I have been tagged again. This time by Josh at his blog While I'm Waiting. I am supposed to write 50 facts about myself. I will try to zoom through 50 of them.
1. I am a mathematical freak.
2. I like playing any kind of sport.
3. I like going on any amusement park ride (roller coasters, thrill rides, whatever).
4. I like Kombucha (type of Chinese fermented healthy tea).
5. I will eat almost anything (besides strawberries and tomatoes).
6. I have won a Fear Factor contest.
7. I love God with everything that I have.
8. I have a speech impediment.
9. I like Politics.
10. I love God's creation.
11. Babies are sweet and cute (love any of them).
12. My favorite book of the Bible is Ephesians.
13. I am 19.
14. I want to serve God the rest of my life.
15. I am trying to grow a goatee (not working well with my genes).
16. I am a blond.
17. I have blue eyes.
18. I am clearly analytical and a deep thinker.
19. God has gifted me with a love and a passion for His Word and the things of Him.
20. I used to have braces (three years ago I believe).
21. I got my driver's license two months ago.
22. I have pet chickens.
23. I have an infectious laugh (my family says so).
24. I can bicycle a long time without even tiring.
25. I have never broken a bone.
26. I love Chris Tomlin and David Crowder.
27. My favorite role model in the Bible is Jesus. (non-perfect role model is Daniel).
28. I was in special ed. as a kid.
29. My kindergarten teacher said that I would never be able to read or write (God performed a miracle).
30. God has helped me to persevere through every difficulty.
31. He Alone is Worthy.
32. I am saved by His grace alone.
33. Role model, on this planet, is my Dad.
34. My family contains a wide variety of ethnicities. (Hispanic, African American) Love them all so much.
35. I enjoy history.
36. I love my family.
37. I have a one year old sister named Elizabeth.
38. I enjoy solving mathematical word problems and formulas.
39. I enjoy Biology.
40. My favorite part of God's creation is our bodies.
41. My favorite vacation spot is Cambria, California (beautiful place surrounded by the Pacific Ocean with extremely gorgeous sunsets).
42. I love studying the intricate design of the human body.
43. I will never become a doctor because I hate blood.
44. My life is busy right now.
45. I am studying Trigonometry.
46. I want to finish strong.
47. I want to live a life fulling pleasing to my Lord and Savior
48-50. I can't wait to see my Savior face to face in heaven (what a day that would be).
O.K., I got through 48. My brain was hard pressed and I can't think anymore. I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little bit about me. I think everyone else has been tagged. If someone has not been tagged, I tag you. Go along with it and have fun.
Soli Deo Gloria Forever and Ever!!!!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Excellence in Blogcasting Award
I would like to thank Bethany for awarding me with this award. I could have only started this blog by God's grace and the knowledge that He has given me to write about Him and Him alone. It is truly an honor to be writing about the King of Kings when I don't even deserve an iota of His grace and mercy. Thanks again Bethany.
My top blogs. Everybody's blog that I follow and have subscribed to from Google Reader. Each blog gives me a new understanding in an intricate way (by each person) of who God is. I thank you all for that. You guys (girls) also provide many posts filled with humor and everyday life that is incredible. Thanks for writing such great posts filled with God's love that could have only came from Him. Keep up the good work. :D
Soli Deo Gloria!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
I Have Not Fallen Off the Blog World Map
I am sorry for not posting in awhile. School (college) started a week ago and homework has been flying in. I have also been helping my sister take care of Elizabeth, who is my one year old sister. She is pretty
cute. These days she has been saying a lot more words like please (peese), baby, up, down (dow), duck, pack (pac), and the usual ma ma, da da, and ba ba. She can climb up on her play slide all by herself. She can walk fast in spurts, but sometimes she falls down. She is the most adorable baby girl ever. I love her to pieces. Then, a plethora of other activities fill up my day that are more important than blogging like working, family, God, and the like. The above pictures are of Elizabeth. I don't know how to align pictures yet; so bear with me on this.Hopefully, I will be able to finish the Cross of Christ series as soon as possible. The next Cross of Christ series post will be on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. HE IS ALIVE. Praise Him!!!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Friday, February 6, 2009
The Cross of Christ Pt. 5 - What Christ has Done for Me Pt. 2 Main Point
Before I begin by writing today's passage, I want you guys (girls) to focus on the first two words of verse 4. It is a cry of excitement and joy following the forlorn and hopeless condition of the last three verses. What are the two words? But God. I will begin with the first three verses again to let God's Word speak.
