My Divine Notes

  Psalm 16:8,11   I know the Lord is always with me.     I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. You will show me the way of life,     granting me the joy of your presence     and the pleasures of living with you forever. Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image and likeness.  Mark 6:31b-32a   He said to them, “Come away by yourselves, and we will go to a lonely place to get some rest.” So they went in a boat by themselves to a lonely place. Don’t let the busyness of your life get in the way of spending time knowing the heart of God who made you in His own likeness. So many of us have the best of intentions, I know I do. I want to do it all: I want to write, tweet, FaceBook, care for my family/friends/others, take care of my cats, handle my job and the ministries I’m called to do, plus I must keep up with daily responsibilities as you do. Where does this leave God in all my busynes...

Psalm 31:19 How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. When did we stop being just plain good to each other? When did we decide manners, common sense and courtesy no longer matter? These are questions I've been asking myself especially after reading a blog post in Church and Culture by James Emery White on how Christians have missed the opportunity to rise above the moral, social and political upheavals in this generation.  We, who know Christ, and who are called His Body, have reacted without unity and Christ-likeness in this environment of meanness. But the thing is if you are a Christian, you probably don’t think this post is about you. But it is. We must all take responsibility.   You, who rants about those who don't belong to your  political party; you, who casts the first stone when someone sins differently...

Philippians 2:13 (TLB) -  For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants. There was an air of expectancy when I stepped through sacred doors recently.  What is God going to do today?  The thought had briefly crossed my mind earlier in the day. One more door, open one more door. I did.  I  wasn't  disappointed.

  1 Peter 1:8   You have not seen Christ, but still you love him.  You cannot see him now, but you believe in him. So you are filled with a joy that cannot be explained, a joy full of glory.9 And you are receiving the goal of your faith—the salvation of your souls. The Lord is my consuming priority.  Sharing what he does for me is what my life is all about – it’s why I was made.  God has given me a clear purpose of my life!   I am here to encourage you to seek that love and guidance that God wants to give you, too.    Find out what God has planned for you!  No matter what you are going through, let God be with you and guide your choices! 

The moment when your heart grieves for all who #suffer...when the Lord shows you that  #CompassionMatters.  @BlancaV 1 John 3:11 The Voice (VOICE) 11  The central truth—the one you have heard since the beginning   of your faith —is that we must love one another. Today I cried tears of compassion for everyone who is suffering. The Lord showed me what real compassion looks like:   It has no face. I cried for everyone who has no home, no homeland, no hope, no God. I cried for everyone who can’t figure out why they do what they do. I cried for those who have everything yet who are silently desperate. I cried for those who have suffered the unfathomable loss of a loved one, of health and of hope. Compassion Matters to God. You Matter to God.

July 7, 2013 Remember the story of the woman who poured oil over the feet of Jesus, wept and kissed him? Luke 7:36-40 The Voice Luke 7:36-40 The Voice translation  Once a Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to be a guest for a meal. Picture this: Just as Jesus enters the man’s home and takes His place at the table, a woman from the city—notorious as a woman of ill repute—follows Him in. She has heard that Jesus will be at the Pharisee’s home, so she comes in and approaches Him, carrying an alabaster flask of perfumed oil. Then she begins to cry, she kneels down so her tears fall on Jesus’ feet, and she starts wiping His feet with her own hair. Then she actually kisses His feet, and she pours the perfumed oil on them. That's how I felt.  Yesterday I had a memorable “point in time.”  My ear tuned to a melody:  “ The King of Heaven’s Armies is right here by my side . “   Tears trickled down my cheeks unexpectedly. The Lord knows my real...

Ecclesiastes 3:12 I know the best thing we can do is to always enjoy life…  Death comes unexpectedly. It creeps up on unfinished lives; lives whose business may not be finished. Death signals the end of relationships; it leaves memories. The body is extinguished lifeless; the spirit soars away. Death changes those who remain. Death has changed me…yet again…within a span of six weeks. The thing I know for sure is that love matters. That connection…that love tie that binds humans…love never dies. Memories remain. Making memories takes an added urgency after death deals its harsh blows. Death reminds us to be in the moments that matter. Death reminds us to take time for things that make memories. Death insists that we not take those we love for granted. Death takes away time. Time is life. Life is priceless. Love those who matter. Laugh. Hug. Love like there’s no tomorrow. 

