Hear it, Live it, Share Him!

Luke 2 in the Bible gives us the story of Jesus'
birth. There were shepherds out in the fields
and an angel spoke to them and said (v.10-11),
"Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good
tidings of great joy which will be to ALL people.
For there is born to you this day in the city of
David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord".

Jesus was sent for ALL people- to forgive
everyone of their sins if they will just come
to Him.

After the angel spoke, there was a heavenly
host singing and praising God! Then the
angels were gone. What would you have done
if you had just seen this? Do you ever think
about that? Would you think you just had a
dream? Would you be afraid to talk about it
because others might call you crazy? Or would
you do what the shepherds did and "hurry up" and
go find this Jesus that the angel was talking
about?

They talked and decided they should travel and
see what God had shown them. Verse 16 says that
"they came with haste (swiftness of motion, speed,
urgent need of quick action) and found Mary and
Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger."

When God makes something known to us, we need to
come with haste to Him by reading the Bible or
praying! He will make Himself known just like He
did to those shepherds.

Verse 17: "Now when they had seen [Him], they made
widely known the saying which was told them
concerning this Child."

They saw Jesus and even though He was just a baby
boy in a dirty manger, they knew that they had just
seen the Messiah sent to save the world. They couldn't
keep it a secret! They made it widely known. When
we experience the greatness of God and know Jesus in
a deeply personal way, we will not be able to keep
quiet about it! We will make it widely known too!

Verse 18: "And all those who heard [it] marveled
at those things which were told them by the shepherds."

As you share your heart and they see that you really
have been changed by the Lord and Savior of the world,
they will marvel at what you tell them, just like
those who heard from the shepherds. Remember- it
all started by "hearing", then "seeing and believeing"
then "sharing"! We can live out the Christmas story
this same way!

Merry Christmas

We all want to wish you a very Merry Christmas
as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
The story in Luke Chapter 2 in the Bible
gives us details of that amazing day that
God gave the world the greatest gift of
all time! Through Jesus, we have access to
the Father and through faith in Him, we receive
eternal life.

I want to point out this part: As an angel appeared
to shepherds out in the fields, the Bible says
that "the glory of the Lord shone around them
and they were greatly afraid". Then the angel
told them not to be afraid, that there was
good news for the whole world! Verse 11 says:

"For there is born to you this day in the city
of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

This is what our faith is all about: Jesus
Christ: Savior, Christ and Lord! Praying
Jesus will shine his perfect love and grace
upon you this Christmas and always!

Merry Christmas!

Open Hands

While driving in my car one morning in
Southern California, I needed to reach
over my shoulder and get something that
my daughter was trying to hand to me.
It was then that I noticed my hands had
been tightly clinched to the steering
wheel. In order to “receive” what she was giving
to me, I had to let go and open my clenched hand
(of course, only one hand. After all, I was driving!)
Through this simple transaction God brought a picture
to me of how we are to be walking through our day.

He said to me, “How do you receive?” In an instant,
a picture of open hands stretched out appeared in
my mind. How do you receive a present, a hug, a
sweet picture drawn by a child? We do that with
open hands stretched out. That is how we receive.

Now what if our hands are clenched so tight,
desperately holding on to whatever it is in
life that we haven’t let go of. Are you holding
onto a grudge, a hurt, or bitterness? Are you
holding onto your past? What about material
possessions, money, your position in a career?
When God offers to us the mercy, the strength,
the forgiveness, are we able to accept it? Not
if our hands are already full of stuff. Do we
trust that what He has to offer is better than
what we have clenched in our grips?

Handing over our worries, cares and treasures
to Him is the way to receive His gifts. Do you
trust Him, do you love Him? Do you really? Do
you know that what He has to give far outweighs
what we are holding in our flesh? It is through
Him alone that we receive what we need. He is
our Source. In Isaiah 58 the Lord declares,
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither
are your ways My ways.” Letting (fill in your
own blank) go and giving it away to God shows
that we love Him, that we depend on Him, that
we trust Him. “Trust in the LORD forever, for
the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.”
Isaiah 26:4

Zsanae

A Personal God

Jeremiah 33:3: "'Call to Me, and I will
answer you, and show you great and mighty
things, which you do not know.'

