Hope Alive

Courage

2010-07-29T12:51:00.001-07:00

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.
Walt Disney

Desire

2010-07-29T12:50:00.001-07:00

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.
E. B. White

Your mission....

2010-07-29T12:49:00.001-07:00

Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't.
Richard Bach

Experiment

2010-07-29T12:47:00.001-07:00

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Small Things

2010-07-29T12:46:00.001-07:00

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.
Mother Teresa

True Faith

2010-07-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired.
Martin Luther

Do you see Jesus in your clouds? If you want to, read on...:)

2010-07-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

"Behold, He is coming with clouds..."Revelation 1:7

In the Bible clouds are always associated with God. Clouds are the sorrows, suffering, or providential circumstances, within or without our personal lives, which actually seem to contradict the sovereignty of God. Yet it is through these very clouds that the Spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by faith. If there were never any clouds in our lives, we would have no faith.
"The clouds are the dust of His feet"(Nahum 1:3). They are a sign that God is there. What a revelation it is to know that sorrow, bereavement, and suffering are actually the clouds that come along with God! God cannot come near us without clouds- He does not come in clear-shining brightness.
It is not true to say that God wants to teach us something in our trials. Through every cloud He brings our way, He wants us to unlearn something. His purpose in using the cloud is to simplify our beliefs until our relationship with Him is exactly like that of a child- a relationship simply between God and our own souls, and where other people are but shadows. Until other people become shadows to us, clouds and darkness will be ours every once in a while. Is our relationship with God becoming more simple that it has ever been?
There is a connection between the strange providential circumstances allowed by God and what we know of Him, and we have to learn to interpret the mysteries of life in the light of our knowledge of God. Until we can come fact to face with the deepest, darkest fact of life without damaging our view of God's character, we do not yet know Him.
There is a connection between the strange providential circumstances allowed by God and what we know of Him, and we have to learn to interpret the mysteries of life in the light of our knowledge of God. Until we can come face to face with the deepest, darkest fact of life without damaging our view of God's character, we do not yet know Him.
"...they were fearful as they entered the cloud"(Luke 9:34). Is there anyone except Jesus in your cloud? If so, it will only get darker until you get to the place where there is "no one anymore, but only Jesus..." (Mark 9:8; also see verses 2-7) By: Oswald Chamber

Prayer: Heavenly Jesus, please help me to have you fully and clearly in my heart today. Give me the strength to persevere through my trials and temptations knowing that you are always at my side. Please forgive me for all my sins. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. Help me to remember to share you with every person that I meet and talk with today. Truly, you are my Savior Jesus. All glory and praise to you. In Jesus' Name.

Good morning,

I hope and pray that you have a fabulous day! Always put Jesus first in everything.

God bless you always.

XOXO
Michelle

God's Purpose or Mine?

2010-07-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

"He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side..." (Mark 6:45)

We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God's purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.
What is my vision of God's purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose if for me to depend on Him and on His power NOW. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish- His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see "Him walking on the sea" with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see "Him walking on the sea" (6:49). It is the process, not the outcome that is glorifying to God.
God's training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.
God's purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment by moment obedience is the goal, then each moments as it comes is precious. ~By Oswald Chambers

The Heart

2010-07-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.""— Jeremiah 17:9-10

U carryin ur cross?!@#$

2010-07-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

♥If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his Father & Mother,wife & children,brothers and sisters and yes,His own life also...And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me...So, likewise whoever does not forsake all that He has cannot be my disciple.Luke 14:26-27,33 Are u currently paying the price of carrying your cross to Jesus? If your answer is no, examine what or who is in your life that is hindering you. Ask Jesus to take it away. Jesus helps you carry your Cross to Victory. PRICELESS.

