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

 

When you argue...

...your limitations

you get to keep them.

Change the way you communicate with yourself.

What you say today will create your experience

tomorrow depending on your focus.

notes...

 thoughts starting to go sideways...

  course correct

prayer breaks the chain

refocus...

barefoot in the grass

 cool breeze, an audience of birds, moving to the beat

fully receptive...

returning to the natural flow of things

savor the pleasures

you don't have to choose between staying close to God

& staying the course

He is the course

concentrate on and enjoy the present

stay in step with Him

He will show you little ways to 

clear out the chaos and lead a more

peaceful life

Help is available every nanosecond of your journey

be patient

it doesn't happen all at once

you continue to learn as you go

you need to persevere 

where is your heart today?

get real and honest with where

you really are

not where you wish you were

you can turn your worries into 

something positive

view worries as triggers

that switch your focus

to trusting God in them

things are not always comfortable or convenient 

don't be unkind to yourself

the words you speak to yourself can wreak havoc

they have the power to encourage or discourage

motivate or deflate

generate joy or repel it

stop beating yourself up

right now

sabotaging thoughts are in stiff opposition

to who God wants you to be

discipline your mind

the words you speak reflect your inner beliefs

& reinforce them

if you can't say something positive

silence is the best substitute

it's one thing for others to fill you with junk

it's worse when you choose to feed toxicity to yourself

learn to take good care of your mind, body, heart and soul

nurture the relationship you have

with you

take your focus away from the things that cause you

to feel pain, stress, fear and unhappiness

onto things that make your heart sing

things that make you happy

practice practice practice

"Sometimes reality is terribly unrealistic."

you are dearly loved

be well...

xoxo

💗

"Character cannot be developed in ease & quiet.

Only through experience of trial and suffering

can the soul be strengthened,

vision cleared, ambitions inspired

and success achieved."

~Hellen Keller

"Character develops itself in the full

stream of life."

~Goethe