My blog has moved to: http://shewritesstories.weebly.com/
Libros que he leido / MandyMaria's Notes
14 September 2012
11 August 2012
What do men expect from Women??
Six months ago I walked into a Bible study and met my good friend Nelson. Well, everyone else calls him Nelson, but his first name reminds me of one of my favorite Tios, so I call him Francisco. Anyway, he's guest-blogging tonight about what men expect from women. . . Christian men of course, because us women aren't getting any younger and we don't need to be messing around with agnostic fools. His usual blog is http://www.fnelson.weebly.com/ Enjoy his thoughts!
What do Men expect from women? Let’s get right to the point, because we have a long list of things we expect from you women. We men expect for our food to be ready and properly cooked by the time we get to a clean home. The house smelling like fresh Fabuloso “you know the purple stuff” and the kids already in bed. We aren’t trying to deal with foolishness at home on top of the crazy day we had at work. We men will also look forward to not hearing how your day went, so don’t expect us to really pay any attention when you’re talking to us in the middle of a game. On a Sunday morning don’t expect us to get up just to go to church, we have to be right back to work on Monday, a day to ourselves is what we need…
…Women, REAL MEN expect for you to not even consider dating a fool who has those type of expectations, and that’s the only expectation we have for you women, to recognize a fool when you see one coming miles away.
Ladies, we men are dumb, it’s just that simple. We will try to fix a pluming problem knowing that we have no type of prior experience. But we do it to show you that we are the men. Regardless of how foolish it looks, the only thing we want from you is to think and say, “Babe, you look sexy in those jeans.”
What does a man really want?
We want beautiful Godly women who understand that life is not going to be perfect, that we may not be able to provide everything you once dream of having, but will still love us. We want women to understand that we will have trials and circumstances that will devastate us in our lives, but because we have Christ as the center of it all, the storm shall too pass. We want a woman who knows that we need a HERO who are kids can call Mom, because when daddy is at work and ‘lil Junior gets hurt, mommy will come to save the day.
We men look forward to having a woman of God who believes in herself, in her inner beauty, knowing that with or without makeup she is still the apple of our eye. A woman who walks with her head held high, but still powerful enough to know that she has a husband whose covering she falls under.
We want a woman who is not afraid of a step of Faith. We are a mess and many times we don’t know what we are doing, but when we clearly hear from God we want you to not question that. If He is calling us to move to some jungle in Peru to go and spread the Gospel, will you leave everything behind to go and serve God?
As I begin to close, I want the girl of my dreams to be the girl of my real life.
I want her to be just like me, by that I mean, when I move she moves, just like that! Because when God moves I move, just like that! We should always strive to be on one accord, a couple who does not move outside the will of God and if an when we do, that we will pick ourselves up, find council from our overseers, and continue to strive for excellence.
There is so much more that I can say, but finally I’ll close with this,
The ONLY thing that Men really want is for women all around to know that when a hurricane, earth-wake, tsunami, tornadoes, or a falling star shows up at the front door, that if we only believe, trust and have faith in our Lord that His PERFECT Love will keep us united, praying all day and all night together, hearing only the advice of those who we TRUST in our lives as leaders and that which comes from God. I can guarantee you that upon the entrance of My house, there will be one verse that will always stand FIRM AND STRONG, “Joshua 24:15” Amen.
Ps: I do like the fabuloso smell…
“A simple guy living a BOLD life for Christ” –Francisco Nelson
What do Men expect from women? Let’s get right to the point, because we have a long list of things we expect from you women. We men expect for our food to be ready and properly cooked by the time we get to a clean home. The house smelling like fresh Fabuloso “you know the purple stuff” and the kids already in bed. We aren’t trying to deal with foolishness at home on top of the crazy day we had at work. We men will also look forward to not hearing how your day went, so don’t expect us to really pay any attention when you’re talking to us in the middle of a game. On a Sunday morning don’t expect us to get up just to go to church, we have to be right back to work on Monday, a day to ourselves is what we need…
…Women, REAL MEN expect for you to not even consider dating a fool who has those type of expectations, and that’s the only expectation we have for you women, to recognize a fool when you see one coming miles away.
Ladies, we men are dumb, it’s just that simple. We will try to fix a pluming problem knowing that we have no type of prior experience. But we do it to show you that we are the men. Regardless of how foolish it looks, the only thing we want from you is to think and say, “Babe, you look sexy in those jeans.”
What does a man really want?
