You Glow Boy!

The other day, a co-worker asked my husband if we were expecting another child?
He said there is just this glow that you have, and I remember it from the last time you had a child. My husband was shocked because he had not told anyone we were expecting. Really? Let me see your face I told him.He said Honey. I looked in the mirror that night and I was trying to see if I had the glow. You know the one that Moses had when he say the backside of the Lord?

Where is my Glow lord? Then Proverbs 27:19" As in water face reflects face, so a mans heart reveals the man" came to mind and I said ... oh I see.. ugh.

See what is in your heart will display in your countenance and your actions. And I realized that my heart wasn't so enlightening! Blame it on the pregnancy but I have been tired, irritable and just blah! So it was no wonder that I haven't had that glow.

Proverbs 23:7 says "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." There it is, case and point. Have you ever heard someone say I just didn't get a good "vibe" or there is a certain "vibe" about them. The vibe is the aroma of their heart. So often we try to cover up what is really in the heart by slapping on makeup putting on a fake smile, however if the heart ain't right it is still going to stink!

I remember one time I came home from a great workout. I came home to company, that was waiting on me for dinner. I'm not sure how the time got away from me and we were on a serious time crunch. I literally had time to throw on some clothes put my make up on the car and throw on some deodorant. I remember arriving to dinner and someone said " you look great" I said thank you holding back tears because I smelled horrible. ok maybe no that bad, but even though I was put together, I was dirty and smelly!

The point that I am trying to make is that there is sometimes no hiding what lies in the heart. I love scientist and physiologist, because in their long research studies and analysis they always come to a long drawn out conclusion to something that is summed up in one small scripture. Its OK though, something to keep them busy. I read "Physiologist teach that the way people think effect their emotions, their ability to relate to each other, and their ability to cope in different circumstances. Um hello guys, here is one for you... " A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken."- proverbs 15:13

Now here is what the bible says about that: Believers are to meditate on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report (Phil 4:8) Their minds are to be filled with virtuous and praiseworthy thoughts. Those whose hearts have not been changed by God's Spirit will find that ultimately they are powerless to combat evil in their minds, for the condition of the hearts determines the condition of their thoughts (Matt 15:19).

Is there something in your heart that is corrupting your thoughts? I know I had a really tough time with that reality the other day. Maybe your heart isn't that bad, or maybe you don't want to admit it. Are you glowing? If you aren't, why don't you get rid of whatever it is that is not allowing your light to shine. I pray you do!

Praying that we are that light set on a hill!
Mon

Words in Italicize are taking out of my women's study bible.

Im your beloved

Lord it was you who created the heavens... Lord it was your hand that put the stars in their place... Lord it was your voice that commands the morning.. cuzz even oceans and their waves bow at your feet.. oh God.. Lord who am I compared to your glory... Lord who am I compared to your Majesty.. I am your beloved your creation and you love me as I am.. You called me chosen for your kingdom, unashamed to call me your own. I am your beloved......

By now you are probably singing if you know the lyrics to the song above. This song has been on my heart for a few weeks now. I listen to it, and I cant help to cry, it touches the inter most part of my heart. And today I listen to it with a different heart, I cant help but to worship and thank God that He has called me His beloved. When the Lord blessed us with our son, my world changed. He blessed us abundantly and thought maybe He did, because He didn't know us better. Hahaha... He didn't know what kind of parent we would be. But today it was confirmed that we will be parents again and this time He knows what kind of parent we are.

He is such a sovereign God that despite our fears and failures He trust us with yet another one of His children. I am in awe in how He would use this vessel to carry and nurture His son or daughter. It isn't anything that sal or I did ( well maybe... I mean Im not Mary but you know what I mean) but it is because He loves me and calls me His beloved and has called me chosen to further His kingdom...

I started FFF and had no idea that the marathon I was going to run this year was not one that was to be ran on a physical course. I had a desire to run a marathon and to get in shape but I kinda knew that another child was my husbands heart desire. The truth is one day I just went before the Lord and asked Him to help me. In tears and broken I admitted that I wasn't even sure what my hearts desire was anymore. I needed Him to make the decision and if it meant not running this year I was ok with that. I was struggling between being self fish in my own pursuit to be that athlete I wanted to be. Well exactly a week later I took a test and I was pregnant. In shock but grateful I thanked Him that He knew me better than I knew myself.

