Parable Cafe

Desiring God

2011-10-25T17:00:00.001-07:00

We pray often, we meet regularly, we try to be at the church activities to serve in the kingdom... So what's the next step?

For many of us the next step was our first step: falling in love with the Lord. Jesus told one of the 7 churches that they lost their first love even though they were hardcore Christians.

Jesus wants to be the lover of your soul, the desire of your heart, the joy of your life, in other words: your husband.
If that sounds weird, think about the marriage feast of the lamb... Who will be the bride? You, and me, male and female.

To wrap it up, there's a beautiful passage in Hosea that declares this truth:

"In that day," declares the LORD, "you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master.'

Riding at Night

2011-10-17T11:10:00.001-07:00

Right now I'm going through a season in my life where I don't think I'm bearing much fruit... No fruit at all as a matter of fact.
I feel so useless, and like I'm working for others' dreams and plans but without any for myself.
Now I'm reminded of the words of Jesus that we are to abide in him to bear much fruit, but it seems like now that I began fasting and praising on Saturdays my life is more meaningless than ever. Everyone else seems to be having more impact than me.
It's quite a dark place to be.

I know I'm posting this out to the world, but it's as if it was private since no one follows this anyway.

It's like I don't have the grace to do things that make an impact....

I feel like Shasta before encountering Aslan on the dark road. He was feeling alone and sorry for himself... But he was walking with a huge lion by his left side not letting him fall down the cliff, although he didn't know that at the time because it was so dark.

Jesus, give me your perspective. I really need it today...

Jairus' daughter

2009-06-14T22:06:00.000-07:00

God is mysteriously amazing!

Today's sermon was about the passage in Mark about Jairus' daughter and the woman with the issue of blood.
I cried in His presence like I hadn't in a long time. I cried for my mom, my brothers, my dad... I felt like Jairus asking the Lord to heal his daughter.

My family seems spiritually dead!

It feels weird to be in a nation where people have been raised in Christianity, and even their parents where raised as Christians, and here I am... this Christian boy in the middle of a unsaved family thanks to God's calling through my only Christian uncle and the prayers of my only Christian sister (Although I'm trusting God for Libby's heart to be His).

I was asking Him to come to my house and say those mysterious words... Talita Cumi.. and wake my family up.

I also asked him to heal me from my own "issues of blood" that I have tried to get rid of through many ways but nothing seems to happen.

But anyway, right now I feel very excited about what God is doing. Life seems so much brighter and I actually feel that which had been missing in my heart: Joy.

So, I'm leaving now!!! His arms are waiting and His voice is whispering my name. I can feel Him calling. I better run to Him!!!

Why we fight with those we love

2009-04-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I stole the title from Chip Ingram's message series on Five Lies That Ruin Relationships, I confess my transgression!

Anyhow... I was thinking about this on my way home because it just so happens that I opened my mouth more than necessary for the Nth time and it resulted in a nuclear explosion inside of me that left some radioactive material in my girlfriend's heart. So... why do I still get mad at those people I say I love so dearly?

Well, I got a little insight from Chip Ingram on this, but I added my personal touch from the Holy Spirit:

the Book of James basically sums it up saying:

-you fight 'coz you're selfish (4:1)
-you fight 'coz you don't wanna trust God (4:2)
-you fight 'coz all you want is pleasure (you're a hedonist) (4:3)

well, my personal problem is that I speak harshly when I don's get my needs met... There, my second confession of the post!!

So I wanted to do a little list of Bible verses that I need to print and tape on my room's walls. I'll be doing that for next post, but please pray that God would help me become the kind of man that Isabel needs me to be. I want to become a man with a mouth of healing and not of destruction.
Leave your comments, don't run away like that!!!!

Speaking in Tongues

2009-03-30T17:15:00.001-07:00

From my personal observations, there seems to be an interesting phenomenon occurring within the Evangelical Church. There are those who prefer the leading of the Holy Spirit backed up by Scripture, and there are those who prefer Scripture backed up by the Holy Spirit. I know it sounds ridiculous but bear with me for a minute and I'll try to explain.

