Let Hope Rise

On June 6, 2012June 6, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Inspirational Thoughts1 Comment

There are some days that are harder than others. When life decides to throw us a curve we tend to think or worry about how we’re going to go on. The reality is that God is always working behind the scenes, paving the way for our benefit.

If we don’t lose hope and trust God and His love for us, we will know that no matter what’s going on, something good will come out of it in the end for us. I firmly believe that when a bad day happens, that the sun will shine in the morning and I always hope that I have the chance to see my challenges as an opportunity instead of seeing things as struggles.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

So we’re not giving up. How could we!

Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us,

on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.

These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times,

the lavish celebration prepared for us.

There’s far more here than meets the eye.

The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow.

But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

Blessings!

A SPECK IN THE UNIVERSE

On April 23, 2012April 22, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Inspirational Thoughts1 Comment

By Ada Brownell

Recently a Christian astronomer spoke at our church. He has a giant telescope and goes out on his driveway in the middle of the night and takes pictures of what he sees. His photos of the universe have been published by some of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world, including those of the National Space and Aeronautics Administration.

Dr. Richard Hammer is a chemistry professor at Evangel University, and his work with astronomy began as a hobby. Now he’s teaching astronomy as well.

After showing slide after slide of the sun, moon, stars and planets spreading endlessly across the sky, he showed us several awesome photos and pointed out how earth is only a little speck humankind can see through the windshield of our technology.

He reminded us David asked, “What is man that God is mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4).

A whole universe, with galaxy after galaxy, and God chose this wad of whirling dirt moving at just the right speed with the correct amount of gravity and oxygen as the place to form a man and woman—His creation. We all know those humans rebelled and didn’t believe if they ate of the forbidden tree that they would die. After all, the serpent laughed and said, “You won’t die.” But not long afterward, they stood beside a dead son and then they died.

The last slide I remember Hammer showing was a photo of bloody hands, representing the nail-scarred hands of Jesus coming to deliver humankind from sin and death, and I couldn’t help but remember we are only a speck in the universe.

That night after we returned home I read 1 John 3: 1-3: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are the children of God and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”

John says it all.

Ada Brownell bio

ADA BROWNELL spent 17 years as a newspaper reporter, mostly at The Pueblo Chieftain in Pueblo, CO. She has sold approximately 275 articles and fiction stories to 45 Christian magazines and wrote one story on assignment for US Magazine. Her new book Swallowed by Life is available at http://amzn.com/1466200936

The Kindle version is http://amazon.com/swallowed-by-life-ebook/dp/B007BGCVSU/ref=sr_.1_3?s=books&ie+UTF8&qid=1330035854&sr+1-3

Her blog: http:/www.inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com

Website: http://www.ada@adabrownell.com

Faith and Mental Health

On April 16, 2012April 16, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Articles6 Comments

Mental Health is one controversial subject in religious circles. Emotional disturbances are not necessarily visible and therefore sometimes not viewed as real health problems and the treatment of there or lack of thereof is not always addressed appropriately.

Emotional conditions are usually viewed in religious settings as a lack of faith, a lack of prayer or lack of surrendering to God. I don’t discount that there are times were a believer’s struggle are due to those things, but as with physical healing, I wouldn’t recommend a cancer patient to stop or not engage in treatment; I wouldn’t discourage someone struggling emotionally to do the same. Matthew 4:23 (MSG) states, “People brought anybody with an ailment, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Jesus healed them one and all”; which tells me that in God’s eyes they were all the same.

I think that sometimes believers fail to educate themselves in the nature of mental health conditions. A high percentage of mental health conditions are biological in nature. Just like diabetes, they are due to a chemical imbalance in the body, in this case; the brain, which is as much as an organ as the pancreas is. Just like diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer, most mental health conditions have a pre-disposition genetic component. It is true that a pre-disposition doesn’t mean that it will happen, just that the chances are higher. This has been proven with alcoholism and depression.

Can God heal people from these conditions? Absolutely, however that doesn’t mean that these struggles are not as real as physical ailments and they should be treated as such.

Some churches have a more open minded approach to these issues and have counseling programs available to their parishioners. There are many Christian programs (like Celebrate Recovery) and counselors out there that can not only understand the condition but also provide the spiritual support to the person dealing with these struggles.

In my opinion there are three major mental health conditions that are majorly misunderstood within the faith community. Those are: depression, anxiety and addictions. Absolutely keeping God first in anything in our lives is a most. At the same time if you or a loved one is struggling with emotional conditions do not be ashamed to seek professional help, or to encourage and support a loved one to seek it.

