Monthly Archives: September 2012

A fortified tower

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The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. – Proverbs 18:10

It was a nerve-wracking drive home. My wife was on the phone with our son and the visibility was almost none. Torrential rain and impeding wind. A less than a 5 minute drive, but it seemed to us much longer. On the way, what really got to me off the tornado alarm; it created an even more pronounced sense of urgency to get home. It was pretty scary. While on our 5 minute-look-like-5-hour drive, were alternated prayers and phone calls. As I parked the car in the garage and rushed into our home and into the laundry room, I could not ignore that this was a new experience for me. Our kids already had a stash of fruit bars, water and they also had the two dogs in with them. Oh, did I mention that the home we are in now doesn’t have a basement?

Then and there I was overcome with a sense of powerlessness. The ones I love the most were all crammed in this small space, as the siren was blasting off. We muttered a prayer and tried to remain calm as we waited and waited and waited. That was the hard part. This was a small place, made in essence of wood. How strong could it be against a tornado? It made me feel extremely vulnerable. As it is my personality, I wanted to do something, but we had done everything we could think of doing. After half an hour, everything started to come back to normal and we lurked out of our “safe” place.

How many times you have been in the middle of a situation that you can’t do anything about? How many times it has dawn on you that you have arrived to the end of your options? A situation that is completely new to you and it has impressed you in a way you don’t know how to react. You might be facing a decisive juncture in your life you never thought you would be in. Furthermore, you know that where you are standing in life today might not even have a chance of surviving what is coming your way.

Let me remind you that The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. And it is in His name the we find cover, safety and refuge. His endless prowess begin when the end of your options appear. Call unto Him, in the midst of where you are right now, run to Him. Don’t look at your options, look at his power. Wind might blow and everything around you might stumble fall. You will be safe, because you choose not to rely on your own strength.

Run and take refuge in the Lord who is your fortified tower.

“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 to share it? Just add your comment below on “Leave a Reply”, share it on Facebook, Twitter, or by email using any of the buttons next to “Share this:”

© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2012
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.

Do not be afraid

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“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

It was a normal morning for me or so I thought. I was eager to meet with my client and show how the new plan would work. I was tired, I had driven for almost an hour. Then, in the moments when I was greeted and accompanied to the office, the news broke on the TV. Something terrible had happened. I immediately saw the images, I saw the chaos, I saw something I never thought I would see. I had been there just a couple of months before, with my wife and my two children ages 2 and 3.

I was perplexed. I was paralyzed and shaken. The meeting was called off. I then went off to my car and called my wife. I was crying. My words to her where, “did you see that? It fell”. She was crying on the other end of the phone and told me, “the other one fell too”. My entire being was overcome by fear, insecurity and doubt. My first expression was, “I can’t bring any more children to this world. This world is too sick, mean, and dangerous”. I was 1,601 miles from where it happened, but the effect of the moment felt very near. That day I had to talk to my clients since they would be directly affected by this. At the office, everyone was shocked and looking for any type of direction.

Later in the morning I went home and hugged my wife, my son and my daughter. Then I realized that as dumbfounded as I was, there were others that were unconsolable, lost and in total despair. Many horrific stories were surfacing hour after hour. So as time passed and I continued to digest what had happened, a still small voice resounded in my soul. It said, “Do not be afraid”. I Then remembered the words of Jesus when he said …But take heart, because I have overcome the world. He had foretold us that for this and any other trial and sorrow that we would confront, he had overcome it already. It was through Him, that we would be strong and we would find peace.

Maybe you are just like me, and will never be able comprehend completely why these events occurred, nor how deeply it has and will touch many for generations to come. Or on the contrary, you have been directly impacted by the events  on September 11, 2001 and you know the impact it has taken on your life and of those around you. In any case, one thing is certain, we will never forget the events of that day and those that lost their lives. But that day many lives were also brought to life, I remember what someone once said, “children are the way God says that this world must go on, there is hope in the future”.

The story has a myriad of angles, perspectives, opinions and emotions. So today as we honor those that where lost, and reflect on these events, many different things will come to heart again. But be comforted to know that you should not be fearful of the future and for those that you love, because He overcame this world, so we would have peace.

Take heart, do not be afraid.

“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 tengas temor

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“Les he dicho todo lo anterior para que en mí tengan paz. Aquí en el mundo tendrán muchas pruebas y tristezas; pero anímense, porque yo he vencido al mundo.” – Juan 16:33

Era una mañana normal para mí, o eso creía yo. Estaba deseoso por reunirme con mi cliente y mostrar cómo el nuevo plan trabajaría. Estaba cansado, había manejado durante casi una hora. Luego, cuando me recibieron y me dirigieron a la oficina de mi cliente, se supo la noticia a través de la televisión. Algo terrible había sucedido. Inmediatamente vi las imágenes, vi el caos, vi algo que nunca pensé que vería. Yo había estado allí un par de meses antes, con mi esposa y mis dos niños de 2 y 3 años.