We want beautiful Godly women who understand that life is not going to be perfect, that we may not be able to provide everything you once dream of having, but will still love us. We want women to understand that we will have trials and circumstances that will devastate us in our lives, but because we have Christ as the center of it all, the storm shall too pass. We want a woman who knows that we need a HERO who are kids can call Mom, because when daddy is at work and ‘lil Junior gets hurt, mommy will come to save the day.
We men look forward to having a woman of God who believes in herself, in her inner beauty, knowing that with or without makeup she is still the apple of our eye. A woman who walks with her head held high, but still powerful enough to know that she has a husband whose covering she falls under.
We want a woman who is not afraid of a step of Faith. We are a mess and many times we don’t know what we are doing, but when we clearly hear from God we want you to not question that. If He is calling us to move to some jungle in Peru to go and spread the Gospel, will you leave everything behind to go and serve God?
As I begin to close, I want the girl of my dreams to be the girl of my real life.
I want her to be just like me, by that I mean, when I move she moves, just like that! Because when God moves I move, just like that! We should always strive to be on one accord, a couple who does not move outside the will of God and if an when we do, that we will pick ourselves up, find council from our overseers, and continue to strive for excellence.
There is so much more that I can say, but finally I’ll close with this,
The ONLY thing that Men really want is for women all around to know that when a hurricane, earth-wake, tsunami, tornadoes, or a falling star shows up at the front door, that if we only believe, trust and have faith in our Lord that His PERFECT Love will keep us united, praying all day and all night together, hearing only the advice of those who we TRUST in our lives as leaders and that which comes from God. I can guarantee you that upon the entrance of My house, there will be one verse that will always stand FIRM AND STRONG, “Joshua 24:15” Amen.
Ps: I do like the fabuloso smell…
“A simple guy living a BOLD life for Christ” –Francisco Nelson
02 August 2012
Thoughts on a train
I believe love exists, but I've never found it.
I believe I have a homeland, but
I've never seen it.
There are a thousand reasons to be
sad and miserable, and just one to be happy:
I made it through the night. I do not know what war my protecting angels had while I was sleeping, but another day has come and I find myself alive.
Estoy Vivo.
I believe I have a homeland, but
I've never seen it.
There are a thousand reasons to be
sad and miserable, and just one to be happy:
I made it through the night. I do not know what war my protecting angels had while I was sleeping, but another day has come and I find myself alive.
Estoy Vivo.
14 July 2012
Lot's Lot In Life
Ever know someone who seems to do everything right? I've been reading about Abraham & Sarah recently, and I've been stuck on Lot for about four days now. He was Abraham's nephew by way of Abraham's brother Haran. Both his father and his grandfather died, so he ended up traveling with Abraham. I wonder if he ever thought about staying with his other uncle, Nahor? Was Abraham more wealthy than Nahor, or did Lot get along better with Abraham than with Nahor?
I guess it doesn't matter since history tells us that Lot left Ur and all that and journeyed south with Abraham.
If I skip ahead in Lots life, to wen he has separated from his family and is off living in the Jordan Valley city-states of Sodom & Gomorrah, I noticed a couple of thing which mattered a lot to me:
1.) Abraham interceded for Lot's city.
2.) God was open to haggling over saving the city (see Ezekiel 18:32)
3.) Lot, a man of dubious righteousness, does something interesting:
When Lot and his family are leaving the valley, the Lord says to run into the mountains, and there they will be saved, Lot begs that the Lord spare a little town called "Zoar." The Lord agrees and this town, alone in all the valley was spared.
The scriptures say that Lot was scared of the people and so that is why he left & went to the cave. But why? The Lord had told him he could stay in Zoar. And if the Lord was on his side, then the Lord would have provided for Lot. Why the fear?
Anyway, that's what I was thinking over this week. No big revelation, just lots of little questions.
Speaking of questions, at Calvary Chapel on Wednesday a former Agnostic spoke at church. He reminded us that our prayers do matter, and he discussed Faith. I loved the sermon and now I think I'd like hear more. This, together with the reading I was meditating on this week reminded me how it is important to pray for the unbelievers.
I guess it doesn't matter since history tells us that Lot left Ur and all that and journeyed south with Abraham.
If I skip ahead in Lots life, to wen he has separated from his family and is off living in the Jordan Valley city-states of Sodom & Gomorrah, I noticed a couple of thing which mattered a lot to me:
1.) Abraham interceded for Lot's city.
