Category: faith

Keep Focus On My Task

~ jesusluvsall ~ 3 Comments

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. Acts 20:24

This was the verse of the day in Bible Gateway yesterday. It is a theme that has been on my mind a lot recently. At my age, the reality of one day being absent from the body home with the Lord is growing in awareness.

Photo by Du01b0u01a1ng Nhu00e2n on Pexels.com

My main task from Jesus is sharing about him with the nations living in my city and in other countries. I do not know how much longer it will be my privilege to do so, I hope to be like a colleague who passed away recently at the age of 80 years old,. She kept teaching up to the last week of her earthly life.

God keeps connecting me with people and those connections could lead to more opportunities to testify to the grace of God in Jesus. Among those are making videos translated into other languages, getting my book Jesus Understands Trauma translated into other languages, and hopefully more divine appointments.

While there are many issues in our society that cause concern, with my time feeling shorter by the day, my attitude is that of Paul in 1st Corinthians 2:2:

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

There is a hurting world out there with so many wounded souls in need of the healing that only Jesus can bring.

So today will be my Sunday morning group with friends from Brazil, El Salvador, and Venezuela, then worship service and in the afternoon a celebration with friends from Mexico. I would welcome divine appointments today and any day.

What will your day include?

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Music Mondays- Second Chances by Iveth Luna

~ jesusluvsall ~ 3 Comments

God never runs out of second chances for us. We cannot earn a second chance. We can only receive them by God’s grace and mercy and returning to God.

If we have made mistakes, he is there to help us pick up the pieces and start over. If obstacles overwhelmed us, he is there to help us overcome. If we are in the midst of a trial. his grace is there for us.

We do not need to dwell on our failures. We can come to Jesus and ask for help and then focus on the here and now not the past.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

My Book-Jesus Understands Trauma- Is Ready

~ jesusluvsall ~ 29 Comments

It is exciting for me to announce that my book Jesus Understands Trauma is ready and available to purchase on Amazon. I am thankful for Jesus giving me the strength and grace to complete the book in what has been a turbulent year for me these past several months. I am also grateful for my pastor encouraging me throughout the process. I am also thankful for all of the people who prayed for me.

There are three ways to obtain a copy of my book. It is available in paperback for $10.95, available for purchase as an e-book for $5.95, or if you are a member of Kindle Unlimited you can read it for free.

Here is the link- Jesus Understands Trauma.

The next few weeks will be spent on getting my other book Lifted Out Of The Pit/Called To The Nations ready for publishing on Amazon.

So it is back to my office aka the coffee shop 🙂

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Story Time- Pesky Details

~ jesusluvsall ~ 11 Comments

Details details ugh. If you want to drive a creative personality crazy pester them with details. I finished submitting everything for my book Jesus Understands Trauma. KDP, Kindle On Demand Publishing, emailed me saying the cover needs to be adjusted to accommodate the bar code.

So I did the only sane thing to do which was to email my friend Ellen, who designed the cover, asking if she can help. 🙂

This whole experience has given me a new appreciation for the fact that God has designed/created/gifted each of us differently and yet like a symphony conductor sees how it all blends together. That was really driven home for me last Friday when I was panicked somewhat about finishing uploading the e-book version and hit some snags only to see Ellen come and take care of it with no problem.

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As for me, if I was ever a secret agent, the only thing that would need to be done to get me to spill all the secrets would be to make me focus on task oriented details for a prolonged period of time like a few hours.

Ask me to meet people from other cultures with little information about them beforehand- no problem. Ask me to travel alone to other countries for a ministry trip-sign me up. Ask me to write drama scripts, in my blog, or books-yes definitely yes. But ask me to focus on detail oriented task type stuff and I am looking for the nearest exit out of fear my inadequacy will get in the way..

So major respect to those of you who are gifted in handling details. I would not survive without you. 🙂

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Shame/Condemnation

~ jesusluvsall ~ 19 Comments

Reflecting on the stories of two women this morning, the Samaritan woman at the well, the woman who was caught in adultery. Their stories are different but they share something in common.

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The Samaritan woman we read about in John chapter 4. She had five husbands and was living with a sixth man not her husband. The woman caught in adultery was dragged to Jesus as a test for Jesus to test his adherence to the Jewish law to which Jesus said, “he who is without sin may cast the first stone.”

So what do the two women have in common? Their names are never revealed. We have no idea of who they were. Yes the people around at the time knew their names. Jesus knows their names. But their names are never recorded.

Likewise people like the thief on the cross, who came to faith in Jesus while being crucified next to Jesus, his name is never revealed.

Instances like these in the bible underscore the truth of Romans 8:1

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

It also underscores for me the truth of Romans 5:5

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Jesus came to free us from the shame and condemnation from sin. He did not come to put us to shame. He came to free us from sin, shame, condemnation.

So if we are feeling shame or condemnation, it is not from Jesus. Conviction yes, shame and condemnation no. Conviction, feeling convicted, about our sin is not the same as shame and condemnation. Feeling convicted leads us to Jesus and positive change. Shame would have us trying to hide. Feeling shame or condemnation would have us feeling like giving up or like there is no hope. But with Jesus, there is always hope.

Just a few thoughts I have been reflecting on today.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Music Mondays- Believe by Iveth Luna

~ jesusluvsall ~ 12 Comments

In this life we have times of waiting, of not seeing the future, not seeing the outcome. We can face obstacles, experience difficulties, and perhaps struggle with doubt.

Yet Jesus still has all power. Thar will never change. We walk by faith, but we do not walk alone. Jesus walks with us.

That is why we can face the difficulties and struggles knowing we are not alone.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Almost Ready- Thanks to My Friend Ellen

~ jesusluvsall ~ 19 Comments

This morning I came to my coffee shop to finish my book Jesus Understands Trauma for publishing. I arrived a few hours before my friend Ellen from my church office came to help me. While trying to do it, I got lost, couldn’t figure stuff out and thought it was not possible. Thoughts of giving up were in my mind.

Then Ellen came. 🙂

How quickly things turned around. She is a wiz with figuring out tech stuff. She is also the one who designed the cover for me, As she was working, I asked her questions like, “I can be clam now?” and “I can breathe now?”. Thanks to her skills with tech stuff, the e-book version is finished. She will finished the paperback version from home where she has faster internet.

It has been quite the journey writing the book and preparing for publishing. It has been trudging through two minor heart procedures, two bouts of bronchitis, a bout of pneumonia, a bout of pericarditis, and a bout of strep throat. The finish line is in sight now. Hopefully next week, I will be sharing the links for the book.

The rest of the afternoon will be relaxing at the coffee shop. I am so thankful that Jesus brings the right people at the right time to aid us on our journeys.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Music Mondays- I’ve Witnessed It (feat Melody Malone) Passion

~ jesusluvsall ~ 6 Comments

Through the years I have witnessed God’s faithfulness. So many times I have witnessed Jesus coming through for me and others. Lives changed, hope restored, obstacles overcome, are all things it has been my blessing to see and be a part of.

It is a blessing and an honor to share with others what I’ve witnessed Jesus doing in my life and the lives of others. One day it will be a great blessing to witness the return of Jesus. What a glorious day that will be. Until then, my desire is to share about the hope in Jesus with others.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.