Let the mothers rise up and raise daughters who never lose their hope to the various oppressions of this world. Your role is a powerful and significant one. You are needed. Every diaper you change, every runny nose you wipe, every song you belt out before bedtime, you are raising a warrior princess. The same King who gave this precious baby girl to you cleaned your scars and mended your broken heart. Show your daughter who He is...He is calling you out of the ordinary to be everything He has called you to be. Don't waste any more time with pointless battles or pointless people. You, my dear, are the Kings daughter and you heart has a home in Him.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Mothers of princesses everywhere ❤️
Little girls are truly a beauty to behold. They have no restrictions on their dreams or no limitations to how far they can fly. They can do anything and no one stands in their way. They are born with a little bit of wonder on the inside of them. It isn't until puberty that they start second guessing themselves, and the poison of insecurity takes root. They start to question themselves, question what they are wearing, and whether or not they will be accepted. They begin to lose hope. This battle starts when they stop believing in themselves. They give someone else the key to their destiny and make decisions based on someone else's opinions instead of what lies inside their hearts. If no one ever reminds them of who they truly are they may never awaken to the beat of their own heart again. Let us tell them while they're young, while they're careless, fearless, and free, that they are daughters of the King. They are born to change the world; they breathe wonder and creativity into others. They are meant to bring light to the shadows with their caring heart full of hope. People will try and steal the joy that they have, they will try and make them feel inferior. You are in their lives for a reason, so tell them who they are...tell them to keep believing...and tell them that they bow to no one, no one except the King.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
STOP THE ARGUING START LOVING
Let me just say that it bothers me so much that when we as the church, here representing Jesus, bringing His light to the darkness, feel the need to argue with each other about things like what worship songs not to sing, our view on tattoos, or how we didn't agree with every word the television preacher said. There are WAY more important things that we should be focusing on.
"But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless." -Titus 3:9
"23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." -2 Timothy 2:23-24
What good does it do to others who see us so divided? We call each other Brother and Sister but we are not acting like family, we are acting like enemies. I believe Facebook can be…well so annoying really. We post our opinions or an article, and it spreads to all of our friends, if they share it, all of their friends and so on. How immature is it to argue through a post about what we disagree with about the bible or whether or not drinking alcohol is ok.
Unfortunately, I believe it does more harm then good. Yes, we need to have a standard and stick to our beliefs but check your motive. Is what your posting on Facebook encouraging others, or is it for the purpose of making fun of another 'brother or sister' in Christ.
We need to stand up against those who try and deceive or those who are living in sin, but lets use wisdom and walk in love and boldness as we do.
If a ministry is being used by God to touch lives, to change people, and the Holy Spirit is moving then who are we to judge. If a worship song is bringing people to their knees, entering in the presence of God, who are we to say it's not worded 'properly.' Let's not be pharisees…lets be family.
"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"-Amos 3:3
Let's start uniting against common evils, abortion, homosexuality, immorality, perversion, etc. Let's let God do the changing…let's do the loving.
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."-John 13:35
"But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless." -Titus 3:9
"23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." -2 Timothy 2:23-24
What good does it do to others who see us so divided? We call each other Brother and Sister but we are not acting like family, we are acting like enemies. I believe Facebook can be…well so annoying really. We post our opinions or an article, and it spreads to all of our friends, if they share it, all of their friends and so on. How immature is it to argue through a post about what we disagree with about the bible or whether or not drinking alcohol is ok.
Unfortunately, I believe it does more harm then good. Yes, we need to have a standard and stick to our beliefs but check your motive. Is what your posting on Facebook encouraging others, or is it for the purpose of making fun of another 'brother or sister' in Christ.
We need to stand up against those who try and deceive or those who are living in sin, but lets use wisdom and walk in love and boldness as we do.
If a ministry is being used by God to touch lives, to change people, and the Holy Spirit is moving then who are we to judge. If a worship song is bringing people to their knees, entering in the presence of God, who are we to say it's not worded 'properly.' Let's not be pharisees…lets be family.
"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"-Amos 3:3
Let's start uniting against common evils, abortion, homosexuality, immorality, perversion, etc. Let's let God do the changing…let's do the loving.
