Loving Genuinly

 I cannot believe this is the last day of 2022...I don't know about you, but the year just disappeared in front of my eyes.  If it weren't for the photos in my phone, I would not be able to recall all the memories of this year's experiences.  Scary... 

But anyway, today, I do remember the word I chose a year ago to be my focus for 2022: Help.  This word came to me as a two-fold action: to help and to ask for help.  Looking back, I can see the few instances on which I might have succeeded, all by the grace of God...and the many times I failed, all by my own negligence and corrupted will.  

But enough of regrets.  God is Good and Faithful regardless of how unworthy we are.  Everything good in us is from Him, and for that I am genuinely grateful. (James 1: 17) It's time to close the 2022 chapter and see what 2023 brings.  As I think of the idea on which I would like to focus on this new year, the word "genuine" keeps ringing in my ears and mind.  

Genuine is an adjective that expresses how something is truly what is said to be. Some similar words are authentic, real, true...it's a pretty good word, isn't it? But, then...why do I find it so challenging?  Why is it so hard to be genuine?

I don't know.  Maybe it is because when we are genuine, we put ourselves out there, nakedly.  And when we do that, we become very vulnerable.  People can really hurt us.  It's best not to show our true selves.  It's best to keep people guessing.  There's so much evil running loose in our society, that we often prefer to keep ourselves inside our shells purely to survive.  There is one antidote to our fear of being "real."  The antidote is love.  

When we act empowered by Love, we can conquer all.  And Love is God, because God is the only true, real, "genuine" Love.  

I know I will most likely fail more than I succeed in 2023 while trying to be genuine in my actions of love towards others, but I'm encouraged by the Hope that abounds in me by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in me (Romans 15: 13)...the Emmanuel, God with us. So, I'm going with "genuine" as my concept to focus on 2023.  I want to "be" genuine in all I do.  Most of all, I want to be genuine in the way I love others.  I want to love genuinely as I'm perfectly and genuinely loved by My Lord.

May Our Almighty Lord, the God of All Love, and of all Hope strengthen us this new year and always, so we can walk by the hand of Jesus, in genuine communion with Him and His beloved.  In Christ's precious name.  Amen!

Happy New Years!

The Hope Of His Presence

As we come to the end of another year and stand on the eve of a new one, it’s hard to avoid feeling a bit melancholic. Even for those caught in the rush of the season, rare moments of quietness, bring contemplation of the past year and how it met, exceeded, or fell short of our dreams. The regrets, pain, hurt, sorrow, and stress of the year mix with the joy and the blessings are the ingredients for the all-too-common, holiday blues. This is then an excellent time to intentionally infuse ourselves with the perfect aroma of hope. As life unfolds in expected and unexpected ways, hope is what keeps us from completely losing it. As Dylan’s surprisingly mature expression of the day goes: “without hope, we might as well be dead already.”

We would like to share with you, in the midst of whatever circumstances you find yourself, the hope of the season. Our Hope, the hope we hang on to, is the promise of God’s presence among us…the promise of the Emmanuel, God with Us, whose power, and glory are made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12: 9).

May love, joy, and the spirit of Christmas fill your heart and your home with true Hope today and always.

A Moment to Rest

 It is certainly beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  One has only to walk around Walmart to see the Christmas-stress stamped all over the faces of the not-so-jolly shoppers.  Mothers of young children run around exhausted, thinking there's no way they can accomplish all that is expected of them in this season.  Working fellows resign to the assumption of disappointed hopes since they can't figure out the time or find the money to meet the heavy expectations that are placed on their shoulders. Sad thoughts about loneliness and emptiness plague the minds of older folks. The grieving walk around numb...not knowing what to make of the overwhelming emotional flow they are experiencing. Worries about the future make us all tremble in fear...how is it ever possible to call this "the most wonderful time of the year?"

..."the kids jingle belling" is fun and endearing, but also could be heartbreaking because it might remind us of what we once had and don't have anymore or of what we longed for and never got to enjoyed...making it impossible to "be of good cheer."

For those who don't have any "holiday meetings and greetings or friends calling" this is certainly not the "hap-happiest season of all..."

Hosting jolly parties, the caroling and the sharing of stories of long, long ago...the mistletoeing and preparing for all the loved ones to be near not only takes a huge amount of work, but it might be futile since no-one might be gathering and rather than glowing, the hearts end up broken...

I am not Scrooge or the Grinch...I LOVE Christmas and the whole season...it's just that with every string of tinsel my thoughts go out to those for whom this time of the year is not so wonderful and I'd like to bring the hope that can light everyone's candle regardless of the circumstances: Jesus...the reason for the season...

The antidote to the gloom of the Holidays is to rest in His Presence.  My devotional reading today really moved me, so praying that it does the same for you, I'd like to copy it here:

"Rest in Me, My child, forgetting about the worries of the world.  Focus on Me - Immanuel - and let My living Presence envelop you in Peace.  Tune in to My eternal security, for I am the same yesterday, today and forever. If you live on the surface of life by focusing on every-changing phenomena, you will find yourself echoing the words of Solomon:  "Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!"

Living in collaboration with Me is the way to instill meaning into your days.  Begin each day alone with Me so that you can experience the reality of My Presence.  As you spend time with Me, the way before you opens up step by step.  Arise from the stillness of our communion, and gradually begin your journey through the day.  Hold My hand in deliberate dependence on Me, and I will smooth out the path before you." (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young)

The remedy is always Jesus...

He is the Only one who can truly make this the hap-happiest season especially as we spend time alone with Him and meditate on the mysteries surrounding His first coming and the promises of His second advent...when every tear will be wiped away by His loving hand and all will be made new by His Might.

May this be, indeed, the most wonderful time of the year because of our renewed awareness of His Presence and our resolve to intentionally focusing on His Face.  In the Precious Name of Jesus, the Glory of Today! Amen!

Recall Your Blessings

 Like Pastor Dan said last Sunday as part of his sermon series on being a fearless Christian, specifically on how to recognize God's hand in our lives, he reminded us that the spiritual discipline of "recalling the blessings God has given us" is key.

Though a most appropriate message on Thanksgiving Day, recalling our blessings should be an exercise that we add to our daily spiritual workout.  It is not something we should do only once a year on a dedicated day.  It is something that we are called to do always:

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

We are called to give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever (1 Chronicles 16: 34) and as His love endures forever, so should our thanksgiving!

Therefore, let's adopt the practice of recalling our blessings daily...even if it is something seemingly simple and insignificance...all good gifts come from the Lord (James 1: 17).  Besides, there's another great benefit of having a grateful heart, like my devotional said:

"Thankfulness takes the sting out of adversity. That is why I have instructed you to give thanks for everything.  There is an element of mystery in this transaction:  you give Me thanks (regardless of your feelings), and I give you joy (regardless of your circumstances). 

Thankfulness opens your heart to My Presence and your mind to My thoughts.  You may still be in the same place, with the same set of circumstances, but it is as if a light has been switched on, enabling you to see from My perspective.  It is the Light of My Presence that removes the sting from adversity." (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young)

May this Thanksgiving Day be a strong reminder of our need to continually give thanks for all our blessings as we count them one by one. 

 'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15: 13)

God's Hand in Our Lives

 Thirty plus years ago I had my first Thanksgiving dinner.  I was an international student at Clarion University of PA and a church in town hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for students that for one reason or another did not have a place to go for the holiday.  The memory is rather fuzzy...almost like a dream. It is not a solid memory with lots of details.  I don't have any pictures of it.  I was pretty confused about the whole thing...but I do remember the basement-type location arranged with long tables, decorated with orange-toned plaid, plastic tablecloths and a bunch of strangers gathering around to eat food I've never tasted before.  Fun stuff!

