Enjoying The New

Can you believe we're in 2015? Time is flying right in front of our eyes and if we're not careful life will happen and we won't even notice, or worse of all, enjoy it. Last year passed with many changes, some planned and some not so much. The biggest change for my family and I was to move cross country from Massachusetts to California. 

This was something we've been wanting to do for many years now but finally decided to go with it. We sold almost all of our things and gave away whatever was left. The only things we brought with us was our favorite books, some of our kid's toys and our clothes. I made the trip with the kids by plane and the hubby drove almost 3,000 miles cross country in our van with our six-month-old puppy, Duke.We've been in SoCal for almost three months now and I have to say that it's much easier to get used to a snow free and almost fall like temperatures for winter. Back in the east coast my friends are enduring double digit below zero temperatures! Ouch! Lets just say that, although I miss them dearly, I'm glad I'm not there. If there was one thing I never could get used to was the bitter cold weather. I'm convinced I was born for hot and sunny days. It makes me happy! I like to sit outside with my cup of coffee in the morning and expose myself to a daily dose of sunshine. It was this new habit that inspired me to go back to writing on my blog again. When I started this blog a few years ago I realized that I needed to spend quiet a bit of time and energy if I wanted to even attempt to have a chance of making it in the blogger's world. The truth is, my life was such that I didn't have enough time or energy to spend on much else other than on my family. I promise I'll take the time I now have available to me to, some day, share with you a little bit about that season in my life. Who knows, it might serve as a positive testimony to someone out there who might be going through the same thing. That's my hope. But for now, let me just say that I'm glad to be back. I'm glad to share life as it happens with you, whoever and wherever you may be. For today I just wanted to wish you and your family a very happy and successful new year. May 2015 be the year that is forever engraved in your heart for all the good reasons. I hope you grab a cup of coffee (or tea) and visit me here as often as life allows you. I just might write something that will bless your day!

Vamos Falar de Pureza

Como é de meu costume toda manhã, hoje eu tomei meu café assistindo o noticiário. As vezes eu assisto CNN, notícias locais ou global. Mas hoje eu assisti Bom Dia América (Good Morning America). O que chamou minha atenção foi um segmento que eles apresentaram sobre Kety Perry, uma bem conhecida cantora secular que é muito popular entre a nossa juventude. Aparentemente, ela fez um competição nacional com a ajuda do GMA para selecionar uma escola onde ela iria se apresentar no dia do seu aniversário. Escolas de todo país enviaram suas entradas de vídeos elaborados envolvendo toda a escola cantando umas das musicas mais recentes de Perry com o título "O Olho do Tigre" (The Eye of The Tiger). Hoje o GMA mostrou a apresentação dela na escola vencedora do concurso. Eu assisti espantada a milhares de meninos e meninas gritando naquele ginásio superlotado. A medida que tomava outro gole do meu café eu pensei: Senhor, como podemos competir com isso? Como podemos trazer a atenção de nossas crianças para ti quando o mundo está investindo tanto neles? Podemos vencer essa batalha no mundo de hoje? Podemos resgatar nossas crianças? Imediatamente o Espírito do Senhor colocou Salmos 119:9 no meu coração e disse: você não precisa competir com o mundo, você só tem que apresentar Jesus pra eles e ensiná-los minha Palavra. Wow! Será que eu posso te dizer quão grande o nosso Deus é? Haviam se passado apenas segundos que aquela pergunta veio no meu coração e Ele imediatamente a respondeu! Eu sempre admiro isso. A verdade é que ser puro não é um conceito muito popular na nossa sociedade. As crianças crescem aprendendo que você deve fazer o que te faz feliz e como resultado disso eles estão mais egoístas do que nunca. Outro dia eu lí um artigo na revista Times com o título "A Geração Eu, Eu, Eu". Este artigo descreveu como estudos descobriram que a juventude de hoje é narcisista, egocêntrica, e tem um forte senso de direito. Eles querem mais e mais sem trabalhar nada para receber isso. Infelizmente, nós como pais temos grande culpa disso. Os pais de hoje pensam que eles podem causar dano emocional permanente se eles somente ousarem dizer não ao que seus filhos querem ou desejam! O que aconteceu com moderação, mansidão, humildade, contentamento, ética de trabalho? A evidência da decadência de nossos jovens somente mostra o quanto nossas crianças precisam ser resgatados deste mundo. Nossas crianças precisam de Jesus e a salvação que só Ele pode dar. Nós temos a grade responsabilidade de criar campeões espirituais, crianças que são firmadas na Palavra e continuamente trabalham para desenvolver um relacionamento pessoal com Cristo. Isso não é uma tarefa fácil. Leva um inumerável tempo, propósito e disciplina. Também é necessário fé, confiança e muitas noites de oração. Hoje eu quero desafiar aos pais a serem mais envolvidos na vida espiritual de suas crianças, diligentemente ensinando a Palavra de Deus e os levando a Jesus. Comece um diálogo no seu lar sobre pureza e permita suas crianças falarem sobre os desafios diários que eles passam. Evite o julgamento e a condenação. O fato é que, nossas crianças estão muito mais expostas as tentações do que jamais fomos devido ao desenvolvimento tecnológico e coisas parecidas. No final, é importante reconhecer que todos nós precisamos do perdão, amor, misericórdia e graça de Deus.

