LiveFreeLoveHard

We are some of the worst friends, daughters, sons, brothers, sisters.  We're so cynical and skeptical, that if someone is being "too nice" to us, we get suspicious that they want something from us.  We ask, "why is this person being so nice? I wonder what she wants?"  We can't fathom that someone would be extremely nice to us without having some type of agenda.  I think a lot of us look at God with that same sideways skepticism. Like, okay, so He sent His son to die on a cross for my sins, so that I might be saved.  And all He wants from me is to accept His salvation and allow Him to come into my heart? "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his gra

My first decision has to be trust, then faith…loud, colorful faith.   It seems to be the only way for me.   I’m no mistake and God created me just the way he wanted me. He knew I wouldn’t be able to stay in those jobs.   He knew I wouldn’t be able to stay in those relationships.   He knew I wouldn’t be able to stay in that city.   So, why now, looking over my life, do I feel like I’ve missed the mark?    When God in his infinite wisdom knows exactly who he’s dealing with and loves me.   Heaven has smiled on me and God has made no mistake.   Here I am, here and now.   And yes, for such a time as this.   And what time is this?   I know this is a time of great activity and productivity.   I know that there has never been an easier time to connect with people all over the world.   To get in front of people you want to get in front of and have your voice heard.   To be seen on whatever scale you wanted visibility.   To get involved in living life out loud.   And there has never been

I came for a short visit to Inglewood, California to see my family and offer my assistance in a family project at my parent's house this weekend.  I didn't bring my percolator, so off to Starbucks I went to get some much needed coffee.  California is a beautiful place and the weather is always nice, so I walked to Starbucks  It's only one mile away and that's a great way to get some sun and some exercise, all at once.   As I was walking down the street, I felt an air of dreams deferred, a bit of staleness, and a sense of "is this all there is?"  Now, I know there will always be dreamers and believers, movers and shakers, but I couldn't help but notice the look of hopelessness on the faces that I passed by.  I noticed the homes with unkempt lawns and the cars that needed washing.  As we get older and our priorities change, I understand that what was once important may fade in the shadows of more pressing issues.  I know that having the latest Jordan'

I think of how empowered I am and how lost I am, all at the same time.  I read the Scriptures and I think, "Wow, how God loves me.  How incredible I must be to Him.  How awesome are His ways and His thoughts toward me."  And this being true.  I look up from the page and I'm like, okay, so now what do I do?  I'm housing all this magnificence inside me.  The power of Christ resurrected lives in me.  I am effective and unproductive, all at once.  At times, overwhelmed by my calling, yet disappointed by my progress.  I ask, "Lord, what would you have me do right now, in this moment?"  I've asked a million times before.  And I feel like I keep getting the same answer:  Write. The murkiness sets in.  Well, I am.  I have a blog and I write when I can.  I also have bills to pay and a family to take care of.  Surely, you must also require me to work?!  Again, my thoughts are conflicted and my actions divided.  How can I get anywhere like this?  How can I ga

Proverbs 28:23 "He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue." All the work I put in to make sure I'm not stepping on anyone's toes, and trying not to be judgmental (which of course, I still shouldn't be), it's good to hear from God that it's ok to correct at times.  And correcting others is not always bad. We live in a day where inclusiveness and acceptance is the only approved stance, but not all things are acceptable.  And who gets to draw that line, anyway?  Those who consider themselves repressed or marginalized?  Those who consider themselves persecuted? No, I don't have to be accepted or approved by you.  I know I am approved by God.  And only God can judge and will judge the deeds of the righteous and the wicked.  I'm not to be downright confrontational, but I don't have to be a suck-up either.  My Savior never was.  He was strong and gentle.  He was caring and He corrected.  He stood

So, it's finished already.  Jesus is not about to get back up and say, "Oops, I forgot something!"  He has already sat down.  His work is completed.  His final conclusion has already been set.  That's it. What does that mean for us? Reading Romans Chapter 12, as I was thinking about my body being a living sacrifice for God, and reflecting on the chapter's wisdom for how to live this life, there was a sense of 'work in progress.' I'm not there yet, but I'd like to be.  The power that fills our bodies, the power of the Holy Spirit thoroughly at work within us, in spite of us, is God's divine sovereignty.  Jesus is no longer at work.  He is outside of time, so understanding the truth that He is done working on us, as we struggle with the same non-sense day to day can be confusing.  We know we still fall over the same sins that we have asked for forgiveness from time and again.  Yet, the work that Jesus is doing in our lives to pick us up and cle

Daniel 1:8-9: "But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show sympathy and favor to Daniel." These 2 verses are jam packed with precious pearls, so let's get into it... Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, which means one thing, he recognized his body was not his own.  Likely since Jesus had not come yet, Daniel viewed his body  as a living sacrifice.  Today, we are certain that our bodies are the temple of the living God, if indeed Christ lives in you.  As some of you know, I had a terrible bout with alcoholism that ruined many relationships and opportunities for me.  I did not care about my body. I did not care what I was doing to it.  I did not see my body as the temple of the living God.  I was selfish and thought the only person I was hurting, was myself.   And I was wrong.  Our bodies are n

