GROW UP!

1 Peter 2:1-3 So get rid of every kind of evil, every kind of deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander.  Desire God’s pure word as newborn babies desire milk. Then you will grow in your salvation.  Certainly you have tasted that the Lord is good" (1 Peter 2:1-3)!

Greetings, 

This passage is all about making a clean sweep of your life, and it’s a powerful one-two punch.  Reading the Bible goes hand-in-hand with getting rid of bad behavior. Doing both will bring growth. 

Is growth really that important?  Think about where you were in your faith journey this time last year.  Is your faith stronger now?  Does your hope run deeper?  Do you have more peace? Do you love better? Do you find it easier to trust the Lord? 

The answer to all those questions above is hopefully a hearty yes.  Growth brings blessings.  Growth helps us avoid stupid decisions and helps us make wise ones.  Growth helps us stay calm in the storm because we know that if He brought us out before, He will bring us out again.  

Who among us wants to work at the same job without ever getting a raise or promotion? And not one of us who has kids wants them to stay stuck at the age they are now.  We want them to grow.  Can you imagine if my 10-month old granddaughter never learned to walk or clap her hands? How sad would my day be if we never played peek-a-boo?  Or what if she all those precious baby shark teeth never appeared? And what about if she were never potty-trained? 

There's nothing cute about being stunted in one's growth, and actually, every new milestone brings joy!

The same can be said about growing in our salvation.  As we purge the bad, read the Word and pray through this life, we are blessed with joy, peace, faith, hope, love, and health! 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You that as we pray, right at this moment, we are growing.   Every moment spent in prayer builds our muscles and strengthens us for life.  YOU ARE GOOD! In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

The Fires of Life~

Greetings in the mighty name of Jesus!

“Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.” 1 Peter 4:12-13

There’s nothing like suffering to refocus our hearts on what’s really important.  Over a year and a half ago my house caught fire.  A tankless water heater was the culprit, and when all was said and done, the garage was a total loss.  Among the treasures I lost was a little white linen dress I wore when I was a baby.   I mourned the loss of that remnant from my infancy because I so wanted to put it on one of my grand kids and take a picture one day.  But a few days later there was news of another fire up north that claimed the lives of several children.  Immediately I found myself thanking God that only stuff was lost and none of the humans I love so much were hurt.  And since the fire I have been learning the valuable lessons of purging – of not letting anything have a hold on me.  I am about to begin painting my bedroom, and Jorge and I are getting rid of the furniture we have had since we first got married.  I decided a long time ago that when the time came, I would release the rattan relics with gusto.  But I admit that I am only able to do so because experiencing that fire refocused me on what matters most.

Likewise, the “fires” of life have their value in that they give us laser-like focus on what is truly important in life and on Who is on our side.  And that’s what the process of spiritual refining does to us.  It clarifies what matters.  It improves our relationship with God, which affects everyone around us.  It forces us to examine our attitudes and sharpens our faith.  In other words, as hard as life sometimes gets, we can be glad that it’s not in vain – something beautiful and necessary is produced.  Let’s keep in mind, however, that first we must believe that GOD is always on the job - intimately aware of everything we are going through.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that as we continue to wait upon You for answers, we know you are preparing us for amazing blessings.  We ask that as we face difficult experiences that You would help us keep the faith.  We also ask that as we go through the process of spiritual refinement, that You would remind us that this will help us lead better lives.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

Yenisita in her little white dress. Nine months old.

On the Grounds of That First Taste~

Greetings, dear people ~

1 Peter 2:1-3 So get rid of every kind of evil, every kind of deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander. Desire God’s pure word as newborn babies desire milk. Then you will grow in your salvation. Certainly you have tasted that the Lord is good!

Decades ago when I first met Jorge he and I would go out to eat, and I would always order my steak well done. Hockey puck style. This, of course, was highly offensive to Jorge who was once labeled a protein pig, and rightly so, by a professor in a college nutrition class. The assignment was to submit everything you ate for a week and analyze the nutritional content. Jorge was proud of his massive meat consumption, and thus highly scandalized that I wasn't eating my steaks rare or medium rare.

Over and over again he would say, "Babe, trust me, you are eating that all wrong. You have to try it charred on the outside and pink in the middle. It will change your life."

He was so dramatic, almost offended that I wouldn't eat steak his way, until one day, I succumbed. And I will admit Jorge was right!

What a difference. The meat was melt-in-your-mouth soft, yet crunchy on the outside. I have never looked back, and on the grounds of that first taste, I long for more.

And when I met Jesus and discovered He loves me, gives me peace, fills me with joy and answers prayers and absolutely knows the best way for me to live my life and love my family--on the grounds of that first taste...I LONG FOR MORE...of HIM.

What is the motivation for purging the bad, reading the Bible, and growing up? Because I have already sampled for myself over and over and over again that God knows what He is doing. And I can not live without Him.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Glory to Your name. We have all tasted Your goodness. We have all seen answers to prayers. Therefore, we do desire to get rid of evil and to get to know You better. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

The Great Fernandez Purging of 2014

Greetings~

After three weeks and five days, the restoration company has finally started the cleanup in my burned garage. However, lest you think I haven’t been doing anything, please know that I have been fastidiously removing EVERY SINGLE THING inside my entire house and (A) donating it, (B) discarding it, or (C) cleaning it and putting it away.

This has been a massive undertaking, but I have commented to my kids that I am doing them a huge favor. The day I go home to Jesus, my family will walk into an orderly home. The only thing they will have to do is each take a copy of a USB Drive that will contain all the pictures and movies I have ever taken. Everything else can be easily removed and dispersed how they see fit. 

To date, I have made a dozen drop offs at the Salvation Army. I can not believe how much stuff I was holding onto. Saturday morning I filled a bunch of bags with Disney VHS tapes, books I had read in high school, mismatched utensils, rattan place mats, old lunchboxes, three English/Spanish dictionaries, shoes, key chains, several stuffed animals, at least 30 greeting cards, pillow cases, two blankets, a bunch of Rayray’s duffel bags from college, 54 one-cent stamps, and seven assorted cell phone cases and chargers.

It feels good to liquidate. It feels good to open a drawer and see orderliness. It feels good to look at the closets and see everything organized by color. It feels good to go into the once-cramped office and take a deep lemony breath. It feels even better to know that not one space will be exempt from what I am now calling, “The Great Fernandez Purging of 2014.”

And the reason this all started is because of the fire. Even though it was contained in the garage, we were told that if even one tiny speckle of soot escaped into the house, it would eventually cause an odor and cause damage.

The scary part is that everything looked so normal after the fire; I almost didn’t allow the industrial-sized air cleaners into my house because of the loud noise they make. But look at this filter. Isn’t it shocking? And everything looked so normal on the outside...

And while I purge, the cleaning company is going to not only re-do the entire garage, they are going to clean all the furniture inside, re-paint all the walls, scrub the kitchen cabinets, and sanitize the air ducts. I would have thought all of that unnecessary if it hadn’t been for the filter.

Isn’t in interesting that God talks about cleaning the house in the Bible?

1 Peter 2:1-3 “So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God.”

Let’s talk some more tomorrow~

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for Your wisdom. Help us make a clean sweep. We do not want to hold onto anything that cramps our style or weighs us down. We want to breathe easy, live easy, and enjoy life. In Jesus’ name, AMEN~