how much is your worth?

I am always amazed at the ways God uses to communicate with us, to let us know His heart and desire for us. I am also amazed at how afraid we are to listen.

About 5 years ago, God started me in a journey that was very hard to take, seemed never ending, painful and many times pointless - It was a time of re-examination of my heart, a time to open it's doors and allow the Lord in to do a much needed sweeping.

Up until today, I thought the Lord was done opening the doors of my heart, then it came unexpectedly again, beautifully and forcefully asking me to stop, to sit and let Him in.

And this question keeps coming from my heart to my mind, forcing me to the Word -

is your worth based on what you get?

I am not talking in material terms. When you feel worthy, is it because you get what you want? then you feel like you matter?

Do you feel you are in God's thoughts because He blesses you with the wants of your heart?

Psalm 139: 17, 18a says: How precious are your thoughts about me,O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!

These verses tells us that God thinks about us constantly, it doesn't guarantee that we are thought about in order to get what we want.

When we are willing to honestly sit and ask the Lord what He wants from us, we may get a terrifying answer. I say terrifying because it may be totally different than our expectations.

The word says He wants us to have life, that starts with the Saving Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the deep and naked surrender of all that make us us, and let Him form us again and again.

He wants us to open up our hearts and connect with us, to ask us questions, to examine us until we come to the deep surrender and the confession that we are nothing without Him, that all has occurred to us been His living will all along, and that He alone is Lord - not the one that sits in a throne only, but the One that will make His word true - the One that by the death and resurrection of His son has established a relationship with us.

He left me with this question:

is your worth based on what you get from others? from Me?

and that is eating me alive, and I know and better know that I can only move forward with His answer pressed upon my heart.

What is your answer?

Christian art

What comes to your mind when Christian art is mentioned?

First a disclaimer, I think art is art, it comes from an individual and there is not wrong in the personal interpretation of a subject. The artist presents a personal message that is often open for general interpretation.

I am a filmmaker / storyteller, so my perspective comes from that side of the spectrum.

Christian films (films made by Christians that depict Christian themes) are often seen as "boring", "preaching to the choir", "judgmental", "lacking production value" - sadly those are some of the labels given. This type of criticism though, never touch the core of the film, nor refer to the story or message being presented, nor invest too much time going into the background of the movie.

But, the audience doesn't really have to though. Movies / art in general, are made for an audience, and the criticism comes from the first brush with the product.

What conviction should a Christian artist have? Should that conviction be presented in an open platter? Should a Christian artist be limited to only serve a limited market?

I think there are many, many levels to an artist, there are many, many more to a Christian artist.

I recently watched the movie Knowing. I have never been bothered so much by a movie as I have been with this one. It was a good movie, the effects were a little iffy, a little cheesy at times, but a movie.

What bothered me was that it "separated" me, it separated my views and convictions. It made me feel guilty and glad, impressed and disappointed at the same time, and could not put it a single concept.

I posted a comment on my facebook page, and I love the comments I got, to some it was just a movie (as it have should been) to others it went a lot deeper (as it should have been).

I decided to bring my concerns to the Lord and ask Him to help me sort out those feelings that were driving me crazy.

Since I was a child I was always taught to aim high, to have high expectations in whatever it is I do - and I don't mind that type of teaching at all. It did translate on what I do though.

When I write I want to give a message of compassion, evoke a "good feeling", write a story that inspires change (which is ironic because someone always dies on my movies :) )

While in school I did make a short movie that had the Jesus theme on it. I had fun with the reactions :)

I do want to write movies that will present the gospel message.

I do want to write movies for non-believers - then, how do you do both?

How do an artist transcend and crossover two different worlds? The Christian audience and secular audience.

After watching Knowing I was looking at my convictions (for lack of a better term) in a horizontal way.

A story was presented - by the end of the movie there was sort of Christian message on it - there were also aliens, God is not an alien people! - was the artist trying to show a Christian message? - was the artist trying to make it pass Hollywood? - if I want to make it pass Hollywood, do I have to compromise? - I love God and I am a servant of Christ, would He be mad if I compromise? ah! I better change careers!

After a while and asking the Lord for help with my thought process :) I began to put my thoughts in a more vertical way.

- I love God and Christ lives in me.

- In NO way I want to offend my Father in anything I do (no, I don't want to turn Him into an alien)

- God has given me and everyone else a gift, desire and passion.

- I have the desire to share that gift with many or a few, depends of what I am sharing.

- There are stories to tell, I can mention God in them, or I could not.

and they became like a list of priorities on how to approach art.

The audience is still an audience, Christian or not. Who do you want to touch and how, is on the artist and he/she bears the responsibility, but above all God receives the glory - He gave us the gift.

Art is still art, Christian or not.

I don't know if the author of Knowing is a Christian, but he decided to present a message in a particular way, it touched some, it didn't others.

Same with the Passion of Christ movie. It did tough many, it didn't others.

A message was shared.

With some movies, we wish they keep it to themselves :)

Christian artist, God has given you a gift. Give thanks for it. Honor the Lord in all that you do, and to Him and only Him the glory belongs.

Criticism will be there no matter what you do, but you know that :)

Evangelion

I am a 1/2 fan of Japanese animation. I love watching it, but don't know them in detail - you want to know more, ask my brother Julio.

But there was a series called EVANGELION that caught my eye. It consists of few episodes, and now it is made a movie.

As I tell my brother, I have to be in the mood to watch it because it is one of the saddest stories I have seen, and I usually need a shot of Disney afterwards.

