You can be close...

....to God &

dysfunctional at the same time.

You can be real.

notes...

'Discouragement is quite debilitating,

you can give up trying, hoping, caring,

and believing.

You need to change your thoughts,

your focus,

your mind.

Never forget how much God Loves you.

If the voice is negative, it's not God.

The #1 purpose of your life, is to let God Love you.

You don't have to prove your worth.

There is nothing  more discouraging than being

something your not.

Be authentic, genuine, real.

Be yourself.

God didn't make you to be someone else.

We start out as originals and end up carbon copies.

You can't fake it.

You've got to be who you're going to be.

Don't try to pretend you have it all together.

Remember it's not all about you.

Life is bigger than you.

God has a unique life message for you.

Your life message is not about you,

it's about Him.

God is always more interested in why you do what you do,

than what you do.

Relax in your limitations.

God often puts His greatest gifts

in the weakest people.

He only used flawed instruments.

Humility is not denying your strengths,

it's being honest about your weaknesses.

You are a bundle of both.

You can handle an enormous amount of pain

if you see a purpose in it.

Pain without purpose is unbearable.

You can't please everybody.

Even God can't do that.

Take time for renewal.

You can't stop the aging process,

but you can remain fresh inside.

Take time for renewal.

Recharge.

Refresh yourself.

When you get tired

you lose your perspective.

Know what renews you emotionally,

and physically.

We're all a little cracked.

Never forget you are Loved.'

be well...

xoxo

💖

 

There is power...

....in experiencing the simplicity

of faith.

notes...

First words in my journal this morning

"I'm in severe need of a mind renewal"

Woman's conference this morning.

Yay.

Then...

 stomach ache, didn't register,

couldn't find my wedding ring...

pause. pray. breathe. 

determined to go

even if....

Have a heart overflowing with gratitude

cultivate a thankful mindset

He will open up the way for you

one step at a time

wait in expectation

waiting and trusting are ever so closely connected

don't be overly focused on getting the answers you seek

watch and wait

He is trying to take you to a place you 

can't go alone

surrender to His plan

and exercise your gifts

when your faith is stretched to the limit

& your dreams are shattered,

everything in you may be telling you to give up

don't

believe 

despite everything around you

when you experience a situation for 

which answers are lacking & there seems

to be no hope

your facing a test of faith

conference notes...

'once you've tasted the Lord

you can't go back'

~Sarah

'Do you want to ask me?

Or do you want to tell me you can't'

#prayer

~Sarah

"Pour out what you have...

pour out your light

& God pours into you."

~Sarah

"There's always miles you didn't see coming

Nobody can run the miles for you."

#triathalon

~Sarah

'We love even if it is never reciprocated.'

~Cassie

'Come and see a Man who meets you

right where you are

who wants to make your heart whole.'

~Sherice

'Healing and transformation began

after the woman stopped hiding.'

~Daphne

'Walls keep people out

keeps healing out

keeps God out.

~Daphne

"You can't heal what you won't reveal."

~Daphne

"Jesus knows the whole story

and He stays."

~Daphne

"He will cancel out all the

voices of your past."

~Donna

....and I was severely blessed

be well...

xoxo

💝

"Holding space for another person requires active

listening through presence and respect.

When people share their stories, 

they are inviting you in with a bid for connection.

Giving them the time and space to express

themselves is an offering and deep connections

are formed with each interaction.

We tend to get wrapped up in our own story

when we need to listen.

Try to really hear what they are saying and offer 

the empathy and love they are seeking.

Open your ears when others choose you

to open their hearts to."

 

Sometimes when you're looking....

....for an answer,

God sends you to the home of a friend.

notes...

a much needed respite

comfort and ease

the simplicity of lounging on the back patio in pj's

thunderstorms and the smell of rain

feeling like home

deep conversations centered around spirituality

kindness and love

dreaming up future adventures 

the sound of a distant train 

and cows bellowing near by

cooking breakfast together

sharing bites with each other

and the dog

a brown feather tucked in today's devotional page

(sign: grounding, physical stability, connection to home)

my forever friends that carry Godly wisdom

and ooze belief and support

they are a gift to my life

"God usually doesn't give us all the details.

He gives us direction."

you just know where to go next

and that's enough

give away love like it will never run out

'don't sit at the table and twirl your hair

while staring at a screen when

you're surrounded by friends'

pursue with-ness

and give it everything 

you've got

engage the people around you

with love and curiosity

love is a universal language

we were born with a heart

and designed to love

carve out time to

cultivate deep friendships

affirm the good things in your life

be alert for the blessings

God pours into your life

'He wants to fan fresh air 

into the stagnant rooms

of your heart'

today you are enough

yesterday you were enough

tomorrow you will be enough

forever you are enough

the only thing that matters

is that you feel comfortable in your own skin

the freedom to be you is the best gift you

ever give yourself

walk in your truth

be well...

xoxo

💖

"Finally, all of you, be like minded,

be sympathetic,

love one another, be compassionate and humble."

1Peter 3:8

"I love old souls, the daydreamers,

the deep thinkers, with lots of 

fascinating layers.

They don't care what others think,

they just do their own thing and when it comes 

to friends, its quality over quantity."

"Choose people who choose you."

"Go where your energy is reciprocated,

celebrated, and appreciated."

"Stick with people who pull the magic out of you,

not the madness."

 

A Cinderella story...

... of our own. 

A desire to find true love.

"God finds each of us in the cinders of a less

than perfect world, held back from the life

we dream of living.

He longs to raise us up to a high position,

transform us and grant us His power,

so he seeks us out,

inviting each of us to dance with Him.

And yet each of us needs someone to affirm our

inherent value and encourage our transformation.

We each need a Cinderella story of our own.

Each woman's relationship with God is such that

He finds her in the ashes, held back from the life

she dreams of living.

He seeks her, invites her to dance with Him, 

transforms her by revealing the beauty hidden beneath

the ashes, then confers on her His power and position.

Dancing in the arms of God is a relationship between 

you and God that is based on love and mutual respect.

The two of you communicate in a close, intimate setting.

He holds you, but His embrace is the embrace of a lover,

not a restraint of an oppressor.

As partners in this dance, God leads, and you let Him,

moving with the flow of His leading.

You are not enveloped in God, losing your 

identity as a unique person,

you are who you are,

retaining your freedom and individuality at every turn."

~Women's Devotional Bible~

be well...

xoxo

💞

"Let life happen to you.

Life is in the right, always."

~Rainer Maria Rilke