Back then, I had no idea of anything.  I was just a 22-year old completely out of her element...tossed into a new world without a clue of what was going on, college student in a foreign country.  I think about that girl when I look at Grant.  He sounds so sure of himself.  He thinks he has it all so figured out...but in reality...he is just a kid learning the ways of the world in a society that is hostile and very scary.  The thought of him going to live abroad for any period of time, by himself terrifies me.  I think of my parents and I totally understand now their reluctance to let me go.  Who in their right mind would allow their precious child to go into such an unknown world so ill-prepared? 

As I think of these things and reminisce about my journey so far, I remember what Pastor Dan said in his sermon last Sunday: one of the things we can do to recognize God's hands in our lives is to "reflect on all the work God has done in us."

Sigh...

Today, in this beautiful, bright, sunny, blue-skyed November morning, the day before Thanksgiving, I realize I could spend a lifetime just reflecting on all the work God has done in me...from my youth in Panama to those first years in an American college tucked away in the mountains of Western PA to now and for whatever remains of my days on this earth, one thing that is undeniable is the work of God's Hand in me.  

There is no way I could be here this day if it weren't for His Hand.  

His Hand has guided me through the happy and carefree innocence of childhood, the confusion of young adulthood, the anxiety of seeing my youth left behind, the terrors of parenthood, the panic of entering maturity, and will continue to guide me and sustain me as I hopefully enter the serenity of the age of trust.  It has been a lifetime of learning to have faith in the One Who Is Faithful.  And that's how I am learning to let go.  That's what I think allowed my parents, my over-protective, ultra paranoid parents to let me go back then 32 years ago...and that is what is going to allow me to loosen the grip on my own sons today, as they make decisions over their own pathway:  trust in God's Hand on them.

May this Thanksgiving season offer you opportunities for reflection that bring forth the memories of God's guidance, protection and love in your life.  In the Precious Name of Jesus.  Amen!

Reflecting on Hope

 Last Sunday, Pastor Dan preached on aspects we need to consider and reflect upon in order to recognize God's Hand in our lives.  It was a perfect message for the Sunday before Thanksgiving...it was powerfully timed to help us be intentional about hitting the pause button this season...and boy do I need that.

This semester has gone by so incredibly fast, I don't think I've had time to catch my breath.  In the midst of new-class-prep, administrative duties, student issues, meetings, problems plus all the stuff of real life...the last few months have all but disappeared right in front of my eyes...no time to pause and reflect about anything.  So, after listening to Pastor Dan, I am praying the Holy Spirit allows me the ability to intentionally take a moment to think about the blessing of His Hand in my daily walk.

The first item Pastor Dan encouraged us to think about was: to react to the Hope God has give us.

This one is pretty tricky these days...isn't it? 

Sigh...

We have only to listen or read the news and we see hope dissipate.  We look at the state of society and of the world and we wonder where has hope gone?  We turn our eyes to our own families and friends and worry about what the future may bring.  We look at our hearts and souls and see so much loss around us...so much grieving...so much pain...so much loneliness...so much sadness...so much heartache...so much fear...so much despair...that we think, hope? Sorry, we ran out...

Perhaps, may I suggest, however, that we might be looking in the wrong places?

Our heart, our mind, our eyes, our emotions could be deceiving at times.  They cannot always be trusted.  I know I can't trust my thoughts.  They typically lead me to places I have no business visiting.  My mind often takes me to dark corners filled with fear and horrific shadows.  I can't trust my eyes either, for they tend to chase the things of this world rather than the things of the spirit.  My heart and my emotions get easily out of whack because they follow after my mind and eyes' unruly patterns...so my entire being is derailed, leaving hope nowhere to be found.

Instead, I ought to listen to the Apostle Paul's prayer in Ephesians 1:28:

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you...

That is the key, praying, constantly praying that the Holy Spirit, the Hope in Us, opens/enlightens the eyes of our heart so that we may see Him...Hope Himself!

We don't find hope in the world or in our sinful and corrupted flesh.  We find Hope in Our Lord, Jesus, who is Hope.  We hope in Him.  And we pray He reveals Himself to us in our journey through this life so we never lose His Hand...so we can hold on and keep moving until He calls us home.

 ...but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40: 31

We Already Know How It Ends

 In relationships...any type, I believe...there's often a more logical thinker, a realist...and then, there's the free-spirit, carefree one.  Of course these personality types are not rigid.  The logical thinker might have moments of spontaneity that cause great surprise to those around them...and the free spirit might have instances of pause and consideration before embarking on the next grand adventure.  

In our marriage, for sure, Dan is the logical thinker.  My cute little, term of endearment for him is "the dream-crusher, naysayer."  He really loves that nickname...lol...and he has certainly earned it:  "No, we cannot sell everything and go live in an RV." "No, we cannot empty our retirement fund and buy a beach condo in Florida." "No, we cannot quit our jobs and just go travel the world." "No, we cannot become modern nomads." I mean, c'mon!!! We don't need such negativity in life, am I right or what? LOL.

When it comes to my own little quirks, though I'm definitely the more free-spirited one of our duet...I can be weird and uptight too sometimes.  Like, my thing is that I have to know.  You know what I mean?  In some circumstances, I just need to know.  When I'm streaming a movie and I cannot predict the ending, I have to know...so I fast forward to the end to find out.  A couple of days ago I was watching a 16-episode series and by episode 12 I was just so frustrated because I could not figure out the outcome, that yes, I jumped to episode 16 and got it over with.  I could not sit through 4 more episodes of not knowing.  The problem is when Dan and I are watching something together.  I drive him crazy begging him to fast forward because I just can't take the tension of not knowing.  I have to confess, not too long ago, we were watching a series together and he had to go pick up Dylan from practice, and I skipped to the end and the rewound it and pretended I didn't know what was going to happen...I know...I know...I hope he doesn't read this because he is going to be...not happy...

At any rate...sigh...

Even though I could be carefree with some things, I have to know the outcome on many others.  I don't care if we run out of retirement money, but I have to know that my test results are normal.  I don't care if we spend all our reserves on a trip, but I get anxious waiting to see the outcomes of my students' evaluations of my classes.  I'm not sure where I'm going with this story, but the thing is, I read a devotional this morning that said:  

"Leave the outcomes up to Me.  Follow Me wherever I lead, without worrying about how it will all turn out.  Think of your life as an adventure, with Me as your Guide and Companion." (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young)

I loved that! The idea of leaving the outcome up to Jesus really spoke to me.  I want to be free of the anxiety that worrying about how things will turn out causes me.  I want to let go of my fears, go full-free-spirit and just trust Him! He is the One Who Holds my future in His Hands...so there's nothing to be afraid of.  Like the devotional reading ended:  

"You already know the ultimate destination of your journey:  your entrance into heaven.  So keep your focus on the path just before you, leaving outcomes up to Me."

What a blessed way to go through life: trusting Jesus fully and with our eyes on eternity.

I pray that these Thanksgiving season we can pause and truly reflect on what it means to trust Christ in the adventure that is our lives.  I pray people like me can resist their desire to fast forward and enjoy the blessing of the process without being so focused on the outcomes...because we already know it! We know how it ends: Heaven!  I pray that we deeply assimilate the truth of His presence in the valleys, on the plains, and on the mountain tops.  I pray that we make the decision of keeping our eyes on Him and not on the waves and the wind... that we seek Him first and leave the rest in His Hands...the Hands that formed us and hold us and keep us near.  In the precious Name Above All Names! Amen!

Thanksgiving Thoughts

 Growing up in Panama, we didn't have Thanksgiving celebration.  I guess now, because of the Internet and Netflix, people in Panama are watching more and more Hallmark-Holiday-movie style shows so Thanksgiving is becoming more of a thing nowadays.  But when I was there, I did not know much about it.  After thirty years around these necks of the woods, though...I can honestly say, I LOVE Thanksgiving!

