Happy 4th Birthday

photo credit 

Hello Lovelies! Let's celebrate and jump for joy... Living As A Lily has turned the big 4! That's right, it's birthday birthmonth. Since the blogs first birthday, I take off the month of November and and invite guest writers as "Birthday Surprise" posts. I pray that each Birthday Surprise is a blessing to read and a word fitly spoke. Thank You for reading and making this blog yours as well. 

birthday surprise! It's Arlene.

Happy Tuesday! 

I have enjoyed all the birthday surprises so much, and I am sure that you have too. I love how the Lord has worked in the heart's of all the guest writers; orchestrating through them a rhythm of encouragement and life. Today you will read from one of the most amazing women that I know. I've said it before and I will say it again, hanging out with Arlene is like hanging out with one of the disciples... she is that close to the Lord! I know that you will be blessed and motivated to do mighty things for Jesus after reading this post. 

Am I just a Storyteller…Or a living Testimony? 

SURPRISE!!

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer ‘I’ who live but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Have you ever decided to be true to yourself – for real?  You know, like just hanging out in the mirror not just to put on makeup or pluck your eyebrows? Yep!! I’m talking about taking a mirror journey.  Going deep.  Having conversations, asking questions and getting answers.  Opening up the conversation with,  “What’s your story?”  Or, “Is your story the same as my story?”  Or maybe just asking your mirror friend, to be honest with you and reflect the truth about your story.  If you hang out long enough in the mirror, seeking a true reflection,  I guarantee you’ll get an answer, which may lead to new questions such as, “Is anyone really listening to my story, or am I my only audience?   OK – Maybe I’m the only one who has nothing better to do but take Mirror Getaways just to check “me” out.  I promise you, if you invest in a Mirror Getaway you may just find out that the ‘you’ in your story is more than just a story character, but the living testimony of an overcommer who has been crucified and resurrected with Christ.  Let’s talk!!

There are hundreds of references of people’s personal testimonies in the Bible.  And these are only the recorded ones.  I believe that that there are thousands of unrecorded Biblical testimonies.  But just like the Bible characters, some of us have lives that are filled with interesting stories that are never heard because they were never told.  It’s unrealistic however, to think that we can just go around telling our stories to everyone we meet, so how will people ever know what we are all about?  Pardon me for getting back to the Mirror Getaway, but therein we can find some true-life nuggets.  For one, a true reflection is better seen in our living testimony than in our creative storytelling.

Does everyone have a testimony?   Let’s start with God’s Testimony.  Does God have a testimony?  How do we know?  Where do we find it? Another surprise! God’s testimony is in both the Old and New Testaments where all of God’s stories are told.  The Old Testament testifies of His sovereign rule, His proven omnipotence throughout all of creation, His omniscience in knowing the end from the beginning, and His omnipresence in filling the space of all existence.  In His New Testament story, we see the “The Word” became flesh (John 1:14), lived among us and was tested.  For 33 ½ years the world experienced God through the living testimony of the “Jesus Story”.  And like our Mirror Getaway, we must become familiar with the testimony of God and have a clear understanding of the powerful dynamics in both testaments, or we will never be accurate with our own testimonies.  Like God, our testimony must reflect truth.  A true reflection shows all sides – The good – The Bad and The Ugly.  The multi facets of God have never been hidden, but contained in His testimony along with the evidence of His unmatchable character and the ultimate result of His earthly tests on the Cross-at Calvary.

So, on our next Mirror Getaway, our reflection should be a perfect match with the telling of our ‘God-story’.  After all, it’s no longer us who live, but Christ living in us, making our testimonies worthwhile regardless of the trials and tribulations we go through, and knowing that because Jesus overcame we too can overcome.  What a testimony!

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Arlene Hoffman is a member of the “Least of these Tribe” living in Miami as a freelance writer who seeks and serves. Read last's years birthday surprise by Arlene by clicking HERE

birthday surprise! It's Caro.

Happy Monday.
Today's post comes from Caro. She is no stranger to this blog. I have known her for quite some time. Through the years her passionate love for Jesus and godly insight have always blessed me. I pray that you would be encouraged greatly through this sweet yet profound post.

Jesus being Human

He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Psalms 18:19

What we know of Jesus as God we put on a holy pedestal that He completely deserves. We know that He is Holy, Majestic and Powerful but we also need to be reminded of His other awesome qualities. His humanity.

One of the things that brought me to faith was the humility that Jesus has, His willingness to serve us and to relate. To the forefront of our thoughts we know Jesus as God but why was it so important to show in the gospels that He is human also?

When I get to talk about Jesus to others I always go back to the fact that He understands. Understands what? Understands me… you… us. He knows what it feels like to be rejected, unloved, and knows what it is to weep. His human qualities let’s us approach him not in fear but assurance that he will understand. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

One of my favorites things to do is get coffee with Jesus. I love sitting on my couch or dinner table and just talk with Jesus.

I’m not sure if Jesus is a coffee or tea type a guy, but what I do know is that He wants to meet with me because He likes me. Yeah, and I’m pretty weird. And guess what….He likes you too.

It’s been a journey for me to read the Gospels and understand that Jesus was human just as me. It let’s me see Him in a new light, one that consist of longing to approach him more because I know He understands.



* Read more by Caro here (Seed Planters) and (I am a Martha)

birthday surprise! It's Priscilla.

Happy Tuesday!
Summer of 2007 I had the privilege of traveling oversees, where I met Priscilla. It was so refreshing and sweet to meet a kindred spirit so far from home. As you will read a little more, from Priscilla herself, her upbringing is reflected in her life today: she loves the word of God, she loves God and she loves His people. How can you go wrong with that combo?! Friends, you will be blessed and encouraged by this post!

