I have come to the conclusion that there is something essential for life that the devil has been eagerly, and quite successfully at times, trying to steal from humanity. Let me just warn you this is no divine revelation: I feel a little foolish even mentioning it as if it was something new. You don’t need to be “too spiritual” to realize that, from the beginning, the enemy’s number one goal is to take human beings away from their Creator. Really, I don’t even think the devil cares about the means to do such thing, as long as in the end he gets the prey.

Like I said, there is no in depth revelation within that. However, something has been resonating in my thoughts. There is one thing that the evil one aims at more than simply winning souls. He desperately wants to see Christians, who live in the house of God, serving God, who have fellowship with other believers, and who actually do love God, not being in a real deep relationship with God. The busyness of worship services and church events does not mean our hearts are in the right place with God. You may ask me how can I say such [insert adjective here] thing?… My answer is simple: because I’ve been there before.

And I’m not saying that you have to be completely rebellious in your heart, neglecting God and His precious Spirit, to qualify for this group. That’s the tricky part: we are fooled into believing we’re doing so well since we’re so involved with the cause, when in reality our souls are dry and in much need of the Living water. Those of us who are actively engaged, pouring our lives out for the Kingdom, need to be refueled more often than the others. And no, going to three services a week will not be enough to fill you up when you’re giving so much of yourself.

Remember: God dwells IN us, not in the building where we meet to worship together. The Spirit of God within us longs to meet with us EVERY day, not just on days we have church commitments. And out of a deep and constant relationship with God comes results that are beneficial not only for ourselves, but for the entire body of Christ. Since our personal daily relationship with Him is ignited, once we gather to worship we will pick up speed quicker. Like the engine of a car on a cold day: the longer you leave it on to warm it up, the quicker it will respond once you go driving. His presence will be more intense and powerful when we gather to worship Him if we individually seek Him constantly.

This is a simple truth. No rocket-science; no Nobel prize discovery. But can I be honest with you? It’s so simple that it gets us more often than we probably would want it to. Those of us involved in ministry, to whatever extent it may be, need to be extra attentive to how our personal relationship with Christ is going. Setting aside time to pray and read the Bible is not religious, it’s a lifestyle. Don’t you worry about how much time you will spend doing it. It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality. And you will be surprised at how skipping out on one hour of sleep, for example, to talk to the Father will be much more effective than physically resting.

C. H. Spurgeon said: “Communion with God is safety. The more closely we cling to our almighty Father the more confident we may be.” In my own words, I interpret this as: the deeper the relationship we have with God, the more confident we will be to enter His presence and do His works.

This might be an encouragement to some. This might be nonsense to others. This might even sound silly to a few. To me this is refreshing. A reminder that no matter how much I do for the Kingdom, it will all count for nothing if I’m not in tune with the King.

Some final inspirational words, from one of my favorite authors, king David: “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” (Psalm 63:5-8)

This passage was just what I needed to help me put into words all the thoughts racing through my mind and heart. Whenever I read verse 8, “My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me,” I feel as though as if I had written it myself. May this be the cry of our generation: may we cling to Him and passionately attract His presence into our lives and churches.

(Now I really don’t feel like sleeping…)

Nonetheless, ’tis the season! It finally has arrived: one of my favorite months of the year (my birthday month is still my favorite, obviously)… As I have mentioned before, the three last months of the year are my favorites for many different reasons. As far as I can remember they have always been my favorite time of the year… Now is the time for the weather to cool down in Florida (hopefully!), for it to warm up to full blast in Rio so I can catch a tan (definitely!), for Christmas music to be a must and for the unexpected to happen!

My expectation for December? Aside from amazing family time during the “end of the year celebrations”, I am hoping for some extraordinary miracles to come running my way! There is still plenty of time for God to move in ways I can’t even fathom… and I am counting on Him to do so! This year was extremely different from any other year and I expect the last 31 days of it to be no different… What do you expect?

