Women

Advent: Remember, reboot, refocus…

What to write….what to write? Sometimes it feels like different topics are warring in my mind to be what I w whiskey-typewriter-shutterstock-570x380 rite about, but it never really takes shape till my fingers start typing on the keys.

My emotions are in a bit of a roller coaster this morning, and it all started last night. While it was nothing specific, there was a general feeling of anxiety. I would put it in the class of “anxiety attack” although last night’s version was pretty mild. I started to get a little panicky and was feeling hot. I even slept on the couch last night because when I feel this way, I just need a little more space, cooler air and not stressing over waking my hubby.

I have general anxiety like most people do, but a couple of years ago I started having what I call attacks. Immediately stressed, can’t breathe, hot sweaty periods of time where I have to work to bring myself to some kind of control. It is hard, and they are scary. It mostly happened at night, when distractions were taken away and my subconscious could do its worst. So this morning, I was really interested in taking time to spend time with the Big Guy and find some type of peace.

So I was reading about Jesus and his nighttime encounter with this religious leader, Nicodemus. It’s kind of funny how it starts out. Nicodemus comes to Jesus and is like, “hey….we know you are sent by God because you do these great miracles.” And instead of saying something logical like, “thanks….glad to be here,” Jesus gives an answer to a question. The problem is, no question has been asked? What? Now you can go in and check out the answer and what Jesus explains to him, but that is not the point of my little writing this morning.

So what is?

Well, I love the fact that Jesus gave him the answer, before Nicodemus even knew he wanted to ask the question! God knows us, and so does His Son. Jesus knew Nicodemus deepest, darkest, subconscious thoughts, dreams, stress and heart’s desire. He knows mine too.

And in reading that this morning, I realized that even before I knew I would have a night of anxiety, He did. And in what I wrote yesterday, He has already given me the answer for the peace I need today. So this morning, I’m taking the time to remember, reboot and refocus on what is true. The God who provided yesterday is the same one who will continue to do so today and in the future.

What’s going on in your life today? Do you really need an answer to that question, situation or stress? Look back! Remember, reboot and refocus. You might be surprised at what answers you may find!

December 6, 2018 0

Advent: Trusting the gardner

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So another day…..another post. It’s funny, because when I start these writing binges, I typically have a day or two of posts in my mind. Day 3 though is always where there is surprise. I typically have no idea where I am going, and it makes me nervous. What is going to happen? Will I be able to write anything? The funny thing is, something typically catches my attention.

So I have been reading through the Bible this year. I’m not following a reading plan or anything, just reading along until I’m too tired, or I find something that I want to ponder for a while. Just going at my own pace. Well as I started to read today, I wondered if I should go to the Nativity story since it’s that time of year? That would make sense….right?

But…..I really wanted to keep reading where I was. So back to the beginning of the gospel of John and what he wrote about John the Baptist. Ah…another outsider. I’m intrigued by the path of the cousin of Jesus. His mom getting pregnant way past her prime, his father doubting and struck speechless, the Angel and the news that this young man would be the forerunner. The one who would come before the Messiah. Pretty cool…. You’d think he would be an important part of the temple and everything that surrounded it, but he wasn’t. I’ve always wondered about that. Why not? It is part of his family heritage, it would make sense….right? The ultimate insider!

I ‘ve tried to get on the inside, but it’s never really worked. Isn’t the church where you use the gifts you have? I’ve taught Sunday School and was pretty good at storytelling, but any role outside of that has never happened. There have been times over the years where I’ve thought, I could be used for that! Or I’ve being willing to say, use me! For some reason though, I was never picked. Or there wasn’t a place for me to use my gifts. It used to bug me, and I wondered what’s wrong with them?

It was hard at times, but trust is a great thing. And I had to work at trusting God. I had to realize that it was not them, but really me. If God didn’t open that door, there was a reason. God used those times to help build trust in Him. Not people, not pastors and not in church, but Him only.

I wonder if it was like that for John? He knew that God was going to use him and even what his role was. The real question was how was that going to look? I can’t imagine his parents thinking it would be the way it played out. Your son, the one who is supposed to come before the Messiah, out in the wilderness, eating bugs and telling people to repent. Where is his place in the temple? Wouldn’t’ that be where the forerunner spoke from?

John though was an outsider, and I like him because of it. Maybe because he was an outsider, he was able to be who God really needed him to be? I like to think so. It helps me to think that any time we may spend on the outside is just a proving ground. A place where God can weed, water and grow us to who He really wants us to be.

December 4, 2018 0

Life…and what it makes you.

I hate puzzles. Maybe hate is a strong word, but I have never been a big fan of doing Unknown them. What I do like about puzzles is the what they show……A complete picture. You have all these pieces that go together but they are in such weird shapes, it is not easy to see how everything fits. But they do.

Life is like a puzzle. All the days and everything that happens to you become pieces that are fitted together to create you. How you think, how you feel and how you live.

Sometimes it is hard to see how some things fit in your life. Death, pain and struggle, but they do. They belong. Without those pieces, it is hard to appreciate the simple things. We have the tendency to take them for granted. But when you place them beside the hard things, sunshine, green grass, laughter, food on the table, or holding hands with your loved one, you see them for the wonder they are.

So here is today…..and another piece added to the puzzle! autism-puzzle-piece-clip-art-cliparts-co-lilgLt-clipart

“One day I’ll stand before You and look back on the life I’ve lived. I can’t wait to enjoy the view and see how all the pieces fit.”
Casting Crowns

October 12, 2018 1

Believe=Live

“I gotta live how I say I believe.” It doesn’t roll off the tongue very easily, but it’s something I’ve been saying a lot lately. It’s mainly due to my children and their struggles, or the downright danger they put themselves into. Honestly? Some of it just has to do with me and my response to the world around me.

I was reading this morning and came across the story about the friends who bring a crippled man to Jesus. These guys did everything they could to get their friend into the room where Jesus was teaching. They let nothing get in their way, not even someone else’s roof. I’ve told this story and heard it many times, but something about it hit me differently today. When I tell the story to kids, we always used the word “friends” when describing the men who carried the paralytic in. I even used the word friend when I started writing this, but the bible itself never uses the word friend. It just says men.

images-2 So what’s the difference between using men or friend? Well, it seems that it’s all about perspective. If I see these men bringing in their friend, that makes sense. They love their friend, and are willing to go out on a limb for him. Or when it comes to me, I can give my friend a picture of who Jesus is, by how I live. Maybe they even think like “cool….tell me more”. But I checked out 5 or 6 different translations and they all just said MEN and it changed my perspective.

So how could the story looked a little different?

There’s a couple of guys, and they’re hurrying off to see this teacher they’ve heard about. He says the craziest things, but what they’ve heard has them thinking. I know…. men thinking…. Who would have thunk it? So either they know each other or better yet….maybe they don’t? Probably at least 2 did, and they were walking together. Maybe then a third and fourth are just walking that way too and they all converge at this intersection that is just down the street from the house. It’s so close they can see it. They’re intent on getting there before too many more people show up. Picture Disneyland when they first open in the morning. Some are walking enjoying Main Street, some are doing that funny walk/run and most are downright sprinting to be first in line at Indiana Jones. Well, somehow these guys meet, and they’re greeted by someone who can’t walk.

Maybe he’s calling out to Jesus because he’s heard the scuttlebutt. Or maybe this guy is calling out for money? For whatever reason, they choose to do something. They see that he’s laying on a blanket and they grab the corners and go. They walk for just a bit but stop. It’s really hard with just the two of them and they put him down. They’re panting, thinking “this is harder than the WOD,” and as they catch their breath a shadow falls across them. Two more men have stopped. They all look at each other and without another word they each grab a corner of the blanket, mat, whatever the guy was on and well you know the end of the story. Jesus, forgiveness and healing. The end seems to point to the conclusion that maybe they didn’t know each other. When the man’s healed, he just gets up and just walks out. Maybe these guys go and have some goats milk together at a local establishment or just maybe after listening to Jesus they go their separate ways.

It seems to me this is kind of how life works. We’re all in need of healing and could use a little Jesus to do that. Along the way people can come beside us and take a corner to help us get to where we need to be. If we see this story only through the lens of helping a “friend,” then we might miss out on all of the other opportunities God brings our way. Those chances to help people we don’t know, see Jesus.

So how does this relate to “I gotta live how I say I believe?” Well if I believe that everyone around me is someone I can help“bring” to Jesus, it should really influence how I treat everyone. Right? And that means in every situation. School, work, grocery store, politics, baseball field, FREEWAY and even in church.

It may take a long time for people to make the complete journey to forgiveness and healing. And every day is a new opportunity for me to pick up someones mat, whether they are technically a friend or not. Truthfully, it’s a new chance for all of us to pick up the mat of someone else and help them on their way.

16939225_10211261381504215_4523643083069843847_n That’s the plan, and it is way harder to do than it sounds. But you know… ya gotta live how you say you believe!

August 21, 2018 6

A cuppa JOY!

So we have been doing some sprucing up of our home, and with each new task completed, we are more and more comfortable. (Really…we have only been here 13 years!) Our latest venture was bringing some interest to a kitchen wall, over the counter where we keep the coffee pot. (Or our coffee shrine as I call it)

I had seen a couple of different metal signs done with sayings, and I really liked them. So I set out to find someone local who made them and came across Vintage Metal Co. out of Visalia. (you can find them on Etsy) They could do a custom saying and the cost was pretty reasonable. Now the problem…what would I have it say?

It really didn’t take long, because I had seen it somewhere before. So I ordered our sign, and it came out perfectly. I have seen the Cuppa Joy done by lots of people, but for my husband and myself, it has meaning far beyond coffee. Continue reading “A cuppa JOY!” →

February 23, 2018 0

How you look at it…..

It is all about your view. The first two pictures were taken during the summer inYosemite, by Mirror Lake. There is a whole area where people have stacked rocks. (Much to many people’s irritation….but that is a story for a different time)

The third was a stack that was done by the Merced River in the park. (Ok…I did that one) I liked how much bigger it looked when I snapped a picture from a low angle. It made the rocks look only slightly shorter than the trees. I was pretty impressed with all those piles of rocks, as they seemed like a memorial of some sort, put there to remind someone of something. That was of course until our last visit this week.

Continue reading “How you look at it…..” →

December 30, 2017 0

A Study in Pink – Patricia Diaz

_DSC9229 When I started “A Study in Pink” I guess I thought I would be sharing the stories of women, highlighting different occupations, and maybe even inspiring someone out there to reach for a dream. I didn’t think it would challenge me so much, and maybe even change my own thinking about what I do. The more I talk to women though, the more I feel like that is exactly what’s been happening. Maybe even more so when I met the latest entrant in this series, Patricia Diaz of P.A.T.Y’Studio.

Continue reading “A Study in Pink – Patricia Diaz” →

October 31, 2017 2

A Study in Pink – Jamie Pierce Tulak

_DSC9028 So when your husband leaves a home store and says, “that place is really cute,” then you gotta know it’s something special! That was my husband’s response when we went into Studio 12 Homes in downtown Lemoore. It was time to get back in the “pink” and see what the professional women of Kings County have going on.

Continue reading “A Study in Pink – Jamie Pierce Tulak” →

October 20, 2017 0

Making room for others….

What do you do when you are feeling low? Well since I am not really the drinking kind of girl (except for that one trip to the coast) I went back to find encouragement in some of the things that God has already talked to me about. Today…. I was encouraged to finally post a “speech” (for lack of a better word) that I gave at a women’s breakfast last year.

Good morning. My name is Cheryl Mendoza. I am usually with the preK (Sunday school) department on Sunday mornings, but they let me out to speak to you today. If things don’t seem to be going well, I may fall back on a trusty puppet to liven things up a bit.

I was graciously invited here this morning by Mona, to come and speak with you. Well, she really only invited me to the breakfast…..then I kind of invited myself to speak and I have to tell you that she immediately and enthusiastically said YES. No questions as to why, what was I thinking? So to Mona I say thank you. Not only for bringing us all together, but trusting me with some of the precious time we have here this morning. Then of course she asked if I could help MC the event…I thought…no problem. They have to be easier than preschoolers….right?

So after I had invited myself to be a part of this event. I continued to chat with Mona about what was on her heart and the motivation behind getting all of us together. She mentioned this study “Uninvited” by Lysa Terkeuest. What moved her heart was community….each one of us having a place. When I heard the heart reasons behind the event, I was hooked. But the more we chatted, the more I knew that God had a plan. You see, a couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog post about circles. That’s right….I am a blogger. So here is my shameless plug…..Cherylmendoza.com. So I wrote about circles. And it was really because of something that happened to me in the preK class.

I was filling in for one of the ladies, and it was during 2^nd service, so there was a LOT of new-member-to-circle-image-white-background-34649901 kids. As we brought them in and worked to get them into their circle, we were running out of room. So without thinking, I said, “let’s make our circle bigger so we can let more friends in.” I heard myself saying it….and knew then that it was important. In the blog I wrote of the little slice of heaven that seemed to be pictured that day. We have a diverse group of kids… and to see them move back to let more in was amazing. It was also a little heartbreaking.

Unknown I get it…. Sometimes it is hard to keep that open spot for someone new. That open spot leaves a big question mark. Will a new person change the dynamic? Will they bring in baggage? Can I trust them? Do they have a good pot luck recipe? There are all sorts of questions, but more than likely, the answers are not deal breakers.

A couple of days after that happened, Marcus had posted on FB about his small group. Now I have seen the pics of his group. They seem to really enjoy each other, learn from each other and boy do they eat some good food!! This post though was announcing the split of this group. It was not due to a problem, but to fulfill its purpose. They had grown so large, that they split into two, so that each group would then have room for new people. They made their circle smaller, so that they had room to grow bigger and make room for new friends. Room for more people, room to give somebody a place.

Acts 6:7 – God’s message was preached in ever-widening circles, and the number of disciples increased vastly in Jerusalem; and many of the Jewish priests were converted too.

Ladies, we have two groups in this room. Those who are in a circle and those who are not. For those of you who are, I would encourage you to be intentional in keeping those circles open. Continue to make sure you are not accidently closing the loop without even knowing it. You have a place for someone who needs it. Remember when you did not have a place? Do all you can to make it easy for those on the outside.

images-1-6-31-45-pm And I want to encourage you who are trying to find your place. It is not easy! I have
been in the preK dept so long, and now that I am out, I am just trying to find my new place. It is somewhat uncomfortable at times, but I know the harder it is, the better the payoff will be. The ladies in my new group are getting to know me, and I am privleged in starting to know them. Keep at it! Don’t let being uncomfortable keep you away from what God wants for all of us. Community. Influence. Support. And where ever widening circles of the good news spread as far as God will take it!

October 19, 2017 2

Cheryl Mendoza

How He speaks to me…..Or… can't He just call my cell when He wants to talk?

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