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A Huge Leap of Faith

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A little over four years ago, I began a relationship with a man who would turn my whole life upside down. I prayed, the Lord gave me peace, and I took a leap of faith. A leap that would change my life completely.

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A little background on myself, I grew up in a Christian home in Palestine, got saved when I was four, and have seen the hand of Lord work miraculously in my life since as far back as I can remember. I have God fearing parents who taught me and my brothers the Word of God. My Dad is a Pastor and he and my Mom taught us to put all our trust in the Lord and to live by faith. 

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Pedro and I were a just a few months away from getting married and we had no place to live. People kept asking me, “So, where are you going to live when you get married, Miami, Bethlehem, Jerusalem?” My answer was a simple “Don’t know, not worried.” My friends and extended family thought I was insane! Not only was I marrying a Dominican from America but I also had no idea where I was going to live. 

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Three months before getting married, I visited Miami to meet Pedro’s family and to visit the church that he attended and worked at. Before I came to Miami I asked the Lord to give me wisdom and to fill my heart with love or hate towards the church I was visiting and towards the place I would potentially call home. I also asked for peace and clarity, I didn’t want to have an ounce of doubt in my mind. I visited CCk and absolutely fell in love! I called my parents right away and told them how awesome the church was, how people are so friendly, how Hispanic culture is very similar to Arab culture, and that I would most likely fit right in. 

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I went back to Bethlehem and it was full on wedding planning mode from then, still not sure of where we would live but I knew that no matter where the Lord wanted us to be, I had peace, perfect peace and no matter what I was ready to take a leap of faith. At this point, it was either me leaving my family and moving or Pedro leaving his family and moving.

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Two months before we got married, I received a text from Pedro letting me know that after much praying our post marriage location had been decided and that we were moving to Miami. I knew I had to obey my future husband who the Lord placed in my life. So many emotions, so many thoughts ran through my mind at this point. I had two months to enjoy my family, plan a wedding, and pack. It hurt! I knew I was going to be loved, I knew I had a good church, and I knew that Pedro’s family would take me in as their own but it still hurt. I told my parents the news about the move and they were devastated but knew that God had a plan for me. A few weeks later my Dad had a heart attack, I blamed myself, I had broken his heart. His only daughter was moving to the other side of the world. 

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I was feeling bittersweet as my Daddy walked me down the aisle on my wedding day, my heart was aching but it was also overjoyed. It ached because I knew I was leaving my friends, my family and my life behind. Overjoyed because I was marrying the perfect man for me, starting a new life, making new friends, and gaining a family. After only being married for two weeks, my two bags were packed, I had said my goodbye’s and I was on a plane with my new husband to Miami- my mission field. 

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We’ve now been married for a little over 3 years and I serve at the best church on the planet with the greatest kids in the world. The ministry that the Lord placed me in, the one He had planned for me, is so rewarding and just to think that I could have missed out on all of it if I hadn’t taken that leap of faith, the leap that changed my life. It took me a few months to fully adjust to my new home and to get over my homesickness but now I don’t see myself anywhere else other than here, well until the Lord tells us to move again. Until then, I enjoy living in the perfect will of God; my Dad always says, “The best place to be, is where the Lord wants you to be” and this is so true.

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I encourage you to take a leap of faith at least once in your life, a leap so great, your life will change for the better. Dive in head first and trust that the Lord, the God that made you, has everything under control and His plans are better than yours, I did and I don’t regret it one bit!

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“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you and give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

birthday surprise! It's Marilyn.

Happy Monday! 
Today's post comes from Marilyn. In short, Marilyn is an anointed worship leader, fabulous cosmetologist, and a wonderful example of godliness. Yup, she's a diamond in the ruff and I am blessed to call her friend. May the Lord bless you and speak wisdom into your life through one of my favorite passages and this encouraging post. 

It’s never to late!

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 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” Ruth 1:16-17

This passage is known to many as "one of the most beautiful statements of commitment in History".  It is known as such not only because it was said from Ruth to Naomi (widowed and had lost her sons, one being Ruth's husband), but also because Ruth made this commitment to God. She spoke this covenant at a time where anyone else would have thrown the towel in. After much hardship and tragedy in her life, Ruth was left with nothing but her bitter mother-in-law and a sister-in-law who decided to go back to the land of Moab, which was her home.

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I think most, if not all of us, know the story of Naomi and Ruth, which, as I mentioned previously, had lost their spouses. Ruth followed Naomi to Bethlehem where she met Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi's husband and a man of great wealth. Boaz found favor in Ruth and was able to redeem Ruth as his wife after receiving a property settlement that Naomi had sold. Only after a relative who was next in line to possess the property chose to not redeem it because it required marrying Ruth. Long story short, Ruth and Boaz married and conceived Obed who was the father of Jesse, who was the Father of David, who was one of the greatest kings of Israel, writer of the Psalms, etc.

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While going through this story and asking God for guidance in this post, one thing became evident to me: It's Never Too Late, everything is In God's Time! In looking back to the things we've gone through, we notice that we may have grown sad or bitter. It may be the very thing we are going through at this moment that causes us to panic, because there's a burden that has come along with it and doesn't allow us to leave this situation completely in God's hands. The good news is that the same God that was with Naomi and Ruth in their "desert time" is here with us, ready to give the best of what He has prepared for us, His children. All He asks is that we believe in our hearts and minds as stated in Jeremiah 29:11-13

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For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 

I emphasize on this point today because sometimes we only put those "burdens" in a back burner. We try to move on in life, even to the point of “doing things for God” without having completely surrendered. We see those same things brought to our "attention" again in the most random moments that cause us to lose focus on what's most important in life: our constant devotion to God, who brings us all the things that will EVER matter in life,  
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But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

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Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this. Psalm 37:4-5

In reading verses 16 & 17 of Ruth 1, I can almost imagine Ruth wiping her tears and taking a deep breath knowing that she had to let go of all that she once knew. She made a choice to put all her trust and faith in God as she spoke those words out loud! There's nothing too hard for God, AT ALL. I encourage you to take some quiet time to meditate and empty yourself wholly to God. In that complete intimacy He will fill you with all that He has. As you go day by day living proactively for Him you will never need look back in regret and instead look forward with a cheerful heart.

