I Can Do All Through Christ

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Matthew 17:20 - And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hense to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Matthew 19:26 - But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 - ...My strength is made perfect in weakness...when I am weak, then am I strong.

1 Corinthians 1: 25-29 - Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.

Last night as we drove to church I received a call from someone very special to me. The news he gave me overwhelmed me with the grandeur of Our All-Mighty, All-Powerful God. We talked and rejoiced together. Afterwards, I sat in the car in awe-of-Jesus. The song that He had given me in the morning (see post below) just kept playing in my mind as tears flowed from my eyes. Once again, My Jesus, reminded me of His Goodness, His Kindness, His Gentleness and HIS POWER. And so this morning as a ventured to do a post about this event, I first opened my mail and received the video below. I sat here with my jaw opened and cringed at my unbelief. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-sufficient, yet my finite being creeps in and begins to doubt. Let us renew our mind and rehearse the abundant promises of Our Great and Awesome God and BELIEVE that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR OUR JESUS!

You Are So Faithful by Lenny LeBlanc
Verse 1:
Like the sun that rises everyday,
You are so faithful. Lord, You are faithful.
Like the rain that You send,
And every breath that I breathe,
You are so faithful, Lord
Verse 2:
Like the rose that comes alive every spring,
You are so faithful. Lord, You are faithful.
Like the life that You give,
to every beat of my heart,
You are so faithful, Lord.
PreChorus:
I see the cross and the price You had to pay,
I see the blood that washed my sins away.
Chorus:
In the midst of the storm
through the wind and the waves,
You'll still be faithful, You'll still be faithful,
When the stars refuse to shine and time is no more,
You'll still be faithful,
You'll still be faithful, Lord.

We see signs of life all around us. If you remember the barren roots, well now they are springing forth with new life. Those things that seemed dead are now showing all kinds of life.

Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for moment, His favor is for a life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:4-5)

Rancho Cucamonga Couples Retreat

Okay, so I am still feeling a little movement (on second thought, a lot of movement). I keep feeling like I am still on the waves. God totally opened the door for my husband and I to go on a Couples Cruise with the church we used to attend – it was incredible! The Lord blew us away by all the blessings He poured upon us. It was wonderful to see our friends and spend time with them without having to keep track of time. We ate, we ate, and we ate – where did all this food come from? And I hate to think where it went. The service by all ship personnel was incredible. I felt like royalty. Our dinner waiters had an incredible memory. They were so incredible and attentive. The food was presented fabulous and it was also very yummy. The buffet was more than beyond our imagination. The lunch BBQ’s were incredible. But most importantly the fellowship and the Word of God on a cruise ship was an experience to be remembered. I could go on and on. Thank you Lord for truly you don’t add sorrow to your blessings.

Rest Ministries Sunroom

Busy, Busy, Busy

Yes, it has been busy around here.

Last Saturday we had our churches couples’s dinner it was nice to sit and enjoy the company of other like minded couples. Pastor Hector Martinez gave us a very simple, yet profound message. I said to someone, "it was soft, but yet so sharp". One of the things that stuck to my mind was when he said that, "marriage was an appetizer to heaven" Oh, yeah, it left me saying, "WOW, I've never heard it put this way." The other was that as the moon is a reflection of the sun, so wives are a reflection of their husbands.

Tuesday we started our first women's bible study for Gracia Calvary - yeah!! It has been prayed for and prayed for and now the Lord has allowed Gracia to have it. We will be studying the book of James - yes, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. You know at the beginning I thought, "O no, what am I going to go through as we begin the study of James." But the Lord reminded me, that He is good and that every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Our focus needs to be on the fact that the Lord is allowing us to have and attend a Bible Study and that we should focus on the fact that He is good and does good, the rest will come and go but He will be there.

Friday we went to Mexicali, Mexico. Mom is going to spend some time with my brother, Oscar. We had a nice drive. We were all happy to see my brother and his family. Mom was really happy to see my brother. On our way back - crossing the border is never dull and since 9/11 it has become even more interesting. I always get nervous, yet I don't know why. But this time it was really interesting, my husband and I are still trying to figure out "what happened???" Anyhow, on my quest to eat healthy I took some snacks with us. I took granola bars and 2 apples. On our way over I ate one apple (stay with me on this one-there is a reason for the numbers). On our way back the immigration lady, who was semi-nice (why is it that immigration agent’s think that they need to be mean and not smile and be ever so rude? Just a wondering.) asked us some bizarre questions and proceeded to search our van. I was totally fine with this because I had nothing to hide, in fact, this time we had bought nothing over in Mexicali. Anyhow, she is opening my bags left and right. And VIOLA!!! the FORBIDEN APPLE!!! "What, you have an apple?!" I said yes. Don't you know it is forbidden? No?! I proceeded to explain to her that we did not buy one apple in Mexicali, but that I had it from the USA for a snack and in fact, this one apple was not important to me, that she could toss it. "O no, I can't do that." She called someone and checked some list and off we were sent to INSPECTION FOR ONE APPLE! Sorry my emotions are still raw. Inspection did its thing through our whole van. By this time I was not happy and my husband said, "Just relax." (he puts me to shame). The guy asked if we had anything else, such as mangos, tamales, tacos, etc. No, no, no, no - just the one apple. I explained to him I was trying to eat healthy - as if he cared. Anyhow, they stayed with the apple and sent us off into the sunset, oopps wrong time of the day-it was already pitch dark. Soooooooooo, you will be happy to know that our borders are safe:-)

Gracia Calvary Couples Dinner

The Greatest of these is LOVE

1 Corinthians 13

Though I speak with the gongs of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But hen that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Our Secret Gardens

