Christmas Is About "The Gift"

Today is Christmas! I'm sitting here right now in my Aunt's
living room next to the presents and the Christmas tree,
while everyone is asleep. 

    Kids are so excited about Christmas, but not because we celebrate the birth of Jesus, but because of the presents. Who can blame them? Since they were little they've been receiving presents on Christmas Day. 

    The truth is.. we say Christmas is about Jesus, but really it's about us. We may pray in the morning and kind of acknowledge Jesus' birth. But after that.. when we start opening gifts, we totally forget about Jesus.

    If I tell you, let's just have a Christmas day where we don't give or get gifts and just celebrate Jesus' birthday. I bet you would think I'm crazy. You would think.. "How can we celebrate Christmas without presents?" Well, easy... we acknowledge that Christmas is not about Us, it's about Him.

    It's like, when we celebrate your birthday. In your birthday party, people don't give each other presents and leave you out of it. They give You gifts and try to spend time with you. Then why can't Jesus have that same celebration? Why can't we spend more time relating with Jesus on His birthday and stop thinking about ourselves?

    Jesus is so amazing! He is always with us. He is fun, caring, loving, funny, honest, and our best friend. He thinks about us so much that even on His birthday he blesses us with the opportunity to get gifts we don't deserve and He smiles when we open each one of them. You know why? Because He loves us!

This Christmas give thanks to God because he already gave us the best gift of all.

His Son, Jesus!

"For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. 

The government will rest on his shoulders. 

And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor,  Mighty God, 

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

(Isaiah 9:6) 

Life Passes By In A Blink Of An Eye

Life goes by fast. In a blink of an eye everything can change. So, why waste time arguing, staying mad with someone? It's not worth it! We should enjoy every second we have with the people we love.

    Today at 1am, December 3, 2014 my dog passed away. His name was Blackie. He was loyal, playful, caring, loving, a great best friend. I had Blackie since I was like 7 years old. So in my memory it's like I've never lived a day without him in my life. It was pretty hard to imagine living a life without him.

    Every time I would open the door he was wagging his little tail. He was so happy to see me. I would take him out and sometimes I would be outside with him looking at the stars. Even though he was actually looking for cats to bark at. Haha! But he would lie down right in front of me while I would pet him.

    I taught him how to hi-5, sit, come, stay, lie down, fetch (actually he learned that by himself). I would take him to the park and run with him. He was so active and alive! I loved him so much <3 He will always be in my heart. God blessed me with a great dog, best friend, family member.

Spend time with your loved ones. You never know when is your last goodbye or your last "I love you"or your last hug with that special someone. 

God has blessed you with special people around you. Don't take them for granted! Love them! Enjoy each special moment because time passes by and it's not coming back.

Blackie (2000 - 2014)

Once Blind, But Now I See

    My life has changed! I'm not the same person I was 2 months ago. The way I see food now is way different. I can see how food affects my mood, my body, everything.

Everything changed for me once I saw the documentary "Hungry for Change".  You can go see it on Netflix or FMTV.

Hungry for Change exposes shocking secrets 

the diet, weight loss and food industries don't want you to 

know about deceptive strategies designed to keep 

you coming back for more. Find out what's keeping 

you from having the body and health you deserve. - Anonymous

    It really opened my eyes to reality. I was blind. I was killing my body without even knowing it. It really saddens me knowing all the junk I was putting in my body, all the sugar, GMO (genetically modified organism), MSG (monosodium glutamate), high fructose corn syrup, etc. I had no idea how it affected my body, how horrible it was for my health.

    I've also seen how God created such amazing bodies that they're able to heal themselves when we give the body what it really needs. The body just wants to heal from all the toxins we're giving it. It is crying out for help and we are totally ignoring it.

    So I changed my lifestyle. I wanted to give my body what it deserves. I now eat healthy foods and drink juices from freshly extracted fruits and vegetables. Believe me, if I can do it... anyone can! I used not to try different foods. I wasn't interested. I didn't eat vegetables and I only ate like 3 different types of fruits. In one point of my life I remember weighing 163 pounds and I'm only 5'1', can you even imagine how I looked? I think I can help you with that.

