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Believing

Tag Archives: Church

“Do you really think God cares?”

07 Tuesday Apr 2015

Posted by Believer in Presbyterian Church

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acceptance, believing, Christianity, Church, compassion, Gay marriage, Gay Ordenation, Global World, Kenya Kamba People, Kitui Arae, One Great Hour of Sharing, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

This question popped up recently during a conversation with one of my sons.

It actually popped up when he was talking about how one of his classmates each time they were working on an investigation would say, “With God’s help” at the beginning of each lab session. Even though he kept his thoughts to himself, he really didn’t agree with her.  He thought, “Do you really think God cares about this?”.

Well, immediately he landed the question, I gave him the “I’m going to have to knock some sense into you right now” look.

My immediate reaction was,  “Whoa, what’s gotta into you today?”

He said,  “Stop Mom, what I’m trying to tell you is that there is so much going on in the world that my investigation isn’t God’s priority right now, we’ll just have to figure it out on our own.”

He went on to tell me that everything in our world is about balance. He believed in a Superior Being that guided us through life, but it wasn’t really about us as individuals.

His words stayed on the back of my head for some weeks.

via Google images

In developed countries like ours, most of the things we tend to worry about are basically stupidities.

It’s not a secret that I’m one of the Frozen Chosen and we’ve made the news lately because our denomination is open not only to non-celibate homosexuals being ordained, but also to same sex marriages.

Well, for some that makes us  the chosen from hell kind of Christians.

Well, if you think about Jesus and what and who He preached to,  it’s not that bad.  He taught us through example to love the outcasts and those who have no worth to society.

There is a saying in Spanish that goes, “Lo menosprecian” meaning people who think others are worthless because of how they’ve acted in the past.  Wow! Are we full of it, or what?

People aren’t perfect and that’s part of our humanity, when the time comes we’ll know if we were right or way wrong.  However, the only one that will set our record straight will be God.

Moving on to our main discussion, which is,

“If God really cares about the menial stuff we worry so much about?”

My answer would probably be, that he cares about us.  The rest He tends to rely on our practicality and good judgment to deal with the rest.

In a world where famine is basically the major problem that leads to major issues.  Professor Michael Chossudovsky perfectly outlines the situation when he writes,

“The New World Order feeds on human poverty and the destruction of the natural environment.  It generates social apartheid, encourages racism and ethnic strife, undermines the rights of women and often precipitates confrontations between nationalities.”

There is much more where this came from and we can go on forever discussing the reach of all these factors, however, the important thing here is that we really don’t know first hand what famine is.

We’ve become God’s spoiled brats.

The United States government issued the poverty line for Puerto Rico to be fifteen thousand or less. IN other words, if you make $1,250 per month you are going to face economic prejudice.  In Puerto Rico sad to say, it’s not really about education, or your ability to land a great job, it’s more about who you know and the connections you have.  So many of us have to make ends meet with an yearly income of more or less twenty thousand.

We need to step out of our insularism.

Let’s look at Haiti, not very far away from Puerto Rico, with a major per capita income of $400 a month.  In other words my friends, a monthly income of $33.

I feel wealthy in comparison, but what do I really do about it?

Does God care about all these dramatic issues?

YES!

But, I might just wonder for a second, that He’s going to care more about Haiti than for us.  Specially in a world where large areas of our global population live below the REAL poverty line where famine is just a step away.

Rosa Robles and her family.

Does he really care about our Church’s Anniversary itinerary or about what we think is sin, or all the debate that has our local synod buzzing or does He care a bit more for Rosa Robles who lives in sanctuary in South Side Presbyterian Church?

A temple that not only is where people gather to worship, but also is a home for a woman and her family.  Where it’s members protect and become our Lord’s hands and voice to help one of his children facing the government.

Our denomination has such a strong social justice calling and basically one of the things that makes me Presbyterian.

That’s why not only do we believe in equality for ALL of God’s children, we also care enough to donate our time and resources to a small  Kitui (Kenya) area for it to have  enough water to build a strong community where resources like water are now close and not miles away from home.

Less then thirty people were able to work with this community to help them complete this project.  God cares enough to move our spirits towards generosity to give freely and joyfully to this and other projects through One Great Hour of Sharing.

If we have to deal with chronic illness, homosexuality, divorce, separation, grief, economic hardship, family issues, deciding to get married or not, our children, our personal projects, money or jobs and so many more other things then let it be.

All of these situations are particular to each one of us and all come in boxes that our Lord places in our hands with ribbons.  The ribbons are the many opportunities He gives us to handle them.

The truth is, we want our lives to be perfect, and that my friends is not going to happen. So, in a sense you can say God cares, but not as much as He does for those who struggle each day for survival.

