Easter Day Journaling

I awoke. 

The Holy Spirit spoke. 

I wrote.

Divine Romance

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Finally...home sweet home. My last class ended tonight at 6:00 and I am officially ready to be wrapped in my lover's arms. The Holy Spirit is my sweet valentine here with me. He's done so many interesting and romantic things lately to catch my attention that have all lead up to this one question: Will you be mine? You see, He knows that I don't just want a nice-and-easy or casual relationship. On Tuesday I asked God, "How deep can I go...take me there, as deep as possible and don't let go of me." I want to be there. Living in that moment of pure over-bubbling ooie-gooie love that at the same time is so fierce and powerful that no human force can contain it. The Holy Spirit gave me the most beautiful present that my heart was longing for. There, in a humble gathering of young adults with two acoustic guitars, a bongo, expectant hearts, and God's presence I received the gift of speaking in tongues. My heart had been aching for that Acts 2 moment until finally by surprise it came. The Holy Spirit met me right where I was: hungry, worshiping in spirit and in truth with nothing to hide and all to give.I'm God's. I'm Jesus'. I'm The Holy Spirit's. I'm their's. I'm His. Those encounters shape us, I mean to encounter the living God is life-changing. My belly was warm and I was balling out tears. My God is my valentine not just for a day but for an eternity because He chose me long before I chose Him, but it took me way too long to understand those love letters He kept passing along my way through the years. He's been with me through every step. My secret admirer. Now I pursue Him willingly, boldly, and wholeheartedly. So because all the time my lover has invested in me has accumulated I want to give some of it back. With a sweet raspberry tea in one hand and with my Bible and journal in another I will be having a date night with my King. Just me and Him. I feel all too happy to just be. To dwell. To be filled. Those quiet times are irreplaceable and oh so crucial because just like we want to know what's in our lover's heart, He longs to hear our heart as well. It's time!

To be continued...

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Valentine's Day Playlist

   

Valentine's Day Playlist from deyassong on 8tracks Radio.

<<<-My Spirit Worshiped As The New Year Rang In->>>

1:00PM

Clean up, clean up, Deya's got to clean up. I woke up so late (like if that surprises me, right?) and right after I watched a Novela on T.V. for a lot a bit (fun, fun, fun). After that... I cranked up my iHome radio and played Jesus Culture's "Live From New York" album on loop as I power cleaned my room. I couldn't welcome God's blessings in the New Year with a dirty room (says me logic). But really, I wanted my room to be nice and tidy, it just puts a smile on my face.

5:00PM

My "Bestest Friend" came over and helped my mom and I set up the "asador for a carne asada" (BBQ pit for a BBQ). I went back upstairs and got out of my sweat pants and old T-shirt and got into some jeans and a nice turquoise blouse. Suddenly reality hit me and I realized, "Oh snap! It's almost New Years!" It was kind of a going through the motions kind of day, getting lost in my cleaning and loud singing to my God. My spirit was just blissfully at peace and genuinely happy. I thought about how highly good and highly difficult this year has been but in totality I was thankful knowing that it had been an amazingly shaping year for me. I had Psalm 145 really touch me and I really meditated on verses two and three telling my God that I praise Him every day with my life, this being my goal and reality, because He is so much more than good, He just is.

7:00PM

Foooood!!! Let's just say my Mom does the BBQing in this house and it is oh so yummy! Having my "Bestest Friend" as my music partner is a plus because he just pops out his guitar and I pop out my hearts tune and (bam!) instant Spontaneous Worship. I sang in Spanish (you satisfy our thirst God, thank you, thank you, how can a simple song contain you, thank you, thank you God) and as usual felt so alive as I could literally feel our Worship elevating with us before the throne of God. My Daddy loves joining in as we Worship God, in fact my parents are my number one supporters, and seeing him on the drums in our garage puts a smile on my face. Surprisingly, my friend's little sisters came over later and we all sang and worshiped until the new year rang in, it was the best! 

