As High as the Heavens~

Greetings in the name of our precious Lord and Savior!

God is Almighty and All-Powerful.  And among the many many names He has in the Bible is, "Lord of the Heavenly Armies."  Sounds like God is the Big Wig of big wigs!

And yet, there are some things God can not do.  Shocking, right?  But yes, there are some things that our mighty Lord can not do.

He can not not love you.

Let that sink in...

He can not help Himself; He loves you no matter what.  NO MATTER WHAT.

"Yenise, are you saying that it doesn't matter what I have done, He loves me?"

Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.

"How much does He love me?"

Psalm 103:11

"His love for us is as high as the heavens are above the earth."

I looked up to the heavens this morning, and it's pretty high.  It's safe to say His love for us is immeasurable.  And it brings with it the certainty of a better tomorrow.

John 3:16 (The Message version)

"“This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life."

I pray that this double whammy--God's love for you and the promise of a whole and lasting life--will fill you with joy and peace today.  

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for Your love for us, the heights of which we will never fully understand.  But we do not have to understand it to receive it, so we receive it.  Fill us till we overflow with Your love, and thank You that a whole and lasting life is ours.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Mafita the Magnificent~

Monday morning blessings to all:)

This DEVO is an oldie but a goodie that originally went out August 6, 2012.  

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Now, I must warn you, read this DEVO to the end because even though it starts off rough, it has a happy ending.

Yesterday I went to church with Rayray to hear a special speaker, a 17-year-old Liberian re-named Taylor because his African name is too lyrical for us Americans to pronounce.  He loves soccer, is blacker than night, and has the whitest, most beautiful smile I have ever seen.

He got up and spoke, and here is his story:

"My mother died the day I was born, and my father abandoned me.  I lived the first four years of my life in the hospital.  When I was four, a civil war broke out in Liberia and the rebels came.  All six of my siblings died.  One day they raided the hospital and rather than kill me, they tied me naked to a tree and left me to die.  I survived for three days eating the flies that would land near my mouth. 

On the third day I was rescued by a kind passerby who took me to Mafita.

Mafita is a Liberian woman who took on the enormous, unthinkable responsibility of taking care of 80 orphans whose parents had died or fled during the civil war, including me.

For years we spent the day traveling and setting up camp at night--not having a place to call our own.  Finally, when the war ended, we were given several acres of land and built an orphanage there.  People from all over the world have contributed to our cause, and all of us orphans who are now older will get to go to college.  Blessed be the name of the Lord!!!"

Isn't that awesome?  What a life and what a story.  Right after I said to Rachel, "Let's go give that child a proper Cuban welcome!"  So we went and hugged him, and here's what we learned.  The secret to growing up happy even though you have lost it all--including your family--and have absolutely nothing of worth, is prayer.  Mafita is a woman who was always on her knees.  Almost as soon she saw Taylor she held him, loved him, taught him about Jesus, prayed over him, and told him he would be a pastor one day.  She says she saw a gift in him.  She was right because we all saw it too! Glory! 

On a side note--Taylor has been staying with the pastor of the church for a week while he visits and trying all the new foods in our country.  One day he was asked if he liked pasta, and he said yes.  So they whipped up some pasta and they told him, here eat the pasta--you will like it!  He hesitated because in his country "pasta" is how you pronounce "pastor," and he did not want to eat a servant of the Lord!  Hahahahaha!

Anyway, Taylor grew up and many thought he would go into civil engineering, but he realized he has a calling to be a pastor, so here he is!

He prayed at the end of the service, and we were all stunned.  It was as if heaven descended into the room.  I couldn't help but think of all the people he will inspire.  

That 17-year-old orphan could teach us a thing or two about gratitude and good attitude.

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12 (Go Taylor~)

PRAYER:

Dear Lord,

Thank You for Taylor and his amazing testimony.  And thank You for all the good we have in our life.  Help us to be grateful.  In Jesus' name, Amen!

From Head to Toe~

Psalm 103:1(The Message version)

O my soul, bless God.
    From head to toe, I’ll bless His holy name!

What, you are asking yourself, could make Yenise want to bless His name from head to toe?

There are many things, but today I am feeling this way because of a particular and precious young woman.  She went through a really rough patch a while back, and while the journey to health and wholeness for her and her family has been hard, it has also been one of experiencing the blessings and direction of God.

I have lost track of how many times desperate prayers were offered to God.  But I do know that as a result, a seasoned and trusting faith has emerged. And a few days ago this young woman did something completely extraordinary: She put her hands on someone else having difficulty and prayed for them.

I take that back.  She put her hands on someone else and BOLDLY prayed for healing and peace.

Put yourself in her place.  What would your friend or family member say if all of a sudden you jumped up, said that you had faith in the living God, and put your hands on their shoulders and asked God for a miracle?

It took guts on her part.  But then again, if she herself has been comforted through some really difficult moments, it only makes sense that she would want others to be comforted.  

Where have we heard that before? 

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted.

It's the Pay it Forward principle again.  Let's be bold and generous with our comfort.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for reminding us that You expect us to share the goodness we receive from You.  Make us sensitive to others in need, and help us be bold.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Pay it Forward~

Every once in a while I receive a surprise blessing.  Today I will share with you what someone shared with me yesterday in the late afternoon. 

