Revisit your goals, reset your focus.

What’s keepin’ your heart pumpin’ & spirit movin’? January is over. How’d you fair on your new year, new you goals? Did you set expectations that were S.M.A.R.T. (we can discuss that further), did you make sure you kept your F.O.C.U.S.?

Hold on, let me pause for a second, I really want to show you this. Maybe you’ve seen this already, or maybe you could use a reminder…

You feel that heart beat in your chest…that means get up & do somethin’…

Wasn’t that AWESOME? Don’t be boring…anybody can be boring!

So, I committed to a 30 day challenge and I’m proud to say it’s now day 31!!!

I started the challenge originally in 2011 with a totally different mind set. Yeah, I was quite negative and condescending. Consequently I had only completed the first half of the challenge. With that in mind and a biblical truth-anchored (Matthew 6:33) mantra of “FIRST THINGS FIRST”; I put my life, hope, trust, goals, priorities and family in His hands. I fixated my thoughts on the decision that where He says go, I’ll go, when He closes a door I’ll trust that He’s got something better.

I’ve prayed some big prayers over the last 30 days, focused and anchored in the truth of Gods word! The greatest opportunity in all of this, knowing that God has plans for my life (Jeremiah 29:11) and I have full access to those plans!

It feels like my life got a full detox, inside & out!!!

As a result of this challenge, one of the habits I’m working to develop is getting organized. I was gonna say more organized but that would be a lie, I’ve kinda got this system of piles going on.

I’m actually pulling together the February challenge so we’ll really sort through some things, we’re gonna learn what to keep, what to donate, and what to toss.

I read a blog on simple space & money savers…things like arranging packages so expiration dates are visible & keeping an inventory so you know exactly what you have, laying boxes on their sides saved space, etc. I can’t wait to get the next challenge started!!!

I’m jazzed about the progress I’ve had so far so I decided I might use some of my new-found F.O.C.U.S. to I tackle the office closet, y’all I found priceless fitness material I had previously researched and never used …SCORE…ooh the things to come from that treasure find! Anyway, I found a box of over 9 years worth of journals. Some bible study notes, others heart reflections that literally had me in tears. So much proof that God was watching over me & answering prayers. It really got me to thinking, some of the stuff I found, under all those piles of clutter, I had been scratching my head and flipping my house upside down trying to find it. Other stuff I was literally like whoa I forgot I had this. So I wondered, what could I find that I already have that might be hidden under a cluttered thoughts, cluttered expectations, cluttered vision. What hidden priceless knowledge or talents could be uncovered if I just learned what to keep, donate or toss? Where there prayers that have already been answered but I just couldn’t ‘find them’ under the piles of organized chaos?

How do you know when God has answered your prayers?

Know that God has heard your prayers!

This 30 day PUSH challenge isn’t over. Honestly, not to sound cliché or cheesy but I feel like I just got started. I’m still nose deep in the self inventory of You’re Already Amazing and since I synced the chapters parallel to the calendar and this challenge I’ve cried so many tears of joy over the current chapter of “What Does God Want Me to Do with My Life”. Holley Gerth coaches us on how to uniquely craft a LIFE statement. She says…

In our culture, that’s often called a mission statement. And while I think those can be helpful, it feels like the title can be a bit misleading. As believers, we all ultimately have the same mission. God gave it to us in Galatians 5:6: (The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.) We’re here to express faith through love – for God, others, and ourselves.”

So instead of writing a mission statement, we’ve used the following prompt to create our L.I.F.E. statement. (Love Is Faith Expressed)

I am created and called to express my faith through love, especially by…

+ (WHAT) + ( WHO ) + ( HOW )

Holley’s example reads: I am created and called to express my faith through love, especially by bringing hope and encouragement to the hearts of women through word.

What would be your L.I.F.E. statement? I’m still working on mine, praying over it and letting this scripture guide me.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (MSG

We’re not keeping this quiet, not on your life. Just like the psalmist who wrote, “I believed it, so I said it,” we say what we believe. And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive. Every detail works to your advantage and to God’s glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise! So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:13-18 MSG)

You’re already amazing, be blessed in knowing this…

“God is love-whatever he directs you to do will be loving to others too.

Your house doesn’t have to be spotless.

Your work doesn’t have to be flawless.

You don’t have to please that finicky member of your family.

You don’t have to look like a page out of a magazine.

You’re already enough because Jesus is enough in you. ” -Holley Gerth

Keep movin-

 

 

Can you see it?

