Hello Fear...you are the weakest link! GOODBYE!

In 2001, a popular game show called The Weakest Link captured the attention of many Americans.  I think the most popular part of the show that we all loved most was when the host, Anne Robinson would say to a contestant "you are the weakest link. Goodbye!" basically dismissing that contestant from the show.

I remember making jokes with friends around that time when The Weakest Link was hitting it's peak and always using that catch phrase to dismiss people or issues from our lives.  As of late, fear has been coming up in my life quite often.

Today I was talking to a friend about her future endeavors and she shared with me some of her next steps in life. I was so inspired by her drive and determination to live out her goals and bring them to fruition.  Some of the things that she talked about planning to do were some things that I actually have considered doing in my own life. So what's the difference between her and me? Well she's making things happen, and I realized I'm waiting on the corner of Fear Blvd and Doubtful Ave. Totally not my M.O.!! I'm embarrassed to even admit that!

I am a Christian and I know God's word, which clearly says in 2 Timothy 1:7 "for God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind".  I believe and receive that, so why on earth would I ever let fear come into my life and stop me from being great?

This is such a conflict of interest right now. I feel like I'm that person with the the angel and the devil on my shoulder. 

  

The angel is telling me what God says, and the devil is telling me "don't try that because you'll fail".  I have taken leaps of faith before and made some big decisions that I truly trusted God to see me through, but there are other things that I have put off doing because I let that little devil on my shoulder get in my head and keep me from going for the gold!

Today, after talking to my friend, I made a decision that it was time to kick that little devil to the curb! It's time to combat any negative, fearful, ungodly thought that comes into my mind and replace it with thoughts of encouragement, positivity, and prosperity! How do I know what it's going to be like if I never try? So I thought about some of the things I want to do and then I thought about the things that are holding me back from doing them. As I was thinking of both lists, I started to pay more attention to my list of what I want to do, and less attention to why I couldn't do it.

It's time to take the limits off! Regardless of what I think I'm capable of doing, nothing is impossible for God! He will see me through any and everything I face in life! It's go time and that starts with dismissing the biggest road block: fear!

You are the weakest link! GOODBYE!!!

Trusting God's Timing

Happy Monday everyone! Due to yet another "winter" storm, I'm home from work all in the name of a snow day!  I enjoy these extended weekends and having the opportunity to just lounge around the house and relax. Ok, I know some of you had to go to work today so I won't continue to rub that in. :-)

One of the things I chose to do today was to clean out my e-mail inbox. When I was on my internet fast a few weeks ago, my inbox had racked up in unread e-mails and I wanted to just go through them all to be sure I hadn't missed anything of importance. To my surprise, I stumbled across an e-mail from my friend Timere.  The subject of the e-mail was "FAITH". I opened the e-mail and the body read "this is the awesome sermon I caught last night".  I clicked on the link and it was a Joel Osteen sermon called "Activate Faith, Not Fear".  I watched the sermon and it was truly a blessing! You can check it out here.  After watching that sermon, I noticed another sermon on the right hand side of the screen called "Trusting God's Timing".  I decided to click on it and see what it was all about.

This was no surprise that this sermon was all that I needed and more!!! I have struggled with being patient while waiting for things to come to pass my entire life (hence the name my friends used to call me Anxious Annie)! As I've grown older and more mature especially in my walk with God, my patience has increased and I am much better than I was. However, I can't truly say that my desire to have instant gratification doesn't kick in from time to time.

Joel says in the sermon:

"In life we're always waiting for something. When it's not happening as fast as we would like, it's easy to get frustrated. The moment you prayed, God has established a set time for it to come to pass. When you understand the time has already been set, it takes the pressure off. You can relax and enjoy your life knowing that the promise has already been scheduled by the creator of the universe."

Of course no one likes to wait (well at least I don't know anyone who does), but this sermon confirms that when we trust God's timing, everything we've ever waited for will be awesome and amazing once it comes to pass!

