His Will Be Done!

I recently stood in front of my church congregation and testified. I did it because God moved me to do it. I honestly felt like He wanted me to share my story of loss, struggle and how my family and I were able to overcome it all with God. Losing out daughter has to be the hardest moment we have ever had to endure. But with His grace, we have been able to move ahead and find a purpose for it all.
So in preparation for my testimony, I wrote a nice little speech and thought that by reading it off the paper and sharing what I thought were important facts and tidbits, His will would be done. Boy, did He have other plans! I got up in front of my congregation and didn't look at that pre-written speech once. Yet, the words seemed to just flow naturally out of me. After it was done, I had inspired others with my testimony, and it was then that I realized that His will had been done, according to His plan and not mine.
And now after all of it, I know He is not done with me. He has bigger plans for me than I can even imagine. He wants me to lead a sermon one day. I don't know how I will be able to do it, but He will make sure it's done His way. After all, I am just the messenger sharing His message.
God bless you all. Happy October!

Amazing Chicken Fricasse Recipe "A lo Cubano"

Hey everybody! I hope everyone is feeling blessed. Today I cooked an amazing chicken fricasse and wanted to share this yummy culinary achievement with you.

Ingredients:
4 lbs chicken breast skinless/boneless cut in pieces
6 garlic cloves mashed
1/2 cup sour orange juice
1 medium onion finely diced
1 medium green pepper finely diced
1 small can tomato sauce
salt & pepper to taste
1 small can Petit Pois (green peas)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sofrito Goya
1/4 cup green olives filled with pimentos, sliced
1 lb potatoes, peeled & quartered
4 bay leaves

1. Marinade chicken pieces in garlic cloves, citrus juice, onions and peppers for at least 1 hour.
2. Heat oil and brown chicken in large saucepan.
3. Add onions, peppers and citrus from marinade.
4. Add tomato sauce, sofrito, raisins, olives, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
5. Add water to cover chicken and simmer on low medium heat for about 15 minutes.
6. Add potato pieces and peas for the last 15-20 minutes.

Serve over white fluffy rice. Serves 4-6.
Enjoy!

Cuban Turkey Picadillo Goodness!

Hey everybody! Sorry it's been awhile since I last posted. But do I have a recipe for you. I bought some ground turkey on special at Winn Dixie so I decided to try and make some good ol' Cuban picadillo using the ground turkey instead of beef. I looked up some recipes online and the most adaptable one I found was from Martha Stewart. I know what you are thinking, I used the recipe of a "gringa" to make a cuban dish, not smart. But here's what I did.....I omitted some of her ingredients and replaced them with some of my own. I even got creative with one of them and I have to admit, I didn't think it would come out good......well, color me surprised. It came out delicious. My son ate his entire plate in under 2 minutes, literally! So instead of being all selfish and keeping it to myself, I decided to post my recipe here and allow you all to try it.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium onion finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 green bell pepper finely diced
2 pounds of ground turkey
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground oregano
5 dried bay leaves
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cinammon
2 small cans of tomato sauce
4 tablespoons of sofrito (goya cuban seasoning)
3/4 cup of raisins
1 cup of sliced potatoes
1 cup of green olives

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, cook 2-3 minutes.
2. Add green pepper and sofrito and cook until the onions are soft and translucent.
3. Raise heat to med-high and add turkey. Break meat down.
4. Add cumin, oregano, bay leaves, chili powder, and cinammon. Stir.
5. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Continue to cook meat until opaque, about 7 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to med-low. Add tomato sauce, potatoes, raisins, and olives. Simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.

Serve with rice, black beans, and sweet plantains for an authentic Cuban taste! Enjoy! Serves 4-6 people.
 

Today's High Tech Kids

I was sitting back watching my 8 year old son in the living room, using his laptop as he surfed the web going to his favorite websites, and constantly stopping to answer texts on his smartphone. It made me remember what life was like when I was 8 years old. I watched tv, I read books, and I played with Barbie dolls. The most high tech I got was when my parents bought me my first desktop computer, an Apple Macintosh model, modern for its time, but a dinosaur in retrospect. There was no internet, no cd drives. And smartphones? Ha! I was 16 when I got my first beeper and felt so cool. Wow....my friends could beep me with their numbers when they wanted to talk to me and I had to use my parents house phone to call them and risk my father coming on the line and yelling at me that I had better things to do around the house instead of occupying their line. It is amazing how high tech today's kids have become. It makes me wonder where kids will be twenty years from now. But it is ok. Instead of fearing the technology, I embrace it and find ways to make it work for the better. I monitor my son's internet usage and frequently recommend kid friendly, Christian websites he can visit. I find educational apps for his smartphone. Even bible apps can be downloaded to ensure that their constant use of technology has its benefits.

