God Offers a Fresh Start Each Day

It’s January 2009 and it’s a great time to focus on the new year, new beginnings and making a fresh start.

As I discussed in this month’s Positively Sage column, God’s mercies are new each day. When we wake up in the morning, we have a clean slate for that day. God is a God of second chances.

Ezekiel Chapter 36 verses 24 through 27: “For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all our idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (NIV)

What does this mean? Here is what the NIV Life Application Study Bible says about these verses.

“God promised to restore Israel not only physically, but spiritually. To accomplish this, God would give them a new heart for following him and put his Spirit within them to transform them and empower them to do his will. Again the new covenant was promised ultimately to be fulfilled in Christ. No matter how impure your life is right now, God offers you a fresh start. You can have your sins washed away, receive a new heart for God, and have his Spirit within you – if you accept God’s promise. Why try to patch up your old life when you can have a new one?”

If you are ready to receive the Lord, will you pray with me?

Dear Jesus, I ask you to come into my heart, forgive me of my sins and allow me to feel your Holy Spirit. Lord, I ask you to make all things new. I receive you as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Friend, God wants to make all things new for you. God bless you now and always!

Sage Buitron
Founder
www.positive-talk.com

Let There Be Peace on Earth.....

Let there be peace on earth,
And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth,
The peace that was meant to be.

With God as our Father,
Brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother,
In perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me,
Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take,
Let this be my solemn vow.

To take each moment,
And live each moment
In peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth,
And let it begin with me.

I wish each of you a peaceful, joyous and very Merry Christmas!!!

Sage Buitron

FounderPositive-Talk.com

My Testimony by Sage Buitron

( Photo: Me and my precious daughter, Isabella. I now realize each birthday I celebrate is truly a gift from God. Each day is a gift!)







God has been pressing upon my heart for the last few months, asking me to write about my personal testimony of how I came to know Him.

I have to admit I have been resistant. Each month, I have been putting off writing about my testimony. I think it’s because I don’t like to talk about the negative things that brought me so much pain. I am a firm believer in pressing forward and leaving the past behind.

But it is those very negative “things” that are responsible for my new life. The pain I went through, both physical, spiritual and emotional, brought me to my knees. I had to get on my knees, humble myself before God and cry out to Him to heal me in mind, body and spirit. And He did!

My story begins approximately five years ago in 2003, when my husband and I began trying for a second baby.

Our marriage was very much on the rocks and God knew a second child would not be in the cards, but I was hard-headed and persisted in trying for a second baby anyway.

We saw a fertility specialist and so the roller coaster journey began. I had lots of complications with the hormones I was injecting, but during one attempt we did get pregnant. However, I knew something was very wrong six weeks into the pregnancy when I was doubled over with a stabbing pain in my left side. I was taken to the hospital at 7p.m. and by 10p.m. they were performing an emergency laparoscopy due to the ectopic pregnancy that was suspected.

When I awoke, my suspicions were confirmed. It was indeed an ectopic pregnancy. They also had to take my left fallopian tube. If an ectopic pregnancy ruptures, the result is likely fatal and I had given permission to take my fallopian tube if necessary.

Aside from feeling physically horrendous after the procedure, I was incredibly depressed. In the days that followed the miscarriage, a non-stop, excruciating pain developed in my low and mid-back. The pain was debilitating, it never stopped. I became sleep deprived, irritable, even more depressed and the pain grew more intense.

I cried a lot. I remember standing in the shower, tears streaming down my face and I silently began to pray to God for Him to either end my life or take the pain away.

In the weeks that followed I researched and found a pain management Dr. She placed me on lexapro which she said helps greatly with chronic pain. She also placed me on kadian, which is slow release morphine. Meanwhile, this Dr. began giving me monthly epidurals which were excruciatingly painful. She eventually went deeper into the spine by treating me with neuro-foraminal injections. These were even more excruciating. But with each series of injections into my spine, I noticed my chronic pain was improving. My Dr. is a practicing Christian and very involved in her church. As I lay on her treatment table, she would speak blessings and words of encouragement over me. She told me I was going to be fine, that I was doing great, that I would be healed very soon.

