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Melanie Ramirez

About Melanie Ramirez

Melanie Ramirez is the coordinator for the Sunday Buddies Special Needs Ministry and has a passion for showing the love of Jesus any way she can. She is a blogger, worship team member and spends her time cooking, crafting and working out.

Posts by Melanie Ramirez:

The Hallway

The Hallway

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If you’ve had a child in our Kids Ministry for any length of time, your side of it likely looks like lollipop sugar highs and incomprehensible fractions of Bible stories. Our side looks like specifically scheduled rotations in each service, each rotation designed for each age group to develop social skills and learn about Jesus in different ways. One would be quick to assume that the kids get the most hectic in their classrooms, but in reality, this happens in the hallway. The hallway is where we transition from one activity to the next. From your child’s perspective, it’s when we take away the toys and seemingly change from being fun-loving to tyrannical. But the reality of it is that our heart for those kids never changes, we love them and just want to give them every opportunity to know Jesus we can. It’s obvious to us when we look at our children that the changes are for the best, but we lose that simplicity when we apply it to our own lives. The hallway is just as intimidating to adults as it is to the kids, not only because it’s in the midst of transition, but because we can’t see our next destination.

Familiarity is the enemy of awe, and the lack of awe is the enemy of faith.

Ecclesiastes 3 states, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens”, but Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” So how do we reconcile the necessary vulnerability in the transition while reminding ourselves that God’s heart for us is the same throughout? We intentionally remind ourselves who God is. When I read the many miracles that God performed, I’ll catch myself limiting my comprehension to what He did, not what He’s doing. Familiarity is the enemy of awe, and the lack of awe is the enemy of faith. In losing our awe in who God truly is, we detach ourselves from the miracles God performed and it decreases our faith that He will do them again. Losing our faith in God, is losing track of who He really is. When we lose track of who He is, it’s that much easier to forget why He’s bringing us from one season to the next.

Another way to have peace in seasons of transition is to remind yourself, not just of who God is, but of what He did in your life. He has been something different to each of us, a fortifier to the weak, a Father to the orphaned. When you are able to remember that, you can remind yourself of that because He’s done it before, He will do it again. The kids in Kids Junior go from their classroom to Kids Theater for one of their rotations each week. These kids are younger, so they don’t always remember exactly where they’re going, but they remember that they had fun the week before.

In the song, Oceans by Hillsong United, we sing about walking out into waters where we can’t stand on our own, but that our faith will stand. I want to challenge you to take a step past singing a song and proclaim that your faith will stand over every aspect of your life.

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An Abundance of Kindness for an Abundance of Controversy

An Abundance of Kindness for an Abundance of Controversy

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“I’ve got to stop using my husband as my illustrations,” I thought to myself immediately before I used my husband as my illustration.

He recently had a birthday and is one of those people that says they want nothing for their birthday, nor do they want to do anything for their birthday. For me, that was a hard pill to swallow because I know he actually meant it. I’m just one of those people that feels wrong for not celebrating in some way, shape, or form something that I feel should be celebrated. But that’s the point: celebrating because I wanted to when he didn’t would have defeated the entire purpose of celebrating his birthday.

We can love our people as much as we want but if we’re only loving them the way we want to then we’re still just loving ourselves more.

We can love our people as much as we want but if we’re only loving them the way we want to then we’re still just loving ourselves more. In Philippians 2:3-4, Paul says, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” Are we respecting their choices? Are we honoring their opinions even if we disagree? Are we making them feel judged if we disagree? Learn to see your thoughts and conversations through the lens of, “Am I reflecting Jesus?” Jesus put it simply in John 15:17, “This is my command: Love each other.” I would argue that to be a reflection of Jesus is to be a reflection of love, and to love well is to take an interest in others.

I would have never known how to best celebrate my husband’s birthday if I hadn’t asked him. Paul tells us to, “Take an interest in others too.” Talk to people; take an interest in their lives; let these conversations shift your perspective from yourself. Ask them how their week is going and actually listen to their answers. One of the largest sources of division in the world in the last year has been a lack of empathy and understanding for the people around us. Listen to why people are concerned about wearing or not wearing masks. Listen to why people care as much as they do about racial issues. Kindness is too often speculated for coming with an ulterior motive; genuine kindness shouldn’t be that rare. Be generous with your time to hear and empathize with people’s emotions around every controversial topic that comes up. In a time with no lack of controversy, there shouldn’t be a lack of kindness either.

This same principle can be applied to our relationships with Jesus, in order to love Him, make sure that you know Him. Read your Bible and spend some time with Him; get to know Him. Jesus already put us all above Him when He died on the cross and knowing Him more will further fuel our hearts to reflect His love to everyone around us.

