Welcome This is My Story: What is yours?

The mention of His name is not just a title of a song. Whenever I mention,  even a pronoun of Him, not  just His name, I experience a sweet, warm feeling of His nearness in the atmosphere.  Just to be conscious of the Lord Jesus Christ, His loving kindness and His majesty change the  environment.

In His name we find comfort! This is my story:

 A few years ago we were invited to a very nice birthday celebration and not even  in my wildest dream, I could have imagined what was going to take place. The whole environment was beautiful and very friendly. In that safe family setting, no one expects to fall prey to a paranoid schizophrenic. Sadly, that was the case. We were taken by surprise, we didn’t see it coming until the assault was face to face with us. It was a very traumatic encounter, mainly for one of my daughters.

The other night before I went to bed, I walked down an alley of memories. A vivid memory of that painful scene came up to me. It felt like a stab in my heart and I plunged into a feeling of sadness and helplessness. I knew that going to bed with that hostile feeling was useless for a goodnight rest. But what to do when the blows of life hit us inadvertently leaving us emotionally paralyzed?  My success story over and over again, is just a little talk with the Lord Jesus Christ, He is my Strong Tower and I feel secure in Him. He is my Hidden Place and His name is my Guarantee for open heavens!

I asked the Lord to give me a Word for me to stand firm until that defeated feeling be overcome. John 14:27  shone in my mind!  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not  let  your heart be troubled and  do not be afraid.”

 While I was repeating it over and over,  the soothing presence of the Lord was replacing the feeling of hopelessness with a feeling of  warrior feeling to defend the feeble. Then, in that peaceful atmosphere, my memory shifted.

Different Aim:

Now that the turmoil of that memory is gone, and in the comfort of my bed, I began to meditate on the persecuted church and on all those people fleeing the war. How they have suffered unspeakable abuse and they  have no voice. How wounded are their souls! Then I began to pray for their emotions, because time heals physical wounds, but wounded souls need to be restored by the grace of God.

The most cruel and unbearable pain I have suffered was the death of my son. Since then, I have set out in my heart not to waste any pain, but to learn something out of it  to bless others.

That night, I realized how easily we can fall into depression caused by small things. The helplessness caused by that memory served as a mean of enlightening  my mind to see the suffering that plagues so many in the world. Then I was grateful, to have relived it  because it turned into an awareness of something sublime, to be a voice for the voiceless. The Book of Wisdom, Proverbs 31:8-9 commands us to:

“Speak out on behalf of the voiceless, and for the rights of all who are vulnerable. speak out in order to judge with righteousness and to defend the needy and the poor.”

My experience brings to mind the Apostle Paul, he was having a hard situation and asked God to remove it. After the third time of his pleading with the Lord for being delivered from that situation, this is the answer from God:

“But  he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”   2 Corinthians 12:9.

This truth has been so real in my life, the grace of God is sufficient for any trial. When we think we cannot take one step forward, His grace sustains us. In our weakness we depend more and more on God, that way we see His power manifest in a greater dimension.

God governs the world and everything that happens has a purpose. Sometimes it may look meaningless to us, it could seem unfair, but when we trust the Lord and His wisdom, sooner than later we understand. With that comprehension comes a peace and gratitude that we can sincerely thank Him.

The Apostle Paul understood that whatever was being a torment for him at that present time, it was only a glorious chievement…

“for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”  2 Corinthians 4:17-18

When we take an issue that torments us and compare to the issues others are going through, we pray in the authority of the name of Jesus for those people that we don’t even know. Our prayers do miracles that one day in heaven many will come and thank us. From the comfort of our homes, we can pray for others in different continents and God will send angels to help them. While we are concerned for others, God has angels working in our behalf. This is how we respond to the blows of life!

This is my story! what is yours?

“Love never gives up, never loses faith,

 is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” 

1 Corinthians 13:7

They were young and eager to start a family and a business. Everything seemed perfect for this couple. Forty years in the making produced beautiful adventures of hope and joy. Those who were struggling in their relationship were encouraged by them.

All his dreams were realized, a beautiful family and a flourish business. The respect and admiration that both of them felt for each other were undeniable.  But, one day the incomprehensible happened.  All that respect and love he felt for her, as if by magic, were  changed into hatred and disdain. The way that he poured out his scorn for her, deleted  any trace of  good memories  cultivated in 40 years.

The days after the divorce:

Driving alone was a martyrdom, she was so used to being with him. Now she felt that the eyes of all the drivers were on her. She wondered if they were thinking, “Why will she drive alone in that car?” It was very shameful for her.