Ephesians 2:1-7
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--- by grace you have been saved--- and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
The first three verses express a hopelessness that can only be found by walking the road of destruction. This broad path will lead us to the most horrific place ever created by God (reserved for the devil and his angels). We are following the road of the father of lies to our eternal destruction. Then, the two most glorious words ever written in the Bible seem to jump off its pages... BUT GOD. But God what. But God, being rich in mercy. What is mercy? Webster's 1828 dictionary records the best definition:
1. That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy. That which comes nearest to it is grace. It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity or compassion, and clemency, but exercised only towards offenders. Mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being.
Do you like that? To treat an offender better than he deserves. Mercy induces an injured person (in this case God because of our sin) to forgive trespasses and injuries (because of the cross). And to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant (in this case, God does not inflict any punishment upon us. His Son took our punishment upon the cross, which we richly deserved). It is only exercised towards offenders (we having offended God in the first place). Finally, mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being (Amen. Praise Him for being merciful towards us, while we were dead in our sins.)
God, in being rich in mercy toward us, shows us how much he loves us by destroying His Son (Isaiah 53:10) on the cross for the redemption of our sins. His mercy, His grace, His lovingkindness toward us. It is all overflowing from His heart. He loves you and me that much. Let that sink in for a moment. HE is RICH IN MERCY. Rich in pure, clean, graceful, awesome mercy. His mercy is far from ever being comprehended or fathomed. He alone is to be praised forever and ever. Amen.
Verse 4 goes on to share His great love for us...because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.
With that great love with which he loves us, he has made us alive together with Christ. Alive, not dead, ALIVE. We were once dead in the trespasses of our own sins. Locked up, chained to the ground, bound to sin; but he raised us up out of that hopeless situation and made us ALIVE with Him. That is not all. He has raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places. We will be reigning with Jesus. We will be sharing, in a measure, his authority. Wow! I cannot even begin to imagine what that is like. It gets even better.
Verse 7 reads, "so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of His grace toward us in Christ Jesus." This verse answers a specific question. Why did God lavish such love upon his people? The answer is: So that we would marvel and be astoundingly amazed, for all eternity, over the incredible kindness and love that He has revealed to us through His Son. It will take all of eternity for us to fathom God's love for us, but even then, we would only hit the bear surface of His love for us. Is that absolutely awesome? HE IS WORTHY. I cannot even begin to express in human terms what he has done for me on the cross. He has done everything and even more than I could ever begin to imagine or comprehend. All by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Verses 8-10 sums up the climax of these divinely inspired verses, "For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
We are saved by grace. That's it. His grace alone. It is not our own doing. It is a gift of God. The most precious gift that God could have ever given to mankind...His Son. It is not a result of works, so that no one may boast. If it were a result of works, we would acclaim all the glory. It's all about ME getting into heaven. MY works give ME MY ticket to heaven. That is pretty much what all other religions stand by. They stand by getting into heaven by works. Christianity is backwards. Christianity is different. It is all by grace. Grace alone through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. There is no other name under heaven by which man might be saved (Acts 4:12). Amen.
I will close with this question.
What has Christ done for us?
More than we could ever begin to imagine, fathom, or even comprehend.
Ephesians 2:1-7
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--- by grace you have been saved--- and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
The first three verses express a hopelessness that can only be found by walking the road of destruction. This broad path will lead us to the most horrific place ever created by God (reserved for the devil and his angels). We are following the road of the father of lies to our eternal destruction. Then, the two most glorious words ever written in the Bible seem to jump off its pages... BUT GOD. But God what. But God, being rich in mercy. What is mercy? Webster's 1828 dictionary records the best definition:
1. That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy. That which comes nearest to it is grace. It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity or compassion, and clemency, but exercised only towards offenders. Mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being.
