How to reach your full potential for God, by Charles Stanley

Let’s go straight to the point: What is this book about? Spiritual growth. Not ‘personal’ because that’s contained in the ‘spiritual’ tag.

The message is really simple and powerful: You have potential.

You were created by the greatest God, for a greatest purpose. And if you settle for anything less than that… well… you loose. That’s it.

Being a Christian/Husband/Pastor I often need any help available out there and this book was both helpful and challenging. I though that it would be like a theory manual but it was the exact opposite (which is a really good surprise).

Although at the beginning it flows like a quiet and huge river, it gradually become fast and strong stream of life.

The part of the pure mind and heart was specially challenging for me because I’m completely sure that, if I don’t have sanctity in my life, I will fail in the ministry.

I also was shocked about the Lord’s timing in my life, because too often, when I was reading about specific topics in the book (like fearing the plan of God or being insecure about a decision taken under the Holy Spirit guidance), I was actually living them in my life, my home or my church.

If you really want to serve God with all the potential that you have and reach that destiny you were created for, I strongly recommend you to read this great book.

And, if you’re like me, I also advice you this: Read it slowly and meditate on the truths that God is communicating to you through Charles Stanley’s writing.

Mujer virtuosa 2 • Noble woman 2

ESPAÑOL (for english just scroll down)

La verdadera importancia espiritual de encontrar una mujer como la que describe Proverbios 31 es  que una mujer así, acercará a su familia más a Dios. Y la importancia de ser esa mujer, para una mujer, es la siguiente: Será encontrada por un hombre en busca de una mujer virtuosa y esto la acercará a ella más a Dios. 

Una mujer así no nos hundirá en nuestro espiral de autodestrucción sino que nos levantará día a día, para que nos parezcamos un poco más al hombre que Dios quiere que seamos y, en cuanto a las mujeres, un hombre que es levantado así, guiará el hogar de la forma en que Dios quiere que sea guiado, lo que redundará en una mujer virtuosa que, si bien no "llena" todos los roles de Proverbios 31 (que es un ejemplo global del virtuosismo) es virtuosa en su corazón y día a día crece y se acerca a esa mujer que Dios quiere que sea.

Y así, todo se resume a un círculo virtuoso.

ENGLISH 

The true spiritual importance of finding a woman like the one described in Proverbs 31 is that such a woman will get her home nearer to God. And the importance of being such a woman is this: She will be found by a man looking for a woman like that and his leading will get her nearer to God too.

A woman like that wouldn't push us more into our self destructive spiral but instead will lift us day by day so we become more like the man that God wants us to be. And a man lifted in that way and in that direction (towards God) will lead the home in God's way, which will result in a noble woman that, even if she can't 'be' all the characters mentioned in Proverbs 31 (that is a global example of virtue) is, anyway, a virtuous woman in her heart and day by day grows and gets closer to the woman that God want her to be.

And so, everything sums up to a virtuous circle. 

Mujer Virtuosa • Noble Woman

ESPAÑOL (for english just scroll down)

En Proverbios 31:10 se nos hace una pregunta: ¿Quién hallará a una mujer virtuosa? Y aunque muchas veces se ha interpretado este pasaje como si la Biblia diera a entender que no existe tal mujer, creo que no solo dice todo lo contrario sino que nos lanza un reto a los hombres: Debemos buscar a tal mujer.

La verdad es que si no encontramos a una mujer virtuosa es porque no la estamos buscando, porque existen cientos de millones de ellas. El problema es que, a menudo, los hombres sólo buscamos un pasatiempo, un cuerpo o un rato de placer, y las mujeres también caen en el juego.

Yo la encontré hace 7 años y fue por la gracia de Dios, porque yo, como la mayoría de hombres, no sabía que debía buscar a una mujer así. Tristemente, muchos hombres no encuentran a una mujer virtuosa y muchas mujeres virtuosas no son encontradas por un hombre que las sepa valorar. Así que mi consejo es el siguiente:

Hombres: Busquen a tal mujer.

Mujeres: Déjense encontrar sólo por un hombre que esté buscando a tal mujer.

Ese es parte del valor inmenso de este versículo de Proverbios 31.

ENGLISH

In Proverbs 31:10 we read a question: Who can find such a noble woman? And although this passage has been misinterpreted many times as if the Bible is saying that there is no such a woman, I think that, not only it is saying the exact opposite but also that it is throwing a challenge to us, the men: We should be looking for such a woman.

The truth is that if we can't find a woman so noble is simply because we're not looking for her, because there are hundred of millions of women like that. The problem is that too often men are just looking for a hobby, a body or a little while of pleasure, and women fall into this game too.