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."-John 13:35
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Love Not Thy Selfie
All over social media are people. These people are taking 'selfies'. Usually a cool facial expression, or some random location and bam-perfect selfie formula. I get it, your in the car at the stoplight having the perfect hair day and this moment must be captured in history. Or maybe you love your coffee so much you are like best friends with the coffee and gotta take a pic for the scrapbook, of yourself drinking the coffee. Thanks for sharing.
What bothers me the most is the numerous amount of women that take 'selflies.' Let's hold the camera at the perfect angle to get some cleavage and then thrown a scripture verse as the caption to make this pic look a bit holy. Whose attention are you trying to get? You are beautiful and you don't need to show us some skin to prove it. Be secure enough in yourself to not show that off to the world. You are putting yourself out there to attract the wrong type of attention and yet expecting the right kind of attention. We have become desperate for attention. That the mark of someones approval of us would be the click of a 'like button.' Have we so degraded the human relationship to this?
When we focus all of our attention on ourselves we miss the beauty of life going on around us. We become selfish individuals in a selfish society. We would rather pull out our phones and scroll through social media, making sure we have so many 'likes', and no comments that hurt our feelings. We want to be celebrated and patted on the back for our greatest accomplishment of the day which involved no energy at all except the click of the camera from our phone. While using touch pads we have somehow lost the personal touch.
I often look at my daughter and think what new worlds of technology will be discovered once she is grown. I will sound like an old lady when talking about my 'mac laptop' and 'iPhone 5'.Don't get me wrong, I am not bashing technology here, only our misuse of it. It is an amazing tool that if not wielded carefully can cause great damage to the user.May in the world of technology we not forget to be simple.
Simply beautiful, simply confident, and simply ourselves with no enhancements or need for approval.
What bothers me the most is the numerous amount of women that take 'selflies.' Let's hold the camera at the perfect angle to get some cleavage and then thrown a scripture verse as the caption to make this pic look a bit holy. Whose attention are you trying to get? You are beautiful and you don't need to show us some skin to prove it. Be secure enough in yourself to not show that off to the world. You are putting yourself out there to attract the wrong type of attention and yet expecting the right kind of attention. We have become desperate for attention. That the mark of someones approval of us would be the click of a 'like button.' Have we so degraded the human relationship to this?
When we focus all of our attention on ourselves we miss the beauty of life going on around us. We become selfish individuals in a selfish society. We would rather pull out our phones and scroll through social media, making sure we have so many 'likes', and no comments that hurt our feelings. We want to be celebrated and patted on the back for our greatest accomplishment of the day which involved no energy at all except the click of the camera from our phone. While using touch pads we have somehow lost the personal touch.
I often look at my daughter and think what new worlds of technology will be discovered once she is grown. I will sound like an old lady when talking about my 'mac laptop' and 'iPhone 5'.Don't get me wrong, I am not bashing technology here, only our misuse of it. It is an amazing tool that if not wielded carefully can cause great damage to the user.May in the world of technology we not forget to be simple.
Simply beautiful, simply confident, and simply ourselves with no enhancements or need for approval.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Disappointment is NOT a setback
Disappointment... We all have experienced this in our lives in one way or another. Whether it be a promotion that you didn't receive, a relationship you thought would work out, or promises that were broken...the list goes on and on. We have been let down, crushed, and broken hearted. These moments have left us confused, hurt, defensive, and rejected. We assume that since we cannot fully rely on people that must mean that we cannot fully rely on God. Only God….well, He is God and He has a different way of doing things altogether.
I recently had been believing for something, praying over it, claiming scriptures with it, standing on faith and all…but it didn't happen. Was I upset? Heck yes I was! I was upset with people and with circumstances and in some ways upset with God. He is supposed to work everything out for 'my good' (Romans 8:28) and my life is supposed to be filled with hope and a good future. (Jeremiah 29:11) In our culture of green lights, we think that getting a red light is a bad thing. We hate words like, 'not yet', 'later', 'wait a bit more', 'not ready', and so on. You may see the situation as a setback but it should not set you back in your walk with God.
I find that the people we are the closest to we often argue with, get upset at, and feel frustrated with. We are 'real' with them and them with us. They see all of our faults and failures. However, in spite of all this you still love them. Let me tell you that God and your ex are not the same. God and your parents are not the same. God and your boss, your co-worker, you friend, anyone else who you relied on, who hurt you, or was not there for you…they are not the same. God is not a man that He should lie. (Numbers 23:19) Yes, we can have a very personal relationship with God but we must understand that unlike people, God does not disappoint.
