Staying Awake

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Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens – Mark 4:27

It is a little embarrassing but I cannot refrain of telling you the first lesson I learned in the wee hours of the new year. Last night after a full day of activities, we returned to the hotel to get prepared for the New Year’s celebration. We were going to find a spot to see the fireworks and enjoy the show. I was hungry, and tired. You can tell I was hungry because I wanted to eat pizza, which is not my favorite, but that I’ll get to that in a moment. So at the hotel I took a bath and got half dressed and lied down on the bed reading some news and waiting for everyone else to get ready. My daughter was complaining because she didn’t want to go out again and was already in her pajamas and went on to change. I know I saw my wife changing and getting prepared for the night. Then everything started to get blurry. I can vaguely recall hearing her saying, “we are not going”, and I can hear in the distance, even when it was happening right there in my room, my daughter saying, “We are not going anywhere, and I have to get changed again”. Yes, it happened; I fell asleep.

At 2:36 a.m., I opened my eyes and in disbelief I realized that I had missed that moment and I had slept through it. Immediately a small still voice in my heart spoke to me saying, “Don’t sleep through the important moments in life, stay awake.” It might not be a big deal for you, but to me it was important. In life we are so consumed in achieving, succeeding, impressing, and so many more things that we get tired along the way wasting energy in things that are temporal and of questionable significance. And when the important moments come along, we fall asleep, and it is in those moments where life is made, were bonds are tighten and love is nurtured. These are the important moments in life where we cannot go by dozing out on them. We cannot sit down and ask, how was it? It will never be the same as experiencing them. Back to the pizza. I woke up with an empty grumbling stomach and I found two untouched, cold pieces in the fridge. I can assure you that they would not taste the same as when they came a couple of hours before when they were hot and fresh, just like the moment that I had missed.

Just as the farmer in the parable does not understand how the seed he has scattered grows, wether we are awake to the moment or not, life continues to happen to all of us. We will plant seeds this year even if we realize it or not. And that seed will grow, night and day. So what seed will you scatter? And more importantly will you be awake in the moments that matter to see the seed sprout? I was told that my wife kissed me, and yet I didn’t feel or remember it.

Don’t miss the moments that matter. I know you don’t want to find cold pieces of pizza and be the only one asking how it tasted when it was fresh. My new year’s resolution and yours should be as well: Staying Awake

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

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© 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.

Mantenerse Despierto

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Día y noche, sea que él esté dormido o despierto, la semilla brota y crece, pero él no entiende cómo sucede. – Marcos 4:27

Es un poco vergonzoso, pero no puedo abstenerme de contar la primera lección que aprendí en las primeras horas del año nuevo. Ayer por la noche después de un día lleno de actividades, volvimos al hotel para prepararnos para la celebración del Año Nuevo. Íbamos a encontrar un lugar para ver los fuegos artificiales y disfrutar del espectáculo. Tenía hambre y estaba cansado. Se puede decir que tenía hambre porque quería comer pizza, la cual no es mi favorita, pero hablaré de eso en un momento. Así que, en el hotel me di un baño, se vestí a medias y me acosté en la cama, leyendo algunas noticias y esperando a que los demás se prepararan. Mi hija, que ya estaba en pijama, se quejaba porque no quería salir de nuevo, se fue a cambiar. Yo sé que vi a mi esposa cambiándose y preparándose para la noche. Entonces todo empezó a ponerse borroso. Vagamente puedo recordar escucharla decir, “no vamos a salir”, y puedo escuchar a la distancia, aún cuando estaba ocurriendo allí mismo en mi habitación, a mi hija decir “Nosotros no vamos a ninguna parte, y tengo que cambiarme de nuevo .” Sí, sucedió, me quedé dormido.