Christians are on both sides, so it's not an either/or but a both/and, yet the percentages are different. Those that prefer the Holy Spirit backed up by Scripture tend to be more Pentecostal and Charismatic in nature. Those that prefer a more Scriptural camp that is backed up by the Holy Spirit tend to be more like Baptists, Wesleyan, and all the mainstream American churches.

Now, I just mudded the waters a whole lot so let me see if I can fix this mess before you surf to another blog.

Is it wrong to be led by the Holy Spirit even when it isn't necessarily in the Bible? of course not, that's how the church in Acts did a lot of their decision making.
Is it wrong to do things within the guidelines of Scripture? of course not!

Now, what I see happening regarding the issue of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12) is that Pentecostals in general don't play by the 1 Corinthians 14 rules, and therefore those in the Bible camp refuse any manifestation of speaking in tongues, or prophecy, or healing and such.

I live in both worlds, LeTourneau University is mainly a "White Anglo-Saxon Protestant" interdenominational university, while Casa de Oración is a Hispanic Pentecostal Assembly of God, so I get this feeling from the mainstream churches that "if only Pentecostals would follow the rules laid out by Paul in 1 Corinthians 14 then we would accept the manifestations of the Holy Spirit."

Now, this is probably going to sound bad, but bear with me...
I believe God looks for worshipers above Bible scholars. The pharisees missed the Messiah because they got so caught up on the Scripture that they condemmed him and said he was demon-possessed.

I personally have not experienced the gift of tongues, but I know it is happening around the world and it could happen to me anytime.

My petition for you brethren, is to not resist the Holy Spirit, and do not impede the speaking in tongues. Instead of seating in the judgement seat saying that "there's no interpretation, therefore it's not real" and pray for the gift of interpretation so you might be a blessing to the church.

Check this blog... amazing!
http://sarahflynn.theworldrace.org/?filename=speaking-in-tongues

Sacrifice

2009-03-20T22:17:00.001-07:00

What do you do when the will of God seems so irrational that even your youth leaders believe your brain is confused by too many books and classes in college?

What do you do when the will of God requires you to sacrifice that which you love the most and it hurts you to the deepest of your soul to lose it?

What did Jesus really mean when He said that "whoever who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple"?

What everything is He talking about?

Is God a mean God? Definitely no!
But many times he sees what others do not and knows that our hearts have been compromised with the things of this world and the only way out is through death and resurrection. Why did God ask Abraham to give Him his son, his ONLY, the one he LOVED, Isaac, and sacrifice him at a mountain?

More on this subject later...

Never Give Up, Never Back Down, Never Lose Heart!

2009-02-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

I got that title from the movie "Facing the Giants" which is one of my alltime favorites that draws from the David and Goliath story in the book of 1 Samuel.

In this post I would love to say that my relationship with Isabel has been free of struggles and that Jesus has always been #1 in my heart and all that good stuff that we hear our leaders and preachers promoting. However, I must be real and admit that I've had to face problems and issues with the flesh like I never thought I would. Anger, Insecurity, Jealousy, Lust, Envy, Idolatry... you name it.

Isabel and I have even gone through rough days where it's so tempting to just quit our relationship and go our own way, but for some reason God keeps tugging at my heart reminding me that this was His idea in the first place, and that He is using suffering and all kinds of trials to make us more like Christ. I thank God that He has strengthened me to not quit and remain faithful even when she's the least lovable. Life is hard, but God is good. I know He didn't promise me a perfect woman, but a woman that would be ideal for my life and ministry. Besides, loving her and being loved back feels so good (SO GOOD) that I don't want to throw the good moments that we've shared just for some small and insignificant issue that we failed to address honestly because it was so embarrassing that it seemed better to keep our pride and not humble ourselves.

However, in the middle of all the struggles of life, God is good (I already said that, but repetition signifies importance... exegete my journal to find out). He draws me back in a very special way when my heart is wandering outside of The Pridelands (for more information, see The Lion King).