In one month we will be in a new decade… To look back 10 years ago and see how different the world and our lives were is CRAZY! I, for one, spent the turning of the last decade in an airplane flying to Florida. Nothing too thrilling about that, huh?! We were coming over for my dad to work and for us to spend some forty days here. It was the first time after six years that we were coming to the U.S. and as a thirteen-year old I was going crazy about that. Back then, I was consumed with MTV, boy bands and cheesy teen movies. Life was pretty shallow as I remember: the awkwardness of trying to fit in as an early teen but not really fitting in because I knew I had something different since I grew up in a Christian home… Looking back, I was pretty much an infant. My concerns were as simple as they could be.

Now, here I am… ten years later: actually living in the United States, graduated from university, about to start a second college and seeking to continually fulfill my life in and for the Kingdom of God. I can barely picture what the next ten years from now will bring. It seriously brings me butterflies in my stomach… I will probably write down my expectations for the next ten years and keep it so I can look back someday and be amazed at how God exceeded them!

However, I am not going to wait for the next decade to get here in order to start living the best days of my life! During these last 31 days of this decade I will seek, sow and strive for the following 10 years already! Just as I had a “November Project”, I am now beginning a “Pre-New Decade Project” and I believe it will be worth every sacrifice. Don’t let the last 31 days to just pass by… The end of the year can get busy indeed. But make sure you set time aside to invest into the next year. Or better yet, into the next decade!

There is so much to talk about Tokyo that I still haven’t collected all my thoughts and organized them in an orderly fashion manner. I promise that very soon I will be posting up a series of texts, photos and perhaps videos, of all that we saw and experienced on the other side of the world. Like I said, going to Japan is more than just a trip for our family since we have part of our roots there. Thus our experience was beyond the touristy eyes. We analyzed, we observed, we talked about the similarities we see in our own family, and more…

I think Tokyo has become one of my favorite cities in the world! Six days was far from enough to see all that it has to offer. Hopefully we will go back to Japan in the near future… I would love to explore more of Tokyo and beyond.

Keep checking back for the series on Japan and other posts… Sayonara!

As I type, I’m realizing that we’re leaving the house in less than half an hour because we need to beat the morning commute and get to the airport early enough. The first flight is less than 4 hours long but the second one seems promising to catch up on writing, reading, watching movies and sleeping: some 16 hours. We’re not going to see Friday evening happen! Isn’t that strange? I think so too. The different time zones across the world always amaze me.

I am SO excited that it is nearly impossible to express my excitement through typed words. Going to Japan is not like going to Europe or Brazil or here in the U.S. Everyone looks completely different from us, the language is completely foreign (not even a hint of Latin-root to figure it out) and the culture is something that most likely that I have never seem before. I am thrilled! Hopefully I will be able to catch on photographs and video all the cultural experience.

But this trip, aside from being a family trip which is one of my utmost favorite things on earth, has a special flavor to it… My dad’s background is Japanese: his grandparents migrated to Brazil and he is 50% Japanese. My brother and I are 25% Japanese and just the fact that we hold a Japanese last name already makes me feel “part of it”. We’re not just going to an unknown part of the world to explore and have fun. We’re going to see where part of us come from… Yes, it is this deep! You know how people get curious to go to Italy, Ireland, etc, to see where their ancestors came from? Well, so it happens we have to go to the other side of the world to see where part of our ancestors come from! It is going to be an amazing experience… I have high expectations as to all that we’re going to see, learn, experience and live there.

I better go finish getting ready because the journey is about to begin… and it’s going to be a long and delightful one. Oh, for the record: it’s cold in Japan and there is plenty of raw fish for me to eat — cold weather and raw fish are two of my favorite things as well.

If you’re curious, here are some links to explore:

http://www.earthcam.com/japan/tokyo/ — See Tokyo live

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=248 — See the time, weather and more info for Tokyo

I will be posting major updates upon my return… with media and all! Until then… Sayonara!!!

But here I am, nonetheless, writing up some stories of a month that will quite possibly forever change my life. Deep, huh? The truth is, everyday is an opportunity for a life changing experience. Life just gets boring being the same way every single day. That is not how we were intended to live in the first place anyways.

The past couple of weeks I have been enlightened with some simple truths that have been making an enormous difference in my life. When we seek God wholeheartedly and genuinely, He really does not delay in coming to us. I am not going to say that it has been easy. There were days when I struggled to actually live life to the fullest. But on the days I sought God out with intensity, He has been revealing Himself to me in huge ways. Not only revealing His truths and Word, but also revealing things that I have been asking Him in prayer for a long time.