I often think of the story of Peter walking on water (Matthew 14:22-33) Jesus called to Peter to come meet Him as He walked on water. At first, Peter was doing it! He must have felt such excitement, such awe, to be walking on water in the midst of the storm! Peter kept his eyes fixed on Jesus, yet the moment Peter looked at his circumstances and all the reasons why logic states this should be impossible, he began to sink. In some ways, Peter disappointed Jesus. You could say Peter did not fully trust Jesus, and then of course when Peter denied even knowing Jesus in John 18:15-27. Yea, I guess Peter must have been a big let down huh? Jesus really had every reason to give up hope on Peter and let him go back to fishing. The amazing thing about this story is that Jesus, not once, not twice, but after every single disappointment, He kept trusting Peter to do the right thing. He kept giving him opportunities to prove himself and to make things right.
Why is it that when we mess up we know that God will give us another chance. He will show up in our lives and wash away the mess we made with His never ending love. Yet, when something happens to us we think should not have happened our trust in God is challenged. "Why did GOD let this happen?", "Where was GOD when I needed Him?" "I thought GOD was going to work this out for me?" Our trust in God should not be dependent on how many good things He does for us, if we heard his audible voice, or if he gives us a sign in the sky saying turn right. That is not true unshakable faith, but a laundry list of expectations. God does not expect that from us so why are we expecting that from Him?
I want to challenge you that with God walk on the water…be a radical…live your life out loud make a difference. Do not let a closed door stop you from going in the window. Allow God to lead you and trust that His word will come to pass just maybe not in the time you think it should. I will believe that God truly is working things out for my good. That He really is capable of anything. That His word never ever fails. Never. Some promises may take a few months or a few years to fulfill, but they are promises that God will keep. Your temporary disappointment could lead to a continual success. Think of the greats, like Michael Jordan for example. He did not even make his high school basketball team! A set back did not stop him and it shouldn't stop you. Today is a new day. You are stronger, wiser, and more equipped to take on whatever comes your way!
Always remember, no day is wasted if it adds to the person that you are.
I recently had been believing for something, praying over it, claiming scriptures with it, standing on faith and all…but it didn't happen. Was I upset? Heck yes I was! I was upset with people and with circumstances and in some ways upset with God. He is supposed to work everything out for 'my good' (Romans 8:28) and my life is supposed to be filled with hope and a good future. (Jeremiah 29:11) In our culture of green lights, we think that getting a red light is a bad thing. We hate words like, 'not yet', 'later', 'wait a bit more', 'not ready', and so on. You may see the situation as a setback but it should not set you back in your walk with God.
I find that the people we are the closest to we often argue with, get upset at, and feel frustrated with. We are 'real' with them and them with us. They see all of our faults and failures. However, in spite of all this you still love them. Let me tell you that God and your ex are not the same. God and your parents are not the same. God and your boss, your co-worker, you friend, anyone else who you relied on, who hurt you, or was not there for you…they are not the same. God is not a man that He should lie. (Numbers 23:19) Yes, we can have a very personal relationship with God but we must understand that unlike people, God does not disappoint.
I often think of the story of Peter walking on water (Matthew 14:22-33) Jesus called to Peter to come meet Him as He walked on water. At first, Peter was doing it! He must have felt such excitement, such awe, to be walking on water in the midst of the storm! Peter kept his eyes fixed on Jesus, yet the moment Peter looked at his circumstances and all the reasons why logic states this should be impossible, he began to sink. In some ways, Peter disappointed Jesus. You could say Peter did not fully trust Jesus, and then of course when Peter denied even knowing Jesus in John 18:15-27. Yea, I guess Peter must have been a big let down huh? Jesus really had every reason to give up hope on Peter and let him go back to fishing. The amazing thing about this story is that Jesus, not once, not twice, but after every single disappointment, He kept trusting Peter to do the right thing. He kept giving him opportunities to prove himself and to make things right.
Why is it that when we mess up we know that God will give us another chance. He will show up in our lives and wash away the mess we made with His never ending love. Yet, when something happens to us we think should not have happened our trust in God is challenged. "Why did GOD let this happen?", "Where was GOD when I needed Him?" "I thought GOD was going to work this out for me?" Our trust in God should not be dependent on how many good things He does for us, if we heard his audible voice, or if he gives us a sign in the sky saying turn right. That is not true unshakable faith, but a laundry list of expectations. God does not expect that from us so why are we expecting that from Him?
