"Beyond The Paint"

"There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever." ~2 Corinthians 4:18 (The Message)

When you begin to work on a house or drive through a neighborhood, what are the first things that come to mind? For many people, we see what’s on the outside and start to compare environments and houses to each other but is that truly all that is there? The Dallas Leadership Foundation is about leadership and building relationships however with everything comes projects but the projects aren’t just seen as a project and then you’re done but they are seen as a way to engage with others, build relationships, and show/ share Christ’s love to those being served.

In the end of June, we will be having a workday where we will be working on about 40 houses in 9 neighborhoods but right now we are in the pre-work stage and talking with the residents that own the homes. Today we were able to speak with the residents from 10 homes and with doing so; it became apparent that we need to be looking beyond the paint and beyond the walls of the homes. There is pain and hurt in many people’s lives and it seemed like at least half of the people we talked to recently this week have had a death in the family yet that would not have been apparent from the way some of them were acting and you wouldn't have been able to tell from the outside. It’s in those times that people need to be reminded of God’s love for them and that He is able to help them through the tough times in their lives. However, when looking on the outside, some of the houses aren’t in the worst shape but when you take the time to talk with the residents and get past the walls and paint then you will be able to reach out and be of encouragement and hope to those you come into contact with. It's then that you realise that the stories and what's going on goes beyond the paint and beyond what we can see.

It’s the same with people, many times we put up walls in our lives where we seem to be okay on the outside but on the inside we are hurting yet we want people to see the masks we put on rather than see the pain. Yet when we put up the walls and wear the masks there are times that we just wish that someone would see past the act and truly see beneath it all. We wonder if anyone will ever truly stop and ask how are we truly doing and take the time to truly get to know what’s going on… The same is true with houses, we are able to keep things clean and looking good on the outside yet once you walk inside the doors, then you get a better glimpse of what’s going on. You get an idea of how someone is living and what they are going through and when you take it a step further and engage in conversation with them then you can truly get to know them and their situation and are able to minister to them better and be the hope that they need and show them the love and light of Christ.

I have been a part of working on homes and doing service projects throughout high school and college and looking back I realize that very rarely did the group I was working with take the time to get to know those we were serving and truly get to know them. We only saw the exterior and “paint” but rarely ever went “inside” and have the chance to minister to the needs of those we were serving. Many times, we get so caught up in doing service projects and helping others and see it as something that we can check off of our list of things to do because we are Christians but then we are missing the entire purpose of being able to do the service project. If we only see it as a task then we forget about the relationship and about the person we are serving. We end up overlooking the person and seeing them as just a project rather than as a person and that’s not okay.

We need to start seeing what we do as ministry and being able to be the light and hope of Christ to others in this broken world and truly take the time to get to know someone and pray with them rather than see it as an agenda item and a box we can check off. We need to look beyond the paint that we can see and beyond the act that so many people put on get inside where we can see what is truly going on. It’s easy to get caught up in the business of things yet that shouldn’t be an excuse. We need to start seeing service projects and things we do as a way of engaging in relationships and getting to know someone so that we can get beyond what the eyes can see and get to where the soul is and what’s going on inside.

What meets the eyes can be deceiving but it’s what’s underneath and beyond the paint that we need to get to and bring the hope of Christ to. How is God calling you to look beyond the paint and beyond what meets the eyes and who is He calling you to reach out to and truly get to know rather than allowing what you see to deceive you? Someone may say they are okay but are they truly okay? A house may look in tact on the outside but once you get on the inside then is everything in tact or are things falling apart and needing a helping hand and the light of God?

While I'm Waiting

“Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.  You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ~Hebrews 10:35-36

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ~Galatians 6:9 


For many of us there is something that we are waiting for or we have in the past had to wait for something. There were times that we knew when we would get an answer and there were other times where we didn’t know when things would happen yet we just knew that God was calling us to wait. If you are anything like me then it’s super hard to be patient and wait, I would much rather see results and get answers right away yet there are times where God has to remind us to just be still and know that He is God. He calls us to wait for Him and for answers.

As I am working as  US-2 missionary in Dallas, TX and with the Dallas Leadership Foundation, there are times where I wonder when results will be seen, when changes will happen, when I will know fully why God brought me here, etc yet currently I do not know all those answers, I am in the waiting stage. It’s then that we have to be reminded that God is asking us and calling us to serve Him in our times of waiting and uncertainty.

We may not always know the answer and it may seem like we are in the waiting stage of things constantly but from scripture, we are promised that we will reap a harvest if we don’t give up and that we will receive what God has promised. It may be hard and we may be discouraged at times, we may be tired, we may be wondering why people aren’t showing up to things, and so forth yet we need to continue to preserver and trust God in the preparation that He is doing. He has gone before us and is preparing the work for us and he will come back behind us and follow through with what was started yet in the middle, we find ourselves doing the work and find ourselves wondering when things will happen. It’s then that we find ourselves in the waiting process and sometimes just want to fast forward our lives, our neighborhoods, our jobs, etc and see how things turn out since we can’t see the entire picture but the good news is that God knows what’s going to happen and He is at work.