Remember the Psalm from last post? “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom…” (Ps. 90:12) This has been my focus this month and it is interesting to see how our days unfold when we meditate on something as this. Once we have this engraved in our hearts and minds, we become more aware of how we are living our days. There were days when I would stop and think: “I am not making the most out of this day! What needs to be changed? What should I really be doing?”… Other days I would be glad to have done things that were productive and fulfilling. Living everyday to its fullest capacity is not necessarily easy but it is not impossible either. I know sometimes we just want to go on “auto-pilot” and can’t wait for that day or week to be over for whatever reasons. But this is one thing I am learning: to not wish any day or week would be over too fast because no one knows if the following ones will be “worse” or if they will even exist!

Give some time and thought to Psalm 90… I can’t emphasize how much God has been speaking to me through this passage! Verse 14 is stuck on my mirror, right above the sink, so every morning I will be reminded of this right away and hopefully choose to live accordingly…

That which I talk about, my friends, is something called time. Now the definitions of the word time is quite extensive. For your entertainment, you can look up all the definitions for the word time provided by Dictionary.com, which I find very useful by the way.

We all know, or should know, that time is an abstract concept. It is something that man cannot fully understand. Time is also a precious gift we are each given on a daily basis… until our time is up in this lifetime. And perhaps I was missing the precious aspect of it recently.

Ever since I graduated I became a little overwhelmed with the extra free time in my hands. I did some traveling and participated in a number of events that took place between May and now, which filled up my time to an extent in a very positive way. However, since my birthday, it seems that I lost control of time. Not that I should have any control over it anyways, but I am well aware that it is up to me to manage it wisely. Last week it hit me: I was not making the most out of my time. I have dreams and goals that I want to achieve but instead of taking action I was only constantly talking about them. I had been literally daydreaming about them instead of pursuing them.

Happily, in the midst of conversations with wise and loved people, prayers and long talks with God, messages at church, random readings and the Bible, I was able to understand some essential lessons not just for living, but also for making the most out of this life that was given to us.

It dawned on me that even though I don’t have a complete crystal clear sense of what I am supposed to be doing right now, I have plenty of ideas as to where I want to get in the future. But I need to build the future right here, right now. Anything I want to accomplish tomorrow depends on what I do today.

I went to the Bible in search of inspiration for this specific moment. I wrote down some key passages for this season I am living. Psalm 90, pretty much in its entirety, has become my focus for this month. I find verses 12 and 14 particularly fitting: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom… Satisfy us in the morning with Your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.“

The ESV Bible has the following commentary in regards to verse 12: “teach us to number our days. In view of the theme of the psalm, this refers especially to the ability to make the most of one’s day, since they are so few. The heart of wisdom would enable the faithful to live by the right priorities.”

It is fine to have free time. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But how we spend it is what we need to pay close attention to. I was convicted that my time was not being spent wisely; I was not wholly investing in my future through what I do today. So I felt called to do something different this month. This is what I am entitling The November Project. The idea is to wake up every single day of the month of November meditating on Psalm 90, with emphasis on verses 12 and 14. And by doing that I hope to be constantly aware of how I am living that day. Of course it is not going to be easy but I know God is going to go with me on this journey. I plan on writing about every single one of the next 30 days, reporting on how I am doing on this journey. You are more than welcomed to join the project and share your experiences. I am even willing to publish some of them, if you would like.

Everyday has something for us to look forward to… As ordinary as the day may seem to be, just the fact that we can live it is something extraordinary!

With that said… Welcome November: I promise to make the most out of your 30 days… You’re going to be an EXTRAORDINARY month!

October:

10th month of the Gregorian calendar. Its name is derived from octo, Latin for “eight,” an indication of its position in the early Roman calendar.

Top 5 Reasons to love this month:

1- First and foremost, it is “my month”! Since I was born in the beginning of the month, I like using it as an excuse to celebrate all month long. This year my birthday was extra special filled with more than I could have asked for. As a matter of fact it seems to get better every year! The good news is: October isn’t over yet so my celebrations are not officially over yet either! Cheers to adding to the numbers!