God changes you

                                          Good Morning!
I was thinking last night about all the changes I have made since accepting Christ as my Savior and becoming a Christian. All of these changes were indeed long overdue, and definitely welcome. It's amazing how now I look at some of my old friends and realize how lost they are in the world of sin. I have tried talking to them about the Lord, but most of them are as stubborn as I was. Others are living false Christian lives, going every Sunday to church and thinking that is enough to save their sinful lives during the week. I am a Christian, so I won't turn my backs on them and will pray for them, but it doesn't mean I have to hang out with them and engage in their sinful activities. God is blessing me with many new friends at church and everywhere else, Christian friends, whom enjoy spending time doing wholesome things and talking about God. These are the type of friends I want my kids being around ; Good influences. I have a family member that is pregnant with her first child. This miracle of life has already sparked a change in her. Before, she used to go out drinking, smoking and popping pills. Her life was one of excess, and not in any good way. Well, now that she knows a life depends on her, she stopped all of that nonsense and has devoted herself to her child. I invited her and her husband to my church, and she says she will go. It's one more for God, and another loss for the enemy! :)
The way I see it...if God can do so much for you, the least you can do is honor Him by the way you live your life. So I will continue to pray for the lost souls, but will continue to make and keep friends that are also part of what I like to call "God's Army."

Hearing the Voice of God

Good Morning Everyone! How is everyone this morning? I am feeling very blessed.  You know something?? I am very happy to be a Christian. I guess I should share a little of my story with you so you can see how God has lifted me up.

I am the mother of 2 beautiful kids. Victor Jr is my youngest, he's 8. Jessica is my oldest, she's 14. The story begins when Jessica was 6 years old. She was a very happy child with big dreams. She was already in first grade and learning to read when our lives were tumbled upside down. Through a mosquito bite, she contracted a viral encephalitis which developed into a seizure disorder. She was having as many as 40 seizures in one hour! The doctors believed she wouldn't make it. Through the mercy of God, she did. She was now a special needs child, depending on me for all of her basic needs. In the very beginning of her illness, I fell into a deep depression that lasted for years. I kept asking 'Why'. I blamed God. I grew very angry with him. My depression took on a life of its own, and I began to spiral downward. Friends and family kept telling me that I needed God in my life, but I refused, thinking he had forsaken me and my family.

Well, just a couple of months ago,  I was at my wits end. I was tired of always being stuck at home with a sick child. I was sick of watching life pass me by and knowing my life would never be 'normal' again. I had had it, and even considered the coward's way out of this situation.  I yelled at God and asked him why had He allowed this to happen, why was He making my life such a sad sight to see. I wanted something more, something to look forward to. And as I sat there at my kitchen counter, looking at Jessica and feeling sorry for her and for myself, God spoke to me. Not that I actually heard Morgan Freeman's voice doing the voice-over or anything crazy like that. I heard God deep within me, telling me He had a purpose for me and for Jessica, that I only had to open the door and let him in to receive His blessings. Somehow, I felt a little better and to distract myself, I went online to Facebook. I noticed a close friend of mine had tried a new local church and had liked it, and something moved me to try this new church.

The next weekend, my family and I visited this new church, and we were washed over with the presence of the Lord. While at the service, God again whispered to my heart, telling me 'Here is where you belong, worshipping me and thanking me for all the good that is to come." And since that day, my life has turned around for the better. I have become an active member of this church (Relevant Church Miami) and pray daily through devotionals and Bible study. I have even taken on a ministry of sorts by forming a group on Facebook called the same as this page (Christian Moms Reflections). The more involved I get with Jesus, the more involved He is with me. I face life with a new hope that I didn't have before. And even if things get tough, I know God will be there to help me through it all. I no longer feel lonely. I am a child of Christ.

This morning, God spoke to my heart again. He said I will lead a sermon someday as I testify to His glorious wonders. Funny, because I would have never thought I would ever lead a sermon, but if God says I will, His will be done. So someday you shall see me leading and testifying, and now I look forward to that.

It DOES get better with Christ. He lifts you up, even carries you when you need it. All you have to do is open the door of your heart and let Him in. Give your life fully to Him and He will rain blessings down upon you. Open your eyes and look around, He is already blessing you.

God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has provided to those who love him.   (James 1:12)

The Swear Jar is breaking the bank!!

Good Morning Christian Moms! I hope this weekend was as blessed for you all as it was for me. Service at church yesterday was truly amazing, and I know that God is smiling down on us for having been so honored. I feel so special to have been a part of the worship team because we really did rock it out for the Lord.  I can't wait until next weekend when the new series "Rock of Ages" gets started, and I hope I am invited to join the worship team again.

On another note, my family and I introduced "The Swear Jar" into our home this weekend as well. My husband and I decided we use swear words way too much and wanted to genuinely stop using them, so my husband came up with th idea of the swear jar. It's basically just a large flower vase, and everytime one of us swears, we write our name on one of the teeny tiny post its and place it inside the swear jar. We have determined that each post it is worth a dollar and that we will empty it out on a weekly basis and that the money collected in the swear jar will be given to our church. Well....right now the swear jar is breaking the bank! Think about it, sad to admit it but both my husband and I have had a very colorful vocabulary throughout our 15+ years of marriage so to try and change that overnight is not the easiest task. But we are determined to stop this nasty habit and glorify Him with only clean language. Sure, my husband already owes $7, I already owe $5 and even our son owes $1 for saying "H-E-double-hockey-sticks" last night, but we know it's worth it. And the money will go to a great benefit, so even better.

If you or your spouse have a colorful vocabulary, I strongly recommend you try The Swear Jar. Sure it may break your bank at first, but it will be worth it in the end. 

Honor God with the words you speak. 
God bless you all! <3