A truck pulling a boat, a truck with a trailer, a couple in a car, etc. all those things  reminded her of him,  it was like a thorn stuck in her heart. Many painful years, no idea  what happened.

Love never ends:

The Holy Scriptures reveals that love never ends. Sadly, divorce has come to be the road more traveled by many. Nevertheless, she has  understood the great truth about love. It does not end, it moves to another person.

The love of God in the heart of an individual is like a glue to unite  hearts. Knowing and having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is the key to overcoming all tragedies, no matter how cruel it may be.

After years of solitude with the Lord in His Word and completing  the grieving process, she is enjoying  a life that she never thought possible.  She is full of joy and love.  She has known and experienced the love she never dreamed of. Her experience with the Lord Jesus,  has  transformed her into a confident woman without  lack of anything, because she knows that He is all that she needs.

It’s amazing how things have turned around. Those things that were like a thorn stuck in her heart, now has no effect  whatsoever  in her. No matter how hard she tries to remember a good  memory, it does not emerge.  Her soul is so healed that sadness has no place in her. The love she had for him has been allocated in a different direction.   She is so full of joy with a fresh new love for life,  that she does not  even mind to have walked  that shameful road.  

No pain is lost, everything has a purpose in God.  No affliction is meaningless, it’s producing  something, is working  for you an eternal weight of glory.  2 Corinthians 4:16-18, affirms this great truth.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary trouble are achieving  for us an eternal glory that are  far out weights them all.  So we  fix our eyes not on what  is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

I affirm this is true! How do I know it? Because this is my story.

The importance of having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is that, among other things, He assures us that we never walk alone.

Only the Lyrics are Messed up

–Anonymous

Life is full of charms, of beautiful surprises and scary ones also! But this combination of things forms in us character which makes us stronger enabling us to enjoy this beautiful melody. Life is so short.  It just happens as a blink of an eye, as a breath, a vapor passing by through, but there is also something eternal about life which is extremely worthwhile. In our lives we long for meaning and for belonging. There is an infinite silence that only turns audible when Jesus Christ becomes the Lord in our hearts. Then the arms of grace are extended towards us, embrace us and fill us with that sense of belonging. That gives us significance and security.  Armed with these marvelous tools, we  start our earthly journey with confidence.

My marriage life was the most beautiful melody, perfection all around us! The sweet lyrics of joy and enchantment used to attract others to admire our melody. We were blessed with the most gorgeous baby boy that grew up to be the most charming young man.

twenty-two  years later, we were assaulted with the cruelest, most inhuman surprise ever imaginable! Our charming son with a perfect health was poisoned. No, the melody was not messed up, the lyrics was destroyed beyond repair! I have no point of reference to express my pain, my disappointment, I lost it completely!

Seventeen years later, there was another assault as unimaginable as the first. My lovely husband of 41 years had a brain surgery and all of the sudden his character changed, and I became a stranger to him. Another agony, another stage of my life! What’s going on with the melody that started so beautiful?  I entered into a new world of the unknown. The only way I can compare this path is with a labyrinth where I have found different companies. I met head on with divorce! Never in my wildest dream I imagined hosting such detestable company. Eleven years has passed, and I am still going through the labyrinth. Several times I am so sure the completion of this journey is around the corner only to realize is just a mirage. But through it all, the melody goes on! It cannot be dissolved, because life is the melody of God in us. God gave the song in His Son!

How to Fix Messed up Lyrics?

Word is a synonym for lyrics. Words are powerful and I dare to believe words are the most powerful force in our universe. God Almighty created it all with words, He declared, and it was. The Sacred Scriptures in Genesis 1:3 states the first time a word was spoken:

“And God said, let there be light: and there was light.” All good and bad things are byproducts of words. This is the reason for the title for this publication. God spoke everything into creation, except man.

God is One in Three Persons and in Genesis 1:2, we see the first Person of God that is introduced was the Holy Spirit, moving upon the face of the waters. Verse 1 states that God created as an introduction, then proceeds with details of the creation. The Spirit is moving, but until the Word was spoken the chaos remained intact. We can see the awesome power of the Word. Words are not just abstract objects. They are like effective ammunitions that facilitate life or death. The tongue is the vehicle that it is used to articulate words, it is a very strong muscle in our bodies. The Sacred Scripture has much to say about it.

