Perspective 

     What does this word truly mean to each one of us? Perspective can be explained many different ways. Here are other words that come to mind: Outlook, viewpoint, position, ATTITUDE (I like this one), approach, frame of mind and lastly interpretation. Wikipedia defines it like this “the way in which objects appear to the eye”. Over the last few weeks’ people have been crossing my path, and as this happens I ask myself, “How do I initially see them, what is my perspective?” I was at work the other day and I saw a man in a wheel chair and as we crossed paths I asked how he was doing and he replied by saying, “GREAT!” My first thought was how could this guy say he’s fine when he is without the use of his legs, yet he says he is great. I have a friend who had a stroke a few months ago and is paralyzed from the right side, but yet her smile brightens up the room. So I began to ask myself, “how is it that these people who we’re once fully capable human beings say they are great and have a smile that changes things?” As we see what is going on throughout the world today, our state is still without a budget, we are in a recession along with everything else going on in our personal lives. We see the bum at the bus stop, the drunken guy in front of the liquor store or the person standing at the turning signal with their hand out for money and if we can be honest it annoys the majority of us. Why? It’s either an inconvenience or it makes us feel bad. I would challenge you to analyze your view on life. How do you see yourself, your career and ultimately others? How can you change the way you see things for the positive. One might say well I just lost my job and I’m about to lose my house. I know what it’s like to be displaced from a job and not knowing what tomorrow holds. I choose to be thankful that I am fully capable of finding another job and hopefully one day purchasing another home. Yes, times are tough but if we intentionally choose to have a positive outlook about everything we do, we will begin to see how our life will begin to change for the better. There is a quote “For which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his day?” Begin to see yourself for who you are and what you have to offer rather than what you have gone through and what has been lost and not allow it to keep you down. Please feel free to leave comments.

Embracing Brokenness

Rich asked me to write a post for whatsyourdna and I was at a loss. He told me to share whatever was on my heart, I've been reflecting the last few days and here's a little of what's been going on inside.

Lately, I have found myself with a strong connection and burden for the broken. I don't feel a sense of pity towards them, as we often do, but rather, a desire to embrace them...as I am one of them. A lot of the time the word "broken" has a negative connotation, but lately I have really started to learn about the beauty of it. Brokenness can be defined as violently separated parts; damaged or altered by breaking; made weak; (and my favorite) subdued completely. I really love that last one, subdued means lacking in vitality, intensity, or strength. Simplified, lets just say...lacking completely. Most of us, at the realization that in our current economic, relational, emotional, or spiritual etc. state, we are lacking completely. This would cause us to walk with our heads dragging in shame.

What God has shown me in his gentle love and grace is that, in Him, "lacking completely" is the best place to be. The words for me have been 'embracing brokenness.' To embrace is to take up especially readily or to avail oneself of. So to embrace our brokenness is to make ourselves available to the fact that we are lacking completely. What a beautiful place to be! Being in that position puts us in the perfect place for the Love of The Father to reach us deeply. It forces us to need ONLY HIM!

So really, I just want you to be encouraged. I know its tough out there these days, but imagine this...could it be that God has allowed the economy to go down the drain, and whatever other challenges he has placed in your personal lives, simply to put you in a place where you are available and lacking completely...because maybe then...he could use us in His divine way.

As you continue your journey toward the heart of God in your daily lives, don't be discouraged by whatever "brokenness" you may feel. Be encouraged and remember that it is in that moment of being broken that God will intervene and fill you with his love and grace...and that, and that alone, will get you through any day.

Much Love - Leslie Lopez

Hello everyone,

We would like to invite you to our Night of Muzik! Come meet new people, eat good food and enjoy good muzik.  Any questions please e-mail to the address provided!!

I met a fellow Mountie tonight while having a burger at a local establishment.  He played football at Mt. SAC and is now playing T.E. for Old Dominion University.  I wish you all the luck and will be praying for your safety as you hit the field.  Maybe I will even see you on tv during a Sunday afternoon game.  Remember you can acheive anything you put your mind to!!!

Hello everyone,

First of all, I  would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  As I get ready to spend the evening with my family I began to think about what the true meaning of Christmas is and the word, "GIFT" came to mind. So I looked up the word in the dictionary and it is defined as such, "a thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present, an offering". My second thought was, "why do we give gifts"?  It is an expression of love, gratitude or friendship.  How cool is that, not only to receive a gift but also to give a gift to someone.  I tried to think back when I got a gift that upon receiving it, rather than opening it; I just put it away never to open it.  That's crazy, I have never done such a thing. To not open a gift that someone gave to me out of their love or friendship to me would be foolish.  So I started thinking, "what is the perfect gift"? One that will bring peace, love and joy to you, one that will never go out of style, never bore you and always challenge you.