James 5:16

Therefore, confess your sins to one another

and pray for one another,

that you may be healed.

The prayer of a righteous person

has great power as it is working.

No Small Job

On March 26, 2012March 25, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Articles1 Comment

I observed a man this morning in a suit trying to push a wagon of boxes. He was truly struggling to balance the load and pushing the cart. The boxes were empty by the way. It reminded me that the things we do, do not define who we are.

People have the tendency to place certain professions, jobs, tasks or qualities in a pedestal. The body has many members, and all of them have different functions, but none of them are less than the other. Look at your hand for a minute, if you lost one finger, any of them, you would miss it terribly and you would have to make major adjustments to go back to “normal function”. The same is with the way we are as a collective, everyone has a function to do and nobody is better or worse for the position they have been placed.

I used to work with a brilliant doctor. It was a delight to hear this man speak, full of knowledge and wisdom, but totally technologically challenged. He couldn’t operate his computer or his cell phone. If some of us in the office didn’t pull out his e-mails and voicemails, he would not be in the loop of the things that needed to be done. That didn’t make him less or didn’t make us more. We had different skills and functions to complete.

I also remember being a manager. I’m a pretty gadget and technically savvy person, but for some reason the fax machine at that office and I did not get along (anyone remembers the movie Office Space, yes that was my relationship with the fax machine). I tried to not bother others and do my own thing. When I would disappear for a while and my assistant knew that I was not in a meeting, she usually checked the copy room and there I was fighting the fax machine. She would take the papers from my hands and get the job done in fifteen seconds.

My dad used to say, someone needs to sell hot dogs on the corner of the street otherwise I wouldn’t have a place to buy it, and someone needs to pick up the garbage, otherwise it would pile up in our house.

So no matter what you’re doing today, don’t look at it with the eyes of the world that classifies tasks as better or worse. Look at your job as a gift from God to render a service that in the large scheme of things it’s just as important as the next one to keep things working the way they should.

Luke 13:30
indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”

Blessings.

Beautiful and Handsome

On March 19, 2012March 18, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Inspirational Thoughts2 Comments

As God’s children we should aspire for the best as we are the children of The King. With this I’m not talking about our expectations for others, but for our own selves. The media is filled with images that define beauty for us, and in my quest for meaning I decided to research the world view and God’s view on beauty.

When talking about the beauty in terms of human attraction these tend to be defined by gender. Women are beautiful; men are handsome. What does that really mean?

Beautiful

I usually start with my friend Webster who says that beauty is the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest). It’s an individually pleasing or has beautiful quality; grace; charm.

Reading this also entails that beauty is very subjective. Something pleasing to my eyes is totally disgusting to the person next to me. Therefore beauty will depend on our personal experiences, our culture and our personal taste. Not much for an objective definition.

Of course I went to the Word of God and this is what I found:

Proverbs 31:30(NIV)”Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” This one I found particularly interesting because Webster said that charm was part of beauty, but the word of God tells us that charm is fleeting.
1 Peter 3:3-5 (NIV) “such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves.”

So according to the Word, in reality being beautiful has nothing to do with how we look, but who we are. I think this definition can transcend cultures, tastes and personal experiences. I could even dare to say that it doesn’t divide even by gender as a man can have a gentle and quiet spirit as well.

Handsome

Now for the gentlemen, this was Webster’s definition of handsome: having an attractive, well-proportioned, and imposing appearance suggestive of health and strength; good-looking; having pleasing proportions, relationships, exhibiting skill, taste, and refinement.

Once again it focuses on the outer appearance and the subjectivity of what is perceived by it, but in this case it goes further talking about skills, which is something that I think I never thought was included in this definition.

I found in Daniel 1:4 the following message, “young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace” The bible doesn’t deter much from Webster in this definition, it talks about no physical defect, which I’m sure is not talking about lack of flaws, but about a healthy body; but adds something to it, which is knowledge and the ability to learn. So for a man to be attractive, the six packs may be as equally important as the knowledge he presents, if not more.

The irony for me was that doing this research I found pictures that do not conform to our Hollywood mentality of beauty, which reinforces the notion that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Yes, I did find pictures of Brad Pitt in the midst of it and of Julia Roberts, but I found pictures that defined beauty that are unusual for our traditional mindset. Here I share some:

Beautiful:

Handsome:

So here’s the bottom line:

Are you woman, being defined by the world’s definition of beauty or are you beautifying your spirit with the Word of God? Also, are you looking at men within the God’s definition of beauty?
Are you man, being defined by the world’s physical view of handsome? Or are you being teachable and in the search for the true knowledge? Also, are you looking at women within the definition of beauty that God has set for you?