Leave It To God ♥

2010-07-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

♥ Leave everything to God. Jesus Christ is alive. We don't worship a dead God. God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ are truly alive. Let us pray today and put it all in His might hands. In Jesus Christ's Mighty Name. Amen ♥

Narrow Gate

2010-07-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

♥ "Enter by the narrow gate...Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to LIFE..." Matt 7:13-14 Ain't that the TRUTH! It's NEVER easy living through the narrow gate. But what other choice do we have?! We do it because we LOVE. LOVE Jesus Christ. LOVE others. LOVE God. We know that God LOVES us. Jesus Christ died for us out of LOVE. How BLESSED are we!!! Awesome God! ♥

Never Alone ♥

2010-07-01T07:26:00.000-07:00

♥ Be strong and of good courage,do not fear nor be afraid of them;for the Lord your God, He IS THE ONE WHO GOES WITH YOU.HE WILL NOT LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU. Deuteronomy 31:6 God is always with us. Jesus Christ IS ALWAYS WITH US. What does that mean? THINK ABOUT IT! NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO IN YOUR LIFE, YOU ARE NEVER EVER ALONE. Satan wants us to think we are alone. We aren't! Don't believe the LIES, BELIEVE IN THE ONE & ONLY TRUTH! Jesus is the TRUTH, HE LOVES US SO MUCH WE ARE ALWAYS WITH HIM!!! NOW THAT'S REAL LIVING!!! ♥

People Love Trials

2010-05-31T02:43:00.000-07:00

♥ People like the word "trial." Sooo many people are afraid of "committment," even with their wireless devices. lol It's like a lot of people don't want to get married because they are scared that it's gonna end in divorce. Well, if you don't have Jesus Christ at the center of your marriage then it's not gonna last forever. Build it on Him. Actually, if you first put Christ as your #1 PRIORITY in your life- all your relationships (children, parents, peers...) change and improve DRASTICALLY! God's glory will shine through YOU! ♥

2010-05-28T03:53:00.000-07:00

✞"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those
who mourn."— Romans 12:15✞God wants us to have a well balanced perspective on living life... We need to play hard and work hard all for His Praise & Glory!We need to reach out to the lonely, depressed, hopeless, orphans, widows, divorced, brokenhearted and really anyone that God send your way. Witnessing & testifying is all about building relationships. Share your faith with someone today. It doesn't matter if they are a believer or not. We all live on this Earth as a family. God created all of us. We need to love each other more. Love with all your heart. Never go a day without love. God is love.

♥ Bible Study Tonight ♥

2010-05-27T03:59:00.000-07:00

♥ Come join us for Hope Alive Bible Study tonight @ 7:30pm. We are meeting @ Ventura Country Club, 3333 Woodgate Blvd. Orlando, FL 32822. Everyone is welcome!!! We always have a awesome time!!! See ya there!!! ♥

Finishing My Race

2010-05-27T03:56:00.000-07:00

✞"I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me -- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."— Acts 20:24✞ All that matters in this life is that we complete our mission from our Lord Jesus Christ. He has a mission for you. Ask Him and He will reveal your mission to you. Our Lord Jesus wants us to give our lives as a living testimony to our faith in Him.Share your faith today with someone who doesn't know Him. Be a living witness and testify to Truth. Keep running the Race for Jesus. God bless you always.

ORLANDO MAGIC, BABY!!!

2010-05-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

♥ PRAISE REPORT!!! BREAKING NEWS!!! ORLANDO MAGIC WON TONIGHT!!! YAYYYY!!! Dwight Howard just gave an AMAZING LIVING TESTIMONY TO THE POWER OF GOD!!! At the end of the game, the reporter asked him, "Dwight, with all your success and the Orlando Magic having lost all 3 games- how did you come back?"Dwight's answer was," GOD!!! It's all because of GOD!!! WE PUT ALL OUR TRUST IN GOD! ME & ALL OF MY TEAMMATES! WE NEVER DOUBT!!! IT WASN'T US, IT'S ALL GOD!!!" I'm so proud of Dwight Howard! A man of God who witnesses his faith to billions around the world! NOW THAT'S A REAL MAN OF GOD!!! God bless the Orlando Magic!!! ♥

