In my failings, He is there

Being a pastor I find that there is a high demand for my perfect behavior. And there should be. Jesus himself said,

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48

Perfection is my goal and it's a great goal. I want to say like Paul said,

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ

1 Corinthians 11:1

I can't ask people to imitate me if I am not striving to be perfect like my heavenly Father is perfect. But in my strive for perfection I still make mistakes. I fail. I say things that I shouldn't; things that I find myself later regretting. At times, during the night I repeat situations in my mind asking God to help me be better. And He is always there. In my failings He is there. I have to admit it has been during my times of failure that I have seen people who rise to love and forgive, but I have also seen that some people rise to do the opposite. David talks about these people,

He rescued me from my strong enemy

and from those who hated me,

for they were too mighty for me.

They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

but the Lord was my support.

He brought me out into a broad place;

he rescued me, because he delighted in me. 

Psalms 18:17-19

In the day of David's calamity, of his troublesome season, instead of people rising to comfort him, they rose to hate him; so much so that they were too strong for him. They rose in his moment of weakness, and instead of instilling hope and patience, they pushed him down. If you have people like this in your life, love them and forgive them, and decide not to be those kinds of people, so when they fail, you rise to love and help them.

But also know that the Lord will rescue you from people like that, He will be your support, He will bring you into a broad place, where you can breathe despite your failings and know that God will lift you up because he delights in you.

So if in your strive for perfection you make a mistake that people see. Do not be surprised if people judge you for it, rather get closer to God. He is the perfect friend. That is why David also said in that same chapter of his calamity,

I love you, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies

Psalm 18:1-3

Take heart in His promise. And remember,

Though a righteous man falls seven times,

he will get up

Proverbs 24:16

SONGS OF CAMP PURSUIT 2013

For the first time in the history of Youth Unity we had two camps this month! God moved powerfully in both camps! I'm so grateful for our pastors, who have paved the way for this to happen. I am so grateful for my sister and youth pastor Christi who decided to follow God's unprecedented idea without questioning it and being willing to launch people to pastoral work with such love and wisdom. Thank you God for our pastors! Whenever you can, approach these amazing people and let them know how their YES to God has led you to say YES to a camp full of the Presence of God! I also want to thank the amazing Vida en Fuego Youth Team! These people know how to praise and worship God. Not just because they can sing, dance, or play an instrument (and they do it with excellence), but because to them worship is a lifestyle! I love these people and I love the amazing work of the Lord in their lives!

I loved seeing our generation worship the Lord this year in Camp Pursuit. Whether they were 28 or 12 years old, the passion was one of PURSUING God! I wanted to share the song list of Camp Pursuit with you guys so you can continue on your journey of pursuing God with all your heart! Keep searching for more songs like these. Songs that will lead you to PURSUE GOD.  As human beings we are always pursuing something. If we don't pursue God we will end up pursuing the wrong things; things that will bring suffering and pain to our lives.

So let us press on and PURSUE God as His Word tells us, "with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). And music is a powerful instrument that God created for us to pursue Him. Some people use it the wrong way and the lyrics lead us away from God! So beware of those songs and nourish your spirit with songs that will please God and will lead you to pursue Him.

Here is the list. The youtube clips is only for reference. It's better if you download these songs from itunes or if you buy the whole CD :) (Numbers 1 and 8 we sang only at the Junior High/High Camp, we could sing more cause we had more days!) :)

1. Praise Him - Artist: Hillsong Live - Album: Cornerstone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdV2o-dwtpc

2. Put Your Hands Up - Artist: Planetshakers - Album: Limitless
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWSKDaJOtdg

3. Let Praise Awaken - Artist: Planetshakers - Album: Limitless
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPRWqv-ALqM

4. Freedon in Your Name - Artist: Vida en Fuego Youth - Album: Chapel Project
Album in the works!

5. Alive - Artist: Hillsong Young and Free - Album: Alive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2EjYnjKkMw

6. We Lift You Higher - Artist: Hillsong Live - Album: Glorious Ruins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb9USYLf3rE

7. Pursue - Artist: Jesus Culture - Album: Jesus Culture Live from New York
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in0Ipf-2ssM (the version we sang was Vida en Fuego Youth verson but this version from Jesus Culture is awesome too!)

