Snapshots of Santo Domingo #2- I see Jesus

         


                                                  

          Eyes of Blue, Eyes of Brown,
            Jesus, I see you all around.
              In the smiles and in the tears, Jesus I know you are near.
                Your presence from above came down like a dove,
                   touched our hearts, and filled us with Your love.
                     Like a pebble thrown upon the water,
                       Your Spirit's good work will continue.
                          What you began here in our hearts and in the hearts of those we have encountered,
                             You will be faithful to finish.

                                               

By Triss Curtis copyright @ July 22, 2019

Emails from God

To  Triss, Karla, Sue, Linda
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Cc  Friends and Family
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Add a subject      Psalm 73- Enter into My Presence
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    My child, enter into my presence.  I desire to show you my goodness and love.  Don't worry about those who are wicked; I will take care of them in my time and in My way.

    It is good for you to be in My presence, for in My presence is fullness of joy.  I want you to experience my joy and life abundantly, but you can only experience it when you let go of all your expectations, and trust Me to fill you up and take care of you.

    Don't you know, I take care of the birds of the air; you are much more precious to me than them.  Cease from your anxious thoughts, let go of trying to control everything and put all your troubles in My hands.  I can manage it all.

    As you wait in My Presence, you will experience a peace and rest that the world can not match.  Remember I Am the Sovereign Lord and I hold you in the palm of my hand.  Come to Me with your weariness and I will give you rest.

    Dear child, I love you and will never let go of you, so let go of your anxious thoughts and grab a hold of me.

      Love,
      Your Daddy in Heaven

By Triss Curtis Copyright @ July 2019

Snap shots of Santo Domingo #1

Looking outside the window of the Hotel room in Santa Domingo, I can see the green trees, other hotels and the ocean on the horizon.   Last night our group arrived, excited but tired after spending our time flying from Colorado Spring to Santa Domingo.

Today is Sunday and we will be going to church that works with Vision Trust.  I am excited to worship with the local believers and to see what God is going to show me here in Santa Domingo.

The driver of our bus navigates the traffic and the narrow roads well and we arrive safely at the church.  We walk up a set of narrow stairs to the roof where a few women are fervently praying in Spanish on their knees before the church service.

The service begins with prayer in Spanish.  I catch a word or two here and there and though I don't understand it all,  I  sense the passion and sincerity of the people's hearts.

As the service continues, with worship, prayer and a message, parts of it are interpreted, but the worship isn't.  I recognize some of the tunes and try to remember the English words.  As I am worshiping and taking it all in, I hear God's Spirit, say "Let it go."

"Let it go."  Those three words can be hard to do, depending on the circumstances.  I felt like the Lord was telling me to not try so hard to understand everything, but to worship Him in the moment; Worship who He is, and allow His Spirit to take control  and guide me in praise and worship.

As I let go of my expectations and just worshiped the Lord, I found words coming to my mind that were lifting Him up.  I don't know if they were the exact interpretation of the songs, but I do know that they were a response of gratitude, worship and praise to the Lord.

I believe that the Lord often tells us to "Let it go" and trust him.  Sometimes it means giving up something that we want.  Sometimes it is giving up control of a situation that feels overwhelming.  Sometimes it means surrendering our disappointment, anger or frustration over lost opportunities or past hurtful relationships.

We can only grab on to something new, if we let go of what is old.  Maybe the Lord is telling you today to "Let it go".  Are you willing to release it all to Him, so He may give you something new and refreshing?

Love from Santa Domingo

Triss Curtis

The Rose

The Rose

Once there was a little rose bud.  She couldn’t remember her beginning but she remembered being a tiny bud on a large bush.  Of course she had some memories here and there, of growing up.  She remembered the feel of the warm sunlight surrounding her as well as the raindrops bouncing off her head.   She also remembered feeling the shadow of the gardener covering her, when he would add fertilizer to the rose bush or water it on dry days. There were memories of the cool breezes that comforted her and the storms with loud banging that would cause the little bud to tremble.  During all these things the little bud continued to grow bigger and bigger, until one day, she felt like she was about to burst.  

