Category Archives: Fellowship

June 24, 2020

The Habit of Positive Thinking

By Christina

Happy Wednesday!!! We are so excited summer is here. We get to spend more creative and innovative ways to enjoy or family, friends & fatherhood. Here are a few things I would like to encourage you all with:

Stay focused. Stay faithful. Stay purposeful and lastly… stay positive. Positive thinking is a habit.

Habit is defined from dictionary.com as:

  • an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary;
  • customary practice or use;
  • a particular practice, custom or usage;
  • a dominant or regular disposition or tendency; prevailing character or quality;
  • addiction.

Leaning to the positive aspect –we want to create healthy additions.  Healthy habits to improve ourselves in areas so that we can succeed in life.  We can succeed at home, in our relationships, our businesses and even our workplaces.  This positive information I received today from one of my colleagues and I quickly asked if I can “borrow” some of this for my women’s encouragement.

He reminded us with a weekly Positivity Highlight —

circumstances

When building a habit, it helps to have a conducive environment, repetition/practice, and support from others. But starting any habit begins with a decision, a choice, a commitment to yourself.

Thankfully, we’ve helped each other develop our own positive-thinking habits right here! We may not express it out loud all the time, but we share positivity to support each other in several ways.

For us believers, it can be through our testimonies, scriptures, passages, quotes, appreciations, music, exercising and encouraging one another, studying together, sharing our successes and challenges, surprise birthday celebrations, time for holidays, special acknowledgements, listening to each other, and the list goes on.

What we practice becomes more permanent, so take every opportunity to practice gratitude, mindfulness, and positive thinking. It also helps us to create more deeper & meaningful relationships. Let’s honor and value the ones God gave us in every way.

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,
just as in fact you are doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11

So let’s make this a new habit for ourselves.  Let’s throw around the positivity like confetti.  We are in a new season.

Happy summer! As we continue to fight & come out of this pandemic! We are making the most of a whole new way of being with our thinking and living wholeheartedly. Enjoy today and enjoy this start to better weather. We all need it. ❤

#StayPositive
#HealthyHabits
#CultivateHonor

With love,
Cruz-Mendez Chris

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Encouragement, Family, Fellowship, Health, Inspiration

June 3, 2020

Connections Are Built on TRUST

By Christina

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WOW! Another great week of Women’s Wednesday –thank you to Pastor Yeskeila Rivera from EIM Church that shared such a great word for us to ponder on.

Connections are built on TRUST!

Text of what we are reviewing:
“Craving Connections 30 Day Challenges for Real-Life Engagement”
By (in)courage community.

We have been diving in week after week and here are the highlights below.

“And finally He said to me, “My grace is enough to cover and sustain you. My power is made perfect in weakness.” So ask me about my thorn, inquire about my weaknesses, and I will gladly go on and on—I would rather stake my claim in these and have the power of the Anointed One at home within me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9 [VOICE Translation]

It is okay to not be okay –it is okay to be tired sometimes.  There are weakness misconceptions and we can be using it as a means to build us.

As a pastor there is no room for weakness –not sharing.  This has been our experience.

But we need to be okay with being able to share on a platform that is safe and one that is build of trust.  The biggest lie that we can tell ourselves is that we are always “okay” or “fine” when the reality is we can be experiencing something completely out of the ordinary where we need that avenue to release.

There is a term called “Mind Traps” where we stay stuck in that false belief.  Take the should statements out that appear as a list of rules of how people should behave. I should act like this.  I should be farther than I am at today.  I should respond this way.  I should be a better this or that….

That paralyzes you.  It limits you.  It imprisons you.  It keeps you in a state like “I’m not good enough.”

God’s word doesn’t tell us that we should.  It says that we are –we ARE a children of God! Tear those false thoughts down in the “should” realm. God is our Father and we can be open and transparent with Him.  We can be open and transparent with others.  That is what this challenge to connection is all about.  Since God is relational He wants us to be able to connect and work well with us.  That is what love is all about.

Listen –being weak is NOT a weakness.  God is expecting us to trust Him –we end up overthinking things and over analyzing.  We start to say what people are thinking –we jump to conclusions — we have polarized thinking {black or white/yes or no}.  The mind has a tendency to flow to worst case scenario rather then the best case! Another MIND TRAP!  The mess in the minds where it becomes a personalization.

This leveling of the burdens –sense of freedom and support mechanism that we should use is to allow ourselves to open up when and where we need to.  That safe place.  Among safe people. With your brothers and sisters in Christ.  In a mature group of grounded individuals –that’s where.

We become burnt out because we want to be –that is not how we have to be or the way God designed us to be.  We need those outlets –YES God comes first and is our source.  But He has given us the power also in relationships.  It’s a beautiful thing.  Friendships are powerful!