11:30PM

Y como decimos por aca...¡A tronar quetes! (And like we say over here, it's time to pop some fireworks). Whoop whoop!!! I haven't had so much fun since I was a little kid, I mean we do it every year but God made it a really special day for us and our friends. I must admit though, seeing little kids with ipads is pretty funny and pretty cute! A few sparklers later...

12:00AM

¡Feliz Año Nuevo! (Happy New Year!!!!) Twelve grapes for twelve wishes (ours are more like prayers), salud (cheers) to a cup of sparkling cider, many hugs, little and big hands joining together to pray, and of course some more crazy worship! Christians party too yall! Kickin' it back old school Mexican style with some of my Mom's old tapes. After we danced to some corritos (praise hymns) we went to drop off our friends who are really like my Mom's spiritual children (especially my BF). Returning home to a nice warm bed and dim tea lights above me made me fall asleep pretty darn fast. After some quick FaceBook posts I was knocked out and off to lala land where my God rocks me to sleep beneath the shadow of His wings.

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I hope everyone had a beautiful 

New Years... but for those that encountered 

harder times, my heart goes out to you, not 

because I feel sorry for you but because I've 

been there and all around and back to know that 

things don't always go as nice as we hoped. But 

thankfully God is God and I know that His love is 

so beautifully, radically, strong to overcome 

anything! Love you all...can't wait to see what 

my God is cooking up for this year! 2013

is the year of God's wisdom and once

again we go deeper into the Father's 

heart. I'm excited!!!!

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With A New Year Comes New Wisdom

(Kings 3:28) When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.

(1 Kings 8:61) And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.”

(Proverbs 1:23) Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,  I will make known to you my teachings.

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With 2012 coming to an end and a new year only a few days away, thinking about what's to come brings much enthusiasm and excitement to my soul. I'm so hungry for the Lord's presence and craving all things God. In this year I've learned how to really listen to God's voice and began reading the Word of God from beginning to end. By His grace alone so far I've read all the way to the first book of Kings. If it were about simply finishing a reading plan I could have sped up my reading but I really wanted to meditate as I journeyed through each book, chapter, and verse. And so I find myself here today, realizing how much God has changed me through His perfect love. I'm not who I used to be: I don't sing like I used to because my voice has matured and overcome its "greenness", I don't see Worship the same as I once did (Worship Blossoms In The Garden), my eating habits are different, and I've learned to serve others and give my life for others. I can't even fathom the wondrous things that the Lord has in store for me next year, for us all! Dear God, what are you doing?...

