A Call to Righteousness

 “I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her fertile fields and boundless forests, and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her public school system and her institutions of learning, and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution, and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good America will cease to be great.”

This famous quotation was used in a sermon on Labor Day weekend in September 1922 by reverend John McDowell in New York City. It is not known for sure where he got the quote; however the sentence “America is great because she is good” has been attributed by many American Presidents to a French political thinker, Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859). Being a foreigner myself, I find it absolutely possible that someone who was born and lived in a different country would have written this quote.

I love these United States. I became an American in September 2005 and I am so very proud to call this country home. I visited Washington D.C. a couple of years ago and saw with my own eyes something that has been discredited by the media and our government: America’s foundation IS based on Judeo-Christian principles. I saw bible verses in monuments. I saw God all over our History. America is great because it has been blessed by Almighty God. And He has blessed America because America was righteous before His eyes.

I’m evidently not talking about individual behavior. Unrighteousness is present in any society. Sin has been in this world since the fall and will be prevalent until Jesus establishes His kingdom. I’m talking about the very foundation of this country, its founding laws and Constitution.  

We have been changing our laws for four decades now in order to “accommodate” our sin. Since Row vs. Wade in 1973, it is estimated that over 50 million babies have been aborted. We have made violation of God’s commandments a non-issue. You can probably check the “violation of each one of the Ten Commandments” box within less than a day of watching our TV shows.  We don’t flinch when people around us curse. We laugh at funny jokes on movies, even though the Lord’s name was placed in between the lines.  But what bothers me the most is not that all of this is happening around us. It always has. What bothers me is that the Christian people are blending with society. We’re no longer salt like we used to be. In the name of whatever it may be, whether it is trend, fun, acceptance, friendship, being cool, “love”, we have allowed ourselves and our children to watch and participate in things that are totally against God and His Word. We have desensitized our hearts to things that God hates.  And we have become lukewarm to His truth…

I have watched people get up and leave church because the pastor candidly pointed out that our government has taken unrighteous stands in critical issues, not based on his opinion, but rather based on facts regarding individual politicians’ records.  Because of personal preference, we have elected officials who support, point by point, everything that God is against. We have not spoken out and very often we have silenced because we are afraid of what individual groups will accuse us of. Or, worse yet, we have silenced because we have forgotten who we are in first place: not Americans, but children of God.

There is hope.

“If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 

Note that God is not talking to all nations. He is talking to HIS people. He is talking to you and me. We are America’s lighthouse. God is America’s hope and we are His representatives. We are His prayer warriors. We vote.

My challenge is that we will start sifting everything that we allow in our minds and our lives through God’s grid: Does it glorify Him? Does it honor Him and His Word?

And finally, my prayer is that when we vote in November, we vote with our God-given conscience. It is simply wrong to separate our Christian values from our ballot. We do not have to blend with society. We should never blend. Salt does not blend – it seasons. Light does not blend with darkness – it puts an end to it!

May we hear the 2 Chronicles 7:14 call:

1)   Repent from our sins;

2)   Turn from whatever does not glorify Him;

3)   Pray!!!!

Dear Lord, thank You that You did not leave me alone. Thank You that You have left your Word and your Spirit to guide me in every decision I make. Help me to be strong and courageous to stand up for Your Truth in each and every situation I face. Sensitize my spirit so I don’t allow the world to contaminate my thinking and my actions. Show me how to be light and salt in this world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Miracle Babies

 “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.” Jeremiah 29:11 (Amplified Bible)


Babies are miracles from God.

While all babies are indeed a miracle, some of us mothers understand this in a deeper level. I’m talking to women who have faced or are facing infertility, miscarriages, difficult pregnancies and medically impossible conceptions.

I don’t pretend to understand the longings of a woman who could not conceive. My story is different. I was told by numerous doctors that I would not be able to get pregnant due to the existence of an infertility “perfect storm” inside my body. Between high levels of a certain hormone and serious endometriosis, my womb was just “not able to hold an embryo”. That’s what the highly educated told me. My fiancé and I were ready for that before we even got married. So, my doctor could not explain it when I found myself pregnant soon after my husband and I decided we were going to try to get pregnant anyway. For reasons I will never know, I did not have to walk through the valley that some of my friends have walked through or are facing. Although both my conceptions were “medically impossible”, the Lord of the universe knew better and had a different plan. My babies are miracle babies.

Then I ponder my older sister’s story. She was abandoned as a nine-month old baby in my mom’s aunt’s house. My mom was only fifteen years-old when she fell in love with Ana. A love story unfolded as mom promised my sister that whenever she got married, she would adopt her. So, dad proposed, knowing that when they came back from their honeymoon, they would have a nine year old daughter waiting for them. My sister is a miracle baby.

