"You Are Blessed..."

"You are Blessed beyond measure" if you're a resident in any portals of America; been here long enough that you've been enjoying the freedom and liberties of this greatest nation in the world. And most importantly, you & I are truly "Blessed" because we know who holds the future, the Alpha and the Omega; the only Way, the Truth & the Life and his name is Jesus Christ.
All the power is vested in his name by our Abba Father God.

Happy 4th of July, my brothers and sisters in Christ. May the grace & mercy of God , and hid shed Blood be our hedge all around as we celebrate this beautiful day with our families to honor the joy of the freedom to praise His name without the tyranny of doubt & liberal thinking.

"Today is the day that the Lord hath made and we will rejoice and be glad in it.

"Healing Is Here..."

I've learned of his passing, Pastor Greg Coleman, last night. This is him singing "Healing is here." His almost six courageous years of battling cancer has ended on June 24,2016.

Just like many thousands of souls to whom he had touched with his anointed singing and preaching and shining humility, I'm thankful to God for his life here on earth. His legacy is really how he served God by being a good vessel and servant for bringing lost souls to God's kingdom and for those who are already saved  drawing them nigh closer to God. And I'm here to say that I'm a recipient of his legacy of great Faith in the promises of God's Word.

I never question now why physical healing is not for everybody. I believe that spiritual healing for a believer is more important than physical healing. Spiritual healing is the only path to heaven's door. And you can only know that promise if Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life and your personal Savior. That truth shall make you free from any kind of bondage. God breaks all the chains, the cloaks you're wearing and the logs embedded in our eyes if only we surrender our life unto Him.

With everything that is going on in this world, it is very easy to take our eyes off  to what Jesus Christ had finished at Calvary Cross more than 2000 years ago. The message of the Cross, unto which all His Grace has dispensed and allowed us to go through the valleys of many challenges gives light to all of our doubts and weaknesses. And with the Comforter, the Holy Spirit is with us is there to see us through. Oh, "we live by Faith and not by sight." And Faith comes by Hearing and hearing the Word of God.

I lift up the family of the late Pastor Greg Coleman in prayer. God's grace abounds!

 God and God's angels are rejoicing for this child of God to have finally come home, eternally...his final address with the Lord.

"Every Summer Has A Story..."

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Call it a travesty when you have more passion in the past than courage to slay the things that keep you from moving forward. That you have this unquenchable yearning to do over and no matter how much head-knowledge ushering admonitions there are, you're still walking defeated. How can you even make the best of what you have when all the underlying layers of your best self is the gravity of your past actions? Why is it that self- condemnation is hard to get past of or make peace with it? And we all have endless deplorable,legitimate reasons and excuses. Some of us have mastered that mind game. Unfortunately!

Sometimes, I find myself to the most awkward places of the heart. My mindset doesn't agree with what my heart beats. Psychology says that mind over matter. The Bible teaches that we have to "keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Prov.4:23 KJV.

For me, the heart could be deceitful if you're not being guided by the Holy Spirit that convicts you when you're about to do wrong; when you're even conspicuously wrong and the ramifications of, "Oh, I screwed up so badly" that you'll be paying for this mistake in your lifetime. Maybe so...

But what does it really take to move your mountain to its place? Is it too much idleness, idolatry, denial, pride ,
addiction, isolation, deficiency, rebellion, arrogance, poverty, feebleness, and religion in your flesh that you cannot see the truth? 

I know now that every issue that besets us is in the light of Ephesians 6: 10-18 KJV

After all, every Summer will always be the Joy of Hope in Christ Jesus.

"Standing Tall In our Faith..."

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This is the moment that will stay with me. I will carry the faith that solidifies that God wants us to call unto his name, Jesus, whom we draw our strength, our refuge and an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm46:1

I thank God that we have a school administrator that believes in the power of Prayer. In many ways, she is the leader that holds us together, that needs her encompassing and illuminating wisdom. Every morning when she does the pledge of allegiance, followed by the moment of silence, and her announcements, we the Special Ed. classes couldn't wait to hear her say our favorite nugget of encouragement,"Work hard, and don't be lazy" and that has echoed in the hearts of our special needs children. This has become our phrase of ammunition towards the children esp. when we're doing our academic rotations in the morning. And it works for it delves them to work diligently even just for that "brief teaching moment that they get it." 

Oh well...tonight, I'll start brainstorming a bucket list of achievable goals as well as goals that may be hard to accomplish. Yeah. Summer just got started. Will be taking my mom to go out. She's been under the weather lately, on and off. Yup, this is good.