Do you like that? To treat an offender better than he deserves. Mercy induces an injured person (in this case God because of our sin) to forgive trespasses and injuries (because of the cross). And to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant (in this case, God does not inflict any punishment upon us. His Son took our punishment upon the cross, which we richly deserved). It is only exercised towards offenders (we having offended God in the first place). Finally, mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being (Amen. Praise Him for being merciful towards us, while we were dead in our sins.)
God, in being rich in mercy toward us, shows us how much he loves us by destroying His Son (Isaiah 53:10) on the cross for the redemption of our sins. His mercy, His grace, His lovingkindness toward us. It is all overflowing from His heart. He loves you and me that much. Let that sink in for a moment. HE is RICH IN MERCY. Rich in pure, clean, graceful, awesome mercy. His mercy is far from ever being comprehended or fathomed. He alone is to be praised forever and ever. Amen.
Verse 4 goes on to share His great love for us...because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.
With that great love with which he loves us, he has made us alive together with Christ. Alive, not dead, ALIVE. We were once dead in the trespasses of our own sins. Locked up, chained to the ground, bound to sin; but he raised us up out of that hopeless situation and made us ALIVE with Him. That is not all. He has raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places. We will be reigning with Jesus. We will be sharing, in a measure, his authority. Wow! I cannot even begin to imagine what that is like. It gets even better.
Verse 7 reads, "so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of His grace toward us in Christ Jesus." This verse answers a specific question. Why did God lavish such love upon his people? The answer is: So that we would marvel and be astoundingly amazed, for all eternity, over the incredible kindness and love that He has revealed to us through His Son. It will take all of eternity for us to fathom God's love for us, but even then, we would only hit the bear surface of His love for us. Is that absolutely awesome? HE IS WORTHY. I cannot even begin to express in human terms what he has done for me on the cross. He has done everything and even more than I could ever begin to imagine or comprehend. All by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Verses 8-10 sums up the climax of these divinely inspired verses, "For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
We are saved by grace. That's it. His grace alone. It is not our own doing. It is a gift of God. The most precious gift that God could have ever given to mankind...His Son. It is not a result of works, so that no one may boast. If it were a result of works, we would acclaim all the glory. It's all about ME getting into heaven. MY works give ME MY ticket to heaven. That is pretty much what all other religions stand by. They stand by getting into heaven by works. Christianity is backwards. Christianity is different. It is all by grace. Grace alone through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. There is no other name under heaven by which man might be saved (Acts 4:12). Amen.
I will close with this question.
What has Christ done for us?
More than we could ever begin to imagine, fathom, or even comprehend.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The Cross of Christ Pt. 5 - What Christ has Done for Me Pt. 1 Main Point
I am really feeling lead by God to drive home the main point with Scripture. Hebrews 4:12 says that the Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, while 2 Tim. 3:16 tells us that all scripture is inspired by God. When God is teaching us, we know that whatever comes out of it... it is going to be astounding, convincing, and convicting. God is God. We are not. He is able to bring us down to our knees in an awe-inspiring worship time and/or He is able to pick us up and carry us when we have fallen into sin. He alone is worthy to be praised and He alone is worthy of our worship. There is no other God under heaven by which man might be saved. This is what the gospel is all about. "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" Revelation 5:12. Now that I am finished with the intro, we can delve into the text and see what God has for us. The full text is Ephesians 2:1-10, but I will refer to other passages as well.
Ephesians 2:1-3 is our human hopelessness without Christ, Ephesians 2:4-7 is our divine hope in Christ, and Ephesians 2:8-10, which are familiar passages of Scripture, is the debate between salvation by grace vs. salvation by works. I will try to break these down as best as I can in three parts.
The first part is Ephesians 2:1-3 which reads, "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind."
