All posts tagged: Christ

Laptop from Heaven

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On December 10, 2024, I had another spiritual encounter—one that tested my faith and taught me about trust in the unseen.

That afternoon, I had returned home after running errands at a hardware store. As I unloaded my purchases, I made a startling discovery: my laptop case, which I always carry with me due to the important information stored inside, was missing. Panic set in immediately. I frantically retraced my steps, remembering that I never leave my laptop in my vehicle. Surely, it must have been lost somewhere between the checkout counter and my vehicle.

As I unloaded my purchases, I made a startling discovery: my laptop case, which I always carry with me due to the important information stored inside, was missing. Panic set in immediately. I frantically retraced my steps, remembering that I never leave my laptop in the car.

I quickly called the store, hoping someone had turned in a laptop case. But their response was disheartening: no one had reported finding one. Filled with anxiety, I drove back to the store to check for myself.

When I arrived at the Customer Service desk, they confirmed what I feared: no sign of my laptop case. Determined not to give up, I scoured the entire parking lot, examining every cart in sight. But despite my efforts, the case—and my laptop—was nowhere to be found. Throughout the day, I called the store multiple times, hoping for good news. Each time, the answer was the same: no, nothing had been turned in.

Desperate, I decided to file a police report. The detective assigned to my case was empathetic and assured me he would do everything in his power to find out what had happened. He even followed up several times to gather more details. His concern brought some comfort, but the worry still gnawed at me.

Later that night, I managed to reach the store manager. He told me that the police had already contacted him, and he had alerted all of his employees to keep an eye out. He promised to let me know if anything turned up.

That night was agonizing. I spent hours remotely clearing sensitive files, trying to protect my personal and business accounts from potential identity theft. My mind raced as I considered the implications of losing so much valuable information. Sleep was elusive, as I battled with thoughts of what could happen.

The next morning, I woke up with my mind still in turmoil. Yet, amidst the chaos, I held onto the words of Jesus: “Do not worry.” I repeated this to myself over and over, convincing myself that somehow, everything would be alright. I didn’t know how, but I trusted that it would.

An hour after arriving at my office, the phone rang. My heart skipped a beat when I saw that it was the hardware store calling. I just knew they had found my laptop. Sure enough, the voice on the other end confirmed it—the case had been located.

Later that afternoon, I rushed back to the store with a mixture of hope and relief. As I walked down the aisle, I spotted a woman approaching me, her face warm with a smile—and in her hands was my laptop case. In that moment, all the anxiety and fear melted away. I thanked her profusely and asked where they had found it. She explained that an employee had discovered the case late the previous night, abandoned in a cart at the back of the store. I smiled and, overwhelmed with gratitude, said, “I believe in miracles.” She grinned and responded softly, “Merry Christmas.

Standing there, holding my laptop, I felt more than just relief. I was reminded that, even in the most uncertain and worrisome moments, there’s a greater plan at work—one that I may not always see, but I can trust.

In the days that followed, I spent time in conversation with the Lord, reflecting on why He allowed this to happen and what lessons I needed to learn. As I thought about the sequence of events, it seemed impossible that a person collecting carts could have missed my laptop case. The store had been thoroughly searched, every employee notified, and even the police had gotten involved. Yet, despite all that, the case was found.

I choose to believe that God returned my laptop, whether it had been stolen or simply left behind. The most curious part is that I cannot clearly remember whether I left it in the cart or if someone took it while I was shopping. What I do know is that my prayers changed the outcome, and God showed me favor in how the story ended.

This was not the first time such an incident had occurred. It was the third. On each occasion, something I had lost was returned to me, always with details too unexplainable to ignore. There is no doubt in my heart that divine intervention is real.

Praise God, and I am grateful to the angels who assist and protect me.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Thank You, Jesus!

Merlin GonzalesLaptop from Heaven
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Lesson learned from trimming vines

No, this is not about how to trim vines growing on your brick wall.

First of all, it’s a lot of work to have vines growing on your walls. However, it is pretty. My wife always tells me that we have the most gorgeous house in our little community. So, I have a mantra that I recite when trimming the vines… “I love my wife, I love my wife, I love my wife…” This is about life’s application based on simple practical reflection. During Spring, our Boston Ivy grows like the vine at Jack and the Beanstalk. Throughout the years, I have had to trim it at least 4 times! Yesterday, I decided to trim it for the 2nd time this year. I was very meticulous. Then, after I finished the entire trimming, I noticed a small vine that I missed!!

