Dim

When I don't like the reflection I see in the mirror, then I remember that the Lord is not done with me yet, that there's more work to be done... His soft whisper resounds in my ears, and then I thank the Lord that He takes us from "glory to glory."

That "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully know." (I Cor. 13:12) What a great promise to those who wait on the Lord. Keep your loving eyes set on God. Though we don't see dimly, then we shall have HIM face to face...

As for now, we can see how God puts every piece of the puzzle in place, that He who started the good work in us, will perfect it, in the mean time, I wait...

You are I AM

By Darell Evans

If You are the mountain

I am the climber

If You are the ocean

I am the diver

For You are I AM

If You are the potter

I am the clay

If You are the sunlight

I am the day

For You are I AM

You are the vine

I am the branch

I am the dancer

You are the dance

You are I AM

And there is no other

You are my passion

My vision my color

You are I AM

My everything

You are I AM

You are I AM

If You are the song

Lord I will sing

If You are the player

I am the strings

For You are I AM

If I am the novel

You are the writer

If I am the gold

Lord You are the fire

For You are I AM

You are the wind

I am the eagle

I am the canvas

You are the painter

You are I AM

and there is no other

You are my passion

My Vision my color

You are I AM

My Everything

You are I AM

You are I AM

May everything else around become dim in the bright light of the Presence of Jesus.

In hot pursuit,
ASD...etc

To my Valentine

Though I lack a Valentine, and have never had one, every year I like to write a letter to my future spouse. I pray for him, and ask the Lord to bless him and fill him up with His holy presence.
To all of us who long to find true love, and who are patient enough to wait for their priced beloved, here's a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

How Do I Love Thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Paradise.

I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,-- I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life!-- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

I pray that I will learn to love my future warrior-poet this way, so that I may be a Proverbs 31 wife for him to truly deserve him and to serve him for the rest of my life...

Faithfully waiting for my warrior-poet,

ASD

Sweet Embrace

After midterms I am ill. I suppose it was because of the pressure from work and school. I dare not to say that my spiritual state is ill as well, for I have glorified God for this "thorn in the flesh" so that I may spend this time in bed, in His arms.
"The Lord is my Shepherd..." Though nauseous and weak, I have felt the presence of God stronger in my life today. Surrounded by worship music, and His pierced hands... His soft voice whispering into my ear those words I've longed to hear from His lips, "I love you, my Songbird." Though weak in the flesh, the Lords has glorified Himself in my spirit, and my soul has found that peace "which surpasses all understandings." He's looked into my naked soul, and has cleansed the wicked feelings that don't conform to His ways.
The path to the Cross is a path of renunciation. Step by step, the Creator of heaven and earth strips my soul and my flesh from those things hindering the flow of His spirit. During this time, I have come to love Him as I never thought I could love anyone else. Jesus, the One and Only. My Beloved, my Shepherd, my Prince, my Wonderful Consoler...

May I request from you, that you have me in your prayers, if once or twice a week that will suffice. Pray for my trip to Southern Spain (Andalusia) and Morocco. Pray that the Lords will give us (The Grecos, and team) boldness, wisdom, and peace as we minister to the pastors and worship leaders in Spain and Morocco. Specially in Morocco, as it is a Muslim country, though we won't be able to meet with the underground Church in Morocco, we will be ministering to the leaders of these underground churches.

Here's a little song I wrote a couple of months ago which relates to the embrace of my Heavenly Prince...


Sweet Embrace

Take me in your arms of love
and show me your ways.
Teach me your truths as you
hold me close.

All in your sweet embrace,
there I find my strength;
where I come to know you,
as you hold me close.

(Oct. 17th, 2004)


No quiero ni pensar, en una vida de falsedad
porque contigo todo va muy bien.
No quiero ni pensar, que seria de mi
si mi oracion no fuera para ti.

Yo quiero que mi oracion sea como la fragancia
de un gardin, no cualquie gardin,
si no un gardin de rosas...

From RoJo. Learn more about RoJo Here

In hot pursuit,

ASD...etc

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." -Jim Elliot

Have I an objet, Lord, below

Which would divide my heart with Thee?

Which would divert its even flow

In answer to Thy constancy?

