I was enjoying my vacation last May, traveling to the USA. At that time, I already knew that God wanted me to quit my job, but I was still asking for signs to confirm it.

My sister was with me, and we wanted to go to a christian bookstore before we left for Brazil, so we got a couple of addresses from a website and used the GPS to get there. The first one was closed, so we went to the second one.

There we were, and after I finished browsing through the DVD section, I got to the books section.

For many years, first with my old Palm device, then with Kindle (first, the app in my iPhone and then the physical Kindle), I got used to reading ebooks. The convenience of reading my books wherever I am, and the fact that I live in an apartment which has no room left for books led me to stop buying “paper” books.

So there I was, next to the books stands, and since I wasn’t going to buy any books, I just stood there waiting for my sister.

Then I saw a book, it was on the second shelf of books about five meters (16 feet) away from me. I couldn’t tell the title from where I was standing, but there was something about it. Out of lots of books around me, that one seemed to be calling me. I needed to check it out.

Memories from the past can be a blessing, but they can also be a curse. It all depends on how we handle them.

A few days ago I watched a rerun of an episode of the TV show House M.D. In that episode, the patient was a woman who had an unusual abnormality: she had a perfect memory.

She could recall anything that happened in her life, every word spoken, details about the objects and people around her, what she felt, everything about every single day. She worked as a waitress, and she could remember everything each person ordered, not only in a specific day, but ever!

At first, I thought she was blessed. Can you imagine having such a “gift”? It sounded awesome.

Have you ever been to a beautiful place and felt like you didn’t belong there, that you were disrupting nature somehow?

I’ve just returned from a trip to Campos do Jordão, a beautiful city in the mountains of the state of São Paulo, about 3 hours from São Paulo city. It is a peaceful and quiet place surrounded by nature.

One day I went up a small hill that has a beautiful view (check out the photo above). While I was there, taking pictures and admiring God’s amazing work, I got upset because of the insects flying around. There weren’t many of them, but every now and then one of them flew near me, which completely disrupted my contemplation.

Today I start a new category in this blog called “Make a Difference”.

As I’ve shared with you in my previous post, as I read the book “The Unlikely Missionary: From Pew-Warmer to Poverty-Fighter” by Dan King (from BibleDude.net), I realized that I could use this blog to share how we can help people and causes and make a difference in other people’s lives. And it is easier than one might think, actually.

The first post I wrote with this focus was The ugly reality of famine, for Blog Action Day 2001, inspired by an idea from Dan King’s book. If you haven’t read that post yet, please do so. You will be amazed at how easy it is to help, even if you have no money to give.

And now I will share with you a cause that is dear to my heart: adoption.

Have you ever seen a book title and subtitle and wished for a moment that that book was written about you, that it depicted your life in one single line?

That’s what I felt when I first saw the title of this book: “The Unlikely Missionary: From Pew-Warmer to Poverty-Fighter” by Dan King (from BibleDude.net).

I had this strong feeling that I wanted to be that person that changed from being a “pew-warmer” to becoming a “poverty-fighter”.

As some of you know, I’ve recently quit my job and I am now finding my new path in life (career-wise speaking). And it seems that it will have something to do with helping people, fighting poverty and/or missions. Maybe that’s why that book title spoke so deeply to me. So I prayed about it, of course, and as soon as the book was released I bought it.

Whenever you have a goal to reach, you develop a strategy to get there. You gather data, analyze it and plan your actions.

If someone talk to you about their strategy, you might be able to understand and see how they got it, even though you might not agree with it.

However, when we look at God’s strategies, they usually don’t make much sense to us at first.

For example, let’s look at the conquest of Jericho (Joshua chapter 6).

Jericho was the first city the israelites needed to conquest upon entering the promised land. However, they knew that the people who lived there were very tall and strong, powerful warriors, and the city itself was a fortress, it was virtually impossible to just break in.

“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18)

This is what a rich young ruler wanted to know. He claimed to be a good person and to follow all God’s commandments, but he still felt that it wasn’t enough. So when he met with Jesus, he asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life.

Maybe you’re asking the same question now…

When Jesus answered, his answer disappointed the young man: “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Luke 18:22)

We often hear people saying that everyone is a child of God, usually meaning that God has to protect and bless everyone no matter what. However, according to the Bible, this statement is not true. Everyone is God’s creation, but not everyone is a child of God.

The first and only child of God was Jesus, as I explained in this earlier post. It was Jesus who created the possibility for other people to become children of God, those who believe in him and receive him, through faith (check John 1:12,13 and Galatians 3:26).

The people who make this decision become children of God by adoption, and through this adoption we become God’s heirs, as Paul explains it:

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:14-17)

Back in Jesus’ days, no one used the expression “children of God” about anyone else (the jewish people were known collectively as “the people of God”). That’s why they were so offended when Jesus claimed to be the son of God.

They understood exactly what he meant. If he was saying he was the son of God, he meant that he was born of God, that he was the same as God.

Take a look at these verses (emphasis added by me):

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (Matthew 1:20-23)

“I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)

“Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?” (John 10:36)

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:61,62)

Have you ever made a resolution to do something, then after a while you gave up on it? Or maybe you didn’t even started… We’ve all been there.

One of the most common resolutions among Christians is to read the entire Bible through. Not all people I know were able to finish it.

Years ago, when I (truly) got converted, I decided to read the entire Bible. I figured that if I say that I believe the Bible is the one and only true revelation of God, His Word, and my reference for living my life, I should know what it says, right?