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.

>Saturdays are for Drinking the Perfect Watermelon Agua Fresca

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Saturday is here and believe it or not, as you read this, I will be flying up in the air to another country again. 
I did not want to leave without sharing with you the recipe for an “agua fresca”, it is very tasty, easy to make and beautiful  to see. So, I am pretty sure you will like it so much that you will be making it many times this summer.
You need:
1/2 of a large watermelon. 
some fresh mint leaves.
1 lime
sugar to taste (it depends on how sweet you like it. For a half watermelon I used 1/4 cup)
crushed ice
How to do it:
Take the watermelon pulp (get rid of the seeds) and put it in the blender little by little, with the mint, the lime juice and sugar. You might need to add a little bit of water lo loosen it.
Serve in the hollow watermelon and decorate with some fresh mint leaves.
To serve:
Crush ice and put some on each glass, serve immediately; and don’t forget to make it pretty with an leaf of mint.

Hope you have a most blessed Saturday, dear friends!
Becky… on the go!

I must say that my daughter helped me to take all these wonderful pictures!

>Traveling… again!

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My Daily Journey -through my lens-
Dear friends, my family and I will be away for almost two weeks. I will try to find the time to post something here, but meanwhile, I wanted to let you know that you will be in my heart and prayers. You can always follow my photography blog, My Daily Journey -through my lens-, where I enjoy sharing pictures from our travels.
I am super excited for all the friends I will get to hug and all the laughters we will share these coming days. All good things come from above, and I am grateful for each one of them.
Under His sun and by His Grace, 
Becky

>Seeing God’s Hand in our Afflictions

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This week’s Borrowed Words come from different Puritan authors. I have taken these quotes from our family devotional, Voices from the Past. It is my prayer that you will find comfort as you read these words, and that you’ll be drawn to the Father.
From Thomas Brooks :
“I am mute; I do not open my mouth,
for it is you who have done it”
Psalm 39:9
“David looked at through secondary causes to the first cause, and was silent. The sight of God in an affliction is irresistible effective to silence the heart, and to stop the mouth of a gracious man. It is the duty of gracious souls to so act under the greatest afflictions and saddest providences. This is a prudent holy silence. It sees God, and acknowledges him as the author in all of our afflictions. ‘The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away’ (Job 1: 21)… Those who see the hand of God in their afflictions, will, with David lay their hands upon their mouths (2 Sam. 16: 11-12) If God’s hand is not seen, the heart will fret and rage under affliction…  When afflictions arrest us, we shall murmur and grumble until we see that it is God that strikes. We must see him as King of kings and Lord of lords and stoop under his almighty majestic hand”
Again, from Thomas Brooks:
“For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation”
Psalm 62: 1
“A gracious prudent silence under the afflicting hand of God includes a holy quietness and calmness of mind and spirit. It shuts out all inward murmurings of the heart. Such a soul is submissive to God. All passions are allayed, tamed, and subdued. It was a Father who put those bitter cups in your hand. It was love that that laid those heavy crosses around your neck. When God’s people are under the rod, he makes by His Spirit and word sweet music in their souls, and allays all tumultuous motions and passions. This holy silence humbly acquits God of all blame and injustice.”
I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous,
and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
Psalm 119: 75
And from Puritan author, Thomas Case, we read:
““If anyone would come after me,
let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Matthew 16: 24
“We are strangers to the cross. When it comes to pass we either despise the discipline of the Lord or else we faint by it. If affliction is moderate we are apt to despise it, but if the rod fetches blood, presently it is intolerable, and we begin to faint, and cry out in our passion, ‘Was ever sorrow like my sorrow?’ Sifferings have obtained an ill name in the world, but God’s rod and love may stand together. God teaches his people in afflictions. He teaches us to feel compassion toward others who are suffering. We are prone to be insensitive toward others when we are at ease in our Zion. He also teaches us to prize our outward mercies and comforts more, and yet to dote upon them less. We are to be more thankful for them, but less ensnared by them. Next, God teaches us self-denial and obedient submission to his will… One way or another God works his children into a sweet, obedient frame. At length, God brings his children to subscribe: ‘What God wills, when God wills, how God wills; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’  Finally,  we can learn humility and meekness of spirit. Pride naturally runs in our veins, and it is nourished by ease and prosperity. By trouble we come to know our own heart. God seeks to develop meekness in his people by affliction, then save them from affliction”
Under His shadow, learning with you,
Becky

