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.

Emerge Eighteen

“Arise, shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” Isaiah 60:1

This is going to be a great year filled with new beginnings… our fresh start. Just what we need.

To start again. To come into a new existence spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, relationally and in every aspect of life. To arise! To shine!

I’m so excited for my second book release!!! Coming shortly…. stay tuned!

A lot is coming down the pike for us. It’s just around the bend. We are getting closer to the most glorious days we have ever seen!

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” (The seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world.)”

‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭4:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Small will grow! We see the plumb line!

We are going big! We are going to live creatively, expressively and divinely.

I’m excited.

Our goals are in the making and we declare good things to come into the light for us in twenty eighteen. Cheers to last year! It’s over and there is no going back. We have become so hardcore for Jesus!

My personal manifesto is already being declared for this year… now get yours ready! Declare to emerge! To arise! To shine for twenty eighteen… this is our year for more.


Twenty Eighteen Manifesto

Seventeen; over it. Emerge Eighteen.

Stay Positive; Make it happen; One day at a time; Work out! Go BIG–pursue it–give the max!

Just PRAY!

See Possibility Everywhere.

Put Vision into Action.

***Discipline Produces Transformation.***

Discard Every Negative Thought!

“Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.”
Isaiah 60:1

Put God First –Pray More & More.

Eat less; Move Forward →→→→

Think Positive. BE Positive.

Live Right; Do Good; BE Good.

B e l i e v e the Very Best.

Look at what you have; Use what you have.

Reciprocal Relationships.

Be resilient; Read more, Inspire others –life is not a competition–it is a journey.

Travel it well; pack light.

2018 Personal Manifesto – CCM

juschrist4.com


Learn To Discern

“You can encounter your weakness by surrounding yourself with people stronger in your area of weakness. You are as strong as the strength of your association.  Therefore be strategic in associating.”  #lifelessons #selfleadership #yourinnercircle
~Apostle Femi Adun, Eagle World Outreach

I love this quote by my mentor and spiritual father Apostle Femi Adun.  Right association is essential in your growth especially when you are on a kingdom assignment.

T.D. Jakes quoted, “Don’t go after a broken bird and then why when it wont fly!”

We have to learn to discern how important it is for us to know our inner circle and that place just simply is not for everyone.  I also have a small circle –at home–at life–at work–at church.  This is a small circle.  But the circle I have are prayed for folks.  I often prayed to God to give me godly associations to help me along the way.

There is power behind your associations.  You can reveal your nakedness before them and not feel like you have to leave something covered.  This is called authentic relationships… covenant partnership! This is critical for us to get closer to the place God is calling us.

Just as David needed a Jonathan. Peter need a John.  Paul needed a Silas.

We all need relationships! GOOD ones at that.

Do not be misled. Bad company corrupts good character.
1 Corinthians 15:33

Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
2 Kings 2:2

When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.
Job 2:11

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24

I am a companion of all who fear You, and of those who keep Your precepts.
Psalm 119:63

This is why it is so important to have the right association.  May we learn to discern those key characteristics within others.  Those are the ones that you can celebrate with!

Happy Holidays all.

With Love,
Christina


Punching Bag

Do you ever feel like a human punching bag… or the human punching the bag??? Probably more like monsters sometimes in fits of rage.  It is horrible.  Sometimes we don’t know how to process things accurately or appropriately.  There is always some damage being caught on that bag.

I feel like I’m taking some hits a lot lately. For myself, family, friends…or just LIFE.  I went home to pray, read, draw it out…to do something to make sense of anything and I came to this verse repeatedly…

“Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good!”
Romans 12:21

I definitely need to overcome evil with good…but sometimes I end up taking the angry bait.  It’s TRUE! I’m just being honest.  I retaliate right back with words, actions, withdrawal but most obviously the same thing –ANGER! 😥

Sorry about that.

dogood

I’m just tired of all the hits. I am tired of being a dumping ground for people’s negative vibes and bad energy.  I want no part in that. But how can I escape it? We all pass through those emotions. We just need to get better at working through them. Prayer helps, the bible helps, books help….oh and WORSHIP! Super amazing. ❤

I learn how to say sorry too and back down so that I’m not in the fire.

Here is what I found in just thinking of that punching bag that we can be.  Jesus was the biggest punching bag of all! He took ALL OUR BLOWS… to the point He was unrecognizable.  His face was disfigured because of it. But He was made for it! He was sent for it! He was sturdy enough to handle it.

See a punching bag is STRONG! A punching bag is a sturdy bag designed to be repeatedly punched.punching bag is usually cylindrical, and filled with various materials of corresponding hardness.

So we are filled with the corresponding materials to be able to BEAR IT! That is the Word, Prayer, Worship, Fasting… so ever when we get to feeling those blows then we gotta sturdy up more in our resources because that it what we were made for! WAR!

So Jesus endured the blows so that we would be able to get past them right into heaven– our destiny! There it goes, blow for blow. Jesus style. A punching bag. And Jesus was GOOD.  He was the best. Did He deserve that? NO! Neither do we…but God knows all things.  We won’t be overtaken by them! Not one blow! They come fierce because that is what we are to the enemy! A threat! Fierce for Jesus! Fierce for life! Fierce and victorious!

Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
And they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
Isaiah 53:1-10