The King of Condiments

Greetings from sunny South Florida where it’s a balmy 78°,

Over the years I have gotten better at cooking, and my family would even say that some of my signature dishes are restaurant quality (fish tacos, pork sliders, and funeral potatoes anyone?). This is a far cry from my early days of cooking back in the late 80s when I was clueless and didn’t even think to consult a cookbook.  My consistently worst offense? Lack of seasoning. Somewhere in my pile of pictures, there is proof of a steak dinner I attempted to cook without oil or salt.  It stuck to the bottom of the pan in one horrible clump, and I remember Jorge saying that if it would have at least been edible with a “dash of Morton®.”  Ouch!

Salt is the king of condiments! It’s a flavor enhancer that brings out the best in food.  No wonder God uses this mineral to describe His children.

“You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew:13).

When we want to live life right, we are to preserve joy, keep the peace and understanding, season everything with laughter and forgiveness, and flavor all our surroundings with love and patience; we make it a mission to bring out the best in others! And when we make the effort to be salty, it betters the world around us. A better world means greater blessings for us as well.  

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We desire to be the salt of our world.  It all starts with the people you have placed in our lives. Help us to be their salt.  We need Your joy, peace, forgiveness, and love to be able to pass it on.  Bless us today with all of You in every area of our life. In Jesus’ name, AMEN. 

My One and Only

A few years ago, I attended a bridal shower and sat next to the prettiest young newlywed whose husband was working hard to make it to the big leagues. He, however, had been plagued by several injuries, so this young lady decided to "help" God by "regularly inviting other energies to help my husband."

I wanted to scream, but then I remembered that I too have been frustrated when my life seems to be stuck in neutral, not going anywhere…not making progress…

It dawned on me that God purposely designed the seating chart so I could very lovingly explain that "Faith in a God Who needs help is not much faith at all. I find it unnerving that my Lord is somehow insufficient for all I need."

She sweetly replied, "But He's so busy with everything else on the planet. I am sure He appreciates it."

I countered, "May I please let you know what I really think?"

"Yes," she quietly whispered.

I gently said:

(1) Thou shall have no other gods before Me.

(2) My grace is sufficient for thee.

(3) Is there anything too difficult for Me?

(4) Wait for My perfect timing.

Those truths are the foundation for my life as a Christian, and I live by them.

Asa, the King of Judah felt the same way.  He was an unapologetic follower of our Lord, and as king he got rid of all the idols in the kingdom.  He enjoyed peace and prosperity for many years too.  He was also wise.  During the times of peace, he actively strengthened the army and fortified the cities of his kingdom. (That's a great lesson in and of itself). At one point he had nearly 600,000 "brave fighting men."

Eventually, a powerful enemy came against Asa because such is life, right? Everything is plodding along and then something or someone shows up and threatens your peaceful existence. But look at what 2 Chronicles 14:11 says, "Asa cried out to the LORD his God, 'O LORD, no one but You can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in You alone.'"

Three cheers for Asa! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

Asa cried out to his God, realized the only One Who could help him was God, and declared that his trust was in God alone.  Later in verse 12 we read that God struck down and crushed the enemy that came against Asa.

Yes, he had a vast army, and there's nothing wrong with being prepared, but Asa realized He needed divine guidance and help. Could it be that when we give credit, glory, and honor to the One who deserves it, when we trust in Him alone, when we cry out to Him, when we acknowledge Him as our One and only Lord, that He strikes down our enemies?

I hope my conversation with the newlywed made a difference, and I pray that all of us can unapologetically say that God is our One and Only!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, just like Asa, we say to You that that no one else can help us. It's You or nothing. Help us, Lord, for we trust in You alone. Crush our enemies, In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Never the Underdog

Greetings,

I like underdog stories.  Among my favorite are Rudy and Braveheart. There’s just something about facing insurmountable odds and winning that inspires me.  That is why the story of David in the Bible is my all-time favorite tale of triumph!