You can be so particular in details and miss the big picture. This is similar in life, we can be so into the nitty-gritty, and in the end, our wasted exhausting emotion was not necessary.

Let’s not go too extreme on this notion. Details are very important in life.

My message is Balance. We are imperfect people living in an imperfect world. It’s ok to be imperfectly perfect. There’s always room for improvement, learning, and acknowledging our humanity. It is more exciting to know that there are always new things to learn as we go through life being imperfect than assuming we have arrived at perfection.

Merlin GonzalesLesson learned from trimming vines
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You are Not the center of it all…

I received a call in September 2021.

It was a surprise call. ” Would you like to go to Israel…, all expenses paid?“, a friend of mine asked. I thought he was kidding! No one would offer someone an all-expenses paid 10-day trip to Israel, especially, I haven’t heard from him for a while.

It was for real!

After exchanging phone calls with my friend, I knew it was for real. However, I tried not to be too excited because it was too good to be true. In spite of my feelings, I went ahead and prepared everything for the trip in December – my passport, my credentials and everything. However, just 2 weeks before we were to depart, the COVID restriction did not allow us to leave.

I was bummed out!

This is not going to happen

I was right“, I said to myself affirming that this trip was not going to happen. I was bummed out nonetheless. Then right after Christmas, my wife and I contracted Covid. Then in late January, my hope was renewed when I received an email from the sponsoring ministry – @IsraelCollective that we are going to Israel on Feb. 7th!

My hopes suddenly raised up to higher expectations!

On Feb. 7th, 2022, I found myself in an airplane en route to New York on to Israel.

At Mt. Of Beatitudes overlooking the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan Riven and Bethsaida.

Days later, I was taking pictures of the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, Jerusalem, the Temple walls, Bethlehem, etc.

Perhaps I will share with you more of the details of my trip but this blog is not about my trip…

… it is about what God is doing in our lives.

It was not solely about the journey

I believe in popular saying to enjoy the journey. However, after my wonderful journey to the Holy Land, I found out it was not so much about the trip…

… it was about God’s message to me. It was not about the location but about the condition of my heart… about my personal relationship with Jesus. Although I can say that I walked where Jesus walked and proved to myself that there is a Dead Sea and the Mt. of Olives, what hit me the most was “the Jesus in flesh” – the people who chose to be in a land where most people thought it was a peaceful place, a holy place in the earth.

On contrary

Most of us thought Israel is a peaceful place to live. It is not! While I was there, Syrians launched missile to Israel but they intercepted it. We visited the borders of Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip… I can tell you from what I gathered, Israel is in turmoil more than the US. As Steve Khoury, a second generation Pastor of the largest Arab Evangelical church in east Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories, wrote in his book, “It the Backyard of Jesus” Close encounters with death haunt me everyday, keeping me in touch with the reality that without Christ my battle is already lost.

However, I felt safe walking alone at night in the small and dark streets of Jerusalem or Tel Aviv than the streets of Indianapolis, the surrounding countries are at war against them. Somehow, the rich history of Israel, mainly the Jews in the Old Testament, the birth of Jesus and the expansion of Christianity, the Muslim conquest of the Levant that led to the submission of Jerusalem in 637-638 AD, the series of religious wars or the Crusade that started in 1099 AD and countless religious, political and cultural interactions, the inhabitants learned to live in diversity.

Our lives

There are random things that happen to our lives and we try our best to fit them in our small boxes. Sometimes we make our judgment based on our limited perception and experience. We live a world where ourselves come first before others. However, the Scripture says we should honor others – It is better to give than to receive, to be first, you have to be the last, treat others as you would want to be treated…

God is the center of the universe, not us.

So in this short  message, I hope that you saw what God is doing in our midst. He is omnipresent and knows what we are going through in our lives. You and I are not the center of the universe… it is God!

Merlin GonzalesYou are Not the center of it all…
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One of the worst times in my life

It was in late August 2019.

Things seem normal at the office. A mailman came to have me sign Certified letters. While reading the letter, my heart started to pound harder and faster. At the end of the letter, I did not know what to say. My mind was confused and my physical body lost strength.

In the days to come, I found out I was a victim of fraud. The person I trusted for almost 4 years, the person I prayed for, the person I counseled to work on his marriage, the person I brought to my house for dinner a few times,  the person I loved as a brother has been betraying me.

After a few months of legal procedures, my organization lost thousands of dollars. I went into depression and blamed myself. My leaders consoled me because they were fooled as well (although some joined the organization after I started working with the individual.)

