Mary's Response

This next portion of scripture is Mary's response to her cousin Elizabeth's exclamation that Mary is a blessed woman to be chosen to carry the Son of God.

I read it this morning and it really affected me...I'll explain how after you read the scripture.

Mary Visits Elizabeth
39At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

Mary's Song
46And Mary said:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers."

Here is what happened to me last night. I went to my sister's Christmas recital. Let me tell you about my sister. She's the consummate over-achiever. Everyone loves her, and tells her how awesome she is - often. She succeeds at everything she does. Her work and her studies are both in the area of music - which is her life passion. She

was doing college level trigonometry in high school. She organizes, plans, and runs literally every event that the singles group in my church does. She is the most sought after performer in her college. It's just incredible how successful and popular she is. Every week she's telling me about a different guy at her school that she has had to turn down because there are so many who want to go out with her.

I'm not exaggerating!

Well, last night I started doing something very dangerous - I started comparing. I tried to measure my life up to hers. I fell miserably short. I work at a dead-end job. I don't like what I'm doing, I don't think I'm very good at it. Any talent that I thought I might have had, I never had the opportunity to develop.
The more I thought about it, the more I felt like a failure. I started to hate my sister. I started to wish everyone loved me the way they loved her.

Then this morning I ready Mary's song.

Look at how humble Mary is. She never sought to put herself ahead. She was never in the spot light. Her song goes like this: He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

The Lord was speaking very clearly to me through Mary's song. I knew that I was being proud. I wanted the praise of man more than the praise of God. I was not content to be a humble person. I wanted all the bells, whistles, and attention that my sister was getting. I need to humble myself, and remember The Lord will lift me up in his timing, and until then, I will say with Mary:
My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.

Mary

Here's the begining of the story in the book of Luke. It's all about Mary!

The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 29Mary was greatly
troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

34"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" 35The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[c] the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God." 38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

Mary's answer at the end allways affects me: "May it be to me as you have
said." THIS IS AN AWKWARD SITUATION FOR HER! Remember? It's not like he's telling her, "Ok Mary, from now on you have to go to church every Sunday." um...he's telling her that's she's going to become pregnant! Do you know how people usually become pregnant? Well, for a virgin betrothed (or engaged) to a man, but not yet married, that's awkward. But she doesn't even hesitate: May it be to me as you have said.

I want to be like Mary. Whatever my God has for me, I will accept.

I don't like my job. I want to leave - badly!! I left yesterday crying my eyes out because one of our clients spent a quite a bit of his time yelling at me. Not fun. I want to leave NOW, but God has not given me another job, and I can't just NOT work. I have a choice, I can be mad at God and tell him to do what I say...or I can do as Mary did and say, "May it be to me as you have said."

What about you? Do you have a situation that you wish were different? What decision will you make?

Anything else jump out at you from this passage?

The Beginning of the Story

Got your cozy drink? Great! Let's get started on our slow walk through the Christmas Story.
Every story has a beginning, but GREAT stories, have great beginnigs...so let's read:

The Birth of Jesus Christ
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 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."
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

What hit's me fist off: God puts people in awkward situations.

Man and woman - betrothed - aka engaged, woman "mysteriously" gets pregnant - AWKWARD! Especially in a small town that is very religious! But God choose to do it that way. He tells Mary what's going on, he tells Joseph what's going on, and no matter how awkward or socially taboo, he expects them to obey him and trust him. And that's what they do.

What awkward or difficult situation is God putting you through? Are you willing to trust and obey him no matter what? It worked out well for Mary and Joseph - as we will soon find out....

I'll be back tomorrow with more of the story, but I want to hear your thoughts on it. What stuck out to you? It's probably something completely different than my thoughts. Comment away!

December!!

December 4th - that's today.

So today is December - that means CHRISTMAS!!!

What makes your Christmas holiday so special?

For me, it's a lot of things:

Decorating, christmas lights, smell of cinnamon, taste of Christmas cookies, Christmas carols, somewhat cooler weather (can't really call it cold), seeing family I don't see much, and lots and lots of shopping!!!

But the most important thing about Christmas is the reason for all of the above: God himself, coming to earth, and becoming a man. The God-man, Jesus who was born to a young girl in a manger.

I will be blogging through the Christmas story, clustering a few verses together and then just thinking about them. I invite you to join me as we walk slowly through this season that seems to hustle and bustle our already hectic lives. So grab a cup of hot cocoa (or a pepermint mocha from Starbucks. yum!) and lets walk nice and slow through the Christmas story.

See you here tomorrow!

Saving the World

I just saw the movie Bella on Tuesday night. I wasn't prepared for what my reaction would be. Bella is an independant film with a pro-life message that I thought was very well done. I really enjoyed the movie, although it's simple, and several of my younger (I like to think less cultured) friends, didn't like it so much.