He has chosen to use us as His faithful servants and at times He will call us to wait and will show us one piece of the puzzle to us at a time and then reveal the final picture to us when He’s ready. But when we find ourselves waiting, it’s not the time to be discouraged but to be serving God, worshipping God, praising Him, etc since He is still at work and we will see the harvest of our efforts if we continue to be faithful and worship God.

So be encouraged and don’t loose hope but know that God is at work and is preparing the harvest for us while we are waiting and possibly at a point where we don’t see the fruit of our labor and are left with only questions.

It may be painful and hurt to see things going slow but be patient and move forward boldly and with confidence that God is at work, that He is using you, and that a difference is being made. Wait on the Lord even when it’s not easy but with faith, know that things are happening and renewal is coming. Continue to serve the Lord and worship Him while waiting and continue running the race with confidence that change is happening and hope is coming about from the work that you are doing in the communities you live in and from everything that you are doing!

I’ll leave you with this scripture…

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. ~ Isaiah 40:29-31

So be encouraged and know that God is with you in the communities, He is working while we are waiting, and that the race is not over!

Leadership, service to others

When you hear about leadership, most of the time it’s about those who are in the front and are prominent in the operation of what’s going on yet there is one type of leadership that is often overlooked and the type of leadership that I have always resonated with the most and the type of leadership that Jesus exemplified and lived out during most of his ministry. That leadership is servant leadership and I feel like if you are involved in ministry then you are highly aware of this type of leadership and style of leading since that’s what ministry is.

Servant leadership is service to others and doing yourself what you would ask others to do. It’s not a dictatorship where people are afraid to be around you but it’s a ministry. Servant leadership draws people in rather than pushes them away. I would say that I have been a leader most of my life yet it’s not always been leading in front but more of walking along side others to get the job done and to encourage and assist with the process.

Servant leadership is discipleship and Jesus is the best example of what servant leadership can and should look like. While none of us are Jesus, we can still and should strive to live like He did and we can still lead through servant leadership. So what does that look like today? It looks like many things yet an easy way to extend servant leadership is to be of service to others and as I stated earlier, to lead by example and be willing to do what we ask others to do since if we aren’t willing to do it ourselves then why would someone else want to do it and why should we expect someone else to do it?

Servant leadership means leading by example and going first rather than pushing things onto someone else to do. Everyone has the capability to lead and everyone can be apart of servant leadership and become more like Christ by doing so. Lead by example and lead by serving others not by dictating and forcing people to do things since then you will have people following you and asking why you lead the way you do and act the way you do. Then there will be an open door for you to share about Christ and how you are following His example on how he led his disciples and everyone He came into contact with. After all, Jesus cleaned the feet of His disciples and Jesus came to serve and not to be served. He came to do the will of God his Father and to make a difference.

So, how is God calling you to be a servant leader? Is He calling you to volunteer your time to a service project, to listen to the stories of your neighborhood, to get involved, etc? Is God calling and asking you to go first rather than wait on someone else to take the first step? What are you waiting for?

Go ahead and take the first step and become a servant leader, a leader that’s not only leading but also being of service to others.

God provides when you're in His will

 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it  ~John 14:13-14

What is the will of God and how do we know when we are in His will? And will God truly give you whatever you ask for if you ask it in His name? These can be two very hard questions to answer yet they can also be simple at the same time. I believe that God’s will is to be one with us and for His name to be known. And for the second question, every prayer does get answered but it doesn’t always mean that we will be given what we ask for however, if we are in God’s will and ask in His name then yes we will be given what we ask for but it may take time and be a process, we aren’t given what we ask for overnight or at a blink of an eye.

You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. ~James 4:3

So, how do we know when we are in God’s will? I believe that there’s honestly no clear answer to this question however, if you are following God then you will know when you are in His will and when you are in your own will or desires.

I was attending a neighborhood association meeting yesterday and the neighborhood leader kept saying, “let me tell you how God works” and she told us about 3 instances that happened in the last month where you knew from her talking that she was in God’s will and He provided and gave her what she prayed for in His name.

1. At least a month ago someone broke into the community center and busted a window out and stole the television that was at the center. Insurance gave some money to help repair the window and replace the television but it wouldn’t have covered it all but the neighborhood leader got someone that is willing to help replace the window, install the new television, and place security locks and bars around the windows and the television to help prevent the same thing from happening again.

