Roll Call~

"And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul" Matthew 16:26?

Greetings dear sweet children of God,

When Rachel was in sixth grade something exciting happened: She had perfect attendance for the entire year! This means that every single time the roll was called Rachel answered, "Here."  Nothing, not even mild fevers and dirty uniforms, was going to stop my baby from achieving perfect attendance.

At the end of the year she received her fourth Certificate of Perfect Attendance - these certificates were handed out quarterly - duly signed by the principal and her teacher, and surely Miss Rayray felt the kind of satisfaction that only a child with perfect attendance can feel, which is...??? I don't know; I never had perfect attendance.

I am not knocking this accomplishment.  Rachel had to put forth quite the effort to achieve it, and so did I.  Did I mention that part of the qualification was that you couldn't have any tardies?

However, 16 years later I must ask myself if it was worth it?  Perhaps. After all answering, "Here!" every day at school is a great goal.  Who knows if that pre-teen undertaking of utmost commitment is what encouraged Rachel to be the law-abiding responsible citizen she is today.

But there's an even greater goal when it comes to roll calls, and it's neatly summarized in the lyric of one of my favorite Spanish hymns, "Cuando Alla Se Pase Lista a Mi Nombre Yo Feliz Respondere." Translation: When the roll is called up yonder I will happily respond when my name is called.

In other words, and to answer the question in the verse above, nothing, not perfect attendance in the sixth grade or fill in the blank with your own goal, is worth more than our soul - more valuable than answering, 'Here!" in heaven.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You put our life in perspective.  Yes, it is important to have goals, but only as long as our number one priority is our own soul.  One day we will all happily respond to our name when You call it out in glory. In Jesus' name, Amen!

  

The Nearer We Are to Daddy...

"I fall asleep in peace the moment I lie down because You alone, O Lord, enable me to live securely" Psalms 4:8.

Greetings in the mighty name of Jesus,

My precious Hershey Pie has been with my husband and me five months now, and we feel blessed!  He's so sweet and smart, and honestly, we could all learn a lot from him.

He has established a night time routine where I'll say, "Hershey, outside." And he will trot once around the entire yard, bark at imaginary monsters, relieve himself in the back corner near the gate where he exchanges pleasantries with the pit bull who lives on the other side of the fence, and then he trots inside.  That's when I say, "Hershey, go to bed!" And he races down the hallway, leaps onto my bed as though he were jumping a hurdle, and settles in right between Jorge's knees.

I suspect he has chosen this special place to rest because the nearer he is to his daddy, the better he sleeps.  Hershey Pie will not move for eight hours after he's lodged himself there, and Jorge, more than happy to accommodate his baby, won't move either.  More than once I have laughed myself to sleep at the site of these two all snuggled up, and I forgive Jorge for all the countless times he has stolen my covers to make sure Hershey Pie is warm.

What is true for my puppy is true for all of us as well: The nearer we are to Daddy, the better we will sleep.

When we draw close through prayer, when we snuggle up in praise, when we cuddle in gratitude, we sleep, and we sleep well because we know that God and God alone enables us to live securely.  He has settled us in hope, and faith rocks us to sleep.

It's a beautiful thing, and here's a shout out to Hershey Pie for providing such a powerful image!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that we can sleep and sleep well when we draw close to You.  You and You alone protect us, provide for us, and bless us with everything we need for this life.  We look forward to enjoying a restful night's sleep because of the hope we have in You.  In Jesus' name, AMEN!

Praying People are Happier~

Greetings,

Praying has so many benefits, like forgiveness of our sins, removing anxiety, bringing peace, protecting us from danger, guiding us in our decisions, healing our bodies, and opening doors of opportunity...

And now there's another one: Praying people are happier people!

I heard a commentator on the radio earlier this week citing a study that says people who regularly pray are just generally in a better mood and in good spirits; they are happier.

That makes perfect sense to me.  How could I not be happy when the One Who "made all the stars by the breath of His mouth (Psalm 33:6)" is the same One Who "bends down to listen to me (Psalm 116:2)?"

I'm nothing but a speck of dust, and yet God, the One Who told the oceans, "This far and no farther will you come.  Here your proud waves must stop (Job 38:11)" looks forward to spending time with me when I pray and is willing to use His incomparable power to help me.

What are we waiting for? Let's pray!