A las 2:36 a.m. abrí mis ojos con incredulidad y me di cuenta que me había perdido ese momento y me había dormido. De inmediato una pequeña voz en mi corazón me habló diciendo: “No duermas a través de los momentos importantes de la vida, mantente despierto.” Puede que no sea algo importante para ti, pero para mí era importante. En la vida estamos tan consumidos en alcanzar, tener éxito, impresionar, y muchas cosas más, de las que nos cansamos en el camino gastando energía en asuntos que son temporales y de importancia cuestionable. Y cuando los momentos importantes vienen, nos quedamos dormidos, y es en esos momentos en que la vida se hace, donde los lazos se refuerzan y el amor se nutre. Estos son los momentos importantes en la vida donde no podemos pasar dormitando por ellos. No podemos sentarnos y preguntar, ¿cómo fue? Nunca será lo mismo que experimentarlos. De nuevo a la pizza. Me desperté con el estómago vacío, gruñéndome y me encontré con dos pedazos fríos sin tocar, en la nevera. Les puedo asegurar que el sabor no sería el mismo de cuando llegaron un par de horas antes, cuando estaban calientes y frescas, al igual que ese momento en que me había perdido.

Así como el agricultor de la parábola no entiende cómo crece la semilla que ha esparcido, estemos despiertos o no para ese momento, la vida continúa para todos nosotros. Plantaremos semillas este año aun cuando no nos demos cuenta. Y esa semilla crecerá día y noche. Entonces, ¿qué semillas dispersarás? Y lo más importante, ¿estarás despierto en los momentos que importan para ver la semilla germinar y crecer? Me dijeron que mi esposa me dio un beso y, sin embargo, no lo sentí ni lo recuerdo.

No te pierdas los momentos que importan. Yo sé que no quieres encontrar pedazos fríos de pizza y ser el único que se pregunte cómo sabían cuando estaban frescas. Mi resolución de Año Nuevo es “Mantenerme Despierto”, y puedes hacerla tuya también.

“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
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.

Beginnings

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The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. – Lamentations 3:22-23

Beginnings: It means different things to different people. For some, it is the reluctant reality that they need to accept after a failed event in their life. It is not necessarily embraced or welcomed. Not because what it represents, but by how it presents itself. Like the soul that is devastated by a divorce and needs to find strength to pick up the pieces of his or her life as it was known. Or the companion that has left this life on earth and has skipped into eternity leaving an empty space in the hearts of love ones; or the job or the business that is no more. All of these are endings and many of them very painful. So an ending is a beginning in disguise. Beginnings usually come after an ending.

For others, beginnings transpire as the emotion of hope, of the possibilities, of what could be. For these, endings are embraced, welcomed and expected, because a beginning is in sight. Two opposite points of view, but with the same ending; to begin.

It is a thought that can transform your life completely, if you choose. You might be at either side of the coin in your viewpoint, but the fact remains that something in your life has ceased to be, something has ended and something new must take its place and fill the void. These are the curves that life brings and we must know how to handle them in order to continue to thrive, to live and to begin again. And we are confronted with our human fragility and believe that the end is just that, the end. We think that there is no future, no hope no new things in our life will ever happen and that there is no point of knocking on the same door of unfulfilled dreams over and over again. But God who is rich in mercy knew and knows how we are prone to go astray of his ways and from our path. So He is constant. His love never ends, even when ours does. His mercy never ceases even when judgement is warranted. And then we read this refreshing truth that brings hope for the future in our lives, his mercies are fresh every morning. Every day a new beginning, no matter what has happened before, that in itself is a transformational thought. And who better to talk about beginnings, but God himself: He is the Beginning and the End. He started everything from nothing and he has created you and me in his likeness.

If something has ended in your life, a relationship, a job, a business, a loved one’s life or even the desire to continue to press on, remember that God is the God of beginnings and his plans and thoughts for you are plans for good. So no matter what is going on now in your life, this ending is a moment for a great start, for a great beginning. His mercies are new and fresh every day.

A new and blank page is waiting for you, so go ahead and write the new chapter of your life, starting today. You might want to call it: To begin.

“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.