EVANGELION is the story of the human population who remain in earth after the rapture (described as an in-explicable annihilation of half the population). Afterwards there is the appearance of "angels" who come to earth ready to battle and destroy the rest of human-kind. Earth's one government is ready to fight these angels and the one who sends them.

I find it fascinating, because I think it depicts the confusion and the wandering about the rapture, tribulation and wrath of God.

EVANGELION 1.0, the movie is coming out in US theaters. I think it is a condensation of the 12-episode series, but I fully recommend it.

Does it mention God? No.

Does is acknowledge Christ? No.

Would you find it disturbing? Most likely.

Remember, this is a movie made about the people "who would be left after the rapture", who are confused about what happened, and in trying to make sense of it "try" to survive the tribulation.

I do think the writer did refer to the bible to depict the prophesies.

Japan is a culture who wonders about Christianity, is curious about the God in the bible and is enamored with the revelations of the word of God.

Anyway, here is the link for the official website on this movie:

http://www.funimation.com/Evangelion/

Showing in San Diego: July 29th - Ultra Star Cinemas.

Let me know if you go see it.

Blessings!

a promise is a promise

"He (Abraham) was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises." Romans 4:21

Have we ever made promises in the rush of the moment, expecting to get what we want by making them? I know I have.

Have we follow through? I know I haven't.

Have we made deliberate promises with no intention to keep them? Are we in the habit to do that?

A promise raises people expectations, especially if it is made by someone we trust.

I think the ability to make promises is like our credit, the more promises we break or don't honor, the lower our trust score becomes.

But when God promises something, it is a certainty - and that is good!

His promises are true, they bring hope, they confirm out faith in Him, they give us the security we need.

Tomorrow it is the 12th anniversary of my dad's death. We were not in Peru when he died (in a fishing accident), his body has never been found, there is no tomb, no plaque, nothing that will give us the physical closure we need - as his family.

My dad received the Lord 6 months before his passing, and that moment, the promise that he would be always in the presence of the Lord kicked in; and boy did we need that...

It is difficult not to have closure in this circumstance, but the promise of the Lord is alive, and He reassure us over and over again that my dad is alive in Him and with Him, in His presence and with exceeding joy. God's promise holds out hearts and brings comfort.

Read HIS word, and take hold of His promises, rejoice in that assurance and rest in the comfort they bring - because God IS, we have the hope.

Let's be true to our promises as well. Broken expectations are not an easy thing to get over, and empty words are not worth a relationship.

Blessings!!!

slavery vs. freedom

¹⁹ And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.

²⁰ I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should. Ephesians 6: 19,20

As I read this passage, one word came flying off the page - CHAINS.

I understand the context, Paul was in prison, and boldly kept on sharing the saving gospel, yet still CHAINS came to my attention over and over again.

We are experts in putting chains on ourselves; chains that would "prevent" us from sharing the Good News to those in need of them; other chains that would make us prevent ourselves from an open communication with the Lord.

Even chains that keep us from living the live we are ought to live, that keep from better our relationships, from growing spiritually and in maturity - all kinds of chains.

is it easier to live in slavery than in perfect freedom?

Any person you would talk to yearns for freedom, this very country was based on the searching of freedom - why don't we attain the freedom that should come from the very core? 

Chains come is the most delightful disguise, they tend us to make us comfortable, in our own skin, our friends, our environment, even our anger, our own sense of justice, our sense of control - etc.

We know what the word of God says, what is required of us. We do feel the "tug" of the Spirit, and the Word of God promises us freedom, then what are we waiting for?

What are your chains, can you identify them, do you want to be released, or they bring you too much pleasure to break them off?

I love the end of verse 20 - that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

As we should, living as we should - we are meant to live without the chain - should we try?

Blessings!!

For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. - Jesus (John 12:49)

This is Jesus talking. God's son, God incarnated - and He wasn't His own. He came to do the will of His Father, His Father's will overrated His.

How many times we think we know better than the One who made us. Maybe the excuses of our fearful heart is that "well, God is up there, I am down here dealing with the situation" 

I have recently ended a painful 2-year court battle for my son's custody. On those two years, I have cried to God, fought with God, surrender to God, fought with God again. On those two years I have taken the wheel and my excuse is the protection of my little one. But God in all his mercy reminded me that He is the author, He is still in charge and nothing is happening that He doesn't have full knowledge of, and that I need to trust Him - guess what? that works! When I reluctantly let go, that's when things un-raveled and worked!

Gosh it hurt though! Many times I feel that there is not justice, that it was done wrong. The truth is, I walk with a blind spot, I don't see it all, but God does, I have to rely on His sight. Not easy, but necessary, and that is an everyday reminder. 

How about you? Have you not been your own lately?

one

Many of you who know me know the type of personality I have. Sometimes I giggle for no reason at all. Sometimes I am quiet, most times I am not. Yes, I consider myself weird and a little off - one thing I know though, that I am pretty much like you, I have things bottled up inside that I just want to get out. I crave encouragement. I want / need a safe place to vent. Many of those "bottled-up" paradoxes contain the question "why?" Why now? why this way? why me? why you? 

We are not meant to have all the answers - we, as humans cannot handle it - but we are given the freedom to ask.

Our Father in Heaven (whether you believe in Him or not, is not what's up for discussion now) has given us the feedom to ask. He can handle the questions and wants us to have answers, those answers may not be what we want, but definetely what we need.

Let's bring up questions, bible passages, news, challenging ideas. Let's be real. Let's not hide our heads in the ground and ignore the world around us. Having a reality dose doesn't mean we are to loose hope or live in fear, but to keep on walking with a heart full of truth, that will move us forward.

There is no room for judgement, but sharing in love and respect.

Juliana