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Sunrise, Sunset…

…quickly fly the years, one season following another, laden with happiness and tears… So go the lyrics to the wonderful song of yesteryear by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. What makes the song so especially memorable is the fact that it’s true; our days seem to whiz by at record speed. On a day much like today, June 26, 1988, my dad, Abraham Cruz Sr. took his last breaths. He was 76 years old. A very serious-looking man he was. Inside, however, he was funny; always cracking jokes. He had a big heart, couldn’t bare to see someone going through a tough time. Couldn’t stand to see someone go without food, clothing, or basic home necessities without doing something to help the person out.

On his dying bed, he had been in a coma for several days before I arrived with my youngest brother, Nelson. Our flight there was most interesting: We knew our dad needed to give his heart to Jesus. We prayed a lot on our way there. To begin with, after being dropped off at the airport we learned it was the wrong terminal or something like that. I know we had to drag our suitcases over grass and climb over fences just to reach the right place on time for our flight.

Shortly after takeoff, I noticed on the small TV screen behind the seat in front of me that the mileage was decreasing, meaning we were returning to the airport. An engine had died. While we waited for an hour, then two, then four, then six and all throughout the flight, there were two men, drunk beyond sense, who kept cracking jokes about the plane going straight down into the waters and how they could see the sharks just waiting to feast on us! They definitely did not help anyone on board!

Hardships aside, we landed in Puerto Rico at 3:45 a.m. and went straight to see our dad. We were told that as soon as we walked into the room and he heard our voices, he came out of the coma. We didn’t know he’d been in one, much less that he was being fed through tubes. He called our names. We spoke together, he removed all his tubes, and we even fed him. While I prayed for him, Nelson led him through the sinner’s prayer to repentance. He shed tears as he asked God for forgiveness and into his heart! Days later, he was gone.

Last week and 31 years later, our oldest brother, Abraham Jr. passed away after having been in a coma for several days. He was 77 years old. Like his dad, Jr. was also serious-looking on the outside, funny on the inside, and a very caring person. Family always came first for him. He did what he could to keep them close at bay. Unfortunately, as the song above goes, our sunrises quickly turn to sunsets. Jr., a weightlifter in his youth, now laid aside every weight as he took his final breath on June 18.

Scripture tells us in James 4:14 b “For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes.” Regardless of whether we’re a boxer, a weightlifter, of even the fastest runner on earth, our lives are at best, a dash, a sprint; a short step to the finish line and then we’re off to eternity.

Fortunately, Jesus is the only person to go beyond that finish line and returned to tell us about it. When you reach your final race, when you take your last puffs of air, if Jesus is your savior, He’ll be at the other side with rewards to bestow upon you ( Revelations 22:12 tells us: “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be”).

While both Abrahams are gone, we’ll always treasure their memories, their stories, their joys of life, their challenges and their triumphs as well as their characters in our hearts. Before your last vapor, before you fall into a coma or how ever you may go, you may want to invite Him into your heart. Reap rewards in heaven for your work for Him on earth. Today is your best bet. Go for it. God Bless You.

Both Abrahams shared a special corner for their granddaughters:

Abraham Sr. with my daughters

Abraham Jr. with his granddaughters

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Not Forgotten or Abandoned

Not all of us have had fathers matching those on sitcom shows where we ended up with an ice cream or a Life Saver candy after messing up an event or flunking a class, etc.  We may not have always received a pat on the back as an act of confirmation; maybe a pat across somewhere else, if you know what I mean. Relating to our earthly dads can sometimes be difficult. As a result, understanding our heavenly Father can be a hang-up or a challenge for many of us since the closest to Him might be, or have been, an abusive dad or someone who fell short of our definition (or God’s, for that matter) of what a loving dad ought to be. 

    Granted, not all dads fall short of loving their kids. They don’t all break their promises.  It’s a fact that being a loving and caring father requires lots of work, dedication, planning, and love. There are many kids out there growing up without a dad; without a male figure to relate to; without a friend with whom they can go camping with, fish with, shoot some baskets with, talk about life issues with, or wrestle across the floor with.