PRAYER: Dear Lord,  You are our Lord, and You love us. When we stop and think of all You have, the abilities that You and only You possess, it boggles our minds.  Even more mind boggling is that You willingly share with us when we pray.  Yes, we are happy! In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Imitate God~

Greetings in the mighty name of the Lord,

This past weekend my baby brother was in town for a wedding.  He had a pretty busy schedule but managed to make time for a friendly game of ping pong.  He beat me, but by not as much as he thought he would! Nevertheless, while we were intensely rallying back and forth, my dear baby, Hershey Pie, would often trot by, stop and stare, and then trot off again.  I thought nothing of it.  Later that night, however, I heard a weird sound from the back yard - like someone had crashed into a wall.  I peered through the back door and was shocked at what I saw: Hershey Pie was on top of the ping pong table with a paddle in his mouth and was in the process of hitting the ball off the table.  I ran for my phone, managed to quickly access the camera, something I never do, and I took a pic of my brilliant dog in action. 

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!  Hershey Pie was imitating what he saw earlier in the day.  And since he was standing on the side where I was, I can only assume he was more impressed with my ping pong skills than my brother's!

Just as Hershey Pie imitated me, his mommy, you and I are also called to imitate our Father. 

Ephesians 5:1-2 "Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children.  Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God."

We are to imitate God in every single thing we do.  What would our lives look like if we loved lavishly, forgave generously, and if we followed the example of Christ, who always put others' needs ahead of His own?

Galatians 5:22 "What happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely" (The Message Version).

When we imitate God we receive gifts that make life worth living!

PRAYER: Thank You, Lord, that when we live life Your way, You bless us mightily in return.  We desperately need Your good and generous gifts to live life to the fullest. Serenity and exuberance for life are just two of things we could use right now.  Enable us, through the power of Christ, to live our lives filled with love, especially toward those who are just plain difficult to love.  Wait a minute! We have been difficult too, and yet You still love us. We want to do the same.  The best part is that You are willing to help us do our best for You. In Jesus' name, AMEN!

The Year of the Lord

Greetings in the mighty name of Jesus!

Something recently caught my eye as I was surfing the net. It said: May the Year of the Monkey Bring You Prosperity.

It's part of the Chinese zodiac, and at the very least monkeys are energetic and funny...

But how about we bypass the monkeys and everything they offer and head straight to the Creator of monkeys?

 Luke 4:19 "...the year of the Lord's favor has come."

This is our year, people.  Now is the time for God to act in our lives. To save our souls, heal us, provide for us, protect us, and break the chains of bondage - chains of fear, depression, loneliness, and emptiness.  Now is the time for the Almighty to help us fulfill our destinies and be all He created us to be. 

Right here right now, wherever you are reading this, raise your hands to the heavens and thank Him that He and He alone is the source of everything you will ever need.  That He and He alone has the power to move mountains in your life.  That He and He alone has declared that this is your year for renewal, restoration, refreshment, redemption, and revival.

If His Holy Bible says the time is now, then act and pray like you believe it.

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, Thank You that it's Your year, Your favor, and Your power that I can depend on.  Nothing and no one else will do. Thank You for Your overabundant generosity and desire to bless me in mighty ways.  I receive Your willingness to act in my life this day, this week, this month, and this year!  Specifically, I pray for Your favor in this area _______________________.

Work it out, and give me peace.  In Jesus' name, AMEN!

Jesus Was There...

Greetings,

Every two years my husband participates in a friendly but highly intense competition my boss, Tino Herran, started in 1996.  It's called the Body Fat Challenge, it lasts approximately 12 weeks, and all participants must have their body fat professionally calculated at the beginning and end in a BodPod (thank you, University of Miami Herbert Wellness Center), run one-mile, swim 150 meters, and race 10 miles on a bike to determine the winner.

I am the "Secretary" of the event, and I assure you our spreadsheet is professional and has a top-of-the-line, highly-guarded mathematical formula to precisely determine everyone's exact place in the competition.

My jobs include making sure everyone signs the official contract - yes, this is that serious - keeping records of everyone's measurements throughout the 12 weeks, sending emails to make sure everyone knows exactly when and where to show up,  showing up unannounced at someone's house with cupcakes to sabotage their fat loss progress, blowing the whistle at the start of the physical events...you get the picture...

Throughout the 12 weeks it is fun seeing the bodily transformations and watching the guys give it their middle-age all to make it to the finish line.  Our overall winner this year lost 52% of his body fat. My boss came in first in the bike ride by a smidge, making for a photo finish at the end.  A 51 year old swam the 150 meters in 2 minutes 18 seconds even beating a couple of 20 year olds.  And my own son, Hormone, slugged it out all in all three physical events because he was in danger of losing.

