To the least of these....

This weekend I've been on and off Facebook debating with friends (and even family) about free healthcare. Being that this is California/Los Angeles (the land of the liberal), the majority of my friends on Facebook are for ObamaCare and free healthcare. I am not. I'm not going to go into the whole debate, but you can read my opinion on ObamaCare here.

What I have told many people and what I have written in other places is that I blame a lot of our "problems" with healthcare on us, Christians. Jesus told us to sell all of our possesions and help the needy. He told us that "whatever [we do] for one of the least of [His] brothers," we are doing for Him. (Matthew 25:39-41) Conversely, whatever we are NOT doing for our brothers/neighbors, we are NOT doing for Him.

The fact is that we are not doing what the Lord asked us. We are not sacrificing our time and money to help others. There are people out there who are sick and in great need and we as Christians are not doing enough to help. We live these comfortable lives and maybe donate here or there to some special charity... we might even drop some pennies in a jar for needy kids at the Store. Meanwhile, we go home and sit in front of the tv, munching on popcorn, nice and comfortable. (I'm talking about myself here!) All this time we have to devote to NOTHING, when we could be out there doing SOMETHING for the least of our Lord's people.

Well, in all this debating the Lord has convicted my heart. "What are YOU doing, Kristina?" I'm doing nothing, Lord. I'm sitting on my butt doing nothing, but flapping my lips (or typing away) about what we need to be doing, like a big fat hypocrite.

That has to change. I am single. I have no big obligations to anyone. I have plenty of free time. I only volunteer at church 2 times a month. I have no excuse to not be out there helping my community and doing unto my brothers and sister as I would have them do unto me.

The truth is, I should be dropping everything and going to Mexico, or Africa, or even South Central L.A. full-time and reaching out in the Name of the Lord. Unfortunately, I am slave to my debt and can't drop everything right now, but that doesn't mean there is nothing for me to do. Sooooo, this week, I'm going to start looking into volunteer opportunities in my community. I need to walk the walk, and talk the talk. Otherwise, I AM a hypocrite and I should be ashamed.

Lord, use me.

Nice and everything, but not for me...

One of the ladies from my Bible study emailed me the other day asking for a favor. I'm thinking, "all of us have not gotten together for a while, maybe she wants me to plan something" or "maybe she needs me to get a hold of Diana" (since everyone knows we are buddies now).

Nope. She asks me if I'm still single and if I would be okay with having her son give me a call. (!!!!!) At first, I'm like, "oh yeah!" Shoot, I'll take any opportunity for the Lord to put someone in my life... plus, brownie points because the mom likes me. =) BUT (and there's always a "but") I started to remember that this is the same son for which she always requested prayer... prayer for his salvation. That's when I thought, "I don't know about this."

Then she emails me telling me that she really only wants a friend for him right now. Okay. I'm totally down with that. In fact, even if he were a believer, walking with the Lord, I would still want to just start out as friends. I've learned my lesson. =)

She tells me that she invited him to church (yesterday evening's service) and that maybe I could meet him there. I'm not really expecting him to show up and when service is over, of course, he's not there. So, she's talking to me and showing me pictures of him and the house he just bought (and even was taking pictures of me, which was uber embarrassing, I have to say!), when her husband comes up to us.

She tells him that I'm the girl "she was talking about" (meaning for her son, I guess). He immediately says that he loves his son, but he needs help and that we would be unequally yoked (okay, you know someone is not good for you when even the person's parent is saying that it's probably not good... lol). That's when I had to make it clear that I was only trying to be friends with this guy because I will NOT date someone who doesn't have a relationship with the Lord. (I totally got a high-five from the dad on that one. Ay ay ay!)

I think she knows that, but still wants us to hang out. I'm fine with that and I hope that I can be an example to him and maybe be used by God to bring him to the Lord, but I definitely will not be romantically involved with this dude, unless the Lord makes it clear that he is the one He has for me.

I need a man who is mature in Christ. I don't have time to be wasting on someone who is not up-to-speed. I know that sounds harsh, but I think being unequally yoked not only means that both of you are not believers, but als that both of you are not at the same spiritual level. I am not necessarily a fully-matured Christian, but I'm definitely not a "Baby" christian. I need someone who has reached the same level of maturity in their Christian walk as I have, or even better.