Let's Talk About Purity

So this morning, as I do almost everyday, I had my cup of coffee as I watched the news. Sometimes I watch CNN, the local news channel or global news. But today I watched Good Morning America (GMA). What called my attention was a segment they had with Kety Perry, a very we'll known secular singer that is very popular amongst our youth. Apparently, she conducted this national contest with the help of GMA to select one high school were she would perform on her birthday. Schools all over the country sent in their entry of elaborate videos involving their whole school singing Perry's latest hit "The Eye of the Tiger". Today she performed at the the school contest winner. I watched in dismay as thousands of young men and women screamed and shouted in a very crowded school gymnasium. As I took another sip of my coffee I thought: Lord, how can we compete with this? How can we bring our children's attention to you when the world is investing so much in them? Can we win this battle in today's world? Can we rescue our children? Immediately the Spirit of God brought Psalm 119:9 (How shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed and keeping watch [on himself] according to Your word [conforming his life to it]." to my mind and said: You don't have to compete with the world, you just have to give them Jesus and teach them my Word. Wow!! Can I just tell you how great our God is? It had been seconds since that question popped up in my heart and He answered it! I'm always at aw of that. Let's just say that being pure is not a concept that is very popular in our society. Children grow up learning that you should do whatever makes you happy and as a result they're more selfish than ever. Just the other day I read an article in Times magazine titled "The Me, Me, Me Generation". This article described how research has found that today's youth are narcissistic, egocentric, and have a strong sense of entitlement. They want more and more without showing any work for it. And unfortunately, we as parents are at great fault for that. Today's parents think that they can cause permanent emotional damage to their children if they only dare to say "no" to their every desire and want! What happened with moderation, meekness, humility, contentment, and hard work? This evidence only shows that our children need to be rescued from the world. Our children need Jesus and the salvation that only He can give. We have the great responsibility of raising spiritual champions, children who are grounded in the Word and continually work on developing a personal relationship with Christ. That's no easy work. It takes a insurmountable amount of time, purpose and discipline. It also takes faith, trust and many prayerful nights. Today I want to challenge parents out that to be more involved in their children's spiritual life, diligently teaching them the Word of God and leading them to Jesus. Open up a dialogue in your home about the subject of purity and allow your children to talk about the challenges they face on a daily basis. Try to resist being judgmental or condemning. The fact is, our children today are exposed to a lot more temptations than we ever were because of technological advancements and the like. In the end, it's important to recognize that all of us need God's forgiveness, love, mercy and grace.

The Ride of My Life

I'm so excited to be writing my first post on my very first blog. Can I just tell you how crazy this is? I never thought I would give into the idea, but as you can see it, I did. My sister and a few of my friends have been trying to convince me to do it for a long time, but I just didn't believe I had what it takes to do it. I must confess that I still don't, but what changed was the fact that God convinced me that He can truly use me to bless others if I just allowed Him to use me. I really couldn't say no to God! I trust in Him with all my heart, and I know, from experience, that His plans are not only better than mine, they are perfect. My daughter is always singing and one of the songs she constantly sings around the house and in the car goes like this: it's the ride of your life, ride of your life, when you dare to believe in Jesus Christ". I can only tell you that I embarked in this ride 27 years ago and I never looked back! The purpose of this blog is to share my heart with you as continue on this ride. I hope it uplifts and encourages you to be a better friend, a better daughter or son, a better wife or husband, a better mother or father, a better servant in your church or local community, and more importantly a thriving child of God. So, put on your sit belt and join me on the ride of your life. I promise you that you'll not regret it!

A Aventura da Minha Vida

Eu estou tão alegre de estar escrevendo meu primeiro posto no meu primeiro blog. Será que eu posso te falar que loucura é isso? Eu nunca achei que eu iria me render a esta ideia, mas como você pode ver, eu me rendi. Minha irmã e algumas de minhas amigas tem tentado me convencer por muito tempo a me tornar uma blogger, mas eu simplesmente não acreditava que eu tinha o que era necessário para fazê-lo. Eu confesso que eu ainda penso assim, mas o que mudou foi o fato que Deus me convenceu que Ele pode me usar para abençoar outras pessoas se eu apenas permitisse com que Ele me use. Eu realmente não poderia dizer não para Deus! Eu confio nele de todo meu coração e aprendi, por experiência, que os planos dele não somente são melhores do que o meu, eles são perfeitos. Minha filha está sempre cantando, e uma das músicas que ela sempre canta em casa e no carro diz assim: "é a aventura da minha vida, é a aventura da minha vida, quando eu ouso acreditar em Jesus Cristo." Eu posso apenas te dizer que eu embarquei nesta aventura 27 anos atrás e eu nunca olhei pra traz! O propósito deste blog é compartilhar o que está em meu coração com você a medida que eu continuo nesta aventura. Eu espero que te levante e te encoraje a ser um melhor amigo/a, um melhor filho/a, um melhor esposo/a, um melhor pai/mãe, o melhor servo na sua igreja ou comunidade, e mais importante ainda, um próspero filho/filha de Deus. Então, aperto o cinto e se ajunte a mim na aventura da sua vida. Eu te prometo que você não vai se arrepender!

Aquila