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birthday surprise! It's Melissa.

Happy Friday! 

Today's guest writer is a wonderful woman by the name of Melissa. She is lovely, graceful, and radiates the glory of God. From observing Melissa's life, anyone can see that she is madly in love with Jesus <--- that is her best quality. Without further ado, read on, be blessed, be encouraged and be that lily among thorns. 

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Sticks and Stones – a Lesson in Meekness

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One of my all-time favorite movies is You’ve Got Mail. There’s one specific scene that is engrained in my memory because I identify with it so well. Meg Ryan, who is justified in her dislike for Tom Hanks, insults him in a most poetic way. With a stunned look on her face she tells him, “I just had a breakthrough, and I have you to thank for it. For the first time in my life, when confronted with a horrible, insensitive person, I knew exactly what I wanted to say and I said it.” I think everyone can identify with that feeling of satisfaction in having the last word, or getting your point across even if it was a little harsh. We go through that battle within our conscience of trying to defend ourselves by claiming we were simply speaking the truth. I’ll be honest, that game has gotten me in trouble more than once.

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Proverbs 18:21 tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue. That’s a pretty bold statement, and rightfully so.  Words can make or break a person; they can aid in determining whether he or she will become another statistic or a transformed life. As children we learn that ridiculous adage, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Anyone who survived the 5^th grade has probably realized that the old “sticks and stones” bit is nothing more than a vain repetition with which we try to conceal the pain caused by someone else’s words.

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Matthew 5 is one of the most famous passages in all of scripture – Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes have been drilled in my head from an early age – “Blessed are the… for they shall…”. I’m embarrassed to admit that it wasn’t until the past few years that I actually decided to look up what the word “meek” meant. I had heard it hundreds of times and never given it much thought. My study bible clarified that the word does not denote weakness, but rather controlled strength – as in holding back when you could do something. Meekness also requires wisdom and humility. “He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.” Proverbs 17:27

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James 1:26 alludes to meekness; it reads, “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.” So when we’re faced with the choice to hold back or open the floodgates of brutal honesty and emotional blabber , unless we learn to control ourselves, our religion is useless. Next time you’re in the heat of an argument, or you just can’t wait to give someone a piece of your mind, turn your eyes upon Jesus, the ultimate example of meekness and humility. Remember we must try to see them through His eyes and allow that to filter our words.

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Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Colossians 4:6

birthday surprise! It's Anelle.

Happy Wednesday to you. 

Are you in for a treat or what! Last year, I asked my sister, Anelle, to be the closer for the birthday surprise series (read her post here) but this year she is one of our starters. My sister in three words is: wise, intelligent and God-fearing. So you know she has got a good word for us today. I am confident that God will bless you!

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“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” James 1:27
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“Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor which I have always been eager to do.” Galatians 2:10
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“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:25
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“If you continually give, you will continually have.” Fortune Cookie from Pei Wei
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I was going to write about circumcision. I was. On Sunday, I found this really great passage in Galatians 5 about freedom in Christ and about how anyone who tries to take us away from our freedom should go circumcise himself. It’s classic stuff. I was very excited about it. I was so excited that I decided to write about it for this blog, and I was going to share it in my teachers’ devotion at work, too. But, God had other plans. At school, I ended up reading from Psalm 25, and here I get to talk to you about a sort of project that God has undertaken in my life for the past year or so: Becoming a Generous Person.

When I say generous, I’m not talking just about giving to the needy. For whatever reason, I’ve always had a heart for the poor and for the orphaned. My issue is being generous with everyone else.  As we tried to figure out what I could write about (beside circumcision), my sister, Raquel, said, “don’t be afraid to be vulnerable” which didn’t make sense to me since generosity isn’t one of those things that you only talk about in same-gender meetings. I said that I could talk about what we’re doing in my class with World Vision. She pointed out that being generous isn’t just about sharing your stuff; being generous is also about sharing your time, sharing your gifts, sharing your space, sharing your service.  That hit home. I have a hard time sharing myself with others. As a sanguine-melancholic, I love people, but I love them at my convenience. Lately God has been pushing my limits in this area. He’s put me in a number of situations this past week alone where I have had to step out of my comfort zone and share my gasoline, my Saturday morning, my Tuesday afternoon, my Sunday night. He’s made me be generous with my affection, with my beauty sleep (!), with my money, with my ears, and every time He has paid me back. He’s paid me back with free coffee, free sushi, free ice-cream (free food is my love language), and with companionship. He’s allowed me to bond with people that I would have otherwise overlooked. He has given me His peace and His presence.

It’s my prayer that God may continue to stretch me in this area. What about you? Where do you stand when it comes to generosity? 

birthday surprise! It's Yesenia.

Happy Tuesday! 

I am so excited to introduce to you Yesenia. It's wonderful how you can know someone for a few months yet feel as if you have known them a lifetime... that is my relationship with her, kindred spirits. The Lord has built a beautiful friendship/sisterhood between us. I pray that you may be blessed abundantly with her post today. 

First  class forever

Whenever waiting in line we know how impatient we can become and start staring around in search for something that might entertain us. Never once did I think I would find myself being amused by a stamp while waiting at the post office. There wasn’t any special or cool design to this stamp that would make it stand out, in all actuality it was quite plain and dull.  But what caught my eye is that on the side of this stamp the word first class forever was written. My first thought when reading that was, “ I've never even flown first class.” 