                                 

    Yep, that was me in 2010. As you can see I was really overweight. I wasn't happy with the way I looked. In the past I tried different diets and sometimes it worked, but it was temporary after a while I would eat the same foods and gain weight again. I didn't know I was killing myself from the inside. But God changed my way of eating through the documentary and through the website I found FMTV. God saved my life! 

I am a new person and I'm not going back!

    I'm glad to say that right now I weigh 121 pounds! I remember when I first got to weigh 121 pounds. I started crying when I saw myself in the mirror. I could not believe that after years of trying to lose weight I got here and it was easy to lose weight once I started to eat healthy. It wasn't a constant struggle.

    Now I try to tell people how bad the sugar and toxins in the ingredients are bad for their body, but they don't get it. They just don't get it! Sometimes its frustrating to see my friends and my father and my own family to eat blindfolded without even knowing what they're putting in their bodies. See them killing their own bodies. It's really horrible for me and some of them look at what I eat and drink and it's like I'm an alien.

    It's like being in Christ! We see people everyday that need Christ in their life. We can talk to them about God and Jesus, but until they actually have an experience with God's love, they are not going to Get It. They will not understand anything until they feel God in their life. They are blind and no matter how many times we explain a blind person how a sunset looks like, that person will not be able to enjoy it or understand what a sunset is until his eyes are open. In God's time those people will experience God's love, their eyes will be open to reality, which is Jesus.

God Guides My Steps

    It's been a while since I've posted anything. My life hasn't been the same, but in a great way! God has been guiding my steps. He's been taking me to do what I've always loved to do. Dance!

    I quit my job because I've always told my friends that it doesn't matter how much you get paid but what really matters is... That you enjoy what you do. I wasn't enjoying it. I wasn't enjoying my job and I noticed that one of my motivations was to just get paid. I was doing exactly the opposite of what I would tell my friends. So, I quit!

    When I quit I felt a relief, like I can do anything I want to do. The day I decided to quit my job something came to my mind. It was going to be my next job. Dance class! It just came to me. Of course I thought about it a couple of times before but I always felt like I wasn't ready. But now it was different, like something inside of me changed. I felt ready to take that leap! I knew God would be with me wherever I go.

"Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, 

for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. 

I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."

(Isaiah 41:10)

    The same day I quit my job, a pastor came to me asking me if I could choreograph for kids at her church. She had no idea I was going to give dance class or that I quit my job. It was surprising how God was putting all the pieces together! That was my confirmation! The confirmation that I had made the right choice in quitting my job and starting to teach.

    It's amazing to know that God is guiding our steps. We don't have to beg Him to tell us what we should do. We just have to talk to Him, relate to Him, have a relationship with Him. Remember, Jesus is the way! So we are never out of the path. Just have a deep relationship with God and His desires will be your desires because together with God we are One!

"The Lord directs the steps of the godly. 

He delights in every detail of their lives."

(Psalm 37:23)

"But the person who is joined to the 

Lord is one spirit with him."

(1 Corinthians 6:17)

The Pain (Video)

A Video Done By Me

The Lyrics From The Video...

I smile but I'm not happy. They don't see the pain and the agony.
I feel so alone, no one understands. They've played with my feelings
like I was putty in their hands. Teardrops ran down my face
and into the floor. My life was over. I had no value anymore.

But wait I hear a voice... He's calling out my name.
He whispers to me, "I once felt the same. You're not alone!
I am always with you so don't be ashamed. Take off the
mask and just be yourself and I'll cure your heart, because
I chose you before my Father created everything else.

And then He stopped and He told me
something that left me shocked...

"I Love You!"

Put Your Dreams In God's Hands! (Video)

What Are You Chasing After?

    I've seen how people chase things in life. Its like they're trying to fill their hearts with something to make them feel complete. They go chasing after money or clothes, video games, food, followers on Twitter/Instagram, fame, and/or even people. Anything to try to feel that void.

    No, I'm not saying you shouldn't like to play video games or buy clothes or eat food. I'm just saying... What is the true purpose behind it?

    Do you eat because you're hungry or because it comforts you when you feel alone? Do you play video games to entertain yourself or do you try to get your mind out of the pain you feel from this world? Do you buy clothes because you need new clothes or because you want to try to feel better about yourself showing off what you bought?

