In the spirit of transparency….I’m a bit scary. Ok, so I am actually scary scary. I don’t do scary movies. Not a fan of scary shows. As badly as I want to watch Lovecraft, I probably never will. You will NEVER find me in anybody’s haunted house or serious horror film. There are movies that I watched as a child that I have yet to watch again as a whole adult. Why? Because…they…scaaarrreddd meeeeeeee!! Furthermore, because I am who I am, when I do feel fear, I feel it completely. I feel it strongly. In the spirit of dramatics, I don’t know if I’m even capable of being a little scared anymore; I’m either fine or petrified. So imagine the joy, the comfort, the peace I felt when I was reading 1 Samuel 2 and realized….I have nothing to fear.

I am the (self-proclaimed) queen of confirmation. I have probably asked God to confirm everything He’s ever said to me. It’s lowkey a wonder that he’s still dealing with me (lol). (*cue…you* “why Valencia?) Well, have you ever heard the phrase ‘if God said it, I believe it, & that settles it’? That if has caused me great concern throughout my life. Because….what if He didn’t? What if my grand imagination just sounds like something I wish God would allow to happen? I don't want to walk around putting faith in the great stories I create in my head; those could fail any day of the week. I want to put my faith in what God actually said. Thankfully, He’s gone to great lengths to show me that He is speaking & that Im not making up a fabulous story. One of those ‘lengths’ is Hebrews 10:23….

Honesty moment: so, when I started writing this, I was convinced that I was going to base it on Isaiah 59:19. Then, I realized that scripture doesn’t mean what I thought it meant (lesson/purpose of this intro: this is why we study the word for ourselves, saints). Yet, I found another scripture that essentially speaks to the same point (thanks God, because I was starting to think I was insane/incompetent). Today’s ram in the bush: Psalm 3:3.

​Mark 4:35 tells a story that most church people are familiar with, but it's been a minute since I gave a Valencia Version translation, so....walk with me. Jesus has been doing...Jesus things: giving people the absolute business about what God and His kingdom are really like. Once He's done, He turns to the disciples & says "let's take a trip." They hop in a few boats....and all is well...until hell breaks loose (because that's the usual protocol when you do what Jesus tells you to do). They're in the middle of a body of water, and winds get high, water is everywhere (including in the boat), and Jesus.....is asleep.

Last week, God fussed at me (He does that occasionally….or often…who’s to say). I had gotten impatient, moved too quickly (I’m really good at that), and stuck my hand in His plan. He made the promise, He gave the instruction, and…I may or may not have been aiming for extra credit, and I don’t think that move had high approval ratings in Heaven. While He was fussing, He said something that…sparked something in me (that’s so God by the way lol). He asked me a question that He now wants me to ask you: do you want it bad enough to wait for it? ​

I will be the first to admit that I’m kinda sorta…extremely childish at times. I laugh at a lot of things that I probably shouldn’t laugh at. My sarcasm turns into a childish joke (or…5). I have natural childishness down to every tee; it’s the spiritual childishness that I struggle with (surprising, right?)….

“I haven’t called you to perfection, but I have called you to purpose.” That’s what God said to me in one of my recent ‘chit chats with Christ’. In a way, it was funny because it’s one of those things that I knew….yet felt like I’d just learned all because of how & when He said it (He does that so often with me lol)….

A few days ago, a really bad storm came made its way across my city. Sirens were going off all over the place. Winds were at around 65 mph. It sounded like the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans were being released over my little home…and I’m sitting on the couch, giving Jesus a concert, reading for my next class. Then, it randomly occurred to me that I was awfully peaceful for somebody who could possibly be caught up in a tornado. I mean, I wasn’t panicking at all. If the sound of the storm did anything, it soothed me, and made me want a nap (which is partially why I gave Jesus the concert). All of that made me wonder about life (because that’s what I do lol), and about the storms that we face on a daily basis. What if I (well, we…I don’t want to be alone here lol) faced my spiritual storms the way I faced the physical storms? 

​So, Christmas is over. Everybody has their presents. We (myself included) are all at home playing with our new Apple, Samsung, etc. products. The hype is falling, and just before practicality sets in.....it's time for New Year's Eve (and THE day). So we have something else to be hype about. Soon, we'll be hearing a lot of 'new year, new me', but I believe that now, God is is saying 'new year, new things', and that's great, but......let's just get to it. 

Malachi 3:6 says, “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” The minute I read this, God started talking to me, and I’m simply here as a middleman, encouraging you the way He encouraged me.