One of my favorite verses regarding timing is from Habakkuk 2:3 and it says: "...The vision is for an appointed time, it may seem slow in coming, but wait patiently for it is surly coming".  I have made vision boards for the past two years and each year, I put this scripture on my board! The great thing about this scripture is that it says "wait patiently for it is SURLY to come".  That's a promise!! Whatever you're waiting on, it's coming eventually! 

Two things that I've wanted for as long as I could remember are: having a fit body and being in a loving, healthy relationship. I remember when I was in 6th grade, I declared that I wanted this banging amazing body! As for the relationship, I have always loved love for as long as I can remember so that's been a constant desire of my heart as well. Each of these things are slightly different when it comes to when it could come to pass for me.

Getting my body into shape is something that is solely dependent on my efforts and my doing. Finding the right person for me, is not so much an independent event. But I have noticed that both of these things fall align with perfect timing.

Like I've said in a previous post, I have never been a stranger to working out. I played a few active sports in middle and high school and I did some recreational working out all throughout my 20s, but why has my body never seen the results I'm seeing now? I'll tell you why! Because getting fit is not just about working out! I've said it time and time again! It's a "trifecta" (as one of my Instagram followers calls it) which includes: quality nutrition, cardio, and resistance training. All three of those things put together is what's yielding me these results. This also takes a disciplined mind! Getting is shape and eating right really is a lot more mental than people give it credit for.  There are so many things that motivate me to keep going in this journey.  Caring about my health and not taking it for granted, understanding how important nutrition is if I want to see results,  mentally pushing myself through a challenging workout (overcoming laziness), and lastly being motivated to encourage others through my journey! Inspiring others has been a huge push with keeping me going in all of this. Sometimes I want to give up, but I think about how many people are inspired by me and I keep going.  Another thing is the timing of seeing the results! It's easy to get discouraged when you want to see a six pack 3 days after you start working out and eating right. Sometimes you  may even want to give up because you think it's not working for you.  In due time, with consistency it will happen!! The date is already set so just throw the scale out the window and keep doing what you're doing! The date was also set for me to get my mind right and understand all that it entails for me to do this! The date was already set for me to care about wanting to inspire others when years ago, this would have been all about me and only me!

As for finding love, I can't believe I'm saying this, but within the past couple of months, this has been the first time EVER that I wasn't pressed about when it was going to happen. I mean I'm the lover of the group!! Anyone who knows me knows I'm the one with the hearts in my eyes, bursting into song and dance "TO BE LOVED, TO BE LOVED.....AHHHH WHAT A FEELING"..Prince Akheem from Coming to America style, type of chick! And this sermon was so on point for confirming that my feelings of ease in this area of my life is exactly how God wants me to feel! No need to be anxious or worried when it's going to happen.  No need to panic that I live in the boondocks so how and where will I meet this man!? No need to panic that I'm almost 30 and still waiting. No need to consult the biological clock and go into panic mode. It is still a desire of my heart, but I truly trust God that the moment is already set and with that said, I might as well enjoy the life I have now until that appointed date and time arrives.

"...it's through faith and patience that we inherit the promises". Hebrews 6:12

You can check out this sermon here!

*Be blessed*

Workout and Worship Wednesday!

I decided I wanted to start a new segment to my blog that would be themed and inspiring! I first want to say thank you to all of you for reading and for commenting whether here on the blog or just when you talk to me! You being inspired by me truly inspires me!! It's a cycle of inspiration!!

So this morning, I was doing some thinking and was trying to figure out what I could do for a themed segment. A few days ago, I figured I wanted to do a Workout Wednesday.  I then thought about how I also want to keep God incorporated in everything I do since my relationship with him has molded and shaped me to be the inspiring person that I am today!

Workout and Worship Wednesday will focus on a new workout for you guys to attempt, an encouraging scripture, and a song of worship that I believe will minister to your soul!!

Today's scripture is from Isaiah 26:3 and it says "you will keep in perfect peace all who's mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you".  This scripture is basically declaring that all who keep their mind on God will have peace.  When you truly trust in God, you are at peace knowing he will take care of you and that you don't have to worry anymore.  You give it all to God to handle and take care of (1 Peter 5:7)!