I want to challenge you that with God walk on the water…be a radical…live your life out loud make a difference. Do not let a closed door stop you from going in the window. Allow God to lead you and trust that His word will come to pass just maybe not in the time you think it should. I will believe that God truly is working things out for my good. That He really is capable of anything. That His word never ever fails. Never. Some promises may take a few months or a few years to fulfill, but they are promises that God will keep. Your temporary disappointment could lead to a continual success. Think of the greats, like Michael Jordan for example. He did not even make his high school basketball team! A set back did not stop him and it shouldn't stop you. Today is a new day. You are stronger, wiser, and more equipped to take on whatever comes your way!
Always remember, no day is wasted if it adds to the person that you are.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Fear…the dream killer
Thanks to live television, social media, and the world wide web, horrible news travels at alarming speeds. Horror movies have become one of the biggest industries of our generation. Would it surprise you that majority of people today deal with fear on a regular basis?
You know, growing up in church and hearing people say God was my father I never really understood that until i became a parent. You can not comprehend the overwhelming love for someone. It is as if my heart is running around in a 17-month old body, throwing tantrums, pooping her diaper, and snuggling with mommy. I have never experienced this kind of love in all my life. I long to see the dreams and desires she has come to pass. We all have dreams. Dreams of having a family one day, being successful, having our own home, starting a business, writing a book, the list goes on. Fear is the paralyzing factor whispering all the 'what ifs' to you say that you never take one step forward. God the Father has birthed dreams on the inside of you and He longs to see you fulfill them.
I literally stood fear in the face one day…well kind of. There was this bully in my elementary school who would always pick on me. It was so incredibly annoying. I got afraid to go to the other side of the playground where the 'cool' stuff was because he was over there, or afraid to sit in the back of the bus because he was there, etc. He was always pushing me around until one day on the playground I got sick of him always calling me names and intimidating me. I got up from my swing and took long walk to the other side of the playground where the monkey bars and the BIG slide was. I saw him watching me and eventually step in front of me. I was done playing games and just punched him right in the face, BAM! I kid you not, we were both sent to the principles office that day, only he had a bloody nose and I was smiling.
I'm not saying to go around and punch everyone in the face, but punch your fear in the face! :) YOU ARE STRONGER THAN YOUR WORST FEAR! God did not give you legs so that you could stand still or a voice so that you could keep quiet! Start using the gifts and talents He has given you. Start living! Start walking into all that he has for you.
I once heard someone say that 'fear' stands for False Evidence Appearing Real and that is exactly what it is. Fear paralyzes. Fear kills dreams. Stop letting it kill yours. Live out your dreams and don't waste another minute being afraid. God has so much better things in store for you!
Jeremiah 29:11 Isaiah 41:10!
Remember, no day is wasted if it adds to the person that you are <3
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
The Best Gift
I love watching people open presents for them; knowing I got them something they liked. Seeing a smile or my daughters enjoyment over her new toys give me such joy. It's a great feeling blessing the people you care about.
I think of God when He sent His son. Of course He understood the sacrifice but I believe He saw the joy this would bring to others. He already saw the blind man, begging for money, outcast by family and friends, the day Jesus would open his eyes. God saw this blind mans reaction to the first sunset, His smile and joy.
With sending Christ, God already saw the mans daughter healed, the woman with the issue of blood redeemed, the deaf hearing and the lame to walk. God saw the families that would be made whole and the marriages healed. By sending one gift, He saw ahead seeing all the joy this one gift would bring. All we have to do is receive it:)
Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Love, Love, Love!
Let's be honest, some people can be real jerks. If you have ever worked retail during the holiday season then you know what I am talking about. Or what about when your business is closing and someone rushes in at the last minute. Someone calls you with a list of compliants why it is 'your' fault. At times, the worst jerks can be found among the ones we love. They may not have responded the way we would've hoped or never made us feel loved. They may have said some very hurtful things that you are still holding onto today. We may not have been their 'favorite' and that rejection is still impacting our everyday lives.