I briefly touched on these three verses in Part 1 of Part 5 of this series. The bottom line is that sin is sin. Sin will cost you more than you want to pay, keep you longer than you want to stay, and drive you further than you ever wanted to go. It is useless, but the bait is extremely enticing. Should I watch that movie rather than spending time with God? Should I give in to peer pressure so that I would make myself look good? Should I become impatient with my brother or sister because they are taking too much time on the computer and they won't let me take over at the helm? Life is full of choices. One choice is a sugar coated bag containing a hand grenade, while the other choice is a sugar coated bag of God's blessings. The hand grenade will blow up in your face in the end, while God's blessings will last forever. Which do you choose?
We still have not reached the point of the first three verses of Ephesians 2. I wanted to briefly talk about the doctrine of sin. I accomplished that. The main point of these three verses is that our condition is hopeless without God. Jeremiah 17:9 clearly portrays the human heart, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" Without God, we could easily become the next Adolf Hitler, Marilyn Monroe, Richard Dawkins, Nero, etc. Our hearts are so disgusting and full of hatred that we don't know what else to do other than to sin, sin, and sin. Proverbs 6:16, another familiar passage, tells us something about God, "There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to Him....". Guess what abomination literally means in the Hebrew? Excrement, fecal matter, or manure. God hates sin with a righteous anger. He loathes sin with a hatred that cannot be expressed in human terms. Sin is so horrific in the eyes of God that he crushed Jesus on the cross to save us from our sins. That is the heart of the gospel. Our sin condemns us before a holy God leaving Him the opportunity to justify our sins upon His Son. He could have left us in our sins. He could have thrown every human being into hell and He would have been just in doing so. We rebelled against Him, we rejected Him, we despised Him. Even through all that, he loved us so much that he CRUSHED (slammed, beat, lacerated) His Son for us. Do you see His great love for you and me? Amazing, Astounding, Awesome. Praise Him and Acknowledge Him as your Lord.
End Part 1 Main Point. Tomorrow we will pick up with verses 4-7.
Ephesians 2:1-3 is our human hopelessness without Christ, Ephesians 2:4-7 is our divine hope in Christ, and Ephesians 2:8-10, which are familiar passages of Scripture, is the debate between salvation by grace vs. salvation by works. I will try to break these down as best as I can in three parts.
The first part is Ephesians 2:1-3 which reads, "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind."
I briefly touched on these three verses in Part 1 of Part 5 of this series. The bottom line is that sin is sin. Sin will cost you more than you want to pay, keep you longer than you want to stay, and drive you further than you ever wanted to go. It is useless, but the bait is extremely enticing. Should I watch that movie rather than spending time with God? Should I give in to peer pressure so that I would make myself look good? Should I become impatient with my brother or sister because they are taking too much time on the computer and they won't let me take over at the helm? Life is full of choices. One choice is a sugar coated bag containing a hand grenade, while the other choice is a sugar coated bag of God's blessings. The hand grenade will blow up in your face in the end, while God's blessings will last forever. Which do you choose?
We still have not reached the point of the first three verses of Ephesians 2. I wanted to briefly talk about the doctrine of sin. I accomplished that. The main point of these three verses is that our condition is hopeless without God. Jeremiah 17:9 clearly portrays the human heart, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" Without God, we could easily become the next Adolf Hitler, Marilyn Monroe, Richard Dawkins, Nero, etc. Our hearts are so disgusting and full of hatred that we don't know what else to do other than to sin, sin, and sin. Proverbs 6:16, another familiar passage, tells us something about God, "There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to Him....". Guess what abomination literally means in the Hebrew? Excrement, fecal matter, or manure. God hates sin with a righteous anger. He loathes sin with a hatred that cannot be expressed in human terms. Sin is so horrific in the eyes of God that he crushed Jesus on the cross to save us from our sins. That is the heart of the gospel. Our sin condemns us before a holy God leaving Him the opportunity to justify our sins upon His Son. He could have left us in our sins. He could have thrown every human being into hell and He would have been just in doing so. We rebelled against Him, we rejected Him, we despised Him. Even through all that, he loved us so much that he CRUSHED (slammed, beat, lacerated) His Son for us. Do you see His great love for you and me? Amazing, Astounding, Awesome. Praise Him and Acknowledge Him as your Lord.