I'm a woman, not a man. It's my job to encourage my soon-to-be-husband, but I don't think it is my job to teach and admonish him. He should be at that place in his life when we meet or get together. Afterall, he is supposed to be the Leader, Priest, Provider, and Protector, not me.

Let's see what happens, if anything...

"arrested for DUI..."

Man, something HILARIOUS happened today involving my Facebook page. Just had to record it for posterity.

I had a dream last night that this guy totally rejected me. The night before I had a dream that I was arrested for DUI. (Don't know what's up with these dreams, but yeah....) So I thought I'd be clever and post something about it on my Facebook page. I decided to send the status update from my phone via text message. Bad idea.... or was it?

This is what I sent:

(Kristina Morales) dreamt that she got rejected by some guy. Wow. Even in my dreams. Lol. I guess its still not as bad as the dream I had the night before in which I was arrested for DUI...

Well, next thing you know I start getting all these comments from people:

"DUI?"

"Ha, I just saw your first post, but at first I was like, why is Kristina rested for a DUI? And why would she post that?? Lol, I get it now!!!"

"I am glad I read the entire message. I would have been calling Monroy and busting you out...LOL"

OMG! I realized then that the status update got posted in two parts! The second post just read:

(Kristina Morales) arrested for DUI...

Too funny!!! I had all these people thinking for second that I was arrested for driving under the influence. All I could think of was their reactions because I am the last person that anyone would think was going to get arrested and definitely not for DUI. Of course, everyone thought it was funny once they realized what was going on.

Oh man, that made my day!

Sanity in Singleness

Suzanne Hadley, a writer on Boundless, reminds me a lot of myself. We have had almost the same struggles when it comes to love and finding a husband. She is now engaged and I love to read her article because they 1) encourage me and remind me that God will bring me my husband eventually, and 2) because they help me to get a glimpse into my future, when that husband does come.

In her article today, she wrote something that really spoke to my heart:

My choice (sometimes daily and painful) to trust the Lord despite undesirable circumstances paid off, not only in a wonderful, godly man coming into my life, but in a heart not bitter toward a loving and generous God. I had to come to grips with the fact that God does not stamp out our lives with a cookie cutter. He has a personal, intricate plan for each of His children.

It reminded me that God is so good. If it wasn't for His love, I would be that person with a heart that is bitter towards Him. It is thanks to all the waiting that He has made me endure that I've been able to draw closer to Him and understand that He is NOT being spiteful towards me, but has a perfect plan for how He is going to bring me the one he made just for me. That is so awesome! I know that it will be worth the wait because He will make sure that man comes not too early and not too late, but just when the time is perfect and right.

Amen!

P.S. Another awesome thing I've noticed about myself since I've stopped worrying about when and why I was single and started focusing on the Lord: I'm happier and I'm not stressing about my weight and my looks, and I've noticed that as a result, I'm starting to receive more attention from the opposite sex. Now, it may not be the kind of attention I always want (lol), but it does show me that the more I let go and trust in Him, the more I am appealing to the world. Instead of thinking that I'm alone because I'm not pretty/thin enough, I now know that I'm alone because my attitude was not good enough and the only One who could have shown me that was God. So even more props to Him! =)

I can feel the winds a'changin. Something's going to happen soon, isn't it Lord? You're so good to me...

Mouth Update

I'm finally done with the appliance for correcting my bite. Now it's onto the painful stuff. I get my spacers this Friday. I hear they hurt more than braces. Thankfully, I'm doing Invisalign. (Well, thankfully for my mouth, but not my pocket.) So, the spacers will be the only thing involving pain. I think... You never know what can happen with me. Afterall, I am the freak who had 5 wisdom teeth. lol.

Anyway, I wear the spacers for 3 months--top and bottom. Then it's on to Invisalign. I can't wait. Hopefully in no more than 2 years, I will have beautiful, nice straight teeth. Just in time for wedding pictures (please, please, please)! Yay!

Lukewarm = No bueno

So, I'm reading Francis Chan's "Crazy Love" (finally... I've been meaning to for awhile now!). So far it is very thought-provoking and convicting, at the very least. =) Right now, I'm in Chapter 4 - Profile of the Lukewarm. Francis lists a bunch of signs of a Lukewarm Christian--one trying to live for both the World and Christ, which is impossible. Like Francis says, a Lukewarm Christian is an oxymoron.

Anyway, one description really stood out to me:

LUKEWARM PEOPLE do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don't have to trust God if something unexpected happens--they have their savings account. They don't need God to help them--they have their retirement account in place. They don't genuinely seek out what life God would have them live--they have life figured and mapped out. They don't depend on God on a daily basis--their refridgerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.

