Generational Influence

"I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you." 2 Timothy 1:5

Mama Paolita

Every Saturday she came, her shopping bag full of goodies--chocolate bars, chocolate layer cake, orange slices, marshmallow cookies or jelly beans. Sometimes there would be new clothes she made herself, or shoes. If we were sick with a fever or a sore throat we’d hide. We knew she had a needle in that bag, to give us a penicillin shot. Yet, somehow she always fooled us and we’d end up--bottom up and the quick pinch!

Mama Paolita, my father's mother, was bigger than life. She was always dressed to the hilt, hair perfectly coiffed, nails done. It didn’t matter that she had just taken two different subways to get to us, she came looking none the worse for her travels. She was bossy and I remember a time I sassed her, telling her she wasn’t my mother. “I’m your grandmother and that makes me two times your mother!” “Huh” was all I could say. Oh my.

I smile when I remember I always wanted to be just like her--beautiful, fearless, and independent. She had a reverent awe of Jesus Christ, her Savior. We wouldn’t dream of speaking casually of Him in front of her. 

One day I found out what made her the way she was. Tears streamed down my face as my Mama Adela (my mother's mom) told me her story. My dad’s mom was an orphan, hired out at the age of nine as a servant. At the age of ten, she was raped and bore a baby boy, my uncle Ricky. My grandmother refused to be a victim. I’m not sure how or when, but she became a midwife and delivered babies in the backwoods of Puerto Rico. She learned how to give shots and vaccinated many against Tuberculosis.

When she saved up enough money she moved to New York City with my uncle David and my dad. She worked hard, she loved without restraint (married three times) and she made no excuses for who she was.

She was kind and gentle, yet strong. She loved to laugh and did it often. She was generous with her time and money and she taught her son, Josue G Cruz, to work hard, take responsibility for what he did and to love the Lord his God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength--to trust Him no matter what. It wasn’t Gods fault when bad things happened--He stood with you when they did. She knew that first hand. 

I’m glad I remembered her today. There is a new generation that needs to know about this ancestor who shaped the man they know as Popi. She was my superhero when I was growing up and, at least in my eyes, the original Wonder Woman!

Grandparents, don’t think you have little or no influence on your grandchildren. I’m a Christian because my parents prayed for me, trusting in the Lord to soften my heart. My father believed in Jesus Christ because his mother’s faith in the face of adversity made her who she was.

"Hear o Israel the Lord Our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children you shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way when you lie down and when you rise."  Deuteronomy 6:4 - 7

by Eve Montano

Ultimate Love

"But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8

Beaten, broken, scarred, close to death –Stumbling, falling until someone had to carry His burden. Nailed to the cross--arms open wide in surrender,
A crown of thorns--King of the Jews was on the sign above His head.
“Father; forgive them--they know not what they do”
Darkness fell and our sins held Him until He cried “It is finished!”
Droplets of blood flowed from His body onto the ground.

Beaten, broken, scarred, close to death - Stumbling, falling under a burden too heavy to carry, Struggling forward, sin nailed into our hearts;
We fall; arms opened wide in surrender
“GOD! Jesus, please take my life, my will, my way, my sin!
Forgive me, I didn’t know!”

With each word, the sin that nails us is pulled from our hearts. Chains and shackles of pride and compromise fall away. We lay face down, barely breathing. The Risen Saviour touches a tear-stained face with His nail-scarred hands. He lifts our burden and looks into the eyes of His beloved child and says “It is finished; your sins are washed away by my blood”

Yesterday as I prayed I couldn’t help but see the parallel of a body beaten and broken for us and lives that are beaten and broken in need of a Saviour

Let the light of Jesus shine into your life. Read the Bible. Ask questions and find out how to deliver the burden of your sins into the hands of Jesus.

"We love because He first loved us."  1 John 4:19

by Eve Montano

Lessons in the Garden

"Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits." Song of Solomon 4:16

Last month, while JeJe was in California, I agreed to the great responsibility of tending to his garden. It was a bit stressful for me. You see, I've never been able to keep any houseplants alive, let alone a whole garden.  

