“Te gusta to go to the iglesia?”

                “Do you like ir a la church?”

                The phrases above all mean the same thing (find out the meaning if you can) and are a clear example of a hybrid language that is spoken all the time by bilingual people in Miami and other cosmopolitan cities: “Spanglish.”

                “Spanglish” was also the name of a popular romantic movie in 2004. In this film a married American man falls in love with the Hispanic maid/nanny, but he and his wife chose to remain together, which is the right and biblical thing to do.

                Mixing races, cultures and languages in a marriage is challenging, but not sinful. A marriage between a believer and an unbeliever (even from the same race, nationality and social class) is not only a bad idea, but it is also a grave sin and so it is getting mixed up in extramarital affairs.

                The children of God are called to walk faithfully with Christ, but we are sometimes guilty of spiritual “Spanglish” which is a mixture of darkness and light. There are many examples of spiritual “Spanglish” in the Bible and in the practical life of many contemporary Christians.

                We see this kind of “Spanglish” in Adam and Eve: They attempted to serve God and to fall into sin at the same time. The same happened to King David, to some prophets, to the apostle Peter and to many others.

                The Bible tells us that we cannot serve two masters (Luke 16:13)

                The Bible also tells that there is only one God and that only He must be worshipped:

                “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3)

                 We must have only one love, which is God. Therefore we are commanded by the apostle John,

                    “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.” (1 John 2:15, 16)

                “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

                Let us speak only one language: The language of heaven.

                A. G.

                The New Year is here. It is a new beginning for some and more of the same for most. The hype and excitement of this New Year, will quickly wear off in the next few days or weeks.

                “Happy New Year!”

                We often say this phrase to each other at midnight on December 31^st. most of us probably believe (or want to believe) that this “magical” phrase will somehow transport us to a land of fairies and elves, where everyone is happy all the time.

                Is it biblical to wish everyone a happy new year? Does God want you to be happy all the time?

                To begin with, I don’t believe it is humanly possible to be always happy. Happiness is a human emotion and therefore it fluctuates. Our happiness is circumstantial; therefore we will not be able to be happy at all times (unless you are a robot, of course).

                I cannot be happy when I sin or make a mistake. I am not able to laugh hysterically when I am sick, amid problems and attacks or when I or someone close to me experiences failure or loss. In these and similar circumstances, no one is expected to be “happy” and full of laughter and smiles.               

                On the other hand, the Bible expects and even commands God’s children to be always joyful.

                Philippians 4:4 says:

                “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

                Joy is not based on any circumstance. We can be joyful at all times because joy is not a feeling or emotion, but as Theopedia defines it, it is: “…a state of mind and an orientation of the mind. It is a settled state of contentment, confidence and hope.”

                Joy is a confidence and assurance grounded in the finished work of Christ on the cross. We can be joyful even in hard times, knowing that God is with us in every situation and that He is in total control and has a plan for us even in our trials.

                James wrote about it:

                “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2, 3)

                Telling others, to have a “Happy New Year” is nice, but is not biblical, because it is impossible to have a full and happy year on this earth. Instead we should wish for them to have a blessed or joyful year, which is only possible for those that love and follow Jesus.

                I hope and pray that you have a year full of Jesus and all the blessings of his grace. I pray that you live in peace, joy, hope and love and that you also enjoy many happy days as you walk with your Lord.

                A. G.

                   Every time my wife and I go out to eat at a restaurant, we usually have to wait for a while. As we reserve our table the host invariably asks us the same question:

                “How many are in your party (or group)?”

                To which we usually reply:

                “It’s just the two of us.”

                Today, I realized for the very first time, that we have been wrong all along. The next time we reserve a table, I will ask for a table for three.

                Our marriage has lasted this long (almost 40 years) because it is the union of three persons: My wife, myself and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without Him, we wouldn’t have lasted more than a month. Our marriage is strong because of His power and love and grace and peace and wisdom and blessings and…well, you get the picture!

                Wherever you are in this world, you are never alone, even if you are by yourself. This applies only to the followers of Christ, because as the word implies we are following Him who lives in our hearts (Galatians 2:20).