    Maybe you've tried to do all these things or maybe you're chasing after other stuff. But you should know by now that, That Is Not Working. That won't fill your heart. That emptiness you feel inside will never go away until....

You Accept Jesus Christ In Your Heart!

    God is all we need in this life. Once you accept Jesus, you will be a new creation, a child of the living God. He will always be with you and he will fill that void in your heart. You are complete in Him!

"So you also are complete through your union with Christ..." 

(Colossians 2:10)

If you want to take a life changing step today and accept Jesus in your life. You only have to do something really simple.

"If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God,

 and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved."

(Romans 10:9-10)

If you got to do what the verse says, then I personally welcome you to the family. The heavens must be throwing a party right now because you are priceless. God was waiting for you. He loves you!! 

This is just the beginning! 

People Always Leave

This blog post was inspired by "One Tree Hill".

    It's amazing how people can be your friends one day and in a blink of an eye, they don't even talk to you anymore. They ignore your messages. They don't want to know anything about you. It's like they just left your life and don't want to come back.

    I've learned that people change. They change by the experiences they go through in life and once they change, they will have different interests and priorities. But is that the reason why they leave? Sure, they may have left because of college and work or other important stuff. They may all have great reasons, but it still hurts.

Jesus understands that pain. He went through that same thing. The people he cared about, left him. 

"But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will 

be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone."

(To be continued..) (John 16:32)

    If you have people in your life you care about. Enjoy being with them. Don't waste time arguing about something dumb. You will never know when it will be the last time you see them.

People Always Leave!! 

But Jesus Will Never Leave!!

Jesus said "And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:29)

God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are always with us. We are never alone. When we think everyone abandoned us. God is there!

Even Jesus mentions it...

"But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me."(John 16:32)

What Do I See When I Look In The Mirror?

When I look in the mirror, I definitely don't see what God sees.

    Sometimes when I look myself in the mirror, I see flaws and imperfections. I either see a hair out of place or a pimple or I may even see how fat I look. Of course, that's not all the time. Other times, I see a beautiful person. You know, those days when you get all dressed up and you just have to take a picture of yourself to post it on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter so you can receive others approval (also known as "likes").

I wish I could look in the mirror and see myself the same way God sees me. But the truth is... most of us just go to the mirror to see what's wrong with us. 

I asked a couple of people around me, "What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you see yourself in the mirror?"

This is what some of them said....

"I'm ugly."

"I could look better."

"I don't fit in."

"My eyes look amazing."

"I'm beautiful."

"Jesus."

    Everyone has a different answer. Everyone has a different perspective about how they look. If I asked you that same question, What would you say? Why do you look in the mirror? Is it to see how beautiful you are? Or is it to see whats wrong with you and criticize yourself?

I think the most important question is, How does God see you? 

Here is the answer...

"You are fearfully and wonderfully made. 

You are precious. No one can be compared to you 

because you are unique. You are special. "
(Psalm 139:14-16)

God had a big smile on his face 

when He made you and He keeps 

smiling by just seeing you.
He is totally in love with
you. He Loves You Just

The Way You Are!!

Beautiful For Me

"Beautiful For Me" - Nichole Nordeman

I really love this song <3

I Don't Want God To Be Part Of My Life

    I go day by day living my life and sometimes I just stop. I think about God, and I say the name of Jesus. But I don't want to live like that anymore. I don't want to take a minute and think about God.

    You see... I've read the Bible a couple of times and I've seen how some people in the Bible live life in a totally different way than I do. They actually breathe God. They feel Him. When people got close to them, they could feel the presence of God. Some people even got healed by just the shadow of one of them.

    I want to experience that. I want to actually breathe Christ. I want to be so in love with God that I don't have to stop and think about him because He will be in my mind constantly. The same way David couldn't stop thinking about God.

"I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on 
you through the night."(Psalm 63:6)

    I don't want God to be part of my life because He Is My Life. I want to fall in love with Him more each day because he is my everything. Without God I am nothing. I would be blind to the truth. I would be in complete darkness. But with him, I'm in the light. I am free! I am loved! I have life!

I Don't Go To Church

First of all I want to clarify that I actually don't go to church, none of us do.