I found such a woman 7 years ago thanks to grace of God, because I, like most men, didn't know that I should be looking for her. Sadly, a lot of men doesn't find this kind of woman and a lot of this kind of woman aren't found by men who values them. So, my advice is this:

Men: Look for such a woman.

Women: Make sure to be found by such a man.

This is part of the great value of this verse in Proverbs 31.

Entendiendo la receta • Understanding the recipe

ESPAÑOL (for english just scroll down)

Ahora que estoy cocinando he notado que el proceso de cocinar a partir de una receta se puede resumir así: 1-Leer la receta hasta entender qué es lo que se debe hacer, y 2-Hacerlo. Además, después de cocinar, también me he dado cuenta de que entiendo la receta mejor de lo que la entendía antes de hacerla. ¿Se entendió? ¿No? Ok, la cosa es así: Antes de hacer algo, podés entenderlo, pero después de hacerlo vas a entenderlo de verdad. Incluso vas a descubrir secretos del proceso o cosas que quien hizo la receta omitió por una u otra razón.

Esto también se puede aplicar a la vida.

Cuando queremos lograr algo en la vida, usualmente pedimos consejo a alguien que sabe algo más que nosotros sobre el tema. Ese es el paso 1. Luego, lo meditamos y lo pensamos y lo volvemos a pensar hasta que, de alguna forma y hasta cierto punto, logramos entenderlo. Ese es el paso 2.

Pero sólo al hacer lo que queríamos hacer, vamos a entender en verdad los pasos, los motivos de los ingredientes, el orden en que se debían añadir y los tiempos de de horneado o cocción, por ejemplo.

En fin, si leés algo en la Biblia y creés que lo entendiste, creeme, mientras no lo hayás vivido, todavía no lo entendés como se debe entender. Y sólo la práctica constante hará que logrés dominar la disciplina a tal punto que la receta estará grabada en tu interior. Entonces ya no tendrás que "sufrir" el proceso sino que empezarás a disfrutarlo.

ENGLISH

Now that I'm cooking, I've notice that the process of cooking from a recipe can be summarize in this: 1-Reading the recipe until what must be done is understood by the cook, and 2-Actually cook it.

Besides, after cooking, I've also notice that I understand the recipe better than I did before I actually got into the kitchen to make it. Did you get it? No? Ok, the thing is like this: Before you make something, you can understand it, but after you actually make that something you will really understand it. You will even discover secrets of the process or thing that the recipe-writer didn't wrote by any reason.

This can apply to life also.

When we want to accomplish something in life, usually we ask for advice from someone that knows more than us about the matter at hand. That's step 1. Then, we meditate and think about and think some more until we, in a way and up to some point, figured it all out. That's step 2.

But only when we actually do what we wanted to do, we will really figure out even the why the order of the steps, the why of the ingredients, the why of the times to bake and cook.

So, if you read something in the Bible and you think that you understood it, believe me, while you don't actually live it, you don't actually get it as it should be get.

And only the constant practice will allow you to master the discipline to the point where the recipe will be engraved in your interior. And then you won't 'suffer' the process but rather you'll enjoy it.

No digás que es fácil • Don't say it's easy

ESPAÑOL (for english, just scroll down)

Este finde cociné mi primer y segundo pay de queso.

Luego de lograrlo, obviamente, me puse a celebrar. Entonces alguien me dijo: "Es que ese pastel es fácil de preparar"... y se acabó mi celebración. No lo hizo con mala intención, lo sé, pero sus palabras, en los oídos de un cocinero principiante, sonaron muy parecido a esto: "No sé porqué celebrás, si cualquier idiota habría podido hacerlo."

Es decir, una cosa es que alguien te diga que "es fácil" (antes de preparar el pastel) para darte ánimos y otra muy distinta es que te digan lo mismo después de que lo hiciste, ya que eso te minimiza. ¡Las palabras son poderosas!

Entonces, aprendí algo sobre la vida: No importa qué tan fácil sea o parezca el logro de una persona, si sos su líder, no debés, por ninguna circunstancia, minimizar la victoria. En cambio, debés celebrar junto con la persona para que ésta siga creciendo.

Creo que eso es lo que hace Dios. Celebra y hace fiesta con cada uno de nuestros logros, sin importar lo pequeño que puedan ser, para seguir construyendo en nosotros la imagen de Su Hijo.

¿Has minimizado o maximizado a alguien últimamente?

ENGLISH

Last weekend I baked my first and second cheesecake.

After I did it I started to celebrate, obviously! Then, someone said: 'Yes, that's a really easy-to-do cake'... And my celebration got sunk.