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Mistakes Included

Mistakes Included

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So, I married a man whose nickname is, “Mr. Nice Guy.” His other nicknames include, “Golden Boy” and “Goldie”. Early in our relationship, I actually hated it because I do not have the story to have ended up with “Mr. Nice Guy.” He’s the kind of person who eats broccoli for fun and his favorite books are on how to be a better leader. What made it worse for me was that we had known each other and been friends for a few years before we started dating, meaning he knew me when I was still growing as a Christian. It was hard for me to reconcile that we knew each other when I was wildin’, at a time when I knew that I was settling for less than what God had for me. Looking back, I used to have regrets thinking that I could’ve been so much happier so much earlier. But, the reality of the situation is that God factored my stupidity into His plan for my life. He factors in our stubbornness, our pride, our attempts at control. He factors in pain we didn’t see coming and tragedy we never could have prepared for. While regret, frustration, and bitterness can seem so much easier they are just masks for a lack of trust in God.

Colossians 3:1-2 states, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

The reality of the situation is that God factored my stupidity into His plan for my life.

Setting our hearts and minds on the things above is much easier said than done, because we are fickle people who get frustrated by the fact that we can’t actually see what’s above. I’ve been seeing commercials for new websites that allow you to buy a car entirely online; I wouldn’t buy a swimsuit online let alone a car. Apparently, people agree with me because according to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 10% of cars purchased in 2020 were bought online. I would say that’s because we don’t like to trust what we don’t see. While we can’t necessarily see what’s above, we rarely even look in that direction.

To shift our perspective, first start trying to believe what you read when you read the Bible. It can be easy to know scripture and become so familiar that you’re no longer in awe of who God really is and what He really does. In turn, we forget that He is ultimately worthy of the trust and control that is so hard for us to relinquish. I would also suggest being a little relieved that God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

He factored in the fact that we might be distracted by earthly things and I don’t know about you, but I am so glad that God knows me as well as He does and that He factored that into His plan for my life. I’ve just realized I’ve been using the past tense, but God continues to do this and will continue to do this in our jobs, our children, our marriages, and our health every day of our lives.

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Falling_1920x1080

For When You’re Falling

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I grew up with two Siberian Huskies: Shadow and Bandit. We had a huge backyard, so they normally stayed outside, fenced in. I’ve heard from other couples and learned personally that there are normally two very different kinds of people, and they marry each other. The same could be said of those two dogs, and it was demonstrated most frequently when Shadow would find a way to run off. She would jump the fence or dig under it. She even chewed a hole through the fence at one point. Every single time she ran off, Bandit would stay by the part of the fence she’d escaped from and WAIL. He would bark and whine and cry. He was our living alarm system. The best part is that he was so consistent that whenever she would stray, he would always help to bring her home.

If I’m being honest, I’ve definitely gone through storms that made me want to run away, but I’m so grateful that there’s always been someone to bring me home. Sometimes, I would feel Jesus telling me to do something and I’d put it off for months. I’d hear Him telling me to stop doing something and keep doing it for way too long. I’d be struggling with depression and would rather just feel numb than to be vulnerable and talk to Jesus about it.

I know falling on a rock hurts and its hard, but the truth remains that when you fall down on it, you won’t fall any lower than it either. 

So, when I think of Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash,” I’m reminded not only of the stability when I’m standing on the rock but of when I feel like I’m falling on it. I know falling on a rock hurts and its hard, but the truth remains that when you fall down on it, you won’t fall any lower than it either.  

I grew up in the church, but I didn’t have a deeper relationship with Jesus until I was in college. Because of that, I distinctly noticed the difference between knowing God was a firm foundation and feeling it. The benefit of having a solid rock in a storm is that you’re never not being held up when you feel like you’re falling. I used to feel like my depression was at its worst after I had come to know Jesus; I even wanted to blame Him for it sometimes. But the truth was, that my relationship with Him had just given me the foundation I needed to be vulnerable with it for the first time. It was the first chance I gave myself to just cry, to scream at Him, and to ask Him why because I knew that He wouldn’t be moved by my storm. Our storms will come and go, they’ll change, but the stability found in His love never will.

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WholeKing'sKid1920x1080

You’re a Whole King’s Kid

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I’ve noticed a new habit in people. We have a tendency to blame all bad things that happen in this year on the year 2020. I can see bad things in January 2021 being blamed on residual 2020. I’m sure it will go down in textbooks as one of the most infamous years in history. But I would argue that 2020 wasn’t only a bad year in terms of the things we have gone through, but it was the worst in terms of the fact that it was something we had never gone through before. We weren’t ready for it. We weren’t prepared. I’ve personally struggled with depression and anxiety for years, but there’s a comfort in being able to recognize it and know what I’m getting myself into. I am a huge advocate for therapy and mental health and what I’ve taken the most from it is the strategies that it provides. Lo and behold, there was no toolbox for widespread pandemic. Or is there?