The song of worship that I would like to share is called Never be bound again by Bishop Paul Morton. Click on the link to take a listen on YouTube. This song truly ministered to my soul! With working out and trying to eat right, we will face some challenges.  We may even struggle, stumble, fall, fail, want to give up, etc. This song is so encouraging! I feel like it can be applied to any area of your life! Be freed from obesity.  Be freed from health problems. Be freed from being an emotional eater. Be freed from laziness.  Be freed from lack of motivation!

Today's workout is going to focus on your back! This workout can help women and men. It's time to get our back defined!! It also helps with posture! No more back fat ladies!! Oooooh the dreaded back fat and "bra fat".  Yikes!! If you find this workout to be too easy, just increase the amount of weight you're using.  If you don't have the equipment at home already, just do what you can with your own body weight. Something is better than nothing!!! Don't ever think if you can't do a lot, you shouldn't do it at all! Let's get active and preserve our temple!!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! Leave a comment and let me know how you liked the workout!!

I surrender all

Today I made the decision to finally join a church in the town that I live in. I have lived here for almost 3 years and it had been tugging on my heart to get serious about finding a place to worship and call home.

In 2012, one of my new years resolutions was to find a church home in my town.  Although I had set this to be a goal/resolution of mine for the year, I really didn't have my heart 100% in this goal.  It was an interest of mine, but I found out very soon that I didn't commit to this task at all.  I tried out a few churches then got frustrated because I didn't feel like I was being spiritually fed.  I took recommendations from coworkers, friends who are from this area, and just stumbled across a few on my own and still, I remained unmoved.  

Towards the end of 2012, I looked back over my resolutions and my vision board that I had put together in the beginning of the year to evaluate my progress.  "Finding a church" was written down and staring at me. This was an item that had yet to be checked off the list. 

It's now February 2013 and I still hadn't made a decision to join a church.  What was I waiting for? I wanted to get involved in a ministry and really let God use me to be a blessing to others! This morning, I went to a  church that I have visited in the past and really liked. I finally stepped out into that aisle and joined!! It was a very exciting experience for me! The message was right on time with me making my decision.  It talked about Noah and how he was obedient to God. He did exactly what God told him to do.  God has been speaking to me for some time about joining a church and I have ignored it...brushed it off even. I also made the choice to be baptized today.  I am so excited about what God is doing in my life! I get so emotional just thinking about how far I've come, how much my life has changed for the better and how much better it will be for the rest of my life!! 

As I stood in front of the congregation, the minister said "I pray that you will be a blessing to us as we bless you".  I knew I had made the right decision because that is just what I pray about constantly...being a blessing to others! I am overjoyed right now and feel like I am Cloud 9!!!!

This is a rebirth for me!!! I don't take this experience lightly and am ready to continue committing my life to Christ while being used as a vessel of blessing to others! 

Joy, peace, deliverance, salvation is free....

Happy Sunday everyone! When I was growing up, I attended a small church in Richmond, Virginia and at the closing of every service, we sang a song called "Come to Jesus" also known as The Invitation.  This song was sang to as the doors of the church were opened to invite people to come join our church or give their lives to Christ.  The song went like this:

"Jesus is watching and waiting for you. Willing and able, to see you through. No need to worry, he knows what to do. I'm here to tell you, there's a miracle for you.  
He gives rest for the weary and strength for the lame. He's passing out blessings, there's one with your name. Joy, peace, deliverance, salvation is free. Come to Jesus, he's all you need."

As a child, I would sing this song with the rest of the congregation and I remembered the words long after I stopped attending the church, but they never really sank in until I had a conversation with a friend the other day.  During the week, my roommate from college and I have prayer in the morning over the phone. We started this in November and every morning we share our prayer requests with each other.  We lift up our own concerns, needs, fears, worries, etc. and we also lift up our friends and family member who may be standing in the need of prayer.  Last week, Lawren had shared what she wanted to pray about and when it was my turn, I thought about what I wanted to pray about. I didn't particularly have any requests for friends or family, and I didn't have any particular issues that I wanted to bring before God either. I thought about it and I said "you know, I just want to thank God for the gift of joy, peace, and deliverance." 

