divine appointment

Earlier today, I received a text message from my cousin Cindy asking me to pray for her and she then continued to share a horrifying experience. About an hour after her text was sent we spoke on the phone and we prayed. A few hours ago, after the chaos, she was able to share details with me that  would become today's post. I asked her to write her experience and email it to me. May God speak to your heart through Cindy's story: 

April 10, 2011

Let me start by saying that God’s always good about putting me in situations to bluntly teach me things.

I woke up at 4 am this morning to study for an exam that would determine whether I would pass or fail my Stats 1 class. My scholarship riding on whether I passed or failed the class, I was motivated to review as much of the information I could before I took the dreaded exam.

After all the studying, I blanked out on the exam and turned it in incomplete. I left the class discouraged and drove off campus worried about where God was leading my life. I decided that I needed to spend some alone time with God and went to a park close to school.

Once at the park, I grabbed my bible, Ipod, and phone, and began to walk over to the swing set located in the middle of the park. The only person visible in the entire park was an  elderly man with a walker standing under a covered patio nearby with his car parked behind him. As I got closer, I became a little skeptical of the man. What would an elderly man be doing alone in a park, I thought.

Being the only girl in the park, I didn’t think it was wise to get too close to a man with no one else around, but he hadn’t moved in the minute I had been looking at him. I put on my headphones, and decided it would be best to pretend that I was casually jogging by. As I got closer, a brown rope became more visible, and what I thought was a walker was a step ladder! He was hanging! Fear sunk in. My immediate reaction was to run to a man in orange that had been smoothing out the red sand in the baseball field.

As I told the man in orange what I saw, and pointed in the direction of the hanging body, he quickly pulled out his phone and called 911. We began to hurry over in the direction of the  elderly man, and another park employee ran toward us as we neared the covered patio. The man in orange passed the phone to the park employee, and ran in the direction of his car. The officer on the phone screamed at the park employee, yelling to cut the elderly man down. I ran towards the elementary school with the park employee and motioned for the teacher to take her students inside. The man in orange returned with a machete and passed it to the park employee who cut the elderly man down as the man in orange caught him. They laid him on the ground, and within a few minutes we were surrounded by cops and paramedics who tried to bring the man back to life.

It was too late. He successfully took his life.

One of the cops motioned me over and proceeded to question what I had seen and why I had been at the park. Aware that God had me there for a reason, I shared with the officer and many others that questioned me later that I had gone to the park to read my bible, and became suspicious when I saw that the elderly man wasn’t moving. The officer then commented on how I seemed so calm, and how I was able to explain the deaths that I had already dealt with.

 The entire time I stood there waiting for homicide detectives to arrive, I couldn’t believe the situation that I had found myself in. I had heard of suicides many times before, but never did I imagine that I would witness a scene like that. In fact, at the very moment that I was worrying about keeping a scholarship this elderly man was contemplating and successfully committing suicide. Looking down at the elderly man that took his life, I began to compare the life of the unbeliever to the believer. One can’t go on for very long without a Savior that promises eternity, a future, and a hope. One could go many years chasing after dreams and bettering life on earth, but nothing else guarantees true joy the way that Jesus does. Trying to better this life and walking away from God is like walking into the hands of a murderer that is meticulously waiting to take your life.

In fact, Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10 

After inviting the man in orange and the park employee to church, I drove away from the park in awe that God would use me, an unworthy sinner, in a way like that. I knew that even the fact that I failed my exam today happened for a reason. If I didn’t, I would’ve never walked on to that park or been able to share the strength the Lord gave me.

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing 

with the glory that will be revealed in us.” – Romans 8:18

Please join me in praying for the old man’s family. Thank you.

Cynthia Almonte 

*If you are hopeless and/or contemplating a way out of life, please email me. 

Your life matters and you are valuable. 

Lyrical Friday - Daisy's Song

Happy Friday! 

I am so excited for today's lyrical post. I have played this song about a trillion times this week- OK, not really, but you get the point. Below I have included the personal account from the writer of this song and the story behind it. You are in for a perspective changing, life altering experience. 


God's love truly is stronger, strong enough for you and me. Strong enough to stand against the toughest trial yet gentle enough to pick us up from our weakest moments. May the Lord do a mighty work in your mind and heart as you take in the words of this song. May hope and perfect peace be settled in your heart. 

