Tonight I attended a quite different but extremely refreshing worship service... I was hosted by a church in North OKC (Divine Light) and the premise of the night was add to the beauty.
Through art, music, poetry, media, prayer, or simple but deep communion we were all invited to worship our King in our own way adding to the MOSAIC (name of the service) that that night represented.
The Theme of the night was centered in the Cross, and it was "the Beautiful Scandalous Night" knowing and understanding that what Christ did on the cross it was scandalous... the King of Glory coming down from heaven to die laying down His life for you and for me, broken and wretched sinners... yes Scandalous!!! but isn't also a beautiful demonstration of His love for us?
the night started with worship... and I never heard many of those songs before. I was standing in awe of the beauty of our king, and then one of the lines of the song that was being played suddenly got of hold of the strings of my soul:
"You are loved beyond your wildest dreams"
and those words drove me into the "writings sections" and a new poem was being born...
Daydream
In the midst of this fast pace life
we run... we fight... we try to believe
as we know we are meant for much more
we long... we crave... we try to believe
desperately we search and pursuit to know
who You are... who I am... who we are
careless leap of faith attempting to discover
who to trust... who to follow... who to love
but You
coming towards me dancing in the valley
bringing healing, restoration, and joy
and while You are singing over me, You love me
with Your beautiful, wild, endless, and scandalous love.
mb
yes like the song said... I am loved beyond my wildest dreams.
I am being loved by LOVE himself... scandalous and beautiful at the same time.
Sunday, August 31
Friday, August 8
when a melody escaped from your soul [midnight reflections]
Warning: This note is very different to what I usually write, so consider yourself warned.
I have so many things running through my mind that I am unsure on where to begin, so I guess lets start from the beginning.
yesterday I was sitting in the office filing correspondence of some kids from the Philippines... and while doing that I usually try to read the names of every child that is entered into the program, we all know that names have different meanings.
while doing something like that, you will come across all sorts of names, from the most unusual ones to the ones that we hear everyday... specially if you are reading names from children from exotic places such as Burkina Faso or Myanmar... but in some point during that process one stroked me like a lightning bolt, and for a couple of seconds I checked out mentally from my "administrative duties" and I was embraced in his arms.
one little Philippine girl by the name of Grace simply smiled at me from her picture, but her name caressed my face like only our Father can do.
from there all afternoon long I've been thinking about His grace, and how incredible is to know that we live everyday simply embraced by His endless love for our lives...
This last week many things have been changing in my life, I've made some decisions that are going to determine in a significant way my days to come, at the same time some new people has entered into my life and the truth is that I am quite speechless when it comes to describe it, so I'll just smile and go on... something also happened in Buenos Aires this week that has honestly brightened my eyes, and with tears rolling down all I could say was thank You.
with that mix of thoughts and emotions in my life I walked into my place, and I you know when the Lover of your soul whispers your name, I was dazzled by Him... I grabbed my guitar and while the melody was born the words flowed freely.
I wanted to tell you
how good I am...
and how many diplomas
are hanging from my walls
that I'm always uplifting
and of course always laugh
that I'm always succeeding
and that I'm your champ
but...
I'm far away from perfect
but I found grace
embraced in is love
where I know can dance
I know that I'm not worthy
and can't measure up
but His grace is sufficient
will always last
yes I am a dreamer
some say visionary, perhaps
I am in love with people
and I hear their cry
I know I have mission
I do hear His call
wide open hands
that are reaching out
but...
I'm far away from perfect
but I found grace
embraced in is love
where I know can dance
I know that I'm not worthy
and can't measure up
but His grace is sufficient
will always last
but his grace is sufficient
will always last
for almost an hour after I got off work yesterday I sung this song, and yes His hands were caressing me once again with His grace... after a couple of minutes I was drowning in His arms.
I know that this note is unlike why I usually write...
But you know what, is alright... as always, I know He is smiling...
His grace is enough.