This was a highly profound moment because I realized sometimes I want to lift things up to God like finances, or material things that I may want, but joy, peace, deliverance, and salvation don't have a dollar sign on them.  These are gifts that God gives to us for free, we just have to receive them.  Now you may be thinking, free gifts, who wouldn't take those!? Anything else that's free, we take full advantage of especially if it's something of interest. So who wouldn't want joy, peace, deliverance, or salvation? 

Everyone probably desires these things, but it's not as easy as it seems to just accept these gifts from God.  Sometimes circumstances in our lives hinder us from receiving these gifts.  A lot of times we battle with fully accepting these things because of the warfare that is raging in our minds.  

I am a living testimony that when you really accept and receive these already free gifts from God, your life becomes that much better! 

Let's start with joy: Joy might be confused with happiness at times.  Some people may even think they are synonyms.  In this case, they are not.  I have heard great religious teachers say "happiness is circumstantial, but joy is eternal".  This is definitely true. A lot of times, we define being happy when everything is going well in our lives, when we get what we want, when everything is on the up and up! Joy on the other hand is still possible to have even when everything is falling apart.  When you're not sure how a circumstance is going to turn out.  When you're lonely.  When you're disappointed about something that isn't happening the way you want it to in your life.  The rain will fall on the just and the unjust alike (Matthew 5:45) and we all have good days and bad days, but having joy is the ultimate gift to get you through anything that comes your way.

John 15:11 says "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete". 

Romans 15:13 says "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit".

Peace: I used to suffer from being overly anxious.  I say I "suffered" because I just couldn't allow myself to find peace in certain situations.  My friends called me Anxious Annie (yeah, they came up with Frugal Frannie as well lol).  I just couldn't relax and let things happen and be at peace.  This was a MISERABLE feeling!  I wanted to change, but I felt like I couldn't. I felt like it was just a personality flaw.  I also didn't have a solid and real relationship with God during this time.  Since I have welcomed God into my heart and exercise a daily, healthy relationship with him, I have felt the peace of God all around me! 

Philippians 4:6-7 says "Don't be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Deliverance: There have been times when I have needed God to deliver me from some things. A few years ago, there was a situation going on with me that I prayed about regularly to be delivered from. I used to write down my prayers and when I look back over that prayer journal, I see that I prayed about this situation for a whole year.  It took a long time, but I believed God would deliver me and he did. This moment in time was also a period of brokenness for me and it began my journey with having a true relationship with God.  Although I didn't understand it at the time, everything comes together eventually and I am stronger now because of it. 
Psalm 91:14-15 says "Because he loves me, says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver and honor him". 

Salvation: Salvation is defined as "deliverance from sin and its consequences".  When I spoke of deliverance, I meant being delivered from strong holds that try to take over our lives and our minds. It may be a drug addiction, a broken heart, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, financial burdens, etc. Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we will be saved! Every time I think of this, I get chills. I look over my life and see just how unworthy I am to have someone do that for me! That's real love!
Acts 4:12 says "salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved". 

This scripture pretty much sums it all up.  Nothing and no one else can save us, but God! 

No matter what earthly possession you have, these things can't be bought. I felt richly blessed when I acknowledged to my friend that I accept these gifts from God and I receive them as blessings in my life.  Sometimes when we don't have all that we want, we think "I'm not getting blessed, but everyone else around me is".  We may even compare ourselves to what our friends have, their relationship, their material things, etc. but having joy, peace, deliverance, and salvation is a greater gift than any of these things!!  While you're waiting for whatever you're heart desires, accept these gifts that are already available to you. When you see these things as blessings, you won't feel like you have been passed by in the blessing department! You will know just how blessed you really are!! 

Thoughts of Thankfulness

Happy New Year!!

We have made it to 2013 and I'm super excited!! I woke up this morning and the first thing I could think of was to tell God "thank you".  I had so much to be thankful for, but I couldn't put into words all that I wanted to thank him for! It was an overwhelming feeling of joy that I experienced as I realized I am now stepping into a new year and new season of my life.

When I was in 8th grade, some kids at school was talking about the world coming to an end in the year 2000.  As we walked the track during gym class, some of my classmates began to elaborate on this theory that had come out about this Y2K phenomenon that many believed would be the end of the world.  I admitted to my classmates that I had not been baptized before and one of them felt compelled to inform me that I was indeed going to hell if I didn't get baptized soon! The year was 1997 and I didn't have much time to prepare for this "scheduled"coming of the Lord!! 

I went home panicking and I told my mother all that these kids had told me.  I immediately begged my mother to take me back to church so that I could be baptized.  Growing up, our family attended church occasionally.  We belonged to a church and I was dedicated to the Lord at a very young age, but our attendance began to slack off when my mother began working three jobs to support the family.  Being a single mother, I suppose she was just too tired to try to get three kids ready for church on Sundays.  The church we went to only had one service and it was at 8am.  

My mom agreed to take us back to church and on December 13, 1997 my sister and I got baptized.  After we were baptized and attended new members classes, I remember going back to church here and there, but I found it to be extremely boring and rarely paid attention when I was there.  

Fast forward to high school....

As we continued to attend church, I started to catch on to the cliche "church sayings" that many of the members would utter from time to time.  You know the sayings like "God is good all the time, and all the time God is good", "If I had 1 million tongues, I couldn't thank you enough, Lord", "if you never do anything else for me, you have already done enough"! To a spiritually immature teenager, those phrases meant nothing to me.  I actually used to think of a rebuttal for them at times thinking to myself "well God, there are actually a few other things I need for you to do for me before I can declare you've already done enough"!  Anywho...I remember it was the year 2002 (wow look at that, yet another person predicting the end of the world who was wrong! lol) and the church had held a recognition ceremony for high school seniors who were graduating and going off to college or the work force.  All of the graduates stood on a stage lined up with their graduation gowns on, medals of honor, and a nice certificate presented by the church.  We then were given the opportunity to step up to the microphone and give a speech of thanks.  I was the last person to give my speech and as the other graduates spoke, I noticed a "trend" among their speeches.  Every one of the graduates first thanked God for their achievements, then they went into thanking their parents, other family members, and some even thanked friends.  As they spoke, I felt like this is getting extremely redundant and felt like they were saying this stuff just to say it! I felt no passion! It was so rehearsed! 

So now it's my turn! I step up to the mic and the first thing that comes out of my mouth was "I know you guys are tired of hearing everyone say "I just want to thank God..." so I'm NOT going to say that..." 

*BLANK STARE* 

I think I might have heard a pin drop! WHAT WAS I THINKING?? I'm at a church and have the nerve to declare "you guys have got to be tired of hearing everyone thank God"! I will never forget that moment.  And now 11 years later, I'm still slightly embarrassed that I said that.  I've thought I was a "comic" for some time now, so maybe I was trying to be funny.  Totally not the time or place for such a "joke".  

Either way, I look back over that moment and I think about how much I have grown as a Christian.  Those cliche "church sayings" that I mentioned earlier are uttered from my mouth on a regular basis now.  They may be over used statements, but they carry so much meaning! God has truly done more than enough for me in my life time.  He still blessed me even when I straight dissed him at the church awards ceremony! I gave him no credit whatsoever for my accomplishments! SMH (that's shaking my head in case you're an older reader and didn't know).  

Sometimes I get down on my knees to pray and I go on and on and on thanking God as if he didn't hear me.  That level of gratitude even spills out to others when someone does something for me.  I will issue a sincere thank you and then express my gratitude again and again.  I feel like I can't thank God or kind people enough! When we live in  a world where kindness is taken as a weakness, and doing things for people has some what become a right not a privilege, I feel like expressing thanks is so important! 

