One Truth By Christina Calvache

Comically, every time I say, “Tell me the truth,” I hear the voice of Jack Nicholson echo, “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH! As he reluctantly exclaimed on the jury stand in the movie “A Few Good Men”. He couldn’t tell the truth because he thought the Truth was too difficult to comprehend.

I remember the young men in my youth group planning to get up early on a Saturday morning and hitting the NYC subway system with tracks and free Bibles to venture out and spread the “Good News”(Mark 16:15). When I was in my early 20’s, evangelizing was always an uncomfortable feat. I couldn’t handle the truth.

On top of being insecure because of my big nose and acne scars, I was born introverted and melancholy. Speaking to anyone, about anything brought on butterflies in my stomach and the only way I could explain the things of God was comparing it to the Force and Dark Side from Star Wars.

The truth is, back then, there was a time when I questioned my own beliefs. To be blatantly honest, the need for Jesus dying on a cross, human blood shed to forgive sins, and the mandate to accept the Son of God or be eternally doomed seemed ghastly. I have yet to see The Passion of the Christ.

I remember driving on the belt parkway and holding the very Bible I have today outside of the window while telling God, “If you don’t prove to me that you are real, and this whole idea of Jesus being your Son and having to die on the cross for me is true so that I can have eternal life, I will throw this Bible away forever”.

Deep down inside, although I grew up in the church and felt I was acting like a disrespectful child, I had to find out the truth for myself.

I was at an age where a person stops being taught what other people want them to learn and begins to learn what they themselves want to know. People would kill for their beliefs, countries would war for their beliefs. I wanted to be passionate about my beliefs.

Because it is God’s desire that no one should perish (2 Peter 3:9), He was willing to work with me. Jesus promised in John 14:26 “the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

I learned many things about God and The Truth that I gained imparted a permanent passion for my beliefs. The Holy Spirit began teaching me and showing me things that were unknown to me. Never again would I question my faith. I learned The Truth and began walking with the Lord.

The Truth is: there is only one truth. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I AM the way and The Truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Yet many people believe there are other ways to get to heaven. They believe being good will get them into heaven. This is not truth (Eph 2:9). Aside from Christian beliefs, Got Questions (www.GotQuestions.org) states, “Most believe that hard work and wisdom will lead to ultimate fulfillment, whether that is unity with god (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Baha’i) or freedom and independence (Scientology, Jainism). Others, like Unitarianism and Wicca, teach the afterlife is whatever you want it to be, and salvation is a non-issue because the sin nature doesn’t exist.

A few believe either the afterlife doesn’t exist or it’s too unknowable to consider.” Sadly, just because you believe in something doesn’t make it true. Jesus himself said in Matthew 10:33, “whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” Then what? It’s too late.

For many years I have been dedicated to following Jesus. I pray, I believe I know the voice of the Lord (John 10:27), I strive to keep his commandments (1John 5:3) and run the good race (2 Tim 4:7). What troubles me now is found in Matthew 7:21-23:

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you”

Jesus was talking to religious people. People that believed they were doing the right thing and following God. They prayed, saw miracles, prophecies and deliverances. Yet, were far from walking with The Lord, they were far from The Truth. The Truth is, “we are saved by grace through faith; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephe. 2:8-9)

Nowadays, I no longer get butterflies in my stomach when spreading the Good News. I know, when I speak of The Truth, there is hope that someone will want to know the Truth, to experience the Truth, and begin walking with the Lord.

Addiction Wears Many Faces

By Louisa Guzman

It's September. So what does that mean for me? After 2 months of vacation, basking in the sun, getting up and going to bed whenever I please, eating and drinking whatever I desire, taking long morning and evening walks to catch the gorgeous Rockaway sunrises and sunsets, I now have to get used to waking up at the crack of dawn again, plan, cook and pack all my week day meals, work long endless days, and come home too emotionally and physically exhausted to do anything but veg on bad TV. 

So after a long day at work with no AC on an 80 degree - 100 percent humidity - bad hair day, all I could think about was using that $2 Baskin Robbins voucher in my wallet for a flavor of the month cone to soothe my fried brain.

But the coolers weren't working and there was no ice cream being sold. Frazzled doesn't describe my state at that moment. So off I went to Pickles and Pies, the corner deli, searching for an individual size of any flavor. But there were none in that size. I knew I was doomed but I went for it: a pint of Haagen Daz Vanilla Caramel Cone. 