Comienzos

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¡El fiel amor del Señor nunca se acaba! Sus misericordias jamás terminan. Grande es su fidelidad; sus misericordias son nuevas cada mañana. – Lamentaciones 3:22-23

Comienzos: significa diferentes cosas para diferentes personas. Para algunos, es la realidad que renuentemente necesitan aceptar después de un evento fallido en la vida. No necesariamente es aceptada o bienvenida. No porque lo que representa, sino por la forma en que se presenta. Como el alma que es devastada por un divorcio y tiene que encontrar la fuerza para recoger las piezas de su vida como era conocida. O el compañero que ha dejado esta vida en la tierra y ha saltado a la eternidad dejando un espacio vacío en el corazón de seres queridos, o el trabajo o el negocio que ya no existe. Todos estos son finales y muchos de ellos muy dolorosos. Así que un final es un comienzo disfrazado. Los inicios suelen venir después de un final.

Para otros, los comienzos transpiran la emoción de esperanza, de posibilidades, lo que pudiera ser. Para estos, los finales son aceptados, bienvenidos y esperados, porque un comienzo se divisa. Dos puntos de vista opuestos, pero con el mismo final, el comenzar.

Es un pensamiento que puede transformar tu vida por completo, si lo deseas. Podrías estar en cualquier lado de la moneda en cuanto a tu punto de vista, pero la realidad es que algo en tu vida ha dejado de ser, algo ha terminado y algo nuevo debe ocupar su lugar y llenar el vacío. Estas son las curvas que trae la vida y tenemos que saber cómo manejarlas con el fin de continuar creciendo, viviendo y comenzar de nuevo. Nos enfrentamos con nuestra fragilidad humana y creemos que el final es sólo eso, el final. Pensamos que no hay futuro, ni esperanza, y que ninguna cosa nueva en nuestra vida va a ocurrir jamás y que no hay ningún punto en tocar la misma puerta de sueños incumplidos una y otra vez. Pero Dios que es rico en misericordia, sabía y sabe que somos propensos a desviarnos de su camino y de nuestra trayectoria. Así que Él es constante. Su amor nunca termina incluso cuando el nuestro finaliza. Su misericordia no cesa aun cuando el juicio está justificado. Y luego leemos esta verdad refrescante que trae esperanza para el futuro en nuestras vidas; sus misericordias son nuevas cada mañana. Cada día un nuevo comienzo, no importa lo que ha sucedido antes; eso de por sí es un pensamiento transformador. ¿Y quién mejor para hablar de comienzos, sino Dios mismo: Él es el principio y el fin. Él comenzó todo de la nada y te ha creado a ti y a mí a su imagen.

Si algo ha terminado en tu vida, una relación, un trabajo, un negocio, la vida de un ser querido o incluso la voluntad de continuar hacia adelante, recuerda que Dios es el Dios de los comienzos y sus planes y pensamientos para ti son planes de bienestar . Así que no importa lo que esté sucediendo actualmente en tu vida, este final es un momento para empezar bien, un momento para un gran comienzo. Sus misericordias son nuevas y frescas cada día.

Una nueva página en blanco está esperando por ti, así que adelante, escribe el nuevo capítulo de tu vida comenzando hoy. Es posible que desees llamarlo: Comienzos.

“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.

Cada paso

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Cada paso que das en la vida cuenta, escoge sabiamente a donde te diriges. No hay momentos ordinarios. – DP

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

Every step

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Every step in life you make matters, chose wisely where you are headed. There are no ordinary moments. – DP

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

His words never fail

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by DP

“For no word from God will ever fail.” Luke 1:37

This day is filled with meaning for many; for some joy and for others not. Life happens to all of us. It is very interesting that on the months leading to this day we celebrate, a young girl, a teenage girl, had not only a visitation of an angel but was confronted with her new reality; she was going to be a mom. I can only imagine how many thoughts went through her mind. What will everyone think? How would she be treated by her family? We can only imagine and probably guess what happened and how she felt. She could have been confused. And as that confusion took place, it was eased by the words of the angel when he said: “For no word from God will ever fail.”