I am thankful that the God of the Bible,
the Creator of the Universe, the One who
gives us our very breath and knows the
number of our days, is a PERSONAL God!
He is not a God that we can only wonder
about, He is a God who reveals Himself
to us in many different ways. Study
God's Word if you feel like you don't know
who God is and what He is like. If you
are truly seeking God, He will make Himself
known through the Holy Spirit.

What I wanted to highlight about this verse
is the fact that He tells ALL of us (that
means YOU too) to CALL to Him. His promise
is that He will show YOU, yep- YOU, great
and mighty things. He doesn't say, "I'll
show your pastor, I'll show that Professor,
I'll show somebody who is much more godly
than you." God says, "I (the Living God)
will show YOU, but you need to CALL to Me."

How do we know He is personal? Well, when
He shows us those great and mighty things
(when a verse pops us over and over in
Bible study, then in church, then on the
radio, we realize- God is giving me that
verse for a reason)(or when somebody is on
your heart and you just can't shake it, and
you reach out to them and realize they really
needed to talk)(or when God teaches you a
lesson and you finally GET IT, you want to
jump for joy and say, "OK God, you TAUGHT
ME, I get it now!!!), just to name a few
examples, you know God is working. He is
speaking to you directly and specifically.

Have you ever been excited and shared what God
was showing you and not gotten back the response
you would have liked? Have you ever thought,
don't they get how big this is? Before I
might have been bummed out that somebody wasn't
as excited about the lesson God taught me, until
I realized that the message was for ME! Not
for them, but for ME!!! Now I rejoice that it
wasn't received in the same intensity or excitement,
because My Father in Heaven was speaking to
ME personally. He reveals Himself in unique
ways to us, always lining up with the Bible
and always in truth. It is always amazing
to realize how much God cares for us individually,
and yet He created the entire world and every single
person in it!

Reason to Rejoice

Romans 8:1
"There is therefore now NO condemnation to
those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not
walk according the to flesh, but according
to the Spirit"

I love this verse!!! It gives us reason
to have hope, and reason to rejoice!!!
Life is hard and can get complicated at
times, but we need to make sure we never
accept condemnation in our lives! That is
not from God, it is from the enemy. As
children of God, we walk according to the
Spirit because we are IN Christ Jesus.
In John 15, Jesus says, "Abide in Me,
and I in you." This verse, along with
Romans 8:1, reminds me to cling to God's
truth and not listen to any "condemning"
thoughts that I might get.

As we stay close to God,
He will give us His peace and His joy,
and we will be reminded that we are
made in His image!

Preparing for God's Calling

God has a plan for us, we read in Jeremiah 29:11.
Many times we find ourselves wondering what that
calling is and when is it going to take place.
First and foremost, we need to walk daily in
obedience to God. If we do that, we can trust
that we are in the will of God. I know some
passions that the Lord has given me and sometimes
I catch myself asking, "God, when are you going
show me the plan for my life?" Then I remember,
that plan is a daily plan, not just some big
event that is waiting to take place down the
road. I am also reminded, that daily God is
preparing us (if we are willing to be prepared
by Him) for what He has next. I was encouraged
by these verses today:

Psalm 78:70-72
"He (God) also chose David His servant,
And took him from the sheepfolds;
From following the ewes that had
young He (God) brought him.,
To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.
So he shepherded them according to
the integrity in his heart,
And guided them by the skillfulness of
his hands."

God chose David and brought Him into the
calling for His life. God chooses us and
will bring us into His calling for our lives.
Even if God hadn't called David to be the
king of Israel, David was honoring God by
the integrity in his heart, even as a shepherd
to a flock of sheep. God knew He could trust
David with His flock (God's children). God
will prepare us and use us but we need to
trust Him and learn from Him. David also
guided the Israelites by the skillfulness
of his hands. Remember that our talents
come from God and He will allow us to use them.
Let's live lives of integrity and trust that in
God's timing, He will continue to unfold
His plan in our lives. Let's trust God
in the good times and the hard times. To
God be the glory!