During Christmas we see Santa Claus, watch Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, The Grinch, and shop until we drop, which is great and fun; but if we take just a moment to really think about the real meaning of Christmas our outlook not only during Christmas but also throughout the years to come will be different.  The challenge is not the gift itself but it is the challenge of accepting or rejecting the gift that we often struggle with.  So what is this perfect gift? It's Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate in a few hours.  God gave His son Jesus as a gift to us and He wants us to open this gift.  

This Christmas season, will you hope in Him? Will you thirst for Him and Him alone? Will you ask God to give you the greatest Christmas gift imaginable – the gift of an eternity of joy in His presence? Will you choose the gift God has given you and trust Him completely to watch over you?

RAIN vs. REIGN

As I sit here watching the RAIN come down, I started to think of all the things it’s is useful for.  The first thing that pops into my head is that farmer who is cultivating the crops that we are going to buy from a store one day.  I also think of the skies that are constantly filled with smog, but through the cleansing of the RAIN we are able to see clear and fresh skies.  Wikipedia defines RAIN as: “moisture, condensed from the atmosphere that falls visibly in separate drops”.

There are so many other purposes RAIN is useful for.  For the person who hates washing their car, you get a free car wash.  For those of us who are always forgetting to water the lawn, this helps us out for a while.  It definitely makes the skier happy, which in turn makes the resort workers happy, which ultimately refills our lakes and aqueducts, which then services our daily and physical needs and then ultimately quenches our thirst (water).  Many times we take RAIN for granted or not even worry if it RAINS or not.

Being here in California, every year we go through fire season and if no RAIN has adequately fed those hillsides, the vegetation dries up and lacks the moisture in order to stand up to the heat or wind that causes fire. As I look outside my window, I am looking at one negative thing RAIN brings and that is weeds.  These are weeds that wouldn’t normally come out with a daily/regular watering of the lawn; a drenching of RAIN throughout the lawn causes this. RAIN is so important to our very existence when we stop and think about all the things it does for us.

This leads me to another type of RAIN, but this one is spelled REIGN.  Wikipedia defines REIGN as: “hold royal office, rule as king, no time limit exists on REIGNS “.  This REIGN is as equal if not more important when it comes to our life journey, both in a spiritual and physical aspect.  REIGN, in simple terms means that some one or something is ruling over you.  Many times we think that having someone rule over us is a bad thing, but in this case it is the BEST thing.  John 3:16 states: “For God so loved the world (that’s you), that He gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life”.  That is someone I want to REIGN over my life.

Many think He is a deity watching and waiting for us to mess up so He can hit us with a stick, that is not the case, He is waiting for us to call on Him so that He may REIGN in our/your life.  I think of my years as a follower of Christ allowing Him to REIGN over my life and how that has been an awesome experience, many blessings but also many challenging life experiences.  Allowing Christ to REIGN in my life has allowed me to grow and learn about the way He views them and not how I want to see them.  Allowing Christ to REIGN in our lives gets rid of all the junk that needs to be washed away, after years of build up, then comes a sense of freedom.  Yes, there will still be stress at the work place, financial struggles, family issues as well as personal issues that we see as bad, but when He REIGNS in your life there is a peace that passes all understanding and the assurance that He will give us the strength to carry on.  We know that when we allow Him to REIGN these issues are only for a season.  As RAIN causes the weeds to come out, allowing Christ to REIGN in our lives weeds will also come up, but these are things that Christ wants to deal with in our life.  As you would go out into your lawn and begin to pull out those weeds, Christ wants to do the same in your life.  He wants us to notice them so that when they are uprooted we know that it was not us but it was the gardeners/Christ’s hand that gently and patiently removed it.  I ask that as you read this, that you would consider allowing Christ to REIGN in your life or that you allow Him to have full Lordship over your life, rather than just a portion of it.

RAIN vs. REIGN!  Take a few minutes to think about the two, because as both occur a cleansing happens, one throughout the land and the other within your life. When RAIN falls it becomes an inconvenience for many people, we get wet, traffic slows down, etc; but when He REIGNS it is something words can not describe, but your daily life tells it all. Allowing Christ to REIGN is not always something that people can see on the outside, it is something that begins on the inside with joy, peace, happiness, patience and love; then begins to show it self outwardly.  We need RAIN to live our daily lives here on this earth, but we need Christ's REIGN even more to live on this earth as well as live eternally with Him in heaven, because there is a heaven.  Allow God to REIGN in your life and see what happens, but get ready because it is a life changing experience and I am here to say it is worth it.  We want you to know God on a daily and personal level.  AS always please feel free to e-mail us at the address provided, thank you and may God bless you.