You know what I love most about it? I love the fact that wedged between Halloween and Christmas, Thanksgiving has kind of fallen off the radar of those who seek to commercialize everything...and now it is a rather quiet Holiday...not ultra politicized and not so polarized.  People forget a bit about the witches, zombies and monsters of Halloween, and make one last pause before the Christmas madness begins...to just sit around a table, eat delicious food, enjoy each other's company, have our traditional arguments, laugh, reminisce, and offer thanksgiving to the Giver of All.  

It could be stressful...yeah...the turkey, is it too dry? The stuffing, is it seasoned right? The gravy, is it lumpy? The rolls, didn't anyone remember to bring them? The pies, do we have enough variety? The crazy relative(s), ugh... but it could be fun and kind of relaxed too...cozying up together in a cold, November afternoon, looking around faces of people we love (some more than others LOL), thanking God for one more year filled with blessings...sometimes in disguise, but blessings none the less...and yes, watching some football, even if we don't care about the teams...because that's part of what helps us chill...

This year has been nothing but a blur.  So, before it all ends, I'm grateful that we get, at least one day, to hit the pause and give thanks.

May your Thanksgiving Celebration be filled with all the things and people who make it special.  May you have a chance to honor those whose faces are no longer around you, but who live in your hearts forever.  May you have a moment to breathe.  May you have time to reflect.  May you have chance to feel.  May you have an opportunity to perhaps think of a new start.  May you have eyes to look back and see.  May you make space in your day to give thanks with a grateful heart. 

Worries and Fear-The Enemies of Peace

Anxiety is a condition that has appeared in my life as a constant companion since I was very young.  I attribute it to genetics since I come from a family that tends to overreact and blow things out of proportion. In other words, I grew up worried.  It was just part of life.  Everything was a serious problem and a source of fear.  And nobody ever told me how to manage it.  It took for me to leave my country and my family behind in order to begin to take a look at myself and see I had a problem.  

Over the years, I've been able to realize that my anxiety derives from two main sources:

1. worries about the future: I tend to look ahead too much and see how little control I have over what might happen.  Even when I try to manipulate things and concoct remedies for situations I think will happen...I don't know if any of it will work out...so the vicious cycle of anxiety is re-enforced.  The more I think about the future, the more I know that I don't know anything and the more I worry.  The scenarios in my head are all dark and horrible.  So I lose it.

2. Fear of being alone: linked to my worries about the future are my fears of being alone.  I watched the movie The Notebook recently... again...boy do I hate that movie.  It makes me so sad.  Thinking about the loneliness of an illness like Alzheimer's and the absolute lack of control over it terrifies me.  Losing my loved ones in a future so uncertain is unthinkable.  Not having anyone to walk with me through the rough road of life is just devastating.

These two states of mind are enough to bring anyone down effortlessly.  Worries and fears are the greatest enemies of peace.  Fortunately, The Lord offers us His promises of abundant life (John 10: 10) and of a new life (2 Corinthians 5: 17) and of peace beyond our understanding (Philippian 4: 6). He knows how the human mind operates and how it can lead us through pathways that we have no business going through.  that's why Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6: 34).  That's why He reminds us how He is with us forever (Matthew 28:20b).  Because He knows those are the key elements that tend to unravel us. 

The only way to know that fear doesn't win, is by staying close to Him in His Word.  Therefore, finding Christian counselors and professionals who can guide us in the management of our anxiety from the perspective of Scripture is key.  I firmly believe that no amount of treatment will ever be as effective if it is not founded on the Solid Rock. 

I pray we can all find the peace that surpasses all understanding and that we can enjoy the abundant life here on earth as we walk hand in hand with Jesus, the Healer of every brokenness and the Comforter of every hurt.  In The Precious Name of the One Whose Name is Power: Jesus the Christ.  Amen! 

Thanksgiving

 The crisp air, the clear, blue sky, the bright sunshine and the brilliant turning leaves all speak of fall...and fall speaks of thanksgiving.  This morning I read a short devotional titled "Happy Thanksgiving" and even though it's not even November yet...I want to acknowledge the fact that every day should be a thanksgiving day.

A spirit of gratitude should be kindled and re-kindled in our hearts regardless of our circumstances.  Like the apostle Paul said in his letter to the Philippians,

In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 6-7

How hard is this, though?

For worry-ridden people like me...VERY!

However, the more we have a tendency to immerse ourselves in the fear of our situation...the more we need to read and meditate on verses like this.  

To me, what Paul is saying revolves around the idea of thanksgiving as the glue that holds together our relationship with Christ.  Thanksgiving is the prerequisite...prayers and requests need to be presented "with thanksgiving" in order for the gift of peace to be released to guard our hearts and minds in Him who is Peace.  And that is exactly what we really want when we are in the midst of a hard moment: peace...the kind of peace that guards our hearts and minds.  We've probably all been there...at that point when our mind gets away from us and leads our heart to a dark place or vice versa. The antidote for a runaway mind or heart is peace...a peace that others see and go, "how is that possible?"  That's the peace that transcends all understanding and it's the peace that only Jesus can give.

How do we get that peace? 

The key, according to the inspired words of Paul is thanksgiving.  

There is a strong link between an attitude of gratitude and a soul overflowing with peace.  And gratitude is not just in the good times and for the gifts.  Thanksgiving is needed in every situation. It's not that we are thanking God for the horrible things that happen to us.  How can anyone thank God for a terrible crime or utter devastation? Impossible! I believe the attitude of thanksgiving comes from a knowledge and a certainty that in that unthinkable case, God is with us.  It is the attitude that allows us to recognize the unfathomable as an opportunity to trust Him and thank Him for His presence and for the closeness that ensues.  The Lord is, indeed, close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34: 18)...no doubt about it, and for that we give thanks. 

In those moments of hardship and suffering...may the Spirit of the Most High God grant us the ability to experience the gratitude that expresses our trust in His promise of peace and presence.  May we be assured that as we do this, You will guard our hearts and minds in the safety of your hand.  In the Precious Name of Jesus Our Prince of Peace.  Amen!

The King of Glory and of My Heart

Psalm 24 is a magnificent piece of Scripture that exalts the One and Only King of Glory! Like Jon Courson's commentary says: if "Psalm 22 deals with the cross and Psalm 23 with the crook... Psalm 24 will deal with the crown."

Absolutely, in a day when we seem so battered and beaten by a society that wages war against all things Christian...in a day when illnesses and decay seem to be running rampart all around...in a day when natural disasters and violence of all kind seem to be bent on destroying all things beautiful...in a day when politics seem to be corroding the core of our souls...in a day when hope may seem fragile...Psalm 24 reminds us who we belong to...whose we are, and in whose dominium we stand:

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.

Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?

The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.

They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior.

Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob.

Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— he is the King of glory.

We know who He is.  We know who this King of Glory is: Jesus, the One and Only.  That is the privilege we have above those who came before.  We know Jesus is the King of Glory.  We do not have to wonder.  We know.  May we rest on Psalm 24 today, knowing full well that the ancient doors will lift once again so Jesus, Our King of Glory may return.  In the meantime, we wait without losing hope.  In the meantime we remember and we praise Him...the LORD Almighty!  In Jesus' precious name.  Amen!