2.) God was open to haggling over saving the city (see Ezekiel 18:32)
3.) Lot, a man of dubious righteousness, does something interesting:
When Lot and his family are leaving the valley, the Lord says to run into the mountains, and there they will be saved, Lot begs that the Lord spare a little town called "Zoar." The Lord agrees and this town, alone in all the valley was spared.
The scriptures say that Lot was scared of the people and so that is why he left & went to the cave. But why? The Lord had told him he could stay in Zoar. And if the Lord was on his side, then the Lord would have provided for Lot. Why the fear?
Anyway, that's what I was thinking over this week. No big revelation, just lots of little questions.
Speaking of questions, at Calvary Chapel on Wednesday a former Agnostic spoke at church. He reminded us that our prayers do matter, and he discussed Faith. I loved the sermon and now I think I'd like hear more. This, together with the reading I was meditating on this week reminded me how it is important to pray for the unbelievers.
16 June 2012
BE A HERO
Dear Brothers
You may not marry me. You may not even marry any of my friends, or my sisters, or my cousins or even any of the girls you know now. This isn’t important. What is important is the kind of man you will be when you do marry your beauty, your treasure, your heart’s love. This is about the man you will be even before you know her, and yes, even after her days on earth are ended. I dare you to be a hero.
I know something about superheroes. I’ve met 6 personally. I hope one day to meet one more. For example I know how to identify them. For instance, I met one in a pew at an Easter Play in the spring of 1991 (see Mark 15:39), and later in the school year when my teacher asked everyone who their heroes were, many of the students said Batman, Superman, Firemen, their parents, their dog etc. I said Jesus. Jesus was my hero because he was the perfect One who took my punishment for the bad things I had done. Not only that, but he was my always-there friend, who looked out for my best interests. This is a hero. Batman didn’t die for me. Superman didn’t take a nail to the fist for me. A fireman didn’t walk take conquer hell for me. Jesus did.
You will not be a superhero. There is truly only one Superhero, and his name is Jesus. You will however have the opportunity throughout your life to be a hero. With the Holy Spirit as your guide you can become this. The question is, will you? I have known six heroes in my life, and I have known three villains. The line between villain and hero is called “free will,” and whether you are a hero or a villain depends on what side of the line you fall on. Allow me to show you some examples of my heroes. Maybe they'll become yours too.
There once was a man who was well educated, but he has spent more than 40 years rising before dawn to provide for his family. He raised his sons to be one-woman men, who love Jesus and provide for their families. His sons, nephews, cousins, grandchildren, pastors, evangelists, and friends can come to him for advice. He offered his advice and then always prays for these people. Always. Sometimes he catches them off-guard, when he places a firm hand on their shoulder, but he prays for them. This man has always said to me, “Look only to Jesus, not to pastors, or preachers or men. Look only to Jesus, He is the only man who has ever died for your soul. “ This is my maternal grandfather. He is a hero.
There once was a man who got up at dawn to pray every day. He sought to please the Lord in everything he did. He married the woman God had given him, and loved only her for his whole life. He worked for the Lord in the badlands, in the country, and in the tropics. It did not matter if the Lord gave or took away; this man knelt humbly before his God every day of my life. He learned through many trials and frustrations that God has made the man for Himself and that nothing else would satisfy. He taught his daughters that “All men are pigs, and their only redeeming quality is Jesus.” This man was my father. He is a hero.
There once was a man who was proud of his heritage. He faced a lot of trials because of his appearance and because of his disposition. Still, he was for his family. When his oldest nieces got their own apartment on the edges of a city two states away, he drove more than five hours to a party that the young ladies had invited him and his family to. He only stayed for a couple of hours, and he went home the same day, but his presence, and the distance he crossed to spend an evening with the young ladies and their friends, spoke of devotion to family that few could rival. This man was also one of my uncles. He is a hero.
There once was a man gifted with praises. He could sing any note on any instrument created under heaven. He led music at family gatherings and led his church in music. He was not proud, and did not demand his own way. He began a tradition of serenading the neighbors every Christmas, blessing them with the joy of the Lord. He knew how to tell a joke, how to laugh, but most importantly, when devastation visited his niece’s household two years ago, he was among those that prayed. He was among those that cried. And his tears, as much as his songs, were a kind of comfort. This man also was one of my uncles. He is a hero.