As I continued to ponder on this little stamp, the sudden realization hit me that I've been missing the opportunity to fly first class, but not on a plane. You see, when you get on a plane the sole purpose is to get to a destination. Sometimes, the ride will consist of some turbulence along the way, leaving you a bit shaken and even afraid to ride a plane again. Though some of us have landing places we would like to travel to, the truth is, we all have a final destination. Reading that stamp made me realize that I have been given the opportunities to ride “first class” and I have missed out because I sold myself short and settled. In my relationship with God I have been guilty of settling for “economy seats,” if it meant that I’d still get to the grand destination called Heaven. 

Our God wants was it best for us; He doesn't want us to just get by. Life in itself isn't easy, because even those who ride “first class” will feel the turbulence. I rather get to my destination riding “first class “and living out Gods purpose then ever settling for “economy” in order to avoid discomfort. God will call us to do radical things that we can’t understand and He will take us out of our comfort zone, because His plans are bigger than ours. So next time God calls you to do something, step out on faith and let Him take control of the plane, and remember that God has given you “first class” and it may come with turbulence, but don't fear because you have the best captain ever.

 (Even the guy who landed the plane on the Hudson River ain"t got nothing on my God  )

birthday surprise! It's Sammantha.

Hi Dear Friends. 

Today's post comes from a very special woman. When I first met Samm (with two m's), her family was fairly new to our church. Her Parents were a bit hesitant when they arrived to youth group with their two young girls. It was a breeze of fresh air to meet a family who feared the Lord as the Word commands us to. As time flew by, I had the amazing opportunity of getting to know Sammantha and Corinne as dear friends and prayer sisters. I know that you will be blessed by her story and the message God has spoken through her. 

Aloha from Hawai'i!

Some of you may know me; I know a lot of you may not. My name is Samm, and I love Jesus.

Not much of an intro right? Well, if you think about it, that's a lot of information. From that statement, you and I could build an eternal bond. I'll tell you more about myself so you get where I'm coming from.

I just turned 20, I'm a semester away from getting my associates, and I live on the island of Oahu in Hawai'i. My dad is in the coast guard, so I'm a military brat. And yes, I'm still living in my parents’ house. One more thing, as a military family, we have only had to move once. From Homestead Florida, to Honolulu Hawai'i last year (and my dads been in the military for 20).

            

If you know anything about the military, you know that no move in 19 years is odd. God had a reason for that. You see, I was born and raised in a Christian family, but I didn't truly start walking with Jesus until about 3 years ago, when He moved us from a dead church to CCK. There I grew by leaps and bounds.

            Raquel took me under her wings and showed me what a godly woman looks like, as did Belkis, Michi, Dasha, Maky and dozens of others. These were a type of woman I had never seen before. They taught me how to read my bible, how to pray, how to encourage, how to love my sisters and myself.

            God also introduced me to Pastor Jose and Pastor Pedro. He put in my path Alex, Monica, Christina, Steven, Chris, Chris, Carrot Top, Jasmine, Pinito, Tiffany, Becca, Joey and a hundred others. They lifted me up, taught me what godly friends are supposed to be. They are my family. And whether they hear from me often or not, I'm always praying for them.

            If you ask them or the ladies who I consider my mentors, they'll simply point to Jesus. And they'll be 100% right; it was all Him. Feeding me, clothing me. Arming me. He taught me how to use my sword and to put on my helmet (Eph6:17).

            I don't know if you've ever moved before, but if you have and it’s been far enough away, you know what it's like to start over. That alien feeling could last anywhere from a week to a month or three. I'm not trying to belittle anyone's experiences; I understand that my life compared to others' has been cake. I just want to share what God has asked me to.

            So, my first move, and it's to another state, wait, past several time zones and half of an ocean, in a different hemisphere. And that's exactly how it felt.

            When I said my goodbyes and got on that plane, I couldn't help myself. I was angry at God. I thought "You took me from that dead place, to a home that’s alive. I felt you there, every time I walked in through the doors. You were in the congregation, in the greeters and volunteers; you were in the worship, the leaders and the pastors. You were there and I felt you. You showed me what I could be; like those godly women. You showed me how much I could love those people that aren't even physically related to me. What are You doing?! You're tearing me from them! I don't want to leave! Who cares if I'm going to 'paradise,' I want to stay where I feel You, where I feel loved."

            Can you imagine my audacity? How could I, a mere human, berate the Most High God? I was angry. I was hurt. Mostly, I felt so alone.

            I walked onto this island with the mentality of "This will never be my home." I thought, "The believers back in Florida aren't here, how am I going to survive?" At first, I was so happy that I could text and facebook people I missed. But eventually I learned to loath technology. It could tell me what was going on back home, but I couldn't be apart of it. My body was on Oahu, but my mind, spirit and strength was back in Miami.

            5 months. That's how long it took to look forward. It only took 3 to find the church He wanted us to be at, but my eyes were closed. Funny thing is that Pastor Jose specifically told us not to keep our eyes on the past. He quoted the scripture that says someone who takes to the plow but looks back is not worthy of the kingdom of God. I remember thinking about that, but I ignored what God was trying to tell me. I guess my ears were closed too. Then God had mercy on me, and He opened my eyes. I don't know when, it happened slowly, but I began to see what God had given me.

            The New Year rang in with a new resolution. My mom put her foot down. She said we were going to attend church regularly, and more than that, we were going to get involved. God really softened my heart after that. He showed me that I could love my family back in CCK, but I had more family here, just waiting to love me too.

            If I had the time and the space, I would tell you about Pastor Waxer and Pastor Mike. I would talk about Jesse and Aimee, Troy, Luc, Pattie, Rachel, Carolyn, Joshua, Nolan, Paka, Christina, Mario, Tori, Sirayha, Ryan, Vince, Jeff, Tanner and many, many more. These are your brothers and sisters, and they love Jesus. Being a Christian means that even though you only have your love for Jesus in common, that's all you need.

