Mensajes de Esperanza

Estamos a penas a unas horas de culminar el año 2017. Un año, que como todos, nos ha traído alegrías y tristezas; éxitos y fracasos; muchos retos, pero también innumerables bendiciones. Con la inminente llegada de un nuevo año, regularmente, la mayoría de las personas, tomamos un tiempo para mirar hacia adelante y nos preguntamos que nos deparará el futuro. Contemplar el futuro, puede ser algo que nos llena de mucha alegría y expectativas, pero, también, puede ser algo que nos causa ansiedad y hasta temor. Para algunos, el futuro puede ser que parezca estar lleno de oportunidades, pero para otr@s, el futuro, se les presenta lleno de retos y complicaciones. Entonces, ante la incertidumbre sobre el futuro (con sus oportunidades y retos), es muy importante que como discípulos de Jesucristo, asumamos la actitud correcta . Puede ser que no podamos hacer mucho para cambiar las circunstancias que tenemos que enfrentar en la vida, pero, LA ACTITUD con la que las enfrentamos - HACE UNA ...

Read: Nehemiah 1:1-4 | 1 Corinthians 12:26 On the weekend of September 17th, 2017, the national weather center rang the alarm about the danger that Hurricane Maria presented for the Caribbean, especially for the island of Puerto Rico. The forecasts were scary. Some of the adjectives used to describe what was coming were: catastrophic, apocalyptic, unprecedented. The people on the island made every possible preparation to face Hurricane Maria, but they were never ready, because they did not have a clear point of reference to help them prepare. This would be the first time in more than 5 generations that Puerto Ricans would face a storm of this magnitude. From the distance, the sons and daughters of Puerto Rico, the diaspora, lived a different kind of anxiety. Concerned about our families and friends; asking someone to help us secure our property on the island. Wondering what would be our people if this monster really came as predicted given all the economic and socio-po...

Read: Matthew 22:34-40 | Colossians 3:23-24 ,  I consider myself a blessed person. Throughout my life, God has provided people whose teachings and good example have had a positive impact on me and to some extent have molded me into the person I am becoming today. One of those very special people was my maternal grandmother – “abuela” Gloria. Abuela always had a word of wisdom to share with her grandchildren, when we needed it the most. When I was about 23 years old, I decided that I wanted to further my education. I made this decision while my first child was 2 months old, and in addition to all the responsibilities with my family, work and church. When I began my school work, I felt stretch beyond I originally estimated. One afternoon, over a cup of coffee, I poured out by heart and confessed to my grandmother that given everything that was happening in my life, I was feeling that my spiritual life was getting out of balance, and as a result, other things where starti...

Read in the Bible: 1 Samuel 17:32-47 Almost 5 years ago, our region was hit by Hurricane Sandy - an unprecedented storm for this generation here in NJ. For many, this was the first time they felt the force of the sea and the winds as it manifested during the afternoon and evening of that October 29 th . The day after the storm, we all woke up to new and somber reality. Something no one ever imagined living, especially for those in towns closer to the Jersey Shore. The photos and videos being shared on the TV looked like they were from a horror movie. The number of deaths reported was more than our minds could process. Very soon, the magnitude of the damage and the needs began to emerge: millions without electricity, thousands of refugees in shelters outside their homes, lack of the most basic needs (drinking water, food, and clothing). Floods, massive damage to property, people had no heat - the list seemed endless. Back then, I was serving in Oasis UMC in Ple...

Lee:  Lucas 24:13-35 |  Había una vez un joven llamado Ernesto que no podía ver bien. Lo curioso era que el no sabía que él tenía un problema con su visión. De hecho, nadie lo sabía : ni su mamá, ni su papá, ni los abuelos, ni aún sus amigos más cercano s. Ernesto, pensaba que todas las cosas tenían unos bordes no definidos y que no había muchos detalles porque así era que las cosas le parecían a él. Por ejemplo, para él, los árboles eran grandes motas de algodón verde. Mientras Ernesto crecía, su mamá le preguntaba porque se acercaba tanto a la televisión. Su abuelo, notaba que cuando Ernesto estaba leyendo un libro, lo mantenía cerca de su cara. Y en la escuela, Ernesto se quejaba a la maestra que no podía ver las palabras en el pizarrón claramente. Finalmente, un día sus padres se dieron cuenta que el muchacho tenía un problema con su vista y lo llevaron a un doctor, quien luego de examinarlo, les dijo: “Ernesto necesita espejuelos”. A los pocos días , Ernesto...