At the end of the movie I was in tears. All I could think of was how I wanted to change the world. How I wanted to take pain away from one person, or bring joy to one person, or do something to make my stand against all of the death, pain, and anguish, lonliness, hopelessnes, confusion, and anger that is eating away at our world like an aggresive cancer.

I looked at my life, and felt insignificant, like I wasn't doing enough, but knowing that there's not much more I can do. I'm busy, I'm pretty much full to capacity. Believe it or not I am involved in several things that I think will help people, I guess my frustration comes when I don't see many results.

I don't see that tearful joy of a life that's just been changed.

Instead I see the hardened indifference of a college student who doesn't want free water or a short conversation.

I see the irritated Cuban who's name I just spelled wrong as I'm trying to help them get to Cuba and see their family and bring humanitarian aid to the poor.

I see the coldness of my friend who just doesn't want to hear the gospel truth I'm trying to share.

Jesus is the answer...the cure...the remedy, but no one seems to want to listen, no one seems to want to be healed, no one seems to want to admit they are broken.

I am reduced to praying.

Funny how I say that, as if praying is such a weak and insignificant thing to do...'reduced' or privileged?

When will I learn that more gets done when I let God be God?

This post doesn't really have a conclusion - I'm not even sure how cohesive it's been, but these are my thoughts, and I hope this post has provoked some of your own.

Stress

Chances are, if you're a college student, you know from personal experience what stress is. Come to think of it, no matter who you are, we've all experienced stress.

It's only Tuesday, and I already feel burned out from work. Too many people, and too many things all wanting my attention, all claiming to be urgent. I feel stretched in so many directions I think I just might break.

So what do we do when this happens? Go shopping? Grab the ice cream? Watch a movie or get lost in a book? These proposed "solutions to stress" are many, but do any of them really work? I've tried a few, and although some of them may bring temporary relief (Buying a pair of *gorgeous* shoes, for example!) none of them bring ultimate or lasting peace.

I heard a quote today that I want to share with you:

The busier I get, the more I need to spend time in prayer.

It seems like the total opposite of what we should do when our lives start filling up and going crazy, but think about this, if we don't have time to pray over the things we've got going on in our lives, maybe we shouldn't be doing them.

I'll let you think over this for a little while.
Is there something in your life you know you shouldn't be doing - even if it's a good thing, it's keeping you from having time to pray to God?

Stress is unavoidable, but let's make it something that drives us to God instead of away from him.

What it's like, on Tuesday nights.

So, what do we do...besides blog periodically? Our main outreach is the "Free Water" giveaway, every other Tuesday night at Miami Dade College North Campus.

Usually on a Tuesday night, I'm tired from work, I have projects that need to be done at home, but going to Dade4Christ is worth it!

We *try* to get to Miami Dade College around 5:30pm. There are students getting on and off the bus, hanging around, walking to class. We set up our table. "Prayer Station" are the simple words to explain why we're there.

Of course we don't just give out free water, we are there to pray for the students and the campus, we are there to talk to who ever has the time to listen. We know that there is a fountain of living water that will staisfy all who come and drink, so that they will never be thirsty again.

The conversations aren't many, most people just take the water and leave. That's ok. Many refuse, that's ok too although it baffels me. Refuse FREE water? But still they refuse. Skepticism is common in Miami.

But the conversations we do have, they are rich. People are thirsty. Praise God, that even when I'm tired, and even when there is laundry to fold, cars to clean, and a husband to spend time with, I get to be at Dade4Christ offering the water of the gospel to those dying of thirst.

Comming Soon...

A NEW LOGO!!

I don't want to give it away...but a few hints would include:

1. sketching
2. traffic
3. a curly-haired graphic designer

I'm hoping to have it up in exactly 2 wks! (we'll see how that goes)

Something else I hope to have up soon: Pictures!

I took some last night at our outreach to MDC North!

This should be up a little sooner - 2 days maybe :o)

until then!

We're Back!!!

Dade 4 Christ is back in action on the North Campus of Miami-Dade College.

We are in faith and excited about what this upcoming year will hold for us. One of the things we are excited about is the blog! Blogging is a bit new to most of us, so last year we know was a little slow, but this year we'll be bringing you more posts, more info, and more discussions than ever before.

There are also a few outreaches planned already, but we'd love to hear from you!

What are some ways that Dade 4 Christ can serve the students of MDC North?

This month we're hoping to unveil our new logo, post an article on why we read the Bible and how to do it, along with some poetry.

stay tuned...this semester is going to be a great one!!

day after day

It's 12:46am on my 20th birthday. This morning, as I was preparing for bed, my father gave me my first birthday present. He reminded me once again of his sweet, sweet grace.