Something To Think About!!!

Where you see it as a job, there is a lack of joy

When there is joy, there is peace

When there is peace, there is unity

When there is unity, there is one solid clear picture

When there is one solid clear picture, there is CHRIST!!!

            Author-unknown

Always be Thankful!!!

Hello everyone!

     As I think about what Thanksgiving truly represents, it allows me to think of about all those people who have been an important part of my life.  First and foremost I am thankful to Jesus Christ since He is the one who allows me to live and be who I am.  I am also grateful for my family and friends.  I know for some of us this is a hard day because it brings back memories of family or friends that we may have lost over the years.  One of the things I do, is to remember all those times we spent together which helps me keep a positive and thankful attitude.  I hope that you remember all those who you are thankful for and let them know, not only today but on a consistent basis.  Have an awesome Thanksgiving.

What is DNA?

 

Let’s start off by stating its definition: Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information. DNA is often compared to a set of blueprints, since it contains the instructions needed to construct other components of cells, it is the carrier of genetic information. (Excerpt taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dna)

 

At the end of the day, DNA is who you are and what you’re made of.  As we go about our daily lives, no matter where that may be, we can see that all people are made different.  Some are tall, short, dark skinned, or light skinned, etc.  Everywhere we look there is uniqueness in our midst.  There is a joke that says, “GOD has a sense of humor, He created you!”  Genesis 1:27 states:”God created human beings; He created them godlike, reflecting God’s nature.” God created us in His image, which means no duplicates.  If you stop to think about it, twins don’t even have the same DNA.  They may look the same on the outside but on the inside they are two totally different people.  Romans 8:29 states: “God knew what He was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of His Son.”  We were created to love Him! 

I remember growing up my mother always telling me, “You are just like your father.”  As I sit here writing, I am able to think of a few things I have in common with him, but I am also able think of a lot more things that I don’t have in common with him.  In my mind this has nothing to do with my DNA but more to do with my up bringing and being around him. You are not a person that was assembled in the dark, but instead you we’re created to be just who you are, one of a kind.  I know that there are some things that need fixing (this is true of myself), but when we give those things up to Christ and believe that He can make those changes, there is nothing we should have to worry about.  “God loves YOU so much that He would rather die than to live without YOU!” 

I want to thank you for taking time out to read this and I hope it was something refreshing.  I am so excited to have this blog up and running for all those that want to see.  Please feel free to send this to all your friends and family.  If you have any questions regarding who we are, what we’re doing, or anything else please e-mail us at the address provided at the bottom of the page. Also, feedback is encouraged, if something you read here touches you, or resonates with you, please leave a comment.  We want this blog to be a place for you to express your feelings and be free with your comments or concerns.

Who Is DNA?

Here at DNA we would like to welcome you. Welcome you to what? Clearly there are enough churches out there. You’re probably thinking: “Why would we set out to start another one?” “What could possibly be different about this one?” “Surely I’ve seen it all by now, what is there that you could offer that would be any different from the rest?”

Well, let me tell you…

+ Welcome to a place where TOGETHER we journey towards a deeper knowledge and understanding of our identity both in and as the body of Christ.

+ This is a place where we can come together and relate on our shortcomings as members of humanity that Jesus came to save, rather than another religious group or organization.

+ This is a place where we:

1) Talk about real life issues
2) Support each other; a place where when I am weak you’re strong.
3) We find what we need in one another (This is a pattern that was outlined in the DNA" Christ laid out for His Church)

+ A Place where we help each other realize that beyond our broken humanity there exists a spiritual side in our lives that when we awaken it by tapping into the Spirit of God…Amazing things will begin to happen. It is in this place that we are made free and become vessels, still broken, that God uses to work both in and through us.

Let’s face it, we ALL have bad days, weeks, months and possibly even years but in some of our pasts being part of churches and other religious groups we are not free to say that bad days do exist in our lives. We are not allowed to be honest about our battles with disbelief, doubt, fear etc.

How is DNA different?
We aren’t scared of honesty; in fact we embrace it as one of the most important parts of our spiritual make-up. We won’t turn a deaf ear to the tough questions that we don’t know the answer to; instead we will walk hand in hand, side by side and discover them together.