Back in New York, I once read about some famous man who gave his son the best gift he could afford to give: he dedicated something like one hour a day to spending time with him.  I remember thinking I’d go nuts if I gave an hour a day, each day to each of my three kids!  I decided to modify that.  Once a week, I’d give each child thirty minutes.  We’d begin with a prayer, discuss bible teachings, cover school/home situations, and then we’d wrestle!  We would have lots of fun rolling all over the floor, bopping each other over the head with pillows, etc. As the kids grew, we’d play basketball outside.  Then came boyfriends and what to do in the future. We’d have lots of family meetings where we’d agree to change the way things were done or how to improve things. The bottom line was that the kids knew their father was always present in their lives.  He took time to get to know their joys and hurts. This dad was an integral part of his kids’ lives.

Only you know where you are right now in life.  Only you know the joys and/or hardships of having had or not having had a father in your life.  You might be someone’s Lil’ boy or some dad’s Lil’ girl. It might be that’s it’s been a while since you last saw or spoke to him. Maybe you burned all those bridges behind you years ago and have never looked back.  Deep, deep inside, you’re still his little child.  He still yearns to hold you close.  I know every time I see my son, my 38 yr old son, I hug him and kiss him on the cheek.  He’s still that little boy in a crib playing hide-&-go-seek.  Despite of all types of hardships, family relationships are most important in my life. 

This morning at 5:28 a.m. our youngest daughter called me from Jerusalem to wish me a happy Father’s Day.  That was nice. Back in our wrestling days, she was the one beating the daylights out of me.  Glad she wasn’t close enough to whack me out today at age 35!  But that’s life.  Reach out to your father if possible.  Forgive him if that’s what’s needed. Let him know he’s appreciated. Love him.  If he’s long-gone, honor his memory.  Think of your heavenly Father and how He’s always there holding you in His arms in the spiritual realm.  He longs to hear your stories.  He longs to know what things you wrestle with. He makes himself available to you not for thirty minutes, but all the time you need.

 This afternoon my wife shared with me how at age 14 she wished she had a dad.  Her sisters had one, but hers had left a long time ago.  As she cried out to God wanting to know why she didn’t have one like they did, she felt Him embrace her and tell her, “I am your dad.”  Tears swelled in her eyes back then just like they did today decades later, recalling His embrace, His care, His tender mercies towards her, and His commitment to staying by her side all these years. Our heavenly Father makes no distinction of persons. He loves us all the same and gave His Son Jesus to lay His life for us that we may be called children of God.  Happy Father’s Day!

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Memorial Day

     Wafts of hot dogs, burgers, chicken, steaks, and other yummies fill the air in neighborhood after neighborhood throughout our cities, country-sides, mountain tops, beaches, and everywhere we can gather to honor and remember those who gave their lives defending our country.  Whether male or female, rich, poor, or a regular average Joe, this a day to pay our respects to them all. Yes, we may go ‘all out’ in our get-togethers, parties, or gatherings eating and sharing stories, but deep in the hearts of most Americans, we acknowledge the great price paid for our freedom by those we knew or have heard of.

   Some of our boys returned home in great shape, some injured, some with medals of honor and courage while others only with medals of stress, tension, fear, valiant stories as well tales of horror which no one but those who experienced them could know. The term “War is hell” was a common one in the 1960’s from those who battled in Viet Nam.

      Two centuries ago, a man lived and died a brutal death. Instead of hundreds of thousands of men dying for peace and freedom, only one man died hundreds of thousands of deaths (all at once) for all humanity. He suffered and experienced what every human who ever lived and will live was guilty of.  He fought your battles and mine.  He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, and the punishment of our sins was laid upon Him, and with His stripes/wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:6). 

    Even hundreds of years before His birth, God had instructed His people Israel to honor Him by holding special memorial days to reflect on God, His goodness, and His faithfulness.

