Newest Additions

I absolutely LOVE the path I am beginning to see that God has laid before me. Although it is definitely NOT an easy path, there is some blessings to enjoy along the way. I LOVE helping women to be able to see the same dreams. That with some encouragement, they too can find a new future waiting, all they needed was someone to see them and encourage them to take that first step. I got the most wonderful message from one of the lovely ladies that has joined my private group class. She is one of the most beautiful souls that God has graced me with.

She has managed to do what I have been wanting to do for some time and needed that reminder that some people need to hear that encouragement today, and not wait for the time of their obituary to hear how they have impacted their life. It reminded me of a book I read from Walter Green, called This is the Moment! It is an extraordinary book I highly recommend that every single person should read. It really encourages us to use the time we have now, to reach out to people in our life and let them know now, and now at their funeral what impact they have had in our life.

Another book I would also highly recommend is The Noticer by Andy Andrews. It is a book on perspective. While two people are going through the same situation, it shows that they can "see" things very differently. One person can see the negative things happening in every situation, while the other person sees the positive in it. The positive can always be harder to find, but it is always there. If you have never picked up either book, I would highly recommend that you do. I think they will change you forever in the best way possible. The strange thing is that they have always been there but sometimes our perspective just needs to be pushed, nudged or motivated to see things a bit differently!

However, this one woman did just both of those things. She reminded me of the simple impact one person can have in your life and let it be known now and not later when those words will fall on ears that can no longer hear them. She provided consistent and specific feedback and her words were like the sweetest balm on my ears. She nourished my soul in just a handful of minutes it took for her to write those heartfelt words and for me, they were like a breath of life! She is going through her own unique health challenges and if you would, lift her up in prayer. She needs all the prayer and encouragement she can get as we all know how much fear can play a role in any of our lives.

I wanted to show you just a handful of the new items I finished this week and if you're interested in any of them, please let me know by emailing me, commenting below or visiting my shop at Etsy.

If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes

Being a corporate trainer for more than 10 years has led me through many changes both with the customers I worked with, the company I worked for and the employees I had the chance to encourage during my time there. It was one of my favorite jobs in my work history. It also led me through changes, some I was fine with and others that challenged me not to rebel but to move through them so things would settle down again.

Change is like trying to resist the waves. No matter how hard you try, it's still going to happen. You can try as hard as you like, but more than likely, you'll eventually find yourself tossed back to the shore. You're goal in life is to find the positive in that change. Whether it is the lose of a job that brings you to the point of wondering how it will all work out without money coming in, a medical diagnosis that brings you to your knees and to tears, the loss of a close family member, friend or pet, life is going to happen whether you join in or not.

One of the things that people who are close to me, hear me say a lot, when faced with that change is that, 'if nothing changes, nothing changes." I guess I remember hearing a message from Joyce Meyers that conveyed the Israelite's journey in the wilderness for 40 years. Did you know that it was only a 40-day journey to get to where they were eventually going to go? So why the longevity of a journey? Didn't someone ask,"Hey, haven't we been here before?" What was the point of such a long detour?

It's because they weren't willing to accept the changes God had in store for them. Sure they were all ready to give up a live of slavery in Egypt, and embrace that promise of a land filled with milk and honey, but it was because their hearts weren't in the right place. After all they had seen God do during that time of wandering, they still begged to question, "Why God?" Wouldn't life had been better in Egypt where things were comfortable, normal, no change to face. We knew what was expected, even though we hated it, still all they seemed to do is complain.

So that long detour is what we all face when we come across a change we're not ready for. I call them Life Tests from God. If you don't rise up to the challenge and figure out a way through that challenge, God sends you back on another journey round the desert again, until you finally stop your complaining and move through the test. God never leaves you, He is always by your side even when you can't feel it. Just like He never left His people in the desert. They walked away from Him.

So if you are facing an uncertainty in your life right now, I would ask you, how can you get through this with God's help? Have you prayed about it? Where is God in your day? Are you hoping to get through your 'To Do" list to finally set aside some time to pray and maybe read your devotions? Carve out just 15-minutes of your mornings and pray, read your Bible and see if your day doesn't go better. See if your attitude needs its own adjustment and remember what I say, "If nothing changes, NOTHING Changes!"

Conforming to New Changes

Change is hard.

I mean at times, it can really be hard.

Pull your hair out, scream at the top of your lungs hard, but none of that changes that change is here.

As a former corporate trainer, I used to teach a class on Adapting to Change, so while it might seem to you that I can probably weather the storm a bit better, I still am human. I still want to pull my hair out and scream at the top of my lungs.

It's like trying to battle back the waves at the beach.

You can try as hard as you can, but you will get no where.

The best thing you can do, is to find ways to accept the new normal. Or sure running and hiding might help for a short time, but sooner or later, you have to come out from where you're hiding and face facts. Change is here.

For my family, this will be a year of changes in almost every area of our lives.

My youngest daughter is getting married before the end of the year. Big change, financially for all of us.