I also began attending church. I sat in the back and most Sundays I just wept and wept, especially during the worship music. I filled out a prayer request card asking for prayers of healing, I went forward and prayed with elders during service and they prayed for my healing, I prayed constantly for God to heal my chronic pain.

At one point in my journey the pain was so bad, I could not sit or stand for more than 10 minutes at a time. I was only 40 years old and I felt as if I were living in a 100-year-old body. One that had betrayed me on every level.

I prayed and I prayed and I prayed. As I prayed, God opened my heart wider and wider. He showed me His everlasting and enduring love that He has for me. My heart became soft and I could feel God moving in my life. My treatments continued, the nerves in my spine began to heal more quickly.

After 12 treatments, each a month apart, I asked the Dr. to take me off of the morphine. She did so and I eased off of it with her medical expertise within 10 days. I chose to stay on the 10mg of lexapro and it is a medication that I still take daily.

Today, I am a single mom. God healed my chronic pain, but my marriage was not salvageable. However, it is this very chapter in my life – my journey with chronic pain – that brought me to the Lord. I would not have chosen this path for myself, but it is the path that I needed to take. Today I give thanks for all that has happened.

I was baptized in October 2005, along with a very dear friend of mine. I was baptized as a young child, but this time it was a personal decision for me because I chose to be baptized.

It is through my growing relationship with God that this website was born. God spoke to my heart about launching this site and nine months later, the site is growing and God just continues to amaze me. In this month of Thanksgiving, I am so grateful, sometimes my heart feels like it is just overflowing.

I am grateful for the life God has given to me. I’m grateful for the daughter I have. I’m grateful to be alive and to be healthy and pain free.

Now that I know Jesus, I know that no matter what comes against me, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

That gives me great comfort. I want to know God even more and to live a life that honors Him and brings Him glory.

If you are reading this and struggling in your life, I want to encourage you to find a good bible-based church. I also want to encourage you to invite Jesus into your heart.

You can say this simple prayer:

Dear Lord: I ask you to come into my heart. Forgive me of my transgressions. Thank you for loving me and for dying on the cross for me. I make you Lord of my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you just prayed that prayer, congratulations friend, you have been born again. I encourage you to read your bible each day, to get stronger by being with fellow believers and by attending a bible-based church.

Thank you for reading about my testimony.

May God Bless you now and always!

Smile Pastor Terry and Edna - You're in the Encourager Spotlight! by Sage Buitron

Pastor Terry and Edna Piscatello – You may have retired from Parkway Christian Church in Davie, Florida, but you can’t retire from our hearts. If ever there were great encouragers, it would have to be the two of you.
Pastor Terry, not only did you lead your sheep for almost a decade at Parkway Church, you wept when we wept, you laughed when we laughed, you gave praise when we were victorious, you prayed over each of us and you led me right to the Lord when I was hurting physically and spiritually. You ministered to my hurts and encouraged my walk with God. You checked in often to see how Isabella and I were doing. You and Edna hugged us each Sunday after service as we walked out the church’s doors to head back into the world.
I was blessed to be baptized by you – a day I will never forget. If it were not for you Pastor Terry, I might still be struggling physically and spiritually. But God used you in such a glorious way. We were blessed to be your sheep. I am forever thankful that you were my Sheppard. We miss you, but we know that God has very special plans for both of you. God Bless You! We love you, Sage and Isabella

Congratulations Otis Brown, You are in the Encourager Spotlight by Sage Buitron

Not many people get to say they have two moms. I am one of the very, very lucky ones!

My “other mother” or “second mom” as I like to refer to her is Otis Brown. Otis has been a friend to our family for 35 years.

I know that God was guiding my mom, Sheila, when she found herself in desperate search of someone to help her out with the craziness of looking after four very young children while my father worked and traveled for business.

My mom needed someone reliable, trustworthy, organized, helpful, balanced, loving and calm. She needed a rock to lean on. God led my mom right to Otis Brown.

Otis has been a constant rock in all of our lives. Not only was she there to help my mom while we were growing up, but she has gone on to help me and my sister with our families, as we attempt to balance our busy lives between work and home.

