HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

WISHING ALL OF MY WONDERFUL BLOG READERS, FRIENDS ON TWEETER, FRIENDS AND FAMILY ON FACEBOOK A HAPPY NEW YEAR AND A BLESSED 2014!!!

My prayer for all of you is that you will experience the presence of God more in your lives. He loves you and wants to help you navigate this life. Signing up for a study of the Bible in 2014 will help you discover God in a new loving way! Here is an excerpt of my book titled, "How To Love God with All Your Heart" Copyright 2015.

"For a meaningful and intimate study time, remember the Word of God is not only to be read but to be experienced. When you’re reading a Bible passage try to do the following:

·       Visualize it

·       Meditate on it (stop and think about it)

·       If you read a promise—claim it!

·       If a verse “jumps off the page” and speaks to your heart, receive it, for it is the voice of God. Underline the verses that seem to be speaking directly to you.

·       If you read a passage that talks about how much you are loved by God, you may want to pause and give Him thanks for what He has done for you.

When you read the Bible in this manner, your experience will be more profound. For instance, recently I read Numbers 6:22-26 that says, “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron and his sons, this is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.’”  

Then I considered Hebrews 4:14, which state that Jesus is our Great High Priest, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.” At that moment I visualized Jesus, as my High Priest, saying this particular blessing over me. Can you imagine that? I said, “Lord, this is how you commanded the priests to bless the Israelites, so please Lord Jesus bless me, keep me, protect me, make your face shine upon me, give me favor and give me peace. I also ask this blessing on all my family and friends.” I then wrote about this experience in my journal. This is what I mean by making the Bible come alive and being a blessing in your life! 

Do you want to experience the presence of God more? Begin to worship Him more. I start my groups with a worship song. I first read the words of the song aloud to reflect about what we’re singing. People can either sing or close their eyes to listen to the words and pray in the quietness of their hearts."  (How To Love God with All Your Heart - Copyright 2015)

What a better way to start the year than worshiping the God who created you and loves you unconditionally...just as you are!

http://youtu.be/PH-snsXw1as

Praying for all of you in 2014!!!

FINDING JOY DURING CHRISTMAS!

FINDING JOY DURING CHRISTMAS!

Growing up I thought Christmas was supposed to be the happiest day of the year. The magical idea that a very generous person named, Santa Claus would bring me many presents was this little girl's delight. I counted the days. Expecting to receive the gifts I wrote about in my Christmas list would bring me the ultimate joy I was seeking.

My expectations of a happy day had been high the entire month. However, opening gifts, eating a delicious dinner with my parents and sisters and lighting a few fireworks in Nicaragua didn't create the magic I hoped for. I thought, "That's it? This is what I waited for so long?" Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the gifts, my family, the meal, but I still didn't have the deep joy I had anticipated.

Later on, I was married and had two boys. They also were excited about Christmas, but only hours after opening gifts, the boys were fighting and didn't seem happy or grateful. I heard my sons expressing what next toy they were eager to obtain just days after they opened all of their presents. I said, "This is going to change!" The following year the number of toys were reduced and we gathered as a family to thank God for the birth of Jesus and the precious gift of eternal life. 

Nowadays, we avoid the shopping malls and we give our two grown sons money, so they can pick exactly what they want. We don't deal with return lines either. We enjoy attending the Christmas service together and have a wonderful meal at home. Christmas is everyday of the year in our hearts! 

I personally like the gift of friendship and time more than shopping for gifts. I love to go out to lunch or coffee with friends and family. My Christmas is peaceful because I don't have a long list of things to do. Several years ago I told my mother, "You know what I want for Christmas, mom? She said, "What, honey?" I replied, "Nothing, please don't buy me any presents. I have everything I need and I don't want you to spend money. Let's instead go out to lunch and relax."

There are people who love crowds and the excitement of  a packed mall energizes them, that's okay...go for it! But, if you're like me, then don't let other people decide how to spend your Christmas.  

Several years ago the highlight of my Christmas was to sing and praise God in the Christmas Choir at church. I finally felt the warmth of God's love filling the desire of my heart. May you be filled with the love of Jesus and enjoy a relaxed and safe Christmas!

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord." - Luke 2:11

Jesus came to save us, that's what Christmas is all about. 

CHRISTMAS... WHY JESUS?

CHRISTMAS... WHY JESUS?

  

...Because our lives and eternal lives depend on Him! That is a bold statement, right? Let me share why I believe this...

This is what we Christians celebrate at this time of the year:

Luke 2:10-12

¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Matthew 1:21

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

John 3:16-17

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

1 John 5:12

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Jesus said in John 5:24:

²⁴ “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

And there are many, many more Bible passages! Christmas is not about shopping or a beautiful Christmas tree, which are nice things. The true meaning of Christmas is that God sent Jesus into the world to save us and die for our sins, so that those of us who believe in Him as the Messiah and only Son of God, will not perish, but have EVERLASTING LIFE, ETERNAL LIFE!!! What better than a powerful video to demonstrate the true meaning of Christmas...Here you go...

THANK YOU FOR READING AND HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS!!! GOD LOVES YOU THIS MUCH...PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO...

http://youtu.be/qrPAZbD6fG0

May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and prosper you this Christmas and in the New Year!!! I don't know many of you that read my blog in many different parts of the world, but I thank you and love you with the love of Christ!  

Guadalupe