There once was a man who was healed. He could always be found in church, and soon no one expected to find him anywhere else. His niece would visit him and his wife every winter break for years. One year after his niece’s first failed romance, he gave these words of advice, “You don’t need to date everyone you’re attracted to. Put another way there will be people you are attracted to who will only be your friends, learn how to deal with this. Seek the Lord in your single years, and trust him to be faithful with your future husband.” This advice saved his niece from much heartbreak. This man was also one of my uncles, he is a hero.
There once was a man who worked in The City. He knew famous bands before they became famous bands, famous athletes before they became famous athletes and famous actors before they became famous actors. He was well read, and well spoken. One day his niece was locked out of the house. He left The City and drove and unlocked the house. Not only this, but he came in, ate a meal and asked his niece about her spiritual life. “Look for a leader,” he said. “There are a lot of scripture on leaders, look for a leader as you study the Bible.” This is my youngest uncle. He is a hero.
What do you notice about these heroes of mine? Perhaps you noticed that they were all disciples of my Superhero. Or perhaps you noticed something more fundamental, they were all actively PRESENT. The first step in becoming a hero is to be present. The second step is to direct your audience’s eyes to God. If you are doing this you are a hero. Will you do this? Will you pray for those who seek your council? Will you start your every day in communion with your Savior? Will you cross distances to be with those who need you, even if it seems futile? Will you sing with those who sing and mourn with those who mourn? Will you make time for those who need a friend, and will you encourage the discouraged around you? Will you leave your prestige to spend a meal with someone who needs you, discussing the things that matter?
If you are truly a follower of Jesus, you have hero potential. You have that one redeeming quality, and I will always encourage that. I will always root for you, and believe the best in you.
You may not marry me. You may not even marry any of my friends, or my sisters, or my cousins or even any of the girls you know now. This isn’t important. What is important is the kind of man you will be when you do marry your beauty, your treasure, your heart’s love. This is about the man you will be even before you know her, and yes, even after her days on earth are ended. I dare you to be a hero.
I know something about superheroes. I’ve met 6 personally. I hope one day to meet one more. For example I know how to identify them. For instance, I met one in a pew at an Easter Play in the spring of 1991 (see Mark 15:39), and later in the school year when my teacher asked everyone who their heroes were, many of the students said Batman, Superman, Firemen, their parents, their dog etc. I said Jesus. Jesus was my hero because he was the perfect One who took my punishment for the bad things I had done. Not only that, but he was my always-there friend, who looked out for my best interests. This is a hero. Batman didn’t die for me. Superman didn’t take a nail to the fist for me. A fireman didn’t walk take conquer hell for me. Jesus did.
You will not be a superhero. There is truly only one Superhero, and his name is Jesus. You will however have the opportunity throughout your life to be a hero. With the Holy Spirit as your guide you can become this. The question is, will you? I have known six heroes in my life, and I have known three villains. The line between villain and hero is called “free will,” and whether you are a hero or a villain depends on what side of the line you fall on. Allow me to show you some examples of my heroes. Maybe they'll become yours too.
There once was a man who was well educated, but he has spent more than 40 years rising before dawn to provide for his family. He raised his sons to be one-woman men, who love Jesus and provide for their families. His sons, nephews, cousins, grandchildren, pastors, evangelists, and friends can come to him for advice. He offered his advice and then always prays for these people. Always. Sometimes he catches them off-guard, when he places a firm hand on their shoulder, but he prays for them. This man has always said to me, “Look only to Jesus, not to pastors, or preachers or men. Look only to Jesus, He is the only man who has ever died for your soul. “ This is my maternal grandfather. He is a hero.
There once was a man who got up at dawn to pray every day. He sought to please the Lord in everything he did. He married the woman God had given him, and loved only her for his whole life. He worked for the Lord in the badlands, in the country, and in the tropics. It did not matter if the Lord gave or took away; this man knelt humbly before his God every day of my life. He learned through many trials and frustrations that God has made the man for Himself and that nothing else would satisfy. He taught his daughters that “All men are pigs, and their only redeeming quality is Jesus.” This man was my father. He is a hero.
There once was a man who was proud of his heritage. He faced a lot of trials because of his appearance and because of his disposition. Still, he was for his family. When his oldest nieces got their own apartment on the edges of a city two states away, he drove more than five hours to a party that the young ladies had invited him and his family to. He only stayed for a couple of hours, and he went home the same day, but his presence, and the distance he crossed to spend an evening with the young ladies and their friends, spoke of devotion to family that few could rival. This man was also one of my uncles. He is a hero.