P. S.:  I hope you enjoy a time of worship with the embedded son above.  

May I Present Him My Willing Heart

 I don't know about you, but, I like my food to be flavorful.  I know, I know...I'm weird that way...but I tell you, bland is not my favorite.  I mean, think about ordering a delicious steak at a most excellent steak house (or whatever your preferred dish might be).  Oh the anticipation!! -We don't go out to eat much, so when we do, I'm all giddy inside!- Anyway, finally, after what seems like an eternity, your meal arrives at your table.  You look at it.  You turn your plate around to admire it from every angle. You take a picture of it.  You pick up your utensils with reverence.  You inhale its fragrance.  You close your eyes to enjoy a maximum experience of the expected explosion of taste in your mouth...and...and...you take that glorious first bite...

Then, those around you wonder what's wrong with you.  They've just witnessed your face going from "Christmas morning at age 7 and 1/2" to "Saturday, 8:00 a.m. advanced trigonometry final exam."  

The reason: the seemingly heavenly steak or whatever you ordered-meal is completely insipid.  You don't know whether to call the waitress to check if they gave you someone else's plate or to go to the nearest pharmacy to get a rapid Covid test.  You do neither, and instead, you reach for the salt and pepper...only to realize...there aren't any shakers at the table...nothing...no condiments at all.  What's even more strange is that you ask for salt, anything that could bring some flavor to this sorry excuse of a main course...but they don't even know what you're talking about.  Nobody has heard of salt...that is your food...and that is the world without Christians...without the "salt of the earth."

We are the salt...and as such, our mission is to provide what salt does...and to provide it to others.  Salt it's not salty for its own sake.  Salt exists to be poured out, pinched and tossed, and sprinkled around so others can have a flavorful experience when they dig into their sustenance.  The salt that remains out of reach, hidden underground...does not fulfill its purpose...just like the light that is under a bushel.  We have to give ourselves fully so our salt can do its thing...but, are we?  Am I?

Matthew 5: 13-16 has always been challenging to me.  We meditated on it on Sunday service and it shook me.  Today, I read in a devotional a series of questions that get to the core of my discomfort:

"The mirror is "the word of truth" from God (James 1:18). When we read the Scriptures, what do we see? Do we recognize ourselves when they describe love and humility? Do we see our own actions when we read what God commands us to do? When we look into our hearts and test our actions, Scripture can help us recognize if our actions are in line with what God desires for us or if we need to seek repentance and make a change." (Our Daily Bread, 10/3/22)

When presented with challenging Bible passages like Matthew 5: 13-16, the mirror of Scripture is placed directly in front of me and all these questions bombard my heart bringing an enormous amount of conviction since I know my answers will not represent a passing grade...

The good news is, in spite of our weakness and our failures, we need not be weighted down by the guilt of our shortcomings.  Guilt is a tool of the enemy to keep us crushed and ineffective.  Jesus is about forgiveness.  Mercy flows through the throne of God. 

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103: 8-12)

He knows we are going to stall often, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3: 23).  But, God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3: 17)  And  “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10: 13) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8: 1)

He makes all things new (Revelations 21: 5)...even us...even me...

I am weak.  My salt may be losing its saltiness.  I have been out of the reach of those who need me for too long. But He can still use me.  Even if I've been hiding for a long time, He can put me back on the table so whatever nutrients are still in me can be poured out and sprinkled around to flavor someone else's experience with the blessing of His Presence.  He can reach underneath the bushel, grab my light and put it on His stand so whatever light still remains in me can contribute to shine in the darkness of our days.  May I present to Him my willing heart.  In Christ's precious Name, I pray.  Amen!

Safe in His Presence

 As I look at the views of the devastation that the latest hurricane has brought to countries in the Caribbean, to Florida, and other regions, I can't help but think how I would react if I lived in one of these areas.  

I was born and raised in Panama, and you'd imagine I'm used to hurricanes and disasters like this.  Actually, because of its positioning, Panama rarely gets a direct hit from a hurricane.  I don't think it has ever happened.  We get tropical storms and hurricane tail ends...but nothing like what countries such as Cuba, Puerto Rico and other areas get.  We have been blessed with a privilege that is rarely acknowledged except in the midst of disasters like the current ones.

Therefore, I've never been in the eye of a storm of this magnitude.  And the prospect of experiencing something like that terrifies me.  The loss of property and life...the loss of hope...the loss of everything...the uncertainty about the future...none of those things I long to have to go through.  Nobody does, really...but regardless of all the precautions we take...regardless of all the planning and careful strategizing we may conduct...regardless of how we decide to live in areas that are seemingly/statistically/geographically/historically super safe from harm...the storm can always find us no matter what.

No amount of educated decision making that we think we are performing can ever keep us 100% safe from the winds and the waves.  The Only One Who can is the One to Whom they Listen and Obey.  Therefore, the safest place is under the shadow of His wings.  However, the promise is not that we will get to skip the storm...the promise is that when the storm comes, He will be right there with us...and that the future is held by His Hand, thus it must be released out of our mind and heart.  

So, when the tempest pounds on us with utmost fury, and we feel like we don't have what it takes to endure it, let us remember Isaiah 43: 2, 

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

His dominium extends to all of His creation, from the nice and quiet summer evenings, colored by marvelous sunsets and the twinkling of fireflies, to the fury and uproar of the squall, gale, downpour, tornadoes or hurricanes.  Blessed Be His Name, Always.  Amen!

It's That Simple

I have to admit that I spend a large portion of my time obsessing about my job. Why do I do that? Sigh…well, I can give you a variety of seemingly “good” reasons, chief among all: I care about my students. Deep inside, though…what I care most about is other people’s opinions. I want to impress my co-workers and supervisors with my highly polished skills as an educator and a scholar. That’s it. My reasons are purely selfish. I’m killing myself at this job so I can have an impressive record. Recently, however, I was crushed. My ego was destroyed when, after spending years shaping up what I thought was an awe-inspiring portfolio to submit for promotion, I was denied. I was rejected for this promotion I thought was in the bag. And it was a most humiliating refusal…one that is causing me to reconsider everything I’ve done at my current institution for the last 17 years.

My pride was hurt…because it was my pride what was leading my efforts all along.

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? (Mark 8:36)

A couple of days ago, while speaking to one of my colleagues who is going through some challenging, personal situations, made worse by the natural disasters currently going on around her country of birth, some words came out of my mouth that surprised me. As she was expressing her concern about her family issues and how she might have to fly back home at a moment’s notice, I said to her: “of all the things of this world, this job is the least important, yet…this is where we spend most of our time and energy. That’s not right.”

I don’t know where that came from. I don’t even think those words were truly for her alone. I think they were mostly for me. I needed to verbalize that thought aloud so I could really hear it myself. The choice of giving the best of me to a job risk drawing me away from what matters most: following Him. I’m still as confused as the people who followed Jesus around just because of His miracles. I still don’t get it. I need to be reminded over and over again, by Jesus Himself, what the work of God is…the good news is that He left it written for us to read today:

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6: 28-29

That’s it. It is that simple. No amount of money, respect, possessions, worldly success and recognition will ever mean anything. In the end, the only thing that matters is whether or not we believed Jesus is Our Lord and Savior…Our Redeemer…Our Sustainer. That’s it. It’s that simple.

I am seriously re-thinking the way I want to spend my remaining years at this job. I don’t want to waste my time on things that might mean everything from the material point of view, but that are completely irrelevant from the eternal perspective. I pray the Holy Spirit guides me and guides all of us who are presently at crossroads of this nature. That we may be inspired to make the right choice in the path that leads us to Christ. In His Precious Name, I pray.  Amen!

Good Wins!