I questioned God. I prayed, I worshipped, I spoke with my confidants, I cried. I thank my wife for being there to listen to me, to encourage me and to lift up my spirit in the midst of the dark situation.

In spite of this tragedy, my relationship with the leaders of my organization got even better and the foundation of trust got stronger as we worked together in the process. They believe in me!

During the following months, God showed up in my life in many different ways. I learned things that I would have not learned without the incident. I found out that in the midst of seemingly bad situations, our hearts and our minds could see things differently.

Out of desperation, our hearts become more open to hear what God has been saying to us. Our eyes become clearer and enable us to see the moves of God. Out of the dark situations in life, wisdom arises.

A brighter perspective

I found out also that in times of adversity, we become resilient. Our perspectives are sharpened as we deal with unforeseen circumstances. Our spirit yields to God as He teaches us His ways and builds our character and faith.

Miracles along the way

Miracles seem to come more frequently, as if God is saying, “I’ve got you!” Literally, there were times when unexpected provisions and resources would come and would surprise both my wife and me.

Although we lost a lot of money, what hurt me the most was the betrayal. It is still hard for me to fathom how an individual could do such a thing to a person who trusted him and loved him.

God is with me all the time

Dwelling on it was not my priority. Instead, the incident drew me closer to God. I meditated more on the Word of God and His promises. I worshipped more and I got closer to God. Although I made the mistake of not doing my due diligence at the start of my working relationship with the perpetrator, I matured in dealing with people.

I learned many things in the process and took a lot of notes about it. Sometimes, I think that God had allowed it to happen to me so I could pass along the teaching to others. It would have been worse if this occurrence happened to others who would grow bitter and resentful to others.

Although I forgave the person, I know God is the final Judge and He promised in the Bible that revenge in His – “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” – Romans 12:9 (NIV)

It took me a while to decide to write this. I wrote this as a precaution for you and as an encouragement for those who were victims of this person and also victims of a similar issue. (Just a few days ago, I spoke with an individual who worked with him during the same time period and he did the same thing to her.)

I pray for this person that he would wake up from the lies of the enemy. I pray for his family, his innocent children who knew nothing of his way of life which could affect their future.

I thank those who have been with me in this process. I thank our family friends who provided not only prayers and moral support but also financial help. And lastly, I thank my wife for being there for me and for believing in me.

As I am still processing this unfortunate incident, I realize how God’s grace protected me; it could have been worse. God is always with those who love Him and fear Him.

As I read the Beatitudes I am starting to understand – that one of the worse things that happened to me could be one of the best things that could happen in my life.

 

God bless you,

Merlin

 

 

Merlin GonzalesOne of the worst times in my life
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Session 1: Introduction to a study on Living in God’s Dominion here on Earth

Session1601

Two nights before the first session, we were blessed by IHOPE ministry through leading a prophetic and intercessory worship.

Prophetic and Intercessory worship

Prophetic and Intercessory worship

Wonderful worship led by Tree of Life Ministries

Wonderful worship led by Tree of Life Ministries

Then, Tree of Life Ministries blessed us with their worship at the start of our first session!

For our Second session, Lirios de los Valles (Lilies of the Valleys church) will lead the worship. Worship is a part of this class.

Psalm 22:3, “Yet you are holy,
    enthroned on the praises of Israel.” 

All the class participants had the opportunity to introduce themselves and to get to know each other. The class is designed to be relational, interactive and conversational. It will also include group discussions, contemplation, assignments and practical/experiential application of the Biblical principles and values.

What would our neighborhoods look like if we could say, "The Kingdom of God is here"

What would our neighborhoods look like if we could say, “The Kingdom of God is here”

“We will challenge ourselves to be in situations where our only option is to rely on God.”

Our main Scripture for Session 1 was Luke 17:20-21, “Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’because the kingdom of God is in your midst.

Assignment for Session 2

Session Two

Session Two

  • Read pages 1-22 of “The Kingdom In Our Midst”
  • If you were given a chance of a lifetime, what would you do for your community? __________________________
  • What would our communities look like if we could say, “The Kingdom of God is here”

Contemplation: How does your awareness limit your experience of the Kingdom? ____________________________

Experiential: Begin a journal titled “My Spiritual Journey”

Listen to Session 1

Part 1: 

Part 1

Part 2:

Part 2

God bless you!

Merlin

Merlin GonzalesSession 1: Introduction to a study on Living in God’s Dominion here on Earth
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