Christians!!!! Please speak up!!!!!!!!!!!

Calling all Christians!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please speak up!!!!

If you do NOT keep up with the legistation in NM, here is a bill that is being presented in the 2009 Regular Session. This is not supported by Christian values, and as Christians and believers in the Bible and Lord, we need to speak up, and not allow this bill to be passed. If you want more information on this bill go to www.nmlegis.gov.

HB 21- Domestic Partner Rights & Responsibilties- This bill is trying to be passed to legalize gay marriage. This bill also states ""domestic partner" means an adult who has chosen to share in another adult's life in a relationship of mutual
caring and support and who has established a domestic partnership;domestic partnership" means a legal relationship that is not marriage that two domestic partners establish with each other according to the provisions and
requirements of the Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act;

I encourge every person who resides in the state of NM to follow the legislation here. Often times there are bills being represented and sometimes passed at the legistive sessions that do not represent what we as CHRISTIANS believe in. We need to stand up for our right and beliefs and do what the Lord wants us to do... Walk and talk in His way, and show non-believers His word.

On a side note- I hope you all had a very blessed Christmas, and I hope that you have a wonderful and blessed New Year!

Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Who is this baby we call Jesus?

The Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" Matthew 1:20-21. As we think of all the blessings of Christmas and the joy of family, gifts, and holiday cheer, let us not forget that Jesus came to save us from our sins. His very name tells us his mission. His very name tells us that he was sent from God as God’s Christmas present to each one of us willing to accept this divine gift of love.

When we think of the Christmas season, we think of a tiny little baby lying in a manger. But we need to understand that there is more than a baby in the Nativity scene. The baby would one day grow up and give himself as a sacrifice for our sins so that we might be saved. That’s why I find pictures of the drummer boy or Santa Claus bowing in the manger so inappropriate. Jesus represented more than a gift and more than a holiday. The shepherds came to worship the one who was to be the Savior. The wise men also came to Jesus and understood the significance of Christ’s birth. So please go and be Merry, celebrate Christ's birth!

This little baby was God’s salvation to the world. When we think of Christmas, let us remember the significance of the name. Joseph called his name ... Jesus. He did that because Jesus was God’s salvation for all of humanity.

(I will get off my podium now!!!!!)

Have a very Merry Christmas and God Bless you all!

The coolest purse EVER!!!

So, a friend of mine had a purse and I feel in love with it. It is made of seat belts.

Anyway- Donovan and I got to talking last night, and I told him that since most of us celebrate our Birthday either before the actual day or all week long that we should celebrate Jesus' Birthday all week long. We both agreed that we should, and therefore opened our Christmas gift to each other last night. Well- guess what???? He got me a seat belt bag. This is the one he got me!!!!!!



I love it, and it is sooooo durable! You can check out all there styles (they have TONS) at www.seatbeltbag.com.

Coats for the homeless

Every day my church, Glory Christian Fellowship, supports a non-profit organization called 3rd Street Ministries. 3rd Street Ministries, along with MANY volunteers help feed and cloth the homeless. I recently received an email from my church. Below is the actual email:

Brother Ralph from the 3rd St. Ministries called Nancy and said they are in desperate need of coats for the homeless. They are also in need of socks, long-johns, scarves, hats, gloves, sweatshirts, etc., but really could use some coats, especially for men. Used or new.

Nancy said she’ll be going to 3rd St. this Saturday (12-20-08). If you want to donate, she will be in the office at Glory, or you can leave it in a bag in the fence of the children’s play area. We know this is short notice, but if anyone can help, and take the donations to Glory by Friday, it would be soooooo appreciated! And, it might even save a life, since there are a lot of people that freeze to death this time of year.

Thanks,

Glory Christian Fellowship

So, with this post, I am asking anyone who reads this, if you have any clothing you can donate I would be MORE then happy to pick it up from you to deliver to my church on Friday (12-19-08). Please email me to let me know. Thank you!!!!

He felt him kick for the 1st time!!!!!!!

A women can feel her baby kick and move inside her womb as early as 12 weeks. However, for someone to feel that kick on the outside is another story. I am 25 weeks pregnant, and last night while laying in bed watching a movie Liam was kicking and punching like crazy. I usually feel my stomach to see if you can feel it from the outside. Instead I just grabbed Donovan's hand and put it right where Liam was kicking. Don instantly felt it. The look on his face was timeless. He looked at me with his eyes WIDE open and said "holy crap, was that him kicking?" The expression on his face was that of a kid in a candy store. I wish I had a picture. It was the coolest experience yet. For Liam's daddy to feel him kick for the first time was so amazing. After that first kick Donovan kept his hand on my stomach and felt TON more.

I have met several women who say they "loved being pregnant". I have also met several women who hated the experience of being pregnant. I would have to say that I am in between... I hate it, because what it does to my body. I feel fat, unattractive and I hurt all over, especially in my back. The swelling, and other intimate details of what pregnancy does to your body, along with all the worrying is NOT fun. From the day you conceive you worry about your baby. You worry if they are growing and developing normally, if they will have any type of illness, and on days you don't feel any movement you worry. I have been told that the worrying does NOT stop at birth. You worry about your children until the day you die (its the nature of the beast), but needless to say, I can not wait to give birth to my son. On the other hand I LOVE being pregnant. I love to feel my baby move inside of me, it is great knowing what God is doing inside of me. He creates a life from a sperm and egg. This life grows a head, body, brain, hands and feet. It is amazing. God truly knows the person he is creating long before we ever do. He knows what we will call him/her, and what they will look like. It is truly amazing.

