions that my husband and I have decided is to not buy anymore store bought salsa. We’ve tried several brands hoping to find one that we both like only to continue to be disappointed by the taste. I guess we are kind of like salsa snobsL.   We haven’t found that universal salsa that goes great not only with chips but all the other things we like to add it to. Thus far, we’ve been successful in making our own. We’ve made two batches and are extremely satisfied. Now, if we can only keep it up!

As I’ve thought about New Year and the resolutions we’ve set, the verse that continues to come to mind has been Lamentations 2:22-23. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”  My eyes have been fixed on the phrase “new every morning.”

God’s mercies to me are new every morning not every year.  God is not waiting around till January 1 to pour out more mercy on me.  Neither is God going to terminate his mercy a week into the New Year like many of us abandon our New Year’s Resolution.

As I go about my year, attempting to be faithful to the resolutions I’ve set, I don’t want to forget the simple truth that God is faithful to me regardless of the time of year.  His mercy to me is new every morning and isn’t being withheld like a ransom. His love for me never ends like we say goodbye to one year and hello to another.   His resolutions NEVER CEASE!

PS: Can you still say Happy New Year a week into the New Year? I don’t know my Happy New Year etiquette.

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 1^st. The starting line is with Jesus and it has already begun! Happy New Day!

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!  

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!

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.