I read in a devotional a couple of days ago that humans hunger for hope and justice…basically, most of us want the good guys to win. That is probably why superhero movies that don’t have a clear conclusion in which the villains are defeated by the heroes who make them face their evil crimes and punish them, are not satisfying. We don’t mind our heroes showing vulnerability and getting beat up a bit (or a bunch). BUT, we need them to win. At least I do. I have watched my fair share of superhero movies with my sons and I tell you, I have truly enjoyed most of them…until I watched one, recently, that I found extremely disappointing. The basis for my disappointment was that the hero had to adopt evil ways to defeat evil. Goodness was not enough. He had to invoke darkness to conquer darkness. I mean, really? Does that even make any sense? Haven’t they heard? A house divided cannot stand! We have to look no further than Matthew chapter 12 to understand,

Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23 All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”

25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Matthew 12: 24-28)

It is Light what overpowers darkness. Darkness is only made deeper if attacked by darkness.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1: 5

The problem is the world’s love of darkness,

And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. John 3:19

The good news is that the story is not over yet. Not unlike our feelings after watching a movie in which the good had to turn evil to “defeat” evil, as Christians we may feel discouraged and disappointed at the way the world is going. Evil does seem to be triumphant so much so that even superheroes are turning bad…but the curtain hasn’t closed…the stage is still wide open…the Greatest Hero is yet to make His triumphal appearance. As we wait…our job is to continue to hope and to hold on to the promise of His return. Our job is to remember that He is Sovereign and that He is in control. Our job is to know that His Will Be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven and that His Will is Perfect, not corrupt and corroded like the will of our human heroes.

Let’s wait in assurance that the Goodness of God has already overcome! In the Precious Name of Our Divine Redeemer, Jesus the Christ. Amen!

End of Summer Melancholy

Yes, I am one of those people who LOVES summer.  I know plenty of folks enjoy cooler temps and dream about the days when they can cozy up in front of the fireplace, wrapped in a fluffy  blanket, wearing comfy pjs and socks, drinking hot cocoa.  Not me.  That's OK for others, but to me, the thought of temperatures below 75 sends chills down my spine...literally, and not in a good way. 

I'm a flip-flop kind of girl.  I like the freedom of not having to wear a coat to go outside.  I like the fact that I can walk barefoot on the grass if I wanted to.  I'm all about big water, blue skies, sand in my toes and the sound of waves and seagulls in the air.  That's why the last days of August and plans for Labor Day weekend make me want to cry.

I like picnics and gatherings.  But, I don't want to celebrate the end of what's so dear to me! Sigh...

The thing is, I grew up in a place where it's always summer...and saying goodbye to it here, brings back the hurt of having lost the home of my youth.  The faint reddish tint that is starting to appear on the trees, the later sunrise and the earlier sunsets plus the hint of coolness in the air all forecast another season to remember how different my life is and how far I am from the young woman who once cared not a bit about the possibility of summer ending.

The deep melancholy of loss sometimes sits quietly, set aside, confined to the back corners of our heart...only to resurface when we least expected, triggered by the normalcy of events which reminds us that what used to be normal is no more.

What is there to do, then, when confronted with the inevitability of change and the bottomless pit of pain it often causes?

I don't know.  I don't have any "5 easy steps" to overcoming sadness and melancholy.  All I know is to cling to My Jesus.  I go to The Word and hold on to it, claiming the promises, releasing my sorrow and trusting that what He has said in Scripture is true.  

In the middle of this stormy afternoon, when the golden sun of summer is hidden by dark clouds, I go to my source of strength:

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34: 18

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8: 18

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelations 21: 4

If the Lord can hold the stars in place every night...He can take care of my broken heart.  In the Precious Name of Jesus, the Lord of All My Days! Amen!

Lord of Our Moments

 Life is not the straight, continuous line we often imagine. It is more segmented than that. Life, to me, is a collection of moments.  Some of them we choose.  Many are chosen for us. But the way we experience them is up to us.  Either consciously and intentionally or at times more unconsciously and not so strategically planned, the way we live out our moments is our decision.

I'm not the kind of person who can pause and think before acting or saying something.  Rude things and actions come out of my mouth and body at the slightest provocation.  I've gotten better when I'm in public among people who don't really know me much.  BUT, at home, for example, surrounded by the people I love the most...unfortunately, I am at my worst...

Many of my "moments" at home end up in a downward spiral of yelling and tearing that leave me feeling ashamed and mortified when it's all said and done...especially because I know...deeply in my heart, I do know that it was done by choice.  I'm not controlled by an evil spirit that manipulates me into being mean and nasty to my loved ones.  Consciously or unconsciously, it is me making those bad decisions what transforms moments to be cherished into nightmares to be forgotten.  Like yesterday, for example. Dylan got his driver's license...a moment that should be remembered with warm memories of pride and accomplishment.  Instead, it was a moment forever tainted by me due to my own selfishness.  I got mad at something stupid that hurt my pride and I turned a joyful moment into a prolonged and agonizing time of verbal confrontation that ruined everything.  I had a choice: to be selfish or to be selfless.  I chose the first one.  And, for what purpose?  What was the chief end of that choice?

sigh...

Instead of focusing on Dylan and on celebrating this milestone...I chose to focus on me and my ego.  I felt hurt so I chose to make others feel just as hurt or more...so I could feel better about my own hurt...

Did I accomplish my "mission"?

Well, yeah, I made my loved ones feel terrible. But...I felt worse.  Whatever sick joy I thought I'd get out of hurting others did not materialize...it never does...because that's not how it works.  Inflicting pain does not bring joy...it brings darkness.  It's in loving God and others where we find true joy.  Loving others to the point of self-sacrifice is the key to a fulfilled life...a life spent for others...so others can live.  We need not look further than the person of Jesus:

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15: 13

I know I would jump to fire for my loved ones...but it is in the everyday moments where I need to put my effort, because life is not made out of many, literal "jump-into-the-fire" scenarios, but it is full of tiny and seemingly insignificant "put-them-before-you" moments...and it is up to me to choose how I act and react when those itty-bitty bits come around.  

Thankfully, God knew what He was doing when He created our brains, and designed them in a way that it organizes life into moments...in many cases, pushing the bad ones behind, and bringing the good ones to the forefront.  He knew we couldn't handle it any other way.  I hope Dylan's mind selects yesterday's moment for the "forgotten" storage category in his brain and that he remembers getting his license as the fun day that it began to be.  I pray my loved ones choose to extend grace to me when I slip again...so our moments together can be God-honoring and filled with joy.  I pray we can make Jesus the Lord over all our moments.  In His Precious Name.  Amen!

A Place of Our Own

 Of course every aspect of who Jesus is fascinates me...I'm in complete awe of everything that He IS...but there are a few things that get me in more intense ways than others.  One of these things that speak to me in special ways has to do with His personality.  I am always intrigued by how He commanded audiences of 5,000 plus (Matthew chapters 5 through 7 as one example), called us to pray in groups (Matthew 18: 20) and chose His disciples to walk alongside with Him during His earthly ministry...and yet...He often retreated to solitary places to pray...even in His darkest hour, in the garden of Gethsemane, when He took His inner circle of friends with Him to keep vigil...He also said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” (Matthew 26: 36)

I bet today's phycologists would categorize Jesus as an "ambivert," a person whose personality has a balance of extrovert and introvert features.  To me, He is just acting like a perfectly normal human being: He preaches in the temple, on the mountains, to friendly crowds, to people who want to trick Him, in homes of friends and of tax collectors, He goes to weddings and hangs out at funeral gatherings, but it comes a moment when He needs to gather to Himself and fellowship with the Trinity on His own and pray alone.  He keeps the people in close proximity, but He takes a few steps and goes a bit further still...

I don't pretend to know anything...but to me...I just think that after all the commotion, He needs time to breathe and commune in solitary, private, personal intimacy with The Father and The Holy Spirit in prayer...the most perfect way to connect and communicate with the Divine...in a place just of their own.