The Lord has been showing me what He wants to pour out on His children for the next year and He's been saying, "Wisdom." God wants to give us His wisdom so that we can represent Him here on earth. All of last week I've had this word on my heart, meditating on Proverbs 1:23 and it's various versions but one thing is constant in all three and that is the fact that God wants to give us all of who He is so that we can act like Him. He wants to share His heart with us and pour out His Spirit over us so that we can know His vary words and be wise. But first, says the Lord, you must listen to me. God doesn't want us to just hear Him, He wants us to listen to Him. It's the difference between recognizing His voice and obeying it. Wisdom. God wants to give us wisdom. There's a cry out from God's heart to ours calling out for those who are willing and ready to be fully committed to God. The whole Sunday, Wednesday, and Retreat Days Christian lifestyle is long dead and gone. Who is ready to be fully committed to God? It's not dropping everything your doing, but rather handing everything your doing over to God so that He can reveal to you the desires of His heart which will become your desires. Wisdom to speak to those who appear deaf, wisdom to handle any challenge, and wisdom in every branch of life. Because God loves us, He wants to pour out His Spirit over us so that we can be wise. The earth is crying out to see God's glory and we have to be the living proof, we are not yesterday's but today's testimony of the living God. With all that God wants to pour out over us comes great responsibility. Yes, responsibility. God gives the wisdom, wisdom itself is not our God. What do I mean by this? I mean that, God is always first. No matter what gift I have been given I cannot and will not put it before my God because that would be the end of me. How can I worship what God has given me? This means that I have given my life over to what has been given to me. I worship God for who He is, so though God wants to give me wisdom I can't take it and then do my will with it. The most important question is, God now that I know that you want to give me wisdom, how do you want me to us it for your glory? As of now I am learning this, and so far God has been confirming the word He has given me. On Sunday afternoon, after leading and ministering during the first half of praise and worship, Pastor Eddie did a preaching on wisdom. He spoke about how God wanted to give us wisdom for the upcoming new year so that we would enter it not falling into the same old patterns. Right then and there as I sat in my chair up on the altar I looked up and just new it, "Bang! Confirmation!" After Pastor talked about wisdom for a good while and prayed over the entire congregation, he began to talk about something that I deeply fell in love with: It's important for us to go up to our mountain because there we will see things differently from being on the ground, surrounded by the situations we face. He talked about how Marry, after receiving news from the Angel about her bearing a child, quickly went up to the mountain to spend time with God. I really love that sermon and I know that together with the Worship and the Holy Spirit being poured out the service was set into the course that God had in His heart. Wisdom. God is giving us wisdom. I hope that you all have an amazing time with your family and friends, reflecting on what God has in store for us all in 2013 and after. Thank you God, for this new found wisdom!

<<<-My Spirit Rejoiced All Through Christmas->>>

I'd like to say I had the most amazing Christmas but the reality is that Jesus was the light in our darkness that made the holidays worth celebrating. Things are rough because of some of our ill family members but we prayed as a family and celebrated as a family with faith, declaring what isn't as if it is. I reflected so much on the love of Jesus all the days leading up to Christmas Eve and Day. With all our flaws and goodness Jesus loves us and takes us in so for that, for my born hope, I so so so so very thankful.

10:00PM

We came home from my Christmas Concert and Psalmist School Awards Assembly and decided to get in a few pictures since we were all dressed up.

8:00PM

Christmas Eve! Whoop whoop! I just had to take some pictures before leaving home. Once we arrived at my Grandma's house my family just talked and my sister and I played Loteria with our cousins. My sister and I hung around in my Grandma's room for a bit to escape and watch a nice quiet movie and lie down in a warm bed. Might as well get some pics, right?

 12:30 AM

Soon after my Daddy came home from visiting his parents he brought me my present and I opened up the bag to find a Bible and car stereo. My dad knew how much I'd been hoping for a Bible and he also knew that I'd really love to listen to my ipod instead of burning gazillions of CD's (A worshiper's got to worship even in her car). I just hugged him so much because though Christmas isn't about the presents my Mom and Dad have always had something to give us with all their heart.

Love Has A Name

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(Luke 2:6-7) While they were there, the time came for the baby 

to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped 

him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because 

there was no guest room available for them.

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(Luke 2:17-20) When they had seen him, they spread the word 

concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who 

heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered 

them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying 

and praising God for all the things they had heard and 

seen, which were just as they had been told.

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(John 3:16-17) For God so loved the world that he gave his 