Birthday Cupcakes (2010)

2- In the Southern hemisphere, in which I was born, it is a time when Spring is blooming! A beautiful time to be born… Spring weather is not overtly warm yet and flowers make me very happy!

Flowers in the backyard (2008)

Fall in Central Park (2005)

3- Meanwhile, up here in the Northern hemisphere, where I currently reside, Fall is starting to show its colors! Perhaps not as much in Florida but I still like to believe it is… Anytime the temperatures drop to low 70s and the air is a bit crispier, it is a time for celebrating! I am a big fan of cooler weather: I enjoy hot beverages, the smell of wood burning, dressing up with scarves and boots, and all the nice things that accompany Autumn. October brings the smell of fresh air and the delightful taste of Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

4- To me, October is usually a month of building up great anticipation since the following couple of months are filled with some of my favorite things! Thanksgiving usually means family trips, and this year is going to be no different: surprises coming to the blog! Then comes Christmas… Which, and I don’t mean to sound cheesy, is undoubtedly my favorite time of the year! (I’m sure I’ll write about it when the time comes)… Beautiful beautiful expectation!

5- Last, but DEFINITELY NOT least, October hosts the largest international youth conference in Brazil: POTENCIA! An intense conference that empowers youth and leaders to reach their full potential in Christ and to be explosive for the Kingdom of God on earth! This adds a special seasoning to the month… Unfortunately, I will not be able to go to the one happening this year on the 15th and 16th, but my heart and spirit will be joining them through prayers and great expectation! If you are in Brazil I highly encourage you to check out the website and to GO to the conference… If you are in the U.S. or any other part of the world: stay tuned because the third edition of this conference in Miami will be happening early next year…

This, my friends, is a short compilation of my thoughts as to why October is a month to love… I hope it has inspired you in one way or another. The truth is, when we walk with God making the most out of each day He has given us, everyday can be a special day… But why not highlight some 31 particular days of one month? ‘Tis October to me…

*All pictures here shown were taken by Viviane Assakura

John Bevere, a great speaker and writer who has been traveling the world spreading what God inspires him to, once talked about how he kept running away from the calling to write. Oh, I could definitely relate to him! He talked about how God had clearly told him to write yet it took him a long time to actually get on with doing it. And then finally, at one point after some obvious God-given direction, he responded to the calling. Nowadays he is one of the most recognized Christian authors and a very bold writer (I might have to watch that message again to remember the details)

I never said, “I want to write” or “I wish I could write” or anything of that sort. But ever since I can remember I have been able to express myself quite well through written words. And since I learned to write, I have always enjoyed it very much! It’s seriously something God planted in my DNA. The other day I was reminiscing that when I was really young, probably seven or eight years old, I used to daydream of sitting in front of a computer with glasses on, and doing what? Writing. The interesting thing is that back then computers weren’t even popular yet. I was introduced to this clever machines early because my dad actually began to work with databases and search engines in their early stages. And back then I didn’t even need glasses yet! These details sound irrelevant but there are things we dream of doing when we are young that we might neglect or think it’s just a silly child’s dream. Then we grow up to find out it’s actually what we are called to do. Obviously there were other instances in my life when God confirmed that this is a gift He has given me to use for His glory. But I find it rather interesting how we are born with God-given dreams and unique callings! No matter who we are, what family we are born into, what’s our life story. Every single human being is born with a calling to fulfill. Unfortunately, for many different reasons, not all respond to the calling.

Now I find myself sitting in front of a laptop (we definitely have evolved a lot since my childhood dream!), wearing my glasses and passionately typing away. Oh, and why was I laughing when I noticed the pattern? Because I realized that I have been running away (I’m still not sure why) from this calling for a long (emphasis on long) time now. This got me thinking, why do we sometimes run from what God has for us? Then I laughed. Because I imagined God smirking at me and calling me silly (in the most loving way) as I came to my senses that writing is not only something I’m passionate about (and according to my mom, if that counts, I’m really good at it) as it is also something He has called me to do so He can bring glory to Himself.