Did I mention that the losing contestants had to have their heads shaved and / or be drawn upon with Magnum Waterproof Black Sharpies?

My reward in all of this was that I got to shave one of the guys on the bottom, and he had beautiful, thick, luscious, raven-black hair. (That's my hand in the picture below holding the shaver.) So many special moments!

But I do have an overall favorite one. 

Right before the bike ride, we were all gathered in the parking lot of Black Point Marina.  I asked the gentlemen to hold hands so we could pray. Someone suggested to our official photographer, Lis, my daughter-in-law, to take a picture, which also appears below.  She captured a sacred moment.  Men and women unashamedly coming together before the Lord to ask for protection and blessings. Voices united in thanking God for beautiful weather that day.  I remember thinking that this public display of faith could get us killed in certain parts of the world.  Yet there we were.  And Jesus was there too.

Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

Jesus was right there.  So close, touching our lives and listening to our hearts. So much so that when the prayer ended and a resounding male-dominated "Amen!" rose to the heavens, He honored our requests and blessed us.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that when we pray Jesus is with us.  We need Him to be close to us always. We welcome His presence in every area of our lives. In His name we pray, AMEN~

Chain Snapper~

Psalm 107:13-16 "Lord, help!" they cried in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; He snapped their chains. Let them praise the Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. For He broke down their prison gates of bronze. He cut apart their bars of iron.

Greetings precious children of the Most-High God,

I spoke with a friend of my mom's yesterday.  This precious saint is in her eighties now, but her passion for Jesus is so powerful that whenever I need a pick-me-up I call her because her passion is contagious, and her faith is inspiring.

She went through a time of trouble, distress, darkness, and deepest gloom as only a mother of a child with a drug problem could understand.  Interestingly enough, both she and son were bound by chains.  He by his addictions and she with a paralyzing fear of what would happen to her son.   

What was the first step to freedom for both of them? She cried, "Lord, help!"

He saved them! He snapped their chains of addiction and worry! When she felt like there was no way out He broke the prison gates!

Can any of us identity with her experience? Have any of us ever experienced trouble, distress, darkness and deepest gloom? Have we ever felt imprisoned by our circumstances and shackled with chains?  When we are chained to something it is always with us and never gives us a reprieve. 

The great and beautiful news today is that God is a chain snapper, and it all starts with our crying out in our trouble.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that when we cry out for help You act.  You snap, break, and cut apart the messes of our lives because of Your great love for us.  Thank You for answering us. In Jesus' name, AMEN~ 

Following our Handler's Commands~

Greetings,

This past weekend Jorge and I, along with our Hershey Pie, accompanied Hormone, Lis, and their dog, Trooper, to a hidden plot of land near the bay that provided acres of wide open spaces for our furry babies to run free in.  

Up until this point Hershey had never been off the leash in public for fear that he might take off running and never look back.   There has been a time or ten where Jorge has had to stuff his pockets with liver treats just to get Hershey to come inside from the backyard.

So imagine my surprise when Jorge said, "I'm doing it, Babe. Hershey has been enrolled in the Miami Obedience Class for 14  weeks, and he is trained to come when I call; I am taking off the leash!"

Before I could get melodramatic and insist he do no such thing, Hershey Pie was free like a bird, running loose, and loving it.

I was shocked that Hershey actually came trotting up when called.  He also stopped when commanded, and stayed by Jorge's side until given the go ahead.

What a difference obedience class has made.  Precious Hershey Pie would have never learned these behaviors without some professional instruction and dedication on Jorge's part.  (Excuse me. Jorge would rather be known as the Handler.)

Hershey's following his Handler's commands, instructions, and yes, even restrictions, allowed him to enjoy his day to the fullest.

Could it be that when we heed God's commands, instructions, and yes, even restrictions, that we are setting ourselves up to enjoy our life to the fullest as well?

When we pray, trust, believe, forgive, share, honor, serve, love, and sacrifice - when we open up the sacred scriptures and activate them in our lives -  we will indeed be blessed. 

Psalm 1:1-3 "Happy are those who find joy in obeying the teachings of the Lord, and they reflect on His teachings day and night. They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do."

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for Your Word; it is the Ultimate guide for our lives that when obeyed, make us happy.  We become firmly planted and deeply rooted in You and will always have everything we need at the right time.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Hershey Pie, Trooper, and the Handler