Lucky to only live 2 blocks away I got home quickly, flipped on the AC, grabbed a spoon and plopped down on the couch. 

Every swirl of the spoon made the creamy concoction even sweeter. With every spoonful, the day's insanity melted away. The way it tasted and felt sailing down my throat must be what its like getting high. Ice cream was my drug of choice and I was on a vanilla caramel cone cloud. For a split second I contemplated stopping at a few spoonfuls. But seconds later I blinked and woke up from my dream. In my head all I heard was that famous Alka Seltzer commercial, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!"

Then the guilt set in.

I now felt worse than before. I felt like a bad little girl who had gotten caught eating from the cookie jar before dinner. Two weeks of walking 10,000 steps a day and cutting down on sugar flew out the window. The voices were shouting at me: "There you go falling back! You did it again! You can't ever stick with anything long enough to see it through! You have absolutely zero willpower! You will never lose weight! You will remain unhealthy and die before your time! You are an addict!"

But whose voice was that? It certainly wasn't God's. "The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic." [Psalm 29:4]. When Jesus speaks to us, He doesn't make us feel like a failure. Jesus speaks love into our hearts and minds. "There is no condemnation" [Romans 8:1] when we believe in and hear Christ speaking. Why was I feeling guilty and ashamed? I should know better. I didn't need to beat myself up for this or anything I've done, for that matter, because Jesus already accepted the punishment for me and by His wounds I am healed [1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:5].

I no longer heard the words of my enemy making me feel worthless. I heard God telling me that He created me strong and able to fight temptation. I heard Him declare that He had great plans for me, plans to prosper me and not harm me, plans to give me a hope and a future [Jeremiah 29:11].

I suddenly felt energized and decided to go for a walk. The ocean always makes me feel good (I probably should have just done this in the first place). When I got to the boardwalk and looked up, there was my reward: a big, beautiful double rainbow! 

A live and colorful reminder of God's love and mercy, a "sign of the covenant between God and the earth." [Genesis 9:13]. As I stood there in awe over this glorious sight, the sun began setting and created a perfect postcard in the sky,

and it reminded me that when I seek Him with all my heart I find Him [Jeremiah 29:13] and that when I delight myself in the Lord, He gives me the desires of my heart [Psalm 37:4]. 

Finally, on my way back home, I realized that when I am tempted, God will always provide a way out so I can endure it [1 Corinthians 10:13]. Your journey, like mine, may not be an easy one, but with God, all things are possible [Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27].

Do You Love Me?

Throughout my life I have encountered challenges that overwhelmed me, almost taking my breath away. During those devastating moments, one unspoken question permeated the atmosphere. From time to time it's as though the Lord asks, "Do you still love ME?" I'll give you an example of a time the unspoken question hung over me. I hate moving. I've lived in a few states and have disliked putting down and tearing up roots, friends, and familiar people and places. I'm so grateful that I've been blessed to always have a roof over my head. Nevertheless, within the last four years, I've moved three times due to a variety of reasons beyond my control. During one of the most recent moves, I consulted with four real estate agents as well as a government agency, none of whom were helpful. Surely, the Lord who created me knows how I felt about moving. Yet He allowed the circumstances in order to move me towards Him. All the while the unspoken question was in the air, " Do you still love ME"? My answer, Yes Lord, I love you.  And like Peter said (John 6:68) "Where else can I go but to you Lord, You have the words of eternal life? The Bible tells us more about Peter. He was a bold disciple who loved the Lord deeply but failed Jesus three times by denying that He knew Him during a critical time. What was the Lord's response afterwards? Three times the Lord asked Peter " Do you love ME"? Twice Peter answered, yes, Lord; you know that I love you. The third time he said, Lord, You know all things, You know that I love you. Jesus responded, feed my sheep and feed my lambs. In other words, though Peter failed, his assignment prevailed. Now go and preach, and teach others about ME. Your love for the LORD will be challenged. You won't pass every test perfectly because you are human. Allow the challenges to draw you closer to the Lord, not push you away. When the Lord provides the opportunity, share your experience to help others draw closer to Him too. The Bible tells us Joseph was tested, Abraham was tested, Peter was tested and you will be tested. Choose to love the Lord no matter what comes your way. Know that He is working everything together for your good and for His glory no matter what it looks or feels like. For He loves you with an everlasting love.(Jeremiah 31:3) So much so that He gave His Son to make you more than a conqueror. (Romans 8: 32-39) Receive His love and love Him. It's the one decision you'll  be glad you made in this life and in the next. Yes. love the Lord!