God is the Best Doctor

I was thinking about how we go to the Doctor to get help
when we have a sickness that is beyond our fixing. Or we
go to the doctor when we have pain and we don’t know
where it’s coming from. Another reason we go to the doctor
is when we break a bone or to see if it’s broken or not. I don’t
know if you rush to the doctor right away when your little one
gets a fever or a cough (unless it’s your first child right?!), but
after you’ve had more than one child, you “wait” and see how
the Tylenol works. You wait to see if you can keep the fever
below 102˚. At least this is what I do. If I can keep a handle
on it, I would rather figure it out. Get out some cold washcloths,
drink lots of liquids and pray. I only go to the doctor if I can’t fix
it myself.
I started thinking about how this can look in our spiritual lives. We
can tend to think we are doing alright as long as it’s not urgent- as
long as it’s not an emergency and in need of rushing to the
emergency room! We can be hurting, sad, bitter, angry, envious,
prideful or judgmental, but even to the smallest degree, these
are all sicknesses. In fact, we were born sick, and in need of a
doctor- “The” Doctor- The Master Physician: Jesus Christ. This
doctor has ALL the answers to staying healthy, and if we will listen
and learn and remember to come to Him constantly, we will find
healing and stay healthly! My heart is to honor God, and yet I
find that these little sicknesses constantly pop up in my life.
I also find that if I don’t acknowledge my sickness (sin in
my life), then it gets worse. I am only reminded how sick I
am when I have my visit to THE doctor. It’s in this time that
I spend praying or reading my Bible or asking for the healing
medicine (Jesus’ forgiveness through his blood on the cross)
that I remember that I can be healed instantly.
I’m talking about our spiritual lives & we can’t get healthy
on our own,no matter how hard we try. Even with the greatest
intentions and the best effort, we need to be forgiven by Jesus,
the true Healer and Redeemer. Let’s make sure to visit our
Master Physician on a regular basis and we will be as healthy
as can be!

Matthew 9:12: "Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."

seasons

I am soooooo done with summer! I can't wait for the days of chilly mornings, falling leaves, scarves, hot coffee and a good book with my fireplace glowing. Ahhhhhh, can't you smell something yummy baking in the oven? In fact, the other day I was so ready for Fall to be here that I actually baked some pumpkin muffins. Then suffered for the rest of the day because I broke the cardinal rule of NO OVEN during the summer.
I was thinking about seasons and how it is so awesome that the Lord gave us seasons to mirror our lives. Isn't it so true that we pass from one period to another in our lives, just as the earth goes through a changing of seasons. Funny thing about seasons though, it seems we are never quite content in the one we are in. For a while maybe, then we start itching to be in the next one. We love the summer when it comes, but toward the end, we long for a day without heat and enormous air conditioning bills. And the winter brings joys of Christmastime and family gatherings, but eventually we long to sit in solitude and not constantly have another party to go to. This is also true with the seasons of our lives.
I don't know what season you are going through right now. It may be one of joy, and for that I rejoice. But it may also be one of sorrow and pain, perhaps waiting or longing. For you, I have this thought.
Jesus, experienced this too. And for Him, I can only imagine how difficult it was. He experienced a season of time on this planet that lasted about 30 years. Imagine, our Savior, who never before had been held captive by time, having to live minute by minute, hour by hour, year by year. I am so grateful that the Bible reminds us that He is our great High Priest who is able to sympathize with us because He experienced all that we have on this planet. Hebrews 4:13-15
If you are in a season that you are desperate to get out of, I would say ths to you. Call on the loving name of Jesus because He has been there! Only in Him can you find peace, and only in Him can you find joy in the middle of life's most difficult seasons.
Praying for you,
Mariah

Are you taking up your cross?

