Center Stage!

It was a dream blooming into a beautiful flower of reality. There I was, standing in the middle of the stage. It was lifted off the ground almost like I was floating in the air. There I was, chosen to sing in front of everyone. What an honor! I geared up by putting on my wireless microphone with butterflies exploding out of my tummy. I rehearsed the songs over and over again. I was ready; I was prepared. 

There I was, in front of everyone. There I was, singing my heart out. There I was, leading worship. As I jumped off the stage, I went into the back room to talk to my pastor. He told me how proud he was of me, and that he is praying I could be a regular for Sundays and another night of the week. I was blown away, so I prayed about it. Bam! I was a regular doing what I love: praising my Father. 

Here I am, about ten years later yearning for that experience again. I recently came across a few of the songs that I sang for my church. When I played them, I started crying. I cried because I miss my passion for Christ. I will admit that I have not been that passionate since I stopped singing. In fact, I can even say that I have been empty because I forgot who my first love is.

I want to sing a beautiful song for my Father. He deserves all the praise. My point of this blog is not to make it a sob story but to let you know that we need to hold onto our first love :Jesus Christ. 

The Nails in your hands by The Bridge Band
“The nails in your hands
The nail in your feet,
they tell me how much you love me
The thorns in your brow,
they tell me how, you bore so much pain to love me.

And when the heavens pass away,
all your scars will still remain,
and forever they will say,
how much you love me.

Forever my love, Forever my heart
Forever my life, it's yours, it's yours.”

Christmas in July!

Christmas is one my favorite holidays. The bright lights, music that gets stuck in your head, and the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is filled with crazy shoppers, heart-felt donations, and gifts wrapped for all the boys and girls. 

The old and untrue story of Santa Claus and his elves making Christmas presents reminding me of something we should be doing here on Earth. The myth goes that Santa (the old man wearing red in charge) tells the elves (his helpers) to make toys for all the good girls and boys until Christmas Eve. So for 363 days, these elves are to be preparing Christmas for the world. 

2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage- with great patience and careful instruction.”

We are told that we are to be prepared at all times to share about God. All 365 days out of the year, every second of every minute, every awaking moment, we are to be able to share our faith. I use the example of Christmas for a few reasons.

1)   Christmas should be every day. Believers and followers of Christ should be giving the best present, the Good news about Jesus Christ, every day.

2)   We are kind of like elves. No, we are not all toy makers but each one of us has the power by God to share and speak up about our faith.

3)   We are to be prepared for when Jesus comes back again. He is coming! 

Romans 12:13 “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

One Cool Kid!

I had always wondered while I was in high school why we divide people into two categories: the not-so-cool kids and the cool kids. It brings me back to a time of peer pressure. People especially adolescents are prone to do anything it takes to be well liked: a cool kid. I think the same thing was happening in the Bible, but instead this person stood against peer pressure and became a not cool kid. 

Her name was Queen Vashti, and you can find her story in Esther 1. You see back in the day, men loved to show off their prize possessions especially their woman. King Xerxes had a little too much to drink the night before and decided it would be a good idea to have his wife show off to the men at the banquet while wearing her royal crown. But instead of giving into the peer pressure that her husband imposed on her, she stood up against him with confidence and a loud NO! She became a cool kid for not giving into peer pressure that was filled in that room. 

Esther 1:12 “But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger.”

This is my prayer last night in regards to this reading, and my prayer for you.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray that I will never give into peer pressure from my peers. I want to be the woman who stands out of the crowd being the difference. Lord, help me to find a man who will not command me, but love me in a respectable way. Thank you, Abba!

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 113:3

"From the sunrise in the east to the sunset in the west,
      may the name of the Lord be praised."

Happy Father's Day!

I love how my daddy puts in extra effort to be the #1 Daddy. He loves my family so much, and we love him. 

I often wonder how my daddy is able to go to work, be involved in all of his six kids lives, and have time for being in school full time. I think there are three main key points to how he pulls it off.

1. He loves God so much. 

1 John 4:9 " we love because He loved us first."

2. He has so much joy in his life. 

Psalm 33:1 "Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
   it is fitting for the upright to praise him."

3. He remembers that he can do all things through Christ.

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." 

My daddy is an awesome daddy. 

I love him so much! <3

A Faithful Child!

Faithfulness has been on my heart these past few weeks. As time goes on, I am able to see what God is doing, understand why He does it, and able to remain faithful to Him. Let’s back up for a moment before we get started on faithfulness. 

A year ago, I was swimming in the wrong direction for my life. I was a believer, but I had tried to rely on myself. It ended in a mess. I had lost friends, cried myself to sleep, and felt empty every waking moment. I needed to have that passion back when I first got saved. I did not know what to do.

In January, I started reading the Old Testament on a daily basis. Not thinking much about it; God remained faithful to the Israelites while they were wandering and roaming the desert. Then it hit me like a comet free falling through space: God is ALWAYS faithful. Every day I wake up, grab the Word, and pray that God would show me what He wanted to see. 

I was once like the wandering Israelite; I was foolish not to follow the foot prints that God had left for my life. I was sick. My soul needed Him. When I started reading the Old Testament, I did not understand why God still remained faithful to them after the Israelites clearly disobeyed Him. He loved them. He loves me. And He loves you. He will always goes before every situation in our lives, guiding the path to a true and intimate relationship with Him. 

On the other side to faithfulness, we need to remain faithful to Him. Children are a great example of how to be faithful and rely on those around them. Parents hold their baby, feed their baby, and change their baby’s diaper. The baby cannot physical do any of it on their own; they rely on their parents. As a child of God, we need to rely on God. The only way we can do this is by being faithful to God. When we look to God for every decision in our lives, practice His Word, and come to Him through prayer, then we are faithful. 

(This is not my child. He is one of my friend's newest addition to his family. He has the biggest blue eyes and sweetest smile. I love him!)

Dear Father,

I haven’t been faithful to you, and I am sorry. Forgive me for not going to You and relying on myself. I pray that You will help me stay faithful to You. Thank you Daddy for always staying faithful to me. You cover me with Your love; Thank you Jesus.

In Jesus Name,

Amen!

Miracles.Happen.

Do you believe in miracles? I know I do. The common misconception is that a miracle has to occur when a terrible event happens in our life. You are may be waiting for a better health, a lifestyle change, or just hoping to be noticed by someone special…a miracle occurs every day in your life. You might be thinking how could this be? 

God gives you another day to live. He opens your eyes up on a daily basis to change a life, live for Him, and be with the ones you love the most. 

Lamentations 3:22-24

  “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail.
 They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.” 

On the Born Again album from Newsboys, I love a specific verse from their song, Miracle.

“There’s something that’s missing

If we can’t recognize that our own existence

Is the miracle before our eyes.”

 That to me is so powerful. We are alive. God woke us up this morning with hope, peace, and love waiting for us. Our day should be dedicated to Him. Praise Jesus!

Video Credit: Newsboys official music video-Miracle from Youtube