Food for thought,

Blessings

Naty

Don’t wait too long

On February 27, 2012February 26, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Inspirational ThoughtsLeave a comment

I have the pleasure to share with you a new Christian Author friend Joana James. I hope you enjoy this!

The other day I wrote an article on Waiting on the Lord, but as it was pointed out to me today, there are two sides to every coin. It’s very important to wait for God’s timing before we move. It could be the difference between failure and success or life and death. But what happens when we wait too long? What happens when God says to go and we hold back?

There are several reasons why we may not move when God says to. One of them is fear. God may be moving us in a direction that we are afraid of. He may be calling us to a particular ministry that we feel ill-equipped for, so we say “Lord, I’ll do it later.”

Or we may have our own agendas, so we say, “God, as soon as I send all my children off to university, I’ll become a missionary for you.”

Or the devil may be planting seeds of doubt in our mind, “Is it really God talking? Maybe you should wait, if that house is yours, it will come back to you.”

I remember as a teen, I came across a poster and it has stuck with me since and I think it will stick with me for the rest of my life. It was the image of a woman’s skeleton sitting on a park bench. She was dressed in a bridal gown and veil and she appeared to be waiting for something. The caption above her head said “Waiting for the PERFECT man.” She’d waited so long that she missed her opportunity. She was dead, and she could no longer marry.

Some of us wait so long to move forward that we lose our opportunity for great things. We procrastinate and complain at everything God places before us. If we don’t think it’s good enough, or we don’t feel ready but whatever it is, we don’t move when God says we should. So we abort our destiny.

It’s so sad to see lives wasted because of procrastination. To see time, treasure and talent unused must certainly hurt God. My encouragement today is to move in the timing of God. Don’t run ahead of him, however don’t waste time either. By the time you are ready to move, you may just miss your destiny.

Joana James – Author of Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa’s Secret

Joana James is a young Christian author from the island of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. She is an I.T. professional by day but in her free time she escapes from the logical world of technology into the artistic world. She is an avid reader and her kindle is her favourite piece of technology. Music is her best friend and that manifests itself through her love for dance and singing.

Joana writes stories that portray the reality of her world. Her first book, a two-part short story series called Rise from the Ashes featured the lives of two young girls struggling in dire circumstances.

Her latest book, Nightmare at Emerald High, brings to the fore a world that everybody knows exists but no one talks about.

Follow Joana’s blog for frequent devotionals and for a list of some of the best and most affordable Christian Books available for Kindle. http://joanajames.blogspot.com

Baby Steps

On February 22, 2012February 21, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Inspirational Thoughts4 Comments

If there’s something that is constant in life, it’s change. We are living our life normally (whatever our definition of normal is) and all of the sudden something happens that takes the wind out of our sails. You are living and someone you love dies, someone in your household loses a job or both of you do, a relationship breaks or starts (yes, new relationships can be stressful too even as happy as you may be), the car breaks, someone gets sick, I can go on forever…and at that time you feel like life has hit you on an all time low. What can you do?

One moment at a time- The part of the serenity prayer has never been more true than in these situations. You can only handle your emotions and the situation that is in front of you. Fretting over what will happen tomorrow will only enhanced the anxiety and not solve a single thing. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” Matthew 6:34
Take care of yourself- even when some of these events may not be happening to you but to a loved one, you need to take care of YOU. When you’re on an airplane they always tell you to place the oxygen mask on you first and then on your children; that is because you can’t do anything for your kids if you’re not breathing. The same principle applies to other parts of life. “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul” 3 John 1:2
Take a leap of faith- When we are at our lowest, we automatically slow down life and we wait for that magical moment that will give us the clue that its safe and ok to get back on track. I have something to tell you that moment doesn’t exist, you make that moment. No matter what you’re going through, there is never going to be a moment where the pain magically goes away. You have to take a step in faith to move forward with life. You have to take a stand and that’s when you will find yourself again. Maybe it is a new self that you find, and that is ok. Life is all about changing and evolving as long as it is for good.
If you need to, seek help- Sometimes we have to build something and we only have a butter knife in out toolbox. There’s no shame on talking and asking for help. This happens to me all the time, sometimes all I need is to talk things out loud to hear myself and find the answers. Sometimes I need someone to correct my stinking thinking and speak truth into my life. Either way, seeking good council is a biblical principle, therefore use it!