"Sometimes I sit down and try to write a song. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Other times it’s almost as if the song is writing me. It just comes. It’s a totally rare and holy moment when that happens and I’m always so humbled to be in the middle of it. Eight months ago, when we got the news that one of my best friend’s daughter – who happened to be my daughter’s best friend – had cancer, I was breathless and overwhelmed with heartache. The next morning several of us gathered together to pray for five year old Daisy Love Merrick and her family. During the prayer meeting I was flooded with the reality that the love of God is stronger than any storm that might come our way. Having a five year old daughter myself, I was absolutely thrashed by the idea of Daisy having cancer and wept for hours. Through the tears I sat down and had one of those holy moments where the song just kind of came. The lyrics are as follows…" -Dominic Balli 

Daisy's Song, Dominic Balli  

When that storm comes
Like a hurricane
And the sun seems far away

We will not fear the wind
We will not fear the waves
I can feel your calm within

When this life is shaken
By ragin’ seas
We are not gon’ be afraid

So if ya walk on waves and wind
Then hold my hand and I’ll walk again

Chorus:
This love is stronger than the blood that beats my heart
This love is deeper, than the pain of all these scars
This love goes farther than the hope in answer’s arms
This love is stronger
It’s strong enough for me

You lived our sorrows,
Befriended all our pain
All that we might rise again

You stole my sickness,
Rested in my disease
All that I might rest in thee

And you alone bring healing,
And for you I’ll wait
But we are not gon’ be afraid

We may be crushed but we are not ever forsaken
We may be struck down but we are not ever destroyed
Then when that fire comes to shine through me your glory
We are not gonna be afraid

Click HERE for a follow up on Daisy Love. 

Lyrical Friday - Next Time

For more from Maceij Dakowicz click here

This was not like any Friday...
The Environmental students were given an all day passes to skip other classes in order to spend that school day working outside. I spent all day with my fourth period class pulling weeds, planting, trimming, watering, moving many things around, among other garden work. Being teenagers we didn't just work hard outside, we killed time too. We talked, we laughed, we enjoyed each others company and at the end of the day we all said good-bye and went our merry way.

The weekend faithfully rolled in and with it much excitement. Saturday morning arrived with Prom preparations: hair, nails, makeup, dress, drive, arrive and party on. Sunday was more of a day of rest. And so the weekend had come and gone.

Monday Morning is a day I will never forget, along with the days leading up to it. We were greeted at school with the tragic news that three students had passed away during the weekend: two Senior boys right after Prom in a freak car accident and one teenage girl committed suicide. Horrible way to start the week. I didn't ask to many questions as too the who's and what, I just minded my own business. That is, until my first period class when someone asked me how I was coping with Susy's death.

It was as if they were talking about another Susy.
This couldn't be real. Susy. Susy!? But I had spent all Friday with her. We were talking, laughing and having a good time... suicide? All sorts of thoughts kept crossing my mind, nothing making sense. Still the fact remained, Susy had committed suicide Friday evening after school.

Susy was dead and I was left alive with questions, doubts, fears, guilt, regret and many days ahead of no sleep. She had spent all day with me, and I was too consumed with myself to see her need. I had spent all week and all day with her yet was too self-conscious to speak up and share with her what God had been prompting me to tell her. I spent all day with her and I was too self absorbed to offer her the only solution to her problems: Jesus.

It wasn't too long after that I vowed before the Lord that I would never be ashamed of the Gospel or hide it from anyone. With blood on my hands, tears in my eyes and after many years still heartbroken, I owe it to God (who has restored me) and Susy to speak up for the sake of the cross. Jesus died for you, for me, for that coworker of yours that seems fine, for the student that sits next to you in class, for the guy who you cross paths with on random days, He died for all... you may never have a next time to share Christ with those around you. I beg you, do not be to afraid to intrude with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Next Time, The Arrows Band


I never get tired of believing You
I never get tired of trying to breakthrough
I just get tired of myself sometimes
Cus' you know that it's so easy to be human
It's so easy to make excuses
But the simple truth is I was too scared of intruding

These are peoples lives you're playing with He said
Every time you get a little bit scared
You let another one slip through the net He said
They need Me more than you need to be comfortable
I said stop listening to your head

Oh and Listen to Me
Your mind doesn't understand the things that I see
Next time next time next time listen to Me
Because my voice should be louder than your reasoning, your reasoning
Those human things

Cus' if I don't go when you say go
If I don't speak when you say so
We might find that we run out of pace to see the world around us changed
If I don't move when you say move
Cus' I don't trust what you told me to do
It might never come around again
Heeeeey, next time I'll do it your way

You never know where the Spirit has been whispering at night
You never know where the angels have been putting up a fight
We cannot see with our own eyes
Everything is organised
We can only view when it’s our turn to go
Switch on the lights!


