The Rain Overflows my Heart

What is there in the rain that shakes ineffable memories in my heart? When it gets cloudy, the breeze begins to move, and the rain takes its course, that’s where my chest begins to sigh!

I love sitting in my Victorian chair by the window with my favorite cup of tea. That is where pleasant memories of my childhood, in San Francisco de Macoris, begin to emanate.

It was a Good Friday evening , perhaps in 1956, there was a big meeting at home. Uncles, aunts and cousins gathered at home to celebrate our redemption from sin. On that dark afternoon, everyone enjoyed the warm, friendly and bright house, full of joy and laughter.

Suddenly, in a flurry of laughter and conversation, Mom noticed that the two youngest children were missing. Cautiously, she stepped out onto the front porch. The rain had stopped, the street was flooded with streams of water. In the shock of water, mud, and darkness, she looked down the street and saw what appeared to be two mud-covered balls wrestling in the ditch.

Yes, there they were, 4 years old Elisa and 6 years old William, enjoying the ineffable beauty of running, shouting, giggling under the rain. This is one of the most intrinsic childhood love.

And today after all these years, I am presented with two paths to choose from to walk. The melancholic way, which is sad because most of that crowd, including my parents, are not here in this earthly life.

The second option is the way of Philippians 4:8;

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8 NLT).

Here I can renew my mind and what I see , clearly revive my soul. I see that one Good Friday the Lord opened Paradise for us.

“Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43 MEV).

Why should I be gloomy when I have such incredible promises? My people are enjoying real life in Paradise! And you can reserve your place there. it is very expensive, but it is free for you, because the Son of God paid for it with His life.

You can receive the gift of eternal life right now. Say this:

“Lord, I recognize that I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. Forgive me, I receive Christ as my only Savior. Write my name in the Book of Life. Thanks you Father. Amen!

Congrats! Go to a church, read the Bible and grow in this excited Adventure, called Christianity.

This is my Story! What’s yours?

The Mystery of Waking up

“to declare forth Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness in the night,” (Ps.92:2 MEV).

I am embarking on a very difficult journey, in which I am trying to understand the empirical evidence because I have neither theory nor pure logic.

I want to use the metaphor of the contiguity of a nation to try to understand the mystery of the awakening process. I wonder if sleeping and waking are linked by Divine contiguity.

It seems that while my conscious mind sleeps, it is open to a heavenly dimension where there is clear understanding. My question is, how can the clear understanding of my sleeping mind be taken away in a fraction of a second, when my alarm wakes me up?

I exercise my mind, I keep a journal since 1965. My whole life is written, I read the Word of God daily and as part of my daily routine, I do crossword puzzles. All this sharpens my mind, I have no problem remembering.

Dreams have three different sources, God, Satan and our own flesh. And the Sacred Scripture endorses it:

““For God speaks, the first time in one way, the second time in another, though a person does not perceive it. In a dream, a night vision, when deep sleep falls on people as they sleep in their beds.” (Job 33:14-15 NET),

Satan’s dream is what is called terror:

“You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day;” (Ps.91:5,MEV).

I have a clear distinction about dreams. God has spoken to me many times in dreams and they are embodied in my mind. I remember dreams. The first significant one I had, was in 1961 and I have it clear in my mind.

But, my inquiry is the process of awakening from sleep. I imagine there is a fine line between sleeping and waking. The separation is so sudden! It’s like quickly removing the dividing line and the mind collapses into the physical world. Wowed! I just understood something: Will it be that when one dies in Christ the memory that causes pain is totally erased? Not just the memory, but the physical pain one may be experiencing. It’s all gone in a split second! A wonderful world opens up! According to Romans 8:18, my insight is not far from the truth:

“For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the glory that will be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18 NET).

At this time I understand that the Lord is answering my long-awaited query. I have asked him to show me what life is like in heaven. And on Monday 9/12/22, I woke up with that awe of understanding, why not remember what I just saw a second ago before the alarm went off?

The promise that God gives us is that He will make everything new, therefore, we will not remember the heartbreaking earthly moments!

“Do not remember the former things nor consider the things of old. See, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not be aware of it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:18-19 MEV).

Although I don’t have a vast knowledge of heaven, at least for the time being, I think I understand the mystery of waking up from sleep.

Once again, I reap the fruit of writing. Typing my search, I received the answer of knowing about heaven. God commanded Habakkuk to write the vision. When you write you can receive important insights. The Word of God is true!