"Day after day,
you never change.
You power to save,
strength to sustain,
and we praise, we praise your name."

This has been the anthem of the first two decades of my life. Never in twenty years have you forsaken me, and never in eternity to come will your faithfulness end.


Thanks for the gift pops, I'll see you in the morning.

We're back

We, Dade 4 Christ, apologize for the long period of time that we didn't post any articles here in the blog. Not to excuse ourselves, but it seems like all of us were going through different stages in life that required a lot of our time. But here we are, and hopefully this will never happen again.

(Thank you Vanessa, for bailing us out many times).

Only One?!

Looks like I'm the only one who cares for old bloggy! :o)

I've been sitting at my desk with bad posture for a little while, and now I have this sore spot on my back that just won't go away, and it actually feels more comfortable to keep sitting with the bad posture, but I know that will only make it worse. Breaking bad habits is hard. I think avoiding making them in the first place is probably the way to go.

The Bible talks about this, about watching your practice and doctrine closely. Doctrine is what we think about God and this world. Do you believe in the Bible? Do you know what the Bible says about how to live your life? The Bible speaks to each and every situation we could ever encounter. The way we understand and believe the Bible will affect our practice, it will affect how we respond in the various situations we find ourselves day after day. If we get off in one, we will be off in the other, and once we get off, it takes a lot more effort to get back on, than if we would have been watching ourselves closely from the beginning to insure that we are staying on the straight and narrow.

So, my encouragement to you...sit up straight and don't stray from right doctrine or practice.

How God is not like a policeman

This morning on my way to work I was running late (but that's not the reason I got pulled over, because I go this fast normally) and I got pulled over for going 44/42mph (depending on if you go with the police officer's version or mine) in a 30 zone. I got a ticket. I didn't complain and protest, because I knew I wasn't abiding by the law, I knew I was driving over 30mph.
I did what was wrong, and I got the just punishment.

There are many times when I speed, and I don't get caught. In fact, this is the very first time I've ever gotten a speeding ticket (and I hope its the last) but I can assure you this is not the first time I've exceeded the posted speed limit.

God is not like the policeman who served me so well and brought justice into my life, because God sees everything. God sees every time I speed, he has the 'radar gun of justice' pointed at my every move. There is nothing that escapes his notice.

God is also unlike the police man because he loves me personally and although my sin is great and deserves a great punishment, God, in His love, chose to punish someone else. His own son.

Jesus Christ was crucified in my place, and received the "ticket," if you will, that I deserved, so that I could go free, and experience the love of God, instead of his wrath.

I am thankful for Mr. Policeman who reminded me of the gospel today. Yes, I am a great sinner - greater than I know, but God is a great savior.

Drink Up!

Dade4Christ has been giving out free water at Miami Dade North for a few weeks now.

Here's some fun facts about water...makes you look at that zephyrhills bottle a little differently :o)

- Sound travels about 4 times faster in water than in air.

- The $100 drink of water
Would you spend $100 for a glass of water? Some 49ers on the California Trail did.

Because of poor planning, many western-bound 49ers were unprepared for the hot, dry deserts of Nevada. A few sharp businessmen in California knew this and took advantage of the situation. They traveled eastward with barrels of water. Extremely thirsty, many 49ers paid $1, $5, even $100 for a glass of precious water.

- There is the exact amount of water on Earth today as when the Earth was formed. Water is never totally consumed. It always recycles itself, in one form or another.

- There are almost 800 different brands of bottled water for sale in the United States.

- The human brain is 75% water; a living tree is also 75% water.

Love is in the air

Here in Dade4Christ we have some exciting news, I mean, really exciting! Two of our own Fernando & Vanessa known as of yesterday as "Fernessa" got engaged. The reason why we're so excited and happy about them is not only because they're our friends, but also because we have seen how they have honored God through all the early stages of their relationship, and that we respect and admire. So guys, in behalf of Dade4Christ receive our congratulations, along a huge hug and kiss. We love you guys.

4 o'clock in the morning

This is pathetic, it's 4 o'clock in the morning and I'm sitting in from of my computer trying to write something here, and I can't think of anything...nothing, not even because it's super bowl weekend and it's here in the MIA. I cannot come up with anything, and the funny thing is that I can't go back to sleep, just because I'm not sleepy. So as I'm writing I'll see if I can think of something... Well this may take a long time, so I think it's better if I leave you with this quote from Bob Kauflin that I have in from of me.

God doesn't simply want to enable us to overcome sin. He want us to overcome it in a way that honors the all-surpassing greatness, beauty, and power of Jesus Christ. Knowing sin has one ultimate solution, should cause us not only to know the Gospel well, but to apply its power and grace to every area of ours life.