Regardless of what you’re going through, know that you are loved by God. If there’s a particular prayer need that you have I would love to pray for you. If you have a prayer request you can leave it on the comment section or if it’s a private matter just email me to therisingmuse at gmail dot com (have to spell it to avoid hackers…lol)

Be blessed

Book Review: The Elite of the Weak by Precarious Yates

On January 23, 2012January 23, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Book Review1 Comment

I admit that I’m not an “end of times” type of person, in terms of the biblical context. I do love movies like Armageddon and all the end of times things Hollywood puts out there. Maybe because somewhere inside of me I think that the bible version of it is the real deal, so it’s too real for me and Hollywood is not, so it makes me feel better just to see the meteors explode and that kind of thing.

Even then, I ventured to read the book “The Elite of the Weak” by my friend, Author Precarious Yates. This book has non stop action. As Christians we talk a lot about being in a war and being soldiers for the Lord, if you ever need a practical image of what that war looks like and what being part of the Army of God would mean, especially during these times; this is the book to read.

These characters show such passion for God in the midst of their own personal pain, their devotion, their worship was truly admirable. There’s a warm love story included, which is very sweet and it almost makes you forget the dangers of the war that was going on, but they quickly send you back into action. This book is the first of a series and the author is already in warning that the next one better be out soon.

Even if the end of times is not your thing, even when the book is classified as Young Adult (YA) in genre, if you have a love for the Lord and want to have an image of what it is to live a life that tries to see through his eyes and feel through his heart, this book is for you. And by the way, I totally think this book should be made into a movie and I would be the first one to be in line to see it.

Now what is the book about? I don’t like spoilers. I hate when I go see a movie with someone who has seen it and tries to tell me about it, but I know you need some information.

Hadassah is a very unusual teenager. Instead of learning how to bake cookies from her mother, she’s learning to become a spy, but not any kind of spy… a spy for the army of God. You will see the dangerous missions in which she’s involved and all the technology involved, very Mission Impossible type thing. She wants to become part of the R. S. O. (Revelations Special Operations- a CIA espionage type organization with a Christian mission) and she is accepted and that’s when the fun begins.

Have you read this book? If you have, let me know your thoughts on it. If you haven’t, this eBook it’s only 99 cents on Amazon. You have to get it and then come back and share your thoughts.

Author Precarious Yates- Born in Cambridge, England, I grew up under the shadow of Yale University in New Haven, CT. With my two older brothers, I spent my teen years living the rock & roll lifestyle. My dad, an Episcopal minister and biblical scholar, had a strong hand in leading me to the Lord when I was 20. Since the moment of my radical conversion, I’ve dedicated my life to the calling of the Gospel, going where the wind of the Spirit leads. After 4 years of church planting in Ireland, my husband, Logan, and I returned to the States to adopt our beautiful daughter. Today, we live in Texas and enjoy watching her grow into a young woman after God’s own heart.

I chose the name Precarious because a human heart is a precarious place to share the Gospel from, but that is what the Lord bids us to do. Yates is a family name.

Many blessings

Naty

Technology in our relationship with God

On January 19, 2012January 19, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Articles7 Comments

So I arrive at church, lighter than I usually do these days. I used to carry this big bag with my bible and my notebook, but not anymore. I sit no farther than the third row and see the person next to me with their Ipad getting ready for service…it’s a new world out there.

The reality is that technology has change the methods that we use for worship and bible study. I can’t deny that I have jumped into some of those wagons and I’m not sure that I could turn back unless I had to.

The internet has invaded out lives, which is not necessarily a negative thing. It has allowed us opportunities that we didn’t have before. You wouldn’t be reading this article if it wasn’t for your access to it. It has allowed people with physical challenges to be able to be ministered to, evangelism in other countries and yes easy access to the word.

Like I said at the beginning I was always carrying a bible around. I had my big bible by my nightstand (which I still use), then another one for church and a smaller one in my purse. Now I use the YouVersion app on my phone, which I admit has me spoiled because I can search for a scripture in whatever language I want and version I want within seconds. I also committed to read the bible in a year as one of my New Year Resolutions. My phone alerts me at the time I scheduled to do so and shows me the corresponding scriptures of that day, this means that I can do that if I’m on my lunch break, stuck waiting at a doctor’s office or sitting in my living room. Yes, I can do that with a paper bible, but not everybody carries one of those all the time and let’s be honest, our cell phones have become a limb in our lives.