>Preparing Our Hearts for Affliction

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Annie Pliego
We are reading the book A Place for Weakness by M.Horton, over at my friend Elizabeth’s blog, and because of all the travels, I have not been able to post my weekly chapter review here (I highly recommend you to read this book, it is very important!). Today, however, I want to share some things that I have found along the way about affliction in other sources that I am also reading.
Some believers have gone through much and long lasting suffering in their lives, some others have not. God has chosen different paths for everyone of his children, all for His glory and to sanctify us.
The most terrible thing that I have gone through was when my mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer when I was about 12 yrs old, but it turned out to be a wonderful story, because of God’s mercy on her. Today she is alive, strong and full of energy to even play all day with my children, and cook all of our favorite meals.
I live in peace, my soul is at rest. But I have learned in the Scriptures and by seeing my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that affliction comes to the saints. And when it comes, we better be prepared and not surprised. I am not looking forward to it, neither do I seek it (no way!) but I have learned that we must prepare ourselves for that day; and we must teach our children from their early years about affliction.
Memorizing and studying* James has been such a tremendous blessing to me. James 1 tells us many things about affliction; the Lord reveals to us through this saint’s words many important ways on how we should prepare for afflictions.
For example see these:
1. We should count it (affliction) all joy.  v. 2
2. We should KNOW why God afflicts his people. And here I just keep thinking how being diligent in the study of the Word and prayer are the only way for us to KNOW what God wants us to KNOW. v.3-4
3. Being double minded is a sign that men might not be really Christians;  the double minded woman will sure be tossed away like an ocean wave when affliction comes. (v.6-7)
4. We must never think too much of ourselves, of our position, of our comfort, we WILL pass away.  None of us will stand on this earth forever. We will die. We must live for the eternal not the temporary. (V. 9- 11)
5. We must be ready to persevere under trials. Trials, afflictions, the testing of our faith will come sooner or later and in different degrees, we must be ready to stand strong in the Word that day. (v. 12- 16)
There are so much more teachings on this chapter, but I think this summarizes clearly what James has to say ( I would really like to encourage you to read and study James this week).
So, we sit at the family table, and while enjoying a beautiful evening with a table full of food, and laughters around it; we talk about suffering, about the affliction of the saints.  We don’t want our children to be surprised if one day God decides to lead them through the Valley of Death. We have seen so many families that the only thing they taught their children about God is “Jesus loves you and wants you to be happy”. Even the children’s Bibles that I see sitting in the “Christian bookstores” have titles like “God’s Word for Beautiful Princesses Like You”  No wonder that when these girls grow and affliction comes the way they get mad at God and throw their fists against Him; their parents lied to them, teaching them a watered gospel; which knows no affliction.
This morning as I was reading my Bible, I read these words on Psalm 119: 92:
If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
This is a master key that will open a way out to our afflicted hearts: delighting in the Word of God will help us not to perish even through the hardest circumstances.
Today, if you are walking in affliction,my dear friend, I pray for you (you can leave me a comment, or send me an email saying you want me to pray for you -and no, you don’t have to share your trials openly-) and if you are enjoying a time of peace, health, prosperity, don’t waste it. Go deep in the Word, pray, pray, pray, lest you fall in the snares of  prosperity.   Fill your soul with the Word, make it your delight, rise up early and bless your Maker!
Becky
* I have been studying the epistle of James using John MacArhur’s commentary, which I highly recommend.