So, depending on my feelings at that moment I love and hate being pregnant. It is a love/hate relationship... Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention, the comments people make. I have had some very nice comments made, and then some people, mostly women, have made some of the meanest comments. I truly believe those comments where said in good meaning, but the way there where said makes me sad. For example, I went to a seminar this weekend with my friend Kelly. It was called "The Women of Calvary". All the women of Calvary Chapel got together for worship and music at the Hyatt. It was a beautiful seminar. There was a lady sitting at our table and her and I where talking. As I have mentioned in previous posts Kelly is also pregnant. Her and I are due 11 days apart. This women asked how far along I am... I told her... she asked how far along Kelly is... I told her... and then she said "you are like me when I was pregnant, I got HUUUUUUUUUUUGE". The way she said the word HUGE with her eyes wide open broke my heart. I got a little hurt with the comment, but then just shrugged it off. Ahhhhhhh, some people. God bless that women.

I will post pictures from the "Women at Calvary" event. It was amazing. The guest speaker also had some amazing stories, and she focused on the birth of Jesus and how much of an amazing women Mary was! I will post this later.

God Bless!

Next Door Savior

I heard about this book through my church. Good story, thought I would share!



Learning to Trust the Master
by Max Lucado
A man and his dog are in the same car. The dog howls bright-moon-in-the-middle-of-the-night caterwauling howls. The man pleads, promising a daily delivery of dog biscuit bouquets if only the hound will hush. After all, it’s only a car wash.
Never occurred to him—ahem, to me—that the car wash would scare my dog. But it did. Placing myself in her paws, I can see why. A huge, noisy machine presses toward us, pounding our window with water, banging against the door with brushes. Duck! We’re under attack.

“Don’t panic. The car wash was my idea.” “I’ve done this before.” “It’s for our own good.” Ever tried to explain a car wash to a canine? Dog dictionaries are minus the words brush and detail job. My words fell on fallen flaps. Nothing helped. She just did what dogs do; she wailed.

Actually, she did what we do. Don’t we howl? Not at car washes perhaps but at hospital stays and job transfers. Let the economy go south or the kids move north, and we have a wail of a time. And when our Master explains what’s happening, we react as if he’s speaking Yalunka. We don’t understand a word he says.
Is your world wet and wild?

God’s greatest blessings often come costumed as disasters. Any doubters need to do nothing more than ascend the hill of Calvary. Jerusalem’s collective opinion that Friday was this: Jesus is finished.Such is the view of the disciples, the opinion of the friends, and the outlook of the enemies. Label it the dog-in-the-passenger-seat view.

The Master who sits behind the wheel thinks differently. God is not surprised. His plan is right on schedule. Even in—especially in—death, Christ is still the king, the king over his own crucifixion.

Can’t he do the same for you? Can’t he turn your Friday into a Sunday?
Some of you doubt it. How can God use cancer or death or divorce? Simple.
He’s smarter than we are. He is to you what I was to four-year-old Amy. I met her at a bookstore. She asked me if I would sign her children’s book. When I asked her name, she watched as I began to write, “To Amy …”
She stopped me right there. With wide eyes and open mouth, she asked, “How did you know how to spell my name?”

She was awed. You aren’t. You know the difference between the knowledge of a child and an adult. Can you imagine the difference between the wisdom of a human and the wisdom of God? What is impossible to us is like spelling “Amy” to him. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:9).

I keep taking Molly to the car wash. She’s howling less. I don’t think she understands the machinery. She’s just learning to trust her master. Maybe we’ll learn the same.

Liam Donovan Lucero

Look how cute our son is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In the first picture he is frowning :-( At this point we had been at the ultrasound for over an hour. I think he was tired of having his picture taken.

We are naming him Liam Donovan Lucero. We are soooooo blessed by God to be pregnant with him! We are so excited for the day to come when we can meet him!

I want Liam to know that he has two very loveable parents who can not wait for him to join us in this world. We will teach him to grow in faith and worship the Lord! He is soooo loved already!

I am going back at 29 weeks (4 weeks from now) to have some more 3D pictures done. Hopefully they will be a little clearer. I will post them when I get them!

7 Things To Be Thankful For:

Pastor Ryan and his Wife Michelle

The sermon below was written by Pastor Ryan Cangiolosi from Glory Christian Fellowship:
This was a sermon given by Pastor Ryan at my church on Sunday (11-30-08), and I wanted to share it with you! Enjoy!

7 Things To Be Thankful For:
1. The Gift of Forgiveness- Acts 10:43, "All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
2. The Gift of Eternal Life- Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
3. The Gift of the Adoption into His Family- John 1:12, "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God..."
4. The Gift of His Guidance- John 8:12, "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
5. The Gift of Abiding in Him and how that allows us fruitfullness and significance- John 15:5-8, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
6. The Gift of being with Him forever and to see His glory- John 17:24, "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of hte world."
7. The Gift of His Holy Spirit- Luke 11:13, "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"

If we can be thankful for these 7 things, just like the Bible asks us, then we will abide in His love forever!