My Divine Notes

Psalm 112: 7   (The Voice) They will not be afraid when the news is bad because they have resolved to trust the Eternal.  “You will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.” ―  Anne Lamott Words pulled together in a string of sentences have the ability to shakeup lives. The sentences above did just that to me.   Feelings, stories, blog posts, conversations with God and rants have crossed my brain over the last nine months, but they refused to be permanently recorded until today. The fact is: My heart is broken. It’s broken in a million tiny pieces that can never be put ...

Ecclesiastes 7:10 Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise. Admit it. You've done it. At one time or another, many of us indulge in remembering how good the past was when in reality – just maybe – it  wasn't   Perhaps it is human nature to look back through rose colored glasses to remember the good old days.  I've  done that, but then, in retrospect, I realize that the past  wasn't  that great. I've  just been through a long walk in the valley of shadows and I’m glad to be out of it. At times I remembered the good old days and I even wondered “what if I…” or “what if I  didn't …” Frankly, both options do not matter.   Don’t look back.   Move forward. God is a step ahead of you. 

Romans 12:10 Love each other in a way that makes you feel close like brothers and sisters. And give each other more honor than you give yourself.  I've  been thinking about how harsh we can be with people around us whether it’s folks who work with us, neighbors, workers at the stores we go to, and especially with people who are closest to us. It’s like we forget that we are forgiven and that God’s grace doesn’t discriminate based on the level of sin we’ve committed.  Sin is going to catch up with us … believe it.  No one is immune. Our “self-honor”  doesn't  allow us to see what deep burdens or hang ups others deal with… Next time we start to criticize or show how witty we can be, we should consider honoring the other person more than ourselves. It just may change the words from our mouths and the thoughts of our hearts. I’m making an effort to be kinder. I am. 

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 ...