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church;" (Colossians 1:24)

Pay attention where it says.. "which is the church". It says that Christ's body is the church. So, technically we don't go to church. Those who have Christ Are The Church.

"All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it." (1 Corinthians 12:27)

Now that we know that we know that We are the Church. We should also know that we are part of the same church. We are in the same body! 

    People think that there are different churches around the world and some of them try to compete trying to have the most members. But don't they know that we are all in the same church? They also think that we can't be in different churches every week. 

    I've visited different "churches" and you may think it's wrong but I'm really visiting my family, just being with different members of it. It's like when I want to go visit my grandmother at her house on sunday and on thursday I went to visit my aunt at her house. We are part of the same family. 

We are One in Christ! 

Voices Of The Cross

An incredible video by Dan Stevers

http://www.danstevers.com/

God Is All Around Me

This weekend I was celebrating my 21st birthday. I usually celebrate my birthdays at a pool because my friends can be there without paying anything and we can hangout and have fun.

As I dived into the water, it was like time stopped. The world was in slow motion.

    It was just me and the water. The water was everywhere. Every part of my body was touched by the water in the pool. Suddenly, I started thinking about God. How God is literally everywhere like really.. Everywhere. I am constantly moving In God. Everywhere I go, God is there.

"For in him we live and move and exist."(Acts 17:28) 

    Isn't that just amazing!? Now thats not the only incredible thing. The most amazing, incredible, awesome thing is that God is also In Me. That is mind blowing. Knowing that God is actually living inside of me and that we are One. WOW!!! There are no words to describe it.

"But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him." (1 Corinthians 6:17)

Why Can't They Tell Me The Truth?

Something I value so much is honesty. 

    I went through a tough process in a point of my life. I had trusted the wrong people. Those "friends" lied to me and betrayed me. "Their mouths are full of lies; they swear to tell the truth, but they lie instead."(Psalm 144:8) I felt miserable! I thought no one could understand what I was going through and I felt so so dumb! Like, why didn't I notice that they were lying right to my face? It was obvious but I trusted them too much to see it.

Since then, I've learned that I can't trust everyone and that if a person lies even if its a "white lie" he/she can't be trusted.

I used to think... Why is it so hard for them to tell the truth? But then I learned that those who don't have Jesus in their heart can easily lie to someone because they don't have Truth in them.

"Jesus told him,  “I am the way, the truth, and the life. 

No one can come to the Father except through me."(John 14:6)

Jesus = Truth

Asking them to be completely honest is asking them to go against their nature. But those who have Jesus can easily speak the Truth. For the Truth lives in them.

"because the truth lives in us and will be with us forever."(2 John 1:2)

I'm Back!

    I'm sorry I haven't been posting lately. I didn't really know what to write about. My head has been thinking about a lot of things recently and I really didn't feel like writing anything. But I'm back! I'm ready to go!

    Not a lot of people read my blog so nothing really motivated me to write. Sometimes I just wish my blog would be more popular, plus I'm still trying to get use to writing every week. Starting something from the beginning is not easy. It's like exercise. When you're starting to exercise everyday trying to make it into a habit, it's hard. Your body is not use to it so it becomes a struggle. But after a couple of weeks you kinda get the hang of it and it becomes part of your daily life.

    I really want this blog to be part of my life. I'm going to pray that God will put that great desire in me to write. I really love this blog and love that someone from another part of the world can read what I'm saying about Jesus. That someone can actually be blessed by reading what God is saying though me.

God is real! He loves you! Always be yourself!

God Does Amazing Things In Your Life!

God does so many things in our life and we don't even notice it. 

Keep Your Eyes Wide Open! 

The Feeling Of The Wind

    God spoke to me once through a cousin of mine. Yes, He really did! God told me something that was truly amazing. Now, you must be thinking, what did He say? Well, He told me that every time I would feel a breeze, it was Him hugging me. Isn't that amazing? Knowing that God was actually hugging me through the wind?

The thing is.. that's not the only amazing thing. 

    Once, I thought of a nickname for myself because I wanted to be a hip hop dancer, at least, I think that was the reason. Anyways, the nickname I thought of was "A.I.R." because those are my actual initials. (My mom compares me to Pocahontas because of the way she feels the wind.)

