By Danny A. Hernaez
Greetings!
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
If there is one thing that is consistent throughout Scripture, it is this: God calls people when they are not ready. God will never call you into service when you think you are ready. This is intentional on God’s part.
And, you can be sure when God calls you, you will have similar responses as Saul did when he was called to be the first king, or …

by Danny A. Hernaez
Greetings!
“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12)
I love Stacie Orrico’s song “Don’t Look at me.” She sings, “Don’t look at me if you’re looking for perfection. Don’t look at me, I will only let you down. I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction. Don’t look at me, look at Him.”
These lyrics remind me of a resounding theme I noticed recently in Mark 15:9-10, Matthew 23:1-39 and Luke 18:9-14: leaders who shined …

By Danny Hernaez

Greetings from Frisco TX!
Just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us – see that you also excel in this grace of giving. (2 Corinthians 8:7)
Dr. F. W. Meyer once commented on this verse, saying, “Probably there is no greater test of our true religion than our behavior in giving. How few, comparatively, give in proportion to their income! How few give systematically! How few have learned the joy and luxury of giving, so …

by Danny Hernaez

Greetings!
“The person that serves you like a servant is the greatest person among you. Every person that makes himself better than other people will be made humble. Every person that makes himself humble will be made great.” (Matthew 23:11-12)
Humility is a greatly under-emphasized quality among humans.
We don’t know what it means. We don’t know how to appreciate it. We don’t know how to do it. And we are not all that sure we want to have it.
Culturally we’re much more drawn to the energetic, dynamic, charismatic, crowd-drawing leader. …

By Danny Hernaez

Greetings!
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness…” (Romans 8:26)
Have you ever been in a situation that seemed like such a mess you simply couldn’t make sense of it? Like trying to straighten out a tangled necklace, you wonder how in heavens’ name did all these knots get kinked and twisted and pulled so tight. And in the midst of trying to untangle a knot on one side you inadvertently form another on the other end. It is frustrating when this happens with a piece …

By Danny Hernaez

“Today salvation has come to this house … For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:1-10)
So what’s the purpose of the church? Over the years, we have oscillated back and forth between two different perspectives: The church exists to be a fortress for the saved to call each other away from sin and toward God. And, the church exists to be a front porch for the lost to come and meet God and find a home with him.
But which is …

by Danny Hernaez
Greetings from Houston TX!
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life. (Philippians 2:14-16)
Stars.
They have always been a source of constant hope for God’s people. “Your descendants will be like the stars,” God told Abraham. “When I see the stars, what is man that you are mindful of him?” the Psalms ask. The Wise men …

by Danny Hernaez
Greetings from the Philippines!
“…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11b)
Have you ever noticed how overextending yourself tends to bring unwanted pressure into your life? I think we tend to busy ourselves in order to gain more, find acceptance among peers, land a better position, and gain riches of all kinds. Perhaps we live under the illusion that having such riches is what makes a person complete, content, and deliriously happy. Yet, when we discover that’s not the case, we’re left feeling empty and …

By Danny Hernaez
Greetings from the Philippines!
I like the notion of “fresh starts” and “second chances.” How about you? Did your fall semester in college or graduate school end on a low note? The spring semester that starts in a few days is a fresh start for you.
Was last year a tough one at work? Did you lose a job? Have to move your family from a place everybody really liked to a new location? One way to cope is to think of what you can gain rather than what you’ve …

By Danny Hernaez

Greetings!
The very term “bureaucratic encumbrance” is oppressive, isn’t it? It is hard for me to say aloud. My tongue seems to protest it, and my lips are hardly supple enough to make the necessary moves to say it clearly. But the really oppressive thing is to have to labor under the layers of bureaucracy that seems to encumber (i.e., burden, weigh down) progress. Have you ever worked for a company that was so thick with systems, rules, and administration that it was like a once-sturdy tree now …

By Danny Hernaez
Greetings!
This season provides an excellent opportunity for us to address a common problem for joy-seeking people: how do we deal with those who would rob us of our joy? So, these suggestions are offered from one who strives to be more joyful, longs to help bring joy to people, and wants to hold on to the joy that is found only in Jesus Christ.
First, commit to memory these words. Recite them. Sing them often. Listen to them regularly (even when it’s not December).
Joy to the World, the …

by Danny Hernaez

Greetings!
“After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.” (Job 42:10)
Have you ever been wrongly judged? Have you ever had people assume there was sin in your life because of the troubles you may have experienced? Or perhaps they judged your motives as wrong. What if the people judging you were your closest friends?
This was exactly what happened in the life of Job. His friends did not understand how a godly person could ever …

By Danny Hernaez
Greetings from Frisco TX! (dancing with the beautiful baby Olivia J)
“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’” (Luke 2:10-11)
My office staff no longer buys presents for each individual person. At our annual gatherings, we have a “white elephant” gift exchange. Instead of a separate gift for each person, …

by Danny Hernaez
Greetings!
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! (Luke 2:14)
One of the most startling revelations of NASA’s first ventures to the moon came in the form of photographs of earth. The most famous showed the earth like a fragile blue ball hanging in the black night of space. It was simultaneously a reminder of how isolated our outpost is in the vastness of the universe, yet how special it is: blue oceans contrasted with white covering clouds say “life” like no other …