2. The center helps serve at least 300 people on average per month and her electricity at the center was turned off. She prayed about it and when she opened her email, she started reading a message that she had received and it was from someone that told her that he felt God placing it on him to reach out to her and see how he could assist and help her out. This came at the right time and he was able to help give a financial donation to help turn the electricity back on. Again, she was in God’s will and her prayer was answered and she was given what she had asked for.

3. The AC at the center stopped working and was putting out heat rather than air so it had to be looked at and fixed so the neighborhood leader that runs the community center had called a heating and electric company that was not her own however, she later received a call from her electric company saying that they had a dropped call from her. She didn’t know how she ended up with their number and calling them but she figured that since they were on the phone she would tell them what was wrong and have them come take a look at the heating and AC unit. The person that ended up showing up used to be a pastor and was a Christian. He was able to fix the problem and he only charged for the initial hour fee rather than an additional fee for the service that he had provided. Again, ask in Jesus name and whatever you ask will be given to you IF you are in His will.

In all 3 instances, the neighborhood leader found herself in a situation where all she could do was pray and ask for help and God provided every time however, most of the instances did not happen in the way that she may have expected and that’s the thing with asking in Jesus name. He says we will be given whatever we ask for but it may not always be in the way we expect or at the time we expect yet if we are in His will and doing His work and asking in His name (everything lining up and being one with God) then we shouldn’t have anything to worry about since He will provide and give us what we need… So really, we shouldn’t always ask what we want but rather what we need since we may not always be given what we want but we will always be given what we need.

It’s encouraging to see God at work and provide time and time again and hear stories of how God has provided and given us what we need. However, none of this would happen if we were not in God’s will and living as one with Him. As James 3 says above, if we ask wrongly and are only asking to make our desires and wants happen then we won’t receive but if we continue walking with God in unity with Him then we should know that there’s nothing to worry about and we will be given what we ask in His name.

So, what are you asking for? Are you in His will and asking accordingly or are you in your own will and trying to make something come about and happen that isn’t in God’s plan?

I know that before I graduated college, I was asking God to allow me to graduate with my teaching license and that there would be some way for me to still be a teacher yet all along I was asking in my will and not in God’s will. Even though I was praying in Jesus name, the initial answer to my prayer was no. Once I began going down the path God has planned for me then the answers started to become yes because I was in unity with what God wanted for me and it was according to His will. I had applied for 2 ministries before being accepted into the young adult program, the answer didn’t come as I had expected or according to my time yet I was eventually given what I had prayed for and asked for. I never expected to be in Texas or doing some of the work that I am but God was providing and brought me to the exact place that I needed to be and with the placement site that I was meant to be matched up with and working with! So, pray in God’s name and be in His will and He will provide and give you what you want and need if you are doing it in unity with Him!

Put your trust and faith in God and keep believing and things will be okay

True Missions...

“Missions is trusting and walking in obedience where God has placed you.”

I have often found myself asking the questions, “what is ministry and missions?” and “why did God send me to Texas when I have a passion for the Spanish culture and language?” It’s not every day that these questions come to mind but when they do then I find myself having to stop and truly take a look at what God has called me to.

Most people know that staying in the United States was not my first choice or places to be to do ministry and that I wanted to be in Latin America and using Spanish yet God placed me here in Texas. So, I was walking in obedience to God by coming to Texas but since I have been here, have I truly been trusting and walking in obedience to where He has placed me? When thinking about the question, part of me has to say no since there are times that I find myself not fully present to where God has placed me right now. However, I am slowly realizing more clearly why God brought me to Texas and not Latin America and having to learn to trust God and walk in obedience where He has placed me for now.

I graduated with a degree in Spanish and then God sent me to Texas yet I was not able to connect the dots or see what God was seeing or doing. However, I have to stop and realize that God has a plan and reason behind everything that He does, we just might not initially see that plan. So, what is God sent me to Texas because there was a need for Spanish so that more people could see the hope of Christ and build the gap between cultures that before wasn’t possible because of a language barrier? And what if God didn’t send me to Latin America because Spanish is the primary language and everyone is able to communicate with one another as is because of Spanish being the primary language or the area? What if God truly does have a bigger plan for me being down here in Texas than I realize?

None of the above, “what if’s” would be able to be answered if it weren’t for me being in mission and for the moment just trusting and walking in obedience to where He has placed me. Ministry truly is everywhere and in everything that we do yet it takes effort for us to remind ourselves that we just need to trust and continue walking in obedience to what God has for us and where He has us. I know for me, that means that I need to take a step back and allow God to work through me where I am and stop wondering why things didn’t work out as planned.

Missions for me right now is being present in the here and now and trusting and walking with God everywhere I go. It means engaging in relationships and hopefully showing those that I come into contact with the hope that is in Christ. Missions truly is everywhere but it takes effort to put aside our own expectations and desires and continuously trust and walk in obedience where God has placed us. God knows what He’s doing so we need to give up control and give it all over to God and allow ourselves to humbly walk through life and on the journey that God has prepared for each one of us. Being involved in missions is not easy but at the same time it can be very rewarding if we continue to trust and walk in obedience to where God has us and allow Him to lead us and everything we do rather than trying to do it on our own and in our own ways. 

