Ordered Steps
I know people say, what you don’t know can’t hurt, but that’s a lie. I was working on a project at work and I didn’t know I should get permission before I implemented something - guess what that missed step could have hurt me if I wouldn’t have asked someone. ?
I think about even when I’m cooking, it is probably better for me to follow the steps of the recipe in order vs. skipping steps. If I jump to putting my cake in the oven before mixing the ingredients, something with that cake isn’t going to be right. Lol.
The whole idea of having steps ordered makes me grateful for how intentional my Heavenly Father is. He ordered our steps before we wore born.
How cool is that?!!!
I know we think we know what’s best for us often, but we should follow his ordered steps. It will save us a lot of time and energy.
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: And he delighteth in his way.”
Psalm 37:23 KJV
Working through Fear
Y’all ever wanted to start a new project or launch an event or anything and your nerves are going crazy? Well, that’s me.
I’ve been wanting to have a class for future authors who want to self-published, but I’ve been so nervous. If allowed fear can cripple you. It allows you to be in a place of comfort in which you always know you are safe instead of living in the unknown or stepping into uncharted territories.
So, how do you get past this fear? I think getting past the fear is different for everyone, for me, I have to create the event. Will people come? Umm idk, but I’ll never allow them to come and share their story if I don’t step forward.
Therefore, I’ve created an event to help authors who want to share their stories. The link is below and is my bio. Am I scared? Heck ya. Will people show up? That’s TBD. ?
But... this scripture below really helped me because God is with me and holding my right hand. ?
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10 KJV
Link to Event:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/self-publishing-write-your-story-tickets-162747753913?ref=eios
Happy Birthday Teija
Happy Birthday little sister. You came into our lives when you were so young. You embraced us despite the circumstances.
Storytime: So, I had to add this story and I hope you remember it. There were times when you and two other unnamed sisters made trips to the kitchen late at night to take snacks when y’all were all supposed to be sleeping. Some kind of way you were noisy and always got caught by my mom. Once you were in trouble, you snitched on the other two and y’all were in trouble together. ?
I love that you always have a smile on your face. You are so strong and courageous.
It’s been such a blessing watching you grow over the years into motherhood. You are an amazing mom to my two nieces. I can’t wait to see what God has planned for you. I hope this birthday is amazing and this 27th year of your life is filled with blessings!
Love Wren
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”James 1:17 KJV
Waiting
I was watching the US Olympic trials yesterday and I was listening to the announcers. After several of the women competed, the announcers explained how the competitors had to sit and wait for the judges to make their decision on who would proceed and make it to Japan.
I can’t imagine, training for something pretty much all your life and then you have to sit and wait. At the moment, I thought about how I feel when I’m waiting. I wish I could say I wait patiently, but I’m human and all the time I’m not patient.
But just to think at the moment while we are waiting, we are exactly where God wants us to be. It’s the perfect moment to call on him and guess what he will always answer.
In your moment of waiting for whatever that thing is for you, remember to turn your posture to God and call on him. Because he loves to hear from us.
“But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”
Romans 8:25 KJV
Worry Blueprint
I know this isn’t my typical blog day, but this was on my heart. I’ve been worried about trying to get everything done for an assignment to the point that I was stressed. One thing about emotions is you feel them throughout your body, so when I feel stress I feel the tension in my shoulders first and then it goes to every other part of my body. Once it gets to my mind, it’s the absolute worst, but God woke me up early this morning and allowed me to see this scripture and to have a conversation with him, and immediately I felt better.
I love when I read a scripture and it comes to life for me at that moment. I’ve read this scripture several times, but today, God illuminated my heart and mind to receive it, just for me. I realized this scripture gave personal steps for dealing with anxiety.
How do you deal with anxiety?
1. Don’t worry about anything. For me, I’ve started thinking about other stuff.2. Pray about everything. Pray about whatever you have going on whether big or small.3. Tell God what you need. God, I need...4. Thank him for what he’s already done. God, I thank you for my family, for allowing me to see a new day, etc...