Open Doors

2010-05-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

God has opened huge doors for me the past couple of days. Since it is Pentecost right now, the Holy Spirit is surely making His presence known. It's comforting that I am NEVER alone. Living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in every aspect of my life has been a truly remarkable experience. That's a major understatement. God is limitless. Lately, I've been praying to God about expanding my businesses. When you ask Him to do something with a pure heart, He always answers. God has NEVER let me down! Not even once. I'm amazed at the directions that He is leading me through. I can only say that it is exciting and mind boggling at the same time. There are so many books about there about motivation. Although there are good motivators, and I've pretty much read and studied the big ones (i.e, Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie...) I've come to the realization that the Bible is the absolute BEST source of motivation there is! Hands down!!! I was in a crossroads lately, kinda in a rut about the direction my life has been going. Should I continue down this path? Or should I go down a different turn, maybe take a detour (which I have been doing...) In all honesty, I could use a vacation right about NOW! So, with that in mind- I can't wait until our summer vacation. I have a fully paid 7 night, 6 day vacation where I can pick from over 600 destinations around the world. I told you that God gives you whatever your heart desires! You have to put ALL OF YOUR TRUST in Him, though. For those of you that are control freaks, I'm sure it will be a drastic change to your current thought processes. lollllll It's okay! I have been there and done that many times over. More than I care to remember. Now, God has found me. I was blinder than a bat out of Hell. God is now opening more doors of prosperity, success, peace, joy, happiness and lots of love! I am so ready for this new adventure !!! Living with the Holy Spirit, is a roller coaster ride that I NEVER want to end! NEVER. I can say because of Jesus Christ it NEVER will. Each day just keeps getting better!!!

Life Is Most Definitely Like A Box of Godiva Chocolates

2010-05-23T23:35:00.001-07:00

I had a great weekend. Why you ask? Well, being a WSAHM can sometimes take it's toll on you mentally and physically. My career has always been in the outside world (meaning that I'm not using to working from home all the time...) It's been quiet challenging to tell you the truth. However, I value and treasure this precious time I have my with my beautiful sons. I'm truly blessed beyond measure. Thank you, Jesus Christ. :) Working from home had always been a goal of mine. Especially being a Mom, these are dreams that I longed to accomplish. Now, I can proudly check it off my list.
Our weekend started with my eldest son getting medals for his sports activities this school year. He got awards for basketball and soccer. I'm so proud of his accomplishments. Truly he has been a huge blessing for me. The first time around of being a Mom to him was a totally different experience than my second one. Being a first time Mom always has a lot of trials and errors. Well, I guess there are no perfect parents out there. If you meet one, let me know. I would love to interview them. Being a Single Mom, I remember when my first born son and I were alone together in our condo. I would just marvel at him. All his little antics and first steps... It seems just like yesterday. My... How time flies. He will be 13 years old next month. I can't believe that I have a teenager. I am looking forward to what his teenage years has in store for me. Hopefully, he won't do half the things that I did...lolllll Looking back, I see how defiant and stubborn I was as a teenager. Hormones are defintely all out of whack at this age. Oh how I didn't understand my moods. One day I felt happy and that everything in my world was perfect. Then, another second it would all come into waves of uncertainty. Puberty- a fun and crazy time in a child's life. I just remember that we lived in Daly City (near San Francisco) California when I was in middle school. Going to Juniperro Serra in Daly City was a feat into itself. I had NO IDEA what was in store for me moving to a big city. This was such a tremendous time of education for me. Not in the sense of formal education at school but street wise education! That school was rough for me. Up until that time, I was raised in a protected and sheltered military environment. Civilian life is a BIG CHANGE!!! I was in for a shock. I still remember the thoughts I had prior to moving into Daly City. I thought about what kind of friends I would make, the new school I was going to and the excitement of living in a metropolis. Bright lights in the big city!
When there was school fights happening, that was the first time ever that I had seen it. I was totally shocked at the brutality that 6th graders are capable of doing. Looking back, that was in 1986 yes quiet a long, long time ago! Seeing the hair pulling, hurling of insults in the air and just the rivalries would send shivers down my spine. There were times that I was being bullied too. Thank God, now the school systems are aware of bullying. That is the start of childhood crime. Talk about child abuse, it's not between parents but kids. That is why we have to nurture our children. Be aware of the schools that we send them to. Take a more pro active approach at the education of our kids. This is our responsibility as parents. Our children are our future.
On another note, God has truly answered my prayers in expanding Hope Alive. Hope Alive, is my non profit organization where we spread the Good News of Jesus Christ throughout the world. We do this through two ministries, Food Programs and Bible Studies. Our success stories are racking up. For that, Lord God, I am so grateful! Working in the non profit sector, is my passion. After years and years of soul searching, working for profit corporations ( and still owning one...) I've come to realize that my heart is in doing my Father's business. To some, it may seem that I haven't been doing anything. This is our 2nd year at Hope Alive. We have helped more than 20 families a month and I've been doing a lot of social work. Especially in helping women. All kinds of women, single women, single moms with kids, single Dads and families. There is so much work to be done. At least, I will always be busy in my passion. We have a Prison Ministry where we reach out the imprisoned. God truly has a big mission for Hope Alive. This past weekend, so many gigantic doors are opening. When God closes one door in your life, He ALWAYS OPENS A BIGGER ONE. Hope Alive is now in the USA, India, the Phillipines and now International. I've been accepted as a Global Media Missionary On Line for Campus Crusade for Christ International! I'm soooooooo EXCITED!!!! Last year Global Media Outreach shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ to 66 million people all over the world. In 2009, about 10,500,000 accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord & Savior. Did you know that about 2 million people search the web everyday for Jesus Christ? Isn't that totally AMAZING!!! We have an opportunity to share our faith. To make a eternal impact on someone's life. NOW THAT IS PRICELESS!!!

