New Identity Magazine

The Multicolored Hall of Faith

Ramon Mayo — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 17:44:22 +0000

There’s a never-ending debate many folks have on who the greatest NBA player of all time is. Is it Jordan? Is it Lebron? Is it Kobe? There’s no doubt that if you’re an NBA fan, you land on a particular side of this debate, and you have your reasons. A lot of it boils down to where you’re from. Most folks in Chicago will swear up and down it’s Michael Jordan who deserves the title of GOAT.

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Being Uncomfortable With Comfort

Ramon Mayo — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 18:26:00 +0000

If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.”-C.S. Lewis In our mother’s womb we are shielded from the world’s ugliness and pain. Then we are suddenly thrust out into the world and from there on out we say goodbye to comfort. We say goodbye to…

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What Happens In Mexico Will Not Stay In Mexico

Ramon Mayo — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 10:13:11 +0000

The night before we left for Juarez, Mexico our team of three had dinner at La Capilla restaurant in Torrance, California to get us in the mood for our trip. After being filled with enchiladas and tacos, we walked out and a guy overheard us saying that we would be picking each other up at 4:00am in the morning. This immediately sparked his interest and he asked us where we were going.

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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REBUKE?

Ramon Mayo — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 21:26:24 +0000

Photo Credit: Juanedc.com | Flickr (Creative Commons) If you hang around certain Christians you may hear the word “rebuke.” It’s a tough word so not everyone uses it. It’s one of those words you can use to muscle your way around spiritually. A rebuke is simply a sharp form of criticism or disapproval. It’s basically a biblical way to say that this is not cool and needs to stop now.

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SOLD OUT

Ramon Mayo — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 15:10:43 +0000

Photo Credit: Corpuzzle | Flickr (Creative Commons) If I said you were a sell out you would probably be insulted. No one wants to be called a sell out but in the right context that could be the highest compliment. Usually when we talk about someone selling out, it’s a negative thing. It means they have given up their convictions and principles for some temporary reward or compensation.

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ANOINTED

Ramon Mayo — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 18:53:40 +0000

Photo Credit: Bethan Phillips | Flickr (Creative Commons) The word anointed sounds super strange. It’s not an ordinary word that we use today. In fact, outside of church, it is hardly ever said. It kind of sounds like ointment and kind of sounds like appointed. Actually, anointed is kind of related to both of these words although they are not connected on the language level.

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SANCTIFIED

Ramon Mayo — Mon, 16 May 2016 19:43:29 +0000

Photo Credit: grazie davvero | Flickr (Creative Commons) Sanctified comes from the Latin word sanctus. Sanctus basically means holy or set apart. So when Christians use the word sanctified they are basically talking about being set apart for God and his purposes. In the Old Testament, being ‘set apart’ was extremely difficult for the average Israelite, let alone anyone else. There were 613 (by…

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FAVOR

Ramon Mayo — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 20:40:10 +0000

Photo Credit: Sergiy Vynnychenko | Flickr (Creative Commons) Favor is usually given because of something we can offer or some innate quality we possess. Maybe someone gives you favor at work and you get a promotion or a raise. Maybe a restaurant manager shows you favor in order to win more of your business. It seems mysterious when you take into account all the factors that could persuade…

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A FORK IN THE ROAD

Ramon Mayo — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 17:08:41 +0000

Photo Credit: maria del carmen gomez | Flickr (Creative Commons) Conviction and condemnation are distant cousins. I wouldn’t call them siblings, but they do belong in the same family. They both have to do with the way we deal with our mistakes or, as the Bible puts it, our sin. They are universal feelings, yet they don’t always stem from universal actions. Some may feel conviction from one…

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ACCEPTING CHRIST

Ramon Mayo — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 16:45:31 +0000

Photo Credit: Jonathan Kos-Read | Flickr (Creative Commons) Many people accept that Christ existed. Many people accept that he died. Still others accept not only that he died but that he rose again and that he is God. Many would accept his existence and the facts about his life much like they accept that the world is round and spins on an axis or that you always lose at least one sock in the…

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