Just talking...

I am go glad I am going through the whole process of Alpha all over again. I am helping as a facilitator and it has really open my eyes to my relationship with God and how I handle myself. Not only in my relationship with God and others but how I treat myself too.

Last week in Alpha, we talked about how and why we should read the Bible which I have to admit I still struggle with. I don't struggle with believing in the Bible but I have a hard time reading it daily. I have a hard time reading and interpreting at times. This is one of the reasons I love my life group (prayer group) because at times we can discuss readings or even verses and really study them. I read a lot in the Bible and sometimes I need others to really understand what God is really trying to tell me.

Today we finished week 5, we are talking about how to pray. We got to share what we all believed prayer is and what we think is the best way to pray. Why should we pray? Why talk to God when He knows what is going to happen? Does He really answer our prayers? Does praying really matter? Although we have deep questions, God really loved us so much, What is enough amount of praying? What if we forget to pray? What does your praying look like? Today, Ireally learned that it does not matter when, where, what time, etc, God will always hear you and listen to what you have to say.

I was excited today, we get to pray for everyone in our group for the week. God is so wonderful that He does not even wait until we pray and He starts answering requests from our hearts in His time not ours. In our Alpha group, one of gropies request was to have a better week since everything this person had ask for or tried to do just did not seem to work out. As we left tonight, we prayed that we all had a better week and that we could have a positive answer to our prayers for the next week to share. As most of you know, we have a RESET journeys going on in our church and this person had had no success finding a group to join and "reset " with due to her schedule. She had mentioned how disappointed she was but she will catch it the next time. As I got home and joined my friends in Facebook, I discovered a RESET facilitator chatting with me about her group and she totally needed more people in her group. I could connect the person in my Alpha table and this RESET group! OMG! One prayer was already answered and I had not even prayed for the night. God how good are you that you feel our needs before we even ask for them? You are awesome.!! Needless to say, my Alpha buddy is now connecting with a RESET group to check her assumptions. I am excited what else is going to happen after I pray for all these ladies in my group. I can't wait to hear the stories on how they listen for God's words and their prayers were answered.

Once again!

I don't know why but I have tried so many ways of making a change in the way I eat, I exercise, I control things that are "bad" for me, clean my house, get things done. Once again I start being conscious of what goes in my body and it lasts for a while, I get some results but I feel so good about it that I forget to continue the plan. I forget to watch what I eat, exercise, being conscious of my every move. Why do we do that? Why do we procrastinate? I clean the house spotless and promise not to do it again, promise to unclutter and keep it organize. Two weeks later, something happens and I am totally disgusted from the mess that we have. Why can I keep it clean?, why can I keep the weight off?, Why can I stick to my budget perfectly?, Why do we struggle?
I try so hard to keep it together and most of the time I can but it gets to a point where it is overwhelming and I have to regroup. The regrouping sometimes takes a lot of effort. Then when I take the time to plan and do everything I need to do and regroup and get my plan in action, it overwhelming!
I have not had a day off by myself at home with my mess until today, ( I work many hours a week, help at church and hang out with friends, visit family, etc) I decided I will start with my house and the ability to bring people over so that meant I had to clean. Again, started really well kitchen clean, bathroom clean and then... break... and totally lost my groove. Why? I was doing so good. So now that I am done wirting this blog I guess I will go back and attempt to start over. Wish me luck!

Are you relaxed?

Have you ever done something that takes you to another place? Gives you the time to forget what you have been doing, makes you relaxed or even destresses you? I got the chance to make lots of flower arrangements at work this week. Flowers are awesome, wih I could grow them. Playing with the flowers, arranging them and making them look pretty, totally relaxes me and when I can make them for someone else it is even better. It makes me happy. Other things I do to relax are cook, play solitaire (although I am started to think it is an addiction), scrapbooking.

How about you? What makes you relax and get away for a bit? Is there something out there that you would like to learn? Everyone does something. Maybe it is a hobbie, a collection, etc. Please write what you do. It might be something that triggers someone else to learn something new. I think for me knitting seems relaxing (for some people), still on my list of things to learn this year. Maybe is worship, maybe is reading a book or maybe is singing karaeoke. It does not matter but remember. Find your groove and share it, I might want to try it! Love you all!

Are you living for God?

