Seeking

While I was in high school, one of my favorite songs was, "Come What May," from the musical Moulin Rouge. The sum of the song and film is this: this man and woman are changed and can overcome anything, because they are "in love" and now have each other. As a 16 year old teenager, this appealed to me; I, too, thought I could find myself in other things, experiences and people. I had yet to discover fullness being in Christ. But the Lord was and is so good to reveal that in order to know ourselves best and be most satisfied, is to know Him  ( John 4:13-14, 6:35 ). As believers, the reason we can face anything the Lord allows in our life, is because our sure and steady anchor is Christ alone. And while we are more than conquerors and have no reason to fear...believers still fret. Thankfully, we do not have to do this alone. This month, we want to share a few family updates, praises and ask for your faithful prayers, as He continues growing our confidence and trust in H...

February brings much celebration to our home - me, Husband and both of our dad's have birthdays. I'll admit, I play the birthday card, because I enjoy spending time with people :D But as my D.O.B. neared, I was reflecting on my life as a whole, and especially since coming to Christ. The one thing that stands out is: the mercy of God - saving me, refining me and loving me.  To start, here is a bit of my testimony . I was raised catholic and attended church with my mom and older sister. Because of what I knew about God and what I did, like go to church, I believed I was going to heaven when I died. I thought I was a good person, or at least, good enough. In 2002, my dad who practiced no religion put his faith in Christ and "shared" Him with me. Shortly after, I prayed the "sinner's prayer," but my life was unchanged. Quite the opposite, I continued enjoying and walking towards sin. Another moral ritual, I now thought believing in Jesus and doing some of wh...

In the event we have not spoken, my Father-in-law, Jose Valadez, went home to be with the Lord on November 3.  I was listening to an old message from my pastor saying, 'anyone can point out someone's failure; it takes spiritual eyes to see that which the Lord is doing in their life.'  This mont h, we want to share a bit about Apa’s life-how he loved, served and grew [in the Lord]-because telling his story, brings glory to God and points us to Christ.  First, during his memorial service, more than one person stated, "he loved in his own way." As I was trying to process their words, this phrase did not settle well with me. Thankfully, the Spirit brought to remembrance 1 Corinthians 13 . While individuals express love differently from one another, the word sets a perfect standard and Jesus demonstrated it perfectly in real life. Though I cannot recall a single time Jose told me, "I love you," I know he loved me; he was patient, kind, was not easily provoked...