So there you have it, a blueprint to stop worrying. I love to pray scriptures, so you could even turn the scripture into a prayer like:
God you said in your word not to worry.... instead God I’m bringing this situation to you in prayer. God, I need you to help me with...God, I thank you for being a provider with food on the table. I thank you for a new day. I pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen.
Be blessed! ?
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”Philippians 4:6 NLT
All you have to do is ask...
So, what are we waiting for? God already knows when we need help, he’s just waiting for us to ask.“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7 NASB2020
My Helper
I recently started a new position at work. Yay me! ?? Once the excitement of the position wore off I was like - what I’m the heck am I going to be doing? ?
I’ll be working in the compliance department, but guess what? I don’t have any prior compliance experience, so I’m going to need reinforcement help outside of my trainer and mentor to calm my mind and my heart when I may feel overwhelmed with new information. So, who do you think I’m calling?
I’ll be calling on the Holy Spirit, who’s also known as our helper. I mentioned before I know God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all part of the Trinity which work cohesively together, but just like the three branches of government all work together, each branch has a separate role and responsibility. (Side note - I heard the three branches of government example on someone’s IG story and I thought that was a great way for me to explain the Trinity)
Anywho, back to the Holy Spirit, he’s our helper.
Have you asked the Holy Spirit to help you lately?
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.” John 14:26 NASB2020
Faith
So, I believe that a parent is more willing to help their child if they see them working for something versus seeing them do absolutely nothing.
For example, if you see a child making their bed, you are more likely to come help if you see them putting in the effort to try, even if it is wrong, versus if you see them sitting on the floor doing nothing.
I thought about this last week and it helped me process the concept of faith with works discussed in the book of James. The scripture says,
“For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
James 2:26 NASB2020
This reminded me I should be partnering with my Heavenly Father, God to show him I trust him. He wants to see me working and trying vs. sitting down saying, “Whoa is me I’m not sure what to do next.” ?
To give another example, if you are stuck on the side of the road, and you are sitting inside your car doing nothing, people are probably less likely to stop to offer you help. But, someone will be willing to help you if you are outside of your car trying to fix your vehicle or even if you pop the hood of your car.
So with all of that being said, what works are you doing to put your faith into action?
“What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?”
James 2:14 NASB2020
#TBT Throwback Travel
This week, I’m changing to Throwback Thursday to Throwback Travel.Five years ago on April 15, 2016, I took my first trip to another country.If it wasn’t for, I would not have made it on this trip, because I was ready to go back on the plane after the first 30 minutes of arrival. She was an amazing friend, kept me from booking a flight out and she assured me things would be okay.Interesting fact: I wrote my first blog after this trip. I’ll have to share it with you all soon. My blog title was: Curbside Chronicles.
My trip to the Dominican Republic was a trip to remember for sure. I call it my worst/best trip. I’m grateful it was such an interesting trip filled with both highs and lows because it expanded my love for travel and prepared me for some of the worst scenarios that I may experience with traveling. I can’t fit all this entire trip experience into one blog, but I’ll give you a few of the highlights from DR.
Trip Memorable Highlights
1. I forgot to tell my bank I was traveling out of the country and they froze my bank account.2. I was trying to unlock my bank account and incurred over $150.00 in roaming fees.3. We road motorcycles aka moto-taxes with a total of 4 people on them.4. We hung out with some locals and ended up in a questionable area.5. We came back to the hotel and learned the doors were locked, so we set on the curve and waited we found a side entrance.6. I had the best homemade chips and fresh smoothies in my life.7. We traveled to another city by bus in another country and honestly had no idea where we were going.
Whew...that was a fun trip adventure.What’s your interesting travel story?
That’s not even my hurt...
This blog started from a conversation with a few friends and I wanted to share it with others.
I remember when I was younger in elementary school and a friend would say to me, I’m not this person's friend, so you shouldn’t be their friend either. “
Sounds familiar? Lol.
But the reality is - that’s not even my hurt. You can be friends with someone and another person may choose to not be friends with them because of their experiences. But whatever happened between others should be for them to resolve and it shouldn’t be hurt you carry as your own.
