A message for men


by DP

“Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14-15

“Every man has a battle to fight and a beauty to rescue” These were the words of John Eldredge when he took center stage at a conference I attended in 2004. It was a great and an inspiring message. In the past weeks my family and I saw the movie Courageous which stirred many of the same emotions I felt with John’s exposition a couple of years ago.

Since that moment, I find myself wrestling with the need of “quiet time”, some alone time, and by the same token, in need of “together” time too. An oxymoron, I know, but that is how I felt. “Quiet time” to ponder my thoughts, and “together” time to share my heart with my wife, my son and my daughter. Moments that matter. I feel that time is running faster than It takes for me to accomplish what is in my heart. There is an awakening inside for the greater truths that I should have been living long time ago. And synthesizing John’s talk several years ago; Our story is a story of greatness.

We all have this sense of greatness inside. Of being the redeeming knight, the hero and warrior that stands for truth and crushes evil. The man that stands up to the challenge and knows deep inside the values that need to be uphold, and he does so without second guessing. The sea of thoughts assault the mind and overwhelms the soul, as the search goes on for a verse, a passage or a word that might give it hope, strength, comfort and guidance. We want an answer that will appease the soul and tell it that everything will be ok. That we will be able to fulfill the dreams and desires that are rooted in the heart; greatness.

God created us to feel this way, but more importantly to act this way. It doesn’t matter where in life you are right now, you can step up to the challenge and be the man you were called to be. Wether you have a family or not, fulfill your story. And in order to achieve greatness, there will be need to be violent, to fight and be forceful against the menacing forces that are surrounding those we have been entrusted. That fight will be fought by standing firm on our knees. To stand unafraid of the future, to leave the sidelines and embrace life.

As the theme song for this movie states, “May the watchers become warriors, Let the men of God arise”, we are called to do the same as Joshua boldly spoke to the men of Israel, “…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. So today make it your resolution, wherever you are in life today, to take back what is yours, to boldly proclaim that you will lead and not follow, that you will protect and not fear. That the time of idleness is over and that your legacy will not be the same, because you decided to make a dent in the universe and to finish well.

I completely agree with the song when it states, “The only way you’ll ever stand is on your knees with lifted hands”. Change the world, lead to greatness.

Breathe, Live, Move…

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

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© Copyright DP, 2011

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

You can hear and purchase this wonderful statement on the song titled “Courageous” by Casting Crowns at http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/courageous/id470669414?i=470669416

Designed, engineered and endowed


“Man was designed for accomplishment, engineered for success and endowed with the seeds of greatness” – Zig Ziglar

Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. Psalms 8:5

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

Diseñado, construido y dotado


“El hombre fue diseñado para logros, construido para el éxito y dotado con semillas de grandeza” – Zig Ziglar

Sin embargo, los hiciste un poco menor que Dios y los coronaste de gloria y honor. – Salmos 8:5

“RESPIRA con expectación, VIVE con confianza y MUÉVETE con valentía”

Haz a los demás


“Puedes conseguir todo lo que deseas en la vida, si ayudas lo suficiente a otras personas a conseguir lo que quieren” – Zig Ziglar

Traten a los demás como les gustaría que ellos los trataran a ustedes. – Lucas 6:31

“RESPIRA con expectación, VIVE con confianza y MUÉVETE con valentía”

Not just a basket of roasted grain


One day Jesse said to David, “Take this basket of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to your brothers.” 1 Samuel 17:17

That morning he woke up as usual, he got dressed and picked his well known tools. He looked at his staff. A rugged stick that had the marks he remembered very well. There were two in particular that bursted like calling out for attention. The staff was still showing some small dried-out stains of blood on them. His mind immediately wandered to that day as he remembered the morning, which quite frankly, was one just like this day, where he had done the same routine.

That day he went on to tend to his fathers flock, it was early, he used his staff to guide the sheep to the pasture. Hours had passed by and he was smiling when he saw the baby sheep playing and following their mothers. His mind started to remember how many times he had carried them, played with them. The tenderness of them draw his heart even more closer. The need for someone to stand up for them, to protect them and show them the way, was an inner force that stirred his soul and made his seemingly unimportant life, important. He already was shunned by his brothers, and in many ways he felt that his father did not had him in the highest regard. So as he saw the sheep, he saw himself. He saw the need for protection, for guidance, and for love. He knew that he had to be the voice for those that had none. And as he saw the sheep playing, a small voice resounded in his heart saying, “This is the way I love you and protect you”. And immediately he understood that God had used the sheep to shape his life. The shunning, the rejection and the affliction that was endured by him, were the vehicles God used to transform his life.