““But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his.” (Job 12:13 NLT).

This is my Story! What is yours?

When It Rains

The sky darkens and large drops begin to fall. I feel compelled to sit in my comfortable Victorian chair and gaze out the window at the harmony of such commotion. The rain soaks the ground, the wind seems to massage the flowers that enjoy that bath from above. The green color of my lawn becomes bright and the brown leaves at the base of the big trees darken. the rain is pouring down and my bushes, although they tremble, do not complain.

And I wonder, why does my lawn and garden receive this sudden interruption in its environment so naturally? will they know something that humans ignore? Could it be that they understand that the discomfort of the wet, the shaking of the wind and the momentary darkness are ingredients for strong growth? As I watch them, I learn to take life’s blows with grace knowing that they will make me stronger. And that in the same way that the rain and the wind are orchestrated by God, so are the trials that come into our lives.

Let us not worry, let us not be afraid, but let us trust in the Lord with all our strength and let us not lean on our own understanding. The rain, the wind and the darkness will soon pass! Calm is just around the corner!

This is my Story! What’s yours?

This is my story! What is yours?

The Majestic of the Unknown!

“I will praise you, for You made me with fear and wonder; marvelous are your works, and You know me completely” (Psalm 139:14).

He used to invite me to follow him and tell me where to go, not at this moment!

It is so horrible to see the majestic still presence of my Lord in the face of my worst nightmare and not even turn to my help.

Until my debacle in 2008, I was used to the majestic presence of the Lord on the battlefield for me. He used to invite me to follow him and tell me where to go.

During my first 60 years of our fellowship, He had taught me that He will never leave me or forsake me.  And that knowledge was the fabric of my own being. What I did not know was that He also exercises  His Lordship in what is unknown to me.  

I understand how John felt.  He was exiled on a desert island sent there to die for his faith in Jesus Christ.  He was the closest disciple of Jesus.  He now he is old, tortured and alone.  Now he saw an aspect of Jesus unknown to him:

“When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the first and the last.”‭‭(Revelation‬ ‭1:17‬ ‭GNT‬).

The Lord is not delivering him from that exile, but He is telling John that He is ruling over all. The Lord is telling John that He is the Authority, therefore he should not fear Nero, the Emperor.

“I am the living one! I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I have authority over death and the world of the dead.” (Revelations 1:18 GNT),

All John needed was to keep his eyes on Jesus, not on  his current anguish.  The majestic presence of the Lord is all the strength and security we need in times of trouble.

In the 1980s, my Lord introduced me to the book of Colossians as a training course for all  the unknown that was in storage  in my future.  That book took hold of me and transformed me into a weapon of destruction against Satan.  However, in my deep disappointment, this counsel  was hidden from my memory for a good while. 

He is the Authority of the unknown. He rules the invisible and the visible. He has primacy in all things.

“For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through Him and for Him. Christ existed before all things, and in union with Him all things have their proper place.” ( ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1:16-17‬ ‭GNT‬‬)

The unknown has its proper place in the Lord. In 1991, He invited me to follow Him to the Shame of the Cross and I gladly did. In October 14, 2000, He didn’t invite me, He declared:

“I’ve been looking for a heart that I can trust to instill a revelation and in you, I have found it.” Then He continued, “You will take a long rest, you will be with me. You will not see, you will not hear, you will not talk. But then you will come out with a great revelation”

That same day my husband announced we have not been married for 20 years. Since his brain surgery, his character and personality changed. In his mind we have been divorced for all those years. The day before I was the love of his life, next day he saw me as a dangerous species. No amount of reasoning will convince him that we have been happily married for 40 years and we have a beautiful family.

I have no idea where I am going on this pilgrimage.  On February 15, 2008, I woke up at 3:50 AM, dreaming I was in a big convention and all of the sudden, the whole crowd completely disappeared including my husband. I was left completely alone in the largest tent, I’ve ever seen.  A place I had never been before. 

I entered the world of the unknown with the confidence that the  presence of  my Lord would lead me to a safe harbor. But instead, He was there, but immovable. That is how I found out the majestic of the unknown.

How to reconcile my confidence and shock disappointment? I came to understand His authority over the known and over the unknown.

“but even darkness is not dark for you, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are the same to you.” ( Psalm 139:12 GNT).

This is how I feel, totally protected!