My oldest is moving again and of course, the old landlord is being a bit of a pain, so working through those issues can put a lot of stress on a family.

My husband is now having to travel more, meaning all those things that need to get done, have to wait or I have to hire someone to do it, so it won't be something he has to do on whatever free time he has.

I am moving forward with my small business and still having to manage all the other areas of change as well with everyone else's change. Can you relate?

As a wife and mom, our change doesn't just affect us. Everyone else's change affects us as well. At times, it can feel downright overwhelming. You seriously consider running away from it all, but in the end, it doesn't do anything because everything is still right there when you come back to your senses.

As much as we can try to plan for change, plans can change. People can lose their jobs. Health issues might take a bigger precedence in our lives over the minor ones. And our kids never stop being our kids even though they're married and out on their own.

The one thing I do know is that you can manage. You just need to stay within the borders of today, and stop worrying about tomorrow. Remember, you've heard me tell you before that a tomorrow is never guaranteed. So manage within what you CAN do today. It helps you from feeling like a plane crash survivor and more like you can do this. I believe that is why woman are so good at managing things and being able to multi-task.

Just don't forget to take care of yourself. Even it is just locking the bathroom door for 5 minutes and being completely alone, except for the pounding on the other side of the door, asking if you are in there? Or the paws that reach out under the door.

Everyone seems to want a piece of us.

Just make sure you take care of you. Even Jesus had to walk away from the crowds and pray talking to His Father. It helps us to balance everything else out.

If you feel overwhelmed at this moment, have you prayed about it? Have you prayed that God will give you the strength to face today? Not worry about next week or even tomorrow. Ask God to help you manage the overload of what is happening to you today. I pray that if you do, God will show up and you'll get through it just fine.

You might smell like smoke, but you will survive. Tomorrow is simply another day on the battlefield of life. Get some rest and don't forget to talk to God! 

Missing Normal Weather

I had hoped when the fall season crept into existence I might find the things I had missed. The briskness of the air during the day, the changing of the leaves, fireplaces returning to use, changing out cotton sheets for flannel ones and even hoping for winter to return with a significant drop in temperatures.

But that is not what has happened, with the exception of the changing of the leaves, which I can be perfectly honest are still coming down, here on January 14th. What is happening?

We are used to getting large amounts of rain during the months of November through January but so far all we have seen is two days of rainfall since Thanksgiving. The temperatures remain around the high 60's to low 70's most days and I have seriously missed those night time temperatures dipping to well below freezing. We've only had about a week of that over all if you add all the days up which is really out of the normal for us.

Am I the only one noticing this or have you noticed a difference in the weather where you live as well?

Our grass has even managed to stay green all this time, and our willow tree which usually has lost all its leaves by mid-December still has green leaves left. My rose bushes even have buds forming on them. So what is up?

Would love to hear what the weather has been like for you where you live?

Hey, you down there!

"One newspaper columnist wrote about how God would like to take a turn to talk to us who live on earth. They wrote God started out with a greeting to those living on the earth and asked how things were going. It might look something like this:

Hello to all my sons and daughters living on earth,

Just thought I'd take a moment to ask you just how things are going there currently on earth since you have declared Me extinct and have taken charge of things. Is there peace and order in the new world you have created? Is it the perfect world you have envisioned? From where I am sitting I can see how children are often abused and neglected. I notice the millions of people that are addicted to drugs that are destroying your minds and lives. Your new morality has become slavery to immorality and you now live in fear and don't trust one another.

I see how children are no longer safe in their backyards or homes or even babies in their mother's womb. I have seen more murdering and suicides and what are called accidents are not accidents at all causing terrible suffering. Most of you are chasing after wealth and power or pleasures not thinking of me or helping others. You thought your Science and Technology could replace me. Natural disasters leave you helpless because you can't hold back the mighty waves of the seas or stop the earth from shaking. Can you control fire, wind and the sea?

Did you put the oil in the earth you use or the fish in the seas? Can you produce your own air, water, or soil or bring back the stars if they fall? Can you save yourself from flinging into space if the gravity should fail?

You could live by my commandments to find inward peace and happiness, but you have rejected them, or you have changed them to suit yourselves. Some of you have tried to explain your problems arrogantly with your vast scientific knowledge. Others just blame such things on Climate Change or Political Incorrectness.

My ways are higher and different from your ways as the heavens are above the earth. Just remember this: My mercy and longsuffering are forever, but my justice is final.

Love God. "(Helen Colby, "Hey, you down there, can we talk?," Fort Madison, Daily Democrat, no. September13(2011)

Interesting conversation considering that we are still murdering millions of innocent babies while others praise the results of a woman's right to choice for her own body even if it means taking the life of an unborn baby. God's mercy and long suffering are forever, but His justice is final. Time is running out and God's justice will be swift upon those who take the innocent life and continue to stand behind the policies that support this decision.

May we continue to lift our country up in prayer and pray for swift change to come upon the earth like never before. May we turn back to the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. May we pray for hearts and minds to turn back to God and may we realize it before it's too late! 