December 9, 2012 Isaiah 41:10  Don’t be afraid, because I am with you. Don’t be intimidated; I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will support you with my victorious right hand. Add your own issue and it becomes your story -- ·        Injury. ·        Hospitalization. ·        Incapacitation. ·        Loss of independence. ·        Long and painful rehabilitation. It’s easy to be overwhelmed when we tumble into deep, unexpected valleys and find ourselves with interrupted lives. Why not write? The journey has been interesting for me because I  didn't  let go of the hand of God. I screamed out in pain, I never doubted God was with me through my trauma. So why did I stop blogging and writing about the journey?   I had not been able to put into words what God revealed ...

Exodus 34:1 Then the Lord told Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones. I will write on them the same words that were on the tablets you smashed. I’ve seen God’s grace and love toward his people from Genesis to Revelation. The LORD is patient - very patient - just read the story of Moses. I’ve always been fascinated by the way God let Moses get away with breaking the first tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were written. God knows our possibilities and our hearts. He encouraged Moses when the journey seemed impossible. Moses pressed into God for reassurance. He asked for help – and God responded. And, even after Moses busted up the Ten Commandments tablet, God allowed Moses to see His glory! (Exodus 33:15-23) O God, I want to see your glory!     He isn’t surprised by your heart or mine. Our God is a God of second chances. Our God is a personal God. Get to know Him.

June 3, 2012 John 8:43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! The religious establishment never liked Jesus because he rattled their chains and shook their comfort zones. The Jews who had believed in him - and even his own disciples had a hard time believing he was the Savior of the world. Jesus wasted no time in telling the unbelievers that they chose to do the devil’s desires. As I read the Scriptures relevant to this note, I kept asking the Lord to reveal his message. There’s simply no way to sugarcoat the fact that God’s plan is perfect. We simply get to choose whether we believe or not. Follow or not. Sin or not. Whether we tell ourselves that our sins are small, medium, large or extra-large – it’s all the same to God. And, if we can’t decide whether God is real or not. Fine. But the fact remains is that God is God. When we decide to go with the moral-less majority and favor same-sex marriage, the right to get rid of ...

These tips are for me to ponder because I have to work on improving my relationships all the time . I'm so imperfect... In my case, I know that the love of Christ helps me honor others even when I don't like them or agree with them. I know it's possible to make our personal opinions known in a loving, courteous and respectful way. Twitter Tip #1 for Christians : We're all measured by what we post on Twitter. Remember that we are to represent Christ first . Twitter Tip #2 for Christians : If you use Christian in your Twitter or FaceBook bio, remember it's not about you. Don't embarrass the Lord...or the rest of us... Twitter Tip #3 for Christians : If you must use street language, poke fun at others and say rude things, please don’t include Christian in your bio. Twitter Tip #4 for Christians : Don't use Christian or wisdom in your name or bio if you are going to promote secular "wisdom" or make statements that con...

Proverbs 27:9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. I am writing this note because I have been blessed with friends whom I consider gifts from God. I am a blessed woman because I have known the love of friends since I was a child. It amazes me the way that God wired us to love certain people enough to call them friends. I have an assortment of friends, men and women, who are very different in race, education, economic status, career, job and religious status. Each one of them brings a unique perspective to my life. I love those moments when we both agree without ever saying a word. Some of my closest friends don’t even live close by. Yet it’s like they are next door. Before social media made life more accessible, we would trade letters – gasp! That always blows me away. Some of these friends may not necessarily feel as passionately about God as I do or even believe he exists. And it still works because God knows ...

Psalm 103:17 But the Lord's love for those who respect him continues forever and ever, and his goodness continues to their grandchildren. Me, my sister and our grandmother. My grandmother came to know God intimately later in life. I followed in her footsteps. I remember how passionately she loved God. It was crazy love. She woke up early to pray and to talk to God. She constantly talked about God’s love and goodness to everyone. She ministered to people in hospitals. I followed in her footsteps. Family members say I even have her tough attitude. J I smile as I remember thinking how crazy she was about the Lord. As a teenager, she embarrassed me with all that God talk . Little did I know that I would be zapped with God’s forever love and that it would change my entire life, too!   \0/ Now I’m crazy in love with the Lord! Like grandmother, like granddaughter - God's forever love continues.  