            Joshua 1:9 is my life verse, and has been long before my move. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." I am a living witness to this promise. He's everywhere you are, whether you feel Him or not. I moved 4,853.29 miles away, and God is still with me.

Just like you only knew about Jesus before experiencing Him, I knew in my head that 1, I have many brothers and sisters around the world and 2, that Jesus is everywhere. I didn't know these facts in my heart before moving, and I am so glad that God proved these facts true to me.

I hope you realize that though God taught me to use my sword and my helmet in a time of peace and growth, it took a storm so He could teach me how to use my shield. I picked up my faith at CCK, where I was comfortable and safe. But I had learned to exercise and use my faith when my world came crashing down.

If you don't get anything from my running on, please remember that God loves you and wants the best for you, which includes teaching you to use your shield in battle, which He has already won by the way.

My name is Samm, and I love Jesus.

birthday surprise series

For the next two weeks we will be celebrating big! 

Every post will be a birthday surprise, coming to you from a special guest. These wonderful ladies have prayed, as I have, and will be speaking to you a special message from the heart of God to you. Praying many blessings for you. May the Spirit of the living God speak comfort, wonder, truth, life, joy and peace to you. 

heaven on earth

Hi beloved friends.
Three years in a row I have celebrated my birthday by hosting a ladies worship and prayer night. I love love love getting together with God's girls. Michi, one of my best friends, lead us in a wonderful time of worship. We then spent a beautiful time in prayer for one another, everyone prayed for the person to their right. The communion table is my favorite part of the night. I have a motto when it comes to communion: Jesus doesn't want you to have a little bit of Him, He wants you to take A LOT of Him! So naturally, the Challah bread is served and everyone takes as much of "Jesus" as they want.

WhenI first celebrated my birthday like this I went out and bought imported Moroccan tea glasses and they are reserved only for communion. It's a special time. With the help of my cousin, I made bookmarks (which is another tradition). On each bookmark is a verse(s) that the Lord prompted in my heart to write. As communion takes place each one takes a bookmark and spends time alone with Jesus and reading what His Spirit has to say. It was an awesome time. There was enough time afterwards for ladies to share what God spoke through those scriptures. It was amazing!!!

These are the moments that make me yearn for Heaven. But till them, may we be a people who worship our Lord always, pray without ceasing for one another and come boldly to the throne of grace to hear from Him.

Be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 2:1

birthday surprise! It's Anelle.

We've made it through the month of November celebrating the faithfulness of the Lord. And now for our last cheer, our last hoorah, the cake topper, the grand finale... I present to you my sister Anelle! Things I won't say about my sister in her presence: I admire her wisdom, her jokes are pretty funny (that's why I steal them), that I love her and will forever wait for her to tie her long shoe laces (inside joke). She is one of my best friends and really my life wouldn't be as blessed without her.
May the Lord bless you greatly through her post:

"Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! 9 Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. 10 Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’”
13 So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”

And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” 15 Then Nathan departed o his house." 2 Samuel 12:7-15

How do you respond when you're confronted with your own sin? Do you readily accept your guilt like David did, or do you deny that you have done any wrong?

Part of what makes the Bible so fascinating to me is that it tells the story not of how God has dealt with blameless people, but of how he has dealt with a pack of failures like you and me. What set David apart from other Biblical figures, what made God call him a "man after His own heart," was what David did with the aftermath of his mess-up. "I have sinned against the LORD," he said. Let's see how other people match up:

a. A short while after Cain killed Abel, God asked Cain a very simple question, "Where is your brother?" That was Cain's cue to confess what he had done, but did he own up to anything? No. Instead of showing any type of sorrow or any shadow of repentance, Cain 1. lied to the Almighty God and 2. gave Him attitude by saying these now famous words: I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper? (I can almost picture him crossing his arms and rolling his eyes, Sheneneh-style).

b. More than once, Saul disobeyed God. In 1 Samuel 15, when Samuel rebuked Saul for not following God's orders, Saul first played stupid (v.20) and then admitted guilt, but with a justification attached. He admitted that he had sinned but then added, "I was scared of the men, and so I gave in to their demands." Like that was supposed to make it better. He sounded kind of like Adam and Eve: "the snake made me do it..." "the woman you gave me..."

c. In Genesis 18, we find Sarah eavesdropping in her tent while 3 messengers are telling Abraham that she will bear a son in a year. When she heard that piece of news, she laughed to herself. God brought that to Abraham's attention saying, "Why did Sarah laugh?" The Bible tells us that Sarah got scared, and her best come-back was, "I didn't laugh." And God said, "No, you did laugh."

It reminds me of the time that some of my 6th grade students accused this one boy of eating in class. When I asked him if it was true or not, the boy looked at me straight in the face and told me-- with chip crumbs all over his mouth-- that they were lying. I had to laugh. It takes a lot of guts to admit wrongdoing, even when you're caught red-handed. It's hard to realize that we're just flesh and that we do fall (very) short of perfection. I hate lies, and, still, I straight-up lied to my sister once because I didn't want to deal with the truth of what had happened.

And yet, the worst thing we can do after we sin is keep it concealed. The Bible says that the truth sets us free (John 8:36). 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to purify us from all unrighteousness." James 5:16 says, "Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed."

When God grants us the opportunity to confess our sins, we might as well grab hold of that chance, and of the healing that comes with it, because I've learned that with Christians there is no such thing as secret sin. It will eventually come to the light.

Who will you be like? Will you be a Cain, a Saul, a Sarah, or will you be a David?
God bless!

birthday surprise! It's Christy!