In Matthew 16:24, Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up His cross and follow me.” I have heard that all of my life. Growing up in the church means that you hear a lot of scriptures, A LOT of times. It is one that I have quoted to people and one that I have even put on my refrigerator. I have known in my head what this means, but recently, God showed it to my spirit.
I was talking to God on the way home from church the other day. We had just had a great service where Jesus’ name was lifted high. Passion was stirring in me and I wanted so badly for God to have every area of my life. The reality is though, that certain areas are always hard to give up, and just because we say that we want God to have them, doesn’t mean we won’t snatch them back when it gets uncomfortable. (Anyone know what I’m talking about?) Being aware of this, I openly confessed to God, “Lord, I know that until I am made perfect in heaven, I have this flesh that is bent toward sin. I hate it, but I have to carry it with me, so would you please help me?”
A few minutes later, Mt. 16:24 came to my mind. I thought about it for a few minutes. I mean, I REALLY thought about it. This is what we call “meditating” on scripture. Focused, directed thought, put toward understanding God’s Word is usually always rewarded with a greater knowledge and understanding, making the words more than just words, but life to us. This is what the Lord showed me.
Have you ever carried something really heavy? I don’t mean for a second, but for a sustained amount of time? I will never forget the time that I “tried” to carry in a new couch with my husband that we had just bought. It was just a loveseat actually, how heavy could it be? BUT, it was a loveseat with recliners, making it twice as heavy as it looked. As soon as we got it out of the truck and started walking, I knew I was in trouble. After what felt like ages, we finally got to the door, and realized that we would have to flip the couch on its side to get it in. I will spare you the rest of the story and just tell you……it didn’t end well.
When we are carrying something heavy, all of our attention is focused on just that, how heavy it is! We aren’t thinking about what we will eat for lunch, or what time we are going to go to bed. Nothing but the weight we are carrying.
Let’s look back at the verse. When Jesus says that we are to take up our cross and follow Him, how in the world did I ever miss the fact that it would be heavy? But here is the beauty of it. When I choose to pick up my cross and follow after Jesus, my mind is going to be so intently alert at the assignment of following Him, that I will have little attention to give anything else.
This brought me so much freedom because now, I saw the answer to how I had to handle my flesh. Instead of carrying around the arduous task of trying so hard not to sin, I now saw that when my mind is intent on carrying my cross and following Jesus, I just won’t sin.
Now it would be nice if our Christian walk could be like everything else in our culture today, quick and convenient! Put in your hour on Sunday morning, pray before dinner, maybe read a verse or two a couple of times a week, and viola, life is easy as pie! We have bought into this lie for way to long my friends, myself included!
Although completely worth it, carrying our cross means denying ourselves. Denying that very strong fleshly, childish, selfish nature that we all have with us in these bodies. And sometimes, it hurts. So don’t think that it is lightly that I say, “I just won’t sin if I am carrying my cross.” But, if I am carrying my cross and following after Jesus, carefully placing my feet in the dusty imprints of my leader, cautious to not get too far behind and diligent in recording His every move, my flesh won’t be afforded much thought. Oh the victory that comes through that.
So what does this look like? It begins with conversing with God through prayer, reading the Bible, meditating on it and memorizing it. Unless we know who Jesus is, how can we follow Him? I promise you this, (even though I may have just freaked you out,) you will find that carrying your cross is not only the heaviest thing you have ever carried, but also the one thing that you would never dream of putting down. Psalm 34:15 tells us that “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry.” Rich blessing follows us when we decide to forsake all for the glory of living for Him.