When you are being swept up by the deep waters, remember who you are in the eyes of God.

 

Say what you will about Satan, but he’s creative. He will keep coming up with new hardships and struggles to inflict on us, but across the board there are some common denominators in how we can handle them. Isaiah 43:2 tells us, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” God will always be with us, but I always seem to forget that in the middle of a depressive episode when I can’t seem to get out of bed in the morning. It’s easy to memorize the scripture, but it doesn’t always help until the meaning behind it is applied to your life.

Why would God even want to be with us? When you are being swept up by the deep waters, remember who you are in the eyes of God. You are chosen (1 Peter 2:9), you are treasured (Deut. 14:2), you are a masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10), you are a child of God (1 John 3:1), you are the child of a King! You are a whole King’s kid!! Let those truths come alive in your life because when you understand how He sees you, you’ll understand why God would want to be with you in the fire. You’ll have a deeper understanding of how vast His love for you really is and the extent to which He will go for you.

Remember who God is. Remember exactly who we’re working with. With that will come an understanding for the full value of His promise to us when He says that you will not drown, you will not be burned up, you will not be consumed by the flames. God is sovereign (Psalm 103:19), faithful (Lamentations 3:23), powerful (1 Chronicles 29:11), a mighty warrior who saves (Zeph. 3:17). Remembering who He is helps us to remember how small the flames we’re walking through are in comparison.

This year has brought with it a plethora of uniquely difficult situations and I have no idea what you’ve gone through. But, I know who you are in Christ and I know who God is and in that I find my rest.

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He Will Go To Work

He Will Go To Work

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Right*/||blockquote.et-pullquote.right{|| float: right;|| margin: 20px -10% 20px 20px;||}||}” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid”]

 

I love Max Lucado. More specifically, I love his children’s books. To this day I still reread the books I grew up on more than his books for adults. My favorite was a book of his titled, You Are Special. In it, there’s a city of wooden people carved by a woodworker. The wooden people spend every day giving each other star stickers as affirmation or dot stickers as criticism. It focuses on one wooden person in particular, Punchinello. He receives so many dot stickers that he refuses to even go outside. Then he meets Lucia, a wooden person with no stickers at all, a fact she attributes to going to see the woodworker every day. Once Punchinello goes to see the woodworker himself, a sticker falls off.

I reread it when I was writing this and what stood out to me was that when the story ended, Punchinello was still covered in stickers. He was still riddled with wounds from other people’s criticism. And so are we.

We all want to think that the healing process is as simple as ripping off a band-aid.

We all want to think that the healing process is as simple as ripping off a band-aid. “I ended the relationship”, “I got out of the house”, “I quit the job”, problem solved, right? Wrong. I’ve come to learn that the healing process more closely resembles being the star of an action movie being shot, having to pull the bullet out, and then having to continue with the rest of the plot only to have the bad guy painfully remind you of your injury later in the story. It’s rough. Wounds span from being bullied in high school to bad break-ups to abuse. But Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” All our wounds are different, but what they have in common is that you’re never so wounded that they can’t be bound and that you can’t be healed.

When Lucado’s book ends, the woodworker says, “Come see me every day and let me remind you how much I care”, Punchinello leaves thinking, “I think he really means it”. He was still doubtful. But doubt is real, it’s honest, and God can work with it.  “I think going to church might be a good idea”, “Maybe I’ll come next week”, “This might work out for our family”. I started there too. I doubted my anxiety and depression was something that could ever be healed, but I went to a prayer meeting anyway. At my lowest, I remember being at 21 Days of Prayer when something in me broke, and I just started crying. I wasn’t even praying as much as I was saddened by the fact that crying this way had become so normal for me. A couple days later, I saw a picture of me from that night on the church’s Instagram. In that moment, I was reminded that I wasn’t just seen by a man behind a camera but that I was seen by the Son of God. He was going to work, against the anxiety, against the fear, against the depression. I implore you, log on to prayer, listen to a message, read the verse of the day because when you go to God, He will go to work.

 

 

 

Melanie Ramirez is a Blog Writer and member of the Manassas Campus Prayer Team. She works as a job coach for individuals with disabilities and has been spending her quarantine cooking, crafting, and writing letters to as many people as she can.

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RECENT POSTS

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Few Things Matter

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Have you ever heard people at church talking about going on mission trips, the thirteen small groups they’re in, and how they’ve somehow managed to make it on to all 123 days of prayer? Then thought to yourself, “Well they’re just a better Christian than I am”. Same, and I tried really hard to be that “better Christian” before I realized there’s no such thing. I’ve been serving at the church since my very first Sunday attending. I don’t think there was a Sunday I was there that I haven’t served. I tried to serve throughout the week, on my days off, between meetings at work, and driving home. I became consumed with what I was doing and not who I was doing it for.

In Luke 10, Jesus was traveling and met sisters Mary and Martha. Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said”, and Martha was, “distracted by all the preparations that had to be made”. The word used for “the preparations” means, “serving”. Martha was so distracted serving Jesus she forgot the importance of being with Jesus. While it’s easy to judge Martha, the truth is I was Martha, and many of us find ourselves ending up the same way. Servitude may not be your distraction, but distraction, one way or another, is ever present and can easily become an avenue for distance in our relationship with Jesus. Distractions can be anything from friendships to career goals. Not all of these are bad, they just shouldn’t be worshiped. It can be hard to recognize how much distance you’ve gained, but one way to gauge where you are in that relationship is to pay attention to your train of thought and see where it goes. Are you fixated by someone you follow on Instagram and constantly thinking about how to make your life more like theirs? Are you still focused on work on a Sunday morning? Your priorities will quickly become evident when you stop to listen to them.

Putting Jesus first is something to be worked towards, our distractions are loud and will drown out His words if we let them. Martha came to Jesus saying, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Jesus responded, “You are worried and upset about many things, but few things matter, indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Martha went to Jesus. She may have been distracted and preoccupied, but she went to Jesus. Stop what you’re doing and go to Jesus. When Mary stopped to listen, she was simultaneously going against the cultural norms that would have had her making preparations with Martha. Jesus transcends our cultural norms, our relationships, our ambitions because when we go to Him, he will become the lens through which we see everything else.

 

 

Melanie Floresca is Blog Writer and member of the Manassas Campus Prayer Team. She works as a job coach for individuals with disabilities and has been spending her quarantine cooking, crafting, and writing letters to as many people as she can.

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StayInYourCityHeader

Stay in Your City

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Next time you’re driving, I dare you to be that one person who stays in the far right lane, actually drives the speed limit, or to make a complete stop at the stop sign. Then when you start to get annoyed with this 3 minutes into your drive, look inward. Notice the urgency, the impatience rising up in you, and recognize that it’s not from God.

Are you convicted yet? Same. This came up for me when I got stuck behind a Civic going 52 mph on 66-W. No traffic, no construction, just a leisurely drive 8 miles UNDER the speed limit. Then, a deer took off in front of the Civic and successfully made it across the highway. See, I’m the type that would cry over roadkill and was immediately hit with the reality that if I weren’t behind that Civic I likely would have killed that deer. The worst part was that I wasn’t in a hurry, just frustrated that commutes aren’t instantaneous.

That urgency doesn’t just apply to driving, but it does get louder when you get furloughed, when your stimulus check is nowhere in sight and when you haven’t seen your family in months.

I’m pretty sure most of us have gone through the stages of our “new normal”, including rebelling against it, getting used to it, and then being completely done with it. You may have heard Pastor Tony say this before, but if you want anything bad enough, from a meal, to a date, to a whole new wardrobe, you could have it tonight. But, we can’t immediately have the world return to normal. There’s no expedited delivery fee we can pay for the end of the pandemic, and its driving us crazy. But, in a world driven by immediacy, the intentional act of prayerful patience can be the most profound demonstration of faith.

Back up, don’t miss that, I said, “prayerful patience”. This is important because there’s a distinct difference between grinding our teeth and waiting because there’s literally nothing we can do, and having peace about waiting for the Holy Spirit before we act. It’s not wrong for parents to want their babysitters back, for grandparents to want to see their grandbabies, or for children to want to see their classmates again. Your feelings are completely valid, but know that you can want those things and have peace about the Lord’s timing simultaneously.

The Lord has seemingly called the world to a standstill. Our resistance hasn’t worked, so consider standing still with it. In Luke 24:49, Jesus said to His disciples, “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” When He said this, it was in a season of fear and doubt for the disciples, similar to how it is for us. But stay in your city, don’t kill your deer, the power from Heaven is coming.”

 

 

 

 
Melanie Floresca is Blog Writer and member of the Manassas Campus Prayer Team. She works as a job coach for individuals with disabilities and has been spending her quarantine cooking, crafting, and writing letters to as many people as she can.

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