Would you take a journey with me to December 1991? Our family hadn't fully recovered from the passing of my brother-in-law, it had only been about three and a half months. We found ourselves in the midst of another crisis. Dad had just had heart-bypass surgery, he was doing really well. Something went wrong on his road to recovery; he took a turn for the worse (my mother and sister never left his side). One of my brother's and I finally decided to fly into Mexico because Dad just wasn't getting any better. We went from the Airport to the hospital. When we got there Dad had been rushed in to have emergency surgery (too complicated to go into detail). Then they asked for blood donors. I happened to have Dad's blood type (I never knew this), so I went in to get my blood drawn. I wasn't feeling well because I hadn't been eating for days because I had some kind of "stuff" in my mouth, my mouth was really raw. After they took my blood I felt so good that my Dad was going to get my blood, but felt so dizzy because I was too weak. I walked over to the cafeteria (and for the life of me I don't remember who was with me, (sorry guys) but I know I wasn't alone). We sat in the cafeteria, I was trying to sip orange juice, yes, orange juice of all things-this wasn't going too well. Then we saw my sister walking towards us, her face was pale and she looked like her life had just been zapped out. She talked very calmly and softly, "Dad didn't make it. Mom doesn't know yet, so keep your cool." We walked over to were everyone else was, very calmly we all sat there. The doctor finally came out and gave Mom the news we all knew. With the news he proceeded to tell us to stay calm, that if we wanted to avoid all the red tape we would have to act as if nothing happened so that our Dad could be released to us without any delay. They released our Dad to us as if he was still alive. Don't ask me the whys or anything; I still don't understand this whole deal. Once home with Dad, two brothers, my sister and I unwrapped Dad from the sheets and clothed him with his fancy-grey-suit. This was our Dad.

Here we are today.

Today I read something about a novel called The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett that made me think this: How many of us have "locked up a secret garden" because of the pain or discomfort it brings or reminds us of? How many of us dare not go into a part of our memory because it just isn't pretty or comfortable?

God wants to heal, comfort, make whole. But first we have to allow Him into these places, these "secret gardens". We need to allow Him to enter in and do what is needful in order to bring that healing, that comfort, that assurance that everything is okay, that He was there as much as He is here. That everything that happens in our lives makes us who we are now. That nothing is wasted in God's economy. Everything has a purpose.

Once we allow the Lord to come into our "secret gardens", then He will give us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

Why?

So that we might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that HE MIGHT BE GLORIFIED.

He has put a new song in my heart, great is the Lord!

Poured Out

MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST

Are You Ready To Be Poured Out As An Offering?

"If I am being poured out as drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all" (Philippians 2:17)

Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the work of another believer - to pour out your life sacrificially for the ministry and faith of others? Or do you say, "I am not willing to be poured out right now, and I don't want God to tell me how to serve Him. I want to choose the place of my own sacrifice. And I want to have certain people watching me and saying, 'Well done.'"

It is one thing to follow God's way of service if you are regarded as a hero, but quite another thing if the road marked out for you by God requires becoming a "doormat" under other people's feet. God's purpose may be to teach you to say, "I know how to be abased..." (Philippians 4:12). Are you ready to be sacrificed like that? Are you ready to be less than a mere drop in the bucket - to be so totally insignificant that no one remembers you even if they think of those you served? Are you willing to give and be poured out until you are used up and exhausted - not seeking to be ministered to, but to minister? Some saints cannot do menial work while maintaining a saintly attitude, because they feel such service is beneath their dignity.

And so the circumcision of my heart continues. O wretched woman (man) that I am, who will deliver me from the bondage of sin? Praise be to God who alone can bring beauty from ashes.

Something to Think About

Picture this: You are now 76 years old. Lots has happened in your life. First you were a daughter. You were always a hard worker. You had to be, there was no choice for you. Everyone in your family had to work. You worked from sun up to sun down. Your Dad died in an early age of alcolism. You loved your Dad so much that even after he has been gone 50 years you still remember the day he passed away. Your Mom died of neumonia. Your were also a sister. One sister burned in a fire, the other died of cancer, one brother died of alcolism, the other of cancer and so it goes. You loved all your brothers and sister alot. Yet, the two sisters still living hardly communicate with you or with each other. Then you became a wife. Hard work continued, for then you became a mother. Your husband was always away, so you had to work to feed your flock. Staying up all night so that you could sew a pair of pillow-cases in order to sell them the next morning so that your babies would not go hungry. You had many pregnancies, in fact you had 16 babies. Not all survived. Seven of those 16 babies grew to be adults. Life continued. Then you lost your fist adult child, he was only 26. Cancer had reared its ugly head and within months he was gone, living behind a very empty hole in your heart. He used to come visit you everyday after work, without fail. Now the afternoon would come around without this visit. More changes came and went. Then, your much loved son-in-law, passed away at a very early age. You loved him as if he was your son - this hurt you so and it hurt you to see your daughter devastated by this ugly thing called death. Four months after this untimely death came the "unexpected" death of your husband of 41 years. This sent you reeling down an even darker road. Your daughter could not take this blow, having first her husband and now her Dad (the two most important men in her life) pass away. So in a few months she was gone too. This was devastating to you and you have never really recovered. Life as you new it, or expected it, had now changed dramatically. More changes would come as some of your adult children's lives were torn by drugs. And on and on we could go.

Now at 76, having lived a lifetime you are a still a sister, mom, a grandma, a great-grandma yet you sit alone. What do you think about? Yes, you are not very nice with your words. And at times you are not nice at all, but...

Is this what is left of you after giving so much? Is this what it boils down to, sitting alone with your memories. Wondering what happened, where did it all go?

Something to think about...something to ponder...How would you feel if this was you? How would I live thinking that in "my old age" this is going to happen to ME?

Psalm 71:9 - Do not cast me of in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails.