Joshua 1:9

Where do I begin
So I just left church and I am filled with excitement and exuberance and focus.

I never blog about my spiritual heart or that side of me and it's not that I am ashamed or try to hide it, but generally I like my blogs to be funny and light, although this year who knows maybe every once in awhile I will truly speak from my heart and from my core and at my core is God.

For a long time, I tried to live my life based on what seemed good or right and sometimes life was good and right but there were times and there were situations that were challenging and I honestly did not know how I would ever get through them.

I grew up going to church, I had a few Bible verses memorized, I was known to frequent churches and make some obligatory visits mainly to say I went and to appease my mother, BUT

the past few years-I had some challenges, life threw me some real curveballs and I realized I could not rely on luck or good planning to make the changes I needed and to live a full life and a life worth living.

It took me going to a few churches, it took me finding a church that stripped down the fancy talk, the high-level speaking, the long services, and the "show" and went back to the basics of teaching not just what the Bible says but how it applies to MY life and so that when I walk out the doors, I have application steps and guidance to leading a blessed life.

I pray-I'm not afraid to say I pray, people who are still growing may not realize when in a moment of panic or a moment of stress when they say pray for me, that counts too but i have grown to a place where i dont just pray in the dark hours but i pray to say thank you and i pray to acknowledge all that is good in my life and i pray to appreciate the lessons i learn and the love i receive on a regular basis from the AMAZING people who are in my life, people who are in my life not because of chance but because of his design

i must admit i have an ALL STAR team-I have a great group of MVP's in my life

so tonight when Pastor Lon put up Joshua 1:9 I read it and it was like something hit me
let me pause here and say I always kinda gave the side eye when people say they got a clear message from God or they just knew BUT I will say this-I read the scripture and my eyes lit up and I dug in my suticase of a purse for a pen and I wrote it down

the ONE verse spoke volumes-it was as if it was my MANTRA for 2015
I read it over and thought man-I am excited-I"m excited for what it says, for what it means, and for how it will apply

Joshua 1:9 says this : 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” 

From a normal level-this verse says April 2015 is your YEAR-go forth and conquer! God is telling me to set goals (whether fitness, whether spiritual growth, or even financial) or maybe ALL of them but to FOCUS and step out and make these things happen..

God is telling me to take command of my life and my world and reach for the stars because he is with me and with him all things are possible..

This message is so perfect-here it is the beginning of the new year the start of a new week-here is a chance to think about what I want and what I want to do and get that kind of pep talk.... top that!!!


Anyhow-I hope for all of you as this year starts and you lay out your vision and goals for 2015 you have something to believe in and something to hope for and something that keeps you going...to think you can do it on your own or your own accord..you will wind up short you will hit another wall, you will continue to stumble aimlessly like i used to

and while religion is restrictive God is not 
its simple, it simply starts by saying i believe and i want to know and grow and i want an amazing life 
and know you cant do it on your own...you need something to hold on to when times get rough and friends are gone...

ok sorry for the sermon :) 

new year

it seems only fitting that on the first day of the new year i finally dust off the blog and say a few obligatory words about how 2014 is now behind us and talk about all the great goals and plans for 2015 that i have
BUT I'm not

I will say 2014 was a year of monumental growth and a lot of introspection, 2014 was a pivotal year and I would not change anything that occurred in it because at the end of it, 2014 set me up to go into this new year with new perspective and changed and position to be a better person, a better mother, a better woman

i could count all my "obstacles" or what some might define as "failures" but they were opportunities for me to learn and for me grow and i am not my shortcomings, well I own them and they are part of who I am but they are not ALL of who I am.

I spent a lot of the last year wrestling with others perceptions and opinions and tackling a few of my own insecurities and i realize now i am no longer a girl and no longer a young girl who needs to cave to societal expectations I am a WOMAN a woman capable of defining herself and determining what fits and does not fit in my life.  I realize I pray and answer to God and not media influence and not my peers.  I have realized that having my spiritual foundation keeps my life on track and provides stability in this world that is filled with such CHAOS.

2014 went out and I had no regrets and I did not have any plans to go to the gym more or any extreme or unreasonable resolutions, my plan for 2015 is to continue to love with all my heart, to smile from deep within my core, to give genuinely or not at all, to make choices that make me happy and keep an open mind and open heart for all that love and life has to give

so happy new year