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.

Everything That You Are

“But Jesus answered and said, “Permit even this.” And He touched his ear and healed him.”

Luke 22:51 NKJV

Midday break. Took a long one.

I had visualized in my head some back rubbing support as I sat down for lunch to digest life!

I get to breathe again.

As I was sitting in the wooden seat waiting for my sushi I took the restaurant napkin and pinned it to my eyes tight.

My glasses were on the table.

Cell phone down and blacked out.

The sushi she brought me with my soup.

I was waiting for that imaginary hug.

That hand rubbing my back as the napkin was still pressed to my lids and the tears of frustration came uncontrollably down my face.

I pressed even more.

Breathed again.

But no hand.

And no one telling me, “it’s going to be ok!”

Never happened.

We all long for that touch.

The last thing I should have done was touch that blue F icon to see the notifications!

What was that for?!?

It’s an add to the bad.

Sometimes people have a strong tendency to remind you of what you do not have.

Yeah! That’s definitely another platform for that—can I be honest about that.

It’s everything your not!

Its this land of the best or worst of people.

Not so much of a strong motivation many times.

That’s what I wrote down coming back from lunch.

Everything that you are not!

So to be positive I have to write down and counterattack these negative words with good ones.

Everything that you are!

Beautiful

Brave

Bold

Blessed

Helpful

Loving

Caring

Giving

Smart

Yet sometimes silly

Funny

Fun

Strategic

Influential

Talented

Gifted

Great

Skillful

Victorious

A champion….

I am more than a conqueror!

That’s everything that I am!

That’s everything that He tells me!

That’s what I got to focus on!

To believe the best about myself!

Not the negatives that people want to push on me.

Try saying some life in the “correction”

But the focus for me cannot, will not and shall not be everything that I am not!!!!

My focus will be everything that I am through Christ who strengthens me!!!

That is what He always wants us to focus on.

That touch that brings life. That Word that speaks life! It’s the health and healing we need to know everything is going to be okay.


It Was Good

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
Romans 8:26-28

For some time now even picking up a book or hearing a sermon I get– PROPER PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING.

You have to understand the principle in perception.  I have to learn to keep a proper perspective.  Van Moody talks about it in his book, “iFactor” and I just heard it again through Bishop Tony Miller as he shared a word in Saddlebrook, NJ.

On Friday–I went to play some kickball with some colleagues after work.  Now I really didn’t know exactly or have ever played.  I just had an idea.  So I was placed in the Orange Team.  They were all excited, fired up and in good spirit! The energy was present and I enjoyed that a lot.  Basically this game is like baseball but with no bat.  You have to kick your way through.  Your bat is your foot!  And when they pitch you gotta kick the life out of that ball and hope it doesn’t go foul or that it isn’t caught in the air.

When it was my turn to kick I think I kept messing up. One of them I kicked a straight low ball. Eh! LOL! But I ran like crazy only to be hit with the ball out.  I came back to my team corner pouting and said, “What a bad kick!”

My team member said — “No it was good! You moved the guy from first to second base!”

He smiled–I smiled.

I wrote down the note quickly –yep! What a concept. My perception was way off thinking of my play.  I called it bad.  He called it good.  Because I didn’t see what was taking place on the outer field and only saw where I was on the field.  What I did wasn’t bad–for others.  To me it was an automatic out.  But to the other it actually helped them move a little further in the play! My “bad hit” was a good hit for someone else.

Isn’t life about team and not just self.  How much we are always seeing how far our setbacks appear to be not realizing how much it is helping someone else to get farther in the place that they are! Maybe the bad kick is a way to show how you are still trying.  Maybe it is a way that God is going to glorify Himself through your situation.

So many “bad kicks” of life are actually GOD’s kicks! To make not only us a winner but the entire team of His kingdom kids to walk as the champions that He has ordained us to be! So whatever kick you may find yourself in –just know that many of the bad ones are not designed to keep you down.  They are to help you and those around you rise above it triumphantly.  The kicks in life are to condition you to walk as living epistles and living champions despite the bad ones.

It’s never just about us.  It is never just about the kicks.  It is about purpose and having the proper perspective to see how God has everything aligned perfectly for us.

Helen Keller suffered an early bad kick that left her in life to continue with a disability. But that disability could not hold her back from her many other great abilities. See things as good. They are not all bad.  They may feel bad many times. BUT just know that as the Word of God declares…He is working ALL things together for His good! That is one thing we can be sure of! ❤

#Romans8

“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” 
~Helen Keller

 


His Love Goes On And On

Just listen.

