Category: Hope

Good and Bad News?

~ jesusluvsall ~ 11 Comments

I saw the surgeon yesterday and it was a mixed news kind of visit. I am used to that after all of these years of seeing doctors for chronic illness.

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The bad news first to get it out of the way. I need to wear the leg brace and keep my leg straight until I see him again June 10. The surgery was extensive. He told me he had to do a lot of stitching to repair muscle and tendon and also put a mesh in. That explains why I had so much pain during physical therapy.

The good news? It looks like I am healing okay. The x-rays looked good. Also no physical therapy until after I see him again. He wants to take things slowly.

So no driving until June 10th but no physical therapy.

It makes me think about how when we come to trust in Jesus as our Savior, there is good news, great news actually, and bad news. The great news is that we are forgiven, have an eternal relationship with God, have Jesus with us always, and much more. The bad news? Jesus told us in John 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

We will still have troubles in this life. But Jesus is with us, so we do not face those troubles alone.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Music Mondays- One of A Kind by Iveth Luna

~ jesusluvsall ~ 8 Comments

There is no one like Jesus. He left heaven to be born as a human baby, He healed people and did many miracles during his earthly ministry. He showed us what God is truly like and heals wounded souls.

He allowed himself to be crucified to die to pay the penalty for sins on our behalf. He defeated death for us. He shares his victory with us and grants us eternal life.

He is always with us and will never leave us.

Truly there is no one like Jesus. He is the ultimate one of a kind.

And to top it off, he gifts us and empowers us. We are created in his image.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

One Year Anniversary of Jesus Understands Trauma

~ jesusluvsall ~ 15 Comments

On May 19th, it will be my privilege to share at my church about how Jesus partners with us in our healing journey from trauma. It has been one year since my book Jesus Understands Trauma was first published on Amazon. The biggest blessing for me is to see people be blessed and helped by my book.

I still remember feeling a bit of hesitation right before publishing it due to feeling led to share things thus being vulnerable. But the theme of 2nd Corinthians 1:3-5 motivated me- comfort others with the comfort we have received.

My desire is to see more people be comforted by God in their healing journey. That is why a excited about May 19th.

In celebration of the one year anniversary of Jesus Understands Trauma and in observance of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, I am offering a sale, $1 off, on both Jesus Understands Trauma and Lifted Out of the Pit/Called to the Nations both the paperback and Kindle versions for both.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Music Mondays- High Water by Tori Kelly

~ jesusluvsall ~ 3 Comments

Tori Kelly sings pop songs but she also makes songs about her faith in Jesus. One of her recent songs High Water resonates with me as she sings about knowing morning comes and what is on the other side.

Anytime we go through a rough patch, we can know Jesus is on the other side of it and also that he is with us as we go through it. Hearing her song after weeks of recovery and isolation made the song more poignant for me.

She wrote this song after having been through a health scare of dealing with a blood clot and being treated for it.

Whatever we may go through, we can know that Jesus is with us and on the other side of it.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Who Or What Is The Mess

~ jesusluvsall ~ 20 Comments

In a conversation with the young woman who I wrote about in She Is Safe Now, she shared with me, “I am a mess.” That would be a normal thing to feel for anyone going through difficult times. I understood how she was feeling. I have had such thoughts myself at times.

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However, for anyone who believes in Jesus, that is not our identity. Our identity is child of God. Our identity comes from our relationship with God whether we feel it or not.

So my response to her was, “You are not a mess. You are not the mess. You are God’s daughter who he loves. Life has been a mess and in many ways you had no choice, but you are not the mess and you are not a mess. You are God’s daughter and he loves you so much that he will help you clean up the mess of life step by step.”

I am statements refer to identity. I have statements refer to a situation we have. Example- I have chronic illness but I am not chronic illness.

I am statements speak to the core of who we are, so if we begin to say to ourselves, I am a child of God, I am loved by God and such statements, we can begin to refocus ourselves in life.

So I am a child of God, and I have blessings that come with that including relationship with God, friendships at church, Jesus walking with me step by step in life and more.