Mariah

Have you ever raised your hands in worship? Or maybe you have been in a church service where people lifted their hands while singing and it made you uncomfortable. Perhaps it could even be that you would like to lift up your hands while you sing, but don’t really understand what it means, so you hold back. I shared this thought on one reason we lift our hands in worship at the Unmasked conference at Crossroads Christian Church in March, but I have recently been asked about this topic a lot, so I thought that I would write it down.
When two nations are at war and one side wants to concede to the other, they know that the international sign of surrender is hands raised in the air. I have seen countless pictures of soldiers surrendering in this way. In essence, they are saying, “I give up control. I am giving up what I am fighting for and placing my life in your hands to be at your mercy.” It is a physical outward sign to show what is going on inside.
The next thing that I want to note about this position of surrender is that the hands are high above the head. Why is this so important? I believe one reason is that with the hands high, there is little to no chance that the soldier can reach down and grab at anything. They are completely exposed and bare.
Would you now look at this concept in the view of worship? When we worship God, we have to make HIM the entire object of our worship. But that is hard to do right? I mean, sometimes there are a thousand other things vying for our attention. Menial things perhaps, like what is for lunch or what you have to do before the week begins. Or maybe they are even more pressing. Maybe it is a struggle to worship because you have unconfessed sin in your life or you feel guilty because you are doubting God. Whatever it is, we are not truly worshipping if God is not the focus. So where do we start? Surrender! We have to step aside and lay down anything that is keeping us from looking fully at God and lifting Him up.
Lifting our hands in worship to our King can be an outward expression of what is going on inside of our hearts. We are saying, just like the soldier, “I give up control. I am giving up what I am fighting for and placing my life in your hands to be at your mercy.” Thankfully, we can do this and know that we are safe in the loving hands of our creator who would never harm us.
So hands raised high in focused surrender to God leaves little room for us to quickly reach down and grab at the things of our heart that keep us from Him. It shows the Lord that our goal is to give up our pride, our ego, our thoughts and our plans for His glory and whatever it is He desires for us. It helps to take the “me” out of worship.
Like I said, this is only one reason that we can raise our hands in worship. I am not saying that it is the only reason. But sometimes, broken down, it is easier to understand.
It is my prayer that you would worship God today. He loves to hear the praises of His people.

Mariah

The Holy Spirit Dwells With You

John 14:15-17 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

Jesus was speaking to the disciples when He said this. Before Jesus died and rose again, people had to give sacrifices to be in right standing with God, but once Jesus rose from the dead, the Holy Spirit became available to ALL who would BELIEVE in Jesus as Lord and Savior. It’s interesting that Jesus made it very clear that only those who believe would understand who the Spirit of truth is. Once we recognize our need for God to come in and transform our lives, our eyes begin to “see” what God is all about. I am thankful for the Holy Spirit in my life. He has changed my heart and my life and shown me truth that I did not see before I asked God into my life.

Prayer

Prayer is essential to our relationship with
God. Not only does our prayer (conversation
with God) put us in communication with the
Living God as he hears our requests, it puts
us in the position of the "created" in
relationship to the "Creator" (God). I have
learned that instead of just telling God
what I need and most of the time what I
want, I can use my time in prayer to praise
and worship Him. I call out to the Lord in
the names I read about in the Bible and tell
Him how much I love Him. I also keep a shorter
account of the sins I have committed and ask
for forgiveness and for God to cleanse me (we
are made clean by the blood of Jesus Christ).
He changes my heart when I spend time with
Him. I start to understand what it means
to become more like Christ.
Some people say, "I don't know how to pray". If
you know how to have a conversation with another
person, you can pray. Sometimes we hear people
pray and we think we can never pray like them.
God doesn't want us to pray like anybody else-
He wants us to be ourselves and open our hearts to Him.
All God asks is that we humble ourselves and come
to Him. If we come before God to pray, He will
make Himself and His ways known to us. Jeremiah 33:3
says, "Call to Me (God), and I will answer you,
and show you great and mighty things, which you
do not know." I love that verse- as long as I
call to God, He will answer!
Recently my Bible study group got together for prayer.
We broke up into groups of 3-4 women and brought
our requests before the Lord. We also sat and
waited and "listened" to the Lord. I encourage
you to find somebody to pray with. It is very
powerful to come before the Lord with a bond
as sisters in Christ and it's also very humbling.
I'm reminded when I do that it's not about me.
It's all about God. He is our focus, He is our
strength, He is our teacher, He is our Lord!
If you sit and get quiet before God, ask Him
if He has anything He wants to show you. Write
down what comes to your mind. If you don't feel
like you are getting anything on your mind, ask
God questions or start praising Him again. It
may take some time, but you will learn how to
"hear" from God. Remember, the promise in the
Bible is that "He will show us great and mighty
things."