 

“…I came not to bring peace, but a sword…Your enemies will be right in your own household!” Matthew 10:34, 36 NLT

Wow! This is really shocking coming from the mouth of the Prince of peace! I heard someone saying that ignorance kills and I believe it. Isaiah 40:8, declares that the Word of our God stands forever and it has been proven. The Word of God is a treasure and is hidden safely so that only those who dig diligently find it.

The New Testament was written in the Greek language, which is totally different than ours. Example, Greek has six different words to express love and we just have one, so this explains some of our difficulties in understanding. I imagine the ancient Greek would have been appalled by our unrefined in using a single word both to love a person and to love a meal. So with this said, I propose to explain what’s going on in this passage.

The Lord is preparing His disciples, equipping them with His prophetic Word for them to be strong enough to withstand what was ahead of them. Genesis 12 tells the story of Abram’s call to leave all he knew to come to an unknown place. God was interested in preparing a place of salvation for humanity. The man had become depraved and was in complete enmity with God. Through the seed of Abraham, God will send his Son to give his life as a ransom for humanity that has been in Satan’s possession. And Galatians 4:4, tells us:
“But when the fullness of time came, God send forth His Son, born from a woman, born under the law,”

The Lord is training His disciples that will stay without His physical leadership, after He is taken back to heaven. He is given them all the details of things to come and they must be strong not to deny God. He places a strong emphasis on His teaching so that they keep it in their spirit. The disciples are as sheep among wolves and He wanted them to be secured and strong. Israel was desperate for a King to deliver them from Rome. They expected a King to come to fight for them. The Lord came to fight, He said it clear:

“I came not to bring peace, but a sword…”

He came to defeat the enemy, the real enemy, Satan.  Light and darkness entered mortal combat.

” In Him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. The light shines in darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5).

The Lord came to undo the works of the devil and that revolutionized the kingdom of darkness by urging strife within the same family. This is an eternal business affair. This is like when a parent is facing with the tragic situation of his child destroying his life with drugs. Would that father be okay with the drugs for tranquility’ sake. What about if you see your son or your father sexually abusing a child, wouldn’t that turn you against him? When the sin in us is confronted with the Light of Christ, is immediately revolted.

Thus the Lord is summarizing His teaching with this, “For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother,…” (Matthew 10:35).

Jesus is not commanding people to kill people, He is talking about sin.  Sin separates us from God and from other people. Sin sends people to hell which is eternal separation from God. Jesus loves us so much that He gave His life for us. He died our own death, so that we can live His life today.

NO! Jesus is not anti-family! Jesus is pro-family! He loves family! Through His blood He made us all family. Because of His death, we have been adopted by God.
“For you have not received the spirit of slavery again to fear. But you have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, Abba, Father.” (Romans8:15).

Proverbs 8:31, says that wisdom who is Jesus , “…My delights were with the sons of men.”

The Lord finished His discourse, “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39).

This is what the Lord taught us in Luke 10:27, “…You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.”

No the Lord Jesus is NOT Anti-family!

The story behind this prayer:

July 14, 2018, on my way to our prayer meeting, long before dawn and while driving,  I was doing my favorite thing, talking to my Lord!

And as I started to bring my brother before the throne of mercy, my whole journey appeared before me. And as I started to see all the frighten valleys I was forced to go through, and I started to declare what the Lord was for me in each valley!

“You are my Consolation in the valley of affliction,
My Gladness in my happiness,
My Peace in the turmoil,
The Well-Being in pain,
The Softness in rudeness,
My Light in darkness,
My Love in hatred,
My Solace in restlessness,
My Rest in agitation,
My constant Company in loneliness,
My Acceptance in rejection,
My Strength in weakness,
My Father in the orphanage,
My Husband in repudiation,
My Refuge in abandonment,
My Security in uncertainty,
My Strong Confidence in death,
The Water that quenches my thirst,
You are the One who lifts up my head,
You are my Hope of glory!
You are my King, Savior, Lord and God!
You are my Everything!!”

This time the prayer was not for me, but for you my brother. I know the Lord wants to be for you,  all He was and is for me, also. I don’t want to smother you with text or calls, but whenever you need an ear, here you have two. You can get in touch with me whichever way you are pleased with.  I’m praying for you, my brother. I love you. May God bless you with His shalom peace!

“In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and it will be a refuge for his children.”    Proverbs‬ ‭14:26‬ .
‭‭
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10.

My story is a garden of exotic thoughts.