This isn't the end of Faith, Food and Fitness for Real, only the beginning because having gone through this before it definitely takes all the above. The difference is that my blogs might come a little later, I may miss some day and they will defiantly be hormonal sometimes. Hahah

I know this was supposed to be part #3 of my retreat series and I promise I will bring it back tomorrow. I just want to enjoy this day and share with you my blog readers. My faithful friends, who care enough about me to come to read the little I know and whats on my heart. Thank you, I covet your prayer and please know that I pray for you to. I dont know half the time who reads it or if anyone but Renay and Carol read it, but Lord knows and so you are in my prayers.

“For You have formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother’s womb.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Marvelous are Your works

And that my soul knows very well.”

Psalm 139: 13-14

Love you all,

Mon!

Its Time- Study #2

I know... Its a good thing I don't get paid to blog or I would be fired! Anyways today was day one of potty training.. seriously Asher was not taking it seriously.. Don't believe me, well I have attached the photo of him on his potty using the potty bowl as a hat. I came out of the bathroom and used his words "Are you kidding me." I would like to say that he looks like one of my Mexican cowboy tio's however they would not even be caught wearing a hat like this. Plus I don't have any Mexican cowboys in my family, so not sure what side of the family Asher is taking after.

So onto today's topic... As I promised I am sharing my notes from last weekends retreat. Today I am on part 2 or session 2 entitled " It's time to understand God's will." The speaker was Bianca Juarez from Calvary Chapel Montebello. She is also the blogger of "In the name of love" if you don't follow her blog.. Do it! Good stuff seriously... I was so captivated by her enthusiasm and ability to teach the gospel that is so applicable to today that I know I missed alot of the notes. So bare with me..

• God guides us in our decision making, In Ephesians 1 He tells us how He guides
• Its important to know that God has you were you are supposed to be and for a purpose.

" I don't believe in coincidence I believe in Providence"- Bianca

1. Hebrews 1- God directs us in different ways
2. Hebrews 1:2-3 God speaks through His son
3. Psalm 95- God continues to speak to us by His son through His Holy Spirit.

The five P's

1. You have been completely PREPARED to do something great. (EPH 2:10)

2. There is a simple PURPOSE behind everything that you do. ( 1 John 5:3)

3. Sometimes we will experience PAIN. ( Hebrews 12:11)

4. God has provided POWER to do something ( EPH 3:20)

5. Doing something significant will require a PASSION that constantly screams "don't quit". ( Luke 9:62

" The question is not if you will get pain, it is what you will do with that pain. Let your pain have purpose and let us learn from our pain"- Bianca

(I totally love this statement I believe that if we truly adapt this way of thinking our trials and struggles will not be in vain. We will not fall victim to self pity and asking the "why me or why must I go through this." When we know that there is purpose and that we will have growth. You have heard it said " No pain, No gain." I also read on time that Faith is like a muscle, the more you exercise it the stronger it gets. Pain exercises our faith!)

Be Obedient- "People who are blessed in public are obedient in private"- Bianca

Fall at the feet of Jesus

She closed with Luke 9:62- "No one having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Don't look back!

In closing this blog I have to say that I often times finding myself questioning if I am within God's will. It would be so easy if we could ask Him and He could say a simple yes or no. But He didn't create us to be that way. I don't know much and half the time I find that I easily could get out of Gods will if I am not careful. Here is what I do know... When I am in His word, in prayer and fellowship with the Lord I think that I am pretty darn close to it!

I don't worry so much because He will direct my path as long as I allow Him to walk with me on my beaten down road. The cool thing is that He really wants to, He is just waiting for me to ask Him. There are times when I say God are you sure you want to come along on this ride with me. It can get a little boring, hectic or crazy at times and I can imagine Him saying.." Monica, there is no other place I want to be than on this ride with you, because with me it isn't so crazy! Now stop talking, give up the control and let me drive and allow the work to be done."

Who is leading and in your drivers seat for your life? You or God.. If it is you, then I suggest you use your GPS ( GOD PLEASE SHOW me) system.

Praying for Gods will tonight,

Monica

Its Time- Study #1

It is Thursday and I wasn't able to find the time to get on here to blog. Noah got sick, oh course he would when I got back from my retreat because that is just the way it goes. I made a commitment with the thanks to a friend to get up at 5am every morning to read the bible. Noah has had some rough nights however I am still holding up to my part of the deal :)

Yes Renay I am fighting through the tiredness! I know that after a week it will become routine and I will get used to it and it will not only allow me to have that quiet time with the Lord but I will be able to get my workout in early in the morning before Noah gets up and takes control of the day :)

So as promised I am going to share my notes and a summary on the first teaching that we had on Saturday morning at the retreat. This teaching was entitled- www.You.com (walk wise in this world) and it was taught by Millie Juarez, Pastor Pancho’s wife. Please bare with me as I try to read my notes and hit the key points...