We have all had our share of encounters with some rude, inconsiderate, and nasty people right? Think of one of those encounters. However, don't focus on that persons actions, rather focus for a moment on your reactions. Did you snap right back at them? Did you take what they were saying or doing and cause it to ruin the rest of your day or evening? Did you get so worked up about it that it caused you to snap on someone else?
If we are not careful, rudeness can be contagious. I can not control someones actions, but I can control my reactions. I can decide right them and there that I am the master of my emotions. I can make a decision that this 5, 20, or 50 minute encounter will not ruin the remainder of my 24 hours.
The Bible says that, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10) I believe this is meant to be taken literally. That when I feel the least 'joyful' or 'happy' that praising God and having a good attitude in the midst of adversity will give me the strength I need to get on with the rest of my day.
You see, a good attitude is also contagious. A simple smiles can go a long way. You may have been the only one to give them a smile all day or all year.
I currently am working full-time as a personal banker. I get my share of rude customers everyday telling me their problems and how it is 'my' fault. I remember one woman in particular. She had come in with an agenda to take her anger out on someone, and that lucky person was me that day. As she was ranting and raving I made a decision to just smile, listen, and let her talk. The longer I was kind to her, the more her attitude began to change. Once she let it all out she actually began to cry telling me that her adult son had actually just passed away and she was a mess. She apologized for taken it out on me and that she had not been herself. I was so glad I did not snap back at her! I had no idea what she was going through!
I once hear someone say that people in a way can be a lot like garbage trucks. They can get so full of depression, frustratuion, rejection, bitterness, etc, that when they get full they find someone to 'dump' their problems on. Think of that the next time someone is rude to you. You do not know what they are battling or what sorrows they are facing. Let's allow our smiles to be contagious. Do not hold onto to their words or allow them to effect you. Hold on to God's joy and let that be your strength.
"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."(John 13:35)
It is easy to love someone when they are being a blessing, but how much more does our love count when we are showing love to those in our eyes that are the least deserving of it. This is how we shine God's light in the world. This is how we make a difference. Love, Love, Love!
No day can be wasted in our lives by an unpleasent encounter with someone, rather we should make their day better because we are children of God walking in His love.
No day is wasted if it adds to the person you are. Walk in love today <3
We have all had our share of encounters with some rude, inconsiderate, and nasty people right? Think of one of those encounters. However, don't focus on that persons actions, rather focus for a moment on your reactions. Did you snap right back at them? Did you take what they were saying or doing and cause it to ruin the rest of your day or evening? Did you get so worked up about it that it caused you to snap on someone else?
If we are not careful, rudeness can be contagious. I can not control someones actions, but I can control my reactions. I can decide right them and there that I am the master of my emotions. I can make a decision that this 5, 20, or 50 minute encounter will not ruin the remainder of my 24 hours.
The Bible says that, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10) I believe this is meant to be taken literally. That when I feel the least 'joyful' or 'happy' that praising God and having a good attitude in the midst of adversity will give me the strength I need to get on with the rest of my day.
You see, a good attitude is also contagious. A simple smiles can go a long way. You may have been the only one to give them a smile all day or all year.
I currently am working full-time as a personal banker. I get my share of rude customers everyday telling me their problems and how it is 'my' fault. I remember one woman in particular. She had come in with an agenda to take her anger out on someone, and that lucky person was me that day. As she was ranting and raving I made a decision to just smile, listen, and let her talk. The longer I was kind to her, the more her attitude began to change. Once she let it all out she actually began to cry telling me that her adult son had actually just passed away and she was a mess. She apologized for taken it out on me and that she had not been herself. I was so glad I did not snap back at her! I had no idea what she was going through!
I once hear someone say that people in a way can be a lot like garbage trucks. They can get so full of depression, frustratuion, rejection, bitterness, etc, that when they get full they find someone to 'dump' their problems on. Think of that the next time someone is rude to you. You do not know what they are battling or what sorrows they are facing. Let's allow our smiles to be contagious. Do not hold onto to their words or allow them to effect you. Hold on to God's joy and let that be your strength.
"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."(John 13:35)
It is easy to love someone when they are being a blessing, but how much more does our love count when we are showing love to those in our eyes that are the least deserving of it. This is how we shine God's light in the world. This is how we make a difference. Love, Love, Love!
No day can be wasted in our lives by an unpleasent encounter with someone, rather we should make their day better because we are children of God walking in His love.
No day is wasted if it adds to the person you are. Walk in love today <3
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