-Diana Quintero

The story behind this title. I met a person that became very dear to me.  One day we paused our conversation and he excused himself to call me back a little bit later. The whole afternoon was gone and at about 24 hours  later, he responded. But, while I was waiting many thoughts roamed my mind, “what about if anything bad  happened to him?  Or ” Was it my last conversation not proper? Etc. Many things came to my mind, then I just said to myself: “De espanto no muero!” which in English means  “I am cured of fright!”

And later I found out that nothing serious happened, just that something went wrong with the connection. I have seen it all, from death to divorce, which for me that covers the whole  spectrum’s devastation. And I’ve been there, but God has brought me out with a stunning triumph! In the Sacred Scriptures, in the Book of Genesis chapter 37, we find the amazing, but  intriguing story of Joseph. He was a dreamer. It’s dangerous to tell your dreams to people who don’t dream. His brothers hated him because he was his dad’s favorite. One day they took his special gown off and sold him as a slave. Now the favorite son wound up in the house of a high officer of Pharaoh.  He has been mistreated, naked, sold, accused of immoral act, not believed by his boss and thrown in jail. He is innocent of all charges, but apparently he has no voice, no one to defend him. He seems to be forgotten by all including God. All the hell Joseph went through was to get his dreams realized. God gives us a dream and we rejoice and share it, but God does not show us the process. From the onset of the dream to the fulfillment of, there is a long stretch. Betrayal, abandonment, losing it all, being total alone in an unknown country, not knowing the language or culture, it was a helpless situation to the natural eyes. But that was the process to graduate him as the second man in power of the greatest empire of the time.

The process of Joseph started by taking his gown off and fabricating a big lie about his presume beast’s attack that devoured him. This is my story, it’s similar to Joseph’s.  Joseph’s began with dreams and God also gave me a dream in August 11, 1982. That prophetic dream was giving me the details of my firstborn son’s death. He showed me his death, but covered my understanding. That dream became a reality on July 24, 1991. His death was devastating to me. My soul was broken beyond repair, my life changed to a before and an after. I felt betrayed, abandoned, I felt there was not a creature worst than I in the whole  planet.  Losing my child made me feel  I should be the curse of cursing. To make the long story short, God restored my soul, as the Creator that He is. The Lord replaced my son with the most gorgeous grandchild and God gave me a new song! A new hope, a new life! The healing process was completed in 1995, five years later. In another opportunity I’ll write my grieving/ healing process.

Seventeen years later, just like Joseph’s age, another tsunami storm type assaulted me! Celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary, all looked ready to start to enjoy the results of all those years of hard work. A beautiful marriage, amazing children and grandchildren and a beautiful congregation. Both of us  were 60 years old, financially comfortable and ready for a restful life. Suddenly appeared a pituitary tumor in my husband, and surgery was soon needed and the wonderful husband, loving father and venerable man of God changed overnight. Me, as well as the children, became outsiders for him. He acted out of his character. In the story of Joseph, the brothers that hated him were the sons of concubines, not of Leah’s. They were the illegitimate children of Leah’s and Rachael’s maidservants. Reuben and Judah were sons of the legitimate wife, not of a simple mistress and they defended Joseph.

In our case, the children of maidservants, were some that in 40 years of our marriage we have not been related to; all of the sudden gathered together and formed a big alliance against God.  About Joseph’s   ” They said to one another, “Here comes this master of dreams! Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!”’ Genesis 37:19-20.

These so called my husband’s relatives acted like the hateful Joseph’s illegitimate brothers forming a strong support group to destroy the ministry of this man of God. And they did.

How to handle this betrayal, this incredible blow? How you respond to people you have loved and served for many years and now in your anguish they desert you? Acts 20:24 is the Motto of my life:

“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

And I have lived it. My life after my son’s death is victorious, I am not afraid of death or anything because I have the assurance of God’s presence within me. After my son’s death, God gave me a new soul as strong as love. There is nothing stronger than love. I love and pray for the people that destroyed my husband. I know they will face the Lord one day and I tremble at that thought. How I respond to this poor people that almost destroyed me? I respond with the compassion of Christ, my Lord. I pity them and pray for them to  repent, so that all the evil they did to us they can reverse to do good now.

Every time I pray and love them, I get younger and healthier. The inner beauty of the love of the Lord permeates through me and people finds me pretty. No grudge, no resentment, but love God and love people, are the keys for being healthy, joyful and stunning beautiful! When you have my Acts 20:24 Motto, there are no weapons against you, you are above all! I am full of JOY!    “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

The Whole Spectrum of Fright

It’s under my feet. De espanto no muero= I am cured of fright! Praise God!