Face To Face

Face To Face
Anita Mondragon
 
We, Christians hear all the time that we need to have a relationship with Jesus.  We have all heard the Great Commandment…”To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.”  Why is this so important?


“May We Have Permission To Slap ‘Em Silly In Jesus’ Name”

“May We Have Permission To Slap ‘Em Silly In Jesus’ Name”
By Esther Hernandez
 
Wow!  “Heart Wide Open” just gets better and better. Meaning that God continues to move in my heart and allows me to see wonderful things in His word and in His people.  “May We Have Permission To Slap ‘Em Silly In Jesus’ Name” touched a time in my heart that I will never forget, nor do I want to.


Keep your hands in your pockets (then you won’t be able to slap them)

“Keep your hands in your pockets (then you won’t be able to slap them)”
By Anita Mondragon
 
As most of you know, my dad was a Baptist preacher for over forty years, so I saw many things from behind the scenes.  Many of those things were the ‘dark side’ of professing Christians.  They were the smiling faces of Christ Himself on Sunday morning…but catch them after church was over, and you’d be looking down the roaring mouth of Satan ready to devour anything in his path!

Read more…



Are Some of Us Stuck With Messed Up Mustard Seeds?

Here we are…almost at the end of this study.  I must say, I’m having mixed feelings about this book!  I’m enjoying it very much, but at the same time, it has opened my eyes and caused me to see a few things about myself that I KNEW were there, but I’d denied them for years!  Why?  Because they are UGLY!  That’s the part I’m having trouble with…I think it’s called, “Conviction”!
 

Read more…



Does God Want Out Of Our Quiet Time?

Well…I must admit…Shellie hit me right between the eyes a few times in this chapter!

My intentions are good. The desire of my heart to be close with the Father, is sincere! But I get distracted very easily! I’m like those birds in her back yard she was talking about. Some new idea strikes me…and off I run to pursue it. Instead of falling on my knees in prayer, looking in Scripture to see if this is what HE wants…I decide it’s a ‘good’ thing…and run after it. This has gotten me into more trouble than I care to think about!

Read more…



I Suppose CliffsNotes Are Out

The title of chapter three in the study book Heart Wide Open is, I Suppose CliffsNotes are out.  That got me to thinking…”What are CliffsNotes anyway?”  I asked a few folks, and finally looked it up on Google.  The definition was, a series of student study guides….    It still didn’t make sense to me, so I looked up the Urban definition and here’s what it said:  

“I got the cliffnotes.” noun. Used to brush people off during a potentially long-winded story or explanation of current events.
When someone is talking or telling you a story and you don’t want to hear it, say “Thanks but I have the cliffnotes,” to shut them up. This works in many ways, like if someone asks if you’ve seen a movie, etc., you can say you have the cliffnotes (to the movie). You can experiment and enjoy (ticking) peopleoff.
by mike viviano June 13, 2007
 

In other words…

Read more…



I Know I’m Not A Super Saint!

As I read chapter 2 of Heart Wide Open, I again could see myself.  I know I’m not a “Super Saint”!  I am anything but!

I’m more like the children of Israel.  I know God’s promises to be true…I’ve experienced them many times.  I can recall several times when He rescued me from certain death.  Times when He proved to be The God of, More than enough!’  But, like them, I seem to forget often!  They wandered in the wilderness for forty years….  Why?  It surely wasn’t because of God!  He promised to give them the land…but they were afraid.

Read more…



Heart WideOpen

I began reading the book, Heart Wide Open, and like many of you, as I began to read this book, I could see myself in it’s pages. I’ve gone to church pretty much all my life. I know what the Bible has to say. I am a born-again Believer. …But my “relationship” with Jesus, most times is not as intimate as it should be!
 
Oh yes, I have my moments where He is all I need and want, but they are far and few between. He’s heard me say that I love Him. I tell Him that almost every time I pray. But in all honesty, I don’t always live like I love Him. Read more…