O teach me quickly to return,

And cause my heart afresh to burn.

Have I hope, however dear,

Which would defer Thy coming, Lord-

Which would detain my spirit here

Where naught can lasting joy afford?

From it, my Savior, set me free

To look and long and wait for Thee.

Be Thou the object bright and fair

To fill and satisfy the heart,

My hope to meet Thee in the air,

And nevermore from the part;

That I may undistracted be

To follow, serve, and wait for Thee

-G.W. Frazer

All for the Honor of Your Name

Lately, there has been some things in my heart which I'm afraid are blocking the road that leads me closer to my Heavenly Father. There are seasons in life where one must pause and analyze the condition of our hearts to deeply see that which, is hindering our walk with God and that is keeping us away from the promises of God for our lives.

Knowing before hand, that once I start to analyze those things in my life that are so temporal, so very worthless; I might come to realize that I have nothing at all that is worth living for on this earth. I have nothing to hold on to. But I praise the Lord for that! That He in His mighty power and overflowing wisdom has dismantled my life of the things of the earth, so that I may utter the same words Abraham did as he dwelt among the Hittites, "I am an alien and stranger among you." (Gen. 23:4) Abraham, having lost his wife- mother of Isaac ( the seed of Abraham), and as such the representation of God's promises to Abraham- felt empty as he stood up before God, and Sarah's inert body acknowledging that he, just as his wife Sarah, was passing by...

This makes me think about my spiritual condition. Am I aware that I am just passing by? As I mentioned it earlier, I have nothing to hold on to. God has taken some Sarah's away from my life so that I may say that I am an alien, a stranger. Lord, I am just passing by. This process of losing the Sarah's in my life has been hard, painful, and sacrificial. But there's more to lose... Much more to give away. I will gladly consent to my Lord's request. Everything has been His from the very beginning, I own nothing (not even my own life) and "it is well with my soul."

I want to finish with a song written by Eugene Greco, a prominent song writer,and worship leader whom I hope I get to know better as I leave with him and his wife to Spain and Morocco this June. I hope that I die fully to myself during that trip. May this be the cry of my heart during this year, "Lord, whatever it takes!"

The Honor of Your Name
By Eugene Greco

Lord, You are free to do anything
Remove anything within me
That stands in Your way or causes You pain
Or hinders Your flow within me
Whatever the cost, whatever the loss
That You would be Lord of all

All for the honor of Your Name
Only the honor of Your Name
Let all You give or take away
Be for the honor Your name

O for the faith to fully embrace
The call You have placed within me Believing for more, I open the door
To Your Spirit's power within me
Whatever I need to finally see
My purpose and destiny...

The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back. -Isaiah 50:4

Inspiration from the Psalms

It seems that we human beings are extremely moved be this feeling we like to call inspiration. Inspiration seems to be the main reason we do everything.
A friend of mine has been writing about inspiration, and what it means to him... Everyone has an inspiration source, He has found his. And each of us strive to find that specific thing which inspire us. Living without it would be as having a carrot cake without its frosting... Like a bird without a song, like mother without her children, like a lover without her loved One.
Inspiration is not the center of the universe- or at least not mine- but it sweetly flavors it when life seems monotonous.

Here's a little article I found that relates to that conspicuous word, inspiration.

INSPIRATION FROM THE PSALMS
BY DARLENE ZSCHECH

No. 61: PSALM 35:1-10 (NIV Version)A Psalm of David

1. Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.

2. Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.

3. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to my soul, I am Your salvation.

4. May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame, may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay.

5. May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away;

6. May their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

7. Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me,

8. may ruin overtake them by surprise – may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.

9. Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in His salvation.

10. My whole being will exclaim, "Who is like You O Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them."

This is the first of three sections when it comes to Psalm 35. The first section being a complaint, the second a prayer, and the third, a promise of praise… and as is the true character of David, each section ends with a grateful song. You could never pray to God with such boldness unless you had a clear conscience, and David here definitely felt he was in the clear before God and was filled with a righteous anger that said 'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!'
Just before I started writing this study, we were at CONNECT GROUP, with people we dearly love, and talking about how we handle opposition, how we handle offence, and what we practically do to overcome these challenges in life. Well we all said things that made sense, and that scripturally were correct and practical… hanging onto the Word of God, developing your life of Faith, understanding spiritual opposition and dealing with it etc, but none of us said.. 'Ask God to disgrace those who persecute us, may they fall into a pit and die!!!' It really got me thinking about the way we are often so passive about the onslaught of the enemy, rather than getting passionate about using the authority we have been given to fight in the spiritual realm.

