One Cool Dad

One Cool Dad

Tomorrow I am going to celebrate Father’s day with my dad and then next weekend I will celebrate my dad’s 55th birthday. I would like to tribute a special blog just for my dad, Dan. Dad is the coolest dad that a girl could have. I remember going to the Father & daughter dance with my dad many years ago when I was 12 years old. It was Valentine’s weekend and my dad was my date. It was so cool to dance with my dad. I busted a move while dancing to Mr. Hammer with my dad. There were times when I was single in my early twenties when I would feel depressed with no date. My dad was the guy to go out to eat or watch a movie. The best times I had with my father is going grocery shopping while I was growing up. Dad wrote a list of what we needed to cook in the kitchen or make. Somehow I talked my dad into purchasing more items that were needed. I would ask dad to buy make-up, hair products, or if I wanted to make a pie which my father would purchased all the items needed. Dad would go out of his way to serve us kids while we were growing up. I do feel bad for making my dad buying all those unnecessary stuff at the grocery store. Dad loves to watch the basketball games or football games and I spend many times with dad to watch those endless hours of games. I would have the best conversations with my father about what was happening in the games which I thank him today. It makes it easier to hang with the guys since I know something about what is happening in football games or basketball games.


A few years ago, I almost saw my father die in front of my eyes from colon cancer. Every moment I spend with my father was very important to me because I did not know that I was going to lose my father to cancer. Dad would tell me that he wanted to give up while he had cancer. I told my dad that I was not ready for him to leave because he had to watch me graduate from college, get married and have babies. Well, dad fought the cancer with the Lord’s help and he is now still living today. My dad watched me walked down the aisle to get my degree last year from college. It was a moment I will not forget.

My dad is my best friend, my mentor in business or with the Lord, my accountant, my financial advisor planner, my editor, my workout buddy, my chef ( when he cooks). One day my father will just be a memory but for now I will appreciate and honor him while he is still living. Please remember you dad on daddy’s day and give your dad a hug if you can or remember father on father's day.


Isleen

Holding On

Holding on

Life can sometimes bring the stress and the strife in the every day life. Little do we know that stress if only temporal and it will not last forever. Live the moment and enjoy every moment as you can because you are breathing. When stress comes in my life, my dad always told me to be thankful that you are breathing. He says that you have to be thankful to have your health and that everything is going great in my life.I am started to think that be thankful is the key to positive mindset than just being negative. Being negative does help others around others around you or yourself. I do my best to hold on. Holding in this life is not easy. There are times when I would like to run away or go on a nice vacation in some unknown land far away from my everyday life. We cannot run away from our problems but face up to our problems and hold on. Hold on to the tears, anger, depression, confusion, happiness, and love. Life is what happens.

Passage 1 Timothy 6:12:12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.

Isleen

Whatever is the Weather

Whatever is the Weather

“Red Moon Rising by Peter Greig & Dave Roberts”, is one of many books that I am currently reading. I would like to share one part of the book that I found it interesting and then I will give my opinion about what I thought after you read this piece. Please read the following: “It was really because of Roger that I was here in Chichester, zooming down the road to the ER on a mission from God. Ever since that vision Portugal, I’d been wondering what to do about it. All I knew for sure was that it had to begin with getting myself sorted. God spoken to me clearly in a London park one day, pointing out a majestic oak tree before directing my attention to Jeremiah 17:7-8 “ Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out it roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; it leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

I knew that God was telling me to put down roots by stream. Like most people, I was relatively fruitful when the sun was shining; a few friends had become Christians, and I was even viewed as something of a leader by about half dozen of my friends. I was the guy who did pretty much anything exciting he could think of for God. I had driven relief vans to Romania orphanages, smuggled Bibles in China, worked in Hong Kong with heroin addicts and in London with the homeless. I was a full-on lone ranger for Jesus.

But I had to admit, I wasn’t accountable to anyone for my actions and as a result, whenever the seasons of my life changed and the sun disappeared, so did my fruitfulness. Jeremiah was right. My girlfriend had recently finished with me and I’d been inconsolable. If I wanted to bear fruit supernaturally regardless of the climate, I knew I needed to draw water from an ongoing community that would challenge me, encourage me, and hold me accountable, whatever the weather. No more lone ranger. "

Lone Ranger… I think of the TV show of the Lone Ranger riding with his horse in the open field in some desert of Arizona. Being a Lone Ranger as Christian can't bring any help when you are on the field. When I first Christian there were so many questions which I had for my youth pastor or one of the interns was also there to help us out to figure of how to walk this walk with the Lord. I am thankful for those people who were in my life in that season. I am at the still in that season of having to be accountable to one person or another. I have chosen biology father to be my spiritual father in my life. He has brought many good advices and we have spent many hours in prayer. I could see myself walking this walk all by myself if I had to but there are times when I need to be encouraged, humble, lift up, spoken into, or mentor. There are no Lone Rangers in this journey with the Lord.

Isleen Rodriguez

Standing in Your Rut

Standing in your Rut

We all come to a place in our life call, “The Rut”. The rut is a place where you have come in your life where you feel like are living each day as the same. Remember the movie call, “Ground Hog Day” with Bill Murray? In the movie the character that Bill Murray played weatherman who finds that he is living the same day over and over again. Imagine yourself living your day over and over again. To some people living in a rut is a reality for them.

