Seeking

In the last two years , Husband and I have asked for your prayers as we have been training with the Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship , AKA IBCD, to be better equiped to come alongside of others. IBCD training consists of watching online videos on different topics like the sufficiency of God's word in contrast to psychology, taking exams and interviewing with an elder. We are thankful that we have finished two out of three levels . The third consists of reading two books, writing a response paper on each, another interview and observation hours of counseling. Please continue praying for us as we work toward completing these steps by the end of the year, wisdom on whether to pursue formal certification with ACBC  next and faithfulness to apply what we are learning in our own hearts, relationships and church.   Also, we recently had the blessing of attending IBCD's annual conference and learned so much - over 600 attended! Below are a few of my own encourag...

My husband has had the blessing of being discipled by one of our elders, the last several years. Because of this, the elder is well aware of our desires and journey with missions. His own experience includes previously playing for and now working with MLB. In 2025, this friend told Rick about an opportunity to serve as a volunteer chaplain for the Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino ...in Spanish.  We began to pray.  In January 2026, Husband began working on and submitted his application. Weeks went by, but he did not get a reply. The elder found out the website was down. A new link was provided, so he submitted a second application and received confirmation and offer the next day. Within that same week, he was advised to seek counsel from 2 other elders and discuss the potential impact to Sunday service. He did so and was encouraged to move forward . One of the greatest blessings was when we were told this opportunity would be presented to our elder board, so they cou...

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a series of unfortunate events and responded in the flesh? On Sunday, May 11, 2025, Husband and I traveled to France to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, and we had a WONDERFUL TIME! But on our way to LAX [who likes flying out of LAX? Crickets - lol], our airline canceled our flight, and we were rebooked for the next day. Since we were close to the airport, we pressed onward to check-in and see if there was another flight we could catch. We had two options but had to be on standby for a completely booked flight. 5 minutes prior to departure, a staff member said we could board.  All seemed to be back on track, especially when I was given a seat with extra leg room. We landed at J.F.K. only to walk across the terminal to catch our connecting flight in 5 minutes. At this point, I was thankful to be sitting next to Husband...but not thankful for the turbulence . You know it's bad when the attendants sit down. Let's just say, I felt ...

Do you ever get to the point like giving up on something or someone? Knowing there is nothing you can do to change it or them? Feeling defeated, like your prayers are going unheard? Last fall, there were a few situations I became discouraged over, and I remember telling my husband my angst on our way home from church. He graciously responded, 'It's a good place to be' and pointed me to the Lord. We put away our things from Sunday's activities, and I began to read a book I had been wanting to read, "It Happens After Prayer," by H.B. Charles Jr. 'Weary, frustrated, discouraged, faint, at wit's end, hopeless' (45-47); "... prayer is the remedy for discouragement...divine insulation for your heart and mind " (48, 150). Over the next few weeks, I was greatly challenged and refreshed in prayer and want to share in hope that it might encourage you. The book opens by acknowledging the real and present sufferings in this life, but we are to, '...

Happy New Year of opportunity to experience and grow in the love and grace of Christ, beloved! Rick and I want to share our goals for 2026 and would love to hear any of yours :) Praise Reports: We were blessed to be able to attend a returning home celebration of two of our church's missionaries, after 28 years of service - their favorite part was encouraging others; My husband and I were able to visit one of his uncle's and two nieces that we are trying to build relationship with and see the schools, houses and baseball park he grew up with; I had the blessing of teaching through Titus 1:5-7 in our women's Bible study, and I was blown away by God's care to protect and provide for me/the church, through elders, especially mine;  We are plugging away at IBCD training and are about ready to take our exam for phase 2; and We continue cultivating relationships with our 2 young adult sons, family and friends.   Rick's old Baseball Park in Santa Ana, CA Prayer Requests  (t...

When Fall comes, I am reminded of the Fall of 2019. This was when my husband and I first visited Cornerstone, my grandmother who was like a mother passed away and I was in a situation that would cost me my job. It was one of the most trying seasons of my life. But God ...our second church visit was during the annual "Thanksgiving Service," and I was beyond blessed by the brethren praising the Lord, in the midst of loss and suffering . Six years later, I stand in awe of God's sovereign goodness to me, in spite of old and new sufferings. Below is some of what I shared at this year's service of thanks. I want to share three stories that show God's love to me, and why I am grateful to Him. In May, my husband and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We had a terrific two weeks enjoying France and one another. This is a testament to God's grace, because year 7 was far from enjoyable. It was hard and felt insurmountable. We had allowed various patterns of sin t...

