The Greatest Birthday Gift of All

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,' declares the Lord, 'and will bring you back from captivity. 
                                                     ~Jeremiah 29:11-14


Today is my 27th birthday! It's hard to believe the reality of how old I am already! I guess I just never imagined myself at this age, let alone being married and living in Texas! I could never have planned how my life would look at 27. God's plans for me are so much MORE and so much BIGGER than anything I could've dreamed up myself. I praise the Lord that He has loved me so much to never let me settle for anything less than His BEST. I have learned that walking with the Lord on the narrow path is not always the easiest and smoothest ride. The adventure of growing up into Him is definitely not the path of least resistance, but it is the road that has changed my life because it is the one that has healed me and set me free. God has shown me this year that the Fruits of the Spirit are only born out of the trials and adversities in my life. Afterall, how can you really experience the fullness of JOY without every holding the sting of despair?

There is a deep, deep treasure hidden inside our difficulties and pain. If you choose to face them, to never give up, to reach out for Jesus and surrender it all to Him, He will show you the light amidst the darkness, the hope in the hopelessness, and the true gold in your heart. It is the very real LOVE that has been enveloping you every second of your life.

My 27 years has and continues to be one huge, daily, giant DISCOVERY. I used to think that I had to go out and find my future. It was the great search for who I was suppose to be and what I was suppose to do with my life. It took me overseas and across the U.S. and back quite a few times, trying to figure out God's will for my life, my grand purpose and destiny. While I met some amazing people and gained some tremendously priceless experiences, those ventures failed to truly fulfill the deepest desire of my heart. I came home, I sat down, and at the end of all my efforts and attempts to figure out my life, I cried out to God. I said, "I will stay here. I will stay put. I will commit this next year of my life to You, Lord. I need You to show me what you want me do to, what you created me for. I have nowhere else to go."

There are no words to fully describe what God did with the commitment I made to Him that day. He took my life, my whole heart and turned everything inside-out. He brought a great healing and a deep freedom that I never even knew I needed. He loved me through people and circumstances in very real, powerful ways. He filled me with a faith, a knowledge, and a love experience of Him that has set the course of my life on fire. Because once you have tasted the very real love of Christ, and have seen the incredibleness of such a gift for you everyday, there is NOTHING you could ever want more on this earth (Psalm 73:25,26).

I gave God a year to show me His will for my life, and in that journey I found HIM. I discovered that my true life is hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3,4). There is no where else I need to go. The answer is JESUS. It's not about me. It's about letting go of me. It's about exchanging all of myself for all of Him, one choice at a time. God says, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" (Luke 9:24,25)... "But seek FIRST his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33). God taught me what no one else ever did and what the world never could: GO AFTER JESUS. That's it. God WILL do the rest. Better yet, He will do it all ten million times greater that I ever could (Ephesians 3:20).

I can tell you from my very real and undeniable experience that all God says and promises in His Word IS TRUE. It's the only thing that's true. If you truly seek Him FIRST, He will give your life to you as a prize. It will require ALL of you. It will demand extreme faith and risk. It will cost you everything, but you will fall UP into Heavenly places, full of matchless rewards and blessings that you cannot inherit any other way.

Today marks another year of life for me, but what I am really celebrating today is the life I get to live in Christ. He has saved me from myself, from all I could've settled for. He is solidly planting my feet right in the middle of His BIGGER and more GLORIOUS story, and I don't want to live any other way. The fact that Jesus came to die for me and save me changes everything, but the fact that He also came "that (I) may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10), propels me forward on a daily, profound adventure of that very real pursuit of Christ and the FULLNESS of life He promises. It's mine for the taking, and yours too. DON'T MISS IT. DON'T MISS HIM, and I promise... you will not miss a thing.

"'And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek [them]; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh,' says the Lord. 'But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.'"
                                                    ~Jeremiah 45:5 (NKJV)

All I Want For Christmas: Special Prayer Request

Dear Family and Friends,

More than anything in the whole wide world, we would be so so grateful if you would join together in prayer for us these next few weeks. We are seeking the Lord for many things, but one of THE greatest right now is for our own place to live. Our friends here in Keller have been so wonderful for hosting us since we arrived, but we both feel that January is our month to move forward. We are praying that the Lord will provide as we step-out in faith and trust. Please pray for our future first home as a married couple, and that God will guide us directly to it by January 1st. It would be the greatest Christmas gift ever!

Grateful in Love.