Like Jesus, it is also important for us to set aside time to be alone with the Lord...fellowship with others, prayer groups, support systems, service groups, ministry alongside our sisters and brothers in the faith...sharing the Kingdom and our testimony could all be very energizing, but also overwhelming to our senses and to our minds and hearts...often draining us and leaving us like our phones after a day of constant use without plugging them in.  There comes a moment that we need to find a charging station so we can plug ourselves back in and be revived. That's what prayer in solitude does for me.  As much as I love gathering together to pray, and as much as I need that more than I need air...I also need to have that time in which I go "over there and pray" by myself...even if still in proximity of others, even if I can still hear them and see them...but in a spot all by myself.

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that you will fill our lives with opportunities to serve you in ministry and gather together to pray in groups with the faithful, as well as give us opportunities to have one-on-one intimacy with You at a place that is just ours, so I may know You better and grow closer to Your Heart.  In the Precious Name of Jesus, Our Role Model in Prayer and Life.  Amen!

Thank You, Lord for Another Birthday!

 Birthdays have a funny way of making you reflect, don't they?  I don't think much about mine, but then I go to Facebook and I see the abundance of well wishes from friends and the reality of the blessing of reaching another year hits me.  I don't complain about birthdays.  I just don't think about them much.  But reading the birthday greetings from people from all over, touched my heart in a very special way.  

The Lord, has indeed blessed me with a life filled with love and I don't want to take any of it for granted.  In talking about this with my sister, we both agreed that gratitude is an every moment virtue.  We cannot be blinded by less than ideal circumstances.  If we do, we totally miss the abundant life!  She said, "when I was young, I use to think walking, running, sitting, getting up, squatting, and overall normal, painless movement was a given, now I praise the Lord for every step." Yep...I hear you, sister!

I don't want another minute to go by that I don't feel and humbly express my thanksgiving for this life I've been given...including the pain.  After all, "no pain, no gain," right?  The pain reminds us we are still alive...and anything that reminds us of the blessing of another day is something to be grateful for.

Therefore, as I look back on another birthday, I say: Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15

There is Hope in Waiting

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27: 14

"Where is THAT KID????!!!!"  "OMGOSH I'M GOING TO .....  UGH!!!!"  "HE IS RUINING MY VACATION!!!!"  

Yep...those words actually came out of my mouth a few weeks ago when we were waiting for Grant to come home from his summer camp job so we could leave for my long-time-dreamed Outer Banks vacation. He was like 1 hour late from when I had hoped he'd be able to be home...and that waiting period KILLED ME! Every minute he was late represented another minute that my beach-time was reduced...and I couldn't deal with it.  

Let's just say, waiting is NOT something I do gracefully.  

God has been trying to teach me the all-too-crucial lesson of waiting in His timing, but I refuse to learn.  So He keeps giving me opportunities to acquire this most important virtue.  The thing that makes it harder is that the lesson includes learning to wait for other people too...waiting in their timing without forcing my timing on them.  Boy, is that a super hard thing to master...sigh...

But the Lord is a Faithful teacher and He has made sure I have living tutorials that re-enforce the class on a daily basis. Being wired to rush, dash and jump...has made it very challenging to live surrounded by 3 gentlemen who seemed to have been born to just chill.  So...hence...the built-in, daily lecture on patience and waiting...sigh...

At any rate, all these came to mind when reading our last verse in Psalm 27...which...I love.  I love it so much because it is like a healing balm to my frazzled mind.  It is a verse that gives me an abundance of hope...and hope is a commodity that is at a premium in this harsh world today.  Thinking about hope reminded me of two words in Spanish that are related:  Esperanza and Esperar.  

Esperanza is a beautiful word that is also used as a name.  The word means, exactly that: Hope...to be precise, it comes from the Latin word "sperare" which means "to have hope." Then, the other word, Esperar which comes from the same Latin word as Esperanza, means..."to wait."  

How beautiful is that? 

Hope and Wait go together.  They come exactly from the same place and they can't be split apart.  There is hope in waiting.  So, I pray...next time I have to wait...I remember the hope that lives inside of that waiting period...so I don't lose it!

Anyway, Grant made it home eventually.  And as usual, God showed me how His plan is a GIZZILION times better than mine because we ended up having the most pleasant, uneventful, smooth ride EVER to that region of the country.  We didn't run into any stopped traffic or highway accidents.  We were stunned.  We concluded that leaving later than usual helped us avoid the "normal" road obstacles we have grown accustomed to when traveling to the Carolinas.  So...waiting paid off...and I got to enjoy the Outer Banks in all their glory...and no harm was caused to Grant.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord, the One Whose Timing is Perfect and Who is All Hope.  Amen!

Arming Ourselves with the Word

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living. Psalm 27: 13

At this moment in time there are so many scary, frightening, terrifying, troublesome things happening in our society and the world at large, that people like me who are naturally negative/pessimistic can't help to struggle keeping an attitude of hope alive. I try to take precautions to avoid falling in the sink hole of hopelessness...like for instance, I avoid the news like an airborne virus...but regardless, the world finds a way to filter into my mind and my hope begins to shake.

This is why it is not enough to just try to insulate oneself from the world...if we are not getting our daily dose of the Word of God, our defenses don't hold.  The Word is the Sword (Ephesians 6: 17).  And without the Sword, we cannot counter attack...without the Word we can't fight back.  Therefore, it is verses like Psalm 27: 13 what we need to have stored into our hearts and souls in order to charge against the enemy when he launches attacks on our hope...because the only way to keep our hope alive is by carrying Him who IS Hope, inside of us...ready to strike.

Believe it or not, we are at war. So, we better take time to gather the tools and weapons we need to not get crushed in the battles ahead.  The Word of God is our arsenal, so let's not waste time and make sure we have it in us.  That's the way to remain confident that we will see the goodness of the Lord not just in heaven, but also in the land of the living.  In the Precious Name of Jesus, Who Is The Word!  Amen!

No Lies

Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,

 for false witnesses rise up against me,

spouting malicious accusations. Psalm 27: 12

I've always told my kids to be the kind of person whose word is solid.  "Be the one that when people ask: 'who said that?' and someone says, 'Dylan' or 'Grant' they go like...'ok, if Dylan/Grant said it...it must be true.'"  They still lie to me to my face, though.  I do have to say, it is very difficult for Dylan to lie to me.  He can't keep a straight face.  Grant, on the other hand...boy...that kids lies...ugh.  He said it's not that he is lying...he is trying to protect me because he knows I can't handle the truth...sigh...yep.  

Regardless, I continue to preach.  I want them to understand the importance of honesty.  I want them to adhere to the "Thou Shall Not Lie" Rule.  I especially don't want them to spout malicious accusations against anyone...no malicious lies against those they don't like so they can cause hurt.  I sure hope they never get into that.  I hope I don't get into that either.  I always worry about others doing that to me...but, I want to never fall in the trap of doing that to anyone just because my pride is hurt or I'm not a fan.

I pray the Lord does not "turn me over to the desire of my foes..." but that He doesn't turn me over to my own sinful ways either.  I pray the lessons about honesty I've been trying to instill into my sons also permeate my own soul.  In the Precious Name of Jesus, The One Who Is Truth! Amen!

Teach Us Your Way

Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path

because of my oppressors. Psalm 27: 11

There's a time during summer break when I begin stressing out about the mountains of work I've ignored since the end of the previous academic year...that's the time when I realize I have procrastinated long enough and I have no wiggle room left so I better get my head back in gear so I can organize my classes for the new year...well...that time has arrived.  UGH...sigh...roll eyes...

The "things-to-do-over-summer-FOR-WORK" list that began as a thin outline back in early May is now fully fleshed out...and I'm beginning to fret.