I have so many things running through my mind that I am unsure on where to begin, so I guess lets start from the beginning.
yesterday I was sitting in the office filing correspondence of some kids from the Philippines... and while doing that I usually try to read the names of every child that is entered into the program, we all know that names have different meanings.
while doing something like that, you will come across all sorts of names, from the most unusual ones to the ones that we hear everyday... specially if you are reading names from children from exotic places such as Burkina Faso or Myanmar... but in some point during that process one stroked me like a lightning bolt, and for a couple of seconds I checked out mentally from my "administrative duties" and I was embraced in his arms.
one little Philippine girl by the name of Grace simply smiled at me from her picture, but her name caressed my face like only our Father can do.
from there all afternoon long I've been thinking about His grace, and how incredible is to know that we live everyday simply embraced by His endless love for our lives...
This last week many things have been changing in my life, I've made some decisions that are going to determine in a significant way my days to come, at the same time some new people has entered into my life and the truth is that I am quite speechless when it comes to describe it, so I'll just smile and go on... something also happened in Buenos Aires this week that has honestly brightened my eyes, and with tears rolling down all I could say was thank You.
with that mix of thoughts and emotions in my life I walked into my place, and I you know when the Lover of your soul whispers your name, I was dazzled by Him... I grabbed my guitar and while the melody was born the words flowed freely.
I wanted to tell you
how good I am...
and how many diplomas
are hanging from my walls
that I'm always uplifting
and of course always laugh
that I'm always succeeding
and that I'm your champ
but...
I'm far away from perfect
but I found grace
embraced in is love
where I know can dance
I know that I'm not worthy
and can't measure up
but His grace is sufficient
will always last
yes I am a dreamer
some say visionary, perhaps
I am in love with people
and I hear their cry
I know I have mission
I do hear His call
wide open hands
that are reaching out
but...
I'm far away from perfect
but I found grace
embraced in is love
where I know can dance
I know that I'm not worthy
and can't measure up
but His grace is sufficient
will always last
but his grace is sufficient
will always last
for almost an hour after I got off work yesterday I sung this song, and yes His hands were caressing me once again with His grace... after a couple of minutes I was drowning in His arms.
I know that this note is unlike why I usually write...
But you know what, is alright... as always, I know He is smiling...
His grace is enough.
Thursday, July 17
Don't you ever wonder why? [midnight reflections]
As it usually happens before I write a blog. I just finished talking with someone from my youth, and it triggered some questions in my mind...
The truth is that is since the beginning of time, mankind has been wrestling with this same controversial issue, why does God allow some things to happen? why now? why here? but the hardest one is perhaps... why me?
lets go for a walk while I share with you some of the reflexions and thoughts that I had tonight...
There is various reasons and explanations that I have heard through out my life to answer this why... one is that God allows things to happen to make us stronger and prepare us for things that might happen in the future. An other explanation is so we can have a great resource to witness and to share a "powerful" testimony... and I agree, those are valid reasons, but let me pounder some about a thought that I have not really heard as much before, but perhaps it could answer either your or my why.
Often times through out scripture God used different elements or situations to get our attention, for Moses it was a burning bush, for Jonah getting swallowed by a "whale", for Hosea having to marry a prostitute, and for Saul being "blinded by the lights", or The Light.
We have the tendency to simply ride in our race horse through life, take control of the situation, and allow nobody to intervene with our pursue of destiny. We like to be in charge, make the decisions, move strings of power, and see everyone jump at the snap of our fingers. lets face it, we are control freaks.
Then all of the sudden life happens and things get rough and shaky, and even though we pretend to be in control of the situation, and that everything is perfectly fine, truth is we are spinning out of control in the highway of life... and we are finding ourselves clueless and powerless when it comes to deal with the waves and storms of life; as we start looking for help, we find out also that our helper is sleeping in the front of the boat...
and wow, yes, we get upset... we start staring God down and He can read in our facial expression something along the lines of "seriously?... my life is about to wreck and you are sleeping up there.." but sometimes we are not ready for his reply... "well I though that you were taking care of the wheel and I was just coming along for the ride..."
We struggle so much on realizing that we are not supposed to fight this battle by ourselves... that what we need to do is to learn how to truly rely on the Lord allowing Him to be God in our midst, and by that I mean to give him permission to do His will in our lives... to let Him be the driver and stop overloading ourselves with a burden that we are not supposed to be carrying, we forgot that we are not fighting for victory but from victory... 2000 years ago, at the Cross He fought that battle for you and for me making provision that is available for us today, and if we give Him access He will show up and show off in every single area of our lives... question... are we willing to let God... i guess be God?
and right here is when we have to face the S word... Surrender.
