Featured Post

Tyler Morning Telegraph - Galdámez brings church planting, education experience to Grace Español

Here are two articles written by Emily Guevara ( Twitter: @TMTEmily)  on our background and on  Grace Español .   Tyler Morning Telegraph...

Monday, July 18, 2011

Matando los Fantasmas en el Matrimonio (Aplica a personas Solteras)

Anoche miraba un programa dónde los casados presentan sus problemas ante un pánel de tres personas para ver quien tiene la razón. Me hizo recordar este pasaje:

“Atrapadnos las zorras, las zorras pequeñas, que echan a perder las viñas, pues nuestras viñas están en flor.” Cantar de los Cantares 2:15

Los fantasmas son ilusiones. Lo que creemos o queremos que sea nuestro cónyuge. A esto muchas veces le llamamos el “ideal” que deseamos (aunque ya es muy tarde). Pedimos a Dios que lo convierta en esa persona ideal. Esperamos que en cualquier momento sucederá.

Son éstas "zorras pequeñas" que causan más problemas en nuestro matrimonio.

Una mujer describe su fantasma así:

- Se levanta temprano, tiene su devociones con su Biblia abierta, tiene su
tiempo de oración, sale a correr por siete millas.
- Después del desayuno con su familia tiene su devociones familiar por 15
min.
- Nunca se olvida de darle un abrazo, o un beso de despedida, el siempre
llega temprano a su trabajo.
- Es muy paciente con sus hijos y siempre está allí para ayudarles en todo.
- Siempre llega a tiempo a casa y tiene tiempo para jugar con sus hijos y
hablar con su esposa.
- Esta muy bien informado del mundo, los eventos políticos, religiosos y
sociales.
- Nunca se desanima. Persevera en todas las circunstancias.
- Es un diccionario en las palabras románticas y lleva a su esposa a cenar
una vez por semana.
- Entiende lo que su esposa quiere decir sin que ella tenga que hablar.
- Puede citar cualquier cita del Antiguo o Nuevo Testamento.
- Es el líder
- Merece estar en el cielo y no aquí.


Un hombre describe su fantasma así:

- Es la ama de casa.
- Es amorosa, paciente y bondadosa y nunca se niega a nada.
- Su casa está siempre bien ordenada y sus hijos la obedecen a la primera
vez que les habla.
- Tiene multi-personalidades: seria pero divertida, sumisa pero no pasiva,
energética pero nunca se cansa.
- Siempre está muy atractiva y bien vestida.
- Tiene un figura perfecta.
- Nunca se enferma, se desanima o se siente sola.
- Lee su Biblia, ora y comparte su fe todo el tiempo.
- Sabe dónde está todo lo que se pierde en la casa.
- Siempre recibe bien a su esposo cuando llega tarde a casa.
- No se queja de lo que tiene sino que siempre da gracias porque su familia
es la ideal.



Estos son ideales irreales. Fantasmas.

¿Cómo matarlos?

1. Reconoce que no hay una persona “ideal” o “perfecta” que te pueda hacer 100% feliz o que supla todas tus necesidades, sólo Dios.

- Salmo 62:5 Oh alma mía, reposa sólo en Dios, porque de él es mi
esperanza.
- Salmo 73:25 ¿A quién tengo yo en los cielos? Aparte de ti nada deseo en la tierra.

2. Acepta a tu cónyuge como la persona que Dios te dio y deja de tratar de hacerla(o) a tu imagen.

-Salmo 127:1-2: Si Jehovah no edifica la casa, en vano trabajan los que la edifican. Si Jehovah no guarda la ciudad, en vano vigila el guardia.
En vano os levantáis de madrugada y os vais tarde a reposar, comiendo el pan con dolor; porque a su amado dará Dios el sueño.

3. Deja que Dios haga en el/ella la persona que El quiere para ti.

4. Ora por el/ella cada día. ¡Muy importante! Debemos orar que Dios haga en ellos SU voluntad y no la nuestra.

- Filipenses 4:6. Por nada estéis afanosos; más bien, presentad vuestras peticiones delante de Dios en toda oración y ruego, con acción de gracias.