When Elli was born, and the nurse brought her up close for me to see, I was overjoyed at the sight of her. Then I was overwhelmed at the thought of the HUGE responsibility I was just handed--the wellbeing (survival) of another living being.

Praise God for His never ending mercies and grace.

JeJe is a man of simple pleasures. He loves... 
     his Bible
     spending time alone with God
     his family
     a good cup of coffee
     a massage
     sushi
     a nap on Sunday afternoons
     and...
     he really enjoys gardening.

God does nothing from coincidence. I am sure this is a gift from God to go along with His calling on JeJe's life for church planting and developing disciples for Jesus.

God's uprooting of me from my native, “year long summer” season in California--to a country with four seasons and filled with farmland and sheep--was designed by Him to speak many valuable things to me. This has been a place for me to have that extra time that God wants in order to speak to me through my surroundings and circumstances.

Here's what I've been gleaning from this season of JeJe's planting a new garden (and church), and for several weeks my being solely responsible for it.

*It's not ours, its Gods. Its ALL Gods.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.” Psalm 24:1

• No one will care as deeply about your garden as you do. You put in all the work and hours in clearing out the old dead stuff, burning the chaff, turning the soil, planting, watering, feeding, protecting (especially from insects and preying birds/worms), pruning and caring for the entire well being of your garden.
• The gardener has the greatest knowledge of his garden. He knows the soil, what seeds he has planted (and where). He knows the timing, what thrives best and where in his garden. He knows how to care for the various kinds of species he has planted. Some produce fruit, some flowers, some thorns and well, some just never take root.
• Good soil (foundation) is the most critical component of a fruitful/healthy harvest. The soil has to be turned. The sign of rich soil is worms; they are feeding off all the good nutrients.

He is the chief cornerstone. (Mark 12:10)

• Good seed. JeJe planted two types of seeds for the tomatoes. He was skeptical about one and chose to plant just a few. The other set produces the most amazing tomatoes. They melt in your mouth, and their skin is not tough or plastic-like. Hmmm...
• The gardener must keep a careful eye on the garden, especially the condition of the soil and leaves. If it's dry, he needs to water. If it's too wet, he can oversaturate and drown the plant.
• The gardener provides the best protection of the garden. He knows what predators/feeders are nearby. He observes where they can get in and takes measures to prevent them from entering. Precautions are taken against worms, insects, and more. Along these lines, he wants to protect without using harmful ingredients (such as pesticides) that would taint the quality of the fruit.
• The gardener could use synthetic products to give superior looking produce. However, once you bite into this type of produce, you already know its not what you had hoped for. It lacks the taste and satisfaction of the fruit grown without these measures. Reminds me of how many times JeJe and I have talked about what methods various churches use to draw people in and... “should we try this..?”; JeJe always responds, “God has been building his church for over 2,000 years. He doesnt need our help." He quotes these two verses

"...and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it." Matthew 16:18b

"...The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone." Mark 12:10

• The gardener knows the results completely depend on God. He causes the sun, rain, and weather to come together to help the crop along (or not...sometimes He wants you to go thru all that process, just to learn).

The garden does require the basic tasks metioned above, as well as patience & perserverence (in prayer as well as in labor) in working and waiting (not picking produce too soon from the vine or watchng some fall to the ground). The ultimate crop is from God's hand. He gets all the glory and thanksgiving.

When the plant yields a beautiful, tasty produce, nothing compares to the satisfaction the gardener gets from being able to eat from that over which he labored over, and savor a quality product. Its even better when we have so much produce we are able to bless others.
Again, nothing compares to produce that comes from a healthy, well cared for garden. Thinking ahead, JeJe will leave some of the produce on the vine to grow big. He then takes the seeds for next years planting.

I'm reminded that this isn't “my” garden. Because I was willing to come alongside and help JeJe with it (I did think to suggest someone else come tend to it, out of fear of killing it off and disappointing JeJe) I, too, have enjoyed eating from its amazing produce.  

Partnering with God is very much the same, in a ministry or work He's calling us to. Be faithful to do the things you know He is asking of you. Ultimately the results are His (and if there arent any, or they are few, praise Him anyway and seek what lessons He is trying to teach you). You will get to enjoy the benefits of being a partaker with Christ. 

What I first thought would be a burdensome task, became a labor of love. I wasnt doing it for anybody other than JeJe--because I love him and know how much the garden means to him. We can carry this into our love and service for the Lord. Everything we do, we do for Him and His approval and glory alone.

We pray for a bountiful harvest that we can enjoy. A harvest that will bless others with healthy produce to enjoy, and fruit/vegetables that will produce good seed for the next season.

I was so happy to welcome JeJe back to his garden.

by Coleen JeJeran, Missionary to Romania

Breathing in His Promises

"There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”  Deuteronomy 1:30-31

Talking to my blue fish has become the norm these days. I appreciate that he’s the kind of guy who’d never leave dirty socks on the floor. And, he never asks things like, “Mommy, why do you laugh like a seal?” He’s such a gentleman.

Every week he graciously swims into my little net to be transferred to clean water.

But, yesterday! He gave the biggest attitude.

He wouldn’t get into the net and it wasn’t funny! If he didn’t want this water, he was welcome to the toilet I scrubbed earlier.

I kept banging around the bowl trying to corner him, “Seriously fish! Trust me. I don’t want you to get sick!”

My heart winced. I was on the verge of being sick, too--spiritually sick. I knew it, and God was getting my attention. I was all bent out of shape over this fish not letting me save it from poop water, while I defiantly swam in my own refuse.

Recently, I expected God to move in a certain way in my life--and He didn’t. I was heartbroken.

It seems I’d rather be submerged in disappointment than be transferred into God’s perspective of my circumstances. I was "over" it. Over praying. Over crying. Over...whelmed.

Still, here was God, trying to rescue me. “Seriously child! Trust me. I don’t want you to get sick!”

God’s love has never failed me. He’s carried me, like "a Father carries a son," out of every "Egypt" and wilderness I’ve faced. Why was I banging my head against the bowl trying to escape rescue?

If I enter into God’s saving net, He’ll raise me up into a pocket of air called the unknown.

Let’s be honest, breathing in the unknown can hurt.

I captured that stubborn fish in the net. He wriggled in desperation, gasping until I plopped him safely into clean water.

When we’re scooped up into God’s purposes, we don’t have to mimic a suffocating fish. If it feels like we can’t breathe, it’s because we’re choking on lies.

Here is the truth: God isn’t going to flush us down the toilet.

We can enter into the unknown, clinging confidently to the known.

We know our God is good!

Abandoning the mire and surrendering to hope elevates us to a new atmosphere. Like those who train to climb Mt. Everest, it will stretch and challenge the lungs of our faith. The air is thin and burns our chest.

Yet, our Father teaches us a new way to breathe. Instead of gasping on lies, we deeply inhale his promises.

One by one.

He loves us. He lifts us higher.

He fights for us. We grow stronger.

He’s with us. We have peace.

Crawl into the palm of his hand. Our tender, mighty God will always deliver us to a place of hope and beauty.

by Jenna Masters

My Shepherd

"Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me." Psalm 23:4

My Shepherd

Old pictures framed in black
The taste of salty tears
Sadness, scars, and brokenness
The vanity of years

That day You reached and saved me
From Satan's stranglehold
Healing, peace, and freedom
The future framed in gold

Oh, God of Angel Armies
Stretch out Your mighty hand
Oh, Spirit, precious Comforter
Give strength and help me stand.

Oh, Shepherd, always faithful
Lead on 'til earth is past
Your rod and staff, they comfort still
And Your firm grip holds fast.

by Peggy Farina