Prayer Insights

by Dr. Steve Swihart

In John 15 Jesus spoke about five kinds of people who are grafted into Him: (1) those who produce NO fruit, (2) those who produce SOME fruit, (3) those who grow and produce MORE fruit, (4) those who grow a great deal and produce MUCH fruit, and (5) those who make wise investments in God’s Kingdom so that THEIR FRUIT WILL REMAIN even after they have died.

The person who produces no fruit will eventually be cut off and burned in the fire (this is a picture of hell’s judgment)! The individual who coasts along producing a small amount of fruit will be pruned (cleansed and disciplined) by the Father so he will become more productive. The believer who responds to the Lord’s pruning will become more fruitful until he or she is full of fruit. And the person who consistently honors the Lord with the desires of his heart, the thoughts of his mind, the words of his mouth, and the decisions of his will shall produce a harvest that will continue to be reaped for years after his going to be with the Lord!

This week, as you intercede for your family and others, ask the Lord to guide them into a holy life-style that will culminate in fruit, more fruit, much fruit, and fruit that will remain!

ASD

My Home town in Mexico 

Confusion

Deep within my soul I know that God has called me to something greater. He's called me His own, He's called me by name...

Lately, I've been feeling confused about certain feelings that I hold. This feelings have brought confusion into my life. On one end I know that God takes care of every situation in my life, that I can completely rely on Him and trust Him with every single aspect of it. But, on the other, my human nature is pushing me into doing and acting through carnal means to achieve that which I know has been promised to me.
We, human being tend to be so impulsive, so emotional. We want to go when the Lord says to wait; we want to perform when the Lord says to be silent, to be still.
I've learned that it is during the quietest times in our lives that the Lord speaks the loudest, that He speaks clearly, and that He reveals His purposes to us.

I want this confusion to go away. That if this thing that I'm feeling doesn't come from the Lord, that He will just help me overcome it. I'm so weak, He alone is to strengthen me. I want to go to the next level. I want to hit the mark for this year. I want no distractions, no confusion. I want to serve the Lord with every fiber of my body; every minute, every second, I want His imprint to be in my life. I want my eyes to look at Him only, not anyone else, but Him alone. I want my heart to beat only for Him. I want my thoughts to only be centered on Him. He deserves it.
My Alpha and Omega. The author and finisher of my faith, my life, my steps, my soul, my thoughts, my heart. My everything, I want it all to truly be His.

In hot pursuit,
ASD

Lord, I Give you my Heart

This is my desire to honor you
Lord, with all my heart I worship you
All I have within me I give you praise
All that I adore is in YOU
LORD, I give you my heart
I give you my soul
I live for you alone
Every breath that I take
Every moment I'm awake
LORD, have your way in me

Words and music: Reuben Morgan

I'm Sorry

Lord,

I'm sorry for not loving you enough...
I'm sorry for not meeting with you enough...
I'm sorry for loving this world too much...
I'm sorry for not speaking up...
I'm sorry for being selfish, and think about me the more...
I'm sorry for not listening to Your voice...
I'm sorry that I lack Your Love...
I'm sorry that I sin too much, and do the wrong things even more...
I'm sorry about always thinking wrong....
I'm sorry for not adoring you enough...
I'm sorry for not pleasing you...
I'm sorry for being so insensitive...
I'm sorry for comparing myself to others too much...
I'm sorry for not being thankful
I'm sorry for not being joyful
I'm sorry for not being humble...

Lord forgive me for not loving you enough.

