by Mike Mondragonn  

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness as a bridegroom bedecks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” Isaiah 61:10

by Anita Mondragon

“NOW is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”  2 Corinthians 6:2

In John 10:9, Jesus said: “I am the door.  If anyone enters by ME, he will be saved.”  One day, the door of God’s mercy will close.  Our response to Jesus, and His offer of salvation will determine our destination.  Come now…while the door of mercy is still open!

I walked among the dead today;

I saw their markers in a row…

And not a sound was heard at all,

No one was sure just how the fire had started.  Perhaps it had begun in the basement of the building where some old rags had been stored too close to the furnace and ignited. As the crowd in the street looked on in dismay, a man shouted, “Look!” as he pointed to the window full of smoke.  A brave young fireman had gone up just moments before on a ladder and crawled through the burning window to look for survivors.  Now, here he was, coming back out!  As he stepped onto the first rung of the ladder, the crowd cheered with a loud voice.  Everyone was relieved that he had made it!  But…something was wrong!

I have a laser light I use when I play with my cat.  She’s an indoor pet, and although she is only a year old, she’s already fat from lack of exercise.  She loves the interaction between us, and becomes quite grumpy and aggressive if I fail to have play-time with her on a daily basis. As she and I played this morning, I heard God say to me, “You know what Neat (that’s my nickname), you’re just like that cat.  You’ve become fat and lazy…almost complacent in your prayer life.  If you would just interact with me on a daily basis, you wouldn’t be so frustrated!” Are you sitting in the boat next to me, or am I all alone here?  Do you only pray when you need something, and can’t seem to ‘fix it’ by yourself?  Just like my cat needs to interact with me, I…YOU…WE, need to talk and commune with God every day!  We’ll be much happier if we do! …As a matter of fact…everyone around us will be happier too! By:  Anita Mondragon

Looking up at the almost naked trees, I could see new life trying to come forth.  Small green buds were popping out of the branches, pushing off the last dead clinging leaves.  The trees would soon be in full bloom…lush…green…beautiful!

It had become a ritual for Braden to walk the small parcel of land left to him by his father.  It was almost as important to him as his morning devotions. In the middle of the property, was a small pond.  On hot days, he would stoop down to drink from its coolness.  It was so beautiful…like a small oasis, with tall trees lining its edges and giving shade to the weary traveler! The pool sparkled so cool and clean, its contents so refreshing.  It was his sanctuary…his refuge.