Me quedé perplejo. Estaba paralizado y conmovido. La reunión fue suspendida. Luego me fui a mi automóvil y llamé a mi esposa. Yo lloraba. Mis palabras a ella fueron, “¿viste eso?, se cayó”. Ella estaba llorando al otro lado del teléfono y me dijo, “se cayó la otra también”. El miedo, la inseguridad y la duda sobrecogieron todo mi ser. Mi primera expresión fue: “No puedo traer más hijos a este mundo. Este mundo está muy enfermo, es cruel y peligroso”. Yo estaba a 1,601 millas de donde sucedió, pero el efecto del momento se sintió muy cerca. Ese día yo tenía que hablar con mis clientes, ya que se verían directamente afectados por esto. En la oficina, todos estaban sorprendidos y buscando cualquier tipo de dirección.

Más tarde en la mañana me fui a casa y abracé a mi esposa, mi hijo y mi hija. Entonces me di cuenta que tan anonadado como estaba yo, habían otros que estaban inconsolables y perdidos en desesperación total. Muchas historias horribles fueron surgiendo hora tras hora. Así que, conforme pasó el tiempo y continué digiriendo lo que había pasado, una pequeña voz resonó en mi alma. Decía: “No tengas miedo”. Entonces recordé las palabras de Jesús cuando dijo: … pero anímense, porque yo he vencido al mundo.” Él nos había anunciado que por esta, y cualquier otra prueba, y la tristeza a la que nos enfrentaríamos, él la había vencido ya. A través de él, seríamos fuertes y nosotros encontraríamos la paz.

Tal vez eres como yo, y nunca serás capaz de comprender completamente por qué estos eventos ocurrieron, ni la profundidad que ha tocado y tocará a muchas generaciones venideras. O por el contrario, has sido directamente afectado por los acontecimientos de  el 11 de septiembre de 2001 y sabes el impacto que ha tenido en tu vida y de quienes te rodean. En todo caso, una cosa es cierta, nunca nos olvidaremos de los acontecimientos de ese día y de aquellos que perdieron la vida. Pero ese día, muchas vidas también fueron traídas a la vida, recuerdo lo que alguien dijo una vez: “los niños son la manera como Dios dice que este mundo debe continuar, hay esperanza en el futuro”.

La historia tiene una gran variedad de ángulos, perspectivas, opiniones y emociones. Así que hoy, al rendir homenaje a aquellos que perdieron sus vidas, y reflexiones sobre estos eventos, diferentes cosas vendrán al corazón otra vez. Sin embargo, siente consuelo al saber que no deberías tener temor del futuro ni por aquellos que amas, porque Él venció este mundo, para que tú yo tuviéramos paz.

Ten ánimo, no tengas temor.

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

¿Quieres esta inspiración de café por correo electrónico todas las mañanas? Ingresa tu dirección de correo electrónico para suscribirte en la parte superior derecha de esta página, debajo de la casilla de “Subscribe” ¿Te gusta este escrito y deseas compartirlo? Simplemente añade tu comentario abajo en “Leave a Reply” o compártelo en Facebook, Twitter, o por correo electrónico usando cualesquiera de los botones al lado de “Share this:”

© 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.

Extraordinary or well?

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We often puzzle ourselves with questions that we cannot answer; at least at the moment we make them. The more I make myself such questions, the more I realize that they all come down to one simple issue, purpose. So I pursue, I ask and I delve into the deepest inner makings of my being. I look around, as you might have done also, to see what others have done. My problem, and possibly yours too, is that I look to those that have excelled and have rises to the top of their fields. What I seek is that ingredient, one unspoken ingredient that it seems everyone seem to have and it eludes the rest of us.

What is it and where is it? Is it acquired or is it a gift from God? I think it is a little of both. Depending on how or where you were raised, and how that environment was rooted in you, your answer to these questions will definitely answer those questions. Got that? I know it sounds a little confusing, but bear with me for a moment. In many ways our environment somehow challenges how we perform and how we think, if we permit it. Please see that I said, “challenges”, not trump or defeat. Don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that you have to be born in a certain place or come from a certain family to have the ingredient that exceptional individuals have. What I am saying is that what these individuals, men and women like you and me, have achieved greatness in spite of their environment.

To acknowledge our own shortcomings, is the first step to greatness. So even when our placing is a challenge and impacts us directly in many ways, it doesn’t have to. In an overwhelming majority of the times, we have a choice, we decide how it affects us. I’m not implying that it is or will be easy, in fact I would side with you and say that it will be even more hard for you, than the average Joe. But because of that toil, that struggle and the hustle you have to go through, that ingredient will surface all that greater. Sometimes it is precisely that struggle what brings forth the best of you. It might be, that how you handle the present situation in your life, will determine how you live the rest of your life.

What is it then? Simple, you do extraordinarily, what others seem to do well. It is the intentionality of what you do that makes the difference. It is the area of your life in which you put your entire heart at work and you take off all of the stops. We cannot have the gifts of someone else, at best we do marginally ok in someone else’s field or craft. But there is one thing you do exceptionally well and when given the opportunity you perform as if you are being recharged, because you love it. Be it writing, inspiring, preaching, teaching, sports, business, leadership, fatherhood, counseling, or whatever your gift might be, get better at it every day and do it extraordinarily.