Then there is the struggle that my friend went through with infertility, painful treatments and miscarriages. She and her husband did not know that God had planned all along that they were going to adopt a beautiful little girl on the other side of the country and change her life and their lives forever. In my friend’s own words, their daughter could not be any more perfect. She’s everything they have ever dreamed for in a child. And my friend’s comment on what all she learned in her valley is sobering: “it’s not about pregnancy, it’s about motherhood”.  My friend’s daughter is a miracle baby.

Then there is the story of another dear friend, who had a horrible pregnancy, where she could not eat anything without getting very sick, lost weight instead of gaining. We all were praying for her and her baby for nine months. She wasn’t sure they would make it. And now I see this handsome six year old All Star baseball player, running around our house playing with our girls. That boy is a miracle baby.

Through the valleys that so many women face with similar issues and watching the outcome in every situation, Isaiah 55 becomes personal to each of us: "as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts".
We must remember to trust God for the outcome of our lives. We must trust God for our miracle babies in His time. Mostly, we must trust with all our hearts that God is working all things together for our ultimate good. All things. (Romans 8:28)

Unlike Sarah - BELIEVE against all odds

Like Hannah - PRAY without ceasing.

Like Mary - TRUST that nothing is too big for God.

And if God so leads you... Like Pharaoh's daughter, EXTEND your hand to change someone's destiny.

Reflections for today:

For Mothers to be: Regardless of the valley that each of you are going through regarding motherhood, regardless of how and when God gives you your miracle baby, regardless of how long you have to wait or how much it hurts, you must remember that He is molding your character and increasing your faith through your pain and as you wait. I promise you will look back and thank God for the wait. Because you will fall in love with the little person God will give you in His time, whether he or she comes out of your womb or someone else’s.

Prayer:Lord, help me learn how to trust you with all my heart. Help me to see through my pain and through your eyes as I wait upon you. I thank you God for the child you will give me. I trust you will direct my thoughts as you show me the way I should go. Mold me to be more like Jesus as I prepare and wait for my miracle baby. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
For Mothers: Whenever our children disappoint us or irritate us, I challenge each one of us to go back to the day they were born and remember the love, the acceptance and the realization of the miracle that was given to us. Remember the grace and love that was poured into our lives. Extend grace, love and acceptance.

Prayer:Lord, help me be the mother you have called me to be. Help me remember today that my children are a gift from you and help me be forgiving, gracious, patient, joyful. Help me be a mother who will reflect Jesus’ sacrificial love to my children. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

He Led Me Into The Wilderness

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness" Luke 4:1

I’m in the process of doing what I call a “dissection study” of the Gospel of Luke. I love to take my time peeling off the layers of what the Bible says to find “hidden treasures” in the scriptures. Because the Bible is the Living Word, we know that we can read the same passage over and over again and, all of a sudden, something new is found in a familiar passage. That happened yesterday morning as I was reading Luke 4 – “Satan tempts Christ in the wilderness.”

Jesus was LED by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. (v.1)

Back up six years in my life. 2004 was a very good year. My husband Steve, who had been unemployed for quite some time, had found a good job. Our sweet then 2 year-old daughter was filling our lives with joy and I had a good job. But I longed to go back to being self employed and be able to have a more flexible schedule with my baby. Before moving to America, my only work experience had been as a business owner, so I missed the freedoms that I had being self-employed. So, in September 2004, we were offered an impossibly good opportunity to own our own business. We knew better than to just jump into it without prayer, therefore, for three months we prayed, asked our friends to pray, fasted and waited. I am so glad that I have all of this journey recorded in a prayer journal as God started giving us answers. So in November 2004, much to many of our friends and family’s “are you nuts” stares and comments, we bought the business, fully aware that we were being directed by God.

Fast-forward eight months and you will see me crying my eyes out at my best friend’s house (as she laughs out loud like a crazy woman): I’m pregnant! Our youngest daughter was on the way. God DOES have a sense of humor. After spending time in prayer, we decided to put the business up for sale. And three months later, we find a buyer for the business (that's a miracle in itself!). It seems like everything went pretty well, doesn’t it? Not so. Five years later, we are still trying to recover from the financial disaster.

Did I ever question God? Oh, ask me if there was one single month since then when I have not. Here are some pearls: “But Lord, you told us to do this.” “Lord, see right here in my journal: where you told me that was the way we should go??” “You mean I have to go back to working full-time, God?”

Until now… The scales of my eyes fall out as I see it: He LED me to the wilderness. I did not fall there because I disobeyed. I needed to be there.