And they lived happily ever after ... ; -)

Texas for the Holidays

Hi family and friends! We sure are going to miss you all during the holidays. We're experiencing what a "real" winter feels like here in TX, with highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s! Not to mention an ice- covered car and a frozen-cold door lock. Sure makes our early morning trips to the gym way more adventurous (AND tortuous). We've also met a really awesome guy/spin class instructor named Dan. Talk about an unexpected and wonderful answer to our temporary CrossFit dilemma! This guy is a four-time Iron Man and super long-distance runner, who I am becoming more and more convinced is even  crazier than us! He is so awesome, and is definitely helping to keep our booties in shape! Praise God for "Fitness" Dan  =D

Our transition here to Dallas hasn't been an easy one. God truly is stretching and molding us tremendously through all the changes, difficulties, uncertainties and unfamiliarities of a new place, a new season, and a new life. These things don't always feel good, but we are growing and learning what it means to be radically dependent on Christ. He is definitely moving in our lives, and we can't wait to share where He is leading us next! We can't thank you enough for all your thoughts and prayers on our behalf. Please keep praying for us. God will do it all!!

Here are some snapshots of the moments and memories we've begun here in Texas...

Dance Party at the Sailers!

One of our cute little roommates, Sophia

The Teleios Man Seminar, with dad Larry Titus

We became members of Gateway Chruch on Dec. 3rd!

Turkey Day... it involved both a fried and smoked Turkey!

Joseph & Scott stayed up all night to smoke the turkey... it was SO yummy!

Thanksgiving was sweet with the Sailer's, Titus's, and the rest of the family

We miss you all very much! Thank you for sharing so far in our new adventure here. We love you!

Dear Twilight...

I hear that you have capitivated and captured the hearts of multitudes of Christian movie reviewers and thousands (if not millions) of young Christian women with a timeless, "wholesome" and "harmless" love saga. Is this true? Is it really possible that you are a pure, wholesome, and God-honoring vampire movie? Can this really be real?! Considering that you now have practically a WHOLE generation of young people wrapped around your finger, I really REALLYwould hope for the positive.

But I learned something new tonight about you, and about what you represent. Hmmm...this may explain why I shockingly found myself in a dark, dizzy, air-gasping, sick to my stomach (literally) cold-sweat last week during the the final scenes of Breaking Dawn (my poor husband).  Well, let me spare you the experience. IT'S TIME TO SHINE THE LIGHT on you, Twilight.

To all of my family and friends in love, PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE (below). If you, or anyone you know is breathing and alive today, it WILL prove relevant. God has something important to say about all this Twilight business... and it is SO TRUE!

Open publication - Free publishing - More dignity

Life Without CrossFit = Booo

So we took the plunge, swallowed our pride, and found the 24 Hour Fitness here in Keller.  If we had to name the thing we miss MOST right now, it would definitely be CrossFit. We miss it so much I think we might cry (and I'm not joking). Being in a gym seems totally foreign to us... so different, so hard to get motivated, SO NOT THE SAME. Dear CrossFit, I think I realized just how much I DO love you. We were so blessed by CrossFit Insanity in CA and all the amazing people there. Gosh, we seriously do NOT like life without you! Pray we get jobs soon so we can get back into this passion of ours ASAP (I don't know how much longer we can take the discouragement of a fitness gym). BUT, we are trying our hardest to be grateful for what we do have right now. Hello Spin class!

My hubby doing what he does best ;)

Ohhhhh CrossFit... how we miss thee   =(

Dallas! (and A Honeymoon)

We're here!! We made it to Dallas/Fortworth Friday afternoon A-OK (well, at least one of us. Day 3 was torture for me on the road with four straight hours of nausea =(  Not sure if it was food poisoning or something else).  We've been very very welcomed here by new friends and amazing people. God is GOOOOD! This morning we got to visit our beloved Gateway Community Church IN PERSON =) and we were in for a real treat with worship lead by Jared Anderson. We ventured out a little afterwards, and our first stop was CENTRAL MARKET... of course! The most amazing little grocery ever (how i've missed it since San Antonio). Come and visit and you'll see why! Each day now is really one new adventure at a time, trusting God and praying for more and more FAITH as we go. Thanks to all who've been praying for our transition. We are in INCREDIBLE Hands...

(Until we get some new TX pictures, we leave you with a few fun pics from our honeymoon ... Lake Tahoe!)

Love, Love, Love

SO much has happened in our lives these past few months... SO SO SO SO much! From our trip to Dallas, to getting engaged, to being married on October 8th! A big, beautiful whirlwind of LIFE... pefectly in God's will. We are tremendously blessed to say the least, and there is so much more to come!  For now, here are some of the sweet moments captured on camera...

With Love & Joy,
Mr. & Mrs. Hernandez  =)

through painted deserts...

I have discovered the title for our blog. Inspired by Donald Miller’s special book… it’s the perfect title.