Therefore, I am completely at rest, I have no idea how my earthly pilgrimage will end.  My present state is like the baby in the womb;  It is an Edenic state.  I am complete, nothing is needed, nothing is missed. The Lord Jesus has given me life, health and has supplied all my needs according to His riches in glory!

My experience with the unknown is like a tapestry woven from stunning, beautiful cords of love and strength.  My tapestry beautifies my house with blessed assurance! And  I can boldly confess that Jesus is all that matters!

This is my Story! What is Yours? 

Innate Love in Women 

Why Can a Woman Love a Child she didn’t Conceive? 

In each  woman there is an  inner mother instinct. Although not biologically,  a child may receive her ravishing love that enables him to grow healthy and joyful.

I was just a teen, when that extravagant love was developed in me. This baby was my neighbor and I poured myself out to him, as liquid love.

Three years later, I was only 17, another baby girl was born in our congregation, and she became my daughter until 3 years later when I got married. I loved those two with the same intensity and passion I love my biological children. 

Why can a woman love  with such passion and intensity a child she didn’t conceived? Because she has God given life nurturing spirit implanted in her soul.

There are so many children starving for love, let us feed them with the abundant milk of love God has placed within us. 

This is my Story!  What’s Yours ?

I was only thirteen when that extravagant love developed in me!

An Unalterable Love

I will walk in your presence with an unalterable love!

This is my prayer when I found myself at difficult crossroads of making a decision

My Gracious Father;

How long I long to run and snuggle into Your bosoms and fall asleep for an eternity! I desperately long for your presence, to feel your fragrance, to hear your heartbeat, to bathe in that liquid love of Yours that strengthens my love so that it is unalterable.

Abba, the inside of me that always feels spacious like the firmament, now it feels like a ripe, shriveled,  fruit whose skin is all wrinkled.
The often noticeable resistance of my inner being seems to be losing elasticity. I have been stretched to my limits and my stamina is slipping away. In this incomprehensible moment, I need to feel the rush of Your love that revives everything withered inside me. I command all the trillions of cells within me to magnify Your name and exalt Your wisdom!

I don’t know what the future holds for me, but my absolute delight and perfect pleasure are to love You with an unalterable love. I am weak, I am worn out, I am feeble, I don’t know how to get in or out and I’ve been thrown into a project that’s bigger than me.

Please, Father, guide my steps. You know how troubled I am; please put my tears in Your bottle. I know You’re on my side. In You, I trust! I won’t be afraid. I’ll give You my offering of thanksgiving, because You have rescued me from death and kept me from defeat. So I’ll walk in Your presence with those who love you with an unalterable love.

This is my Story! What’s Yours?

This is how my gratitude is seen in heaven!

Anguished Search

“Don’t stare at me because I am dark the sun has darkened my skin. My brothers were angry with me; they forced me to care for their vineyards, so I couldn’t care for myself–my own vineyard” (Songs 1:6 NLT).

I lost the presence of my Love because they forced me to take care of someone else’s vineyard and neglect our sweet quiet time. His presence disappeared from my garden, leaving a feeling of death in my soul. And so, I began my search, until I found the one my soul loves.

My Soul is Thirsty for you. The rivers do not contain enough water to quench my desperate thirst. The trillions of cells within me scream in agony for you. where have you gone, You, the One my soul can’t live without? Without You everything is insipid, even the salt loses its flavor. (groaning).

The clamor of all my cells is to worship you with all my might. Please, Spirit of the Living God, Wonderful Counselor, tell my Beloved that I am lovesick. Please, tell the only love of my soul that my unrequited search is unbearable for me. Where does He rest His sheep during the midday heat?

I desperate need to find my Love, my Life, the Lifter of my head, because He is my shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm. He is like streams of water in my desert. He is the shadow of a great rock in my parched land. Renew my parched soul with the streams of your presence, please.

“O maidens of Jerusalem, I command you – If you find my beloved, what will you tell him? Tell him that I am lovesick!” (Song of Solomon 5:8 NET),

I started my search with a sense of emptiness in my soul, desperate to feel the heartbeat of my Lord. And just by pronouncing some of His attributes, it turned into worship that opened the heaven and His sweet presence flooded me. And seeing myself as His beloved sheep, my agonizing search took another turn: peace in my valley!

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for allowing me the joy of feeling your presence. You never left, but for a time you hid the joy of your presence, which is my total delight.

This is my Story! What’s Yours?

As Seen in Heaven

Thank You Lord!