Jesus was led to the wilderness to get prepared for His ministry. He was led to the wilderness to be strengthened for the task ahead of Him. He was led to the wilderness to be tempted to quit and to come out stronger than ever, ready to start His ministry in Galilee that would change the world forever. WOW!

So here you go: Thank you God for the wilderness!! I said it. I mean it. This is what I learned that I would never have learnt on the mountain top:

·         In the wilderness, God has been equipping me. I have dug more than ever into His Word. I know verses that I did not know before to quote back to the devil when he attacks me. I’ve got a much better handle on my sword (Eph 6:17).

·         In the wilderness, God has not always delivered me the way I thought He should, but He has always provided a way. Like the lady who bought our business. Had that not happened, with a little baby coming and now on only one income, we could probably have lost everything we have ever worked for.  

·         In the wilderness, God taught me discipline. Financial discipline mostly, in this case. See, when satan told Jesus to turn the stones into bread, he was trying to get Jesus to seek comfort at the sacrifice of His discipline. My stones were credit cards… “oh, just charge it if you don’t have the money”. I’m here to tell you stones can be anything that satan tries to manipulate you into doing or buying to make your wilderness a bit more comfortable.

·         In the wilderness, I’ve learned to worship God for whom He is. Not for the gifts He gives me. Simply for Being.

·         In the wilderness, “my God has been supplying all my needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). We haven’t missed a meal. My husband and I are stronger as a couple than ever and our kids are happy and healthy.

·         In the wilderness, God has taught me genuine contentment. I get tickled over simple blessings now, because I learned to value the things that really matter.

So, my friends, I bless God for my wilderness. And I challenge you to do the same. That may just be the beginning of our deliverance.

If you are not in the wilderness, remember satan’s tactics are still undermining you every step of the way. We need to be constantly on guard against the devil’s attacks. He will meet us in the wilderness, the valleys and the mountaintops. I pray you are aware of where you are more susceptible to temptation and prepare to withstand it by meditating in God’s Word and by praying without ceasing.

And don’t forget, whether in the wilderness or the mountaintop; keep on praising and serving God. After all, He is right there with you.

Waiting to Soar

Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.


The end of the chapter 40 of the book of Isaiah is a fresh air of hope and strength. The weary will be strengthened, the tired will run. It seems as a no-brainer for any Christian to follow. Wait on the Lord and you will soar. He will guide you to new heights. He will strengthen your weak muscles. 

I don't know about you, but I find it so hard to stand still. My ever busy mind and body charge me to go, to do, to be the one who makes it happen. I did not know this until I met my Savior at 25, but the hardest thing to give up was the one thing He absolutely required of me: the driver's seat of my life. I stumbled and fell and still stumble and fall with this one simple task God gave me from the very beginning. "Stand still and KNOW that I am God" Psalm 46:10. Wait.

We all have read Isaiah 40:31 before. We've seen it on bumper stickers, on picture frames. The truth of its content resounds in our ever impatient 21st century Christian lives. But as you go back to the beginning of the chapter, you will see that the Author did not challenge you to wait before laying down the foundation for our trust in Him. He fills this passage with solid reasons for which we must learn to wait.

1) We are His children - He has chosen out of love alone to redeem us to Himself through His Son's sacrifice. As the loving Father that He is, He will always watch over us. (v.2)

2) Men are like grass - and grass withers and falls when the breath of God brows on them (v.6-7). Therefore we should not fear what people may do to us. Do not get ahead of God by fear of what men may or may not do to you.

3) He tends His flock like a shepherd (v.11) - Like a loving Father, He will care for you, provide for you and lead you gently in the way you should go. However, if you watch a shepherd lead his sheep, you will see that the sheep do not fight Him. As the shepherd nudges them to move one way or the other, the sheep willingly follow.
And when you are vulnerable like a small lamb, He will carry you close to His heart.  Just as the sheep, we also should willingly submit to God's direction as He shows us the way we should go.

4) Starting on verse 12, God charges us regarding the greatness of who He is. Who shall dare say no to Him? Who instructed the Lord? Who shall not tremble at His command? What is too big or too hard for Him? Who is more powerful than Him? He removes obstacles, removes kingdoms, and has control over everything. As we watch and meditate on the greatness of the God who raised His Son from the dead, our souls should be filled with unwavering faith.

As we see God's awesomeness and power, we cannot forget the truth of who He is to US, His children. He is our Father, who controls everything, who knows each star by name and knows exactly where we are in our lives. He knows your problems and the urgency of your concerns. He will never be late. But He will, most of the time, make you wait.

But remember, as you wait, He is strengthening your wings. You will learn how to fly higher and reach new places where you never dreamed you would be. And as you look back, you will see that trial by trial, He made your spiritual muscles stronger and your spirit more sensitive to His ways. And you will never, ever be the same.