I gotta admit it's not easy being a young adult male who wants to follow the Lord with all his passion and strength. The giants of discouragement and struggle walk out to the valley every morning to defy the army of God of hosts. Nevertheless, I heard that the King would give a reward to him who defeats the giant. The King is offering eternal glory in Christ to the champion who defeats the enemy and brings hope to the army of the Lord.

What kind of hope could we bring though?

Many young Christians are confused on how a premarital love relationship should look like because all they know is you're either married or you're not (which means you don't have a girlfriend/boyfriend either), so they get their blueprint for "dating" or "courting" from the T.V., Internet, or secular peers.

I want Jesus to bring hope to our fainting hearts that are longing to woo a lady with courage and purity without having to fall in the dark, deep corridors of lust or insecurity. I want Him to teach me how to be a REAL man... God's man.

Additionally, the King also promises his daughter in marriage to the one who defeats the giants! Amen! Praise Him!

So, don't give up fighting for God's Holy presence in your life. Don't give up on that precious relationship that God has allowed you to be part of. Don't give up on that dream that seems so impossible to achieve. The Lord is still at work and He is more interested in us becoming like His son than in us achieving our dreams, yet in his goodness He many times allows the latter too.

God is AWESOME!!

2009-02-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

I had been praying for provision to pay for the rest of my tuition at LETU (which was about 700 dollars each month after the Stafford loans and that stuff). I don't have a job right now because my schedule requires me to go back to school every afternoon. Besides, the Youth Worship Band (where I'm the director) leads worship on Wednesday nights and I must be at church every Wed. at 6:00 P.M for the 7:00PM service.

Anyhow, what happened today just shocked me and I still can't believe it... Someone payed $2000 dollars as an outside scholarship on behalf of my account leaving me with a credit of around $700 dollars (translation: I have this semester payed plus extra money for next semester!!!)

GOD IS AWESOME!!!

Connect yourself

2009-01-24T18:59:00.000-08:00

Ok, so yesterday and today was our youth group's lock-in called "Conéctate" (connect yourself) and it was the most awesome thing that has happened lately. But I want to write about the worship experience. The guys from the band and I got to lead the praise and worship for our awesome God, and it was very beautiful.

I personally struggle with the issue of worshipping God while I'm up on stage (or altar) and I'm playing the guitar and singing at the same time because I have to keep focused on the notes. Add to that the fact that the guys are on the lookout for any sign that I give them, like to lower the dynamics (play softer), drums only, play louder, stop, keep going... don't stop! and all that.

We get the awesome (and frightening) privilege of leading worship at our home church on Wednesdays, but I like it when Sunday comes because the main band gets to play and I can relax and worship.

So here's what I enjoy the most about leading praise and worship.... it's not the jumping and shouting and clapping, which can be pretty exhilarating sometimes; it's not the applause for Jesus at the end of each song. It's the tears in the people's eyes when God visits the place. That is the moment where I feel like I disappear and all they want to know about is Jesus. It's that special time when people are so in tune with the Lord that they could care less who's playing and singing. I desperately crave for that moment where they can close their eyes and let the Lord wash their hearts, and tears begin to invade their cheeks.

I long for that beautiful presence myself, and I wish I could cry on every occasion I get to lead praise and worship, but then I couldn't sing clearly and the words wouldn't be understandable! What a dilemma!

Yesterday I saw my girlfriend crying in the presence of God while kneeling in front of the altar. I was playing the acoustic guitar so the youth could seek for God more comfortably (there's mystery in the music... godly-kind of mystery... sort of like a 2 Kings 3:15 experience *worth reading!*). My heart ached so bad because I wanted to kneel with her and pray for her, I cried out to God silently (figure that one out.. cry out loud silently...) and my heart broke into tears seeing her being ministered while I was playing. I wanted to drop the guitar and leave Isai playing the bass on his own but that would've been akward. So I stayed and prayed for her from the distance.

But God is good and He allowed me to pray with her at the end. She said she was desiring for me to go pray with her when I was playing (a God-thing.. I know, in the same spirit..*wink*).

