Faith Blogger

Respect Small Beginnings

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”

Zechariah 4:10, NLT 

The trap is to make you think you need hundreds or thousands of people to validate what God has given you. BEFORE you trust what He told you to do.

Right now, you may be reading this message from the ditch of complacency, feeling sorry for yourself because it seems like everything you do, you end up in the same place. Meanwhile, as you look around at others, it seems like everyone else is outpacing you.

May I offer you this thought,

Could it be you’re expecting completion, where God is giving you the grace to lay the foundation for what He has shown you?

Let’s face it, the vast majority of people, myself included, are not comfortable starting something new. New beginnings come packaged with Continue reading →

Where Are You?

WHERE ARE YOU?

-GOD

This is the classic question that God asks Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, after their disobedience. I am fascinated by this question. Why would the only ONE who knows EVERYTHING,  and is  EVERYWHERE need to ask such a question? Didn’t He know where they were?

OF COURSE HE DID!!! So why the question?  I am convinced that this question was about Adam and Eve’s awareness , and not God’s ignorance.  The goal of the question was to awaken them to the reality of their present moment.

Is it possible that God is asking you a question that is meant to jolt you awake from your slumber to your Present reality? Could God have drawn you to this blog because you’ve been sleep walking through 2020, and you don’t even know it?

It was around the mid-to-end of August that I sensed God sound an alarm in my own life.  The purpose of the question I heard was very similar to Adam and Eve’s, but it was not the same question.  The question I heard from Heaven was, Continue reading →

Forget To Remember

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ro·man·ti·cize
/rōˈman(t)əˌsīz/
verb
  1. deal with or describe in an idealized or unrealistic fashion; make (something) seem better or more appealing than it really is.

Transition is the uncomfortable space between where / who, you were, and where/who you are hoping to be or become.   The pain of transition can make us romanticize about what life was “before.” Continue reading →

All You Have, Is All You Need

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All of your experiences, all of your pain, all of your disappointments, all of your victories, everything about you is necessary for your Purpose. There is not one thing that you have, tangible or intangible, that is unnecessary. It is the sum total of it all that God will maximize, and allow you to thrive in your Calling, Continue reading →

Allow Courage

Mental or moral strength to persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.

Merrian-Webster Dictionary

STRENGTH.

PERSERVERENCE.

BOLDNESS.

If I were asked to define courage using 1 word, I would choose one of the words listed above. I love the idea of courage, and having the privilege to witness it at work in the lives of others. Today, I had the honor of witnessing the manifestation of many seeds of courage on display at a ribbon cutting ceremony and Grand Opening of a business. I left the event excited about the future, and proud of the business owner, who had undoubtedly pressed past, and jumped over many obstacles to realize her dream.

There was something special about seeing the tangible fruit of courage. I was inspired, and I started to think about what courage really is, versus the misconceptions of it. Continue reading →

Eye Contact – #30Layers30Days

img_1279I said I would not quit, and then I looked away.

I said I would stay focused, and I dropped my head, gazing upon the ground.

I said I would be self-compassionate and gracious when I made mistakes, and I shut my eyes.

With shame and defeat hovering over me, I stared into the mirror intently, depressed, Continue reading →

Color Faded – #30Layers30Days

img_0984When a tree is preparing for its renewal season, it sheds its leaves. Liberated from the weight of the leaves, the tree, and its branches are free to rest and replenish.  Fall and Winter seasons, though wet, cold, gloomy, and uncomfortable prepare the tree for the vibrancy of new life that is sure to bloom forth in Spring.

While the beauty of Fall leaves makes us gasp, we rarely realize we are witnessing death on display.

Continue reading →

Secret Life – #30Layers30Days

I have only recently gained an appreciation for “Wilderness-like” seasons of isolation. Before I saw them as punishment, a “time out” of sorts for not meeting expectations, or for falling short.

However, I am learning that seasons of isolation are really seasons of “PROMOTION PREPARATION.” These are times Continue reading →

A Love Letter to Grieving Daughters

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Dearest Grieving Daughter,

I am writing you this letter on the Eve of my 7th Mother’s Day without my mother, and my 14th Mother’s Day, married, without a child.   And this is the first year in the past 7 that I am approaching Mother’s Day doing “just fine.”  I have been doing SO fine, in fact,  that I have been surprised. Leading up to this weekend, I have been checking myself regularly, and giving myself space to feel the weight of  emotions  that I typically have learned to expect and make space for during this time of year, but I haven’t been able to find my usual sorrowful outpouring of silent, private tears,  nor can I find my usual “May” visitors,  PAIN, SHAME, and DEFEAT.  I don’t share that with you to boast of myself or my own strength. I don’t share it as a badge of honor, to say,  “Look at me,” no, I decided to begin this letter sharing this with you because I am a testimony of what God will do for His Daughters who find themselves in the throes of sorrow.

As I searched for Tears,  Pain, Shame, and Defeat, I found instead, a burden on my heart for you,  God’s Grieving Daughters. Women who have come to dread this time of year completely. Women  who don’t feel like there is much to “celebrate” this weekend. So I wanted to write you a letter to tell you that you are not forgotten, and to assure you that there is  indeed hope on the other side of your pain.  I want to be very clear,  this letter is not only intended for women who have lost a mother to death.  I am also writing to women who have had to live with the pain of barrenness,  women whose mothers are alive, but they are estranged from them,  women who have buried children, or lost them to the judicial system in the form of incarceration,  and women who are raising their children to the best of their ability,  Continue reading →