Thank You Lord for the challenges that we have overcome this schoolyear. With these adversities, they made us labor and toil to serve our students better. It really takes a village to raise a child. Just happy that I have partnered with a village of educators that makes every heart grow fonder and closer to his outstretched hand!

Be adventurous this Summer. Think outside the box. There may not be chocolates outside the box but the journey to experiencing all that is there before our eyes are for us to marvel. Just take heart. Never lose what your heart treasures most. Don't be surprised if you see me at Home Depot learning a new skill. 
Surprise me!

See you all in August. 

"Where's your Treasure?"

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I have fewer regrets and guilts this year when it comes to stewarding of time & space. Standing up with the word "No" when it feels overwhelming even to the closest to your heart is true freedom. Always speak with sheer honesty and with compassion when articulating to communicate your need.

I also learned not to try" to remove the speck in other's eyes without first removing the log in my own eyes." Ironically, when we're critical of someone's flaws, it is because that flaw is bursting inside of us; and that discontentment within us is what we want to see in others. You may be non-accepting to that realization but it is the truth.

Lately. I've been watching Netflix movies, of which only transcends courage over people who triumphed over adversities in all forms. Like for example, Walt Disney. He chased his dream on becoming the greatest innovative cartoonist/artist for many years. He knew in his heart that that seed of vision even as a child is coming to pass. He just had to persevere more and believe in himself and in that dream. Isn't it disconcerting when you reach your vision after most of your friends you've trusted left and didn't want to be a part of your dream? That happens all the time. 

Thus, I believe that our path to our victories in life is riddled with the obstacles and challenges and detours we face. We need spiritual wisdom that only comes from the Word of God.I'm sure there's no confusion in His Word; only we confuse ourselves because we're into the mix of things...We bring ourselves with so contradictions and we just love the art of complexities. Maybe simplicity is not alluring.Not trending.

Let me put it this way-- we don't know where our treasure is. And it does feel that way, sometimes.

"Sinking Deep..."

"Hang In There..."

Looking Outside is making me more gloomy. Thunderstorms, lightning, rain and the gusty wind is about to burst in the horizon. That doesn't set well with me especially when the call of Nature visits more often than my heart expects. But then again I'm forgetting that Texas has bipolar weather.

I know I'm not alone to feel deeply about the nuances, the interruptions, and the daily dragons that don't want to go away in our walks of life. We don't really know who are the ravening wolves under the sun. In Matthew 7:15 KJV says that "Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." It doesn't account for seemingly  anymore. It's the hard reality of life that slaying these dragons like nicotine addiction, abusive use of alcohol, obsessive use of credit cards, imprisoning pleasure of pornography & illicit relationships--just to mention the common perpetrators in the core of mental health is self-decaying... I believe that the end result of these addictions is the pangs of depression. Or could it be that there's a genetic imbalance that predisposes us more to clinging to unhealthy solutions? If there are countless of us who are more vulnerable and susceptible to the valleys of life, the survival to going to the mountain top is very slim & murky.

Look at how we easily fall into the trappings of the devil's scheme. Satan  reverberates the sound of hopelessness and condemnation into our minds. Planting that seed of doubt is the devil's advocate and we believe coercive ploy. I may not have been a victim of nicotine, alcohol & drugs and always have been a good steward of my finances but my nemesis is the lack of emotional intelligence. I don't always gravitate on my gut feeling. I'm indecisive when it comes to following my first instinct. And these promptings, when they're ignored will be costly especially if it's the Holy Spirit put that in your conscience. I don't know which one is more damaging or stupid. Having a double-minded soul or a hopeless drunk devoid of spiritual wisdom or a halfway devout Christian who couldn't surrender fully to the will of God. I bet, the choice would be the latter.

I know I haven't blogged and I'm guilty of professing my craft as a writer. I had allowed outside & earthly forces to consume me to a point where I had forgotten my love affair in writing. It shouldn't serve as an intellectual pursuit but rather a special kind of spiritual stance where words breathe from the wellspring of my heart and not what my flesh wants to feel...

 I am imploring encouragement to myself and  others who are at the vortex of hopelessness to remain persistent and determined to hang in there in difficult circumstances. The emotional support of a loyal friend, the nuclear family that God blessed us and the book of life that holds all of the ways of God, all of the grace, mercy and love of our Heavenly Father God Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I may falter and loose the grip of His will for my life but the truth of His promises in the Bible cling more now than before. 
Here are some Scriptures that I immerse myself whenever I'm down to the wire of  temptation.

Isaiah 40:31 KJV
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 55:9 KJV
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

All of the mysteries hovering us shall be put in the background. We have to do our part to know Him more through Prayer, reading His Word and ask Him what ministry would He put us in His church. Yup. that's it! Still learning...