God Bless You, Leah Amico

Zsanae Miller

Zsanae Miller has been blessed with a life that proves God’s amazing love, character, mercy and grace. Growing up with an abusive father, Zsanae has a passion to share of the Everlasting Father who heals, restores, and transforms. She enjoys sharing that Jesus longs to give more than just healing; He longs to give new life. God has blessed Zsanae with 11 years of marriage to Kevin. Together they have a daughter and a son who continue to show that God blesses with incredible gifts. They currently reside in Corona, California and attend Calvary Chapel Corona.

Mariah Langford

Mariah Langford began singing for Jesus at the age of nine. After years of singing for the Lord, she has stepped into the call of God on her life to be a full time worship leader. She believes that God has created her to inspire people to be passionate about the God of the universe and to exalt Him, and Him alone, high above anything else. Mariah says that it is a great honor to lead people in lifting up their voices to the King of Kings and will do so as long as she has breath. Mariah lives in Corona with her husband and two children and is currently a worship leader on staff at Inland Hills Church in Chino Hills, CA.

Leah Amico

Leah Amico is a 3-Time Olympic Gold Medalist with USA Softball (1996, 2000, 2004). She has been able to share about her Olympic experiences, but her passion is to speak about God's transforming power. Leah wants others to know that God has specific plans for each of our lives and encourages others to live a life of boldness and confidence. In the past 12 years, Leah has spoken at schools, churches and many different events. She is also a host, along with A.C. Green and Frank Pastore, on the Christian Sports Show "More Than Conquerors" airing on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Leah has been featured in a number of devotional books and Sports Devotional Bibles. Leah is married to Tommy Amico and is the mother of 3 boys. She resides in Corona, CA and attends Calvary Chapel Chino Hills. For more information, go to www.leah20.com or follow her blog at www.leah20.blogspot.com.

Answering God's Call

These were two of our favorite photos of the day.

Isaiah 43:1: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have CALLED you by your name; You are Mine."

Speaking

Mariah wasn't here for this part of the shoot, so we took some pictures of
the three of us. (Alisa, Zsanae and Leah)**Photos by Michaela: Staircasephotography.com

To God Be the Glory

Heather Negrete took some pictures for us so she could help us put together a card to show people what we're all about. They turned out great and we loved the pictures. Thanks Heather! (www.heathernegrete.com)

1 Corinthians 1:26-27: "For you see your CALLING brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty."

Unmasked Conference

What an amazing day!! God's presence was so evident at Unmasked (our first conference) at Crossroads Church in Corona. We had amazing worship by Mariah, and each speaker (Alisa, Zsanae, Leah and Kathryn) shared from their hearts about the amazing promises and truth that our God has for us all! There were tears and laughter. We sang praises and prayed to our Almighty God! It was a day of being transparent and real with other women. We left encouraged to fight the good fight and keep the faith, but we were also challenged to take our thoughts captive and renew our minds with God's truth. We were reminded not to ask God "why?" in the hard times, but instead "what do you want me to do with this God? and "how can I use this to help somebody else?" We know we are in a battle, the Bible tells us this, and we were reminded to seek God with all our hearts and set aside time to hear from God so we can be victorious every day. All glory and praise goes to God! He called us for this moment and we are following His lead by faith! Thank you to all who attended the conference and for sharing the amazing stories of how God spoke to you that day! May His perfect love cover you and shine through you! God's Call

UNMASKED: WOMEN'S CONFERENCE: MARCH 14, 2009
Come and hear us at Crossroads Christian Church in Corona (http://www.crossroadschurch.com/) on March 14. We are speaking at a Women's Conference: Unmasked. Joining us to speak is Kathryn Leonard, Head of Women's Ministry at Crossroads. For more information on Kathryn, go to the Crossroads website. The topics we will cover are: Unmasking Your Passion, Unmasking the Source, Unmasking the Confusion, Unmasking the Heart of Worship, and Unmasking God's Voice. We believe God is going to do a mighty work and we want to be obedient to share what He has called us to share. Don't miss out- this is for women of all ages (high school girls included). We all attend different churches and believe this is for all women in surrounding communities that need to hear God's truth and want to lay down their masks!