That day she felt the presence of the gardener very near to her.  She could hear his voice and feel the warmth of the sun shining on every part of her exterior.  She knew it was time to open up and bloom and yet there was something holding her back.  She trembled at the thought of raindrops possibly pelting her petals or harsh winds pulling them off. 

Then she heard the voice of the gardener, gently whispering to her and speaking deep into the center of her being.  “Wake up little Rose, it’s time to bloom.  Let go of holding everything in.  In releasing you will find freedom and others will see the beauty that is deep within.  I am the gardener who planted you.  I watered, fertilized and tended you too.  You were created to show my glory by coming to full bloom. Don’t be afraid of losing your petals or you beauty too.  Each petal has a story and when one falls to the ground, I pick it up and save it for the future.  I bring it back to life and it becomes a sweet aroma to me, as well as a fragrance that touches others for eternity.”

Where are you on your journey in the garden?  Are you the tiny bud still growing?   Or are you the bud ready to bloom but trying to hold back because of fear?  Maybe you were the Rose, blooming, opening up your petals starting to share the beauty of God working in you; but now some of your petals are bruised and have been pelted off by life’s storms.  It is in this place of feeling vulnerable that you can still trust the Gardener to hold and cherish you.  It is in sharing of yourself with others that they can see the sweet aroma of Christ in you.

Whatever you have experienced in life, may you know that you are truly cherished by the Lord and of great value.  May you be a sweet fragrance of Christ  to others.   

Love,  Triss

We are children of God, His church

"For is Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise."  Galatians 3:26-29

The other day I was having a Biblical discussion with two young ladies that came to my door. As we were talking back and forth, the Holy Spirit gave me scriptures to share.  It was a good discussion and after they left, I felt like I had listened to them, as well as  shared with them all that was on my heart.

One belief that these two young women held onto was that their church was the true church.  I shared some scriptures and reasons that I did not believe that was true.  As I continued to ponder our conversation and what the true church is; I came upon the passage of faith in Galatians.

In Galatians 3, the apostle Paul discusses our justification by faith instead of  by the works of the law.  What justifies us, is faith in Christ, the promise given to Abraham of salvation through his offspring, given before the law came into effect.  He goes on to say that the law was like a guardian until the promise was brought to completion through Christ.

Galatians 3 also states  that we are sons of God through faith in Christ.  It is not our race, nationality, sex (male or female), or our economic status that makes us children of God.  It is also not which church we are attending, instead it is placing our hope of right standing with God through Christ Jesus our Lord!

All who put their trust in the Son of God, Jesus, for salvation,they are part of the true church.  There are basic believes and principals that all Christians adhere to, but there are also preferences in style of preaching, music and  of course, our own personal opinions.   We need to not let our opinions and preferences get in the way of our relationship as the corporate body of Christ.

I have had the blessing and opportunity to attend a variety of  denomination of churches and have grown in my faith through each one. What is most important for me, is to attend a church that glorifies the Lord, preaches the word and encourages me, as well as develop me spiritually. I desires to walk in a manner that is worthy of Christ and to encourage His body of believers.

My hope and prayer is that you are in  a church family that is strengthening your faith and leading you to encourage others also.  May we spur one another on to good works in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Love,
Triss

Streams in the Desert of Weariness

Streams in the Desert of Weariness

Weary, that is the word that comes to mind in this season of my life.  I feel like a weary worn solider dragging her sword through the desert.  My lips are parched and I feel faint.  It seems like I am going to drop at any moment and not rise up again.

 And then I look in the distance and I see an oasis, rising out from the sand.  Is this a mirage or is it real?   I continue slowly moving forward, willing myself to reach it, for there is hope that the oasis is truly just ahead of me.

 Finally I reach my destination and fall down on the ground, worn out.  I precariously stretch out my arms towards the stream that lies before me and as I dip my hand into the water, I feel the cool wetness run across the palm of my hands.