The Lord wants us to declare

God’s word causes us to walk wise and well

Walking wise and well will be displayed in our behaviors

In the book Ephesians we will find that Paul uses the words “In Christ, In Him, In beloved” many times throughout the book. { this morning I went through the book roughly and found about 18 times}

Eph Ch. 1- talks about redemption In Christ and Spiritual wisdom

Eph Ch 2- talks about staying on course

Eph Ch 3- talks about His Mercy and Peace

Eph Ch 4- talks about walking in unity and God’s will

Eph Ch 5- talks about how we should walk. The theme scripture Eph 5:15-17 “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Millie then put up a slide of a women who was power walking and this spoke to me since I have been running on my treadmill. She gave us some power walking Scriptures that we can reference.

( Eph 2:10, 4:1, 5:2, 5:8, 5:15)

There are four parts to this verse:

Walk Carefully- We adapt to Jesus requirements by accepting his personal invitation ( Matt 11:28-30) Jesus says to take the Yoke upon Him. I didn't really know what yoke was till Millie showed a picture of this contraction that was placed around two cows neck to walk side by side. She expounded that when we accept the invitation and we come and we take the yoke, Jesus comes along side us and He will give us rest. A few scriptures that were referenced - 1 Peter 2:21, Romans 15:5, 1 John 2:6 Abide and walk like Jesus.

Walk Wise and not Foolishly- Knowledge=understanding. Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge to daily life. We need to make good use of what God has shown us and apply it to everyday life, 1 Tim 3:13. Foolishness is govern by feelings, desires, impulse, instincts, and lacks providence, Prov 1:7.

Redeem the time- You cannot buy back time and time is to short. Millie said “Don't waste time, make time” This really spoke to my heart and especially this morning when I was reading at 5 in the morning. I was tired and remembering how I complain that I don't have enough time in the day to do what needs to do. At the end of the night I reflect what did I spend my time doing? Half the time I don't remember and that is because it was wasted time. If I cant remember it, it wasn't important and it surely wasn't for the Lord. My husband has a book he has been wanting me to read, it is called “wasting time with God” I love the title, are you wasting time with God? Don't worry you are not alone most of us don't but today you can make the time.

Days are Evil- Millie ref Matt 24: 36-40 No one knows the day or hour and while we wait we need to tend to the fathers business while we wait. We need to be like Noah because we are in the days of Noah. She expounded on the days of Noah when he built the Ark how he was a preacher and walked with God. She made a great point. She said that it took along time for the Ark to be finished like 100 years in that time God was long suffering and waited for Noah to finish. He is waiting for people to respond before He comes again.

What a great study to open up the weekend! Lets redeem the times and walk in wisdom!

Praying in His love,

Monica

Its time- My retreat

Happy Tuesday, so I am finding it hard to find the time to blog! It seems as if the days are going by faster and I just read that because of the earthquake in Chile that the earth was taken off the axis a little bit and that is causing us to have shorter days. Crazy? Well some might think so but God said that it would happen. He said in the last days the days would be shorter, so there you go scientist.. Jesus said it first!

So as some of you may or may not know I was away this weekend and some of you have asked for a full report. And so I am reporting back to you. I am not sure where this blog is going to go or how long it will be but hang in there. I think that it would be a disservice to you all if I wasn't honest and so I am going to keep it real as I always do!

I came home Sunday and I wasn't sure how I was going to approach this blog. I have been really wrestling with it. Some of you have asked me to blog about it and I am not sure how I can get the true picture of how the weekend went on paper. Last night as I ran I even considered not blogging anymore, but a few encouraging words from a new friend has got me writing again.

Friday morning I woke up in a weird mood, I was really anxious to leave. Not anxious excited but anxious almost a little fearful. I didn't know what to expect I was going to a retreat with a different church, knowing no one but my one friend and feeling a little lonely. It didn't help that as I left Noah cried and tried to jump out of sals arms as I got in the car. If I wasn't already feeling heavy hearted I was now feeling much worse. I fought back the tears and wondered if this was really a good idea.

We headed out had a nice lunch and made it over to Murrieta Hot Springs with much time to settle in. As evening approached we made our way to the cafe to hang out with one of my favorite blogger and speaker/teachers. This is where I got my first touch of Montebello! Bianca Juarez, speaker and teacher on staff at Calvary Chapel Montebello and In the name of love was there. There was a few of us ladies there talking to her and just really talking about things that girlfriends do. I had only known these ladies for a hour however as we laughed and talked I felt like I knew them for years. We then left to register and waited in line where we were greeted by Pastor Pancho and his wife Millie. They went through the line and gave hugs thanking the ladies for coming out and that was defiantly my first impression of the good ol Montebello welcome.