Are we willing to say "God, regardless of what it happens, Have Your way in my life, in every circumstance I chose over my desires, over my agenda, over my, goals, plans, and projects... "Thy will be done!" I surrender all to You Jesus, and I will trust you will give me peace and guide me through out this entire process... Like Jeremiah 29:11 says: His plans for our life are even better that we can even imagine or plan for ourselves, and like Isaiah says: we are hidden in the whole of His hands... We must learn how to trust him and depend on Him. He got our Back.
From all the lessons that we have to learn through out our Christian walk, I think that dependence and surrender are among the top 5 hardest ones, because it truly deals with some deep elements of who we are. for example of willingness to loose the control over our destiny and trust God that he got everything completely under control... knowing that He who takes care of the little birds, will also take care of you and me.
Hope that Helps... Thanks for your time.
Max
The truth is that is since the beginning of time, mankind has been wrestling with this same controversial issue, why does God allow some things to happen? why now? why here? but the hardest one is perhaps... why me?
lets go for a walk while I share with you some of the reflexions and thoughts that I had tonight...
There is various reasons and explanations that I have heard through out my life to answer this why... one is that God allows things to happen to make us stronger and prepare us for things that might happen in the future. An other explanation is so we can have a great resource to witness and to share a "powerful" testimony... and I agree, those are valid reasons, but let me pounder some about a thought that I have not really heard as much before, but perhaps it could answer either your or my why.
Often times through out scripture God used different elements or situations to get our attention, for Moses it was a burning bush, for Jonah getting swallowed by a "whale", for Hosea having to marry a prostitute, and for Saul being "blinded by the lights", or The Light.
We have the tendency to simply ride in our race horse through life, take control of the situation, and allow nobody to intervene with our pursue of destiny. We like to be in charge, make the decisions, move strings of power, and see everyone jump at the snap of our fingers. lets face it, we are control freaks.
Then all of the sudden life happens and things get rough and shaky, and even though we pretend to be in control of the situation, and that everything is perfectly fine, truth is we are spinning out of control in the highway of life... and we are finding ourselves clueless and powerless when it comes to deal with the waves and storms of life; as we start looking for help, we find out also that our helper is sleeping in the front of the boat...
and wow, yes, we get upset... we start staring God down and He can read in our facial expression something along the lines of "seriously?... my life is about to wreck and you are sleeping up there.." but sometimes we are not ready for his reply... "well I though that you were taking care of the wheel and I was just coming along for the ride..."
We struggle so much on realizing that we are not supposed to fight this battle by ourselves... that what we need to do is to learn how to truly rely on the Lord allowing Him to be God in our midst, and by that I mean to give him permission to do His will in our lives... to let Him be the driver and stop overloading ourselves with a burden that we are not supposed to be carrying, we forgot that we are not fighting for victory but from victory... 2000 years ago, at the Cross He fought that battle for you and for me making provision that is available for us today, and if we give Him access He will show up and show off in every single area of our lives... question... are we willing to let God... i guess be God?
and right here is when we have to face the S word... Surrender.
Are we willing to say "God, regardless of what it happens, Have Your way in my life, in every circumstance I chose over my desires, over my agenda, over my, goals, plans, and projects... "Thy will be done!" I surrender all to You Jesus, and I will trust you will give me peace and guide me through out this entire process... Like Jeremiah 29:11 says: His plans for our life are even better that we can even imagine or plan for ourselves, and like Isaiah says: we are hidden in the whole of His hands... We must learn how to trust him and depend on Him. He got our Back.
From all the lessons that we have to learn through out our Christian walk, I think that dependence and surrender are among the top 5 hardest ones, because it truly deals with some deep elements of who we are. for example of willingness to loose the control over our destiny and trust God that he got everything completely under control... knowing that He who takes care of the little birds, will also take care of you and me.
Hope that Helps... Thanks for your time.
Max
Saturday, July 5
Philosophy of life...
People, these are simple thoughts of another sleepless night...
enjoy.
“Life is a beautiful, magnificent thing, even to a jellyfish. The trouble is you won't fight. You've given up. But there's something just as inevitable as death. And that's life. Think of the power of the universe -- turning the earth, growing the trees. That's the same power within you -- if you'll only have the courage and the will to use it.”