End Part 1 Main Point. Tomorrow we will pick up with verses 4-7.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Tough Dilemma
All of you are probably wondering what happened to part 3 of the fifth part of the Cross of Christ series. Don't worry. The series has definitely not fallen off of my map, but I am in a tough dilemma. I need an answer from my followers of whether I should finish the story or go back to the text (Scripture) with the main point of Part 5. I am kind of leaning towards driving home the main point with Scripture, but I am unsure. On the other hand, the story would take about another three parts. If you would prayerfully consider this decision and post a decision ready comment, I would be obliged to post the next post of the Cross of Christ series as soon as possible. Thanks for helping me make my decision.
I Have Been Tagged!!!!
I have been tagged by Bethany 1 and Bethany 2. Two different young women, who coincidentally have the same name. Since they each have the same name, I will create one tag-a-thon. Here it goes:
A Movie I have Watched:
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Excellent movie for those who enjoy the Creation vs. Evolution dilemma.
A New Skill I Acquired:
Running presses at my Dad's shop. It is very fun working with machinery.
One Moment I will Always Remember:
Last Day of the Resolved Conference when C.J. Mahaney and John Piper preached back to back dynamic sermons. A great night that I will never forget.
A Book I have Read:
Living the Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing. By: C.J. Mahaney. Great book for those who want to live in light of the cross of Christ. I highly recommend it.
A New Place(s) I Visited:
Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. My sister and I visited our relatives in Florida. Then, we flew with them to these two tremendous historical sites. I love the history of this nation.
An Inspiring Verse or Quote:
Any benediction or greetings from the epistles of the NT. My favorite:
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Jude 24-25
Here are the rules:
1. Fill in your memories of 2008
2. Link my blog to yours
3. Tag others and comment on their blog so they know they've been tagged:)
Now I tag Ryan Wegner, Levi, Andrew, and anyone else who would like to do it. :)
A Movie I have Watched:
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Excellent movie for those who enjoy the Creation vs. Evolution dilemma.
A New Skill I Acquired:
Running presses at my Dad's shop. It is very fun working with machinery.
One Moment I will Always Remember:
Last Day of the Resolved Conference when C.J. Mahaney and John Piper preached back to back dynamic sermons. A great night that I will never forget.
A Book I have Read:
Living the Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing. By: C.J. Mahaney. Great book for those who want to live in light of the cross of Christ. I highly recommend it.
A New Place(s) I Visited:
Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. My sister and I visited our relatives in Florida. Then, we flew with them to these two tremendous historical sites. I love the history of this nation.
An Inspiring Verse or Quote:
Any benediction or greetings from the epistles of the NT. My favorite:
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Jude 24-25
Here are the rules:
1. Fill in your memories of 2008
2. Link my blog to yours
3. Tag others and comment on their blog so they know they've been tagged:)
Now I tag Ryan Wegner, Levi, Andrew, and anyone else who would like to do it. :)
Monday, February 2, 2009
My First Blog Award
This is my first blog award and I received it from Josh at his blog While I'm Waiting. Thanks Josh for awarding me with my first blog award. I appreciate it very much. Go check out his blog on my blog list at While I'm Waiting. His blog is fantastic and God honoring. Good job Josh!Now, I would like to award a few people with this blog award. A few people, who also have fantastic God honoring blogs. I award
1. Kevin @ http://kevinweg.blogspot.com/
2. Levi @ http://leviben.blogspot.com/
3. J.J. @ http://jjfortheking.blogspot.com/
4. Andrew @ http://www.andrewbiddinger.com/makeitcount/
5. Ryan W. @ http://ryancweg.blogspot.com/
6. Elliot @ http://broken-vessels.blogspot.com/
7. Ryan C. @ http://ryancoopersblog.blogspot.com/
8. Becca @ http://rebeccaann1994.blogspot.com/
9. Rachel M. @ http://rayshopejourney.blogspot.com/
10. Jenna @ http://my-strength-and-song.blogspot.com/
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