Sometimes, you are mad at others not even realizing you may have limited information from one party. Usually, we aren’t even familiar with all the nuances of the situation and we carry other burdens like they are our own.
I’ve also seen this happen with children as well when their parents have an argument or if their parents divorced. Kids are sometimes forced to select one parent over another. It can often be an awkward situation for the child, when they can be loved by both parents.
Take a moment to think about the hurt you are carrying. Release that hurt to God and breathe again.
“Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.”Proverbs 12:25 KJV
Catastrophizing
Y’all ever have conversations with yourself? Okay, maybe it’s just me. Let me give y’all an example. ? So, if I have to have a conversation with someone about something I’ll play the conversation in my head before it takes place. I’ve already prepared myself to receive a negative response- when the conversation hasn’t even taken place and to be honest that may not even be their response. ? My assumed negative response may even be from a prior experience that had nothing to do with that person. ?
I was listening to a podcast a few weeks ago and a couple discussed this and as I listened I was like yikes that’s been my reaction in a couple of situations. I could relate to so many of the things they mentioned and how my body and brain automatically prepare for a negative situation without even knowing all the facts. This sounds crazy even when I was writing it. Lol.
Part of getting better comes from you doing the work. The great news is that I’m aware of my behavior and I take it to God.
The Bible is clear on bringing every thought into captivity. So when I think of a negative thought, I don’t dwell on it and I replace it with scripture. Also, I’ve started allowing people to answer questions themselves without assuming the worst. And guess what y’all - it’s been such a positive experience. Woosah.
Question of the Day: What is something that you have acknowledged about yourself that you are working on?
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” 2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV
It’s Been a Year...
Let’s flash back to the first week in March of 2020. Life was still normal for us as we had previously known it. I still remember - I was less than two weeks away from flying to Europe or so I thought until all of our lives were changed and then we adjusted and have kept readjusting every since.
It’s been over a year since the pandemic first begin and mask were introduced in the US. I thought it would be a great opportunity to share five of my biggest takeaways since Covid started.
- Put God first in every area of your life.
- I enjoy working from home. It’s been the biggest blessing in my life and allowed great flexibility.
- I’ve paid off debt and saved way more money since the pandemic began.
- Value your relationships with your friends and loved ones. Spend time with them when you can even if it’s only via zoom.
- Enjoy your life and have fun. Life is so short to be wondering what you should have started but didn’t or who you should have contacted but didn’t. Just do it!
This pandemic season allowed me to slow down, smell the roses and increase my relationship with God. The most beautiful thing is God is with us always even in the midst of a whole pandemic.
What have you learned amid the pandemic?
“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. ”Matthew 28:20 KJV
Baby Steps ...
This blog topic came from a conversation I had with my friends this week.
The week of February 15th was a challenging week for many in Texas with the winter storm. I know for myself - I had no motivation to work out as my main concern was trying to check on family and friends, get through a busy work week, and prepare food and have water on stand by just in case my power went out. While dealing with this, I even indulged in a few delicious cookies and to be honest - I don’t regret it. ?
However, last week, I tried to get back on a healthier path with working out, meal prepping, and drinking a gallon of water a day - but sometimes life happens or you may not feel like doing anything and that’s okay. Remember, we are still in the middle of a pandemic! ?
As always give yourself grace because baby steps count.
If you worked out one day - that’s a baby step!
If you increase your water intake - that’s a baby step.
If you prepped a healthier meal option - that’s a baby step!
Baby steps may look different for each of us on our life journey. But remember baby steps add up to progress as long as you continue moving forward!
“The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.” Job 17:9 NLT
Replanted
Storytime: I have an aloe vera plant that I call AV. AV outgrew his normal planter probably months ago ?. This weekend I replanted it into a bigger planter so AV will have more room to grow and flourish.
While I was transporting AV to its new planter, I thought about the idea of being replanted can be applied to so many areas of life. We outgrow situations sometimes in life -whether it is a new home, friendships, churches, relationships, jobs, etc... And we have to be replanted.
While uprooting yourself from something familiar is not fun it is needed to grow and flourish. Think about even in grade school you were promoted to the next grade to learn something new. Every year you had to go through the nervousness of the first day of school and making new friends and meeting new teachers. This same thing must be applied in life - although the adjustments may not be as frequent.