So my dear “amigos” and “amigas” please let’s get over ourselves and open up to a global world that has more to the eye then we can possible see.  Life is full of endless opportunities and blessings,  just stretch out your hand to catch some of them and never stop believing in yourself or life’s beauty.

“Hasta la próxima.”

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Passover and Indiana Jones: What do they have in common?

14 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by Believer in Faith

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Tags

Church, Easter, Faith, Happiness, Holy Grail, Indiana Jones, inner thoughts, Passover, Presbyterian

file0001450291982 (1)Almost everyone has asked themselves in one or another moment in their lives, where is Heaven or does it even exist?

Close your eyes and repeat Heaven and God knows what things will come into your thoughts.

Personally speaking, when I do this exercise and think about Heaven in the dark realms of closed eyes I envision a beautiful closed gate.  The gate’s embellishments are in pure gold and its surrounded by fluffy white clouds with strips of lights surrounding it.

If I could control my thoughts maybe I would open the gates instead of closing them.

Probably it has to do with being a Heaven a place for good people, and since most of us aren’t as good as we should be…..  I really can’t figure that one out.

Now, now, I’m not talking from a Presbyterian perspective, but from the Plain Jane kind of thing.  It’s about our notions as human beings, almost everyone thinks about life after life and where it happens.

Maybe it’s because we don’t want to deal with the concept of death.  Having to face that someday it will be over, done with.

All of us do our fair share of soul-searching through editorials, blogging, comments, readings, conversations of any other thing that fancies us.

There’s just a twist about it, if we’re not careful we can end up caught up in the journey.  For some that will be more than fine, for others not so.  It all depends what we’re searching for.

When I think about the Holy Grail,  Indiana Jones comes lurking into my thoughts, sorry about that!

Indy and his Dad spent most of their lives searching for the passion of discovery of the spiritual twined with adventure and a bit of love along the way.

Like every Sunday when I get to church I always take a minute to look around me and tune in with what’s happening around me, so my reflections can help me grow and learn in the places where it’s needed.

All the people who were there, are in the path of self-discovery.  All look for the Holy Grail in a sense.  They want to know, feel and make part of their lives what will life be after life.  (If that’s even possible!)

Passover is almost over and as it’s epitome comes around with Christ’s passion going on, I can only wonder what this week is really about?

Coming to the conclusion that we can’t let the Indy Syndrome get to us.  We need to accept and face the simple things of Passover.

Setting it aside as a time for reflection.

A time where Christians come together in one spirit, looking for our common Holy Grail, and trying to glimpse a place where things will be better and we will meet our loved ones once again.

So you see, my dear friends, Passover is nothing but a frame of thought where people who have believed move forward together in a path of self discovery that may surprise more than one of us.

We just have to believe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Embarrasment of Being a Christian

30 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Believer in Faith

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Christian, Christianity, Church, courage, Faith, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, John, Lord, love

Visiting my church in the past brought not only peace of heart, but also joy.  Sadly this has changed, and has made me doubt the fundamentals of my whole life.

I’ve been visiting the same church for about thirty-seven years.

My first visit was when I was barely eleven years old.  If you do the math you’ll know I’m forty-seven years old.

I’ve felt embarrassed for some time now. Not only for those who proclaim they are Christians, but also for myself.

It has been something gradual, probably that’s where I stopped calling myself a Christian, but a believer.  In what do I believe in???  In Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit,  in mankind’s good nature, and in the fact that anyone who is still alive has an opportunity for redemption.  God’s love is extended not only the kind and compassionate, but also to  the cruel and sinister as well.

Some may think, “Wait hold your horses, is this lady off beat or what?”  Isn’t she Presbyterian, isn’t she from the “frozen chosen clan”?  Somebody, please tell her to read the manual!

Whoever said that we needed to believe in all dogma and theology that was ever drilled in our heads? My denomination has or never will control what I chose to believe in or not.  The good thing is that I actually get to chose what I want  to believe in!

However, it doesn’t stop there in just believing, it’s about doing something with my calling.   Trying to be as good as I can, and even if I fail,  picking up the pieces and trying all over again.  Trying hard to never be the same as I was before.

It’s about trying to find compassion within me to reach out to those in dire need.  However, if I can’t be the one that’s doing the work in the field being our Lord’s hands and voice, then I’ll have the blessing of  supporting or praying for  someone who can be.  The magic is all about finding my place in the big picture.

via morgueFile

Never judging others, and certainly trying to live up to Jesus’s highest preach, love to God above all things, and to our brother and sister as if they  were are own selves.

It has been often where I’ve heard the words, “those people” voiced by some members of my own congregation and others.  Referring not only to the homeless, drug addicts but also to the homosexuals.

Didn’t Jesus preach love and acceptance?  Didn’t He say that he came to all?  Didn’t he question each and one of the people who followed him.

Whereas our preach, is exactly what?