In Exodus 12:14, God writes: “And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and you shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; you shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.”  God instructed His people to follow a mandate that foreshadowed the coming of Jesus, the Messiah.  Following it proved their belief in Him and in His word.  Striking the blood of a perfect lamb on their homes’ two side doorposts and on the upper lintel spoke of Christ, the perfect lamb’s shed blood for all humanity. Today, make time to honor not only the men and women who spilled their blood and laid their lives for our freedom, but honor and remember Jesus who shed His blood and laid His life for all humanity.  He did so for His undeserved creation: We punished Him and nailed Him to a cross.  He returned from the toughest war ever: The War for the Souls of Men to share His story of triumph over sin, sickness, Satan, and over death.  In fact, while many cried that war is hell, Jesus actually descended into it; to the pit of darkness and stripped Satan of his power.  He holds the keys of life and death (Revelations 1:18. He made a spectacle of Satan and his fallen angels. Today He holds the highest medals of honor any man can ever aspire to: The Son of God, The Almighty, The Lamb of God (who takes away the sins of the world), and The Great I Am, among hundreds of others.  So, eat and celebrate. Read His story.  Share His story around the grill, around the campfire.

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Easter, And Not Having A Leg to Stand On

    Weeks after writing about Love, God’s love, my life hit rock bottom.  On average, I’m always on the move.  I rarely sit still. I go from the first floor to the second floor of my house working on different things. I’m in and out of my (adjoining) workshop.  It’s in one door, out the next.  Our home has one door to the workshop, one across it to the back of the house, and about forty feet away, the main entrance. 

   Sunday, March 10, I had gotten up during the night as usual, no problem.  When morning came, however, I couldn’t move!  I could not get from the bed to the en suite bathroom.  I had to ask my wife to help me.  This was the beginning of my woes!  I felt a pinch on my lower back, on the right side.  But the pain was really in my right knee and thigh. It felt as if my thigh was going in one direction but the knee in another. At night the pain was unbearable.  I couldn’t sleep on the bed, I couldn’t turn right, left, or face-down.   My only recourse was my wife’s recliner.  That became my bed for eleven days.

   Monday, March 11 we headed to the chiropractor.  He aligned my back but not my right thigh or knee.  A few days later we headed to the hospital for x-rays and pain killers. The x-rays showed my leg and knee were fine, but still the pain continued.   This week, being my birthday week meant I had to renew my driver’s license, no easy task in Puerto Rico.  Can you renew it over the phone?  NO!  Can you renew it via email?  NO!  One has to be present with some 300 people who begin lining up outside at 4 a.m. to be ‘first’ on line.  Something that is common everywhere out here.  Need to see the doctor?  Show up at 5 or 6 a.m. along with another 100 people and wait for him/her to show up at 11 or at 1 p.m. – if he’ll show up at all.  Regardless, I was able to get it done.  Of course, the picture of my face shows all the pain I was feeling!  It’s a great picture to show the cops if pulled over! They’ll either let me go or think I’m impersonating someone else!

     Nevertheless, a few days later we headed to a physical therapist and underwent eight therapies.  This is where the real test began.  I had to lie face-down on the massage-type bed while getting rubbed down.  The bed has a hole where my face would go rendering me unable to look anywhere but down. I swore there was a 250 lb. man nearly crushing me.  I thought they’d have to peel me off the mat.  Then I heard the 5’10” 130 lb. girl instruct me on what to do next!  I learned she’s someone you can’t mess with, for sure!

   While some type of electrical current would be running down my back for 20 mins.  I knew I had to do something to survive.  Typically, I can’t stay still and now I was unable to do anything for all that time.  I figured the best I could do was design our future house!  And so, I did the same thing for eight sessions, each time choosing a different room, a different angle; sometimes the insides, other times from the outside.

    What can we learn from all this???  That pain stinks???  No!   I’ve learned that while pain isn’t enjoyable, one can make the best of it.  Maybe the last thing you want is to be able to laugh.  Maybe you just want to be angry at what you’re going through.  You probably have all the reasons in the world to feel so.  But I know that we can temporarily change our circumstances if we change our attitudes towards our problems.  It’s been six long weeks where I haven’t been able to do practically anything I normally do.   I’m just beginning to walk without a cane and without holding on to everything around me.  I’m finally back in my king-sized bed – Hallelujah!