The most important things in that highly cryptic and borderline schizophrenic list are the lessons I need to teach.  I have to go over each of the courses I'm teaching in the fall and spend time designing the outcomes I want my students to achieve by the end of the semester in each of them...and then...I have to figure out fun/intelligent/entertaining/engaging/impactful/differentiated/non-boring ways to teach them...sigh... I'm exhausted just contemplating the task.

Thinking about all these, and now looking at verse 11 in Psalm 27 I'm reminded that one of the names of Our Lord is "Teacher." Oh, how I love that Name! If there was ever a most glorious role model for how to be a good teacher, that was Jesus, no contest.  He sure knew how to design a most effective lesson plan, that's for sure!  And His delivery methods...WOW!  He knew how to command an audience!  I doubt anyone would ever fall asleep, stare out the windows, zone out or aimlessly scroll down their social media on their phone while He was teaching...

Jesus not only taught...but once they heard Him, people wanted to be taught!!  They followed Him and clamored for more! I cannot even jokingly fantasize about it:  "Please, pretty please...teach us more!!" HA! Yeah...that'll happen...NEVER!  But with Jesus, we feel the urgency of the message, and we want Him to teach us!  He need to hear from Him to know which way to go, because He IS The Way! Without Him, we are utterly lost...no hope of ever finding that straight path.  

It's peculiar to me how the verse ends kind of openly...it almost feels as if it is left hanging...lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors... I almost want to say, "because of my oppressors, what?? What is it?"  But we know, don't we?  It goes without saying that without Him as The Way, the road leads straight to death.

As a teacher, I know I will never be even a pale, very distant and faint reflection of what Jesus is...but as a teacher I also know that one of our main jobs is our willingness to be constantly learning...so I pray the Lord teaches me and all educators, His Way as we walk with Him Who Is The Way, so we can find the straight path in this world of confusion, conflict and uncertainty.  May the Divine and Most Perfect Teacher who ever walked this earth guide us and lead us as we try to find our way on these rocky and muddied roadways. And may He also inspire me to start working already! In the Precious Name of Jesus.  Amen!

  

Fear of Abandonment

Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Psalm 27: 10

Dylan is a pretty strong, young man.  He is solid as a rock.  I tell you, the weight lifting equipment he made me "invest" in is paying off.  But, inside that tough façade, he is mush. We tease him because he's afraid of tiny bugs...I mean, who isn't, right? But one thing that is no joke with my son is this one thing he is terrified of: abandonment. There is a deep-seated, primal dread in his psyche of being rejected...forsaken.  Though this angst works mostly at the subconscious level and he doesn't quite understand it...he feels it.  And it rattles him every time it surfaces. It is this feeling what makes him specially sensitive to stories of neglect.  So, when he came home after spending time at a Christian concert-camping adventure, he related to me some of the accounts he heard from the morning talks he attended and from some other more personal sources.  He was really taken by the horrific tales he heard and I could see the fear emerging.  At the end of his narrations, he said:  "but you love me, right?"

In my deeply rooted inadequacy as a mother, I rely on the Holy Spirit to guide me in this rockiest of paths, the path of parenthood...and He blessed me by moving me to do what my son needed at that moment of extreme vulnerability: give him a big hug and quietly reassure him that of course I love him. 

My love for my son goes beyond what I can express and demonstrate to him.  But it doesn't matter as long as he remembers that there is a greater love...a love we don't deserve, but that is given nonetheless

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5: 8

A love that remains even when everyone else has left us...forsaken us...a love that endures even when we are not worthy ... because, like Paul says in Romans 8: 35-39...

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Dylan kept telling me all about his experiences at the concert/camping trip he'd just returned from...as I listened, I kept thinking how much I love this kid and how grateful I am God decided to lend him to me for these years...I am so not worthy of such a gift...but that is the mystery of God's love, that even when we are so insignificant that even our own fathers and mothers might forsaken us...the Lord receives us...

Thank you, Lord Jesus for never abandoning us and for having such profound love for us that we don't have to fear because nothing could ever separate us from You.  In Your Precious Name.  Amen!

He Is Mighty to Save!

Do not hide your face from me, 

 do not turn your servant away in anger;

you have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me,

God my Savior. Psalm 27: 9

Teenagers are experts at being sassy.  The word sassy could have an endearing connotation, however...and in my opinion, some of the adolescents that I've come in contact with...in my house...without going into much details as to whom I am talking about...are beyond the implied cuteness of "sassy," and border the territory where "insolent" and "impertinent" reside.  Needless to say, when the level of rudeness and lack of respect rises in my beloved teen...the last thing I want is to be in his presence.  I know it's harsh, but, I have been known to say phrases like: "get out of my face!!" (double or triple exclamation mark) every so often...once in a while...yeah...bad Mom-move...

At any rate, in those moments of unacceptable behavior, I don't want to be in the presence of my child, lest I do something I will regret later...like using whatever I may have in my hand at the moment, as a projectile aimed to his (THICK) head!!

...breathe...in...out...in...out...again...calm down.

I'm OK, now...I'm OK...and so is he...in case you were wondering!

My point is, as parents, sometimes we need time to cool off after our kids have done something that seems incorrigible and completely out of line.  We need time away.  I think parents invented "time-out" not just for the kids but for ourselves as well.  It comes a time when we all need "time-out" from each other in order to regroup and patch up the relationship.  Since that's our experience as parents and as children, that's the model we use to imagine our relationship with our Heavenly Father too.  We think of ourselves as the rebellious teenager who knows has done something wrong and needs punishment...and we think of God as the parent who wants to put us on a time-out...out of His face...far far away, out of his reach to avoid hurting us inadvertently.  

The thing is, well, first, we could and would never be out of God's reach.  It's impossible!  We will always be within the scope of His outstretched arm. And, most importantly, Our Heavenly Father is not a human parent...Jesus Himself reminds us in Luke 11: 13

So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!

However, there are moments when we can't help but feel completely unworthy.  How often have we implored Our Lord the words in Psalm 27: 9? How many times have we felt like we don't deserve to be in His presence? How frequently have we feared our guilt is too deep to deserve to see His face?  

He will not reject us, or forsake us, or send us away in anger, though.  He doesn't need to cool off.  In those moments when we feel like we are that unruly, sassy, insolent, imprudent adolescent whose sin seems unforgivable, we must remember, He is the One who "did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all..."  so "that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (Romans 8:32, John 3: 16)

He is nothing like our human parents.  His love knows no measure.  His grace covers us.  His patience is limitless.  His Son saves us and forgives us again and again and again.

May the Holy Spirit remind us when we are feeling lowly, that

The LORD your God is among you; He is mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Amen!

Distractions

My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. Psalm 27: 8

Do you feel distracted often? I do. 

I find it so easily to get distracted, it's not even funny anymore.  Social Media alone is responsible for a great deal of it (at least in my case).  We are so bombarded with stimuli that it becomes harder and harder to lift one's head up from the phone.  And even though it affects younger people at a higher scale, it is not just kids...I'm guilty of it myself.  I can spend so much time scrolling through media that when I finally put the phone down, a good part of the day is gone without me having done anything productive.  Quiet time with the Lord? I'm ashamed to say, I have to be very intentional about it, and almost schedule it in my calendar...otherwise, weeks would go by without me setting aside time in prayer.

Verse 8 in Psalm 27 says how the calling to seek His face is one that comes from the heart...and as such...our response is simple: yes..."Your face, Lord, I will seek."  But, do I?  Do I make it a priority to seek His face?

I've lived in this world for over 50 years...how many of those have I used to seek His face?  How much of a priority has seeking Him been in my life?

I don't even want to go there.

However, it is time I do.  It is time I open my eyes to the reality that it is imperative that I set aside the lesser things, and seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness...Matthew 6: 33a

How do I do that?  Well...