David was a peach-fuzz faced teenager when he showed up with sandwiches for his hungry brothers who were on the war front fighting against the Philistines, Israel’s enemy.  That’s where he heard Goliath, a “giant of a man” who was also the Philistine champion, taunting the Israeli army.  The Israeli army was “greatly afraid.” But David was asking: “Who is this guy? Who does he think he is “taunting and defying the armies of the living God?”  And then he volunteered to fight the giant.

Initially, David was dismissed. “You’re too young!” “You can never win against this mighty warrior!” “You don’t have a chance!” You’re just a boy; he’s a man of war!”

Actually, David was a young man of great courage. “He chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag, and with his slingshot in hand, approached the Philistine.”

Goliath was greatly insulted that out of an entire army of men, someone who was “little more than a boy” would dare stand up to him, so “he cursed David by his gods.”

David’s reply is epic and one whose truth we can all treasure in our hearts: “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, Whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will hand you over to me...for the battle is the Lord’s and He will hand you over to us.”

Four Bible verses later, Goliath was dead – one little smooth stone flew straight from David’s slingshot into the middle of his forehead  -  the Israeli army surged forth to victory, and you and I are reminded that when God is on our side, we are never the underdogs.

What giant are you facing? It’s no match for our LORD!

Prayer: Dear Lord, many giants come against us with swords of fear and spears of worry. Give us courage! Right now, in Your mighty name, we ask You to hand us the victory over our struggles. The battle belongs to You.  We arm ourselves with prayer and trust you for the victory. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

He Cares For You~

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

Another horrible mass shooting took place yesterday, and it all happened about 45 minutes from where I live.  My immediate reaction when the news broke was, “God, why?”

I then called my friend to pray, and we both struggled to make sense of this tragedy.  We could barely find adequate words to say.  We both wondered if it even makes a difference.  But somehow, we both knew that even in the midst of this senseless evil, it was better to forge ahead with faith, no matter how small and frail, then to languish away in our confusion and sorrow.  We were certain that everyone affected by this would benefit more from our intercession than our hesitation.   

Faith so easily falters when things like this happen, and no one knows why so much pain is allowed in our lives.  But in the absence of answers, putting our focus on the Lord is important.  When we do, this crucial truth dominates our thoughts: 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. Let’s receive that unfailing love and 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.  We share our concerns with You, and right now one of our biggest is that we feel unsafe sometimes.  We ask for Your divine protection for our families and ourselves. We are confident that as we spend time in your presence, You will settle our hearts and Christ will displace all worry.  It is so comforting and beautiful to focus on Christ. We invite Your wholeness into our lives because when that happens, we are complete – nothing will be missing from our lives! In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

Obsolete

Greetings,

I had a buddy of mine in high school who wanted to be an actuary.  Given that this person was OBSSESSED with math and statistics, it was the perfect career choice.  However, as soon as I found out that a key component of being an actuary deals with calculating mortality risk for life insurance, I thought, “DEPRESSING!”

Imagine “sorting through data about the likelihood of occurrence of heart problems or other illnesses among a particular group of people who having something in common, like living in a certain part of the country” (https://www.thebalance.com/actuary)?

There is one place, however, dear sisters and brothers, where words like percentages, data, probabilities, risks vs. rewards, strategic planning, casualties, insurance, claims, and life spans will be completely foreign and obsolete.  I am talking about Heaven.

For the record, I am not ready to go to Glory quite yet, but on days where the headlines are dominated with hard-to-hear stories about “one in eight women…” or “68% of men...” none of which I will elaborate on, I find myself thanking God that it won’t be like this forever.  I find myself praising God that glory, goodness, health, fun, peace, love, and pure joy are in my future and yours. 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for the splendor of Heaven.  We look forward to removing certain words from our vocabulary.  Actually, we can’t wait to burn all the medical books! And while we’re at it, we know that worlds like fear, hate, and war won’t ever again be in any of our conversations! We praise You for the amazing future You have in store for us.  In the meantime, protect us and cover us with Your love and health. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

Barf

Greetings and God's bountiful blessings to you~

Jonah is one of God's interesting and typical children.  God gave him an assignment, and he ran in the opposite direction.  To make a harrowing and long story short, Jonah found himself aboard a ship - his feeble attempt to run from God.  The Bible literally says Jonah went on board trying to get as away from God as he could get (Jonah 1:3).   