The homosexual population are attacked so often people think that’s the norm.  We’ve made them feel like aliens among us.  Isn’t being a Christian about love, honesty, courage, and faith.  Whereas love is the jewel of the crown.

Probably the worst I’ve felt in a while was after reading a hateful comment some Christians left on a receipt for the waiter that tended their table.  Industry Life made an important point when he posted it on his blog.  I felt overwhelmed for a moment, and then I thought “What the f&%ck happened there!”

We congregate together, we are united, but at the same time divided at heart.  Many little things have undermined my faith in Christianity and my congregation.  I know as a fact that many with their mouths,  bless the Lord, but with that same mouth condemn their brothers or sisters in faith and life.

via morguefile

Now a days just saying I’m Christian doesn’t bring joy to my life.

I’ve tried with all my heart to re-find the joy and happiness that just sitting in church used to give me.  Yet, it’s gone and I’m heartbroken just to think it never will come back.

How can we be detached about all the wrong that goes on thinking that never in a lifetime will it happen to us.

All what is left is to stop, and ask ourselves as Jesus himself did when two of John’s disciples followed him after listening to John when he proclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God.”  He turned around and asked them,  “What are you looking for?”

That same question is still as valid today as it was two thousand years ago,  “What are we looking for?”.

Is it bad to question yourself?

If so, why was Jesus so famous for always asking questions?  Challenging what the people in his historical realm believed in.

And this my dear friend can only lead us to the following questions, what do YOU believe in and what are YOU looking for?

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The infamous… “tu no sabes”

23 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Believer in economic hardship

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Tags

Church, Disease, English language, Faith, First language, Knowing People, Language, Linguistics, love, Social Sciences, Spanish, Spanish language, Storytelling

They are many phrases in Spanish that are difficult to translate in English because they literally don’t mean the same things, even if you’re using the correct set of words.

Probably people may wonder why I don’t write in Spanish, basically because nothing flows good enough to jot it down.  It’s a shame, I can’t convey what I want to say in my native language. However, I love my language’s sayings.

via Google Images

There are dozens of them, and each one has its own meaning.  Better said, depending on what you want to make out of them.  They can mean different things to anyone that says or reads them.

My parents would talk Spanish at home because they actually had a language acquisition theory (who would’ve known) that leaded them to believe that my brother and I would learn English at school.  No kidding?

They were right, at least with me.  My brother doesn’t care much about the language, he speaks it and forget about writing it (or so I think).  Sorry Tom, if I’m saying this and I’m wrong.

Now that being said, I will route myself towards my folklore.   One of my favorite sayings is, “tu no sabes”.  Which literally means in English, “you don’t know”.  So, what does it really mean?

It’s more like a “you don’t have an idea” kind of thing.

via google images

When we’re talking with someone and happen to ask a question, they can tell us,   “tu no sabes”, hold your horses because here it comes!  Its like going behind the curtains during a play.  You are about to get all the inside info of what’s happening, or you may be blessed with sharing a story that is only intended for you.

“Tu no sabes” means you really don’t know the personal circumstances of the person you are talking to.

During our lives there are many things we prefer to keep quiet about.  Things we don’t dare even to think about, forget about talking about.  To all that ever have said, “tu no sabes” my standing ovation goes to you.

Some time ago,  one of my cousins shared a post on FB where she explained to her friends that she suffered a very painful medical condition and that’s why she was so health oriented.  She wanted people to understand!  She could have begun her post with , “ustedes (in plural) no saben.”.

Almost twenty years ago, I went to service on a Sunday morning with my family.  During that time, Carlos was on a waiting list to get a liver transplant and money was always running low in my home.  Basically I went to church trying to figure out a couple of financial problems I was facing.  When I was leaving towards the parking, a deacon called me and told me to come back.  She handed me an envelope with a check for $115.

I began my sentence with “Tu no sabes”, she really didn’t know!  She didn’t have an idea that the money she was handing me was a life saver that week.  It put food on our table and was a beautiful blessing.

Which leads me to the only conclusion possible…………..

Always remember my dear friend,  that everyone has a very private life that he or she may choose or not to share because it is true that “tu no sabes”,  we really don’t know everything about a person and never will.

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Believer

Believer

I'm an English teacher forced into early retirement after I was diagnosed with MG. I miss school terribly and can say honestly that I feel sad each August when school begins in Puerto Rico. I've lived with MG for ten years now, and can truly say that it still has the power to creep up to me when I least expect it, but that doesn't mean I don't battle it. It's tough, but I'm tougher. I love to write and read, but what English teacher doesn't. I'm a mom of three wonderful persons, and can not leave out a beautiful baby boy that came into our lives almost five years ago. He's the motor of my life and keeps me striving to get healthier even if I have a chronic illness. Well people that's me.

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