Hi Friends. Today's guest blogger is my amazing friend Christy. The best way to describe her is Proverbs 31:26, "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness." I know that God will speak to all of you through her post. May the Lord bless you abundantly as you seek to know Him and make Him known. 

Whenever food comes up in conversation with anyone I have to mention Latin House Grill. It's a restaurant on wheels that travels throughout the city serving the most amazing Mexican/Cuban inspired dishes. I feel like I'm holding back and depriving you if I don't let you know about this delicious place!  Imagine the kind of friend I would be if I didn’t tell you about this life changing restaurant (seriously, the place will change your taste buds).  Imagine if you found out through someone else and then found out I had been going to this place all this time. This desire to share good news (hint hint) about the restaurant, can be likened to my desire to share with people whose lives need fixing, the amazing power of my Lord and Savior, who changed my life when I was 17 years old.

I'll spare you all the details, but I pray as you read this tidbit on my life you recognize that God sees you, knows you, and loves you unconditionally in spite of you :)

In high school I was pretty popular.  I had a group of friends who I partied with, a car, money for whatever I needed and the freedom to use all these things at my leisure, however, like all people, I always wanted more.  And the more I wanted, the duller life got. I remember driving home from clubs at 2 and 3 in the morning wanting to cry or leaving a party and asking about my self "who was that in there?"  I was empty, I had a void in my heart I felt no one could fill, however, for years, I strived desperately to fill it with myself.  Something was missing and I never could figure out what that something was.

Around the time all this was going on in my heart, my mom, who had recently been saved, invited me to church.  You would think that a person living in the rebellious state I was in would automatically say no, however, I went without much hesitation one Sunday morning.  The night before I had partied so late that the following morning I still had on the same make up.  Tears streamed down my face as I felt God begin to work in my heart and show me my need for Him to fill the void I desperately needed filled.   That morning, the void was filled, however, my life didn’t change much. 

The year that followed was brutal.  I spent the rest of my junior year in high school battling conviction and struggling to live a life both in the world and in the Lord, something Jesus makes clear is impossible (Matt 6:24).   It wasn’t until my senior year that I finally gave up the battle to live two lives and surrendered my life fully to the Lord.

In the coming weeks after my encounter with God my junior year, the rest of my family followed. One Sunday afternoon I was trying to rush through lunch to go to the beach with some friends (Sundays, I thought, were for the beach) when my mom casually turned to me and said I wouldn't be going to the beach, from now on we were going to be together on Sundays (a tradition we've continued for 8 years now). Part of me was angry, but a greater part of me was relieved. I felt as though I was beginning to take off some of the masks in my life.   Again, it wasn’t until almost a year later that I finally allowed God to begin changing my life, however, God was faithful, despite my faithlessness, and never gave up on me.

See God had started a work in my life which He has been perfecting ever since. He gently began taking away the people, hobbies and desires that were not only unpleasing to Him, but were killing me.  The things I thought would be impossible to let go, the wounds I thought would be impossible to heal, the life I thought would be impossible to restore, He healed, He restored and He transformed. 

I share this with you because Jesus changed my life. You may have seen that on a billboard or bumper sticker somewhere but the truth behind the words run deep in my life and the life of so many others. He is the only One who can fill our emptiness.  Some of you right now may think that your life is unfix-able, the place your in is unreachable.  Let me share something with you: It has nothing to do with us and everything to do with Him.  “God gave Christ for us.  God hates our sin but loves us.  We can be so quick to buy into the lie that we first need to fix ourselves, then find Him.  Reality is we need Him before we can ever be fixed.  Wherever you are today, wherever life has brought you, you aren’t too far away from Him. As Paul said in Acts 17:26-28, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, for in Him we live and move and have our being”  All you have to do is open up your heart, no matter how broken, no matter how small, and let Him mend it and enlarge it.

birthday surprise: It's Francine.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so thrilled that today is finally here, my favorite Holiday: Thanksgiving! And because it's my favorite day of the year, I asked a very special lady to guest blog. When I asked my friends to guest blog, I also gave them liberty to write and when to submit their post. However, after spending some time with the Lord one day I felt him prompting me to ask Francine to write the Thanksgiving Day post. The Lord is brilliant and He knows what He is doing. Francine truly is a crown o glory in the hand of our God (Isaiah 62:3). She is so precious. May you be blessed by Francine's post and encouraged to rejoice always, pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks. God bless YOU.

Thankfulness, Thankfulness is what I want from You

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 16-17

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful reminder to us to be thankful for all God has, is and will do in our lives. I am thankful for the reminder.

Ever been through a horrific season and found that it became increasingly difficult as the trial continued to hold on to your faith let alone to praise God for your circumstances?

I have experienced some major seasons of drought, fire, despair, times I felt that I would drown, times I felt so alone that I was almost convinced there couldn’t be a God, times of such agonizing pain that I literally thought I would die from it. There is a specific time in my life where the trial was long and the suffering so intense that at one point I thought I had lost my faith and felt that if I didn’t hold on I would never get it back. I spent months of crying and pleading to God to heal my sweet husband Bill.

Bill was not well and in a lot of pain for 3 years. We were married for 2/1/2 years, all of which was during this time he was in constant pain (chronic pain) and we sought many treatments for nerve repair, spent a small fortune on changing his diet, juicing, all natural treatments, etc., etc. He was on 2 class 2 narcotics plus a host of other meds to treat his pain and symptoms from that pain. During this time he started getting swollen nodules in his neck. Two biopsies were done; they thought it was cancer and we prepared for the worst. The first biopsy wasn’t conclusive so they did the second to rule out the possibility of cancer. He had appointments with an Oncologist who was sure it was cancer and was preparing us for the worst. The swollen lymph nodes were all throughout his body even in his lungs. The second biopsy ruled out cancer. Then they thought for sure it was a fungus, so off to the Infection Disease doctor we went for more tests. We saw a few other doctors along the way but nothing was conclusive. Finally, his pain management doctor, after many trips to the emergency room for overdosing on his prescribed meds, determined that it was the medication itself that was killing him. His immune system (lymph nodes) was holding onto the meds so that he wouldn’t kill himself. All of this is too complicated to go into in great detail here but you get the idea.

