Desert Road~

Happy New Year's Eve!

We are about to usher in a New Year, and I am excited!  Fresh starts, new resolutions, hope on the horizon - that's what a new year brings.  And my prayer for us all as we move in to 2016 is that we will, as it says in Isaiah 43:18-19, “Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. See the new thing God is doing.  He is making a road through the desert..."

What was your "desert" road this past year?  Did you travel through a dry, hard, unforgiving place that has left you craving cooling streams?  Are you parched and exhausted? Tired of the same ole' same ole'?

If so, then clap your hands and start thanking God because He is doing something new right now in your life. He is paving the way for you to get out of that mess. 

These verses are loaded with promise and hope, but before we can be alert and present, we have to let go of the past.  We must F-O-R-G-E-T.  Let's take a step of united faith and believe that if God is telling us to stop hashing and rehashing our history, it’s because it’s possible.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I take You at Your Word and pray that You would help me forget all the junk that brings me down. Help me focus on You and the new and glorious thing You are doing in my life..  I thank You for watching over me and my family this past year, and I look to You for every single thing we need this new year.  In particular, I desire deeply to be able to let go of ________________________;it’s a joy killer, it constantly crushes my hope, it consumes my mind, and it sometimes helps the fear creep in.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

Gifts From the Heart~

Christmas is not the only time to give gifts, so today I present to you a DEVO written by one of my faith heroes: Joni (pronounced Johnny) Tada.  This amazing child of God was in an accident over 40 years ago that left her paralyzed from the shoulders down.  God opened a door for her to minister to others, and she has made an impact on MILLIONS of people.  Google her! 

Whenever she speaks I listen because she is credible.  I encourage you to unwrap her words slowly and then take them in and purpose in your heart to follow her example. Those of you who are perfectly cheery 100% of the time are exempt.

She writes:

"Every Christmas I think about what it was like to be on my feet during the holidays.  There were parties and plays, decorating, hitting the malls.  Then came my accident.  That Christmas I spent at a rehab center.  Adding to the hurt I was already feeling was that I couldn't but gifts for anyone.  The way I saw it, God was asking too much of me. The use of my body was taken away at Christmas time, but also the joy of giving.  On the afternoon of Christmas Eve I felt like a martyr.

"But Christmas morning my heart softened...as I focused on Christmas's meaning, I realized the best gift I could give was myself.  My mom didn't want a new dress; she wanted to see me smile.  My dad didn't need a new bridle for his horse; he needed to see me laugh.  My sister didn't need another sweater; she needed to see my grab hold of hope."

Joni's point, and it's a great one, is that there are some gifts we can't buy, but they are extremely valuable because they are "gifts from the heart."

Maybe you've been grumpy lately and everyone in your family knows it.  Maybe you've been self-absorbed and your spouse feels it.  Maybe you're dealing with a big problem and haven't smiled a lot lately.  Joni is not saying we don't have good reasons to feel these ways sometimes, but she is saying that everyone can benefit from a gift from the heart--especially those closest to you.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I already know who could benefit the most from a gift from my heart. I already know who would love to see me enjoy life and smile.  Give me the strength to follow through.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Behold it Yourself~

Luke 2:10-11 

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. And the angel appeared to them and said, 'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'"

The angel who spoke these power-packed words really wanted the shepherds to whom he said them to to activate their heart and minds  -  to purposely consider how great and incomparable Jesus is, to keep their focus on Him, to get Him into the depths of their being through faith and hope.  To absorb into their souls that they had just heard the very best of the very best possible news ever given.

So what did the shepherds do? They went and checked it out.  

"...the shepherds said to one another, 'Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.' So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger." Luke 2:15

Try to picture this scene.  A bunch of shepherds are minding their own business when all of a sudden an angel appears with a powerful message.  They decide to "behold" for themselves, and as a result, they have an up close and personal encounter with Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind.

Don't you wish we could do that? We can! The angel said these good tidings of great joy shall be to all people! That means you and me!