one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but 

have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to 

condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

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For God so loved me...you and I. For He so loved. These words make my heart want to sing right this minute. I'm going to be meditating on this love not just throughout Christmas but every day of my life. It was the love of Jesus that revived me and gave me life. I bless the day that He came to this world to rescue me. I thank the Lord because Jesus lives and He lives in me. I want to shine as bright as the star that pointed the three kings on their way toward salvation and I want to leave a big trail of love just like my sweet Jesus has. We may not have the best to offer our Lord, at least not what He deserves, but we do have our lives. Our lives are worth more than anything because Jesus gave it that worth. So this Christmas and every day after I want to make my heart that humble stable for my Jesus to be born and reign in. Though He's already there, I always like to remember the moment that He found me and that the manger of my heart opened up its doors for Him. For years Jesus searched and pursued me until finally I realized that all I want to do now is pursue Him. It's not about giving Him the best of what you have, it's about giving Him all that you are. Just like Mary, I've grasped every single thing that Jesus has done for me and continues to do and I've stored up these treasures in my heart so that I never forget my first love. Jesus is the reason for it all because the word says that He came to save the gentile. You and I, unless we were Jewish, had no hope until hope was born. It's not about which day we celebrate His birth on because, like my daddy says, we should be celebrating every day. Joy! Our hope was born and lives in us! Let us celebrate Jesus every day and demonstrate our love for Him through obedience. Let us celebrate the day that grace was born! Oh my sweet Jesus, thank you for existing and thank you for being born in my heart.

Christmas Package

I wish all of you a merry, peaceful, and loving Christmas! From my heart to yours accept the warmest of greetings and of course a little something for being great friends. I really do hope you all enjoy this Christmas package, check it out you just might find an unexpected surprise. Most important words to say ummm...yup these are perfect: Jesus is the ultimate and legit reason for this beautiful season and any other season that may follow. Hugs and smiles! God bless!

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"Do You Hear What I Hear? (What Does It Sound Like)" 

- Steffany Gretzinger & Jeremy Riddle

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Have a moment to meditate on the tremendous
love package sent to us here on earth. Think
about our Savior who came to set us
free and share this life-changing message
with those you love.

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Jesus came to restore the relationship

between God and humanity and to

demonstrate with His own life

what true Worship is.

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Gaze at your Christmas tree and have a grateful heart.

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Wear your favorite sweater in this chilly weather.

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Be sure to journal! Always have one at hand...you never
know what the Holy Spirit wants to say & reveal.

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Have a homemade cookie and hot chocolate on me:)

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May you celebrate the birth of Jesus exuberantly!

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A fun, super easy snack recipe.

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(Isaiah 9:6) For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;And the 

government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called 

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

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A sneak peek into a little of what I do...My family, 

friends, and I playing music for the glory of the 

Lord in our garage. I don't come out on camera but 

I am the one singing in Spanish (Perfume A Tus Pies).

<<<-My Spirit Hit The Floor Running Thanksgiving Day->>>

12:00AM

 I lay awake, talking on the phone with my friend. Right after we hung up I literally fell asleep, literally. With my cell by my side and my pillow drenched in sweet dreams, at last my body fell into a deep deep slumber.

6:00AM

Seldom do I wake up at such an early time. Little rays of light shined through my window, tickling my eyes. I rose to my feet and thanked the Lord for so many big and little things. Quiet: the perfect ambiance for some intimate time with God. Can somebody say "Soul Food"? I piled up my three notebooks, huge water bottle, and Bible in my arms and crept downstairs toward the couch in our living room. I really felt like my Spirit was just crying out and saying, "Feed me Deya, feed me!" Pages and pages later, I journaled for a bit and finally got into the word. I wanted to cry as I read the life of David as I approached the end of the second book of Samuel. After some amusing conversations with my God, my Mami (how we say mom in Spanish) came downstairs and we ate a yummy breakfast. A nice sandwich comprised of whole grain bread, ham, lettuce, tomato, avocado, mayo, and mustard. This may not be your typical breakfast but it's part of the healthy meal plan that thanks to God I am now following. Tips to come!

2:00PM

The smell of turkey, stuffing, gravy, and green-bean-casserole filled the air and floated up the stairs and into our three bedrooms. The four of us gathered around the table, agreed as we came together in prayer, and ate my Mami's amazing food. It was so good! We laughed, reminaced, and then laughed some more!