Decided today I was going to ready a bible verse and let it inspire me to write my blog. I have felt so connected with God this week. I had a few days off and in those days I got to reflect a lot about my relationship with God. After looking around the bible and reading a few verses I decided to read 1Peter 4:7-11.

This passage made me think about my responsabilities as a believer. Do I have a clear mind? Am I self controlled? Do I have God's grace? Do I love people enough as to cover their sins, in another words, no matter what people have done or what they carry, am I capabable of loving them unconditionally, just like God loves us? Wow!

Am I using all my gifts and talents to help others? Am I faithfully administering grace? Do I represent the word of God when I speak? If I could only answer yes to all these questions. I search everyday for God to tap me over the shoulder and say, "Good job" or "No, don't do that" but it does not happen all the time, at least not as lound as I want to hear it. I admit that I am not the perfect example of all of the above but I sure reflect on it a lot. It seems when I am good at using my gifts towards others, I forget to have a clear mind or be self controlled. It's like I cannot balanced them all togethet. I really love people, but unconditionally?, that is big. I hope that I do and that I accept them for who they are. This passage really touched me and makes me want to self check the real reasons to serve and love on others. Jesus loved us unconditionally even when he knew we would fail him. I want to be living for God, but am I ready to do that no matter what? My only hope is that Jesus is proud of me every day and that at the end of my journey he welcomes me and tell me, "Welcome home faithful servant".

All I can say is, "... to him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen"

Yes God! I will be the light!

Today I found out a co-worker and pretty close acquaintance has been diagnosed with cancer again. His first battle happened 6 years ago and he was pretty sure he had finish with that battle. Through a series of routine exams they found a spot in the liver which the doctors seem to think it is leftovers from his cancer in his kidneys. The doctors are running more scans to make sure it is only in his liver, which will be very "easy" to cure if it is.

After I talk to my friend, I told him," you will do great because God has more for you. He has big plans and He is not finished with you yet. You are a man of integrity and your love for people, he needs more of you." My friend said, "thank you, I thought I had this cancer beat but I guess not". I told him how important it is for him to speak positive even when things seem the worst. I told him that when things get rough to remember that God will be carrying him and that he will not be alone. He thank me for my words and said, "we'll see! What do I say? How can I comfort him when I know he has been through it? How can I show him the light of what is to come? I have not been through it? I don't have the answers? Yes... I know what you are thinking. God has the answers, he has the power to cleanse his body and take away everything. I know that, I believe that. How can I convey that message to my friend? How can I tell him that message of hope and healing if he does not believe it? I want to transfer all my faith and believe on to him. I want to give my friend the love that God has share with me. At the same time, I don't want to sound like I am not compassionate, or caring. I was not there for his first encounter with his illness, I don't know what he went through. All I have to offer is my "love", my faith, my time and my prayers so that God will touch his heart and confirms to him how much he is loved and how his body will heal from all this cancer that will disappear because he believed!
So I tell God today, yes! I will be the light on a friend's dark moment because those are the times when God uses us to be him in someones eyes. Thank you Father for making me understand that You love us through others and ourselves. Love you!

Beauty around us

Have you ever sat outside your porch, backyard or just looked out the window and wonder how everything works together? The beauty of nature that surrounds us and we take for granted. Yeah, winter might not be the most colorful season but look at what we have to look forward to. The trees with no leaves are getting ready and protecting their young ones from freezing. The bulbs are hybernating so that they can grow tall when Spring comes. The bushes are just waiting for those sunny days to start blooming but all these need the winter to rest and grow and make a beautiful blossom or a shady tree or a climbing tree. I feel that sometimes we are like nature. We need times were we have to hybernate and study ourselves, see what we want to be or become, show our beauty inside and not hide what we have or what we are all about. Maybe we want to be the sun and put light into a dark area, maybe the wind to stir things up or maybe the rain to wash things away and start clean and new. Maybe we need the not so "good" days to see what is bothering us or changing in us or even growing in us that we need to take action on and make our light shine through.