Let's choose to behold our Lord.  To feast our eyes on Him. To make note of all He has done for us.  To make Him the focus of Christmas day and every day. When we do, we will be like the shepherds who, "were glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen."

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for the life-changing news the angel brought.  And even though it was so long ago, You wanted us to receive the message right along with the shepherds.  We choose to behold You today in all Your splendor and miracle-working power.  Release it into our lives.  In Your name, Amen~

Hindrances and Hurdles~

Thursday greetings,

My Christmas shopping is in full swing, and I am about done.  I am on a first name basis with my UPS driver, and several times a week our mail carrier also treks it up to my door and drops off packages.  I also enjoy receiving cards from friends and seeing how their children have grown, as well as sending out my own cards. (I have been told that this year's is the best one so far!)  A week ago we had our office luncheon, and every night I practice for our Christmas caroling on Christmas Eve.  Plus, I am famous within a one-block radius for my annual talent show every December 25^th.  It’s just my siblings and me, and it’s a lot of work but also great fun.  So much activity happening in my life this month, and it’s because I am preparing for Christmas.    

I feel, however, that I am leaving something out…

Wait!!! IT’S JESUS!

“Prepare for God’s arrival! [clear away the obstacles]; 

Make the road straight and smooth.” Isaiah 40:3

The most important thing to do during this time of the year, and always, is to prepare for God’s arrival.  The way the word “prepare” is used in this verse means it’s an ongoing activity.  We don’t just prepare once.  We prepare every single day.  We must constantly clear away whatever is standing in the way of God getting to us.  Sometimes, for me, it’s the busyness of the season that keeps me from spending time with Him.  How ironic!  Christmas exists because Christ was born and in the huffing and puffing of getting stuff done, Jesus is overlooked.  Other times it’s my bad attitude.  Sometimes its even been watching TV.

But that’s why the precious Bible exists.  To gently remind us to get it together and prepare.  To proactively remove, clear away, delete, and purge any and all hindrances and hurdles that block our relationship with God. 

We all have a say in how easy or how hard we want to make it for God to get to us.  And I hope we are all saying “YES!” to making it straight and smooth because in doing that God will get to us in a jiffy.     

PRAYER: Dear Lord, How wonderful that right now as we pray, we are preparing for You in our lives.  Come to us, precious Lord, and bless us and our families.  Grant us wisdom, health, peace, joy, and hope.  In Christ’s name, AMEN!

2015 Fernandez Family Christmas Card

Make Room for Christ~

Luke 2:7 "And she gave birth to her firstborn son, Jesus; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

Christmas is right around the corner, and if you are like me, you are already in the hustle and bustle of all the preparations.  There are gifts to wrap, cards to be sent, Christmas carols to be practiced, decorations to be put up, and food to order.  I get so busy that sometimes I have to remind myself to make room for Jesus.  How ironic considering that He is the reason for the season!

The innkeeper missed out on having the Savior of mankind being born at his establishment because there was no room.  Maybe he could have made an exception. Maybe he just didn’t realize the magnitude of the situation.  Maybe he didn’t care.  Regardless, there was no room and no room was made; Jesus was born somewhere else.

We all know better.  When we open our hearts and homes to Him, He shows up and the blessings flow.  

It all starts with prayer.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for answering prayer! Every time we gather here to pray, we are making room for Christ. We invite Him into every area of our lives and ask that He fill us up with blessings of hope, faith, provision, peace, joy, and health. In His holy name we pray, AMEN!

God Commands us to be Cheerful!

…In the world you'll have trouble. But cheer up! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but I will admit that with all the crazy news it’s hard to be merry and bright.  And honestly, many of us are facing personal problems that make it difficult to be holly jolly regardless.

How can God even write a verse like that in the Bible? How can we cheer up at a time like this? Doesn’t He realize how difficult life can be sometimes? Doesn’t He know we don’t all feel like laughing or decking the halls?