5:00PM

And the crazy back and forth driving began! First stop, my Abuelita (grandma) Yolanda's house which is ten minutes away in Mission. We drove back to our old neighborhood, past our first house and seven houses later, parked in front of my Abuelito's (grandparents's) House. My little sister, mom, dad, and I walked in, abrasando y saludando (hugging and saying hello with a custom side cheek kiss), all my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. I love our culture and I love how God just transcends all culture to define and receive us. Because we had eaten at home I just grabbed a teeny slice of pumpkin pie while laughing my head off with my cousin Genesis. I hadn't seen her in forever since she took off to Texas A&M in the Fall. They officially converted her and I couldn't help but laugh and throw it in her face as we chuckled and loudly spilled over the couch making our usual references to Transformers Movies, (apparently only we do this) "Don't talk to me don't talk to me criminal!" I missed my Prima (cousin) so much! Before we had to leave to head on over to our second stop I got to say Hi to my cousin Laura, a news anchor for Telemundo 40, so that was cool too. I honestly had a great time as strange as it felt revisiting the roads that use to break my fall as I fell when learning how to ride my bike, that use to be targets for setting fire to fireworks in a glass bottle on Año Nuevo (New Years).

8:00PM

Second stop: Abuelita Marta's house. Here abraze y salude, I smiled, giggled, cried, and prayed. My Tia (Aunt) Chio has been bed bound for a while now with Cancer. Just like my Mami she's an amazing Woman of God with faith that can move mountains. All twenty of us gathered around her, held hands, as my Papi (Daddy) and then Mami led us in powerful prayer. We're all believing God for her recovery and restoration because we've seen and have experienced first-hand what the Lord can do if we dare to believe. We all know that the case is not the same for everyone but as Believers we know that God prepares his people for what is to come, revealing to us that which is hidden. Through dreams we have all seen my aunt walking, talking, and giving testimony of her experience. Even my grandma of my dad's side of the family has dreamed her. I can't even fathom what the Lord has in store for my Tia but like Jobe she will be restored and overflowing in blessing because not once did she complain nor deny her God, her Lord and Savior. We serve the living God who's hand is not too short to save. I believe it!

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Ahhh, what a beautiful Thanksgiving this was.

Journal Excerpt {Halloween}

Sitting on a wooden bench, on the third floor of the Education Building at school, I felt compelled to write. I needed to get my thoughts down on paper, on anything really, but facebook just wouldn't do: I needed something momentarily private, something that I could stare at and meditate on for a good while before my next class. So here's my unedited heart, spilled out onto a single  sheet of notebook paper.

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 Think of the person that you love most in this world. Who is she/he? Now picture this scenario: There's a person who's always trying to make your loved one look bad, hurts those that your loved one holds dear. That person invites you to his/her party. Do you go? This is how I view everything—God is my Father, the one who's always been there for me. Why would I celebrate something that's used to hurt His heart? When you don't have a relationship with God everything you see is {rules, religion, more rules...Why this? Why that?} When you have a direct relationship with God the questions and answers no longer matter because you would drop anything in a minute for the one who chose to give it all for you. It doesn't matter what everyone else does. Who cares? Be different and don't be ashamed of it! I choose not to celebrate halloween, not because of the candy or the costumes, but because of what this day represents. While parents send their kids trick-or-treating, there are thousands of people making sacrifices to the devil on this day. I don't know about you, but I'm not gonna give Satan and his followers the satisfaction of knowing that I'm at the party of the one who hates my Best Friend! Tonight is Worship and Movie Night at my house. Amen to that!

Ponderings:

• People want to come as close as they can to the line without crossing it. How far can we get? How much can we get away with before it's labeled as "wrong." Forget the world and fix your eyes on God.
• It doesn't matter how much you are forced to do what's right, because until you encounter the Living God and receive a revelation, everything will seem like a pain transformed into a rule book {Look with your eyes wide open}.