Pastor Pancho came over to me and perhaps I looked out of place or maybe he knew I needed a hug. He came over to me, gave me a hug and said “ Hi, nice to see you, I love you!” It was just what I needed! We checked in and headed out to dinner. Now for those of you that ever retreat to Murrieta, know that you are well fed there. They have grub meals and we do not lack, Im telling you. I knew I was hanging with Montebello when I sat at the table and there was Tabasco and tapitio on the table!

This years theme was “Its Time” and the theme scripture was Ephesians 5:15-17 which says “ See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore so not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” I have to say that this theme was just perfect. In the times we are living in, it is the TIME to change and not be ignorant or lazy. It is time to make a change and my dear readers there was a change! Let me first say that for the last eight years, with the exception of one year I have been going on retreats. I am defiantly blessed every year but this year was different. I have never experienced the moving of the Holy Spirit as I did this weekend. The teachings were right on point. The speakers were real, they were transparent, the were humble and there were loving! I so wish that I really expound on the teachings but there would just be to much and you may get bored with my lack of writing skills. The teaching were on the following:

www.YOU.Com (walking wise in this world) - Millie Juarez

Its time to understand the will of God- Bianca Juarez

Its time for a deeper Intimacy- Anabel Lopez

A workshop on “Understanding the Holy Spirit- Bianca Juarez

Redeeming the time- Donna Vera

It’s time to prepare for the coming of the Lord- Sandy MacIntosh

Friday night we were watching a short video that had clips from all the crazy things that have been happening from Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Political battles, Religious battles and talking about how the times are getting crazy. It was a great way to open up the weekend and my eyes to the things that are going on around me.

Saturday morning we got word of the Earthquake in Chile and it was about 1030am when Millie told us that there was a Tsunami warning in Hawaii and that was supposed to hit at 11 and that they needed to evacuate. Immediately she called us to break in groups and start pray. There we were 700 ladies, some on their knees praying for Hawaii and you some crying. You can sense the heart and it was then that I got a glimpse of this praying church. There is no doubt that this a church that prays, and I mean really prays. The Tsunami didn't hit and some say that it was a false alarm but I believe that the Lord heard our prayers and our hearts and had Mercy!

Saturday afternoon was alone time, it is really a time to just get away and really be still in front of the Lord and allow Him to speak. This is hard for me, I realize that I am the type of person that likes to be around people and being alone and still doing nothing is a challenge. I spent the time in prayer and reading and most of the time crying. I know sooooo EMO! hahah well it was defiantly amazing time spent and the Lord really gave me a vision and confirmation on what His will is for my life. When it is the right time, I will share, right now I will keep it between me and my Lord.

Saturday night was seriously off the hook! We had a small devotion, worship and it was my first true afterglow. No words can express what I experienced, the Holy Spirit moved and there was healing, praying, brokenness, surrendering and everything in between. Like Moses I know we left with our faces glowing! I really wish I could share what took place but I just cant!

Sunday morning was our last day and I was tired. I was ready to come see my boys but I was not ready to leave the women. On the way home my friend and I were talking and she said so what do you think.....

And here is what I think. I think that Pastor Pancho is a man of humility and love. I think that his heart is bigger than most, I think that His heart beats similar to Jesus. I think that he truly cares about his sheep, I think that he is real, I think that he is honest and doesn’t water down the word. I think that he corrects with love, I think he fosters and embraces love your neighbor. I think that although he has a pretty big church you would not know it by the small church feel. I think that he is a man of prayer and believes that with prayer all things are possible

I don't know Pancho that well, I only have been to Montebello a few times, and watched him on the Internet a few times but you know how I know all these things. I know all these things because of his fruit. All the qualities that I expressed I witness through his speakers, through his leaders and through all the ladies I met this weekend that attend his church. There was commercial that used to say that good cows produce good cheese! My friends there is some good cheese coming out of that church.

Sal asked how I felt when I got back. I said honey when I normally come back from a retreat I am blessed. This time I am feeling pressed. I said I feel pressed to make a change to be that change. There was a revival in my heart and Its time. It is time ladies that we stop wasting the time. Millie said it well, she said stop wasting time, but make time.

As I am closing I am really finding it in my heart to share some of my notes on some of the topics, so I think that the next couple of days I will be blogging a lil on each topic and my notes. If you are still with me on this blog, bless you heart, I appreciate it!

Praying for you, and signing out!

Monica