Slowly I bring the water up to my lips in amazement, its true!  I don’t want to lose one drop of this precious commodity in this desert place.  As my chapped and parch lips separate, I taste the sweetness of the water as it falls on my tongue and rolls down my throat.

Suddenly I release a huge sigh and I feel my bone weary body start to relax.  My senses have become alert and now I  feel the shade of the tree above me and the cool breeze flowing over my weary body in this quiet and refreshing place.

Finally, I have found a stream in the desert and I have permission to stay here and rest for a while!

We all need oases in our lives.  The world around us promises to give us what we need, but it only wears us out and leaves us thirsty.  Our everyday struggles, as well as unexpected events that pop up demand our attention and suck a little bit more of life out of us.  If we don’t find a place of rest in this midst of this world, we will dry up and collapse. 

The Only place that I truly find hope and refreshment is through my time with Jesus.  As I drink from His word, cry out to the Lord and listen for His voice, I am brought to a place of peace and rest. 

In this season of life I  feel the need to seek the Lord more often, for the desert seems wide, but God is good and provides many oasis's on my journey.  I find this is also a growing time for me, where I learn to lean more into Jesus as my provider.  I  remind myself of his promises to quench my thirst and give me rest.

So here I am again looking for a drink from the Well of Living Waters and remembering that He is with me in the desert places, and as I fill myself up with Him, I will be able to go forward on the journey that God has for me today. He is the source of Living Waters that never runs dry! 

Weary warriors, may you find rest and refreshment from the Living Waters today.

Love, Triss

(Lord, I see many who are weary and worn out from the battle.  Please bring us to a place where we can deeply drink of your water.  Even in the desert places, Lord, You have oasis for us, where we can find rest and receive your living waters.  Jesus, we want to be wells that your living waters spring up from within us.  Fill us O Lord, we pray.  Give us rest in You today.  Amen)

Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 58:11
The LORD will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Jeremiah 31:25
for I will refresh the weary soul and replenish all who are weak."

John 4:14

But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life."

The Pressure is On (Ouch This Hurts)

Right now I am in place where it seems like I am being bombarded with challenges from many areas of my life.  The pressure is on.  In reality, I would like my struggles be over and to have smooth sailing, but the Lord prefers to use the pressure to do a work in me.

Almost every morning I wake up with a feeling of anxiety that doesn't go away until I get up, read my bible and pray.  Some of the anxiety is from internal stress and the other is from external stress.  There are several situations that I would prefer to be different, but they are not and I don't have any control over them.   I can't change these situations and that is where the problem lies for me.

I feel like I'm in a vulnerable place where I am like a child again, asking her daddy to protect and help her through the day.  I need to depend on God's grace moment by moment. My strength is not enough and this is very humbling.

I am also quite aware of my shortcomings lately and feel more self-critical.  It's like I am fighting to remain in a place of grace for myself, as well as to pour out that grace upon others, specifically those that are the closest to me.

Yesterday when I was thinking how weary I felt in the battle, a picture of a piece of clay being shaped on a potters wheel came to mind.  It started  me thinking about the pottery classes I attended in College.  I had to first center my clay on the wheel and then put the correct pressure inside and outside of the clay so that I could shape it into the vessel I desired it to be.  Without the pressure, the clay would not move in any direction and it would still just be a lump of clay.

God does the same in our lives, He knows the right amount of "pressure" that we need, so we are  changed into a vessel that is beautiful and useful in His hands.  He even uses our internal pressures for our good.  The times of "pressure" can cause growth in our lives if we allow ourselves to be flexible and moldable in the hands of the Potter.

So even though it "hurts", I am trying to live in a place of surrender to the Lord's "pressure" on my life because I want it to change me for the better. I often find myself having to surrender to the Lord  multiple times a day, but as I do, I find the place of peace again, where the internal struggle subsides, in the midst of the external pressures.

Isaiah 64:8 King James Version (KJV)

8 But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

By Triss Curtis  Oct 18, 2018