Author Archives: Christina

About Christina

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Blessings to all that are viewing this. My name is Christina Cruz-Mendez. I am a Senior Pastor at Mission United International Church in Yonkers, NY working along side my husband Juan A. Mendez Jr. Senior Pastor, currently residing in Canton, Georgia. We have been together for 29 years with 2 children that God has blessed us with. Makes us the family of four - "JusChrist4". I have been a Christian and active in ministry for about 22 years now. Through all the rocky and smooth roads in life I am eternally grateful that God has brought me this far in life to share with the world what He is doing in me, through me and for me.

Purposeful Over Positional

God said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea and the waters will come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots, over their horsemen.”
Moses stretched his hand out over the sea: As the day broke and the Egyptians were running, the sea returned to its place as before. God dumped the Egyptians in the middle of the sea. The waters returned, drowning the chariots and riders of Pharaoh’s army that had chased after Israel into the sea. Not one of them survived.
But the Israelites walked right through the middle of the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall to the right and to the left. God delivered Israel that day from the oppression of the Egyptians. And Israel looked at the Egyptian dead, washed up on the shore of the sea, and realized the tremendous power that God brought against the Egyptians. The people were in reverent awe before God and trusted in God and his servant Moses.
Exodus 14:26-31

God said. Moses stretch. The Israelites walked.

God always speaks a word to us and when He does it requires us to stretch.  For when we do that, not only will things be formed for us but it gives us the ability to walk and allow others to walk through too. Such tremendous faith that it requires from us when God says to do something or gives us a word of what is to come for our future. Some things are more heavier then others and there is always a cost involved to get to the other side.

I been pondering on the life of Moses for some time now.  He gets to see the impossible –possible! What a great start to an emerging victory for the Israelites.  Problem is –that was just the beginning for them.  It took them so long to get to the position and location that God intended for them.  They fussed.  They fought.  They fumed.  They grew faith in some cases and other times they grew frustrated and fatigued!

Don’t we all.

How long does it take to get to the position and place that He has for us.

And so I had a dream last night.  In the dream, I was uplifting others. Inside there were tears falling that no one could see.  There were three instances where God wanted me to minister.  I saw people perplexed, troubled and depressed.  It looked like they were lost. Sometimes like how I feel. Never there yet but trying to be purposeful.  Trying to make the most of my situation when things go from bad to worst.

I encouraged a few in this dream…one by the way of an elevator, the other by some steps and another setting in an auditorium seating.  I said before waking up, “It is not where you are physically but where you are internally.  It is being purposeful over positional.”

Then I woke up…. The story of Jesus at the cross came to my mind.  The story of Moses came to my mind.  It was as if the spirit was preparing not a sermon for me but a sermon IN me.  I wrote it all down.  Because I know I am not there yet! And it frustrates me! It overwhelmes me! But one thing that I do know–is that God is hovering over me, even in my sleep to let me know that He has a purpose for me.

I was telling those people in the dream–“It is not about where you are physically but where you are internally!”

I was telling them–but God was using me to tell me too! I have to live out my purpose every day.  No matter how extensive or variegated my journey may be. If its 40 days, 40 months or I get to another 40 years–it is all about where I am internally so that I can use it to pull on my purpose.

More to come…. stay tuned. #lifeofmoses #themanydayjourney

 


An Evening With You

Do you know how to enjoy time with just you?

But really well! That you do all your favorite things, hear what you want, be where you want, drive where you want, enjoy what you want, eat what you want, sit where you want, walk where you want and just BE WHO YOU ARE!

It’s nice to spend time in a solitude place, perhaps not many will understand why or really how much that this is my place.

I. Love. The. Beach.

Not a man made beach… but a real one, a nice one! Driving out to Long Island is where you can find a few of the nicer ones.  I did that. I needed that. I had to disconnect. For a moment I felt lonely. Then I felt relieved, refreshed and myself recharging. As I watched every wave hit the shore, it was like each wave replenishing and calming my soul.

Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Psalm 131:2

I prayed, cried, laughed, walked and also just sat as I got an opportunity to watch the sun get swallowed by the evening clouds. Simple things that make you smile and make you appreciate the moment.