His doctor sent him to a psychologist to help him prepare to come off the meds. He told him that if he did not stop taking all of the narcotics he would kill himself. The psychologist helped him to prepare. We went to our pastors and asked for counsel and guidance. Bill entered a 2-week detox program. Once he finished that he went to a Christian drug treatment program. He was there for 3 months.

When he came home it was a time of adjustment for him but he did really well. After 5 months of praying and seeking God for the direction our life would now take, we both sensed God calling us to move from Miami to Virginia to be a witness to his 9-year-old son, Bradley. Bradley had no Christian influence in his life and we readily moved 1 mile away from his house.

We were there for 6 weeks when the unthinkable happened. Bradley woke me one morning to tell me that Daddy fell in the bathroom and that he couldn’t get him up. My heart plunged.

You see for the first 2 years of our married life I had expected to wake up one morning and find that Bill had overdosed. After rehab that fear had dissipated. I knew before I ever went into the bathroom that morning that he was gone. I won’t go into all of the details of the situation but being away from my church family was extremely difficult. But from the first day God provided for my needs and spoke his peace and love into my life. The Calvary Chapel we were attending there has an amazing pastor. He and his wife and other members were there for me in anyway I needed them for the next 2 months.

Bill had secretly kept some medication. As I said he was taking class 2 narcotics. The meds he was taking were extremely strong. You had to “work your way up to them”. He had been complaining of pain for a couple of weeks and I can only imagine that it became unbearable for him. Sometime during that last night he took one of the narcotics and immediately went home to be with the Lord.

As I prayed about what to write, this was not my intention, it doesn’t feel holidayish, but I do feel certain that this is what God asked me to write.

I shared this with you to share this specifically, what I learned during this time. My loss was immense and it is just within the last couple of months that I feel completely whole in Christ. In the onset of my grief God asked me to praise Him in my circumstances. He had chosen not to heal my husband but to take Him home and yet He asked me to have a grateful heart. I must confess that I started off with mere words, my feelings were not gracious, nor understanding. But I did what God asked of me. After months of saying “thank you” to God during my prayer time and through out my days, one day I realized that I WAS thankful to God for taking Bill home.

Is. 57:1- The righteous perishes, and no man takes heart; merciful men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil.” God gave me this scripture within the first couple of weeks of Bill’s death. It did bring me comfort that God had spared Bill from evil that was to come. A couple of months later God gave me this scripture again and told me that He had spared me from evil to come also.

I now understand that 1 Thes. 1:16-17 that we are to give thanks IN everything. Not just for everything, while it is actually occurring. I believe that thankfulness is the same as forgiveness in that both are claimed in the Spirit and are done at that moment through the strength of Christ. The flesh eventually catches up as we continue to claim it and walk it out.

I want to encourage you to be thankful in the midst of your situation, no matter how bad it seems. Thanksgiving is a great time to think on all God has, is and will continue to do in your life and it is a special holiday to do this! But, please take it to the next level and give God the thanks He is due at all times and in all things. “All things work together for our good and His glory”. Either God’s Word is true or it isn’t. Let’s stand in faith that God hasn’t given us more than we can bear and let’s praise Him in the midst of our worst.

I pray that your Thanksgiving and Christmas is filled with God’s love through His Spirit and His people. The best blessing in life…that God loves us! Receive all that He has for you. Let go of any bitterness toward God and know that He is working all things out for you so that He will be glorified!

I moved back to Miami to be with my loving, supportive, church family. I am completely healed and take great comfort that Bill will never hurt again.

Blessings, peace and love.

birthday surprise! It's Caro.

Hello.
I am very excited to share with you a woman who is very special to me: Caro. I met her when she was attending youth group and I was her leader. Definitely a cool girl, in the sense that you know this girl loves Jesus <-- what cooler way to be!? She has flourished into an amazing woman. I absolutely love her post and pray that you be encouraged tremendously by it:

Seed Planters!


My way of thinking is very scatter-brain like. If I lose you in my train of thoughts, I won’t feel offended. hah!

I’ve been thinking a lot on not being worthy for God. Thinking why God would choose me?? Why me?? I probably mess up more than I should yet He chose me anyway. (there’s a thought....)

There, right there you notice something about God. You notice that there is a purpose in his choosing and second the type of love He has. One that doesn’t stop once you become a complete fool but it’s a consistent love even when you mess up. Hmm, okay so here’s a new concept for people. “HEY I’M STILL GOING TO LOVE YOU NO MATTER WHAT, AND IT’S A REAL LOVE THAT WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD!” -God.

Woah, What, Really? A love that stands the test of time? One that will be pure, amazing and beyond spectacular!? Yep, that type of love. But that’s not what I wanted to write about...so you’re thinking “Okay, then what?”

I wanted to talk about God and why He chooses the most unlikely, the rejects, the strange, the mess-ups and pretty much the complete weirdos!

I’ve been reading Acts, and one thing that really jumped out at me is in Acts 9, The Conversion of Saul. Let me give you a run-down of this dude, he definitely hated the disciples, and the disciples were definitely scared of him. Wanted them ALL jailed/killed etc (the good stuff). The best part.... he DESPISED that they were from The Way.

The ironic thing is God ends up using Saul to further his ministry on earth...WOAH WHAT! back up, wait a minute..yeah Saul the most unlikely of persons is chosen by God to spread the Gospel. Who also is Paul (name change), the one that we all know and love! Let’s rewind and review: Saul who was not the most loving person (can we say jerk?) towards the disciples is called to join them and does so!