Otis is one of the most Godly women I’ve ever known. She is a prayer warrior, and I know she has prayed for my family and over my family for decades. I credit Otis with bringing more Godliness into my own home as a single mother.

I owe you a debt of gratitude Otis. Words can never express the depth of love in my heart that I have for you and for the countless ways in which you have blessed me and my family.

I love you!

Smile Michele Fernandez - You're in the "Encourager Spotlight!"

(left to right) Michele, Jay, Nicole, James, Ana
The Fernandez Family






There are some people who are just born into the world as givers. My neighbor and close friend Michele Fernandez is one of those people.

She gives without ever asking or expecting anything in return. She gives of her time, of her love and her heart. She commits random acts of kindness and does it quietly, without ever announcing it.

I’ve known Michele for eight years now, long enough to know for sure that Michele is a great encourager.

When I went through a season battling chronic pain, Michele was there – always checking in on me and my family. She made countless delicious, homemade meals for us so that I would not have to stand on my feet cooking.

When I went through my divorce, Michele was always there offering words of support and encouragement, and more delicious homemade meals! Did I mention she is a great cook?!

Michele is the first person to volunteer to help an ailing neighbor, friend or family member. She is a volunteer with “Best Buddies” – Anthony Kennedy Shriver’s organization which pairs individuals who are mentally challenged with upstanding members of the community.

Last Christmas, Michele gave to “His House Children’s Home.” I didn’t realize it at the time, but when Michele gave me a packet of information about this wonderful organization, God was planting a seed for the Positive-Talk.com ministry. (see “Making A Positive Difference” on the home page)

Michele also gives her everything to her devoted husband and her three beautiful children. She and her husband have done an amazing job with their son and two daughters and to no surprise, they all are givers as well. They have a heart for helping others.

Michele, because you are so humble, I bet you are cringing at being placed in the spotlight. But you deserve to be recognized! You are a great encourager, a wonderful person and a great friend. Thank you for being you!

Sage Buitron

My Greatest Encourager - My Mom by Sage Buitron

I am blessed. God gave to me, and my three siblings, a mom who is a tremendous encourager. To the rest of the world, she’s known as Sheila, but to me, she is mom. She is the one who has spoken blessings over me and believed in me from the beginning.

And it was a very rough beginning. You see, my mom had a very large ovarian cyst when she was pregnant with me. And when she was just six weeks along, the doctors had to perform an emergency operation to extract the cyst. After the surgery, they told her to go home and expect a miscarriage. Even though those words terrified my mother, she believed for greater things.

My late grandmother took care of my mom for the months that followed -- and I came into the world nine months later as a healthy, bouncing baby girl.

So began my mom’s journey into parenthood. My mom says she always knew that she wanted to have four children. She says that she wanted the four of us, (two girls and two boys), the way that some people want to be a rock star! That’s how much passion she has for the incredible gift of being a mother.

As a kid, through the growing up process, there are always times of self doubt. However, my mom has always been there to say, “You can do it Reba!” (my nickname)

When I wanted to try out for cheerleading in high school but feared failing, she said, “You can do it, I believe in you!” Yes, I did make the cheerleading squad.

When she brought home an admissions application from the University of Miami and presented me with it, I said, “I’ll never be accepted to U of M. I should just stay at the community college.” Mom replied. “Those kids I see on campus don’t have anything that you don’t have.” I will never forget those words. I filled out the application and yes, I was accepted to the U of M. I am proud to say that I hold a Bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the U of M.

I am now a single parent. It has not been an easy journey. But mom, you know all too well what it’s like being a single parent. You were the single parent of four children, and you know all too well what a challenging journey that was. But you did it – you raised us all up. And we all turned out pretty fantastic! (and modest!)

This past Mother’s Day, my mom sent ME a Mother’s Day card. In it she wrote, “I just wanted you to know that I think you are a great Mom and that you make me very proud! I love you very much, your Mom!”

Wow! Mom, to say thank you does not even begin to cover the depth of appreciation I hold in my heart for all that you have sacrificed and done for me and my three younger siblings.

I am proud of you Mom. You have always set a great example for me. You are my greatest encourager, my greatest friend. I am blessed to have you as my mom. I love you!

Your daughter, “Reba.”