                Our Lord does not only live in us, but He has also promised to remain in us:

                “I am with your always even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

                Jesus lives in us and remains in us forever for He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

                What a comfort (and fright) it is to know that we are never alone. Jesus is there when we are sad, worried, sick or in pain. His rod and staff comfort us and He leads us to still waters of peace and joy (Psalm 23).

                Jesus is always there. He is there in the good and in the bad times; in our weakness and in our strength; in our sadness or in our joy. He is there to comfort and to lead us, but He is also there to prevent us from falling into temptation and sin (I Cor. 10:13) and to prune us (John 15) or even to discipline us (Hebrews 12).

                Remember, you are never alone and if you are married, you are one flesh with your spouse and both of you are one heart with Jesus. Do not ever forget to include Him in all your dreams, goals, plans and activities…even when you eat at a restaurant.

               A. G.

        When I think of black days in my life, I think of sadness, destruction and despair. Why would we as Americans call the day after we celebrate Thanksgiving “Black Friday”?

       As I read in the dictionary the words “grateful” and “thankful” I do not read anything about darkness, but on the contrary about happiness, joy, appreciation and love for others.

       Merriam Webster defines it this way:

      Grateful – A feeling or showing appreciation for something done or received. The act of gratefulness is    memorable and can live for a long time

      Thankful – an appreciation of benefits received. It is a way of expressing appreciation with or without an act.

       We live in a world full of hate, despair, ingratitude, sadness, loneliness. Through all these we are called to be grateful and thankful.

        “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ concerning you”                            (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

        “Give thanks to the God of heaven, For His loving-kindness (graciousness, mercy, and compassion) endures forever” (Psalm 107:1 emphasis added)

       “Thank God that he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57)

        This year especially has been a tough one for our family during this thankful celebration. We have had death, sickness, separation, family problems and so on, as have so many others in the body of Christ. Yet we do not despair; we do not lose hope and we will not stop giving thanks.

        When we praise the Lord, we take the eyes off our daily troubles and struggles and trust in Him who bore all the pain of Calvary to give us life. He died on the real Black Friday, when the dark sin of mankind was placed upon Him.

        The fake and materialistic Black Friday is yet another futile attempt by the enemy to displace our desire to praise God on Thanksgiving Day. The real Black Friday not only displaced the power of sin and darkness, but destroyed it completely forever by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. The real Black Friday was not a one day sale, but it is an eternal fountain of Living Water from which God’s free and forgiving grace flows.

        Brothers and sisters may all our days be as clear, bright and merry as Thanksgiving Day in November. May we always be grate (full) and thank (full) for we serve a Great God.

        Alex and Mayra Gonzalez

                There is a global epidemic of homelessness all over the world. According to some official estimates, there are over 150 million homeless people worldwide. In the United States alone, there are more than a half a million homeless individuals, especially in big cities like New York and California.

                Over half of these homeless people find some form of shelter every day, while the rest live (and sleep) in dark alleys, highway underpasses and wherever else they can find a place to spend the night. It is hard to imagine and admit that there are so many homeless people in the richest nations of world!

                What causes homelessness?

                There are many reasons. Here are some possible causes:

                Natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, etc.

                Fires and vandalism

                Divorces and domestic violence

                Lack of affordable housing

                Unemployment and poverty

                Laziness and negligence

                Some people are temporarily homeless due to fires and other disasters, but the majority of the homeless are so because of a result of the sin and wickedness of others, or their own negligence, irresponsibility and sin. 

             Jesus was homeless too. He was born in a manger (Luke 2:7) and during his earthly ministry He didn’t have a place where He could lay his head (Matthew 8:20). He was homeless because as John 1:11 says: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”

                Come to think of it, we are homeless too. You and I might have a beautiful house or live in a fancy apartment, but none of these are our real home. In fact, if you are a Christian, this world is not our home (John 15:19). Our real citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).

                Brother or sister, do not get too comfortable in this world. Jesus has prepared a place, an eternal home for us in heaven (John 14:1-4). Remember that we are homeless until we reach our eternal and glorious home.

                Being homeless as Christians doesn’t mean that we are hopeless or Fatherless. Quite the contrary! Our home in heaven is safe and secure and it has been paid in full by the blood of Jesus.

                A. G.