All I know is that I question all the time why God is not a physical being that I can hug or share stuff with me and I can see, etc. Well silly me, why do I want that? I know He is with me all the time. When He gives us things beyond what our little minds can conceive and we take them for granted. Look around today or tonight or even tomorrow. Just see what God tells you, feel the wind and see what it stirs in your soul, feel the sun or the rain and see what He lights up or washes away. Look at a small bloom trying to grow, or just a dried up tree and see what is able to do in the spring. What about the sky, the clouds, the stars, the moon, my goodness I can keep going and we all take it for granted. He tells us, shows us and even touches us in ways we don't understand but verifies to us that He is there. Our own existence is proof. Why do our bodies work even when we mistreat them? Why do we breathe even when the wind does not blow? Why does He loves us even when we reject him? Who knows, but I am glad He is here. I only hope that we can all realize that He is as physical as we are but we need to expand our minds to understand that He is not a human being, that He is way above and beyond what we can conceive in our little minds. He is so beautiful and so creative. He creates a canvas for us everyday. He shows us in some many ways and gives us joy and hope for what is to come.
Enjoy your day admiring what God has to show you today. Even if it is not sunny, even if it is not warm but there is so much beauty to see. Enjoy it.

I love to cook!

Today I was off and I have spent the day wanted to cook something yummy! Well if you know anything about me, I love to cook and I can say I do a pretty good job. I decided today, since I really don't usually have a lot of time, to cook something yummy! What to cook? This is always my dilemma! I thought I will share my recipe with you.
Although a lot of my friends like my chicken recipe, I am going to go with a Chili this time. Here the temperature is a bit cool and cloudy, a little damp; perfect Chili weather! This chili recipe I learned from a good friend of mine. I have been thinking about her a lot lately and I really miss her. She called it her Mom's Chili Recipe. It is a sweet chili and you can fix it with spaghetti or by itself. It is incredible if you like sweet chili! Enjoy!

The ingredients are:
3lbs of ground beef (prefer ground sirloin)
3 cans of tomato soup
5 tbsp of chili powder
1 tbsp of cumin (ground)
1 small onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped (optional)
2/3 cup of sugar
1 can of pinto beans (if you like beans in your chili)
**If you like you chili hot add any "heat" that you prefer

In a saucepan brown your ground beef. Then add your onions, peppers and let them cook for a few minutes until onions are translucent. Stir frequently. Add the three cans of soup and two and a half cans of water. Use the cans of soup to measure the water. Stir and add the chili powder, cumin, sugar, beans ( if you want) and any source of "heat" that you prefer at this time. Once again stir and let it cook in medium low for about 20 minutes. Stir a few times througout the 20 minutes. It is a really good recipe. It serves around 6-8 people?

I thought I would write about something I love to do and share it. Off to cook! Talk to you guys later!

Why is there a feeling of loneliness?

I am so glad I have friends in my life I can call on. Although sometimes in the midst of all the commotion, running around and even all the church and work events a feeling of loneliness hits me; like I am the only one caring or existing. I know, I can call on many people but there are a few I know I can really call on. Why do we feel that way sometimes? I could be in the midst of friends, or even with love ones and I feel like I am the only one out there. Sometimes, I think that is the only way that God can get my attention because I try to talk to him when I am lonely or whatever that feeling is. I ask Him to fill my "sadness or emptiness" and to bring me "happiness". Somehow, even when I doubt, he always does. What is it that makes me go there to that lonely place with no one around? What makes me look inside and check what is going on? Obviously, I know the tools given to me to take that feeling away and recharge. But what about the people that don't know God, that don't know Jesus? What are they to do in this lonely world? Where everyone is for their own and not for others?

I know God is with me wherever I go but I have to really take time to look around. Sometimes it is hard to see his love all around me. The moon, the sun, the sky, the air I breathe, the smiles of others, a friend's hug, a blooming flower, I don't know there are so many signs and I still manage to miss them. I want to hug him, sing to him, kiss him on the cheek, cook for him, go to the movies with him, walk with him, tell him how much I love him but all I can do is tell others, love on others, hug others, walk with others, etc.

So if you are like me an feeling that "lonely" feeling or no so happy moment feeling, go hang out with someone that really cares for you, someone that died for all that you have done wrong. Take a walk and look around, take a deep breath and feel the air filling you lungs, just look at the sky and see the marvelous world He has created. He can show you His beauty in ways unimaginable. I trust that God will take my not so good feelings away but I cannot wait to share another day with Him. My only hope is that I can remember every minute of my life that He is my Joy even when I am not feeling joyous. Thank God for my friends that remind me how much they love me and remind me how much God loves me too! Thanks for sharing your time with me! Love you all.