Life in A Bubble

Transition is the key word as of lately. Seems like everything and everyone is transitioning through this change of season or in their own personal lives. Here are a few I have noticed lately:

My Red Maple is filled with beautiful leaves in shades of vibrant reds waiting for the next windy day to take those leaves on their final journey back into the circle of life. I smile everyday I walk outside because it's so brilliant it stands out!

The roses and flowers are dropping their final buds and soon I will be taking mulch and covering them up for their long winters nap, saying a prayer for abundant blooms next spring and to enjoy this season of sleep.

My apple tree is losing it's leaves as well, preparing to prune it back and watch as it remains a silent sentinel in my backyard watching over the garden paradise until the fuzzy buds once more return promising goodness to come in the spring.

My kids are making their preparations for the long Thanksgiving week in which there is no school so they are trying to work ahead in hopes of adding a few extra days in to make this a beautiful week of blessings and gratitude.

Hubby is waiting on the final OK for the remainder of his contracts to come through so he can end his year on a high note and with a breath of "I did it!" so he can rest easy through next month.

Remembering that with our oldest, she is making her final preparations this year to emerge as an adult with her life ahead of her.

Loving that today is another beautiful monthly anniversary for hubby and I! We are celebrating 12 years, 9 months as of today! Happy Anniversary Steve, got you again!

Praying for so many great things for all of you as you make plans to finish out your year, but keep in mind those that may be struggling this year, this being a year more challenging and difficult than any they have seen. Let the hands and feet of Jesus be seen through the final days of this year and let us all show others just what being a true Christian is really all about!

Are You Tired of Change?

Change. It's all around us. And I am not talking about what's left over from a dollar after you pay for something. I am talking about real change. It's everywhere and yet people fear it. But what do they truly fear about change?

People think that change is something that has to happen right away or over night in order to get over that fear of change. Yet if we look at things in reality, change is a lot like a glacier. It seems that the glaciers that existed ten thousand years ago took a long time to move to the ocean, but the landscapes they left in their wake are truly amazing. Far too many of us approach the spiritual life with too little patience as if it were a matter of something like a surgical operation or an injection, which will immediately make us better again. Change is a long term process.

What frightens people away from a fitness plan, whether it's physical or spiritual, is the fear of the short-term negative impact on their lives. I am a firm believer that people are not afraid of change itself.

If I said to you, "I am going to transform your life by giving you a million dollars," would you fear that? You might be afraid I have gone crazy or that the money was stolen, but if everything was legitimate, you'd do cartwheels.

On the other hand, if I said to you, "I am going to install a new complicated computer systerm at your life difficult and will take you twice as long to do your work," you're going to start shaking. People don't fear change. They fear their lives are going to be worse off than they were before the change. Change is many ways needs to happen in spoonfuls. The saints are to blame for that since so many of them took giant leaps of faith.

The one thing most people are is tired. I know there are times when I can be tired. You're probably tired too, and if you say you're not, it's probably because you're too tired to admit it. Some of us are physically tired. Others of us are mentally. Most of us, it seems, are tired spiritually.

We may be tired of our families, our families, our jobs. We may be tired of waiting at the same red light every day on the way to school. We may be tired of our neighbors. We may be tired of crime in our neighborhoods or tired of never catching a break. We may be tired because no matter how hard we try we can't save any money. We may be tired of the same old news we hear every day: the world is at war, terrorism is on the rise, murder is happening everywhere, the economy is failing, our leaders our idiots, and the movie star who admire so much is a bad tipper.

We may be tired because no matter how hard we try, we can't lose weight. We may be tired because of an illness. Tired because someone we love is spiraling out of control because of an addiction. We may be tired of our children not listening to us. We might be tired of feeling isolated and alone, or of feeling weak. Tired of being frustrated, disappointed, moody, irritable, broken. We may be tired that no matter how hard we pray we never hear God speaking to us.

Tiredness is one of the biggest things that keep people away from the spiritual life. Prayer and meditation are a surefire way to energizing you. Even better than Red Bull and Pop Rocks. And while many people believe that what they are looking for in their lives is rest - Saint Augustine's often quoted "We are restless, Lord, until we find rest in you" comes to mind - when we turn our lives to God and rest is the very last thing we could want.

Awareness is the key.

Certainly the Titanic could have been saved from disaster if it had shifted its direction when leaving port by a single degree south. A single degree.

To live a spiritual life takes a slight shift of our focus. What would happen if we shifted our focus by a single degree? What would happen if we made just a tiny little change in our lives and gave just fifteen minutes daily to exercising our souls by giving that time to God? That' s just 1 percent, the other 99 percent you can do whatever you want. Want to find out?

Come and find out what it means to be human in the eyes of God by seeing God in all things. It's time to strengthen that soul of yours.

If you're up to a challenge, let me know by leaving me a comment. I am looking for followers who want to see what changes will occur in their lives just by making that change to commit to 15 minutes every day for 30 days. Are you willing? Let me know.