October- breast cancer awareness month

Today marks the beginning of breast cancer awareness month.

Ladies please ask your health care provider about breast cancer screening especially if you have a family history of breast cancer, African American or over the age of 40 years old. 

Men encourage the women you know to go get screened.

If you are a survivor- please take the opportunity to share your story and encourage another woman who may be struggling at the moment with breast cancer.

Facts about Breast Cancer in the United States

•        One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.

•        Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women.

•        Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women.

•        Each year it is estimated that over 220,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die.

•        Although breast cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,150 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 410 will die each year.

Retrieved from: http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-facts

Symptoms of breast cancer vary from person to person. Some common breast cancer signs and symptoms include:

•        Skin changes, such as swelling, redness, or other visible differences in one or both breasts

•        An increase in size or change in shape of the breast(s)

•        Changes in the appearance of one or both nipples

•        Nipple discharge other than breast milk

•        General pain in/on any part of the breast

•        Lumps or nodes felt on or inside of the breast

Symptoms more specific to invasive breast cancer are as follows:

•        Irritated or itchy breasts

•        Change in breast color

•        Increase in breast size or shape (over a short period of time)

•        Changes in touch (may feel hard, tender or warm)

•        Peeling or flaking of the nipple skin

•        A breast lump or thickening

•        Redness or pitting of the breast skin (like the skin of an orange)

Retrieved from: http://www.cancercenter.com/breast-cancer

Vilma

The Pope is coming to town

It is very interesting to see the months of preparation that there has been in Philadelphia in anticipation of the arrival of Pope Francis. If the truth be told I did not even realize that Pope Francis was also going to be in Washington, DC as well as in New York City. It would seem that all I was hearing on the news was “Pope Francis is coming to Philadelphia.” It is a very exciting time I am sure for the city as not only will they be honored to have the Pope there, but there is also the meeting of families. With these two events thousands of people will be converging on the city, some just to get a glimpse of Pope Francis. What a boost this will be for the economy of the city as no doubt all the hotels will be filled to capacity, the restaurants will be overwhelmed and the merchants will no doubt be having a boom in sales. This is absolutely fantastic.

As I reflect on all of this I cannot help but think about the stark difference between the coming of the Pope to America and the return of Jesus Christ.  The preparation of His coming has been for thousands of Years, not just over months to a year. This preparation has nothing to do with the external (clean sidewalks, freshly painted buildings, beautiful meeting rooms, and well secured areas), instead the preparation for the return of Jesus Christ is all internal- a preparation of hearts.  With the coming of Pope Francis the majority of events will require tickets to attend. Many not being able to get a ticket will stand outside of restricted areas to get just a glimpse of him. Unfortunately the majority of America will not see Pope Francis. However with the return of Jesus Christ- all eyes will behold Him- that is the entire world. The dead in Christ will rise first, then those who are alive and remain will be caught up to meet Him in the air. There will be no restriction by social standing, education, position in the church or by race- the only criteria is that you are “born again”, washed in the blood of the lamb. This by far supersedes any other “coming to America”.

In His Service,

Vilma

Trust in the Lord

I hope all is well with you and your family. For those with younger children, I can imagine how busy these last couple of weeks have been with "back to school shopping". Having had those days myself, I do understand it all, but don't have an envious bone in my body at the moment about you doing it :)

As part of your "back to school" preparation, please include a time of prayer and fasting for your children also. Whether they are at home or away at college they constantly need the divine protection of God. There is so much that they have to contend with, We need to pray that they make the right choices at all times and not fall to peer pressure.
 

 Having said all this let me leave a couple verses with you from Proverbs 3:5-6- Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.  

 What have you been trusting God for? Another child, a relationship, a better marriage, a job, your own home, completing school? Well don't stop trusting God to bring it to manifestation. Trust requires submission- your will, emotions, feelings and intellect. These are the things that gets in the way when what you have asked God for is not coinciding with what it seems like God is actually doing. As these verses tell us acknowledge God in everything you do and allow Him to direct your path. We tend to acknowledge Him after we make our move, rather than before. It is like you seeing someone you know and they look at you, but do not acknowledge you. How do you feel? Well God does not want us to be saying we are walking with Him and then totally ignore Him in all our decision making. Acknowledge that He is there with you, and is working on your behalf behind the scenes.

Acknowledge that He knows what is the best path for you, acknowledge that He loves you, acknowledge His attributes, Acknowledge that He keeps His promises and that He is not a man that He should lie. It then makes it so much easier to act when we know these things.

 Please remember to send any prayer request that you may have- nothing is too small or too large for God. You can email me at mpush810@gmail.com

In His Service,

Vilma

Follow His Lead

I trust all is well with you and your family and that you are enjoying the summer so far. For those who may be experiencing sweltering heat, please make sure that you keep as cool as possible- drinking plenty of water and using sunscreen lotion is always a plus.

  As for me and the family, we are doing well. We recently returned from a well -deserved vacation in Jamaica. I broke all my rules and ate so much food including my favorite Devon house ice cream, I came back quite a few pounds heavier, but quite refreshed and re-energized. From time to time we all need to take a break and get refreshed and strengthen.
  
I cannot help but reflect on a well-known passage from Psalm 23-
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.
 