I marvel at the amazing architecture that has been built over the centuries.

It causes me to reflect on the Architect of the universe...

Just as an architect is so precise and purposeful in the way he designs a building,

so too is our Creator in how He designed us and created us so perfectly,

so precisely, and exactly how He wanted to.

As a building brings glory to it's architect...

so we bring much glory to God, our Creator.

And He is pleased with us.

PHOTO: Frank Lloyd Wright. Fallingwater House, Bear Run, Pennsylvania. 1937

Traffic

When I was a wee little thing, just starting to drive, I used to scoff at those who complained about traffic. "Common," I thought "what is the big deal?! especially if you're not even late for anything." Just being in the car was exhilarating and enjoyable, and I did not care if the palmetto was a parking lot!

Fast forward 4 years since I got my license, and let me tell you, nothing makes my heart sink harder or faster than pulling onto the palmetto, trying to head north at 5:30pm after a long day at work, and seeing a vast, seemingly unending, sea of cars...and they're not moving. What was my little 16-year-old brain thinking? Traffic stinks, and I sit in it every work day.

So I take a deep breath turn on my music and settle in for the slow grind home.
You know what I think gets me the most about traffic, not so much the fact that I'm dead tired and I just want to get home and turn my brain off (oh! that's part of it, but not the main thing). What really irks me about traffic, is PEOPLE IN MY WAY. I just don't like it. Something is in my way, something is hindering me from what I want to do and where I want to go, and there's really nothing I can do about it, I have no control

Sometimes life can feel like one big traffic jam. One thing after another hindering you from going where you want to go, and there's nothing you can do about it. It's frustrating...I know. So, what gets us through, what helps us cope with the traffic jams of life?

Well, when I'm on the palmetto at 5:30 there are several things that keep me from going absolutely insane. First, I usually look up at the sky...5:30 has some great sunsets. Looking up at the sky and enjoying the beauty of that sunset brings a smile to my face, and makes me somewhat grateful that I can't drive 70 miles per hour and miss God's masterpiece.

Where in your life can you look up to God's blessings? They may be small, they may be simple, but taking the time to look up at them could make your "traffic jam" go by much quicker.

The second thing I do is call someone. Talking on my phone also keeps me distracted and in better spirits. Is there someone you can bring into your life to encourage you and come along side you to help you through the rough spots of life?

And finally I remember that eventually I will get home...no matter how bad the traffic has been, I've always made it home. The trials do not last forever, they will end, and that is good news.

Galatians 6:9
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Sean Connery Flicked Me the Bird

I'm a little concerned. We're only three weeks into the spring semester and I'm already tottering on the edge of academic despair. It takes all that's within me to keep from hurling myself over the cliff boredom into the apathetic abyss below (ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit).

The truth is, I've found it harder and harder to concentrate as the semester goes on. The first few days were great. The professors were new, the students were new... then I started to notice things... you know, little things. Let me give you an example.

I have physics at 2:00 every tues and thurs with professor Bone in one of those huge lecture halls. About halfway through his second lecture I couldn't help but notice the way he wrote on the whiteboard. He writes with his right hand and holds the marker cap between his left thumb and index finger. Normally this type of behavior wouldn't strike me as odd, but professor Bone likes to point at the class while lecturing. Since his index finger is occupied, he just waves his middle finger back and forth across the room. On top of that, he looks and talks exactly like Sean Connery. Understandably, it's quite difficult to listen to a lecture on the torque a uniform electric field exerts on a dipole while Sean Connery is flicking me the bird.

He's not the only professor I notice either. My ethics professor can't extend his right pinkie finger and sticks his tongue out every time he asks the class a question. My chem teacher looks at the floor every 45 seconds and has the oddest shaped beer-belly I have ever seen. If I didn't know better I'd think he stuffs a koala bear under his shirt before he comes to class.

The thing that bothers me the most, though, is that no one else my classes seem to notice. I don't understand it. There has to be someone else out there who sees these things... right?.

Sure, I Believe in God...

So, what does it mean to 'believe in God'?
Does it mean to believe He exists as a divine being? Last time I checked the Devil (who was an angel that rebelled and got kicked out of heaven) also believes God exists.

If the devil believes in God, and has no moral growth to show for it, what good is it for you and I to believe in God? Is that going to do anyone any good?

The people in this world who really made a difference, who really accomplished anything, were people who had beliefs (beliefs are the first step - and VERY important) but they also let their beliefs inspire action.
Abraham Lincoln believed that slavery was wrong, so did a lot of other people, but his ACTIONS started the ball rolling on some real change in this country.

If you have a belief in God, great...but what action is it sparking?
If you want a belief in God, great...but what action is that sparking?
Don't be content to just let ideas float in your head. Ideas are great IF, and only if, they spark action.