Why aren't we able to receive grace with gratitude?  I believe it's because we think we are actually doing life on our own, getting it done and being successful.  We have become desensitized to grace.  We are the child being hoisted up to see the show and thinking we have grown 10 feet tall, forgetting the very shoulders we sit on.  To put it plainly, we're ridiculous. Grace is invisible and intangible, seemingly, but its the most real force in our lives today.  Do you know that we even need grace to understand the Word of God.  This is the time of grace.  Though I don't believe God is happy about the fallen state of man, I can't help but to believe that He enjoys this time of grace.  In this age, He can shower us with His affection and unmerited favor.  he has reserved our generation for such a time as this.  For such a time when, like milk and honey, His grace is ever-flowing.  I know the Father loves to be good to us.  Some ask, why doesn't Jesus just com

I can't help but think that I'm the seed that fell among the thorns, but the worries and cares of this world, and the chasing after wealth and position choked the good life out of the seed that was planted in me. Let me explain:  In Matthew 13, Jesus is speaking in parables about the sower who plants his seed along the path, some of it gets eaten up by birds, some of it falls on rocky places and does not take root so it doesn't survive.  Some of it falls among the thorns and gets choked by those thorns and some fall on good soil, takes root, and produces a crop.  He goes on in verse 22 to explain the parable further. Can I be honest here?  I feel like there is so much more I could be doing for God.  I know He doesn't require much from us, and that's why I think we are so easily able to dismiss the great commission, but out of the love in my heart, I want to do more for Him.  Listen, it's not necessarily what we can do for God when we give him space in our li

Today, I woke up tired of the same ol', same ol'.  I get very rebellious when I feel like I'm running on the "hampster" wheel.  Some people do retail therapy, some people pull the covers over their head and stay in bed, when they don't want to deal with this world.  I like to set a bomb off in my life and see where things lie when the dust settles.  That's what happened the last time I felt like this.  I woke up one Tuesday morning and instead of driving to my job at UCLA Health in Santa Monica, California, I kept driving down the 10 Freeway until I reached Las Vegas, Nevada.  The best way I could describe what happened was that I felt like I was suffocating, and I had to make some space in my life, so I could breathe again.  Well, that's fine when you're young, unmarried, and no children.  That is not okay when you're hitched and you have little ones looking up to you.  So, how do I get the same effect of creating space in my life, when I

Let me tell you what I see: I see a beautiful woman, fierce and tender-hearted. Focused and executing beautifully her dynamic position.  I see her refined from head to toe, though she'll always say, "this could be a little better."  Her husband is proud and her children are impressed, and they always have everything they need.  She is thinking a few steps ahead and is usually always prepared. There is no slack or waste around her.  Her speech is clean and short.  She is always classy because it exudes from the inside out.  Her boss and her clients can rely on her.  She makes her own way and she is not afraid to take risks, because her future is secured in Christ.  She takes on challenges, and grows from every one because she relies on Christs' strength. She is full of compassion and patience - yet she always gets it done on time.  She enjoys her life, however short, with gratitude for what God has done through Jesus Christ, making time for family and friends whene

There is no way to avoid being hurt, betrayed, lied to, mistreated, abused, accused, etc.  Jesus experienced it. Paul experienced it.  Many others were overlooked, taken for granted, cheated and wronged. So, because there is no way to avoid life's unfavorable situations, what do you do when you experience them? As long as we keep our eyes on the prize, we can endure it.  We go through the muck and grime of life, and know that at those times we are being watched and called upon to endure it accordingly: "Rejoice always. Pray continually.  Give thanks, in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Always? Continually? In all circumstances?  That's a tall order, but an order nonetheless.  Here is where the maturity of Job kicks in, "shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" Job 2:10 As he was being tested, mistreated, abused, broken and robbed (because Satan thought it was appropriate - not becaus

Today, most of us will rise and we will have a plethora of choices.  We can choose what to eat, what to wear, how to start our day, where to go, what to do.  There are so many options available to us.  We have the freedom to choose. We can choose our attitude for the day.  We can choose what we're going to focus on.  We can choose what we want to accomplish today.  So, what are you going to do with your freedom?  This is not a question that everyone gets to ask.  Oh, no.  This is a question of privilege.  This is a first-world question; this is an American question; this is a THIS generation question. Will you be like David? "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple."  Will you spend your freedom with the One who set you free? Let's set some time aside today to say Thank you Daddy, to our Heavenly Father who gave us his on

A strong family is the backbone to a thriving society.   And I was shaped by a strong family.   My mother and father have been married for 38 years and counting and I grew up in the same home all of my life.   I consider my upbringing to have been very sheltered compared to many, but I never felt like I missed out on anything.    I have numerous happy memories and some sad ones too.   I've made my fair share of really bad decisions in life, but I ultimately feel equipped to be able to get through this thing called life.   Why is this important?   Well, the fabric and culture of our society is moving farther away from traditional family households.  We are less and less concerned about who is raising our children.   We are increasingly concerned about how we look physically, and not even on the health of our bodies (which might be okay) but just the shape of them.   We are increasingly sexifying our generation and the ones to come.   We are more concerned about going viral tha