-- scene from Limelight
dream. no matter how the circumstances might look alike dream. you are alive and full of life. only one person in this world can be you, so don't dress, speak, think, or be like someone else just to fit or to please people that won't even move a finger to please you.
don't be afraid of enjoying who you are!!! laugh, dance, smile, sing, play, run, dream until you are breathless... and then start all over again!! just like hitch said, remember that life is all about the moments that can take your breath away.
please don't give up on people. yes even though if the ones you love tell you something right at your face and then turn around to do or go in the complete opposite way, its alright, don't give up on them... remember that once upon a time you might have been acting in the same manner and someone didn't gave up on you.
love, love, love, and love again... the measure of love is to love beyond measure, don't ever get tired of loving... this is probably the hardest one to accomplish, but at the same time is the one that will fill your life with meaning and joy. When we learn how to truly love, the kind of love that goes beyond barriers and that truly understands the concept of regardless of, you are one step closer of fully understanding the cross. I love not because I'm great, simply because I was loved first.
freedom. Live passionately, don't hold back... step on the edge of the cliff, breathe deeply, and jump! take the risk... jump outside of the box and live free... things might not always work out they way you want them too... but babe it was worth the try.
simplicity... don't get caught up in the noise, busyness, and turmoil of life missing the beauty of the small things that we can find all around... stop and think, read, write... get up to see a sunset, dance under the stars, kiss in the pouring rain, play with your cat...
roots... remember your family, and where you come from. the advices of your granddad, or granny's smile, the crimes with your cousins, or the princesses (sisters) of your life. what it means to live holy, what it means to live wholly. that you are always gonna be safe around family. that you can always speak your mind.
riches. who cares... I got the best friends and I am the richest man in the world... the ones that truly know my heart (there are many that know me, but very few that know my heart) learn how to find the people that will love you for who you are, that will stick through thick and thin, that will always get your back, those who won't faint with the season, those who know why you are alive... can you now see why I am the richest man alive?
I hope you can see… even when you close your eyes…
Much love, and a’revoir…
max
enjoy.
“Life is a beautiful, magnificent thing, even to a jellyfish. The trouble is you won't fight. You've given up. But there's something just as inevitable as death. And that's life. Think of the power of the universe -- turning the earth, growing the trees. That's the same power within you -- if you'll only have the courage and the will to use it.”
-- scene from Limelight
dream. no matter how the circumstances might look alike dream. you are alive and full of life. only one person in this world can be you, so don't dress, speak, think, or be like someone else just to fit or to please people that won't even move a finger to please you.
don't be afraid of enjoying who you are!!! laugh, dance, smile, sing, play, run, dream until you are breathless... and then start all over again!! just like hitch said, remember that life is all about the moments that can take your breath away.
please don't give up on people. yes even though if the ones you love tell you something right at your face and then turn around to do or go in the complete opposite way, its alright, don't give up on them... remember that once upon a time you might have been acting in the same manner and someone didn't gave up on you.
love, love, love, and love again... the measure of love is to love beyond measure, don't ever get tired of loving... this is probably the hardest one to accomplish, but at the same time is the one that will fill your life with meaning and joy. When we learn how to truly love, the kind of love that goes beyond barriers and that truly understands the concept of regardless of, you are one step closer of fully understanding the cross. I love not because I'm great, simply because I was loved first.
freedom. Live passionately, don't hold back... step on the edge of the cliff, breathe deeply, and jump! take the risk... jump outside of the box and live free... things might not always work out they way you want them too... but babe it was worth the try.
simplicity... don't get caught up in the noise, busyness, and turmoil of life missing the beauty of the small things that we can find all around... stop and think, read, write... get up to see a sunset, dance under the stars, kiss in the pouring rain, play with your cat...
roots... remember your family, and where you come from. the advices of your granddad, or granny's smile, the crimes with your cousins, or the princesses (sisters) of your life. what it means to live holy, what it means to live wholly. that you are always gonna be safe around family. that you can always speak your mind.
riches. who cares... I got the best friends and I am the richest man in the world... the ones that truly know my heart (there are many that know me, but very few that know my heart) learn how to find the people that will love you for who you are, that will stick through thick and thin, that will always get your back, those who won't faint with the season, those who know why you are alive... can you now see why I am the richest man alive?
I hope you can see… even when you close your eyes…
Much love, and a’revoir…
max
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