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 10:14

The Heartbroken Lily- part 4

Praise the LORD!

For it is good to sing praises to our God;

For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. 

The LORD builds up Jerusalem;

He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.

He heals the brokenhearted

And binds up their wounds.

Psalm 147:1-3

I can not thank you enough. I think today's post will be the hardest one yet. It will be like digging into a grave that I buried my heart breaking memories. None the less, it is through those heartaches that I have come to know God as my healer, comforter, and God of wonders. I have come to know God the Father in a very intimate way through these hard times. I would be limiting God's amazing glory by sharing only the great joys in my life. I have a need to expose my hurts and pain because it is in those dark moments that God’s amazing glory did shine the brightest. The stories I will share will not coincide necessarily with the time frame of parts one - three of my testimony but is more of a beautifully broken medley of God's redeeming love.

I shared with you that though I had claimed to be a Christian I had not been living the life of a Christ follower. Sure, I shared Christ with people, but my actions washed out my words. There is power in the Holy Spirit, and at times, I felt a tug at my heart and I knew that it was the Spirit of God telling to share Christ with someone. At times I would, but at other moments the fear or rejection, of being mocked and of appearing too religious held me back from speaking. Afterwards, I would go through the world's worst guilt trip for not doing so. One Friday, I felt a heavy burden to speak to a friend of mine about Jesus, and about the hope found in Him. God’s message was very clear. It was as if God wanted me to speak only about hope. But, I was uneasy with sharing God's hope to her. It turned out that we would spend the entire day together. For a second time, the Lord told me to talk to her. I neglected to do so one more time. Again and again, throughout the day the Lord kept prompting me to speak to her. I spent a good 6 hours with her engaged in conversation and what not but I did not speak to her. Afterwards, I felt horrible because I knew what I had to do and didn’t do it. “Next time Lord,” is what I said to Him. She committed suicide that night.

I have made many terrible decisions, but to me, none can be worse than this one. Through many words of comfort, I was reminded that she made this decision on her own to take her life. But the doubt that if I had said something to her she could have possibly still be alive today. I have never been able to surrender this guilt fully. A part of me finds comfort in holding myself accountable for her death. I still drive by where she committed suicide and just cry till I can’t cry anymore. After her death, life for me changed forever. I promised the Lord to be obedient to His prompting and to speak boldly. However, this was not going to change the fact that she wasn’t here. I couldn’t sleep for a very long time. I would have dreams of her asking me why I never shared Jesus with her. What helped was God’s divine grace. He bandaged my wound with the help of my family and friends. A friend from church bought me a pillow to cry on, a journal to vent and a book* that helped me get back on track and be a courageous witness to the lost. The day of her funeral I had written a poem dedicated to her. I gave it to her grieving parents.

There is one more death that I have bottled up inside and probably the most difficult one to talk about. And if you are somewhat close to me, you know that if it wasn’t for God I wouldn’t be writing about this. This Sunday, December the 6th will be five years since my Grandfather went to be with the Lord. As if I didn’t cry enough about Susie’s suicide, writing about Abuelito is shredding me to pieces. His death is the deepest wound I have. Far deeper than the suicide, far deeper than walking away from my first love, far deeper than the most horrific experiences I had. Death is so final.

Abuelito to me was my earthly Prince. He would always remind me of how I was his favorite grandchild. He always commended me on being strong willed, and of a rough character. He would always smile at me when I would stand up for myself. He spoiled me with love. He let me get away with anything. He would let me light up his cigarettes as a child. And often times he would leave me a beer under the dinning table, knowing full well that Mami would get upset at Him. I loved rubbing his bald head and his belly. I loved his hands and his feet. He was the funniest man I knew and will ever know. But he was also, one of the godliest too. He knew the Bible, every story, every word. He taught me to love cheese, Häagen-Dazs ice cream and the New York Yankees. He was a hard working man. His death was very sudden. And even though I have all these wonferful memories to keep his memory alive in me, I still am mourning his death, I think I always will.