There once was a man gifted with praises. He could sing any note on any instrument created under heaven. He led music at family gatherings and led his church in music. He was not proud, and did not demand his own way. He began a tradition of serenading the neighbors every Christmas, blessing them with the joy of the Lord. He knew how to tell a joke, how to laugh, but most importantly, when devastation visited his niece’s household two years ago, he was among those that prayed. He was among those that cried. And his tears, as much as his songs, were a kind of comfort. This man also was one of my uncles. He is a hero.
There once was a man who was healed. He could always be found in church, and soon no one expected to find him anywhere else. His niece would visit him and his wife every winter break for years. One year after his niece’s first failed romance, he gave these words of advice, “You don’t need to date everyone you’re attracted to. Put another way there will be people you are attracted to who will only be your friends, learn how to deal with this. Seek the Lord in your single years, and trust him to be faithful with your future husband.” This advice saved his niece from much heartbreak. This man was also one of my uncles, he is a hero.
There once was a man who worked in The City. He knew famous bands before they became famous bands, famous athletes before they became famous athletes and famous actors before they became famous actors. He was well read, and well spoken. One day his niece was locked out of the house. He left The City and drove and unlocked the house. Not only this, but he came in, ate a meal and asked his niece about her spiritual life. “Look for a leader,” he said. “There are a lot of scripture on leaders, look for a leader as you study the Bible.” This is my youngest uncle. He is a hero.
What do you notice about these heroes of mine? Perhaps you noticed that they were all disciples of my Superhero. Or perhaps you noticed something more fundamental, they were all actively PRESENT. The first step in becoming a hero is to be present. The second step is to direct your audience’s eyes to God. If you are doing this you are a hero. Will you do this? Will you pray for those who seek your council? Will you start your every day in communion with your Savior? Will you cross distances to be with those who need you, even if it seems futile? Will you sing with those who sing and mourn with those who mourn? Will you make time for those who need a friend, and will you encourage the discouraged around you? Will you leave your prestige to spend a meal with someone who needs you, discussing the things that matter?
If you are truly a follower of Jesus, you have hero potential. You have that one redeeming quality, and I will always encourage that. I will always root for you, and believe the best in you.
13 June 2012
I'm at war with my car
My father knows cars very well. He knows how to change a flat, put air in a tire, replace brakes, and do all kinds of other things that I don't know how to do. At the same goes my ex boyfriends. And my uncle. And my cousins. They are all 1200 miles away. Unfortunately my own knowledge of cars is vastly limited to changing oil and putting gas in the car. This makes me feel very dependent on people. Yesterday a light turned on in my car, it was the "you need to put air in the tire" light. So like any responsible adult I drive to the gas station and I attempted to put air in my tire. It didn't work. I went to Bible study and I requested the help of two men who gave me suggestions on 32 pies or 32 PSI they said. I went to the gas station this morning and it didn't work. In a perfect world there would be no need to put air in tires. In the story that I'm writing right now, there are no cars thus no car accidents (of which I've been in eight) just your typical ancient world scenario.
I'm at war with my car.
I'm at war with my car.
09 June 2012
ExaminIng roots?
So in my current work-in-progress, I'm examining the role adoption plays in shaping who a child is. Of course, I didn't realize at the time that this is what I was doing. I thought I was writing a funny little story about a fisherman's son. Growing up, my family always took in children. From 1992-2010 we helped over 20 children in crisis. I was mostly the errand runner, the grocery shopper, the story reader, generally everyone's older sister (read: unsollicited advice giver) but somehow that helped. Somehow these things creeped into my story. Does your upbringing ever creep into your writing?
Isn't it amazing how aspects of our upbringing are always carried with us? I want to be involved in Millstone, & DJJ, children's ministry & disciplship in the fall because they are areas where my spirit says "here go." I can't explain the feeliing you get when you see clearly what it is your supposed to do. It's peace & stillness.
I've been having intense dreams lately too, which have been enlightening. While I don't think every dream is spiritual, I definnately think that some are.
WHAT I'M PRAYING ABOUT:
1. Certain former foster-siblings
2. Ministry opportunities
3. My future roommates
4. My desires and hopes for the future (which are mine & which are from God?)
WHAT I'M LISTENING TO:
1. Alex Campos "Lenguaje de Amor"
2. Andrea Bochelli "Amor"
WHAT I'M READING:
1. "Havah: the Story of Eve" by Tosca Lee
2. Psalms (Holy Bible NLT)
3. "The Weird Sisters" by Eleanor Brown
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)