Ok, I don't know if you know how amazing this is

...but I'm not finished, there is one thing missing.

   One day I was in the car with my mom and suddenly God starts talking to me through her. These are the exact words that God said, "A.I.R didn't come from your mind. I am, I am the air you breath. I gave you that name." Wow! Now that is just WOW! Knowing that God gave me that name. 

    Everything was planned from the beginning, everything had a purpose. Nothing absolutely nothing in this world happens randomly. The fact that I can actually feel God everyday is a blessing. I'm actually breathing Him everyday. So without God, I would be dead right now.

God is the reason I am alive. God is the reason you are alive.

"For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Job 33:4 NLT

John 17

I just started crying reading these bible verses. This amazing prayer Jesus made, I could just imagine himself saying these words. He loves us so much! I just can't... there is no words to describe how I feel right now. Jesus is so precious <3

Take your time and read, gently.

    After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.

“I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.

“My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.

“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!

“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

Listen More About Him!

Yes, I love listening to other people talk about Jesus and even better when I'm having a conversation about Him with someone.

    Usually I'm that one friend that send messages to others about God. Sure, I love it when God speaks to others through me, but it would be nice if people could send me messages too. Sometimes, I just need a message saying "God loves you!" or "God is with you!" from someone.

Right now, I'm feeling like I'm thirsty for Jesus. I want to hear more about Him. I want to feel Him. I want to hear His voice.

In this post I invite you to comment below anything you want about God, my Father.

I want to hear what you have to say about Him. 

What A Guy Really Thinks!

Kyle and Kelsey

Can I Separate Myself From God?

Most people actually think that they can separate themselves from God. 

    I went to a youth service on Thursday and at the end of the service they asked, "Who wants to accept Jesus for the first time in their hearts?" A lot of teens went to the altar to accept Him and that was truly amazing. But then they asked, "Who wants to reconcile with God?"

In that moment, I really felt sad for them, the people that wanted to reconcile with God. Because they actually think that they can throw God out of their lives.  But the truth is that once you accept Jesus in your life, He will never ever leave your life no matter what.

"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love..."(Romans 8:38)

So, why would we think that we can separate ourselves from him after we accept Jesus in our life? If we could actually throw God out of our lives, then God would get pretty dizzy going in and out of someone's life. But that's not real!

"But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him" (1 Corinthians 6:17)

It's not possible to separate ourselves from God. We become ONE with HIM! It's like mixing milk with coffee. Once you mix it together you can't separate them.

That is such a relief, isn't it? To know that no matter what, God will never leave us.

He really does love us and He will never let us go!

Struggles In Life

    Yes, we all go through them. I know that doesn't mean that I can understand your pain because I can't. Only God can because He has been in your life since day 1.

I truly believe that when we go through the toughest problems in life its because God has something so amazing for us ahead.

Don't stop believing! God is there with you. 

When Job lost everything, He kept believing in God and in the end he received more then he could ever ask for.

    Sure, we get tired and angry, but thats normal. Even Jesus got tired and angry, but He never lost his trust in God. He knew God had a better plan ahead.

I assure you that the struggles will end and something amazing will happen in your life.

Believe!

What Is My Identity?

http://www.danstevers.com/

Am I All In?

Today I went to see the new step up movie and it really spoke to me.

One of my favorite parts of the movie was when Moose's Grandmother was having a conversation with Sean. I felt like she was speaking to me.

    I've been struggling because all I want to do is dance and in life, it's not that easy. Just like in the step up movie you see that making a career out of dancing is really hard. You won't always have the money to provide for your needs. You usually have to have a another job to pay the bills. 

    I was thinking of quitting my job and focus completely on dancing to at least get close to making my dreams come true. But after seeing that movie, I realized that I can do both. I just have to practice really hard on my dancing. Not give up and work hard. It's not going to be easy but I'm sure that its going to be worth it.

    God will guide me! I truly believe that! Right now I might feel blind because I have no idea what God has planned for me. But I bet it's going to be amazing.

    If you have a dream in your heart. Don't think it can never happen. Work hard for it. Trust God, He will guide you. 

Is God At The Center Of Your Life?

Please share this video with others. I do not own this video...