Don’t hesitate! Go search what is that fuel God has instilled in your life to do things that are uniquely for you to do in order for His Kingdom to go further!

The United States, as well as Brazil and so many other free countries, are filled with churches. Big, small, rich, poor, known or unknown: There is plenty to choose from. And people choose. They go in, they go out. They sit, listen, maybe serve here and there. And they remain unchanged. They remain stuck with the same petty problems of everyday, they continue to lie, they continue to cheat, they continue to do a lot of things they have always done. Things that should not be a part of our lives once we know Christ.

Why does that happen? Because people become religious and they begin to go to church out of duty rather than for the love of God so there is no space for the Spirit of God to move in their lives. The thing is, most of us don’t realize we’ve become religious until after a while. I grew up in a Christian home, always going to church and for the most part involved too. But earlier this year I realized something that broke my heart: I had become religious. When Sunday service and other meetings become just part of your routine, when you go to the house of God with little or no expectation, when you feel obligated to read the Bible, you better be sure to know that you have become religious. The interesting part, in my case at least, is that there were seasons that the religiousness would fade or diminish and I would actually live out of love and passion for God.

Here is the thing about falling into religiousness: it’s not that you are away from God, rebelling against Him and not seeking Him. You are in the house of God, you go to most services, you are probably actively involved in some area or even a few areas of the church, you have fellowship with believers, you pray, read the Bible, etc. But where is your heart through all of this? Is there expectation when you go meet in the assembly with the believers? Is there love when you serve? Is there honor and respect for the leaders above you? Is there genuine desire to study the Word and talk to the Father? We can fool ourselves, and maybe even others, but we cannot fool God: “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.” (Proverbs 16:2)

Fulfilling a list of “Christianity do’s and dont’s” is the one thing God does not want from us as His children. He wants us to be honest with Him, to be passionate about Him, to desire Him. Yes, passion is part of real Christianity. You know when you’re in love that you go out of your way to surprise the person? That you get butterflies in your stomach when he/she is near? That you anticipate being with that someone? God would very much like us to be the same way toward Him.

We need to break the molds of religiousness. Let’s not become modern day pharisees. Those men had Jesus right next to them but they were so religious they missed out on a great opportunity: to know and walk with the living God. Are we also going to let this opportunity pass only to realize it’s too late?

We need to be extravagant, spontaneous. We need to be Christians in and out of the four walls of the church building. We are the living church. You and I, breathing and walking around everyday, WE are the church. God doesn’t want a dead church. He doesn’t want a church walking around the world with what seems to be a burden. He wants us to grasp and live to the fullness of the freedom Jesus conquered for us on that cross!

The truth is: every Christian fears becoming religious but we all become at some point in life, whether we admit it or not. What matters is: how many times are we going to fall for it? How much longer are we going to put up with it? Choose today to live an abundant life, filled with the joy of the Spirit, as God intended for us to live.

– Thoughts inspired by the message of September 15, 2010 by Pastor Davila

Writing is one of my favorite things to do. Yet I find myself constantly procrastinating on writing publicly. My journal is filled with entries. I also have some random notebooks that I jot down ideas, write essays or thoughts that I need to get out but don’t want to share.

Writing is a discipline. There are days when you don’t feel like doing it. There are days when you feel like doing it but you have no idea on what to write about. It requires a lot of determination. So here I am, after putting it off for months, back in the “business” of writing. It’s not like I never logged in and tried to write… I did a few times. I just never had the boldness to finish a text or press “publish”.

Now this won’t be a problem anymore. I have set aside time slots to dedicate specifically to writing. Readers, please keep me accountable! (yes – I have faith I’ll have lots of readers soon!)

For a little update on myself: obviously a lot has happened since I last wrote. Four months ago I would never imagine that I would be in grad school studying Counseling Psychology! But this is a story for another post. And as is the life of a post-grad, I am also trying to figure out how on earth can I be self-employed, start a business and hmmm… make money! All of you twenty-something year old desiring financial independence should be able to relate to this feeling. This will probably be a story for another post as well.

I’m looking forward to writing! This time I’m committing myself to this blog. Those who know me (who really know me) understand the need I have to start writing for real. The blog is just the beginning…