From my Ecclesiastes 3:11 Journal

Thanks, as seen in heaven!

The first thought and word that comes out of me when I wake up each day is: “Thank you Lord for this day.”

On the first day of 2021, when I woke up and sat on the edge of my bed to get up, I asked myself: 

“Will God receive my thanks? What effect could this have on God Almighty? Or is it just a cliché of mine?”

I find myself so bereft of the right word to express the vision the Lord gave me.  He showed me what “Thank God” looks like in heaven.  “Thank God”, is not a mere noun.  It is a living agent that flows and delights the city of God.  And quiet my spirit, casting out fear and strengthening me with joy.

As I begin to thank God, my world may be dark bronze, as the picture shows and I may be walking in a valley of the shadow of death. But, by giving thanks to God my world is changing in flashes of glory!

“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the Most High.”  (Psalms‬ ‭46:4‬ ‭MEV‬‬).

The vision given to me was like a display of animated, lively, grandiose, jazzy light that pours out of diamonds.  Each time “Thank You Lord” reaches heaven, those amazing flashes of light radiate different heavenly colors unknown on earth!

So, every time I say, “Thank you Lord,” I get a glimpse of that agent of joy flashing dazzling colors before the throne of God! Failure to recognize the Creator God, darkens your mind and you become foolish and empty. 

“Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him or give thanks to Him as God, but became futile in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

Every morning and during the day, I am so conscious of this brief, but profound revelation!  And know this the will of God. 

‭‭(Romans‬ ‭1:21‬ ‭MEV‬‬).

“In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1Thessalonians 5:8).

This is My Story? What is Yours? 

The Outcome of Missing a Loved One

WONDERFULLY COMPLEX

From my Garden of Exotic Thoughts

Excerpt from my Ecclesiastes 3:11 Journal; Nov. 13, 2017

The result of missing a loved one is a lingering emptiness in the soul. It feels like an abyss unable to reconcile. It is not a weakness, it is that we were created with that necessary emptiness in the soul that only one Person can fill, His name is Jesus. All kinds of human relationships are wonderful, but only Jesus can fill that lingering void.

God created us to live in community, not alone. He made us emotional beings and placed within us glands that produce chemicals, hormones, and neurotransmitters in our central nervous system to produce the natural drugs of happiness.

Psalm 139 states we were fearfully and wonderfully made, we can produce dopamine, serotonin , endorphins and oxytocin all these neurotransmitters are happiness producers !

All these natural substances allow our relationships to be more pleasant. And let us fully enjoy them on a soul level. Because God thought of everything good for us! God is very good!

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They cannot be numbered!” (Psalms 139:14, 17).

This is my Story! What’s Your?

What She Taught My Son!

From,  My Garden of Exotic Thoughts

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last: but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.” (Proverbs 31:30 NLT).

Although, 12 years after her departure, that woman continues  repairing the deepest cracks in my soul with her wisdom.

She was no more than five feet tall, but her heart was beyond measure. She planted 28 churches in different states and in the Dominican Republic. She founded a foundation to help the injured to provide them with wheelchairs and everything necessary to be able to rehabilitate themselves.

She also founded several medical centers for the poor and homeless.

 “Reward her for all she has done. let her deeds publicly declare her praise.” ( Proverbs 31:31)

She became so violent when her first grandchild died that she sued to snatch ten thousand souls out of darkness and bring them into the Light.

She also built different kinds of schools, from literacy, languages, home economics, agriculture and her masterpiece was the Kelbyn school in Santo Domingo.

Space and time do not allow me to say everything that little woman did in her shorts, but very well used 86 years on this earth. And she won her claim for ten thousand souls, exponentially.

She told my son, “Everybody is selling something”. He asked. “What do you mean?” She explained, “people want you to believe their opinions or their excuses. That’s doesn’t mean that you have to buy what they’re offering.”

That brief, but profound lesson left me dumbfounded. I miss her wisdom so much, I never got to fully know the depth of her wisdom. She was my pastor, my mentor, my friend and my mother. And as I am her daughter, surely this statement will be part of my patrimony. A little morsel of wisdom for my garden of exotic thoughts.

When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.” (Proverbs 31:26 NLT).

This is my Story! What’s Yours?

From, My Garden of Exotic Thoughts

Pastor María Arias, 1923-2010

A little morsel of wisdom for my garden of exotic thoughts.

There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all”
(Proverbs 31:30 NLT).

This is my Story! What’s Yours?