8. Scandal of Grace - Artist: Hillsong United - Album: Zion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cka7fYhWj2E (English)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYoHOMJX3BI (Spanish)

9. I Just Want You More - Artist: William Matthews - Album: Not Available (it was a song from a service they had)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCKdxCbNIpE

And remember you don't have to wait for next camp to come for you to get crazy for Jesus! We have youth unity and Sunday services every weekend. There we can express our praise and worship with fellow believers! It's awesome! You can also sing in your room or car etc! So dance! Jump! Raise Your Hands! Get cray cray for Jesus!! :)

And if you're interested in being part of Vida en Fuego Youth, let me know!

Love,
Karina

For Worship Leaders

Every time I talk to a worship leader in our church I mention to them to never forget two very important things (1) To minister to the heart of God, and (2) To minister to the people so they can worship God.  As worship leaders the first is the most important thing, and the second is the product of the first one.

1) Ministering to the heart of God - the Most Important!
I remember when I started leading worship. I used to be worried all the time. I wanted everything to go well. I already had some insecurities that didn't really help. So I would struggle with trying to have everything go right and not mess up. But I realized that I was focusing so much on myself and on others that I was missing out on worshiping God. I then learned that I needed to treasure the heart of God before all things. I pushed myself aside and decided that I would not make it about my fears or insecurities. I decided that every time I would make it about God, because it IS ALL ABOUT HIM. 

I decided to give him an "Abel" offering, the best dance, the best smile, the best clap, the best voice, the best I could give Him. My passion, my shouts of joy, my everything...for HIM! Because of who God is, what He has done, what He is doing, what He will do. We as worship leaders must treasure the heart of God. When we get up to lead, our main desire must be to make our God smile. To lift His holy name. To really desire Him and to give Him all the glory, without holding anything back. To treasure Him more than treasuring the outcome of the service.  To praise and worship Him with NO FEAR, NO SHAME, NO INSECURITY.  

2) Ministering to the people so they can worship God 
When we are passionate for God and we realize it's all about Him it automatically moves us to lead the people to that place where they can also worship God with everything they have. We have many people that come with different backgrounds, different challenges and needs. So our task must be to lead them to Praise and Worship. We lead them with our example of passionate worship and we also lead them by communicating with them and pointing them towards God. For example, when we say "Let's give shouts of praise!" or when we prompt them for what is coming in the next lines of the song. Or when we ask them if they could please join us in raising their hands or closing their eyes. These are all means to an end. The end is in glorifying God with everything that we have. 

So let's always use these two things. The first and most important one, to praise and worship God with everything that we have. So much so that it's contagious! They'll see us delighting ourselves in the Lord and that passion will move us to lead people to want to "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8).

The Story You May Not Have Heard

A lot of people know my mom. They have heard her jokes and her wise advice or perhaps seen her serving here, there, and everywhere! She has such a beautiful heart of service. But I don't know how much they know about her past. Specifically, a painful story that became an instrument of healing for many people's lives. Isn't it awesome to know that we have a God who turns our ashes into beauty? :)

My mother was sexually abused by a close relative when she was very young. The diabolical plan was devised because a man had decided to divorce his wife. He asked for my mother, in exchange, only then would he not divorce her. So in order to save her marriage, she locked my mother in a room and gave the keys to her husband. My mom was only 11 years old.

Elsita was betrayed by someone she trusted, someone she loved. And she grew up in fear in this house where all she ever heard, saw, and experienced was abuse, betrayal, and pain. She finally escaped at age sixteen, determined never to have a marriage that was so full of unfaithfulness and abuse. When she met the Lord she fell in love. She finally met someone who didn't want to use her, or abuse her, or mistreat her or deceive her. But He loved her with an unfailing love.

Not too long after she fell in love again and married a man named Roberto Tejada. :) A man who heard her story and promised her to treat her like a fragile vase. He was greatly used by God to lead her to her complete healing. As God's healing touch began his work in her life, Elsita decided to forgive those who had hurt her so much. Later God used her to lead them to Jesus. On one occasion the very man who had abused her, begged her to forgive him. To this she answered, "I have already forgiven you."

Today, God uses her story to bring healing to many people's lives. The statistics are shocking, "1 out of 3 women will be sexually abused during their lifetime." (woar.org, nsvrc.org). And many women find it difficult and some nearly impossible to recover after such a traumatizing event. But I see my mom. I see how God uses her to speak hope and love into people's lives. And I see how she was able to overcome this to the extent of forgiving those who had so deeply hurt her. God's Word is true, "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" - Psalm 147:3. My mom is a testimony of this. That no matter the pain that is inflicted upon us, there will never be a wound that is too deep for God's healing touch! His love is powerful enough to restore and heal! And He makes all things new! Yes He does indeed :)

Love you mom! :)

Lesson #2 The End of Vicious Cycles

Vicious cycles! We all have them. This year I saw these cycles more clearly. I would ask God, "WHY OH WHY (yes that dramatically!) do I come back to the same place?" And God would say, "Because you haven't changed." Ouch! But oh so true! Reminds me of a song by Donna Lasit that says, "I don't want to live for my own selfish gain, in endless cycles of my sin..."