>Praying for Preserving Grace

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I have shared in the past with you about my favorite prayer companion, The Method of Prayer by Matthew Henry; and today I want to share a prayer I prayed this morning as part of my devotionals with you:

We must pray for grace to preserve us to the end 
and to fit us for whatever lies before us between this and the grave.
Lord, rescue us from every evil deed and bring us safely into your heavenly kingdom; 2 Timothy 4:18(ESV) being kept from stumbling, may we be presented blameless at the coming of your glory with great joy. Jude 1:24(ESV)
Lord, make us increase and abound in love for one another and for all, so that our hearts may be established blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13(ESV)
If Satan demands to have us that he may sift us like wheat, yet let Christ’s intercession prevail for us that our faith may not fail. Luke 22:31-32(ESV)
Until we are taken out of the world, let us be kept from the evil one, John 17:15(ESV) and sanctified through your truth: your word is truth. John 17:17(ESV)
Build us up, we pray, in our most holy faith, and keep us in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. Jude 1:20-21(ESV)
Grant that we may continue to call on you as long as we live, Psalm 116:2(ESV) and until we die, may we never put away our integrity from us; let us hold fast our righteousness and never let it go, and may our hearts not reproach us for any of our days. 
Amen
Becky

>Gratitude Monday

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“What shall I render unto the Lord 
for all his benefits to me?” 
Psalm 116:12
Monday is here, and for me it is a joy to take a day to give thanks to God publicly for all the mercies He has bestowed upon us as a family.
I like what MacDuff has to say on respect to gratitude:
“The Christian, as he journeys onwards in the pathway of life, ought frequently to look back, and standing, as it were, on the shadowy side of the hill, review the way by which God has led him. If we would keep alive our gratitude–if we would have it to increase more and more, until, like a holy flame, it burns within us–we must often, in thought, retrace the varied turnings and windings of our earthly pilgrimage. We are so prone, amid our daily duties and our converse with the world, to forget and overlook the benefits received, that only by a careful and frequent retrospect, can we continue, from day to day, cherishing a spirit of true and ever-increasing thankfulness to God. But, the oftener we make the review, the greater cause will we have for saying, with David, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my father’s house, that you have brought me hitherto?”
For me, Monday is the day I make a stop and look back, and give thanks to Him, my God and Maker, the Father of lights from whom all blessings flow.
Would you praise God with me today?
#1259- 1267
A precious log. Knots of time, colors and patterns that grab my attention. How can simple things can be so pretty? I am grateful I have eyes to see this. 
Sharing the table with friends whose eyes I had not seen before. O the gift of being together, and hugging! I am so grateful that online friends and students are real!
The joy of having a precious daughter who laughs and enjoys the time we spend together.
Memories.
A delayed canceled flight, a simple and clean bed to spend the night, no clean clothes, a hot shower,  perfume testers at the airport, a piece of lost luggage,  coffee, my husband’s hug, laughs, tired bodies, a found piece of luggage.
Being back home and finding my Mom’s delicious food on the table; hugs and kisses from the rest of my children, and the embrace of my Dad.
Last week of school. I am grateful for Veritas Press Scholars Academy, for each one of my students, for each one of my children’s teachers,  for the way they have influenced my children’s lives. 
I am grateful to see how God has helped me to memorize His Word, and meditate on it day and night.
Thankful for the ONE gift I did not ask for, as the Puritan prayer says,
“Unsought Thou hast given me the greatest gift,
the person of Thy Son,
and in Him thou wilt give me all I need”
May we look behind and give thanks to God for all the benefits He has given us, and for all the things that He has withhold from us. 
May God help us to step into a new day with nothing less than a grateful heart, and may His Spirit help us to do all things without grumbling or complaining, so that we may be blameless, innocent children of God  in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom, by His infinite gracem we shine as lights of the world.
Praising God with you today, 
Becky