Be Encouraged!

Easter, what a weekend! Every year as I grow more and more in my faith, the message of Easter literally blows my mind. A loving God would send His only son to die on a cross for our sins, to suffer more than any person, but to RISE again on the third day! WOW! What a picture of love.

It was such an awesome time of rest for us, as well as Jacob's 29th birthday so we made it a good weekend. Thursday afternoon we met with a new doctor. I am pretty skeptical of doctors these days. In my 15 years of health problems, I have had my fair share of "poor practicing." We really prayed as we have sought a doctor for help, left another to see this guy. Can I just tell you that God blew us away! This man, who we found out while we were there is a believer, spent almost an hour with us in his office. That's just unheard of! He was thorough and he actually listened to us and didn't discredit all the research I had done, but completely agreed with me. Praise the Lord! All I can say! I left that appt. filled with even more hope and absolutely giddy! I was thanking the Lord as I drove from the medical center down the freeway towards home. I was so overwhelmed that all I could get out, over and over, was "thank you Lord, thank you!"

About three exits before I mine, I noticed an 18 wheeler. This is nothing out of the ordinary for Houston traffic. I can see as I get closer that there are words painted on the back of the cab. In all caps, here's what I read that took my breath away, "BE ENCOURAGED." Oh Lord, I am! I quickly and carefully snapped a picture with the phone, so I could remember this little gift.

"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." 2 Thess 2:16

He's such an amazing God, who even today still sends us words of hope and encouragement. Friends, I encourage you today to not miss out on the Savior's voice. It's all around us, but we miss it because everything else in our lives is too loud. I am the worst offender. I can be so like Martha, who's doing everything BUT sitting at the feet of my Lord. Oh Lord, that I might be STILL and listen for you. He speaks through others, through His precious Word, in the stillness of a glorious day, and even on 18 wheelers. I am grateful.

Be encouraged.

Dear Baby Grace

Sweet Baby Grace,

Today is the day that you were due to arrive. I can't believe time has flown by so fast. We had much different ideas when we first learned about you. We thought we'd get to meet you, get to count your tiny fingers and toes, rock you to sleep, sing songs over you. I would have welcomed the nausea and the stretch marks and swollen feet, if only to hold you. We thought we'd have you here with us and begin a life as three. But Jesus had other plans, didn't He? I have cried many tears of pain and sorrow over your leaving. I have never felt such utter emptiness as I did when you left this place. I have felt angry at times and then I have felt despair and truly my tears had become my food. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about you, my sweet precious one. Not one day! I want you to know that I promised the Lord that I would wake up today and I would not mourn, no sweet girl, I promised Him that I would praise His name and am resolved to have joy!

God knit you together in me for a short time, and then welcomed you wholly into His arms! What a glorious thought! You were made whole in Him and new, pure as snow. You never felt pain or sorrow. I never had the chance to kiss a skinned knee or combat a high fever, although the Lord knows I would have. I don't have to protect you because you are with the Great Protector. You are a daughter of the Most High and today you stand in His presence. That thought alone makes me smile.

We named you Baby Grace because your short life and memory embodies God's abundant, unwavering grace over our family. He has since poured out His grace and mercy over your daddy and me as we look towards the future with great hope! Never in my entire life have I known more love and faithfulness from Him than I do now because of your tiny life. Even in your death, He was "working everything out for our good" because we deeply love Him. I didn't understand then, but I do now even these few months later. Because of what He took away, we have been given a deeper faith. Praise you Lord, that you do give and take away! I know that even when I can't see He still moves. He stirs my heart to song even when the depths of my soul ache with a misery unlike any I've ever known. He is here, He really never leaves us and He certainly hasn't forsaken your mommy. He reminds me to keep dancing when there are times that I want to sit this one out. We have learned that His plan is more invisible than His face and His ways and thoughts are higher than we can comprehend, and that's OK! He has brought your daddy and I closer than we have ever been, there are times when all we can do is ask Jesus for more grace, more peace, and a deeper faith. We pray everyday that we are bringing Him glory and if this is the road He's asked us to travel for now, we delight in Him and declare that we are His faithful servants! After all, if anyone understands our pain little sister, it's our Heavenly Father who gave up His Son to death. Sweet daughter, thank you for being used by the Lord to teach us so many life changing lessons.

Grace, I often wonder what you look like. Even in your glorified state, do you have my eyes and blonde locks and your daddy's nose and smile? Do you have an amazing sense of humor and a passion for others like the both of us? Do you sing to the Lord the songs He has placed in your heart? Do you have a deep, intimate love for people? Are you an encourager like me? I had a special word from the Lord a few weeks ago as I thought about you. He reminded me how much he loved you and how he made you like me in so many ways! I was moved to tears at that very thought. You are an arrow in His quiver my child. We will see you one day precious baby! I think of that sweet reunion often, and know the Lord will delight in it. More importantly, we can't wait to see Jesus face to face and worship Him with you for eternity.

Until then, Happy Birthday sweet Grace.

Love Always,


Mommy


I debated a long time over publishing this here. This has been a deep, intimate pain which has rocked me to the core and I still can't fully describe it without tears and Kleenex. However, as I prayed over this, I begin to think of all the ways God has already used our story to minister to others going through the same or similar circumstances. I also thought about how He has changed our lives tremendously over these past months, we have never loved and desired Him more. If my deepest desire is to bring Him glory in this storm because we certainly haven't put the umbrella away yet, then I can't keep silent. From the first post on this Blog, I have always sought to share my heart here. Not in some proud, self-righteous declaration but because if you know me, you know my heart. I am simply being me. I am no great saint or even a "super Christian" (far from both), I have really bad days where I feel myself looking over the edge of life and I am ready to give up. I feel like Job, but it's those pesky voices in my head that tell me to "curse God and die", not my friends or loved ones. Then there are days where I do "cast my burdens" and the load is lighter and I "soar on eagle's wings, I run and do not grow weary or faint". Those are the days that I feel just a little smoother in the Potter's hand.

So, as you read this today, wherever life finds you, I hope you see the depth of my love for my Creator BECAUSE, not in spite of our circumstances. Friends I pray for your seasons, seasons of heartache and trial, seasons of joy and blessing, that wherever your life is, you'll cling to the promises of God because He will come for you, comfort you, and make you new.

Deepest Blessings,

-Cristina

A Time To Dance

I've been MIA on the blog world lately. Work has been really busy and I am holding on for dear life as I make it to the end of the month. Praying things slow down!

We still don't know where my husband's next project is going to be, there is an inkling that it will be here, but we don't want to get too excited yet.

I have been having some tests run a the doc, so it's been a little crazy with that as well. God is good though and we trust Him completely.

I feel God's hand resting over us in uncertain times. He's really deepening our faith, which is a beautiful thing....yet sometimes we feel the sandpaper of His love scratching away the rough spots and it hurts! We believe that everything we go through is to bring Him glory and it's our vow to make it so.

A couple Sundays ago, we were sitting in church. Unlike most Sundays, where worship begins with an upbeat, on-your-feet song, this service began with the lights low and the music quiet and reverent. I took this time to be still and to pray in my seat. Let me digress, the prior week was a rough one and I really felt hard-pressed and somewhat defeated, emotionally exhausted if you will. On the way home Friday, I prayed and asked the Lord to bless me. Yep, sure did. "Lord, I need something, I need to know you're near!" Friday night sent me into another shock wave and it was far from a blessing. I felt totally deserted. I wept in my husband's arms for the second week in a row. I asked the Lord to make me brave, to give me more strength, more faith. Back to Sunday at church, there I am worshipping, praying, head in my hands. As clear as day I heard Him say, "Dance!" I picked my head up and looked around as though I expected it came from somewhere else or that He wanted me to start dancing. "Daughter, dance!" "Dance in sorrow, dance in pain, dance in joy." "Dance!" "Remember, I can do IMPOSSIBLE things." By this time, I am literally weeping. The kind where your body shakes and you need to blow your nose ASAP, yes that kind. Luckily, I composed myself before the lights came up and I didn't have to get up and leave. On the drive home I told Jacob what had happened. He quickly reminded me that the Lord had sent His blessing, His voice......in His time! He sent this gift on the Sabbath, a day to rest and remember, a day to worship and sing praise. As Jacob reminded me, it wasn't just a command, it was a promise! I will dance! That night, I referenced every verse with the word "dance". I had to take a breath. Two key verses used the word dance as an opposite to mourning. God was promising me that He would remove my sackcloth, my mourning and that I would dance.