Every day requires so much time, energy, tasks, thinking, sharing, helping, giving, analyzing and so much more, that by the end of it, you are left completely spent. It’s just overwhelming. So to take a moment with me, selfishly, was worth it because no one knows how much I prefer this serenity and atmosphere just like this.

For me, it was just right and just how I wanted to spend my evening. Uncluttered.

Where is your place? What do you like to do? You know how you can be in a group and the questions keep flying around … “No where do you wanna go? What do you wanna do?”

When you suggest –they say no anyway! LOL So make the effort, time and even the risk to just drop everything and everyone to take yourself out on a date with just YOU! What you end up doing is spending a quiet evening with the One who created you. It becomes the most precious thing. A wonderful evening with just you and Him.

Make it happen. Treat yourself after a long week, a long trial, a long month or whatever season you find yourself in. You have to take care of yourself. You have to make sure that you are energized and well rested mentally and physically so that you can function at flourishing capacity.  ❤

“For I will refresh the weary soul and replenish all who are weak.”
Jeremiah 31:25

 


Eight One

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.
Philemon 1:7

Love ❤

How sweet that is.

Joy.

That’s wonderful.

Peace.

We all need that–just because!

Today is 8/1/18 — “Eight One” and it is not as much as a significant day for me as it is for others.  But today I got surprised with a GIFT! That brought me joy! Literally. I am unwrapping a gift and my first thought is, “It is not even my birthday but someone else’s and I get a gift!” How sweet.

I got a text today from a dear sister saying –“hey will you be home, I want to drop something off.” I am like, “SURE!” Halleluyerrrr, something new, something different LOL.

I get ready for a night walk and I get a gift. Super nice, super sweet and super me! YAY! How nice that is to get one of those “Just Because” tokens of appreciation when you don’t feel as appreciated. Oh man–can I be super honest.  It has been a rough seven months and now we get to 8/1 and I get a gift.  I can say thank you to that generous person but most importantly thank you to My God because He just knew I needed a little something.

I am trying to hang on –tooth and nail but it feels like everything I try to do right is coming out so wrong.  At home. Career wise. Church wise.  Health wise. Can I do something right?!? Can I get something right going for me… just this time around. Because the roller coasters are making me beyond nauseous.  They are making me numb! Numb to life and numb to love.  Numb to joy and numb to peace.  I don’t wanna stay in this place. I am just praying for some nice days–literally! Nice people. Nice attitudes. Nice atmospheres. Nice actions. Nice words. Something nice when my days have been nothing nice.

Today was nice.  It ended very nice.  Humid night with a brisk walk with a human soul to share a moment with –and a gift to bring some joy. All of this was “just because”.

Thank you …. I needed that.

Sincerely,

Chrizzy


Mistakes Are A Part Of The Journey

Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy;

In your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.

Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.

The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead.

So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.

I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.

I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land.

Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you.

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

For your name’s sake, Lord, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.

In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.”

Psalm 143:1-12 NIV

What a word! For to You I entrust my life!!!

Right now I am learning by making all these big mistakes!

It is so frustrating.

Complicated.

Overwhelming.

A system overload.

Information after information….

My husband says all the time:

“Information without transformation leads to frustration!”

I wanna be there already.

But if I am going to entrust my life to God then I have to be willing to learn!

And some of the greatest lessons come out of the biggest mistakes.

How else will we learn? That is called trying.

And trying will inevitably cause mistakes.

When you try like me… LOL it causes BIG mistakes.

I have to learn.

I have to listen.

That can only happen on a TRAINING ground not a teaching ground.

You see teaching is what informs you, while training is what actually forms you.

Training is the WORK!

The “on-the-job” lessons that you could never get by being taught. You have to do. Training does that. This is how we live. This is how we learn.

This is how we improve. This is how we get better.

This is how we become the BEST version of you!

By making mistakes…. big ones, little ones, any ones!

Just entrust your life to Him and know that He works ALL things together for good.

So in my journey… mistakes are a very big part of that. It leads me to a place of peace, believing that the best is yet to come, just because I tried that much. ♥️

Sincerely,

Chrizzy