   We all have different trials – each one creatively designed by God; custom-fitted for our lives!  He is the author and finisher of our lives, so He know what we’re going through and for how long.  During this Easter Season, I so much wanted Him to ‘speak’ healing for me.  I wanted Him to raise me up miraculously, but He didn’t.  I wanted one of those miracles I’ve read about in the Bible or have seen in those great holy week movies.  But, to no avail. I’m sure glad to be alive, though.  I know that in His time complete healing will come!  On a day like today, He rose from the dead to give you eternal life, to take away your sins, to make you His son/daughter.  He loves you more than you can ever imagine.  Had you been the only person on earth, He would have gone to the cross just to buy your soul; to redeem you.

   The religious leaders of His day were all looking for physical evidence that Jesus was the messiah.  They expected His birth to have been in an expensive home with a gold-plated crib, 24k. milk bottle, garments of the best silk, utensils of top quality, and parents who were prestigious in the community.  Perhaps even members of their select groups.  But Jesus chose to deliver them and us from spiritual bondage and so His appearance on this earth was the unexpected to teach us everything was planned and ordained by God Himself.

   Yes, pain isn’t something to look forward to or to laugh at, yet Christ went to the cross “For the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2).  He looked beyond the insults, shame and pain

to the outcome and significance of the cross; eternity with Him in a restored, sinless world with a mansion prepared just for us.  Where we’ll fellowship or have conversations with Him anytime and every-time we so desire!

  Will you allow Him to resurrect in your heart today?

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Love

Love expresses itself in many ways.  Generally, we love our kids and our spouse and we share good times as well as trying times.  We might play games, sports, watch movies, and sometimes work on projects together.  In our case, we built a home together.  With three kids under age seven, we began planning our own ‘Lil’ house on a prairie.’  When we bought our land and home in a kit, we worked together every summer on getting it one step closer to a livable place.   Our ever-creative eldest-of-the-two daughters was always engineering ways to speed things up.  As our log cabin was being put together on the inside, she and our son straddled the tie-beam log, spanning the living room almost ten feet above ground, and scrubbed it with water, cleansers, and a brush.  Not wanting to have to get down often, she decided to tie a rope on the handle of a five-gallon bucket and lower it down to her younger sister who in turn would empty & fill it and pass it up again.  The bucket was even used to hoist the younger sister up & down!  Working together does create bonding, not to mention lasting memories of pulling together and the love that is achieved when a group of five becomes a group of one in purpose and function.

God expresses His love to us every single day multiple times over.  We need to stop and look for it.  It’s everywhere: from the air we breathe, to the fact that we can breathe, to faithful sunrises and sunsets, and critters singing to Him in praise.  As St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated this year, make a connection to the love God has given you.  His heart was in everything He created.  The red heart resembles the blood He shed for us.  Chocolates and candies represent the sweetness in serving Him.  True, rising prices may affect our choice of goodies, but then again, He rose to the occasion of crucifixion, He paid the high price of salvation, He rose from the dead for us, His goodies.  All He did for us oozed the sweet-smelling fragrance of love.  Not just any love but unmerited love, undeserved love, unrivaled love, and unconditional love.  Will you accept His box of chocolates for you?  Will you accept His love? Will you ask Him to be your Valentine?  Just as when He died, He’ll accept you with open, outstretched arms. 

Like those yummy chocolates, His love oozes out for us every day, until one day when it may be too late for us to accept Him; yet His love will continue with or without us.  Like our kids working together and being creative to accomplish a task, God is busy creating ways to get our attention to accomplish the task of reuniting us with Him and inviting us into His home.

His Name and His Being is Love.

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Are You A Mistake??

It’s not unusual to hear some parents tell their kids that they were unplanned, unwelcome, unwanted; in essence, a mistake.  Whether you’ve been a victim of this harsh talk or know someone who has, we know it’s not an easy pill to swallow. 