Last year, I felt like I was going somewhere with getting my bachelor degree but I felt like I have come to a place call the rut. The economy took a turn for the worst in Sept. 2008 and the jobless with half of Americans working in this country it is no wonder that I have not received a job offer in my field. Each day, I had prayed for the Lord to guide my path to direct me into the right direction of where he wants me to go with work in my field. I have looked into another field career in health area at the beginning of year to take some courses but it was too expensive for me. I had thought about getting a loan in order to take these courses at UTA but I did not because I am up to my neck with all my school loans. One of my prayers was how I was going to manage to take these courses without getting a loan. Answer to me was to wait. I could tell you that I was feeling down but I knew in my heart not to give up because the Lord has a plan. The Lord has a plan for all of us but we can’t give up on our dreams. My dream is to get my Masters to work in the Social Work Field. During my period of the wait which I started to realize on how many books I did not read, movies I haven’t watched in the last 4 years, helping my little sis with the kids, taking a debt free class at church, couple counseling, and exercising.

Last week which receive a catalog at the community college of the health courses at a cheaper price than going to UTA. I will not have to get a loan because some how I will manage it to pay without going in debt. Plus, the health course is down the street from where I live. I don’t have to go across town to take these classes. Amen!!!The Lord has a plan and I thank him for being there for me.

Once of the verse that is speaking into my life right now is:

Isaiah 44
“But now, listen to me, Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one.

The Lord who made you and helps you says: o not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, O dear Israel, my chosen one.

For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children.

They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank.

Some will proudly claim, ‘I belong to the Lord.’ Others will say, ‘I am a descendant of Jacob.’ Some will write the Lord’s name on their hands

I am in a rut right not but one day the Lord is going to move me somewhere than where I am at in my life at this time.

Isleen

Cancer

Cancer

Last year we found out my father test came back negative which means this is good news because there was no trace of cancer. For time to time dad goes to the doctors to get checked up of cancer. My dad went to the doctor this last week to take his test. Yesterday, my mom had taken the day off from work to go to the doctor's office with my dad. Once my parents reach the doctor’s office and my parents sat with the doctor to be given the results of the test. The doctor told my father that the test came out negative. My dad was giving his praises to the Lord again this year! My father has been cancer free for 2 years!!!! Amen!!! I told my co-workers of my testimony of the good news about my father having no cancer which I sat down in my chair then my other co-worker, Seth came to the front to tell us what was happening with his girl friend Brooke. Brooke has been in battle with cancer in the last year. Seth told us that Brooke has 1-4 months to live. Seth was in tears when he told us the terrible news to all of us and some of the other ladies were in tears for Brooke. It is never easy to hear the bad news from the doctors when they tell you that you are going to die soon. What do you say when the doctors give you a time when you will die? You get depressed for days going on that you will die soon. You may feel like you have no hope and there is no future for you. My dad felt like this so many times while he was dealing with cancer and I had to sit by his side to watch him to go through with his pain. Many of you reading this my blog which I come to tell you there is hope no matter if you have cancer or no cancer. Christ is the only way. My father tells me if it wasn’t for Christ he would not have the reason to live.

Please keep Brooke Smith in prayer for all you prayer warriors. Brooke is 22 years old and has tumor has spread in her spine. I believe the Lord can heal her from his deadly disease.


Isleen

10 Years Later

10 Years Later……

10 years ago I was a senior in high school and I heard the news of the Columbine shooting in Colorado. It was moment I would never forget while I was in high school. I had fear going school each day and I would think to myself, “What would happen if one of student started to come into my school and start shooting at all of us?” I know my high school made some changes by adding extra security at my high school. Everyday until I graduated from high school which I prayed for all my classmate’s lockers and I prayed for protection at my school. There were a few bomb threats at our school but nothing happened compared to what had occurred in Columbine.

10 years later…. It shakes me up when I read a news headline regarding a school shooting on the internet. The last time I heard a school shooting was in Germany. It makes me wonder that enemy is putting negative stuff in student’s mind and they are listening to it. Many of us are now parents who have a child in school and we need to pray for these schools in American and all over the world. Please join me in pray for the students at high school campus or college campus today and the rest of the year.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30259632/

Isleen

Don't Judge Others

Don’t Judge Others

I had watched World News with Charles Gibson last night and I saw this story about a “middle-aged Scottish woman who says she’s never been kissed has become an international star after shocking judges with her singing on “Britain’s Got Talent." You had to hear this lady sing which I had receive chills as I heard her sing “I Dreamed a Dream” from the musical “Les Miserable’s”. All the judges’ faces were in shocked as this Scottish lady was singing her heart out. At the end of her song please read the following: “The other two judges looked on with gaping jaws as Boyle turned the crowd’s cynicism into tear-soaked adoration."

"When she had finished, the theater erupted into a tsunami of cheers and applause as Boyle started to walk off the stage. She was stopped by Cowell, who reminded her she needed to hear from the judges.

First was Piers Morgan, who told her, “That was the biggest surprise I’ve had in three years on the show.” His vote, he said, was “the biggest yes I have ever given anybody.”
Cowell completed the judging with the third resounding yes. “Susan Boyle, you can go back to the village with your head held high,” he said. “It’s three yeses.”
A huge smile erupted on Boyle’s face as she made a fist and danced in place in her white pumps.”

The Lord brought to my attention to not judge others or else you will be judge. We all have fault in ourselves and all of us are not perfect. Please read following verse that has to do with judging others at:

Luke 6:37-38

Do Not Judge Others

37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.[c]”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30226936/?gt1=43001


Isleen