My Divine Notes

April 14, 2013 (Biblegateway.com App) 2 Corinthians 5:8 (KJV) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Many of us have been praying for Pastor Rick Warren and his family over the loss of his precious son, Matthew. Pastor Rick shared this tweet a few days ago, “After 4 days, finally got to see my son’s body. He wasn't in it anymore. “Absent from the body is to be home with the Lord.” It struck a tender cord in my heart.  My own mother left her earthly body in December and those very words are what jolted me back to reality.  I stayed alone with Mom’s body for a few hours before the funeral home’s employees arrived. It seemed fitting since I had been by her side during a very long illness. She knew and I knew she would leave this world, but nothing prepares one for the jolt of seeing a loved one’s lifeless body. That includes those of us who are fully equipped by the Lord to minister to the...

Written: March 3, 2013 Genesis 19:14 …one of the messengers gave this instruction: Messenger:   Now run!   Run for your lives! Don’t look back or stop anywhere in the plain. Head for the hills, or you’ll die along with everyone else. Go! Don't look back! There’s no going back. The story of Lot and his wife fascinates because many of us can’t help but continue to remember and stay in pasts that have been forgotten in God’s eyes. God is a place of safety, but our flesh is torn between here and now instead of eternal bliss. Living a life that’s focused on God is such a privilege. What if God let me do life as I preferred on my own terms? ·        What would I be interested in? ·        Who would my friends would be? ·        How I would spend my free time? ·        What I would care about? ·        Who ...

My ministry is all about sharing my experiences and what works for me, so you can be encouraged. These tips help maintain my JOY through the wilderness: 1. I confess my weaknesses and I ask for forgiveness. This one is hard because you have to say these things out loud and talk it over with the Holy Spirit. 2. I also confess my weaknesses to my accountability partner. When you don’t confess to a trusted Christian friend, the enemy can put guilt trips all over your mind! 3. I fight the enemy by confessing out loud, “May the blood of Jesus Christ repel and rebuke the enemy!” I learned this from my grandmother. 4. I don’t blame the enemy for everything because most of the time I get in my own way. I have to be brutally honest with myself and the Holy Spirit, so I can do effective ministry. This is an ongoing growth area for me. 5. The most important thing is to keep an open dialogue with the Holy Spirit – I talk out loud – I praise out loud – I confess out loud! 6. I realize th...

My First Communion Day with Tia Lupita  I was born into a deeply devout Catholic family  so it was natural for me to be moved by the selection of a new Pope.  We attended Spanish/Latin Mass at 7 a.m. every  Sunday and I went to Catechism class each Wednesday (when I  didn't  play hooky with my best friend...sorry grandmother).  J    I also celebrated my First Communion, Confirmation and  Quinceañera   with full blown Mexican-American family celebrations. My mother celebrating my Quinceanera with me. It was a big deal. Along the journey, most of the family left the church except my mom.  We found different congregations to fellowship and worship the Lord.  I dropped church and belief in God altogether for many years. But I returned to the Shepherd’s fold when my child was born, for her sake I say, but God caught my heart and that was a game changer – I fell deeply in love with the Lord. We ...

March 6, 2013 Hebrews 13:8  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. I’m feeling nostalgic today after making one last trek to the department store of my childhood. Our downtown Macy’s, formerly Foley’s , is set to close this weekend. The store holds treasured memories of family and friends who joined me on many shopping journeys.   My brother and I rode downtown on many a Saturday with our grandparents. The guys would drop us off at Foley’s for what seemed like hours. My grandmother would inspect all the merchandise and buy clothes for me. I remember wearing many fashions I  didn't  like just to please her. My best friend who passed away many years ago was another shopping companion. We’d buy elephant pants and other "hip" 70s clothing at Foley's. Mostly, we loved riding the escalators and looking at makeup. Later when the name changed, I shopped at Macy’s with my daughter, friends and colleagues for many years.   ...

Psalm 25:12 (The Voice) MAY anyone who fears the Eternal be shown the path he should choose. What a morning!  Today I finally woke up and listened to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I've been in the valley of the shadow of death for a while and I’m not going to couch it with glamour. It has been deep and dark and my soul was stuck in park. What makes this revelation interesting is that I have a very vibrant relationship with the Holy Spirit … but…well…I was carrying on a very vibrant, one-sided relationship with the Lord!   It’s like telling your significant others that you love them, but it’s only from your mouth! I've  starting the process of digging out of my funk by reaching out boldly and humbly to God and telling him that  I've  been attempting to do it by Blanca’s self! You see, Blanca, is known for doing thing life on her own!   I keep falling back into my old habits. I have to take captive all my own wandering...

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.