 

“Just because you can’t see things doesn’t mean they don’t exist” -(man who had his vision restored)

Distance, shape, color, perspective.
Faith, persistence, resilience, intensity.

Have we limited ourselves by merely what our eyes can see?

Today I’ve had this overwhelming sense of a door getting ready to close. 

Almost like a separation or moving on. A change of seasons, if I may.

I’ve prayed all day for clarity but the only thing I’m getting is “seeds”.

I’m excited but I’m scared.

That’s honest. Can I be honest?

I’m scared because lately I’ve prayed about things and God has been moving really quick answering prayers. So right now I’m just believing. I’m believing that whatever I’ve prayed for that was bigger than my wildest imagination could come up with; those dream-come-true type prayers; I’m believing one of those is about to be answered.

Cuz honestly, I’ve prayed a lot lately.

I’ve prayed for the people around me to finally see a breakthrough in their own lives. I’ve prayed for YOU yes you. I prayed that you would read this today and catch a glimpse of hope. That life isn’t only what you see in front of you. That your prayers would be answered as well.

I’ve prayed that the person who was on the edge of giving up realizes that one reason to keep movin.

I’ve prayed that she knows she’s an AWESOME MOM.

I’ve prayed that the reflections in mirrors today, speak to every woman and smiles back at her with a shout of victory.

I’ve prayed that hope becomes the mantra of the day.

I’ve prayed that faith takes its rightful position as the new strong!!!

I’ve prayed that the beginning of the day becomes an open invitation to knowing that God IS.

I’ve prayed that at the end of the day, there’s a prayer of thanksgiving because He wants to be our yet-to-be.

I’ve prayed all day. In my car. When I visited the school & passed the school teacher in the halls and her eyes looked hopeless. I prayed. When that child in the classroom kept starring at me and hung onto my every word with pure joy. I prayed.

When I sat down to type this post…

I prayed, dear Jesus, today I had this overwhelming feeling of a door closing. And this was my prayer. Amen!

Keep movin’…

 

Say a prayer for me NOW

You ever had a conversation with someone and it goes something like…”say a pray for me” and the response is “absolutely, I will pray for you”. And then nothing?

What stops us from praying for them right then and there? Who knows, intimidation, overlooked opportunity, random small talk, reverted topic?  Whatever the case, I think it’s time we started doing things NOW cuz how can we expect results from something that hasn’t happened yet. I’m just sayin’…

Exactly half of the year is NOW over. What will you do RIGHT NOW to see to it that you get the results in your life you were hoping for? Did you know God says He KNOWS the plans He has for you? Did you know that you can actually have an inside scoop on those plans?

List 10 things you will do NOW to get closer to those plans before 2012 begins. I’ll get you started…

-keep movin (should be one of them)

monday meditation

most people dread mondays. especially the monday after a long weekend or a holiday. ugh the monday after a “food filled holiday” feels like the twilight zone. you kinda feel like you have to clear everything from the rooter to the tooter cuz you’re stuffed, vegged, bloated and quite possibly just exhausted. even if you did absolutely nothing during the break.

this monday was no different. but with all intentions i rolled out of bed with a desire to make it different.

for about 6 months now my husband and i have been starting the week with early morning prayer. 30 minutes of purposeful prayer, meditation and preparation for the day, week, and whatever may come our way. it’s been a tremendous help to both of us. but lately, i’ve been resistant (CONFESSION) not rebellious, i’ve been there. i’ve been praying and agreeing but almost going through the motions. one of our associate pastors calls it ‘the spirit of nod’. (as soon as you decide to give God you’re undivided attention, all of a sudden you get sleepy and start nodding). 

he said if we realize that anything is trying to stop us from quiet time with God, we have to purpose in our heart to be willing, our bodies and our minds will try to rationalize why we shouldn’t do something, even IF it’s something for God.

so i diligently woke up this morning, gathered myself and purposed for a brand new intention and desire to PRAY.  so there i sat, ready, willing, and able—until BOOM, this time it wasn’t the spirit of nod, but the spirit of nausia, cold sweats, the salty-salivating-under-the-tongue-before-you-hurl…you name it, the symptoms of ‘OMG i’m going to throw up’ was all i could feel.

now i must tell you that my husband and i had talked about changing our desire to wanting to do something as opposed to feeling obligated to do something especially prayer at 5:30am when we would honestly rather be sleeping.

so when this sudden ‘spirit of slosh’ came over me, i felt like he was looking at me thinking GIVE ME A BREAK WUTEVA. but he never said that, instead he changed his prayer target and began to pray over me. he began to ask God to cause the symptoms to go away and whatever was causing me to become distracted and take my attention off of God had no right to assume authority over me.