In the myriad of emotions, he caught his breath and with certain conviction in his spirit he took all of these emotions and realizations in. Standing up, there it was; lurking his way was the unthinkable; a lion. In a split second, every muscle in his body readied. His fists clenched, his eyes locked on his target, and like if his feet were leading his soul he began to run towards the beast. He had nothing in his hands but his staff. His spirit was fuel by an unexplainable thrust. And he fought the lion, and killed it. He defended the shunned, the unprotected, the weak and the meek. That day, with his hands filled with blood, he made the first mark in his staff. A mark that would remind him of God’s power and protection.

And returning from this wandering, he got up thinking it would be as usual. But then his father asked him to go see his brothers on the frontline of the battle against the Philistines. So David rose up and went of on to meet his brothers taking with him what he thought was just a basket of roasted grain. But this day staff in hand, he went out to fulfill his destiny.

So be aware, what might look as a mere basket, might be the key to the greatest moment in your life and not just a basket of roasted grain.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

Want this inspiration of coffee by email every morning? Enter your e-mail to subscribe at the top right of this page under the box for “Subscribe”. Like this writing and want share it? Just add your comment below on “Leave a Reply” or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or by email using any of the buttons next to “Share this:”

© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2011
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

No solo una canasta de grano tostado


Un día, Isaí le dijo a David: “Toma esta canasta de grano tostado y estos diez panes, y llévaselos de prisa a tus hermanos”. 1 Samuel 17:17

Esa mañana se despertó como de costumbre, se vistió y recogió sus bien conocidos instrumentos. Miró su cayado. Un palo resistente que tenía marcas que recordaba muy bien. Había dos en particular que irrumpían como llamando su atención. El cayado todavía mostraba algunas pequeñas manchas secas de sangre. Su mente vagó de inmediato a ese día al recordar la mañana, que francamente, era un día como éste, donde había hecho la misma rutina.

Aquel día fue a ocuparse del rebaño de su padre, era temprano; él utilizaba su cayado para guiar a las ovejas a los pastos. Las horas habían pasado y estaba sonriendo al ver las ovejas bebés jugando y siguiendo a sus madres. Su mente empezó a recordar cuántas veces él las había cargado, jugado con ellas. La ternura de ellas atrajo su corazón aún más cerca. La necesidad de que alguien se levantase por ellas para protegerlas y enseñarles el camino, fue una fuerza interior que se agitó en su alma e hizo su vida, aparentemente sin importancia, importante. Sus hermanos lo habían rechazado, y de muchas maneras, sentía que su padre no lo tenía en alta estima. Así que, cuando vio las ovejas, se vio a sí mismo. Él vio la necesidad de protección, de orientación y de amor. Supo que tenía que ser la voz de aquellos que no tenían ninguna. Y al ver a las ovejas jugar, una pequeña voz resonó en su corazón diciendo: “Esta es la manera en que Te amo y te protejo”. Y de inmediato comprendió que Dios había utilizado las ovejas para dar forma a su vida. El desdeño, el rechazo y la aflicción que soportó fueron los vehículos que Dios usó para transformar su vida.

En la multitud de emociones, recuperó el aliento y con determinada convicción en su espíritu llevó todas estas emociones y realizaciones dentro de sí. Se levantó y allí estaba; lo inimaginable estaba en su camino, un león. En una fracción de segundo, cada músculo de su cuerpo se preparó. Con los puños apretados, los ojos fijos en su objetivo, y como si sus pies estuviesen dirigiendo su alma, comenzó a correr hacia la bestia. No tenía nada en sus manos, sino su cayado. Su espíritu era el combustible de un impulso inexplicable. Y luchó contra el león, y lo mató. Defendió a los rechazados, a los desprotegidos, a los débiles y a los mansos. Ese día, con las manos llenas de sangre, hizo la primera marca en su cayado. Una marca que le recordaría el poder de Dios y su protección.

Y regresando de este divagar, se levantó pensando que sería como de costumbre. Pero entonces su padre le pidió ir a ver a sus hermanos al frente de batalla contra los filisteos. Entonces David se levantó y se dirigió al encuentro de sus hermanos, llevando consigo lo que él pensaba que era sólo una canasta de grano tostado. Pero ese día, con cayado en mano, salió a cumplir su destino.

Así que, ten en cuenta, lo que podría parecer como una mera canasta, podría ser la clave para el mejor momento de tu vida y no solo una canasta de grano tostado.

“RESPIRA con expectación, VIVE con confianza y MUÉVETE con valentía”

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© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2011
Las citas bíblicas son tomadas de la Santa Biblia, Nueva Traducción Viviente, derechos de autor © 1996, 2004, 2007 por Tyndale House Foundation. Usado con permiso de Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. Todos los derechos reservados.