We are not meant to carry it alone.  We weren’t created to be alone –it is about building connections, building relationships and leaving a legacy.

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Genesis 2:18 [NIV Translation]

The risk is with love — we can’t love halfheartedly.  We love with our whole heart.  That is a part of it.  Connections are built on TRUST!

We cannot be afraid of people’s perception of us. We don’t need to pretend.  As Apostle Paul stated…

That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:10

Do we create environments that force people to keep their masks on???

Remember: God is concerned with your feelings!
Busola Adun — Women’s Wednesday 5/20/20 recap

We need to create and find that safe place.  Not everyone knows your thought process, so be willing to talk it through.  As you mature, you find those people that you will connect with.  As Jesus found three out of Peter, James & John –you will find yours as well.

BUILD MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS because we all need relationships!

Leave a comment | posted in Fellowship, Health, Inspiration, Relationships, Trust

March 19, 2020

What We Do Next

By Christina

“The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”
Haggai 2:9

There are moments in our lives where we get a do over.  Where we get to do things in a better way.  We get a second chance to make this better.  This is that moment.  The moment is now.  To improve our life, our walk, our journey, our story, our relationships, our time, our positions, our careers, our ministries… our EVERYTHING.

If this wasn’t such a wake up call for us, then I don’t know what else is. Time is running shorter and more perilous. The world is experiencing a rapid and aggressive pandemic with COVID-19.  What do we do? What can we really do? All the advising, the business, the transactions, the work and progress to be productive now going to shreds in the life and health of people all over the world.

One of the the things I can say for myself and my family for 2020 is that we experienced a great reset.  We know there is more to come. We were able to have a time of laughter, a time of joy, a time of fellowship and a time of renewal together. What an amazing month for us in Atlanta, GA this past February only to be brought on with a storm hitting us all.

I am so grateful that I did have this time to dance away the weeks that followed up to us exchanging real vows on Friday, February 21st 2020.  So intimate, loving and special.  I will never forget it. It was simply amazing. God gave us a second chance at this.  I pray we keep moving forward in the best way ever as a unit, as a family and as a church.  Only God.  Only ALL of Him to just enhance our everyday IN the shaking.  

We can do this again. We can do this in a better way. We can move forward and have an opportunity at a greater time of glory.  I know things look bleak sometimes but hang tight and hang stronger than ever before.  He only promises us good things if we take heed and follow after Him. 

The next place for us WILL BE PEACE! We must.  It is ours.  We follow after it will all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  It is time for us to move to the next level of love.  The next level of faith and hope now more than ever.

Are you with me?  Let’s do it!

Your story will be greater!

#staysafe #stayinlove #staybeautiful

With love,

Christina ❤ 

Leave a comment | posted in Celebration, Emerging, Encouragement, Faith, Family, Fellowship, Hope, Inspiration, Peace, Relationships, Reset, Rise

February 26, 2020

Best Vacation Spots

By Christina

I was telling my husband that Miami Beach has got to be one of the best vacation spots ever! Water is so blue, breeze is lovely and the temperature is perfect this time of year! We had some beautiful days here.

Top spot is our trip to the UK in May 2017. We hit London, Scotland and Paris! It was amazing. Two weeks of pure bliss and an unapologetic reset for us. It was much needed for the soul. That same year in November I traveled back to Scotland for an unforgettable 8 day trip with my sisters!

But this year as I sit on Ocean Drive in South Beach Miami—Starbucks and light breeze I cannot help but be in complete awe! This is utterly fascinating. Its lovely here. Lots to do and lots to see. It is certainly relaxing and the same time as upbeat and lively for some evening festivities. We love watching the people and the international diversity. Its like a warmer New York only with sand and palm trees everywhere.

We needed a nice time away. As we just celebrated 21 years married and 28 years together during our Vow Renewal 02.21.2020 in Atlanta Georgia. We couldn’t be more grateful, thankful and blessed! We had a small ceremony, that was intimate with our beautiful family and special friends that make life worth it all. We danced, laughed, shared, ate, traveled around and got stuff done together.

Everything came out perfect… our own version of what perfect looked like. It was exquisite, extraordinary and excellent. What a place to have it… we just took the New York cold with us! It rained a lot in Atlanta more than ever and while there it even dropped to upper 20s and 30s!!! On our vow renewal day—it was sunny skies and brisk. Just enough to make it happen! Then we celebrated! We are overjoyed!

Now we head back to New York today to prepare for work and also our “what’s next” steps. We are ready and keeping all this so prayerful. May God open the necessary doors so that our next half feels just like a nearby vacation everyday. Healthy living and happiness. All things are possible. Trusting God because He said it and does all things perfect in its time. ♥️

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