A season of Singleness- Krissy's Story

By Leslie Ludy from Authentic Girl

In our book, When God Writes Your Love Story, I introduced our readers to Krissy, Eric’s older sister. Krissy made a decision to wait faithfully for her future husband when she was around the age of 12. And she never wavered in that decision. As she was growing up, Krissy lived a truly set-apart life, both for Christ and for her future spouse. Many times she was mocked by people who did not understand the decisions she made. But she stayed focused on honoring Christ, no matter what the cost. Throughout her young adult life, Krissy joyfully poured herself into serving Christ as a missionary both overseas and in the U.S. As Krissy approached her thirties, she still had never been in a romantic relationship. She had always dreamed of being married and starting a family, but the older she got, the more she wondered if that dream would ever be fulfilled. Even though there were many times she felt discouraged, Krissy remained passionately in love with her Prince, Jesus Christ. She didn’t put her life on hold simply because she hadn’t yet met her future husband. She gave herself to serve others, and lived a radiant, peaceful, vibrant life – content with where God had her. One day, someone asked Krissy if she felt she was “called” to singleness. After a moment of thought, Krissy replied, “Today I am.” Today I am. That is a profound response. Krissy didn’t see her singleness as an unending hill to climb. She allowed God to lead her through the journey one day at a time. As a result, she discovered a joy in her singleness that few singles ever realize they can find.

Many girls have asked me over the past few years what ever happened to Krissy. Did she ever get married? Did God fulfill her desire for a family? You may be encouraged to know that the ending to Krissy’s story is just as beautiful as the beginning was. When Krissy was 34, God brought Scott into her life – a godly 37-year-old who had been waiting faithfully, all his life, for his future bride. Two and a half years ago, they were married. The ceremony was incredible. As Krissy walked down the aisle that day, God’s smile was so evident, His gentle presence engulfing the entire room. She had honored Him – and now He was honoring her. No one in the room could hold back the tears – including Eric, who was crying so hard that his face was contorting! That wedding was such a picture of God’s perfect faithfulness. Krissy and Scott have a beautiful, Christ-centered marriage. They have an adorable little daughter, and another baby on the way! Throughout the seasons of her life, Krissy has shined with the radiance of a life that has found its’ completeness in Jesus Christ.

If you are in a season of singleness and are struggling with discouragement or impatience, remember this: When we, like Krissy, are willing to allow God to use each season of our lives for His purposes, we discover an incredible truth: Singleness doesn’t have to be a time of passive and futile waiting. Instead it can be an exciting adventure of active preparation for marriage and deepening our romance with Jesus Christ. Remember not to build your future marriage up in your mind as the time in your life when “everything will be perfect.” Allow Jesus Christ to become your everything - your complete source of security, identity, and confidence. And when a God-written earthly romance does come along, it will only enhance the most important romance of all time – your relationship with Jesus Christ. When you wonder whether God has called you to singleness for the rest of your life, remember Krissy’s words “today I am”. Your Prince will be faithful to give you the grace to do what He has called you to – one day at a time

The Jesus I never Knew

I was just re-reading an old email my Pastor Ben Trolese sent me. He sent me some quotes from the a famous book by Philip Yancey, The Jesus I never Knew. I've read the book myself, and find it very inspirational, because for those of us who grew up going to church attending the canny Sunday school lectures with nice, smiling teachers, who spoke of the Jesus figure as the mystical human figure who, came down to earth to die for your sins, and furthermore, that He did it because He loved you, and wanted to spend the rest of eternity with you. This seemed as a nice little tale with a happy ending, but left my Jesus in the shadows as I tried to understand why He did it, and what love meant to Him, specially when I was taught that love was never to hurt those whom you loved the most, and that love would never bring any pain if it were to be true love.
So, I present to you, the quotes from the book I mentioned earlier, so that you may find something more than just amusement, and find the reality of Christ's cross


"I am drawn to Jesus, irresistibly, because he positioned himself as the dividing point of life-my life... "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God," he said.
According to Jesus, what I think about him and how I respond will determine my destiny for all eternity."

"God's terrible insistence on human freedom is so absolute that he granted us the power to live as though he did not exist, to spit in his face, to crucify him."

"Jesus knew rejection. More, Jesus' life was defined by rejection. His neighbors laughed at him, his family questioned his sanity, his closest friends betrayed him, and his countrymen traded his life for that of a terrorist."

"Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he did meet skeptics he could not convince and sinners he could not convert."

"Sidney Carter wrote this disturbing poem:
But God is up in heaven
And he doesn't do a thing,
With a million angels watching,
And they never move a wing....
It's God they ought to crucify
Instead of you and me,
I said to this Carpenter
A-hanging on a tree."