Right after Jesus was baptized, God took him into the desert for 40 days and nights (Luke 4). Before His public ministry came a time of deep personal temptation and challenge. God is teaching me that it’s impossible to live this life as it was meant to be lived or walk straight into our destiny without encountering the same thing a Perfect and sinless Man had to endure: The Wilderness. This is where I find myself now… where Joseph and I find ourselves together. And it’s a significant place for SO many reasons.

Deserts are where God prepares you.

Deserts are where God Himself leads you.

Deserts are where you learn to really trust God.

Deserts are where God humbles you.

Deserts are where we can’t rely on ourselves.

Deserts are where God changes our desires.

     And where He gives us new desires.

Deserts are where you grieve.

Deserts are where you learn to really pray.

Deserts are where you feel God’s compassion and ever close comfort.

Deserts are where you learn to lean.

Deserts are where God allures you to Himself.

Deserts are where our love grows deeper,

     Where we fall in love with Jesus.

Deserts are where you get healed.

Deserts are where you learn to let go.

Deserts are where you receive freedom.
Deserts are where God makes beauty from ashes.

Deserts are where you lose yourself, your old way of life, and taste God’s bigger dream.

Deserts are where we cry and sing at the same time.

Deserts are where you learn the secret to contentment.

Deserts are where you suffer

     And learn to rejoice.

Deserts are where grace is enough.

Deserts are where you find the greatest risks AND the greatest peace.

Deserts are where you experience the movement of the Spirit.

Deserts are where your passions come to life,

     Where your gifts come to light.

Deserts are where adversity strikes so that Fruit can bloom.

Deserts are where you glimpse the Face of God.

Deserts are where you hunger and thirst,

     And where you discover the Bread of Life is all you need.

Deserts are where you GROW UP.

     And where Heaven’s Mighties are born.

Deserts are where you die

     So that you can truly LIVE.

So here’s the thing… when you find yourself in the middle of the wilderness (and believe me you will!), and the road ahead looks dark, cold, scary, and very uncertain… GO THROUGH IT. While everything will scream the opposite in the beginning and probably even in the middle, remember that it was God Himself who brought you into the wilderness, and it is Him who will lead you ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

The desert moments and seasons of our lives are not to be feared; they are to be embraced. You must be STILL… you must to be PATIENT… you have to TRUST God like never before. Trust that He is a big, huge, loving, great, GOOD God. Trust that He didn’t bring you here to confuse you, trick you, or leave you. Trust that He brought you into the desert to SAVE YOU.

It is SO important that you get this. It is so important that you grasp hold of the deserts of your life and face them with faith and courage. And whenever you find yourself in the middle of it all, on perhaps a harder and more discouraging day than others… when Satan will have you believe that you are all by yourself without anyone who understands… know that we are right here with you. Right smack in the middle of the wilderness. And you are not alone. We hope that in sharing our lives and experiences with you, that God will use us however He needs to… for you. We are cheering you on and praying hard for the strength it will take to move forward… to take the next step…and the next one… and the one after that. Please be encouraged. Please ask us questions. Please let us know how we can pray for you. Chances are we’re praying the exact same thing too!

*“No, life cannot be understood flat on a page. It has to be lived; a person has to get out of his head, has to fall in love, has to memorize poems, has to jump off bridges into rivers, has to stand in an empty desert and whisper sonnets under his breath:

                                   I’ll tell you how the sun rose

                                   A ribbon at a time…”

The sun is rising on this adventure. The Promise Land is just around the corner. We will get there. And so will you. One day we will experience Heaven on Earth together. Until that day, may you brave this desert. May you breath it in. May you choose to venture out, to look up… to gaze beyond the horizon into the face of God.

LISTEN. Quiet your heart. Hear the sweet strokes of His magnificent mysterious design coloring you into a million lights of rainbow… a character painted by trials, becoming something eternally beautiful, stamped and sealed till the end of time… His glorious Masterpiece of YOU.

*“And so my prayer is that your story will have involved some leaving and some coming home, some summer and some winter, some roses blooming out like children in a play. My hope is your story will be about changing, about getting something beautiful born inside you, about learning to love a woman or a man, about learning to love a child, about moving yourself around water, around mountains, around friends, about learning to love others more than we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God. We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and the resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn’t it? It might be time for you to go. It might be time to change, to shine out…”

I write so that you will remember… so that I will remember and never ever forget that the deserts of life are crazy hard, but you will never find ANYTHING more gloriously beautiful because of them. God is INCREDIBLE…through painted deserts. Selah.

With Love,
Cobi

 

*(Through Painted Deserts, Donald Miller)