11-11-11 Psalm 103 8 The Lord is tender and kind. He is gracious. He is slow to get angry. He is full of love. 9 He won't keep bringing charges against us. He won't stay angry with us forever. 10 He doesn't punish us for our sins as much as we should be punished. He doesn't pay us back in keeping with the evil things we've done. 11 His love for those who have respect for him is as high as the heavens are above the earth. Many people who have book or religious knowledge of God tend to fear him. They may blame God for unanswered prayers. They may feel unworthy to go to him because they aren’t walking on the straight path. Some folks just don’t even know if they believe in God, but they hear that small, still voice in their hearts. That small, still voice tends to stay with us until we finally make that connection to God. I want to assure you that God is a compassionate and loving father. There’s nothing that you have done (or failed to do) that he...

November 2, 2011   1 Corinthians 13:3b But I gain nothing if I do not have love. Deep down on many levels, I was always afraid to love because I didn’t trust.  As I’ve come to know the everlasting and limitless love of Jesus Christ, I have to make changes to the way I love. I still find myself falling into the old habits of judging, hedging and hesitating because I may be hurt or disappointed. When I do not love unconditionally, I shut out the gifts God wants to give others through me and vice versa. I’ve come to realize that I am selfish when I don’t love. I don’t have to like those I love, but something amazing happens when you love people you really don’t like. They become “like-candidates” because you realize that God wired them, so they must have a purpose -- even if you can’t figure out what it might be.  J And that’s fine. In essence, loving God means loving others. Love because God loves you. I f God made us and asks us to love, why don’t we try it? Why no...

Psalm 36:5-7 5 Your unfailing love, O L ord , is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. 6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O L ord . 7 How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.  My cat, Jack, adopted me for 15 years. Last night a longtime friend went to bed with a sad heart. His family’s beloved pet dog died. Death catches us unexpectedly at times and it makes us consider the things that are really important in our lives. This morning I woke up thinking about that sweet little dog and it brought to mind my own loss. Almost 10 years ago, a big white cat who owned my heart for 15 years died. My heart was sad for many years after Jack’s physical presence left my life. As I sit here this morning thinking about how animals make a difference in our lives, it’s hard not to consider the tie tha...

July 8, 2011 2 Peter 3:17 (GW)   Dear friends, you already know these things. So be on your guard not to be carried away by the deception of people who have no principles. Then you won't fall from your firm position. I rarely watch television anymore, but I stumbled on a show that I watched two nights in a row, and I realized that I can’t go along with popular culture anymore. I recall never batting an eye at the sex, drugs, alcohol and unhealthy behaviors that Hollywood and the media bring into our homes through the television, radio, movies, videos and other emerging technologies. But last night, I was jolted when a grandmotherly woman told a younger woman that she should live with her boyfriend, so they can decide if they are compatible marriage partners. This woman (who was the young man’s mother) went on to say that it’s the twenty-first century and that the young woman should not be old-fashioned!    Before God took the veil off my eyes, I would never have blinke...

June 26, 2011 1 Corinthians 9:23 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings. To not be bold means that someone doesn’t get eternal life (John 3:16). A sermon by Andy Stanley really dared me to be bolder about sharing the amazing things that God does in my life. This particular day I was paying for shoes at one of my favorite shops. The twenty-something sales clerk commented how she liked clothes - she has so many clothes that she has taken all the closet space at her home, leaving only a few drawers for her boyfriend. I felt a deep sadness that this young woman was already sharing a home with someone who didn’t make her his wife before he tasted the dessert. As we continued talking, I knew that I’d have to say something. As she wrapped my purchase, I told her that I hoped she knew that she was loved, valued and treasured by God. I could tell that it made her feel special but uncomfortable. I continued by saying that she deserved marriage instead of s...

June 5, 2011   Psalm 91:14 The Lord says, "Whoever loves me, I will save. I will protect those who know me. 15 They will call to me, and I will answer them. I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue them and honor them. My Mother is very ill. She has had a tough weekend. On Friday night, we didn’t know if she was going to make it. Saturday was another tough day. Today, it all turned around.   Earlier in the day, my brother said she wasn’t improving.   But when I walked into the Intensive Care Unit everything had turned around. She was fully awake and responsive. Even her nurse said that she had improved greatly over the last few hours. I feel great peace because I know that this was another favor from God. His hand is on this journey and I know it. I know the following things for sure: I love God and I spend quality time getting to know him I have invested time in reading and understanding the Bible, so I can know his heart Knowing where to go in the...