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29: 13

"With all my heart..."  that's the key.  When my heart finally learns how to completely surrender to Jesus, then, I will empty it out of all the distractions and fill it up with the urgent desire to seek Him first.  It is hard to do that with the world pulling us from every side...reeling us in...but it is possible through discipline and intentionality.  It is a conscious decision.  It is a decision born out of the necessity to do the only thing that will bring us fulfillment: to follow Him...to know Him...to feel His presence...to dive in His peace...to experience His love.  

Nothing this world has to offer will bring our hearts and souls the satisfaction and contentment that seeking Him first offers...so why not?  There's still time to turn things around and change our priorities, being more present and less distracted.  Maybe it can be something as simple as following Christian influencers who post Biblical messages which may switch us from mindless scrolling, to purposeful guidance into paths that lead to a Christ-centered experience in social media?  Maybe? I don't know...but let's fill our feeds with the Word of God and see what happens?  It's worth the shot...I mean, we know social media is not going to go away.  We know we are going to continue to use it (at least I will).  We may as well use it for good, don't you think?

May the Holy Spirit show us the way to Christ through all the distractions.  May we hear the voice of the Shepherd in a society so full of noise.  May His hand reach us and pull us to where we can finally see His face.  In the Precious Name of Jesus, whom I want to seek first.  Amen!

Amazon Prayers?

Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. Psalm 27: 7

Does God really hear us when we pray?

That's the question, isn't it?

Yesterday at church, visiting Pastor, Gordon Jardy talked to our congregation about a series of instances in which he fervently prayed and the outcomes were not what he had so passionately prayed for...and how that could be crushing if we are looking at prayer from misleading perspective.  I call it, the "Amazon Prayer" perspective.  This is when we present our petition/request to God and expect to get exactly what we asked for in a very timely manner -like when we go to Amazon, place our order, pay for it and in two days we expect to receive it in a neatly wrapped package.    

They say, God is not a genie, right?  Well, He is not Amazon either.

As I listened to Pastor Jardy and an audio podcast from a Panamanian priest from my hometown who also addressed this issue, the Holy Spirit is revealing in me the fact that the miracle, the gift, the real answer to our every prayer is prayer itself!  The fact that we can communicate with the Maker of Heaven and Earth, the Ruler of the Universe, is the answer to our prayer.  The real miracle is that Jesus opened the path of direct communication with Our Heavenly Father by His birth, life, death and resurrection...and by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us.  The gift is His saving grace.  The answer is His constant love and His presence.

What about me? What about my pain? What about my needs? What about my hurt? What about my brokenness? What about my healing? What about my suffering? Why can't You take it away, God?

He certainly can...if it is in His plan.  And that is the toughest thing to accept, isn't it?  To trust that an All-powerful and Almighty and Loving God chooses to answer our prayers and petitions differently from what we wanted, is a hard pill to swallow.  But that's the test.  That is the test of our faith.  That's what reveals what we are made of.  That's what allows our complete dependence and reliance on Him to flourish.  That is how He becomes Our Lord of All.

As we realize this truth, we continue to pray.  We continue to pray He hears us.  We continue to pray He answers us in a way we can understand.  And we continue to trust Him, His Love, His Mercy, His Provision, His All-Sustaining Power and His Perfect Will.  In the Precious Name of Our Lord, Jesus the Christ.  Amen

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1 John 5: 14

Exalted? Me?

Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;

at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the Lord. Psalm 27: 6

I've never been good at taking compliments (trust me, I'm worse at taking criticism...but that one is for another day).  With compliments...I just don't know what to do...I usually dismiss them and say something like, "O you are way too kind."  Basically, that phrase really means: "listen, I know me.  I totally suck at everything. You just witnessed how God likes to use the most imperfect and undeserving people to do His work...and sometimes, for some unexplainable reason, He decides it is my turn...but I do not deserve any iota of exaltation...so please don't."

Anyway...needless to say, these thoughts started bouncing in my mind when I read the first few words of verse 6 in Psalm 27:  "Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;" and I'm thinking..."my head will be exalted?" I don't see that...how...why?

Who am I?

Then I remember...exactly...who am I to question God's divine design for us.  It is He who decides and it is His providence what opens the pathways for us to walk through...not by our merits, qualities and deserving nature, but by His perfect plan and love.  He knows what He does and He has known it way before I was even a thought in my parent's head.  He is the One who, for reasons only He knows and are not right for me to second guess, set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace (Galatians 1: 15). It was His eyes that saw my unformed substance; and He who wrote in His book every one of my days, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them (Psalm 139: 16). It was Christ who didn't wait for me to get my act together and become holy and deserving before He died for me.  He took the cross upon Himself and sacrificed for me while I was still a sinner...(Romans 5: 8)

So...I think the lesson here is not to focus on me.  It is not about me and whether or not I am deserving of God's amazing grace.  It is about Him and how my reaction to His gift of mercy should be to dwell at his sacred tent, and sacrifice with shouts of joy.

He is worthy of all of honor and glory and praise.  So, rather than questioning whether I should be exalted or not, I need to sing and make music to the Lord!  Now...about my lack of singing abilities...

Thank you, Lord for Your Goodness and for Your unmeasurable Love.  I humbly receive it and give you Praises and Thanksgiving in the All Powerful and Worthy Name of the Lamb.  Amen!

Roadside Assistance

For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent

and set me high upon a rock. Psalm 27: 5

In our recent trip to Panama, we rented a car for the week so we could leave the city and drive the 4+ hour-road to my hometown and have a car there for our transportation needs.  Driving in Panama is such a hazzle.  Traffic is unbearable, rules are often not obeyed, and road conditions are not super safe.  Needless to say it makes me very nervous to drive there so I don't.  Dan does all the driving when we are in Panama.  Yes, he is the visitor, but he is a very good driver and handles the road much better than me.  That makes him overconfident and hesitant to want to pay for extra protections when we rent the car.  This time, however, he didn't argue and we got a good package that included all kinds of insurance.  Included in the packet was also a number for road-side assistance.  I didn't ponder much on it, but I tucked away the knowledge that we had it just in case.

Thinking of this brought to mind thoughts of the road...

The road has been an common analogy for life.  Countless thinkers, writers, poets, singers, preachers, prophets have used the road to explain the ideas of what happens while we are on this side of eternity.  The bumps on the road, the turns and twists, the detours, the loss of direction, even new ones like satellite technology and the infamous GPS plus many other metaphors for life derive from the road.  My favorite of such is found in John 14:6 when Jesus answers to Thomas (the doubter always having a hard time trusting) 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Like Thomas the Apostle, trusting enough to let go doesn't come easy to me.  At the first sign of the slightest bump on the road of my life, my glands start secreting panic signals immediately throughout my entire body.  I forget so quickly about the fact that my way is directed and protected by He Who Is The Way Himself...and I fall for the signs of "danger ahead" becoming frazzle and fearful.  I forget very quickly all His promises for safekeeping...that's why verse 27:5 of Psalm 27 is one I have hidden in my heart so it can come to me when I meet unexpected hazardous conditions on my way.  

The words that the Holy Spirit inspired David to write thousands of years ago, come alive in us today to bring us comfort and peace in a time when the road of life has become so very scary.  These words remind us that it doesn't matter how lost we think we are or how destroyed the way seems, in the day of trouble the way is never lost because Jesus is The Way, and He keeps us safe in Him, hidden in His tent and set high upon the Rock that is Himself...unmovable, unshakable, eternal. 

Thankfully, the trip to Panama was a joy and we didn't need any of the insurances we got for the rented car...not even the road-side assistance.  But it is comforting knowing that we have them if we need them...isn't it?

May we always keep Psalm 27:5 handy in our brain's address book under our emergency numbers, so it comes to our rescue when we need road-side assistance.  In Jesus' Precious Name.  Amen!