We live in a world full of slaves, held captive by their own desires. If you are lucky in this life you will see some of those slaves set free. They will chose instead to become slaves of righteousness. I have been so lucky, and can testify that you are better off as a slave chained to righteousness, than as a slave chained to sin.
Four months ago, we opened the doors to the Anthem church, Tempe to welcome the broken and hurting and celebrate life in Jesus. Since then we have seen many slaves set free and have watched God make beauty from their ashes as they begin to live life driven by the truth of Gods word. In our short time as a church we have celebrated new freedom and life in Christ thru water baptism, and have heard testimony after testimony that would lead me to believe we are in the midst of a revival in the hearts of many. And greater things are still to come.
Mariana Marquez, was the first slave to publicly relinquish her chains for the cause of Christ at the Anthem. Her friends and family say that she is a new person, and I have witnessed her longing for the nourishment of Gods word. She, and many others like her, are the reason the church exists.
Her desire to grow in the faith led her to enroll in the School of Ministry at Calvary of Albuquerque this fall. I am posting her support letter on this blog:
- To celebrate what God has and is doing.
- Because big steps of faith are often fueled by encouragement, and I want to get behind her.
Here is how you can help:
- Financial giving: if you want to help Mariana go to school of ministry you can by contacting Calvary of Albuquerque and making a donation towards her tuition.
- Prayer: pray that God would use this year she is setting apart for Him to equip her for the work He has for her and that others would be drawn to Jesus thru her life of faith.
- Encouragement: leave a comment for her here or send her an email to mariana.marquez024@yahoo.com (If you are in ABQ, make sure and give her a big squeeze when you see her in the fall).
- Share: FB, twitter, any other means you can think of. Share her story, sure, but more importantly, share the story of Jesus who came to set captives free and break the chains of sin. Who died, so that anyone who would trust in Him would be free to truly live. We are all slaves, either to sin or to righteousness, but only righteousness leads to life.
Here is her story
“Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth, shall you know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” Isaiah 43:19. God is amazing! He continually grows and works in you. He wants to accomplish so much more for you, more then you can possibly imagine. In order for Him to do this you must keep moving forward. Sometimes in order to move forward and for Him to continue to grow you, one must move away from friends, family, and from your comfort zone. Essentially, for me, that means moving away from home; from my nest of security. He has called me to move to New Mexico to attend the School of Ministry. He has sparked a desire in my heart to gain more knowledge, to be poured into, and to be better equipped in order to serve Him better. He has prompted me to move by the 17th of August. This is the biggest leap of faith I have taken and with this comes fears: fear of the unknown, fear of finances and of failure. But God is great and “hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of sound mind” 2 Timothy 1:7. So I am writing this letter to you my friends and family to ask that you please keep me in your prayers as I take this journey filled with tests and trials. I ask that you pray for peace and faith and that I continue to seek the Lord and to have obedience. I also would appreciate any financial support. I need to raise 50% of the tuition by August 11th which comes out to be $900. Anything would be a blessing for me, whether it be money or just prayer. He is doing great things for me, for the Anthem, and for everyone! It has been a blessing knowing all of you.
Much Love and God bless,
Mariana Marquez
Praying for you this week. That God would make us generous with our encouragement, time, prayers, and resources.
xoxo Shaena
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