When our kids were growing up, there was a girl in one of our daughter’s class with the same first and last name-and it’s not a too common name.  The only difference between the two girl’s names was a middle initial in our daughter’s name.  Having the same name as someone else can lead to mistakes.  I recall once when our phone rang and a company had congratulated us on winning a three-day trip with full-bloom deals including beautiful bedrooms as well as included meals.  All we needed to do was pay $49.00.  Although it was for a timeshare program, we were ‘chosen’ because of a mistake!  After all was over, as my wife and I discussed the events we realized the offer came as a result of mistaken identity.

After giving birth to our daughter mentioned above, my wife learned that a young mom at the nearby clinic, also had the same name as she (my wife).  It dawned on us that the call with the offer was for her since we never applied to any promotions.  That mistake was to our benefit.  (We called the company back to let them know that they had contacted the wrong person, but they were still willing to give us the offer.)

In God’s creation there are no mistakes.  That includes you and me.  He sees us way-beyond what we actually are at any given moment.   You’re not a reject.  You’re loved and appreciated by Him.  He never bad-mouths you.  Quite the contrary, He’s crazy in love with you.  In His eyes, you’re special and unique.  He’s even preparing a great room and feast just for you, if you choose to invite Him into your life.  He believes you’re worth dying for-which is why He laid down His life for you.  His love is so great for you that He can’t leave you (or me) the way you are.  Since He knows far beyond our finite minds, He changes us from the inside out preparing us for our entrance into His mansions in heaven (1st Corinthians 15:50).

Mistakes???  The only mistakes in God’s creation was the one Lucifer, Satan, made when he desired to be equal with The Almighty God, which led to him being cast out of heaven and when he tempted man in the garden, which sealed his ultimate fate: destroyed by God. Mistake???  No!!!  You and I have never been considered a lowdown or good-for-nothing piece of garbage.  We’re the pinnacle of His creation!  Forgive those who have been used by Satan to wrong you.  Begin living right now.  God has even given you a new name (Revelation 2:17) which will be revealed to you in heaven!

God Bless!

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New Year, New Birth, New Beginnings

This past summer, 2018, our eldest daughter was expecting her second child.  Like the first pregnancy, she was unable to keep food down throughout her nine-month journey.  During this pregnancy however, she would get nauseous and spit up a lot.  Additionally, she suffered from gas build-up.  I teased her saying I would buy her a spittoon and that the baby, if a boy, would probably be a baseball player or a cowboy-which I preferred.  Once it was official that she was carrying a boy, her sister told her, “I knew there had to be a reason for all those gasses!” I now knew my cowboy was ponying his way home.

  Two days ago, Lil’ cowboy reached his destination!  He arrived on December 30th.  His entrance to this wilderness was greeted with great joy by family and friends.  The year ended on a good note and the new year was welcomed with happiness and hopes of a bright future for a baby nick-named Bah-bah-Louie by his three-year old sister!  Of great relief for the mom is the knowledge that she can eat again without yucky consequences! Medications are a thing of the past.  She can begin to enjoy life again.

   This new year can be a similar experience for you! Just as new life came forth through Bah-bah-Louie, new life is possible for you by being born-again!  A great teacher of the law, Nicodemus, asked Jesus, “Can a man enter the womb again once he is old?” And Jesus assured him it wasn’t possible.  However, when we accept Jesus into our hearts, we are born again; new life awaits us!  What a way to begin a new year!  As a new person in Christ, you’ll see things in a different light.  Granted, problems won’t disappear, in fact, some may even increase, but your old self will be gone.  If you’ve ever considered ‘disappearing’ due to pressures and issues, a new life is just the perfect thing!

    Like our daughter, you’ll be able to see life differently once delivery (deliverance) has taken place; you’ll be able to ‘eat again’ without the yucky results.  The best part of this new life is that you’ll be welcomed home to God’s family.  In fact, all His angels will be partying over your decision for a new life and your Father will proudly take you into His arms and will fuss over you.  He’ll rejoice over the color of your eyes, the beauty of your hair, how unique you are; and of how special you are to Him.  He’ll especially rejoice that you ‘ponied’ your way back home.