Seeing her completely broken in the arms of Jesus and crying in His arms is a powerful tool that God has used many times to break me. It's not that I depend on her to worship God, but I just get broken seeing that... it's the truth!

Right now I'm almost crying and I can hear God's whisper saying that He loves me. He's amazing!

I wish I could be broken while playing and still keep my posture and a steady voice... sounds kinda tough though.

Love and Respect

2009-01-22T09:24:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have 7 Minutes to write something since I'm downloading a message from Homeword.com about "a girl's guide to what guys think." I'll be downloading "a guy's guide to what girls feel" pretty soon.

So just as a thought, I felt like writing about the issue of respect. One of the most fascinating books I've read is "For Young Women Only" (I read most of it before giving it as a present for Isabel). I found it quite amusing that girls think that in a relationship their love is enough, and whether the guy feels respected or not is not relevant. Personally, if I don't feel respected, it's hard for me to feel loved. A woman might try to convince her man that there's nothing going on and "we're just friends, but I really, really, really, REALLY love YOU," but if he feels disrespected, it's not going to have much effect. Using Martin Luther's analogy of sin, it's like mopping the floor with the faucet running.

Personally, if I don't feel respected, it's hard for me to feel loved.

One of the elements that nurtures disrespect is familiarity. It's that feeling that you're being taken from granted and no matter what the other person does to you, you'll still be there. However, the wise proverb says, "you don't know what you got 'till it's gone" (don't look it up, it's not in the Bible!). Just as a woman needs to feel loved and cherished, a man needs to be respected and admired. I'm not saying men need to be worshipped or placed high and lifted up, but to have that feeling that they are important and what they do has an impact.

What can be interpreted as disrespect towards men? I'm glad you asked! Although not all men are created equal in this sense (sorry Jefferson!), here's a list:

Nagging, continous criticism
Being treated like a child (being told what to do most of the time)
Making jokes about a guy in front of others
Questioning a man's decision/authority in front of other people
Texting while you're in his presence (if he's more old-schooled... like me)
Keeping in frequent touch with Ex'es (unless God is at work there somehow for some reason and the issue is not fuzzy)
Flirting with other guys (being overly friendly might fall on this one)
Giving her phone number to other guys (if the relationship is serious)
Verbal abuse, calling offensive names
Cheating (definitely! "beyond the shadow of a doubt")
Dressing inmodestly to go out (specially without him!)

Now, I might need to clarify what can be interpreted as flirting. I found this on an article regarding disrespect: "... nothing can crush a male ego more, than to see his girlfriend having more fun with another man than she does with him." Paying too much attention to another man and having fun with him more than with her boyfriend/husband is definitely a heartbreaker. Sounds a bit immature and not Christ-like? I don't know, but my experience tells me there's some truth to that. Does Christ feel comfortable when we flirt with the things of this world? Does he want our absolute devotion? Hey! my God is a jealous God.

I've found that it is pretty easy to question the other person's motives regarding jealousy, but one's jealousy seems to be justifiable. It's like thinking, "You don't have a right to be jealous of my friends... I have a right to be jealous of yours," or "I know what I was thinking, but I don't know what you were thinking."

Now, to make it just a little bit fair (not too much since I got to go and write a paper!) I will make a list of things that I believe, since I'm not a woman, make a woman feel unloved by her man:

When he doesn't respond to her needs
During her period (I know.. weird huh)
When he tries to fix everything without listening to her hidden meanings
When he checks other girls out
When her man is involved pornography and/or masturbation
When he doesn't give her enough attention
When he compares her
When she's told she's fat (....)
When he doesn't take the lead and the responsibility over his shoulders
When he gives her the silence treatment

My encouragement brethren of the flock of God (and those who are not who happened to stumble here) is to be sensitive to the needs of others and not seek to meet our own, more so when dealing with a love relationship since it requires greater sacrifice, but the rewards are awesome.

I'm still learning how to love Isabel unconditionally just as Christ loves the Church, she's learning to respect me unconditionally and allow me to be a leader. Pray for us as this journey continues and we seek to glorify our Lord and Savior.