"The priest Henri Nouwen sat in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, for many hours meditating on Rembrant's great painting "Return of the Prodigal Son." While staring at the painting, Nouwen gained a new insight into the parable: the mystery that Jesus himself became something of a prodigal son for our sakes. "He left the house of his heavenly Father, came to a foreign country, gave away all that he had, and returned through a cross to his Father's home. All of this he did, not as a rebellious son, but as the obedient son, sent out to bring home all the lost children of God ... Jesus is the prodigal son of the prodigal Father who gave away everything the Father had entrusted to him so that I could become like him and return with him to his Father's home."

My deepest devotions,
ASD

Prayer insights

by Dr. Steve Swihart

One of the greatest promises in the Bible is found in the first Psalm: “Whatever he does prospers” (1:3). This is a promise for success, accomplishment, fruitfulness. It is everyone’s dream to prosper. But like all of God’s promises, there are conditions. In this particular case, there are two conditions.

First, the Psalmist insists that we disconnect ourselves from all ungodly attachments––from inappropriate friendships, partnerships, viewing of certain movies and TV shows, and the like. Second, the author tells us that our highest desire must be to know and practice God’s Word.

When these prerequisites are met, miracles happen! Ask the Lord to guide you and others into His kind of prosperity.

I like reading these little prayer insights. These insights often make me think about how our life doesn't have to be highly adorned by our life style, but the simplest things in life are the ones that make the most difference in people's life. The secular culture imposes on its spectators a life full of luxury and refined thinking, yet, it's from the words of a young shepherd that a king was made.
We must never forget that the life that we live is not ours, and that God desires simplicity from us. Simplicity allows the Lord to work in our hearts and souls without risking the loss of our identity as we strive more and more towards the purity of heart, mind, and soul.
It is then possible for us to truly say what the psalmist of yore said, "whatever he does prospers" because we've learn in our simplicity to put the Lord at the center of our lives.

I know I said I was going to write in Spanish from now on, but since the majority of my Spanish speaking friends speak English as well, and since the majority of my English speaking friends speak English only, then, for everyone's sake, I'll write in English. I might casually write in my wonderful language, (which, by the way will be the language of heaven) because my Jesus tends to speak in Spanish to me, so that I may understand everything that my Prince says.

In hot pursuit,
ASD

Blank

I've had a blank mind for a couple of weeks. I wish to write more, to express all these feelings and thoughts I have. But my mind pipe is so narrow, so not well polished that when the array of thoughts and ideas come, I end up with a thought cork that stops them from coming out, and being orderly placed.
I stumble through the words and ideas. My sentences don't make sense, and my mind is a hurricane. What I am supposed to do about it? I'll just wait until everything is well settled in my mind and heart. I need to be at peace, to have my ideas rearranged so that I may express the truest feelings, and the finest thoughts.

I better write in Spanish for now on. My Spanish would make more sense, not only in my head, but in my own writing...

Hasta siempre.

ASD...etc

Bere, Liz y Yo 

My sisters and I the day of Christmas 

As I get to know you more,
I want to be closer to you;
The more I learn about you,
the more I want to hear from you.

I want to be close to you:
Closer to your heart,
Closer to you, in your arms
of love, of joy, of peace.

The more I know you,
the more I feel drawn to you;
yet, there's much more to you
than what I can grasp.

It all makes me love you.
All I want to do is to know you.

Prayer Insights

by Dr. Steve Swihart

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Eccl. 9:10a). As a rule, the most influential and the most successful people in the church, in the classroom and in every sector of society are those individuals who pursue life with all of their might. They pursue their priorities with all of their might. They pursue their vocation with all of their might. They pursue their relationships with all of their might. And they pursue their God with all of their might.

When it comes to praying, the person who prays best (and not necessarily longest) is the one who seeks to know and follow God’s heart with all of his or her might. Decide today that you will be that kind of person! When you do, success will follow you wherever you go!

Voice of Truth

Lyrics & Music by Mark Hall and Steven Curtis Chapman

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy, you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

Chorus:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name
And he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them lookin' down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Find more music by Casting Crowns HERE