The night before He went to be with the Lord, my Grandmother had called me to ask if I could take Abuelito to his doctor’s appointment the next morning. She told me the time and I agreed to pick Him up since it was going to be my day off. The morning came and I was running late to go pick him up. That’s when I got the phone call from my Grandmother. She was panicking and I couldn’t understand what she was saying. All I could make out was, “Pedrito! Ay Pedrito! Corre!” in English it would be, “Pedrito! Oh my goodness, Pedrito! Hurry!” I ran to my Mother’s room, she was getting dressed. I yelled that something was wrong with Abuelito and we rushed over to their house. On the way we called an Ambulance to meet us there. When we arrived we found that a neighbor had already called 911. I watched the limb body of my Grandfather as He lay on the floor. The Paramedics were resuscitating him. My Grandmother was freaking out, Mami was hysterical and my baby cousin could not stop crying. I was motionless. I felt as if my life was being taken from me. All I could think was, “Raquel, why didn’t you pick Him up on time??? You could have had him at the clinic the time the heart attack happened.” Within minutes he released all his body fluids and I knew very well what that meant. But I wasn’t going to lose hope; the paramedics rushed Him to the Hospital.

At 11 am, that Monday morning they doctors signed him off as dead. At the least I know he didn’t suffer. I have never been able to forgive myself for this. Nor have been able to forgive myself for the pain I have caused my entire family with this great loss. I could have been there earlier, with time to spare but I wasn’t. It took me a very long time to return to my Grandmother’s house. Still today I go back there and I remember vividly Abuelito on the floor, lifeless. I am so overcome with guilt that I can’t even stand being around my own Grandmother, because I feel that I have failed her and caused her so much grief. Maybe I sink into guilt because it will offer me a temporary explanation for Abuelito’s death, when I can’t understand why He had to die. And even though, I may never be able to overcome Abuelito’s death, knowing that He is in Heaven enjoying the presence of the Lord gives me great joy. Without a doubt, I know He is with the Lord. And yes, this year he had God help the New York Yankees win the World Series, lol.

God has sustained me through both of these terrible experiences, along with other heartaches that maybe someday I will share with you. Though I have had a hard time forgiving myself, I bask in the forgiveness of God and find peace and security there. The Lord gave me two great verses that constantly console me, when guilt seems to creep in:

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, and they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

December the 10th 2004, I have recorded in my journal verses that the Lord gave me to comfort me through the book of Isaiah** after Abuelito's death.

These heart aches, scars and memories that I have endured are what unite me to everyone else. We all hurt, we all cried and we all lose something or someone we love at one point or another. But we have a great God that can work out everything for our good. In the words of Ken Graves, “pain is our teacher.” I have known the pain of losing someone to eternal damnation, a pain that our Father must suffer too often. I have known the pain of momentary loss, like God submitted himself to when Jesus paid our debt in the pits of Hell. I have known rejection, humiliation, mockery like my Jesus has known when I share Christ and He is rejected. But I have also known the joy of seeing a friend come to Christ. I have known the joy of knowing that I will see Abuelito face to face. I have known the joy of walking with the Lord and I am not letting go.

I invite you to return to my blog tomorrow Friday, for the conclusion of this Lily story.

*Click here for the book

** Click here for verses in Isaiah that comforted me

A New Thing

Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth, shall you not now it? I will even make a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 (NKJV)

Welcome dear readers to this new blog.

To be very honest with you I really don't know what I am doing, but that is not strange coming from me. For some time now God has been prompting me to do a new thing. That "new thing" has come in the form of a blog... Ta Da! I am not a writer, but I am a messenger of the Most High. Through this blog, I hope and pray that both you and I may become true lilies among thorns. In this world of darkness, wastefulness, of valleys, thorns and hopelessness I invite you, encourage you to:

Be the light of the world.

Be the salt of the earth.

Lead many through the valley to Jesus.

Be a lily among thorns.

Live a life that speaks the Gospel.