(See Luke12:16-21 and Hebrews 11 for scripture that Francis gives for rebutting this characteristic of a Lukewarm Christian.)

Wow. Talk about convicting. We are such control freaks in this day and age, that we don't want to have to depend on whether God might help us out in a bind. We want to make sure we have a back-up plan.

How dare we have a back-up plan to God!

I may not have a savings account with more than $100 (no, seriously... lol). I may not have elected to have the best retirement plan the County has to offer. I may even appear to be very reckless when it comes to my future by the world's standards. Yet I know, however, that despite appearances, I don't always completely trust that God is going to take care of me. For example, I don't always tithe as much as I should when I know that I barely have enough to buy groceries and some gas before my next paycheck. Instead of just giving the Lord what I owe Him, I hold back a little to make sure I can get a few extra things from the market.

How shameful. I'm basically telling Him that I don't think He will sustain me for the next few days so I'm going to dip into His account... the money that is RIGHTFULLY HIS. Wow! WOW!

Lord, forgive me for not fully trusting in You at ALL TIMES. From now on I will go hungry before I act like a Lukwarm Christian:

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. - Revelation 3:15-17

Training up your kids...

I was watching Charles Stanley this morning and he gave a message about training up your child in the ways of the Lord. I was going to give a summary of the message, but when I took a look at my notes for a second time, I realized they are pretty much self-explanatory:

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart
from it. Proverbs 22:6

1. Spend quality time
- Investment in their eternity
- You are most important in their life

2. Listen to them carefully, so they will listen to you
- No education is needed to give your kids time or to stop and listen
- They deserve your undivided attention (the Lord gives us undivided attention when we come to him)
- They will go to someone; better you than someone else

3. Admit when you are wrong
- Tears down barrier and builds relationship
- They won't mind coming and talking to you when they are wrong

4. Love them unconditionally
- Despite their looks, attitude, brains, etc.
- Not bringing up past wrongs
**Love never fails! (1 Peter 4:8)

5. Discipline them motivated by a desire to protect them
- You want them to grow up to be a good person

6. Motivate them to be all they can be
- "Look your best; Do your best; Be your best"
- Do you think Jesus did anything less then His best?
**Correct without demeaning

7. Lead them to fully understand that their ultimate accountability is to God
- When you aren't around, they still answer to God
- Being accountable to themselves is a disaster - they will try to play God

8. Most important thing in their life is their personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ
- If you don't have one, you can't teach them to have one

9. Teach them to spend time daily in the Word of God
- You won't live a godly life with a closed Bible
** "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path" - Psalms 119:105

10. Teach them to obey God and leave all the consequences to Him
- Will teach them to 1)recognize the sovereignty of God; 2) recognize His personal interest in them; and 3) trust Him

Most important: PRAY FOR YOUR CHILDREN!!!!!


My main reason for recording this is so that I can come back and refer to it when I finally have children of my own, but also because this is direction that all parents need.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

In His shadow...

It's funny how being praised can sometimes cause you humility.

Today, God has used quite a few different people to let me know how appreciated I am. I'm talking all day long.... I was even told that I am at a corporate level when it comes to my skills. Wow. I guess when my mom brags to people about how I could be an administrative assistant to the CEO of a big company, she's not the only one who thinks so. Hahaha! That sounds so egotistical!

Seriously though, you would think it would be blowing up my head, but it actually embarrasses me and reminds me that in the grand scheme of things, I'm really not all that special. I'm just an average person. I make mistakes and fumble up all the time. BELIEVE ME! At the end of the day, I can do NOTHING without my Lord.

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. -Philipians 4:13

He gave me my skills--I didn't give them to myself.

All this also comes from the LORD Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom. -Isaiah 28:29

I was nervous about coming to my current position. I was scared that I would be bored and, even worse, I was scared that I would be too intimidated by my boss' boss to function, but it's been almost quite the opposite. I say almost because my boss' boss still does intimidate me, but not the extent that I can't still do well at my job or make a good impression on him.

Right now, I couldn't be happy or feel more blessed. I am EXACTLY where the Lord wanted me and to top it off, I am surrounded by believers. It's so good. I know that He is watching out for me and guiding my steps. Not to sound redundant, but HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING!

Thank you, Lord. You are too good to me...