The words "He makes me lie down" - suggest something done by force. Jesus our Shepherd realizes that if He does not force us to lie down and rest, we would keep going until we fall over from exhaustion. Being the wise, caring compassionate  and loving Shepherd he is, He finds us the ideal places - green pastures- not only can we rest but our needs are taken care of.
 
Don't you find it very calming when you sit beside a quiet pond, river or pool? It is times like this that we are able to meditate, reflect and eventually we drift off in sleep. It is in our quiet moments that Jesus is able to get our full attention. He is able to have meaningful conversations with us and by the end of it all our souls are refreshed and we leave strengthened.
 
  Why not pause for a moment and be strengthened? Cast your cares on Him. Follow where He leads, He knows the path- potholes and all. Do not stop along the way or try to wander, the green pastures and still waters are up ahead.

 Please remember to send any prayer request that you may have- nothing is too small or too large for God. You can email me at mpush810@gmail.com

 
In His Service,
 
Vilma

God's Word is supreme

Happy 4th of July to you and your family. As usual it is such a pleasure writing to you. I trust that you and your the family have been doing well and that you are continue to exercise strong faith in the promises of God.

 

It is so easy with all that we hear happening in the news to give up hope and call it quits, but instead we have to stand firm. As Jesus prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail, He is also praying for you and I that our faith will not fail (Luke 22:31-32).

 

I am sure you are aware of the incident in Charleston, South Carolina, where 9 people were brutally killed while attending bible study.  Can you imagine this would happen in the church? I am sure that security has beefed up in most churches because of this, but we cannot lock the doors of the church because if we do so then we may be also locking out that sinner who needs salvation, or that person seeking prayer. Instead let us pray for the spirit of discernment so that we are able to discern the wolves among us and take the right actions.

 

One other thing that happened since we last spoke was the decision by the supreme court granting the right of same sex marriage in all 50 states. The rainbow colors came out all over the country including the white house being lit with the colors of the rainbow.

 

We must however remember to continue to demonstrate God's love for those who engage in this behavior. Just as God loves the sinner but hate the sin we must also practice this concept. The supreme court is the highest court of the land but it still falls very low when compared with the word of God which supersedes every other decision in this world. 

 

When I see the rainbow, I do not think about gays and Lesbians, instead it reminds me of God's covenant promise to the Noah that would be for generations to come (Genesis 9) "Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

 Let me encourage you all not to become complacent or lukewarm. Let us continue to stand on the promises of God for you and your children. Do not give up hope or get anxious and unsettled. Trust in God and demonstrate this trust for your children to see and follow. Never allow a day to go by without lifting up your children before God and asking that He will bestow upon them Godly wisdom to make righteous decisions from day to day.

 

The kingdom of God suffers violence, join in with the violent and take it back by force.

 

Please remember to send any prayer request that you may have- nothing is too small or too large for God. You can email me at mpush810@gmail.com

 

In His Service,

 

Vilma

Identifying the enemy

In order to go to battle we need to know who our enemy is. We need to know who we are getting ready to fight. We need to know their strategy; we need to know the kind of weapons to use. We need weapons that will be effective at hitting the target.

 So many times we hear about people being shot because of mistaken identity. At other times we hear about people being shot or injured because they were "at the wrong place at the wrong time"

As Christian mothers we are always engaged in battle for the lives and souls of our children. We have to be constantly on the alert and be accurate in identifying the enemy that we are battling and be precise with our aim.

Ephesians 6:12 tells us that we are not wrestling against Flesh and blood. Instead we are in a wrestling match with principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places. These are the kind of enemies that we need to be very strategic with.

Our children act up most times not of their own will; neither are they acting up because of their friends or your neighbor. They are all being used by Satan to create havoc in your life and theirs. Remember that Satan is constantly going around looking for people that he can devour. He will not hesitate to pull out every trick from under his hat to get what he wants. He is ruthless.

Unfortunately we cannot use carnal means like guns and knives or stick and stones to fight back. II Cor. 10:4 reminds us that our weapons have divine power to demolish strongholds.

One of the most powerful weapons that we have is prayer. Target prayers can certainly "pack a punch" What am I saying? Wake up from your slumber and keep praying for and with your children. Don't get mad at them - turn your anger to the real enemy SATAN.

In His Service,

Vilma

He knows my name

How many times do we meet someone and we recognize their face, but cannot remember their name? Or how many times people see you, speak to you and have no clue what your name is? Some do not even care or even wish to know your name. How does it make you feel, ignored, not important enough, bothered, or disappointed.  Perhaps you attribute it to a "memory issue" or something not worth a second thought. Whatever your emotion, don't dwell on it- somebody that matters know your name.

 You are perhaps saying well, my family knows my name, that is true but do they always call you by your name?  Sometimes not, My mother in particular would call me my sister's name and vice versa. So there goes that reasoning.

 But now, this is what the LORD says-- he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine (Isaiah 43:1).

 

It is reassuring to be reminded that The Lord knows us by name. Although He is aware of our natural name, He also knows us according to our purpose or calling.  Regardless of how long ago He heard your voice or had a conversation with you, He will never forget who you are neither will he forget who your children are.  What is more amazing is that He adopted us as sons and daughters and gave us His name.

Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made (Isaiah 43:7).

 Let me leave you with Israel Houghton's song, I am not forgotten, He knows my name.
 

 Do you have a prayer request? I would be honored to help you pray- you can email me at mpush810@gmail.com

 

In His Service,

 

Vilma