Happy New Year!

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Christmas Present

Two weeks ago, we received the generator we purchased just shy of sixteen months ago!!!  Although, it’s production and delivery were hampered by hurricanes Irma and Maria as well as other factors, we were glad to finally receive it.  When our power was turned off and the generator kicked in, it was great to see the lights go on in a matter of seconds!  It immediately reminded me of two things:  The creation of the world when darkness covered everything and God spoke, “Let there be light,” and all the darkness vanished having been replaced by a wondrous light that invaded every corner of this earth. 

And, the salvation of mankind when the powers of darkness lurking behind every human being were confronted by the True Light; The Light of the World, Jesus.  When Jesus went to the cross for our sins, He defeated the-already- dethroned enemy: Satan.  He stripped away his powers, He made a spectacle of him and of his demonic companions.  The prophet Isaiah tells us “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them has the light shined.”  At the cross, Jesus not only wiped away our sins, but also wiped away the darkness that befell us.  He took away the curse of sin and the sting of death for all humanity.  You can receive His sacrifice for your sins and His present of eternal life this Christmas Season.  Forget New Year’s resolutions!  Instead, begin the new year with new life in Christ!  Receive your gift under the ‘tree’-the cross!

God Bless!

Be Joyful!

Merry Christmas!

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Celebration

Our new place was beautiful!  Some of our closets were over six feet long.  It was great to live in a brand new place. Our kids played in the back yard and life was much more pleasant.  We moved in in April.  Now we could shop at BJ’s, Sunny dale Farms, and at Big R. We filled our pantry and cabinets ‘til there was no more room.  We’d buy in bulk and fill our two fridges.  We could watch the snow and freezing rain come down while we were toasty warm inside not having to go out for at least three months.  We only needed milk & bread now and then, which we’d get at the corner store.  Yep, life was good-‘Finger-lickin’ good,’ as the KFC saying went.

            My parents used to come over all the time just to see the grandkids.  One day, my dad said he was tired of battling all the cold in his freezing apartment.  He was 72 and I would buy him long johns so he could stay warm at home now that he had retired.  I told him to finally move back to his hometown in Puerto Rico.  He had a small house out there and since we were now in a nice place of our own, he should go.  They planned their trip for the end of October.  I lost my job in September.

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A Sad Christmas

That was a tough time.  Years earlier, I had quit college to get married.  Now, every job I was looking at required a college education.  We sank low quickly.  My dad had left an old station wagon to my wife but I communed everywhere on bike.  We were all alone with my parents gone as well as my youngest brother and no one to really help us.  My oldest brother gave us $20 bucks, as well as boxes of toys that were headed to the trash.  I remember choosing between paying our tithes, which were almost twenty dollars, or paying the light bill.  We chose faithfulness, and paid the tithes.   A few weeks later, my mother-in-law also gave us twenty dollars.  With the money we bought our three kids $2.00 sneakers and ‘splurged’ $3.00 on a pair for my wife.  We were ‘rich’ with money to spare.

However, reluctantly, we applied for Food Stamps and Welfare. 

   That Christmas, I built a fireplace out of plywood.  I took out the kids’ old toys, cleaned them up, & added the ones my brother had given them.  I placed all the toys around the fireplace.  They were thrilled to see ‘so many new toys.’  Of course, our hearts were braking because we knew better and we didn’t have any answers.  We just wanted three happy kids.  

    We know that the first real Christmas when God gave us His son, Jesus, was the saddest Christmas ever.  The Godhead, also known as the Trinity, which has existed for all eternity, had been separated for the first time ever.  The King of Kings was born into dire poverty and His parents were not only unable to afford toys, but they didn’t even have a place to call home.  Deity’s grand entrance into this sinful world; the one He created with love for this hurt and hate-filled, people, was pretty much homeless.  The fact that our sad Christmas was not as bad as our Lord’s, was enough to add some encouragement to our lives.

No matter how sad or bad your Christmas may be, God can relate to it.  He can make it better than it is.  Just allow Him.  Allow His presence into your life to be your Christmas present.

Merry Christmas!