I choose to have this attitude today:

(Joshua 24:14-15) “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

Inspiration

Hello readers! This will officially be my first post of the year and...I know, shame shame, but I thank the Lord for providing me with time for blogging. What have you been doing Deya, you might ask? Well friends...I have just been worshiping, reading the word of God, and spending time with my family and boyfriend. I started the first day of the new year not just worshipping in one church for God's glory but in two! The Lord is faithful! So faithful that let me share this one tiny bit of advice with you: whenever the Lord takes you out of one place or allows us to go through the fire...it's always because something extremely better is waiting for us on the other side. If the Lord is guiding you toward something then I don't care how hard it is for you to let go and run without looking back, just dash off! Don't be like Lot's wife, just trust the Lord and walk away. Oh trust me when I say that God has something far greater for you. The greater the sacrifice...the greater the blessing!

In other news, God has placed in my heart to read the bible from beginning to end and to fast. I mean I just can't outrun the Lord...I have to and yearn to do this. While it is great to toss open the bible and read the scripture that I first see when the random page is opened, I know that as God's daughter I have to know the very words that my Father has left me with before He returns. I mean, what accounts will I give to Him when He asks me why I did not know how to minister to someone because I didn't know scriptures about healing or salvation? Thank you God. I know some of you reading this can relate and hopefully by the end of this post you also become inspired to take on this beautiful task.

When you read a book, how annoying is it if you start from the middle or end? You miss the big idea and you don't even know why this girl is happy or why that family is torn, and you might be wondering: "Who's this guy? um...hello does anyone know who Bob is?" Yup, this is why I have taken on the lovely work of reading the Lord's Word from start to finish, principio a fin, beginning to end. And let me tell you...you might think you know everything about the book of Genesis, the beginning, but my friends the Lord always has a new revelation to give each and everyone of us. What He shows you might not be what He reveals to me and visa versa. So from now on I am going to dedicate my time to reading God's word and spending more time with Him so that I can share with you guys what the Lord is showing me from Genesis to the Book of Revelations. I am so excited!! Yes I will still be telling you of my personal life because as you all know the Lord has a mysterious way of tying things together. I will always share the word, my experiences, and helpful tips and advice with you.

 The revelation that the Lord gave me for the beginning of the year and the rest of my life is that to the Lord, our lives are a song. In prayer, I told the Lord that I wanted to be that beautiful and catchy song that He wants to always listen to. The melody that touches His heart! That is my desire for all the days of my life. Because He is my song, I want to be His.

So friends here's to reading the word of God together and sharing those beautiful moments in our daily spiritual and personal lives! All I have to toast with is a plastic cup of water but yay! Congrats and Cheers!

Bundle Of Hope

Once upon a time, approximately 2,000 years ago, there lived an extremely powerful King. Now this king was not just any ruler, oh no, no, no, He was the ruler of the entire universe. Creator of every star, planet, space, and pebble. He owned it all. One day however, he looked down from His thrown and saw that His people had gone completely astray. They were so lost, committing indecent acts, that he became angered and hurt. You see, His very own people had forgotten about the King's rules and commandments. The King could no longer watch, who He called His children, perish. They were blind and destined to go to hell. Powerful and merciful as this King was, he knew the answer to the problem because he had planned it ages ago. He new this sad day would come when his people would turn away and forget about His love and compassion. So worried about His children, the King went himself in the form of man to save man. The best part of Him went: His Son...the prince.

Born out of the womb of human being the King's son walked amongst the people who hated and despised His father's ways. How hard for the prince to see these things but deep down He knew His mission. He knew why He was sent to earth-- To Save! This babe was given the most important name in all of history. Such a name brings healing and restoration. Such a name brings comfort and peace. Such a name makes the demons tremble and flee. His name was, continues to be, and will always be JESUS. And for all of those who call upon His name and accept Him into their hearts as the son of God, He continues to do the very same sacrifice. The day that Jesus Christ was born into this world was the day that my hope was born. We had no hopes of life until Jesus. So many times has the story been told but so few times has it been understood my the hearts of men. The reason we breathe every morning and the reason why we believe is in Christ alone. (John 3:16) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