A bad environment doesn’t mean impossible. We see it all the time. The underdogs, the outliers, those that at some point and in contrast of where they lived, or what life had handed them, decided they would do extraordinarily what others seemed to do ok. It is a choice, it is not necessarily a supernatural gift nor a one of a kind talent, it is a choice you make. And when you make it, everything changes. You can live the rest of your life living with wandering eyes, or you can become the story everyone will be inspired by. So what is it going to be? Dive in and move forward.

Do extraordinarily, what others do well.

“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, 2012
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.

¿Extraordinario o bien?

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Muchas veces nos desconcertamos con preguntas que no podemos responder, al menos en el momento en que las hacemos. Mientras más me hago estas preguntas, más me doy cuenta de que todo se reduce a un simple asunto, propósito. Por eso persigo, me pregunto y me adentro en lo más profundo de mi ser interior. Miro a mi alrededor, como podrías haberlo hecho también, para ver lo que otros han hecho. Mi problema, y posiblemente también el tuyo, es que miro a aquellos que han sobresalido y se han elevado a la cima de sus campos. Lo que busco es ese ingrediente, un ingrediente tácito que pareciera que todos tienen y que se escapa del resto de nosotros.

¿Qué es y dónde está? ¿Se adquiere o es un regalo de Dios? Creo que es un poco de ambos. Depende de cómo o dónde hayas crecido, y cómo ese entorno se haya arraigado en ti, tu respuesta a estas preguntas definitivamente contesta esas preguntas. ¿Lo captaste? Sé que suena un poco confuso, pero ten paciencia conmigo por un momento. En muchos sentidos, el medio ambiente de alguna manera desafía cómo actuamos y cómo pensamos, si lo permitimos. Por favor, observa que dije: “retos” y no triunfo o derrota. No me malinterpretes, no estoy diciendo que tienes que haber nacido en un determinado lugar o venir de cierta familia para tener el ingrediente que los individuos excepcionales tienen. Lo que estoy diciendo es que lo que estos individuos, hombres y mujeres como tú y como yo, han alcanzado la grandeza a pesar de su entorno.

El reconocer nuestros propios defectos, es el primer paso hacia la grandeza. Así que, cuando nuestra posición es un desafío y nos impacta directamente en muchos aspectos, no tiene por qué serlo. En la gran mayoría de las veces, tenemos la opción, decidimos cómo nos afecta. No estoy insinuando que es o va a ser fácil, de hecho, me pondría del lado tuyo y diría que va a ser aún más difícil para ti, que la persona promedio. Pero debido a ese esfuerzo, esa lucha y el ajetreo que tienes que pasar, saldrá a la superficie ese ingrediente de una forma mayor. A veces, es precisamente esa lucha lo que hace surgir lo mejor de ti. Podría ser, que la manera en que manejes la situación presente en tu vida, determinará cómo vivirás el resto de ella.

¿Qué es entonces? Sencillo, haces extraordinariamente, lo que otros parecen hacer bien. Es la intencionalidad de lo que haces lo que hace la diferencia. Es el área de tu vida en la que pones a trabajar todo tu corazón y evitas todo lo que te pueda detener. No podemos tener los dones de otra persona, en el mejor de los casos, hacemos marginalmente bien en algún otro campo u oficio. Pero hay una cosa que haces excepcionalmente bien, y cuando se te da la oportunidad de llevarla a cabo lo haces como si te estuvieras recargando, porque te encanta. Ya sea que se trate de escribir, inspirar, predicar, enseñar, deportes, negocios, liderazgo, paternidad, consejería, o cualquiera sea tu don, hazlo mejor cada día y hazlo extraordinariamente.

Un mal entorno no significa imposibilidad. Lo vemos todo el tiempo. Los que están abajo, los que exudan valores extremos, los que en algún momento y en contraste de donde viven o lo que la vida les había entregado, decidieron que harían extraordinariamente lo que otros parecían hacer bien. Es una opción, no es necesariamente un don sobrenatural ni un talento único, es una elección que hacemos. Y al hacerlo, todo cambia. Puedes vivir el resto de tu vida viviendo con ojos errantes, o puedes llegar a ser la historia que inspirará a todos. Entonces, ¿qué ha de ser? Sumérgete y sigue adelante.

Haz extraordinariamente lo que otros hacen bien.

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

¿Quieres esta inspiración de café por correo electrónico todas las mañanas? Ingresa tu dirección de correo electrónico para suscribirte en la parte superior derecha de esta página, debajo de la casilla de “Subscribe” ¿Te gusta este escrito y deseas compartirlo? Simplemente añade tu comentario abajo en “Leave a Reply” o compártelo en Facebook, Twitter, o por correo electrónico usando cualesquiera de los botones al lado de “Share this:”

© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2012