 

A colleague came in to say that while at a restaurant with his family--a party of nine total--a complete stranger came up to him, told him he had a beautiful family, and that he was going to pay the $500+ dinner tab.  The generous stranger simply said, "Pay it forward."

 

I love the idea that my colleague came up with.  He instructed each of his kids to think about a good cause they could donate to in honor of the kind gesture they all received.  I will keep you posted as they have a week to think it over.

 

This concept of "pay it forward" is actually biblical.

 

2 Corinthians 1:4-5 (The Message) "He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us."

 

One of the purposes for that inexplicable difficulty you went through was so that you could share the comfort you received in the middle of it.  

 

Think about a time you were going through some struggles. Think about how God brought you out of it.  Then be willing to pay it forward.  The world can not work if we never give.  If you never made a phone call, or visited someone who was ill, or wrote a little note of encouragement, or sent flowers, or invited someone to the movies, or prayed for someone, or even made an anonymous cash donation, you would miss out on a blessing and so would someone else.

 

Where would you be today if no one had ever reached out to you?  I just might still be holed up in a corner somewhere feeling miserable and scratching my ankles.  You get the idea.  Glory!

 

PRAYER:

Dear Lord,

We are grateful for the times others have comforted us; they were sent by You to really make a difference in our lives.  We are committed to doing the same for others.  Thank You that You will bring the right people our way; we will pay it forward.  In Jesus, name, AMEN~

What's in a Name?

Jorge is feeling fine this morning given that the future King of England and he have the same name. Whoop de doo!

I have, however, always said that I have never met a Jorge I didn't like, so I think it's a great name.

Ironically, when my own son was born I did not want to name him Jorge. If I am being honest, I really didn't like the name and wanted something cool like Jake or Hormone.

But my mother--wise woman that she was--said to me, "Yenisita, You will never regret naming your son after you husband because Jorge is a great guy, and it will give your son something to live up to."

She was right, and all that is fine and dandy. But in reality, we all have to make a name for ourselves.

Proverbs 22:1

"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."

Why on earth would my reputation and yours be more valuable than riches? Because to gain and keep a good reputation takes a lot of effort and it produces integrity, and once you have it, there are benefits from having it that money can't buy.

Integrity allows our children to say no to drugs, obey the law, and honor us. Integrity keeps us honest in business and honest in our marriages.

While there is nothing wrong with silver or gold or riches, let us pray today that we and our kids would value a good name above anything else. It will encourage us all to make wise, life-affirming decisions.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, It is easy to get caught in the lie that money is the most important thing. It is not. A good name and the effort we put forth to obtain it will bless us and our families more. In Jesus' name, Amen~

Foolish Behavior~

Several years ago our pet cat, who is now deceased and resting peacefully beneath our níspero  tree, upchucked on the living room carpet.  It fell to Jorge to clean it up because, as you all know, I have a weak constitution. 

 

I was in the kitchen when I suddenly heard Jorge making gag sounds.  Every time he would scoop up a little of the "vittles," he would almost spew his own.

 

Of course, I reacted the only way any other human would have: I ran to him with alcohol-drenched cotton balls and thanked him profusely for being so brave.  After all, the cat's little present was a mix of hair, boogers, and slime.

 

NOT!

 

I made fun of Jorge instead and was heartily ungrateful and boisterous.  Do you think it was wise to pick on him while he was in the process of doing me a huge favor? 

 

It was not, but then there are so many foolish things we are capable of...

Proverbs 1:7

"Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning."

The number one foolish thing anyone can do is thumb their nose at God and all that He offers.   

What does He offer?  A quick review of Psalm 103 says He forgives all our sins, heals our diseases, saves our life, crowns us with love and mercy, wraps us in goodness, and renews our youth, and that's just three verses worth. Read that entire Psalm and then thank God you are no fool. 

Every time we get together to pray here or at church or in our car or with our family or by ourselves, we are acknowledging that we need God in our lives, and that, my friends, makes us all very wise indeed.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We recognize our great need for You.  We purposely choose to start each and every day with You.  Thank You for all the amazing things You do for us.  We receive forgiveness, healing, salvation, love, mercy, and renewal today for ourselves and our families.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Shadow 1992-1999

You're Still Special~

Greetings~

Yesterday one of you lovelies "lovingly" commented that I picked a great day to tell everyone they are special--meaning that so much attention was on the Royal Baby that it made you feel very UN-special by comparison.

Sure the entire world waited with baited breath to see if the baby was a boy or a girl. And yes there's all kind of speculation as to what the baby's name will be.

But what if I told you that while mere mortals celebrated the birth of the future monarch of England, something even better took place for you?

Luke 15:10 (The Message Version) The angels in heaven throw a party every time a lost soul turns to God.

The day you turned to God seeking His forgiveness and guidance for your life, the angels threw a party in your honor.

I can just hear them now..."That Yenise sure is a special young woman! Hip Hip Hurray! We can't wait to meet her! Good for her for entrusting her life to the Almighty!"

So you see: YOU ARE SPECIAL:(,)

PRAYER: Dear Lord, When we turned to You it was an awesome day for us on earth, and now we know the angels had a big party in heaven. Thank You that even if the world doesn't know it, You think we are worth celebrating over. In Jesus' name, AMEN~