I still don't fully understand or know why God brought me to Texas but all I know is that I need to daily trust and walk in obedience where He has placed me.

Calming the "Storms"

But Jesus was quick to comfort them. “Courage, it’s me. Don’t be afraid.” Peter, suddenly bold, said, “Master, if it’s really you, call me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come ahead.” Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!” Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, what got into you?” The two of them climbed into the boat, and the wind died down. ~Matthew 14:27-32 

The above passage is a very well known passage where we find Jesus walking on water and Peter having the courage to walk to Jesus but then gets frightened and unsure of what is going to happen when he realizes what is going on around him that he looses sight of Jesus and what He is doing, that he begins to find himself drowning and scared.

Ever since having heard this passage preached on last Sunday and going through a devotion, I am left wondering, where are our “Peter” moments? Meaning, where have we seen ourselves walking toward Jesus and then realize the “storms” around us that we loose sight of Jesus being right in front of us and we begin to sink? Where are the areas that we are asking, “what if” since that’s what Peter did. He essentially said, “I will leave the familiar and safety of the boat and what I know and come to you where I couldn’t go on my own” however when he realized what was going on and the trials (the waves), he started to ask, “what if” and found himself uncertain about his choice to step out on the water.

I feel like I can resonate with Peter in this story, I left my familiar behind when I came to Texas and told God that I would go where He was at and where He was calling me. I essentially said, “If you say to go, then I will go even if it is somewhere that I wouldn’t have seen myself going before” and God said, “GO!” and while things were great for a while, over time I have started to see the “storms” and have started to ask “what if?” 

With some possible transitions, I am left with seeing the waves rise up and I feel like I am drowning. I am praying for certainty in the uncertainty and praying that conversations and events have gone according to God’s will. Since being in Texas, it’s been a continuous thought and feeling that God was leading me down a specific path yet it has taken stepping away from the familiar and the routine to say, “God if you want this to happen then make it happen and don’t let me put it off… If you say do this then tell me and I will listen.” Yet once it got to a point where I found myself at the point of having to surrender to God and bring up what I have been feeling, some was reaffirmed yet instantly after thinking about it, I started to ask, “what if?” I am still in the “what if?” stage of what is currently taking place since I can’t see the bigger picture and I can’t see how things will evolve yet right now is when I feel God asking, “Faint-heart, what got into you?”

Right now is one of those times where you know God has been laying something on your heart and you knew it would come out eventually but it didn’t happen as planned yet you know that it had to of happen according to God’s plan and his timing yet in the midst of it, all you see if the waves and the uncertainty.

  

Jesus reached out His hand and caught Peter in the midst of his uncertainty when all he could see was the waves coming at him. He couldn’t see the bigger of picture of what was taking place or what God was doing yet he knew he had to look to Jesus and ask for help. Today, I am asking Jesus for help and to give me a since of certainty that things has recently went according to His plan and not mine. I see the “waves” in the questions that I have that currently have no answers and in the bigger picture of how things will work out that I can’t see yet I have to have peace and know that Jesus is saying, “I’ve got you and will catch you!” 

“God will catch you even if you fail if you boldly follow where He leads” I honestly feel like what has taken place this weekend was where God was leading me and has been placing a desire in me that He has been nourishing and waiting for the time for His to be expressed and released yet just like Peter, I said, “I will do it if you lead me and tell me to but Lord catch me in the moment since all I see are the waves and uncertainties of what just happened.” It’s cold boldness since it takes a step of faith and trust in God and discerning (spending time with Him) to truly hear His voice and see where He is leading you and what He is calling you to do…

It’s better to be Peter and take that step of faith and trusting God rather than just being a spectator and remaining in the boat and allowing things to go by and only going through the motions rather than truly embracing what God has for you.

If there's anything I can be praying for you about, please let me know and feel free to leave a comment and thankc for reading and continuing to follow me on this journey that God has placed me on!

Prayer requests:

• Pray for there to be certainty in the uncertainty
• Pray for peace of mind in regards to the direction that I have been feeling God leading me
• Pray for my family during tribulation that some are facing
• Pray for God to continue working in and through the Dallas Leadership Foundation and myself
• Pray for redirection when things may fail
• Pray that the Youth Leadership Movement department finds a place to have “Spark” Camp this summer for students and youth
• Pray for me as I continue training for a 5K race and for God to place me where He wants
• Pray that God would be in every conversation that takes place in regards to changes that may take place
• Pray for the Neighborhood Community Development department as we continue to engage in conversation with neighborhood residents and leaders and show/ share the hope in Christ to them