"A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance" Ecc. 3:4

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!" Psalm 30:11-12

So my friends, wherever today finds you. I pray that you dance...dance in sorrow, dance in pain, dance in joy! Just dance.

Black Bean Tostadas

I made this for dinner last night, it was really good! I made it in under 30 minutes, so it's good when you need something fast. I am going to try and hit up the Farmer's Market for organic produce this weekend. I will let everyone know how it fairs.

Needed:

4 Whole Wheat Tortillas

150z can of sodium free black beans rinsed and drained

2 Tbsp of canola oil

2 tsp of paprika

1/2 tsp of dried oregano

1 cup of diced onion

1 cup of shredded mozarella cheese (I use the vegan mozerella, but if you can have dairy, get the best mozarella)

1 cup of fresh salsa

1 lb of swiss chard chopped (I used about four big leaves)

4 tsp of minced garlic

bunch cilantro chopped

Preheat the oven to 425 and spray each side of the tortillas with cooking spray. Cook for 8-10 minutes on a cookie sheet, until crispy. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a skillet on medium high heat, add onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the beans, paprika, and oregano and turn heat down to medium and cook for about 10 minutes. I addded the cheese in after 8 minutes. Chop the swiss chard and heat the other tbsp of oil in another skillet and add garlic. Cook until garlic begins to brown, then add chard and cover for 5 minutes. Top the tostadas with the cheesy-beans, garlic-greens, salsa, cilantro, and whatever else you desire.

These are colorful and really good for you! Best of all, its fast! Enjoy!

Survery-Get to Know Your Friends!

I saw this on Becky Kiser's blog and thought it sounded fun, so thank you Becky! If you read my blog, I'd love for you to do this as well.

1. High heels or boots? Heels, I have three inch black patent on right now
2. What time did you get up this morning? 7:00am
3. Diamonds or Pearls? Diamonds are a girl's best friend
4. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Curious Life of Benjamin Button-highly recommend it!
5. What is your favorite TV show? Grey's ( I know, guilty!), Biggest Loser, and The Office.
6. What do you usually have for breakfast? Steel but oats with almond milk and brown rice syrup with hot tea
7. What is your middle name? Lynn
8. What food do you dislike? liver and most meat
9. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Roger's CD, awesome worship music
10. Favorite sandwich? veggie burger with avocado and sprouts
11. What characteristic do you despise? cheating to get ahead in life and sarcasm
12. Clothing? I love Banana Republic....that's probably where I get most of my clothing
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation? Greek Isles
14. Are you an organized person? very, but lately I feel that I am slipping
15. Where would you like to retire to? California or Austin
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? this last one with my family and grandmother before she was sick
17. What are you going to do when you finish this? get back to work
18. Furthest place you are sending this? not sure
19. Person you expect to send it back first? also not sure
20. When is your birthday? July 24th
21. Morning person or a night person? Night, but some days I wake up a morning person
22. What is your shoe size? 7
23. Pets? Pups, Bailey and Lola
24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? No, just glad Jacob is home.
25. What did you want to be when you were little? a veteranarian
27. What is your favorite flower? Sunflowers are up there and pink roses.
28. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? March 3rd
29.What was the last thing you ate? Other than breakfast.....dinner was Korean mung bean pancakes with dipping sauce, steamed brocolli, and soft brown rice
31. Do you wish on stars? When I was a little girl I did
32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? pink
33. How is the weather right now? nasty!
34. Last person you spoke to on the phone? hubby
35. Favorite soft drink? I gave them up and haven't had one since June. Man, I miss Coke! However, I do have the organic GingerAles on an as need basis
36. Favorite restaurant? Azuma
37. Hair color? dirty blonde
38. What was your favorite toy as a child? Teddy Rupskin or my Cabbage Patch dolls
39. Summer or winter? Summer before we breach 100 degrees
40. Chocolate or vanilla? vanilla. I am the only woman in the world who doesn't care for chocolate
41. Coffee or tea? hot tea
42. Do you want your friends to do this also? absolutely
43. When was the last time you cried? Last night when Jacob was reading me Streams in the Desert...it was really sweet
44. What is under your bed? the box for our TV, so we could repack it when needed....maybe some dog toys too
45. What did you do last night? made dinner and hung out with Jacob, then watched Three Amigos (I had never seen it).
46. What are you afraid of? spiders=terrified
47. Salty or sweet? Sweet, but I love salty too! In fact, both at the same time!
48. How many keys on your key ring? 3
49. How many years at your current job? 4 years
50. Favorite day of the week? Friday night
51. Positive or negative? positive always!
52. How many people will you send this to? who knows!
53. How many will respond? i hope some
54. Do you like finding out all this stuff about your friends? absolutely