Follow along with the lyrics.

https://youtu.be/Etzh_znWHnM

On and On

Housefires

[Verse 1]

Where can I run from Your presence?

Where can I flee from You?

Even if I hide on the highest mountain

You are there

Where can I run from Your presence?

Where can I flee from You?

Even if I lie in the lowest valley

You will find me there

[Chorus]

Deeper than any ocean

Your love goes on and on and on and on

Higher than any mountain

Your love goes on and on and on and on

Your love goes on and on and on and on

[Verse 2]

And if I clothe myself in shadow

Would I fade away from You?

No, even if I fall to the deepest darkness

Love surrounds me still

No, even if I fall to the deepest darkness

Your love surrounds me still

[Chorus]

Deeper than any ocean

Your love goes on and on and on and on

Higher than any mountain

Your love goes on and on and on and on

Deeper than any ocean

Your love goes on and on and on and on

Higher than any moutain

Your love goes on and on and on and on

Your love goes on and on and on and on

[Bridge 1]

There is no ending to Your

Love that holds on and won’t let go

Love that won’t leave me on my own

I’m falling deeper into Your

Love that holds on and won’t let go

Love that won’t leave me on my own

X2

[Chorus]

Deeper than any ocean

Your love goes on and on and on and on

Higher than any mountain

Your love goes on and on and on and on

Deeper than any ocean

Your love goes on and on and on and on

Higher than any mountain

Your love goes on and on and on and on

Your love goes on and on

Your love goes on and on and on and on

Your love goes on

Your love goes on and on

Your love goes on

[Bridge 2]

Love, don’t let me go, don’t let go

Love, don’t let me go, don’t let go

Love, don’t let me go, don’t let go

Love, don’t let me go, don’t let go

[Bridge 3]

There’s nowhere I could run

There’s nowhere I could hide

There’s nowhere I could go that You won’t find me, Lord

There’s nowhere I could run

There’s nowhere I could hide

There’s nowhere I could go that You won’t find me, Lord

Powerful… right.

His love is endless. ♥️


Jesus Is

Jesus Is:

The Great I AM;

The Bread of Life;

The Way, the Truth, the Life;

The Resurrection and the Life;

The Lion of Judah;

The Word…. and I can go on!

You know what else Jesus is?

O F F E N S I V E!

Yup! He is and was offensive. He had to be in order to be effective. He had only three years with these disciples to transform them into apostles! He had to be fast! Quick! Swift! Bold! Strategic!

He had a timetable, not theirs.

Excerpt from “The People Factor” by Van Moody states:

Peter, with his fiery temperament probably mixed with horror and devastation at the thought of losing his Lord, reacted immediately. He called Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him, contradicting what Jesus had said by declaring, “Never, Lord! . . . This shall never happen to you!” (Matt. 16: 22). In response, Jesus spoke strong and shocking words to Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men” (v. 23). How would you like to be addressed the way Jesus spoke to Peter? And would you ever be so bold with a close friend? Jesus was! Even though His relationship with Peter was valuable and important to Him, He prized truth even more than friendship.

See if Jesus were to move by feelings, He would not have gotten anything done. He would not have spoken to His disciples the way that he did. It was offensive. He called Peter the Devil! Wow! That would crush us. But instead it built Peter to be the great apostle that won 3000 souls on his first sermon.

Jesus only had three years with them, He had to be offensive yet effective! Today we are filling ourselves with facts—

Good advice;

Tips;

Tools;

Articles;

Social Media;

More conversations…. making us more subjective to the mind of man rather than the mind of God.

If we were to exchange the time spent on conversations, tips, tools and advice with the Word of God then we too would be as effective as Jesus.

We keep depending on the wrong source. Please don’t misinterpret this.

Sources are great but they are not sovereign.

God’s Word is sovereign, final and the absolute truth over any situation and it should govern our every move.

We may make mistakes yes, but let’s get up quickly to rise above the adversity and diversity of opinions and move forward using the Word of God as our sovereign source of substance.

This will help us make the best decisions, have the best relationships and the best outcome for our lives. 

Dear God –may our hearts move toward humility and healing in the most stressful states we could find ourselves in. Move us to Your Word as a guide. May we search it diligently DAY & NIGHT. So we can keep in alignment with Your Kingdom purpose over our lives. Amen.