I think coffee might be one of those blessings too 🙂

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Music Mondays- Same God by Elevation Worship

~ jesusluvsall ~ 11 Comments

It is amazing that God who moved in powerful ways long ago, parting the Red Sea, Helping David defeat Goliath, and more is the same God we pray to. When we face seemingly impossible situations, we can pray to the one who has all power.

So many times in my life it seemed my back was to the wall and there was no hope, but God moved. Jesus has come through for me in countless ways.

Dear reader, remember that Jesus has all power, he loves you, and he is with all who come to him.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

With Jesus, We Do Not Walk Alone

~ jesusluvsall ~ 16 Comments

A unrealistic and false narrative that Christians can fall prey to is that because we are Christians, everything should be okay. This can leave people feeling less than and like they need to hide their struggles.

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Reading Psalm 23 shows how realistic life with Jesus is. Psalm 23:4

Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

In this life, we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. In this life, we experience difficulties. In this life we still have troubles. The promise of Psalm 23 is that we do not walk through those dark times alone. Jesus walks with us. A shepherd uses the rod to guide and the staff to protect. The shepherd walks with the sheep.

So the promise is that Jesus walks with us, guiding us, protecting, while we walk through difficult times. Our eternal promise is that in eternity with Jesus, there is no more suffering. Both truths give me hope, that Jesus is with me now as I go through difficult times, and that Jesus has an eternal future for me with no difficulties.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Thankful for a Day of Blessings

~ jesusluvsall ~ 27 Comments

An eventful day yesterday that God blessed me with. So this post is a expressing gratitude to Jesus post.

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It was a good meeting yesterday with the counseling pastor for my church. We discussed various ideas and he will talk with our lead pastor next Monday. We both agreed that the church should not shy away from issues like trauma, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts or other mental health issues because we have the answer- Jesus. It is how to communicate that and help people connect with Jesus for healing that is important.

Okay so here is some news. I finished my book Encounters with the Ancients. I am waiting for my proof copy to go over it and make changes if need be and then make it public next week. Finishing another book feels good, but then there is the thought of-“I hope it sells.” Now it is time to write more for my next book. More on that later.

Top it all off, one of my students in one of my morning classes surprised me yesterday evening. She had cooked some tamales and brought me some. They were DELICIOUS!!!. One of the perks of teaching ESL is the opportunity to enjoy foods from other cultures.

What are you thankful for today?

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Give Yourself Grace Because……

~ jesusluvsall ~ 16 Comments

It is a thought I like to share with people when they are going through a difficult time, struggling, and being hard on themselves. The thought is-“Give yourself grace because God does.”

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God knows our weaknesses, our mistakes, our struggles, our inner turmoil. He knows we are finite and that we need Jesus. God does not give up on us. God’s grace is there for us. I like the acronym for what grace stands for”

God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.

But we can be our own worst critics with our internal dialogue. We can tend to get down on ourselves, talk to ourselves negatively, bring our own selves down. It is when I see people doing that as they talk with me that I share the thought, Give yourself grace because God does.

There is no higher authority than God, so if God gives us grace, who we to not do so? God sees us as his children wholly dependent on him and always in need of him. God loves us.

Yes, God will work in our lives to help us grow, overcome, and become more like Jesus. He is our heavenly father who is constantly guiding us, working in our lives, and yes at times convicting us, but his grace is always there. His voice is not a condemning one. Romans 8:1 says:

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

So if the voice in our head is a condemning one, it is not God’s voice. It is either our own or the voice of darkness.

So dear reader, if you are struggling, remember give yourself grace because God does and he is not done working in your life.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

What Does Jesus Think When He Looks at Us?

~ jesusluvsall ~ 9 Comments

Sunday afternoon I had the opportunity to share with my friends at New Breath the new Ukrainian Church in my city. A few weeks before while I was there and listening to a worship song I felt the beginnings of a prompting. The song sings Hebrew names for God as part of the song. The song stayed with me and I woke up early in the morning to begin writing another book. The book will have the theme of what Jesus thinks when he looks at us.

That will be my fourth book. The third one Encounters with the Ancients will be out this month. While I was speaking, I mistakenly referred to the book the song inspired in me as my third book.

I asked a friend to record the message on my iPad so the recording is not exactly professional, but I wanted to share it to give and idea of what that book will be like. So here is the video. Due to translation it takes about 18 minutes.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.