I cannot believe it has already been five years, [yes, since the COVID shut-down, but also,] since Husband and I attended our first annual TMAI (The Master's Academy International) Missions Symposium March 2020. We had just started attending Cornerstone in December of 2019 and shared our missions interest to (missions) Pastor Mike. He invited us to join the church's missions support group (AKA MSG) and to attend the annual TMAI event . The conference features many missionaries from around the world sharing wisdom on different topics. There are also opportunities to ask specific questions and get to meet them, personally. Many come this time of year to attend an annual 3-day conference that follows this one. TMAI Conference 2023 The first year we went, there was so much that went RIGHT over my head. Our second year attending, we met team members serving in Rome. Last year, our fourth time attending, was the first time we actually understood most of what was shared. This is a te...

Happy New Year beloved! It is that time of year again where we sketch out goals and a vision for the year ahead, as God directs. We want to share them as prayer requests. How is the Lord leading you in your current season? Please share - we would love to hear!  "The mind of man plans his way,  But the Lord directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).  We pray that wherever His path leads you, you would taste and experience His compassion (love) more (that is my desire for myself, too).  2025 Goals/Vision/Prayer Requests: Celebrate 10th wedding anniversary in France (layover in Boston) Biblical counseling training Ongoing discipleship  Stronger relationships (Phil. 2 think of others more highly) Attend annual TMAI Missions Symposium & IBCD Conference Go to first work conference with UCR in April  Consistent exercise (-Sundays) Debt free (last debt is my student loans) (last but NOT least) repent from & confess sin & extend forgiveness Praise Report: Husb...

The Christmas season is my ABSOLUTE favorite time of the year. I get so excited when I am out in public, and I hear a  real  Christmas song like "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" playing in the speakers or when a stranger asks me, are you ready for Christmas?  There is an openness to give freely and share about family traditions, more than any other time . And while it is the end of the year, it is also a time to reflect on what has past and what may lie ahead. For some, this may be bitter. For others, it is sweet. For many, it is both. As we near the end of December, these lyrics remain in my head: "He's making a list and checking it twice. He's gonna find out who's naughty or nice. Santa Claus is Coming to Town." If I believed in Santa, I might wonder: what is on his list; why does he need to check it twice; how will he find out if I have been naughty or nice; when is he coming; which town will he arrive to; and what will he do, when he comes? You know the...

What comes to mind when you hear the fear of the Lord or the fear of man? Over the Summer, several women from our church went through the book, "When People are Big and God is Small," by Edward T. Welch. It was fantastic, and my Husband and I would highly recommend it! I used to think the fear of the Lord was an awareness that God had the potential to send me to hell, and that I had to behave a certain way, or I would upset Him . Quoting from Luther, "He who sees God as angry does not see him rightly but looks only on a curtain, as if a dark cloud had been drawn across his face" (196). This book, in tandem with the Holy Spirit, study of the Word and being under faithful preaching, are properly growing our fear of the Lord and exposing our fear of man - we pray the same is true for you.  The book opens up with: "Thank you for joining me on this walk through a struggle that we all share . We spend so much time wondering what people think about us (11). Welch goes...

Recently, Husband and I had the privilege of attending a wedding of a God-fearing woman and man, and it was such a blessing. I also had the opportunity to share a devotional at her bridal shower, and we want to share it with you to encourage you in your relationships.  Before I start, I want to get a show of hands. How many of you are married? Single? Single that want to be married? Single that want to be single? Today I want to share about two popular topics: friendship and romance. I am a friend of "Jane." I assume you are too :D She and I met on a bus in September 2019 on our way to serve at a church youth camp. Probably the same as you, I fell in love with her quickly. But our meeting was short lived, because our paths changed, and we lacked opportunity to develop a friendship. Fast forward to January 2022, I saw her at my church, and I knew I knew her, but it took some time to remember how. We set a coffee date, and have been developing our friendship ever since. Upon th...