He does know, which is why He reminds us that this life sometimes means trouble.  But He immediately tells us to cheer up because there is no trouble too troubling, no sin too deep, no evil too mighty –  there is nothing this world can throw at us that can come anywhere even remotely close to being more powerful than our All-Powerful Lord.

Notice the verb tense in the verse.  He has already overcome the world. This is why God commands us to be confident, undaunted, and filled with joy; He has conquered and already gained a victory over all the mess.  

Joy to the world! We can have peace instead of worry. Trust instead of doubt. Hope instead of despair. Faith instead of unbelief. Love instead of misery and hate. Assurance and encouragement instead of fear.  And yes, dear ones, we can be cheerful!  Keep reading the preceding paragraph as often as it takes for you to get out of that bah humbug mood.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for ordering us to be cheerful!  We certainly want to be filled with joy, and when we focus on all You have done for us, we are.  There will be moments when we forget all this great news, so remind us.  We want to keep our cheer and joy at a maximum! In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

No Buts!

1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

Yesterday we all saw the heartbreaking news of the tragic shooting in San Bernardino.  When things like this happen, its easy for our faith to falter. I don't know why so much pain is allowed in our lives, but in the absence of answers, I try to put my focus on Him.  

When I focus on Him I am reminded of a very important truth: GOD CARES FOR ME.  He actively watches over me and is concerned with everything that concerns me.

And please note that there is no "but" to the verse above. He cares for you, but only when your faith is perfect.  He cares for you, but only when your attitude remains good.  He cares for you, but only when you pray a certain amount of times.

God cares for us no matter what, and that right there is reason enough to do a happy dance!

Let’s not use this unfailing love that God has for us as an excuse to not build our faith, to have bad attitudes, and never pray.  But rather, let’s allow His love for us and the power that He has at His disposal to ignite a passion for Him as we approach 2016. 

Let’s do what it says in Philippians 4:7, “…Let God know your concerns.  Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for Your unconditional love for us.  As we share our concerns with You today – (insert your concerns here) – we look forward to settling down.  We joyfully await all the wonderful things that happen when Jesus becomes our focus instead of worrying all the time. We also ask for Your divine protection from all the madness that is all around.  We desperately need a sense of Your wholeness because when that happens, nothing is missing from our lives. In Jesus' name, AMEN~ 

He's a Page Turner!

Blast from the past. Originally published November 4, 2014.

Psalm 118:24 “God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to His eyes.”

As you may or may not know I love reading – especially spy novels.  Not long ago I arrived at the library and was thrilled the book I had reserved almost six months ago was finally ready for me to pick up.  I knew I would binge read, and I couldn’t wait.  I would go to my little corner of the couch, set up a cold beverage, put on my special glasses – the ones with the convenient headlights attached to the temples – and relish page after page of international thrills and intrigue!

When I got to page two I thought, “This seems oddly familiar.”  But honestly, there are several spy novel authors I read, and sometimes all the main characters sort of merge.  But by the end of chapter one I knew I had already read this book.  I was so disappointed. I wanted new action; I was ready for a new adventure.  Enough of the same ole’ same ole’.

Sometimes, we are eager for a change.  We want to move on.  We feel stuck on the same page and can’t seem to advance.  Today I am here to announce that God is a Page Turner.

He will get us out of the current chapter we are in and into another one.  I want to especially shout out to my friend who has been stuck in the chapter of infertility for a long time.  It’s boring and frustrating. (What chapter are you in?) And I want to remind her and all of us that God desires to turn the page and write a new chapter in each of our lives.

The first step is to open up the book of our heart to Him.  Let Him take a peek inside.  He knows what we need, when we need it, how we need, why we need, and how we need it.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Turn the page!  Some of us have been on the same paragraph, same page, same chapter for far too long.  We are eager to put some stuff behind us and get a fresh and blessed start.  Thank You that are the Page Turner.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~