Why do we fall in the same place? Why do we sin in the same way? The reason is because we are still the same people. I love what John Piper says, "We must remove the false understanding that says that a person can be saved without being changed."  We continue living in these vicious cycles because we haven't changed. But let's remember that everyone who comes to Christ becomes "a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (2 Cor. 5:17). That "new life" means we are no longer the same people we used to be. We have moved! When the vicious cycle comes, it will no longer find us, because we have a new address! We no longer live in the address of sin, we live in the address of forgiven, redeemed, and changed! (Can I hear an amen!?)

God taught me this specifically one time when I was feeling like going back to a vicious cycle. "You need to change," my beautiful God whispered. "Ahhhhhh!!!" I said with desperation. "You can do it," he said. "Okay my God I will change."   I remember telling my family, "I'm battling with something right now, but I will overcome it."  And God strengthened me through it all. He lifted up my head. He was with me. And He gave me victory.

Get ready for this...Are you ready?! God's powerful Word says, "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him" (Phil. 2:13). So it IS possible. God won't only give us the desire to change but he will give us the power to change! To change to do what pleases him! So for 2013, let's remember this always. When the vicious cycle wants to come back, let's remember that we can break it by changing our minds and our hearts.

:)

KT

Lessons Learned in 2012 - Lesson #1

Wow, can you believe 2012 is almost over???!! My goodness! I was meditating on the things that God has really been pressing in my heart this year and I wanted to share it with you. Here goes the first one:

#1. Pray for Realzzzz....

Beginning this year I was unsatisfied with my prayer life. So I decided at the beginning of the year that I would NOT go to sleep unless I entered into God's awesome courts and we spent some time together. But my flesh was not used to this! So I decided to do a 100-Day Challenge. This challenge consisted of me praying to God every night for 100 days straight (to create the habit). And I had decided that I would not pray in my bed or by my bed or sitting because the temptation of falling asleep was always there, so I decided to walk around my room as I prayed. This challenge was quite interesting when I was on vacation. I would go to the bathroom at nights since I shared the hotel room with my sister to pray. I wonder if my sister ever asked why I always took so long in there!!

The thing is that God is always with us, but He asks us to seek, knock, and ask, or as the NLT states, "keep on asking...keep on seeking...keep on knocking" (Matthew 7:7-8). And the promise is that we will receive, we will find, and the door will be opened! And Oh has God been faithful! Some nights it was harder than others, but seeking Him every night has changed the way I see God and I know that there is still a sea of things God has yet to show me. So I must keep seeking, knocking, and asking. And God has a SEA of things to show you.  But we must pray for realzzzz! In other words, we must speak to God on a daily basis. As it says in Scripture, we must "never stop praying" (1 Thes. 5:17).   Make 2013 a year where your seeking God is a priority and you will see God manifest Himself in your life in a new way.

Blessings,

Karina

True Friendship

This whole month I have been evaluating my friendships. But don't get me wrong! I have not been evaluating my friends, I have been evaluating how I do "Friendships."  I have been asking myself, "Am I the kind of friend people long to have?"  This reminds me of one of my favoritest quotes from one of my favoritest people! That's right! Favoritest! Cause that's a word! lol... here it is:

"Let no one ever come near to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile." - Mother Teresa

Wow! Now that's the friend I want to be! Are people leaving better and happier after they come near me? And Jesus paints an even bigger and deeper picture of friendship when he says, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:1). Whoa there! So friendship has to do with love!

Sadly, there's a lot of confusion about what true friendship is.  I'm sorry to break it to you but true friendship is NOT "Friends with benefits," it is NOT keeping secrets that can cause harm, it is NOT insulting people because "that's how we treat each other."  A true friend loves in times of adversity, gives heartfelt and godly counsel, true friends help each other become better people (Proverbs 17:17, 29:9, 17).

So what kind of friendship am I offering to those around me? Can they honestly say they leave better and happier after they come near me? Well I don't know about you, but I know I have a lot to learn. Well, the best place to start is right here, and the best time to start is now. True friendship...here we come :)