5. Confía en Dios.

- Salmo 130:5 Yo espero en Jehovah; mi alma espera. En su palabra he puesto mi esperanza.
- Isaías 41:10: No temas, porque yo estoy contigo. No tengas miedo, porque yo soy tu Dios. Te fortaleceré, y también te ayudaré. También te sustentaré con la diestra de mi justicia.'


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

A Short Summary of A Future For The Latino Church

Recently I began to think and pray upon the possibility of planting a new church. A church for Hispanics whose most dominant language is English.  I grew up in a Spanish speaking church and consider myself a second generation Hispanic.  I am bicultural and biliterate. But as the years have passed I notice that I don't fit completely in either a Hispanic church with Spanish as the main language or an English speaking church with a predominantly homogenous group of people that are not Hispanic (I am what the author calls "living in the hyphen"). I must say, that I had not thought of this idea before, even though I have been reading about the changing demographics of Hispanics in the United States for a long time. So I stumbled upon the book by Daniel A. Rodriguez, A Future For the Latino Church: Models for Multilingual, Multigenerational Hispanic Congregations. The book offered case studies of two broad types of churches, "multigenerational Hispanic churches," those that have Spanish and English ministries integrated in an Evangelical church and the "multiethnic, predominantly Hispanic churches," which are the churches that have English as the dominant language in an Evangelical church.  There are ten churches that are part of this study in the former group and seven churches in the latter group.  Together with the case studies, the author discusses demographics,  acculturation, linguistic characteristics, and cultural distinctives of Hispanics that should have a profound effect on how the Church does ministry now and should do so in the coming years.  He challenges the Evangelical Hispanic Church to stop being monolingual and thinking that Spanish must be the only way to do ministry and think instead as missionaries whose calling is to establish multilingual, multigenerational, multiethnic, missional churches of all Peoples.  He also advocates that Hispanic churches become holistic in ministry, meaning that the preaching of the Gospel must be presented in the context of the whole person not just the spiritual aspect.  Interestingly enough, the author notes that he is not the first to point out that the Hispanic church needs to do holistic ministry, but asserts that it was twenty years ago that Manuel Ortiz pointed this out, but little has taken place since then and our Hispanic population continues to struggle socially and economically (as well as spiritually). The Church has not done its job emphasizing evangelism and social responsibility when doing ministry. He ends the book by advocating "organic seminary," biblical training that arises from the local church, where the pastor is the professor and indigenous leaders are trained and tackling the challenge that is before the Hispanic Church. The Hispanic church needs to overcome "cultural and spiritual superiority" (thinking that only those churches that speak Spanish are superior), do "more than "English services and programming" (it must adapt to the Hispanic culture, especially in worship), preach and model a holistic Gospel and develop leaders for this "moment of transition" (the moment is now) and become "cross-cultural missionaries" (our mission is more than reaching Hispanics, we must go into the world).

Many of the ideas, principles were not new to me but it reaffirmed what I believe needs to happen in the Hispanic Evangelical church. It also gave me some church models to study and observe if the Lord opens the opportunity to start a new church. 

Friday, July 08, 2011

Life For A Life, Yet Not Equal Trade

I was thinking how often we say "my life," and found that it is pervasive. I found it very difficult to say life without using "my." I tried saying "the life" but it sounded weird.
In the United States we believe in the "American Dream," whatever it means depends on the individual. But it is rooted in the individual or individualism. We are told we can do anything, thus creating the idea that "our" life can be created or recreated to whatever we want it to be.
People, especially young people, spend all their efforts centered on "their" life. It's all that matters. To have and live a good (viz. fun) life. They are not thinking what the purpose of "their" life is, what matters is seizing the moment.
But as Christians this is not the paradign we should follow. When you come to Christ you make a trade off. Your sinful life destined to eternal perdition was rescued (redeemed) by Christ on the cross (he took your place) and at that moment your old life was no more (1 Peter 1:18-19, Romans 6:6-8). You traded it for a new one (you were made a new creation - 2 Corinthians 5:17). This new "you" does not belong to you anymore (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). You can't think of it as "your" life and you can't live for yourself or your pleasures: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20). This life is meant to be lived in Christ and for Christ, every moment, every day till you leave this planet. And it continues in eternity in fellowship with God. (Philippians 3:7-12)
Now that's the trade. Yet, you got the better deal. By the grace of God.
So why is it so hard to live for Him?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad