Author Archives: Becky Pliego

About Becky Pliego

I am grateful because God, in His grace, called me out of darkness and into his admirable light. When I did not look for Him, He found me. When I was in a pit of sin, He rescued me. I am not walking this road alone, my family is always with me, and we love Him, because He loved us first.

Praying the Psalms – Psalm 119: 1-8-

Posted on by
4

 

Psalm 119

Aleph

1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD!
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!

Lord, it amazes me how you have blessed my life.
How you have called me blessed when I deserved nothing but death.
You have blessed me by setting my feet to walk on the narrow way.
By forgiving all my sins.
It is a miracle.
It is the greatest blessing any woman could have.
I hated your ways, even today, my ways are not blameless;
yet you give me your Word to guide my steps,
to cleanse me.

Lord, help me walk in your ways,
blameless…
yes, blameless.
That is my heart’s desire.
Help me, Lord,  to keep your testimonies,
in a world that is twisted and calls my name.
Lord, that I may seek you with my whole heart.
Every day, every minute, wholeheartedly.
Deliver me from all unbelief,
from my own heart.

 

4 You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!

Father, I thank you, that through the power of the Holy Spirit in me
I can walk diligently in your ways.
Thank you that through the atonement of Jesus,
I have been delivered from the bondage of sin,
and can walk freely, keeping your statutes!

 

6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous rules.
8 I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me!

Father, hear my prayer today,
when the evildoers come against me,
when temptation finds me,
help me that I may not be put to shame,
but that I may stand firm;
fixed my eyes on all your commandments;
praising you with an upright heart.

Lord, help me to study your Word,
to abide in it.
To learn your righteouss rules,
and love and keep your statutes.

Father, hear me!
Do not utterly forsake me!
Be with me as I grow in grace
in a world that hates You.

This I pray,
in the name of my Mediator,
Jesus Christ,

Amen

Becky

 

 

>When the Sound of the Bagpipes Made Me Cry

Posted on by
11

>

This story started six months ago, when our son started to learn how to play the chanter (the instrument you first need to learn how to play before start playing the bagpipes). He was very diligent, every day we would hear him making music, and we’d smile. He has making such a big progress. So one day, dad bought him the real thing: professional bagpipes. His instrument traveled many, many miles. It made it home, however,  a piece was broken, so our son had to wait few more weeks until the replacement came.

He still spent many hours behind the chanter. He really wanted to be ready to play among his friends at the End of the Year Gathering in PA.

The bagpipes were ready only a week before our trip. Four hours a day seemed not to be enough to practice, but we were all surprised. It sounded beautiful! The night before our trip, he calls me, and plays for me, I smiled and breathed thanks. He felt he was ready, he would definitely bring his pipes to the trip. His dream was about to come true.

To our surprise, on the first checkpoint at the airport in Mexico, they wouldn’t let him bring his pipes on board, and we did not have enough time to check them in; so we just handed them to our friends who (thank God!) were still waving us good-bye from the other side of the checkpoint.

I cried and my son hugged me. We just couldn’t believe it… all those hours, all those dreams. For a moment I almost forgot that I am living in the Sacred.

My Beloved held my hand, and said to me “This is God dealing with our son. He has a plan.”

We made it to the EOTYG safely, we even tried to forget about it. We were with our beloved friends, and we had so many reasons to be happy and grateful.

Until one evening, in the lobby of our hotel, we had the privilege to meet a wonderful family, whose son also played the bagpipes and had brought them with him.  We smiled, and of course, shared our story with them.

Few days later, on the open mic night, all of a sudden, with out expecting it, our son had some bagpipes in hand and started to play. I turned around and looked into the eyes of the mom whose son had brought bagpipes. We were both crying, while our sons were smiling.

This was God dealing with my son’s heart. He had a plan, a lesson to teach him and I was just an spectator.

Moments like this, help us see that at the end it is God who deals personally with each one of our children. At the end of the day, it will be Him and each one of our children alone. We watch as spectators, and give thanks.

It is in moments like this that we are reminded that God is sovereign over all things.  That we are living under His sun and by His grace.

Becky

>What Do You Think?

Posted on by
13

>I think that Lena has made a great job! I love the way she captured all that I asked for and made this new image of the blog. (If you like the former look,  or my Spanish blog, know that she also made them!) This is the third time I have worked with her and I am very pleased with what she does. Lena offers customized blog designs, and also lots of nice premades, which are very cheap and help her get the funds for the adoption process of a new child. And wait, she also offers some freebies (like these), and great tutorials.

Thank you, Lena!

I hope that you’ll find this place a good one to visit while drinking your favorite summer drink!

Under His sun and by His grace,

Becky

>Ready for Changes?

Posted on by
2

>

I am, I am ready for some BIG changes on this blog. Very soon, you’ll come here and will find this place super different… I thought I’d warn you! 🙂 Lena is working behind the scenes and I am loving what she is doing.
Meanwhile I am off to grab some coffee and finish some of my paper work to officially close this school year.
Have a most blessed day!
Becky

>How to Make Online Friends in a Real World

Posted on by
9

>

You write emails and messages, and facebook statuses all year long. You have prayed over long distance friends, and shared your heart with them even though you have never seen into their eyes before. You have met these friends online, and now you love them and truly care for them. How can this be?
We met many of our online friends through an online school (the best, I dare to say) almost five years ago. And every year we go to the famous End of the Year Gathering where we all meet for a week to share laughs, words, hugs, tears. To look into our eyes, and gaze into the beauty of godly fellowship. 
Some of my closest friends are there, and some others, like Elizabeth, one of my best friends, I have met through the blogging world. How could this happen? Haven’t we been told that online friends are not real? That they do not belong to the real world?
We are now in a time where we can’t ignore the online world. It is part of us and we are part of it. My dearest sister and best friend lives in Canada while I live in Mexico, and yet we are in contact almost daily through all the new technologies that allow us to share those little things that make up our days.
Few of the things I have learned along with my children in this new world, new era, where online relationships do happen are these:
1. Know that there is a REAL person behind the screen. When I teach online, when I blog, when I send a facebook message, when I write or read an email; I know there is someone breathing on the other side. A person, a real one, with virtues and flaws. With good days and bad days. With a beautiful home that sometimes gets messy as mine. We are real people,  we are not “a thing” behind a screen.
2. Be YOU at all times. Be sincere, be real. When my dear friend Elizabeth and I sat on the same table to have lunch, for the first time after almost two years of being “online friends”, I was very happy to find “the Elizabeth” I knew I would find. We knew each other; we were not any different than the person that we show online. 
I have taught my children not to post ANYTHING that they would not say in person. When they started to learn how to relate in an online world, I would read their statuses and profiles, to make sure that they were being real. This is a very important thing to do at all times. As Christians, we are to be true to our faith on the family table, the mall, the farm, the school, facebook, etc. We cannot be double-minded. We must be always blameless children of God. 
3. Make it happen. This is the hardest part, but the most rewarding one: Go beyond the screen! Get the phone (or Skype which is cheaper if you have loved friends who live in the UK or Brussels). Listen to their voices, to their laugh, take the time to make it happen! Set a time, just as if you would go to a Starbucks to meet with your friend. It seems simple but it makes a world of a difference.
Now, try to meet them in person! This is what we must long for, to be with our online friends at a table, sharing the bread, and looking into their eyes.
This past week, as more than 400 people gathered in Lancaster, PA to celebrate the End of the Year Gathering, I kept my eyes open to see that true godly relationships can be built online where the Lord reigns among His people and His statutes are honored.  As one of our friend has said, “that week with these people was absolutely worth any pain that the good-byes may have wrought.”
I pray that God will help us live in this era of online relationships, true to our calling, honoring Him in all we do and say, praising Him with every word we write or read. 
Much love to you today, my dear friend!
Becky
*******************************
The picture above is of my little girl and her friends. Their lives have been brought together because of online friendships. This is the fourth year in a row that they get together to share laughs and songs!  My daughter cried when she said good-bye to them.

>We All Are Clay Vases

Posted on by
4

>

Katie Lloyd Photography*





The church building’s doors were wide opened, and as we got in,  people came to us and gave us a warm welcome. Some faces we only get to see once a year, so we hugged hard;  some other faces were new, and touched our lives profoundly.


My little one held my hand hard and her eyes were all filled with tears as she saw in the row in front of us a beautiful family,  a family that taught me more than all the words that were spoken from the pulpit. Six biological children and one little adopted girl (from about 2 years old to 10); only one of the children had both arms; most had none. 


Seeing them broke my heart to pieces. You know how I have been reading about suffering, affliction, trials; how I have been memorizing the Word and mediating on James’ and Paul’s words to the church (in the epistle to the Philippians) concerning affliction. But suddenly, I had a living epistle in front of me.  A father kneeling low to hug his son and whisper with him the Catechism; a little boy holding the  hymn book with his only minuscule arm for his sister who had no arms. Mom was holding her precious Chinese girl (of about 2 years old) as she praised God, and kissed her lips. Smiles were exchanged between all the family members at all times. It was clear that even though they could not hug each other, they had learned to love with their eyes, in a deep and beautiful way. After the Lord’s Supper, mom and dad sat together, he whispered something to his wife’s ear and they smiled with their eyes closed and tenderly he embraced her.


As the church service was dismissed, they turned to us and gave us a warm welcome. What a beautiful smile this young mom had, and it surprised me that after crossing a few words she said she was sorry that they had to leave to some other state in the middle of the week, because they would have loved to host us for dinner! 


We all are clay vases, all different, all made with different purposes. Some are strong, some are weak, some are fragile, and some others, some that may seem to be broken and the world might despise are full of fresh water. These vases are chosen by God to teach us a lesson. I pray I  will not miss learning it.


Today I am grateful for the Maker of vases that can hold His grace. 




Becky 






 *****************************


*Thanks to Katie Lloyd for granting me permission to use her image. 
You can always buy her prints here.