Whenever you outgrow something, don’t be afraid to pick up your roots and plant them somewhere deeper so you can grow into all that God has for you!
“They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” Psalms 1:3 NLT
It’s About Relationship
I read this post about this guy’s Christian walk a couple of weeks ago and I related so much to everything he shared. I felt compelled to share some of my journey below. ?
I was born and raised in a Pentecostal/Church of God in Christ (COGIC) church and for us, that meant church all the time.? In middle school, my mom remarried and he became a Pastor - so that was even more church. ?
By the time I attended college, it was a different world for me. I met so many people with different views. This caused me to expand my horizon of what I thought I knew about God. After college, I went to a predominately white non-denominational church and now I’m currently in a predominantly black non-denominational Bible-based church. Woosah.
With all of the being said - it’s been a journey. I’ve had periods where I’ve unlearned doctrine which I felt was right and relearned new things about God. Throughout it all, I’ve learned there’s no perfect journey. My journey has not been an exponential linear growth chart, it’s been filled with detours, reroutes, right turns and so much more. I’ve embraced getting to know God for myself without feeling it was about a ritual performance and learned it was more about my relationship with God. Everyone’s steps are ordered by God in different ways to fulfill his divine purpose for our lives.So, whether you have been in church all your life or you are just learning about God for the first time today, stay on the course and enjoy your journey with God. He’s always there with us every step of the way. ❤️
“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” Psalms 37:23-24 NLT
Wise Wednesday - Discipleship
Wise Wednesday!
Y’all I say this often but I’m far from perfect. I’m learning, growing, and being stretched to relearn things I thought I did well and then learned that I didn’t. ?
How can I walk with someone to help them become a follower of Christ? How can I show more love to others?
It can start with small acts of kindness such as but not limited to:- Checking on a friend or a family member.- Giving to others.- Praying for someone in need.- Feeding them.- Sharing a scripture.- Having a conversation with someone that doesn’t look like you.
Walking out someone Christian’s journey with them requires us to be more like God by showing his traits of love, grace, and mercy to others.
“The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”Jeremiah 31:3 KJV
How have you walked with someone on their journey to show God’s love?
Change is Certain
Change is a certainty we will all experience in life.
First off, Let me say, welcome back! I missed you guys and although I was on break- I was still writing because life was still happening.? Whew, Chile!
Let me jump right in and say I’m on my 4th manager within a rolling 12 month period. Woosah.
So, I think I know a little bit about change. Lol.The most amazing thing about change is, it allows you to grow and stretches you in ways you don’t even realize you have the capacity to be stretched.You learn, you fail, you try again and you keep going to overcome more obstacles. I’ve always told myself I’m a lifelong learner and the best way to test this out is to expire change.
In the words of a wise man named Rafiki, “You can either run from it or learn from it.”
Question: How do you deal with change?
“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT
The Best Gift Ever
Usually, around the holidays, most are excited to give. But what if we gave to others all year? How can we impact the world around us?
Life is happening all around us every day. Currently, we are in a global pandemic and people are longing for someone to reach out to them.
Often when people think of giving you think of money, but there’s much more you can give that doesn’t require a monetary token. Of course, if you have money, then be generous, but I’m going to share with you the best gift I received. Hopefully, you can share it with others! The best gift I’ve ever received- is the gift of salvation and you can have that same gift!
All you have to say is:
Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner in need of a savior. I thank You for dying on the cross for my sins and rising from the dead to save me. By transferring my total trust to You alone as my Savior, I now receive the forgiveness for my sins and the free gift of eternal life that You offer me. In Jesus' name, Amen!
If you prayed this prayer, I’m excited with you and heaven is rejoicing over the gift you received of eternal life with God.
Here are three practical steps that I’ll share:
- Find a church home to join, because we thrive in a community.
- Read the Bible, even if it is only a scripture a day.
- Communicate with God through prayer.
Remember, when we become disciples of Christ, we become a conduit that God uses to impact others.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 KJV