She didn't make the comment with bad intentions, I know, but her words –for a beginner cook ears– sounded like this: 'I don't know why so much celebration, since any idiot could have done it'.

I mean, that someone tells you that cooking a cheesecake is really easy, before you do it, is one thing ('cause it encourages you) but the same words after you successfully baked the pie can minimize you in a great way. Word really are powerful!

So, I've learn something about life: No matter how little the other person's success may look for you, if you're a leader, you must not, under any circumstance, minimize the victory. Instead, the leader should celebrate with the person in order to keep the growing process alive.

I think that's exactly what God does. He celebrates and throw a party with each one of our accomplishments, no matter how small they might look to him, so he can keep building His Son's image in us.

Have you minimized or maximized someone lately?

Aborto • Abortion

La moral de nuestro mundo se resume a esta palabra: Doble.

La doble moral es tan ridícula que es capaz de decir que no se le debe pegar (y estoy hablando de sana corrección y no del abuso que muchos papás despliegan sobre sus hijos) pero sí se les puede matar.

La doble moral también clama en las calles en contra de los políticos corruptos pero cierra la boca cuando es hora de sobornar a un policía de tránsito.

La doble moral se rasga las vestiduras cuando alguien de la familia se vuelve alcohólico pero se reía mientras, de niño, lo dejaban tomarse lo último de los tragos familiares.

La doble moral tiene un problema: baila el son que convenga y ni siquiera el que le toquen.

Our world's moral standard sums up in this word: Double.

Double standard is so ridiculous that it says that we shouldn't spank our kids (and I'm talking about the sound correction and not the idiot abuse of some parents over their sons) but we surely can kill them.

Double standard also claims in the streets against corrupt politicians but shuts her mouth when it's time to buy a transit officer.

Double moral tore it's garments when a family member hit the alcoholic truth, but laughed when the same person was allow to drink the remains of everybody else's drink as a child.

Double standard has just one problem: It dance with the more convenient music.

PRIMAL, by Mark Batterson

This is not just a book.

It’s more like a Christianity manual that was forgotten but now has been found inside Mark Batterson’s heart.

In his prior book, Batterson took me into the pit, with a lion, and he didn’t care about the snowy weather, but now, somehow he managed to find a secret downstairs path inside that heroes-factory cave.

The trip to the root of Christianity, the quest for the lost soul of Jesus’ dream, is a real adventure, not recommended for soft disciples (if such words combination could make any sense). As you go down the descendent stairway and the light goes darker, your selfish and religious mind begins to feel the lack of air.

Of course, the natural impulse is to stop the reading. But don’t! Press on!

This book is potentially lethal to your humanistic thinking and that’s the beauty of it. The world needs a new reformation fire, says the author, and I agree. And even though Mark Batterson doesn’t believe that the new reformation won’t begin in one man’s action, but in a multitude of Christians with real convictions and holy deeds, I think that this book really is a gasoline pipe that will light some torches.

At least, it did with me.

EMPAÑADOS • STEAM UP

ESPAÑOL (for english version just scroll down)

Hace unas noches, mientras corría, mis anteojos se empañaron por completo pero mis ojos no. Entonces me di cuenta de algo: El vidrio de mis lentes, por ser un pedazo de vidrio muerto, se empaña cuando la temperatura y la humedad a su alrededor se eleva, impidiéndonos una visión clara. En cambio los ojos, por ser "vidrio vivo" reaccionan distinto: sin importar cuánto se calienten las cosas, siguen permitiendo una visión clara. Y lo mismo pasa con la religión.

Cuando tu religión está muerta, nunca soportará las pruebas que la vida lanza sobre vos, se empañará y no te dejará ver con claridad, sin importar si la solución que necesitás está justo frente a tus ojos.

Pero cuando tu religión es una relación viva y ardiente con Dios, no importa lo que pase, el cristal nunca se empañará.

Entonces... ¿cómo están tus "anteojos"?

ENGLISH

A few nights ago, while running, my eyeglasses got completely steamed up, but my eyes didn't.

Then I realized something: When a dead glass is exposed to high temperature and humidity, it doesn't let us see clearly. But the "living glass" of our eyes respond completely different: No matter how hot thing are, they don't steam up our vision. And the same happens with religion.

When your religion is dead, it will never endure the tests that life pour over you, it will steam up and won't let you see with clarity and even if the solution that you need is right in front of you... you won't see it!

But when your religion is a living burning passionate relationship with God, no matter what may come, no matter what life throws to your face, the crystal will never steam up!

So... How are your eyeglasses?