One of the things that astounds me of that story is that you see God’s guiding hand in the whole thing. You see that God had a purpose for each one of their lives, and has one for ours also. It also gives me the perspective that not one person is too sinful to get to know Jesus as their Lord.

I think when it comes down to us in our lives, (at least I do) we look at people, and we see that they are so far from the truth they’d never be willing to hear about the loving goodness of God. I pray that our assumptions of those be crushed so we’d be able to just share just how stinken’ good the Lord has been in our lives.
Let’s be the seed planters!!

...(and if you’re thinking why doesn’t God just blind the ones he wants and tells them clearly; read Matthew 28:16-20)

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? Romans 10:13-14

I pray that God continually humbles us where we see everyone as someone who can be used for the kingdom of God. Lord let us not grow cold and presumptuous but continually remind us that at some point we were a Saul also.

Help us to love how you love us.
xoxo, Carolina

If you want to read more from Caro, ck our her blog HERE!

birthday surprise! It's Andreina.

Hi Friends.
Today's post comes from Andreina. It was a sweet surprise for me to read her words. She was actually replying to an email that I had sent her. Andreina's response was so profound yet so simple, I knew then and there that God wanted me to share this with you. May the Lord bless you richly.

First let's read the portion of scripture Andreina will be writing from.
Luke 9:28-35
Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”

From Andreina:
I was just reading my Bible study about how Peter, just like us, thought that he was able to figure out the "spiritual", and because of that He missed the point. He put Moises (law) and Elijah (Prophets) in the same level as Jesus (the cross) . We too do the same, when the only thing we know is that God loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us in the cross....and we should listen to Him, because He is the only One that pleases the Father, not us .....humbling!!!! ONLY the Son's work satisfied the Father's justice, and we have to land (like Peter) under the cross and under His grace every day, knowing that He already has done everything we are unable to do (ever) because our rebellious and arrogant hearts.

The only thing we have to offer is to believe in the Gospel of His Son...FOR EVERYTHING to get to heaven and for our journey to heaven. We are to serve Him based on that truth; in response to HIS LOVE FOR US, for what HE HAS DONE FOR US and IN US. AY,AY,AY!!! He has already satisfied...are we listening??? That is a good news for me in the sense that it liberates me, but is not so good for my pride .

*I love her God-given wisdom.

Thank You Jesus.

Let's keep the main thing, the main thing. And the main thing is always Christ! 

birthday surprise! It's Denise.

Hi dear friends.

Today you will be reading from my cousin Denise. I have seen with my very eyes the transforming work of God through her life. You know that verse that says, "you have taken me from the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock?" Well... Denise is a display of that verse in Psalm 41. God saved her from a dark world and brought her into the marvelous light. It's amazing to witness God doing miracles today! Here is her post:

Trials and Adoration

Life is difficult on our own and my story is proof. I wasted many years of my life in isolation, imprisoning myself, stuck in a bubble that wouldn’t break. Until someone came and burst it for me. A savior, a king, Jesus.

I was always the quiet girl. I went through high school with no friends. I always thought that this was part of my personality until later when I realized it was something much more than just painful shyness. I was suffering from severe depression and anxiety. Life got better though. I met Jesus and He told me that I would not have to worry anymore. I started making friends and I gained confidence but most of all, hope. The years went by and there were days where I would doubt and I would start drifting away from God. But He never ceased to remind me of His wonders and how awesome He is. This past year has been a very long year for me. My mother passed away after eight years of battling with cancer and my father left to Afghanistan to work, leaving me and my younger siblings behind. That doesn’t even begin to describe all the trials I have been through just this past year. But one thing I do know, I have a God who loves me and He is more powerful than anything I could ever go through.

While my mother was in the hospital, I felt my world flipping upside down very quickly. The verse the Lord gave me was, 1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.” This verse kept coming up over and over and I had this overwhelming feeling that God would get me through this. When my mom died, I felt like I needed God more than ever now, and I just wanted to cling to Him for dear life. How could I do this or anything for that matter without Him?
It’s during times like these, that a lot of people feel the closest to God. We get so caught up in life that God needs to slow us down so we can hear Him. In Hosea 2:18, it says, “But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her to the desert and speak tenderly to her there.”

I love God so much and I am humbled to know that the creator of the universe loves me and cares about me. We think our problems are huge and overwhelming but compared to how huge God is, even our greatest problems are minuscule.

“Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that you have brought me this far? And yet this was a small thing in your sight, O Lord God.....” 2 Samuel 7:18-19a

We may go through periods where we are in the desert but then there are periods where we think we have it all under control. We get caught up with day to day life and we may even stop thinking about God completely. We are doing well at work or at school and we make sure everyone knows what a great job we did. We forget about the One who got us there in the first place. This is called pride and it’s a very ugly thing. We begin to worship ourselves and our possessions and we put other things before God. But what a lot of us forget is that there is another kind of pride. This is the pride that I was caught up in, and often, still am. It’s the kind of pride that turns up when we are not doing well. When we start having a pity party with ourselves and start asking questions like, “Why me?” and, “No one cares about me” and “Why does it always have to be me?” The common factor here in both types of pride is, Me. It’s always about “Me” and not “He”. He is the one who should receive the glory. He is the one who is going to pull us out of this.

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness.” Psalm 115:1

What I have learned through all of this,is to not to do things my way, but to do them His way. I need to trust in Him and He will be able to handle everything for me. We need to praise Him when we are up and praise Him when we are down.

My prayer for you is that the Lord would pour His spirit upon you and that you would see Him for who He is. He is more than we could ever ask for. He sent His only Son to die for us on the cross so that we might live. God bless you and may you seek Him so that He can be the filler of that empty space in your heart that you have been searching for.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10