WOW! that was it. that was what i needed to hear.

for the past little while i’d felt sick. physically, emotionally, spiritually i was sick. beyond sick and tired, i was disgusted. so disgusted i was ready to just quit. quit helping, quit praying for people, quit training people, quit trying to encourage people to life healthy and get their lives together. i was just done.

but this prayer opened my eyes. before i went to bed i opened up my notes from the Sunday morning service and just stared at the page. with my eyes filled with tears i begged the Lord for his Mercy. i begged and repented that He wouldn’t forsake me and pass me by and remove the opportunity He had given me to influence the lives of women through fitness. i repented for allowing my work to take authority over me.

i stared at the page “i know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil…and you have persevered and have patience and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.Nevertheless, I have this one thing against you, that you have left your first love.  Remember therefore from where you have fallen, repent and do the first works or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand.”(Revelation 2:2-5)

i cried. i cried. and i cried. sunday morning i cried. sunday night i cried. monday morning as i was getting ready for work i cried. but they were not tears of sadness. they were tears of revelation. realizing that HE WILL NEVER LEAVE ME OR FORSAKE ME.

i cried today as i meditated on the revelation. i cried because i realize in all of my efforts to truly be a motivation and inspire others to transform their lives i was becoming exhausted because i was using my own strengths even in the name of Christ. i had become so READY to do it with HIM instead of letting HIM do it through me.

i cry in reverence of revelation. a  revelation of something isn’t just an understanding. it’s an understanding & recognition of THE TRUTH that’s intended specifically for you. it’s having a teachable spirit toward learning how to use it and taking the first step, with repentance.

whether i’m training a client, managing my fitness & nutrition regimen, teaching my children the value of time & patience, chatting with a friend, or looking in the mirror. i pray that everything is because of Christ IN me. INVADE MY LIFE LORD.

when God speaks to us, it’s often in subtle tones, whispers, confirmations and interruptions.

in the book Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl, Lysa TerKeurst says

“I walked around for years with a little heart-shaped cup, holding it out to other people and things trying to find fulfillment. Whatever it is, if we are really going to stop circling the mountain and head north toward lasting changes, we have to empty ourselves of the lie that other people or things can ever fill our hearts to the full. Then we have to deliberately and intentionally fill up on God’s truths and stand secure in His love.”

i cried because Christ will keep me if I want to be kept. The bible says that we will never be tempted beyond what we can bear and that He will provide a way of escape. that escape isn’t to run away from the thing but to run back into His arms which is the only true freedom.

 what have you been hoping would fill your heart shaped cup? acceptance from certain people, your child(ren)’s accomplishments, your husband (to-be), food, the ‘perfect number on the scale’?

Back to Basics: Eat, Pray, Love

***DISCLAIMER::::::I Have NOT seen the movie yet. It sounds interesting enough simply because so many of us are eating, praying and loving our way toward a goal of finding who we are. Only problem is that we are eating the wrong thing, praying to the wrong source and loving to the point that we are exhausted. We are doing it all with no direction. I heard a quote today which spoke loud to this…without a map to where you are going, how do you know if you got there.  So having said that, let the mapping begin!

*(please note this is NOT a paid endorsement of the book, movie or anything associated with eat, pray, love)

 With the opening of the highly anticipated film adaptation of Eat Pray Love, women across the world are now launching out for their own self-discovery journey.

 So I think it would be perfect for us to take our own journey! Let’s take a little trip making a few stops along the way. We’ll Eat without worry, as Julie Roberts so cleverly quips “No Carb Left Behind”, and consider why food has become an enemy. Our next stop we’ll PRAY: what is it, how do you do it, why do you do it, what can we expect from it. And last but certainly not least, as the WORD defines it, the greatest of these (especially among this list) we’ll LOVE. That in itself is a little intimidating when you consider the total meaning of the word.

Well, let me just ask you, what do each of these things mean to you?

Eat:

Pray:

Love:

 No bags, no reservations. Only a desire to discover, enjoy the journey, open your eyes and your mind to see what you find. Let’s EAT, PRAY and LOVE: YOUR journey toward discovering yourself!