God had other plans, and He sent a really big storm.  Eventually, the sailors realized Jonah's rebellion was causing all the towering waves, and they threw him overboard. 

And then this verse:

Jonah 1:17 Then God assigned a huge fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah was in the fish's belly three days and three nights.

I have tried to imagine what that must have been like for Jonah. Some biblical scholars say he was in the belly of a whale, but others insist it was a great white shark. Shocking and distressing either way.  

And while you or I will never literally find ourselves inside a fish, I think we can all identity with what Jonah was feeling when he prayed this prayer.

I call to You, Lord, in my distress and You answer me. From deep in the realm of hopelessness I call for help, and You listen. You hurled me into the depths, but I look again toward You.  The engulfing waters threatened me, but You Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. When my life was ebbing away, I remembered You, and my prayer rose to You.  Salvation comes from You!

God's response was to command the fish, and "it vomited Jonah onto dry land."

Jonah teaches us to pray right in the middle of our problem. That when we call on God He answers. Even if we feel that God has forgotten us, we still need to pray. Even when we think it's over, new life is right around the corner. Sometimes our circumstances are ridiculously rough, and it's beyond difficult to be grateful and shout out praise.  But when we do...

GOD COMMANDS THE FISH TO BARF!!!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We seek you today in our distress.  Out of our seemingly hopeless situation we call for help.  We feel engulfed in fear and worry, but we call out to You.  You bring us out of the pit. Thank you that our prayers rise to You.  Thank You for salvation. Save us and command the "fish" we find ourselves in to let us go! We want to walk upright, confidently, with faith and peace, on dry, smooth, clean land! In Jesus' name, AMEN!

Fall Proof!

May the Lord's blessings be upon us all today~

This past weekend we spent some quality time with our new little granddaughter. Turns out she is an Eagles fan!  And while we were cooing over her and her outrageous cuteness, my husband, Jorge, said that whenever he is holding the baby, his mind is constantly thinking about what he would do if he fell or tripped while holding her.  He assures me he would twist himself, in a split second, to shield her even if it meant cracking open his own head.  Geez! Falling can be scary and dangerous!

Falling can also be scary and dangerous for our souls.

Just ask the guy who was recently on the news for losing self-control in a road rage incident that left another person severely injured. He is facing 15 to 20 years in jail for something that lasted less than a minute. The fallout from that poor decision will last a lifetime.  

Honestly, we are all quite capable of overreacting and saying something or doing something we will regret forever.  

The Bible, however, has the answer to avoid trips, slips, and falls: Psalm 17:5 “My steps have remained firmly in Your paths. My feet have not slipped.” 

When we keep steady in the Lord’s paths, our feet will not slip!  When we seek Him in all our decisions, when we ask for strength, when we accept as fact that He is on our side and wants to help in every area of our lives, when we apply the wisdom of the Bible, we will not falter; we become FALL PROOF!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We are committed to remaining firmly in Your life-giving paths. That is why we are seeking You today. We need Your goodness in our lives, Your perspective, and Your self-control.  Help us and our families to keep steady. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

Relax~

Greetings,

My son has a best buddy who is known for saying, “Relax!” in response to everything and anything.  The ironic thing is that he says it so much and for the most dumbest of reasons, that I get agitated just waiting for him drop the “R” bomb.

“Relax, I’ll be there soon.”

“Relax, I have enough to eat.”

“Relax, the movie wasn’t that great.”

I get it; it’s just a saying.  But to our Lord, it’s an actual legit, meaningful, necessary, and beautiful word for our weary souls!

“GOD is a safe-house for the battered – a sanctuary during bad times.  The moment you arrive, you relax; you’re never sorry you knocked” (Psalm 9:9-10 The MESSAGE Version).

I can definitely get behind God promising me that in His presence I can relax, calm down, recline, rest, breathe easy, and put my feet up – for real.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We are knocking at Your safe-house today seeking sanctuary.  We have arrived, and therefore we RELAX! We take a breath and a time-out from our worries and concerns.  Fill us with Your peace, joy, protection, and health. We are so happy we knocked! In Jesus’ name, AMEN.