Faithfulness

2010-05-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

"The living,the living-they praise you, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about your faithfulness."~Isaiah 38:19

Today, as we were walking along the lake~ I reflected on God's faithfulness. Truly, my heart was overcome by his love, mercy and forgiveness. For there was a time, that I was the Prodigal Daughter just living selfishly for myself. But, God in his faithfulness took me as broken as I was and mended me back to the blessed life that I have now. This is why, I am helping others. I'm not writing to brag or expect to get praises for what I have done and am still doing. I just want to relate that God is truly a loving Father. He wants us to share this love to our children. Our children see us as their protectors and providers. God is the same way. As I reflect back on the many blessings that God has done for me, I am grateful. Grateful for His unconditional love.

Helping the Poor

2010-03-23T05:52:00.000-07:00

We (my toddler, my 12 year old) and I went and delivered food to the poor and needy last night. Growing up with a heart to volunteer, I want to instill in my 12 year old son, William that life isn't all about what you can get for yourself but that it's about loving and giving of yourself to others. Truly, the only way I came up with the help of Jesus Christ of course is by showing him and having him help me with my Hope Alive Inc. Food Ministry.
It was around 8:30pm by the time we got out of the house. You know how it can get with a baby in tow. Getting all our stuff into the van is a feat within itself. Diaper bag, milk bag, my purse and all our jackets. Every time I have to go somewhere, I think of the big chore it is to get all of us ready... Sometimes, when I get lazy- I just end up not going... Oh well. I'm only human. lol
Off we go to meet up with a Single Mom with 2 kids at the neighborhood WalMart over by Chickasaw and Lake Underhill. We met there and bless her heart, this Mom always helps me out delivering food to another Single Mom. It's been a blessing to be able to help other single moms.
I've been down this now, this is my 2nd year in this Food Ministry. Every time I don't feel like doing it, I just remember how awful it was to not have food for myself and my kids. Jesus just gives me a nudge and thank God I have the strength through the Holy Spirit to keep moving...
Well, I will continue my story later... I have to work in my full time business... Telecommunications. Have a blessed day! Remember to pray. God loves you. Jesus Christ is there in your heart. :)
Michelle

Be Kind to the Needy

2010-03-23T04:56:00.000-07:00

He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Proverbs 14:31

A couple walked along a darkened street and came upon a young woman sitting with a baby in her arms. As they passed, the young woman held forth a hand and asked for some small gift to help her feed her baby. The couple recoiled from the girl's hand, and they hurried on their way. As they strolled along, they realized that they were not alone. Another person followed them. They quickened their pace, but the figure stayed right behind them. Finally, in frustration and fear, the man turned to the stranger and asked him what he wanted. The stranger replied, "You have had the chance to feed the Son of God and you have turned him away. Therefore, if you would hope to come into God's glory do not be surprised if He turns from you." With that the stranger walked away, leaving the couple to stare in disbelief.

Christ said that when we help others who are in need, it is the same as doing it for Him. All of God's children were created in His image. When we reject any one of God's children it is as if we are rejecting Him. He wants us to give from our abundance to make life more comfortable for one another. When we see the world through the eyes of God, we have compassion on the poor and suffering, and it becomes our heart's desire to help them.

PRAYER: You have put me here with a purpose, O Lord, and it is to learn to serve you. I can best serve you by meeting the needs of those I see in need around me. Grant that I might never turn away from someone in need. Amen.