Category: Community

Interview with an Indian-American Christian Woman: Part 2

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My conversation with Anu Skariah became very honest very quickly… I asked Anu, “How does religion influence your culture and marriage?” Anu: “Christ is at the foundation of my marriage; however, I wasn’t raised that way. There were some traditional things that my husband and I bypassed because we saw that they were rooted in the Hindu religion. Although we did have a traditional Orthodox Christian wedding, some of the elements of the wedding had a Hindu tracing. When our children were born there were things that our families expected us to do, but that we declined because we saw that they were rooted in the Hindu religion. One such practice is that the […]

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Children of Christ, Community

Dominant Influences of My Cultural Shaping Part 4: External Influences

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I didn’t have a complete picture of my racial identity until I became a Christian, I was twenty-one years old. I don’t remember anyone taking me by the hand and mentoring me until the age of twenty-three, when I met my pastor Ismael Vargas. He modelled for me how he takes his Puerto-Rican American culture and roots it in Christ. I once shared with him I didn’t feel adequate because I’m Hispanic and a woman. His response blew my mind. He said, “Yes, you are Hispanic and a woman, but you are a Hispanic woman of God. You belong to God and any door is closed or opened by God. […]

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Children of Christ, Community, Men and Women, Prejudice~Injustice~Racism~Segregation

Dominant Influences of My Cultural Shaping Part 3: My Racial Identity Formation

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My process in racial identity development was not fully clear as I grew up, there might have been some aspects that were unknown, such as, I was not consciously aware of my Spaniard heritage. I blended the Mexican and Spaniard cultures into one. I grew up loving flamenco and it is still a favorite dance and music genre, but I used to think it was just Mexican. I however, was very aware that I was different since the age of five years old because my mom’s boyfriend would make distinctions between us and others (This is the way in which most of us learn that we have a racial/ethnic identity. […]

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Children of Christ, Community, Prejudice~Injustice~Racism~Segregation

A Mother-Daughter Encounter

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I sat next to my mom in the kitchen table. Afraid of her response I timidly asked her, “Can I share something with you?”   Perhaps she had been waiting to hear from me about my life since I was thirteen years old when I began to build thick high mountains between her and me. She immediately said, “Yes. Tell me. I’m all ears,” to which I felt a door had opened wide open.   I said, “I was listening to a preaching on sin and two of my sins were revealed to me. I. Need to honor you as my mom. But. I don’t know how to do that. […]

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Children of Christ, Community, Hope, Jesus

Thank You! To All of My Father Figures, Brother Figures, Professors, and Mentors

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Thank you! To all of my father figures, brother figures, professors, and mentors; those of you who over the years created space for me to grown in many different capacities. This lock down has given me the time and space to reflect on the gift you have been. God placed you in my life to heal pieces of my distorted belief system concerning masculinity and I just want to thank you. I did not spend much time with some of you, but the brief interactions we had were more than enough, God used your character to mend my heart, so thank you. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Thank you for noticing […]

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Children of Christ, Community, Jesus

My 2019 Analysis: I’m Grateful

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I made a story of my 2019 memories to share on my social media platforms, through that I realized that I have grown so much this year and that there is so much growth I still want to do. Even though my social media story does not show the sad moments, the moments when I made mistakes, nor the moments of fear; the moments when I cried to God for help or forgiveness and restoration, those are the moments that propelled the good ones. I had a serious health scare this year, I was rushed to the ER because I could not breath and my chest was in extreme pain. […]

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Community, Hope

The Lord Speaks to Him

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When my son was done readying scripture we discussed his study on Proverbs 1-10, it went something like this: Me: What resonated with you from your study? Nico: Ummm, I don’t know, but it’s all good stuff. Me: Ok, but what jumped out? Something grabbed your heart. Nico: That, pretty much, to value the instruction of your father and mother. So, in my case, YOU. That, it’s good to stay away from the seductive woman. And…..hold on, let me read it: ‘For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.’ Pro. 3:14-15 […]

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Children of Christ, Community, Hope

Motherhood Dilemmas

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Lately, I have been freaking out about my parenting skills and how my short comings could potentially affect the future of my son. I have also been fearing the culture and how it influences my six-teen year old son. I’ve deeply been pondering about the should’s: I should have loved him more. I should have spend more time teaching my son about Scripture. I should have invested more time with my son doing things he loves to do. I should have never talked to my son in a diminishing nature along the way. I should have encouraged him more. I should have given him more materialistic things. I should have […]

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Children of Christ, Community, Hope

Faith Over Fear in a World of Sexual Sin

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One of my favorite mentors Spencer Robbins said to me, “I’ve found that 98% of men I’ve met, deal or have dealt with sexual struggles- specifically porn and masturbating. The rare breeds are the ones that run after breaking free from shame and are willing to do whatever it takes to get free from those behaviors and connect with love.” Haven been sexually abused as a child I always run away from potential relationships when I notice or when the guy tells me of his sexual struggles. This is the biggest trigger for me. I am not willing to stay and even discuss their sexual issues because I feel that’s […]

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Community, Hope, Men and Women, Our Humanness

Relationship Status: Single, Unmarried, No Children

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This week a beloved friend of mine came into my office seeking comfort about her life status. She began to say, “I’m not married and I want to have a baby. I have baby fever. I see babies everywhere. My Facebook news feed is full of baby posts. I don’t like my body all the way, and I don’t have the things I want to have.” I listened carefully as I sat behind my desk watching her down caste appearance, thinking to myself, “What? You have it all together. You only need one thing. Ok two. Your licence to practice and Jesus.” She continue to speak, but I interrupted her […]

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Community, Men and Women, Our Humanness
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