One Year!

What a milestone! I can't believe we've been married for one year. It's amazing!

This year has been the best year of my life, as well as the hardest. As much as I wish I could say we had a wonderful year, we had a tough year, but it was still such a blessed year.

Let me recount the blessings of God:

1) My health went from being the poorest it's ever been to now where I am the healthiest I have ever been.
2) Our wedding day was spectacular and I will never forget the fun, joy, and love I felt that day.
3) We had a rough honeymoon, but an amazing redo honeymoon in California.
4) We got our two little blessings, Bailey and Lola who make us laugh and who are always thrilled to see us.
5) I have learned more in the my first year of marriage about trusting God when it's hard to see what lies ahead than I did my whole Christian life.
6) I am more in love with Jacob than I have ever been. He's such a rock and an encourager. What a precious gift he is to me.
7) The time that Jacob was gone made me treasure every moment with him. We spent a Sunday evening enjoying each other instead of saying goodbye. We got ready for work together today and drove in together. How awesome it was!
8) My love for the Lord has grown deeper as I have learned what it means to "become one flesh."
9) The relationship between my Jacob and my parents has grown significantly. They deeply love him and cherish him as a son-in-law.
10) I see God's hand in our lives and I feel that he is doing something in us and through us. It's such a peace to be in His will.


I love you Jacob Martin, thank you for pursuing me from the very beginning, for romancing me, and for giving me the moon!

Jacob Is Coming Home!

I can't believe I am writing this! God, you are so good! It was literally the day I wrote my last post on hope that Jacob called me to tell me that they were sending him home off the Pittsburgh project. He had done all that he could and they needed someone with a different expertise to finish this part of the project. SO in 48 hours, he will be here in my arms and my prayer is that we can go back to being "full-time" married people! Certainly, I am his wife all the time, but what I mean is now we can sleep in the same bed every night and not just three nights a week! Now, we can wake up together every morning! I can't wait to watch him put a tie on for work! Or maybe one Saturday we can actually do something together other than watch him work. I know this sounds silly, but the last four months have been super hard. I have never seen a man work so hard, spending every weekend pining away at the millions of items on his "to-do for work" list. I have prayed and begged God to some how bring him home, even though I honestly felt like I was asking for something impossible. I mean, how could anyone find a job in this economy with everyone on a hiring freeze? Oh, but our Lord is mighty and is bigger than a lost economy. He brought him home in a way I never thought possible! Praise you Lord!

Now, we are still trusting that God is in all things and will continue to hold us up. There is always a possibility that he could be sent on another out of town project meaning six months away starts over. There is always the worry that he could lose his job, as we watched 75,000 jobs go yesterday. But my heart and everything in me says, "trust." BE STILL AND KNOW....


Please keep us in your prayers. We serve a God who is capable of the incapable, He is limitless in the midst of limits, he is El Shaddai, all-sufficient! I can honestly say that I have felt Him so close to me these last months. I feel His power and I see it displayed in answered prayers. I am not afraid, I keep holding on to His promises. "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus."