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Cheryl Mendoza

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

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A Study in Pink…..Grace and Ayla

**A Study in Pink is a series of posts introducing the professions of  various women in California’s Central Valley.  It is being written to showcase the possibilities for the up and coming young women in our small towns.

 

It was during Christmas time when I first walked through the door.    I remember because it was my first time meeting Grace, and she was playing Christmas music.  The station was not just normal carols either, as I can distinctly remember listening to Frank Sinatra belting out a tune.

Blue DoorBlue Door Massage and Spa is the brainchild of Grace Parreira and Ayla Tidwell.   These two friends and certified massage therapists had a dream, but interestingly enough, it did not start with massage.  Their stories are somewhat similar, as they both were using massage as a way to pay for college.  At this point I was a little surprised, but I then started to appreciate their thinking.  The thought was to be trained at a technical school, so then they would be able to work and earn degrees without going into debt. Continue reading “A Study in Pink…..Grace and Ayla” →

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A Study in Pink….Connie

When I was thinking about who I wanted to ask to be a part of this “study”, I was trying to think of people who have conventional professions, and then some that are doing things that seem outside of the box.

I met Connie Wenzel a little over a year ago in a bible study group, and I liked her immediately.  She is funny, a little sarcastic and has such a compassionate heart.  While she is retired, she has now moved into a new season of life as an author and artist.   I was also slightly jealous, as when I first met her, she was just finishing up writing and illustrating her first book, “Is This My Home Now? Featuring Addy”.

Continue reading “A Study in Pink….Connie” →

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A Study in Pink

So how do you keep a group of 5 and 6 year olds under control?  You ask them a question, and let them all take turns answering.  So what was the question?

What do you want to be when you grow up?

bb73ca0e95c8c25876df1f408c0afb0dAs I called on the kids and got various answers, I heard something curious from our girls.  They tended to follow what their friends wanted to do.  Our first girl wanted to be a mermaid, and all of a sudden we had five who wanted to be mermaids.  The interesting thing was when other professions were brought up, some changed their mind and many of them chose to be something different.   Oh except for the one who wanted to be a doctor AND a mermaid.

It got me thinking…. Not so much about these young ones, but about the young women in our area.  Do they know the thousands of opportunities that are in their own future?   Many moons ago, I know I didn’t!

That is where a “Study in Pink” comes in.  It was something that I thought would be fun to explore.  Women of all ages, backgrounds and the different types of work they do.  To showcase the possibilities that are out there!

So I hope you join me and Mike, (who will be playing Jimmy Olsen to my Lois Lane) as we set out to uncover the many shades in this “Study in Pink”. Continue reading “A Study in Pink” →

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What’s the moral?

UnknownOnce there was a woman, and she had gotten her feelings hurt.  Nothing too bad, but the unkindness hit her especially hard at that time.  Maybe she was feeling a little vulnerable.  Anyway, the more she tried to analyze the situation, (sound like anyone you know?) she decided that the only thing she could really do was pray for them.  She did that, not because she was so smart, but because the hurt was taking over her mind.  She knew the person was probably tired, and under some stress.  She also knew that the reaction she had received was not normal for them.  It was then that she thought, better me than someone else who maybe wouldn’t be able to let go of the hurt. Continue reading “What’s the moral?” →

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Actions v. Words – Mixed messages?

images-1So I was trolling FaceBook the other day and saw a post that was shared by one of my friends.  An author, Lysa TerKeurst, had come across a quote that she said had challenged her.  The quote, “who you are speaks so loudly, I can barely hear what you’re saying”, had her thinking about how our actions speak louder than words.

I totally agree, but…..  That does not let us off the hook for what we say.  There has to be a balance between the two.  I wrote the other day about how my Great-Grandmother taught me to love.  The way I learned from her, was by how she treated all of us.  I am still learning from her.  I look back at her life and I see that her actions spoke so much louder than words.  Wait though, what I think is so amazing is that her words never contradicted her actions. Continue reading “Actions v. Words – Mixed messages?” →

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Only passing through…

I saw a tweet the other day by Christine Caine; “Don’t get stuck somewhere you should only be passing through.”

It immediately struck a chord with me, because that is a fear of mine.  Here I am trying to become a serious, or at least a somewhat serious writer, but will that truly ever happen for me?  Will I ever be able to write something that makes people think, or something that speaks truth into their lives?  That encourages them or even makes them laugh?  I have no idea, but the path I am on means that I am at least going to try.    There is a fear though, that I will get discouraged and stop putting myself out there.  Why? Well, because I have done that before.  I might get sidetracked, and yes I have been there too.  It reminded me of a favorite bible character that I have.

You see, he took his family out of the place that they had been living.  That place was Ur.  The story says that they were traveling to Canaan but they stopped at Haran and settled there.  No friends, this is not about Abraham, but of his father Terah.

Why did the tweet lead me to this man?  Well I will tell you.  I know I am taking a little license, but it seems to make sense to me.  I imagine that God may have told Terah to go to Canaan.  Maybe this whole story of God calling out a people was going to start, not with Abraham, but with his father?   Maybe, for whatever reason, he stopped in Haran and never got to the place where God had called him.

Are my assumptions true?  I have no idea, but I still look to Terah as an example of what I do not want to be.  He was on his way to a destination, and got sidetracked.  The why’s and how’s are unknown, but what we do know is that he never got there.  That is not how I want to be, but I fear that is how I will be.  I see the path, but I don’t really know where I will end up.  It scares me, because it means trying to be successful at something that is very subjective. Truthfully, you all may find out how really very stupid I am.  Or at least, that is the fear.

Well since I am not supposed to be “fearing” anything, per my pastor last week, I guess I will stick to the path.  Truthfully, I really don’t want to miss out on what may be at the end of the journey.  I really don’t want to be Terah.  I want to make it to the place where God calls me.  Like the quote that started all of this, I don’t want to get stuck somewhere I should only be passing through.

 

 

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Ready for my close up….

img_4817I have a new office.  Well, it is actually one of the same old bedrooms in our house, but we have given it a major overhaul.  It has been cleaned and painted from top to bottom, adorned with a new desk, rug and drapes.  The things that were in this room are coming back in one at a time.  With each item, I am taking the time to see if I truly need it or not.  This room had previously housed our computer, desk and other “office” stuff.  It had also become a catch all for everything else.  When that happened, it became a room that I did not like.  There were things in the room that did not belong, and other things that needed to be addressed, but could be ignored because they were hidden in the chaos.

 

As I sit here enjoying the fruits of my hard work, I know the room is a metaphor for my life.  Every so often, God sharpens my vision and gives me a clearer view into my heart.  He lets me see the mess that has accumulated and not only does He give me the desire to clean it up, He gives me the ability to do it.  How do I make this connection between this room make-over and my life?  Well it has to do with two things.  Provision and insecurity.  These are two fears are the stumbling blocks in my life, but with each new day, God is giving me the will and the way to overcome them. Continue reading “Ready for my close up….” →

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I am NOT…..

I AM.  God’s name.  I’ve always thought it was kind of a weird name, I mean really…. I AM.  Well of course you are…right?

It wasn’t until this week, when I was doing a script for our preK class, that I got a better idea of what it meant for me.  So as I was reading about Moses a sentence jumped out at me.  I’d read it before,  but today I really HEARD it.  d2ca09d8868423819bd7b85d27b29d6e

It  wasn’t something God said, but it was what Moses responded that  caught my attention.  God had just told Moses that he was going to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt.  Great news right?  Moses then starts arguing with God, telling him all the reasons why he was the wrong man for the job.   Moses asks, “who am I?”  And in that question, I found a different way to look at God’s name.
God is the I AM.  You can put anything you need after that statement, and it works.  I AM holy.  I AM truth.  I AM wise.  I AM peace.  I AM joy.  I AM provision.  Whatever we need, the great I AM is always the answer.  The I AM statement about God is always true, but like Moses, for me it doesn’t work so well.  As a matter of fact,  even at my best, there is always an asterisk.

I am encouraging.*  Except when I am tired, have given it all out already and haven’t sought out my own encouragement from God.

I am patient.*  Except when I’ve done all the calculations in my brain already, made a decision and have to wait for others to make theirs.

I am generous.*  Only after God has to remind me that He’s got my back, and the resources at my disposal are truly to share.

I am a good listener.*  Except when I have to listen too long.  Ugh!

These are things that I strive to be and some are even my gifts.  So it should be easier for me….right?  Well that is a definite NO!  God is all those things and more! He is anything we need, perfectly every single time!  He fulfills the purpose of His name….I AM.

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Choose to Influence

influence-graphic-300x169“10 Historical Records That Tell Another Side of Bible Stories”, was the name of the article that showed up in my Yahoo news feed this morning. The article went through ten Bible stories, and matched them with some historical accounts that were written by non-biblical sources.  The one that caught my eye was the story of Esther, and the historical account of the man most likely that was her husband, King Xerxes I of Persia.

What do you wish? Whatever it is, I will give it to you, even if it is half of my kingdom!” Esther 7:2 NLT

When Esther goes in to see the king, she is greeted warmly and he is delighted to see her.  How do we know?  Well, it is because he says that he will “give her anything up to half of the kingdom.”  So I think we can safely assume that he was glad she was there.  As her story goes, she asks him to a banquet, where there will be a guest list of three.  Her intention is to use her influence to save her people.  After the banquet, she invites him to another with the same three attendees, the king, herself and her enemy Haman.

When she had shown care, kindness and hospitality to not only her husband but her enemy also, the king asks her again “What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”  Talk about influence!  It was then our story comes to its conclusion.  Queen Esther unmasks Haman’s cruel plot to kill all of the Jews and the King is outraged.  Long story short, Haman is executed and the Jewish people are safe.

As I read the story, I thought about the position of influence God had given her, and how she used it for good.  My morning thoughts did not stop there though.  The King’s statement sounded familiar, like I had heard it somewhere else.  I looked and confirmed that there is another record in the bible where another person had said pretty much the same thing.  Where influence was used, but the outcome was markedly different.

“Ask me for anything you like,” the king vowed, “even half of my kingdom, and I will give it to you!”  Mark 6:23 NLT

 

Now these words were spoken by King Herod.  He too was at a banquet, but this one was very different from the one Esther had given. There were many people attending, and that included Queen Herodias and her daughter.  It is written that at this banquet, the daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased Herod.  When she was done, Herod told her to make her request known.

Again, another woman, another banquet, another King with ultimate power.  What would she use this great moment to ask for?  The power of influence right then is staggering.  He was surrounded by people that would be a witness to whatever she asks, and they would then be looking to Herod to grant that request.  There was only one problem.  Someone else had influence over this young woman, her mother Herodias.  She went and asked her mother what should she request?  Herodias’ fatal answer meant death for John the Baptist.

I know most of us may never have that kind of history making influence, but that does not let us off the hook.  While our circles of influence may seem small, how we use it can still have far reaching effects.  So it is important to ask, how do I use my influence?

This morning as I think of the continuing message series about mercy I am hearing at church, I know that influence is part of that equation.  Where do I have influence?  How can I use my influence to show God’s mercy to someone else?  Maybe even more important, will I use my influence for my own promotion or will I use it for someone else’s benefit?

We all have influence in various circles in our lives, through work, church, family and friends.   Sometimes we may have a little, and at other times much more, but I believe that one thing is true.  God does not give me influence to squander only on myself, but to help those around me.  And while I may not feel that I have much, I do know that the right thing for me is to advocate for those who may have even less.  Small amount or not, I believe God gives each of us just the right amount.  All it has to be is enough, for “such a time as this”.

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