It also allows me to give a scripture to a friend in need because it has a search option for those times where I know what the scripture says but not necessarily where I can locate it.

Is everyone on board with these methods? No. I still get weird looks when the pastor says “look up in your bible Ephesians….” and instead of a book I get out my phone. It makes me want to tell the lady two seats to my left, “it’s my bible, no I’m not playing Angry Birds or texting my BFF or even taking your picture to post it on Facebook, although right now it would be hilarious” Which by the way I don’t understand Angry Birds so I don’t play the game anyway even outside of church, but I digress.

Many churches have the ability to stream their services nowadays and have several campus where people are just gathered in a room watching a big screen and experiencing the same service. The ability of those streaming’s allow people who are sick, in hospitals, nursing homes, vacations or mission trips to be united with their congregation in a different way.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love my paper bible. I’m a romantic and to me sitting at the feet of my Lord to pray and spend quiet time with him means my big bible, my notebook and silence. At the same time the technology is catching with us and more and more we will see people utilize bible apps in gadgets for their needs.

As always I like to know your thoughts in this topic. How has technology changed the way you study the Word of God? Do you feel that it makes any difference for you to read the word from a screen than from a paper Bible?

Talking about technology, remember you can still grab your eBook of Growth Lessons for 1.99 just today and tomorrow. If you have an Amazon Prime account you can read it for FREE! If you rather have the paperback you are able to obtain it for $9.99 Grab your copy today.

Book Signing Lessons

On January 16, 2012January 16, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Writing Happenings10 Comments

As some of you know this past Saturday was my first official book signing for Growth Lessons. Needless to say it was quite an experience. As a new author I didn’t know what to expect. The great thing was that most of my attendants were not only pleased with the event but admitted to have never attended a book signing before, so I guess that helped with their expectations.

The preparation for this event was quite interesting and challenging, but it reminded me every step of the way that I’m just part of the plan and that the King has it all under his control; therefore all I had to do was show up and string along. I can tell you about things being delivered at the last minute, while I was attempting to keep my shreds of sanity but what really happened that day is what it’s worth mentioning.

First of all I have to thank all of you who attended and made the day a special one. I kept hearing, “this day is about you”…it wasn’t, it was about each and every one of you and the things that God wanted to share with you through me, I hope it made a difference in your life. I do have to publicly thank Five Spot Frozen Yogurt for opening their doors to me and for being so accommodating. They are fabulous and have some great yogurt worth eating even if it’s 15 degrees outside, so if you’re anywhere close to NE Atlanta, go check it out. Also my four angels : Dora, Marion, Dee and Tonya who put up with my craziness ( I can be just a little neurotic when it comes to events…although I have to say I did very good this time) and for making it seems all so easy. God bless you.

Now to the good stuff. So what happened during the three hours where we were sitting there with yummy yogurt and chatting away. Here are some of the highlights…

Relationships were rebuilt. Yes, there were folks that had not seen or talk to each other in a long time and unknowingly found each other there and reconnected.
Relationships were built- There was such a camaraderie with people who never knew each other and started talking to each other and finding things in common and exchanging information.
God touched some hearts- I read a lesson from the book to those present. We all felt the presence of God in that place and later on, someone who has not been following the faith was asking me information about the church I attend and the time of the services because they felt a touch from the Lord.
Friendships grew– I had the most pleasant visit from my friend Author Tracy Ruckman and her husband Tim. Tracy and I met online through being authors of Grace and Faith, but had never seen each other face to face. When we saw each other was like embracing my best friend and like we had just not seen each other in a week. She’s not only an amazing woman, but don’t believe what you see in her pictures, she’s way more beautiful than that; inside and out.
Love and laughter was everywhere– When the event was over I was so tired, but so happy. I received so many expressions of love, shared so many moments of laughter.

I want to share a small story that touched my heart. This little girl walked up to me with her mother as we were clearing our tables. She was attracted by the balloons I had. She saw the writing on the wall (literally) and asked me what was the occasion. I explained to her that I had written a book and had come to this place to share my book with other people. Her family, I discovered through the conversation are Christians, so I started a conversation with the mother about the book and Jesus. I gave the girl a balloon which was what had attracted her in the first place. The girl tells me, “ I sing in church”. I chuckled at her and said. “ I love praise and worship but baby that is not my gift”…she smiled back and said, “No, yours is to write books for Jesus” It just felt like validation from heaven.