Let us all never forget what matters most on Christmas. Gift giving is beautiful but always keep in your hearts that one gift will always remain and that is Jesus. (Isaiah 9:2) The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. His grace is enough for us all. Never forget. Nunca te olvides. (Isaiah 9:6) For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

I encourage you to enjoy the holidays with your families and to be the one who lets Christ shine on the special day. May God bless you all friends and if you'd like to join my family and I, At 12:00 on Christmas eve we will be grabbing our guitar and worshipping God for the huge bundle of hope that he sent us many years ago. We're going to be praising the living Christ because he is no longer on the cross but alive in our hearts and in His throne of glory! Merry, merry Christmas to you all and may the Lord continue to bless you!

Thanksgiving: A Grateful Heart

Greetings friends! I hope everyone had a blessed thanksgiving! Yesterday was a great day- I got to spend time with those I love and took many trips down memory lane with a very special someone. This morning I woke up and began to really ponder over the things I am grateful for and how sometimes I might only say thank you do God for those obviously important people and things in my life, but...I want to dig deeper...I have too. God's done so many wonderful things for me that might even go unnoticed. Kind of like those prayers that He answers that we forget ever asking. I don't ever want to forget...God is faithful! You are faithful Lord and you keep all of your promises. I just want to take this time to thank the Lord for those special and subtle petitions He's answered and blessed me with: they might not make since because it's sort of an inside-prayer type of thing between God and I but I'm sure someone out there could relate to some of these thank yous.

(Psalm 136:1) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.

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Thank you Lord for our first encounter. That day when you found me where I was and took me in your arms and promised to never leave me. Thank you for your sacrifice Jesus...for my salvation...where would I be without You?...Lost...completely lost and lonely, in need of You father. Thanks so much for placing me in the right place because many months ago I made a prayer to you in church for You to transition me and transport me like a chair where You wanted me to be. Like always you kept your promise! Thank you for being with me in those times when I felt so sensitive and fragile like a glass vase. I felt like I couldn't take the pain...I didn't want to sing anymore. It wasn't your fault! What was I thinking at that time, feeling like You'd abandoned me. You didn't. You watched as I helplessly fought to breathe through those agonizing tears and gasps of air. You broke through the silence, through the sadness in my heart and gave me once again a reason to live for. Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving be the ability to praise You, God, with my voice. Thank you for accepting my life song! I love you for putting by my side my best friend on this earth and for allowing us to praise you together. When the notes of my heart and strokes on his guitar meet our worship becomes the best part of us that we can give You. Thank you because I'm not alone. Thank you because you've not only given me family in Christ to love but for the family You have given me that lives to serve you. Thank you for that day in the bathroom when I asked you for a favor asked as a simple joke between me and I- You made it happen. My parents were blessed that day in church. Thank you. If I kept going Lord, I think Blogger would run out of text space because I could go on and on. You've done so many things, oh so many things. I want to say thank you for the little big things that You do for me: Thanks a bunch for the parking space you had ready for me at school, You know how close I was to being late for UNIV and how badly I didn't not want to walk all the way from where I was "supposed" to park. Hee hee. Thank you! Gracias Padre santo! Many many thanks for helping me exactly afford that package of scan trons right before my American Heritage quiz. Whew! That was a close call. Thank you. I'm so grateful for the opportunity that you've given me to meet these new teens at the church that you have Daniel and I worshipping in. I just want to ask you for one thing before I go on and I know that You are listening: Please guard their hearts...they've gone through so much and they need you to show them Your way. They're willing to worship you Father but a pray for a complete transformation in their life to the point that they are filled with so much love that they no longer remember their past. Keep them safe always Lord...Thank You.

All that I have thanked you for father is just a tiny truffle of what You deserve to hear, God, but all of this comes from me and from the bottom to top of a grateful heart. Thank You.