“So you and your family are from Mexico, huh?” Emily, my freshman roommate asked soon after I moved into the dorm room my first semester in college. “Yes, but I grew up in Deer Park, a suburb of Houston,” I replied, trying to deflect the question. In fact I had moved to Deer Park at […]
The Value of Community in My Ethnic Identity Journey Read More »
I am brown. Brown is not a weakness… God loves me and wants me to embrace who He’s made me to be! It took me nineteen years to boldly proclaim that I am Mexican-American and to stop pretending I was a white guy with an epic ability to tan quickly. Intellectually I understood my ethnicity
Brown is Not a Weakness Read More »
The smell of cempasuchitl (Mexican marigolds) would often take over the busyness and pollution of the city. It signified the beginning of a colorful celebration that I did not fully understand, but certainly enjoyed. As a child, Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), was a moment to remember those who had gone before
Sharing the Gospel through Día de los Muertos Read More »
Hispanic Heritage month is well under way on many campuses around the nation, but not here on this commuter campus. No mariachi band playing, no people handing out free paletas, and no grito. Here, where Latin@s aren’t the majority of the student body for the first time, students are having discussions about what Hispanic Heritage Month
Who Decides What It Means To Be Latino/a? Read More »
At the beginning of a summer mission project we always have a briefing where we talk about cultural differences and crossing cultural boundaries. I love leading this segment, because crossing cultural boundaries has taught me personally a lot about myself and my own culture. I was all prepared to lead this segment with our team–Bible
For We are God’s Workmanship—Part 3: Living in Two Worlds Read More »
In Genesis 16:13, Hagar calls the Lord “the God who sees me.” Basically, the story goes like this: Hagar is a slave woman for Sarai, Abraham’s wife. She becomes pregnant with Abraham’s child and is afraid of her mistress (even though having a baby by Hagar was Sarai’s idea in the first place), so she
For We are God’s Workmanship—Part 2 Read More »
On our Destino Summer Mission to the Dominican Republic this year, our theme verse was Ephesians 2:10, which says “For we are Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to.” We spent a lot of time unpacking just what it means to be “God’s workmanship” (or
For We are God’s Workmanship—Part 1 Read More »