We have the benefit of some hindsight today. We all know how the story unfolded. But Mary, and then Joseph, did not have that vantage. They had to endure life and rely every step on a word given to each of them separately, a word that they were the only ones who witnessed it. The words said to Mary on Luke 1:37 (TNIV), are a clear message for us today. That no matter how grim or difficult your place in life is today, no word from God will ever fail. And when I whisper these words to my soul, I feel that there is hope for me and for you. God made it clear, by giving these words to Mary, that we never forget his promises.

When everything else fails, or seems failing before our eyes, he doesn’t. Knowing this, brightens my day immediately. And it is palpable to know that Jesus himself is called The Word. His mere essence is truth and unmovable reliance of what he says He is and or will do. There are not many in this world you can say, that will always uphold their promises. Even the most noble and respectable people we know, have failed us. So how marvelous it is to know, He will not.

In spite of your personal circumstances, your feelings and above what anyone else says. He will not fail you, ever. His proof comes in the manner of a child, born in a manger that years later would change the destiny of this earth with his life. He would walk on water, heal the sick, defend the poor, resuscitate the dead, defeat sin, death and fear, and will always love you and me, unconditionally.

So on this holiday season and in every season, remember that …, no word from God will ever fail.

“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 DP, 2011

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, TODAY’S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by Biblica®. Used by permission of Biblica®. All rights reserved worldwide.

A review

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by DP

This has been a year of many changes. A year that has challenged many, myself included. I have also been privileged to see many of these transformations first hand; lives stretched, inspired and changed. And by having the unmerited opportunity to witness many of them, I experienced some transformation myself. I have had the incredible opportunity to inspire and challenge many talented individuals. Men and women that have empire mindsets within themselves and yet have to discover the depth and extent of them. I have seen the immeasurable works of God in their lives; for that I’m thankful.

Like my friend and his entire family that stepped up to the plate and filled the gap for children’s in need, changing the future for many. Or an unassuming individual that has elevated his life to one that inspires many with his example of humbleness and the amazing favor of God over him; an invisible leader. The couple that has dreamt of changing those that have nothing and lift their standard of living, transforming trash into treasure. And how can you measure witnessing a giant awakened and unleashed in a couple that is changing the way church is done and reaping innumerable changed lives? I have also seen the birth of many dreams and the impact of uplifting words in the life of countless individuals. What about the mother that stayed home to nurture and dedicate herself to her family and is transforming her talent into her calling; a life changing performance. And many countless more that could fill pages upon pages of real life -everyday individuals- inspiration. This reminds me about Psalm 8:5. “Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.”, in it the psalmist is referring to mankind. In the passage, the term God is referred as Elohim in the hebrew, which means the unalculated power of the trinity of God. These individuals have tapped, if just a tad, at what God has deposited in them; and from where I have been watching, the future looks is incredibly bright.

This has been a rare opportunity that I have been given. This has also been a rare year; in a good way. I have seen this transformation in my wife, my son and my daughter. For this and for more I thank all of you that had giving me the honor to be part of your lives. But be certain that the one that has been transformed and changed the most, has been me, and for that I praise God.

This is just the beginning. With every “Canlet” made, for every child sponsored, for every youngster awaken, for every leader inspired, for every horizon opened for others, for every soul saved, for every ornament made, and for many more things that escape my mind or my imagination, these individuals are making a dent in the universe, and so can you. It is not to late, it’s actually the right time for you to stand up for what you believe and act. Remember Paul’s words “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

These men and women have all been “Dreamspired”, and for that I tip my hat to them, they are all amazing and so are you. God has deposited in your DNA, seeds of greatness and it is your duty to unleash them. So BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE boldly. I finish by saying, the words in Philippians that are true for all of us: “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”. See you at the top.

“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 DP, 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.