As I stand on the first day of a new year, I step into 2013 with great expectations, a humble spirit, and a thankful heart! I'm thankful for my family, the relationship my sister and I have now that used to not be as pleasant or wonderful, for traveling mercies as I traveled during this holiday season, for keeping us safe last night, for food to eat, clothes to wear, and a warm home to live in.  I'm thankful for my friends who texted me pictures of their celebration last night as they brought in the new year an hour before me (I'm on Central time here in Memphis), I'm thankful for the text message I got from my god-daughter's mother at midnight saying "HAPPY NEW YEAR GODMOMMY". It made me think back to 2007 when my mom was the first person to call me to wish me a happy new year.  Selfishly, I resented the fact that my first call of 2007 was from my mother and not a love interest.  That was the last new year my mother would call me to say happy new year since she died 2 months later. So I cherished that moment of my goddaughter thinking of me and wanting to be one of the first to wish me a happy new year! I would give anything to get a call like that from my mom again.  I'm thankful for my relationship with God and my desire to want to tell the world about Jesus and his love! I'm thankful for Jesus dying for my sins and loving me more than I could ever imagine.  I could go on and on because the list is endless!! I will close with this, I'm thankful for this new year.  New possibilities, new opportunities, a new attitude, new accomplishments, new lessons, new blessings, new mercies, and not necessarily a new me, but a better me! 

Thank you, Lord! :)

The power of a praying friend

Over the last 2 months, I have experienced a few things in my life that has caused me to be in constant prayer. I strive to keep an active and engaged prayer life no matter what's going on in my life, but the month of November and December has been especially critical in regards to standing in the need of prayer.

The events of the past 2 months have not only affected me, but things have occurred in the lives of my friends who have needed prayer.  I realized in the midst of these trials and tests, it's such an advantage to have friends who encourage you and pray with you and for you. I was going through a situation that began at the end of October and one of my friends jumped right in and offered to pray with me every morning.  When she offered this to me, I was thankful, but I didn't realize at the time how powerful this would be in my life.  We would talk every morning and share our prayer requests with each other then take turns praying.  Times when we wouldn't be able to connect in the mornings, I would still find myself praying for whatever her requests were from the day before and lifting up my own petitions to God.  

I experienced a lot of things in the month of November that without prayer could have left me bitter, broken, and discouraged.  I look back over these events and just evaluate how amazing it is that I came out of it with such a positive outlook and a renewed spirit.  One of of these experiences left a lasting impression on my heart because I had a chance to thoroughly evaluate myself and learn from the experience.  

Life lessons are so profound because the test comes first and the lesson comes afterwards.  Everyone isn't always open to the lesson, but when you open your mind and heart to trying to find the blessing in every lesson, it's amazing! 

December has been a month of me getting down on my knees and carrying friends through tough times.  I realized how important it is to be there for a friend and really pray for them when you say you will.  I must admit I used to be guilty of offering those sweet words "I'll be praying for you" and then I'd go about my way and totally forget to pray for that person.  I would even forget what I said I would pray about. I had to check myself and realize I was only saying what sounded good, but wasn't following through with an action that would be so beneficial to a friend in need.  Prayers are free and God desires for us to cast our cares on him (1 Peter 5:7).  

Be blessed!  

2013...

Today marks approximately 5 days until the new year!  Now I've been the type to make "New Years Resolutions" in the past, but this year, I'm doing something a little different.  I started thinking about what I wanted my NYRs to be a few months ago and have since then started getting in the habit of doing the things that I want to change in my life for the new year.  Don't worry, this isn't one of those "new year, new me" posts! I'm totally not on that bandwagon! I think sometimes people get really excited about a new year and make resolutions that they decide on January 1st, they are going to start making changes towards those new goals.  You start going hard on January 1st; you're pumped up and excited! You've got a new attitude...Patti LaBelle status! Then around February, you start to resort back to your old ways! You aren't as excited anymore, the goals start to get old, you lose interest, stuff starts happening that makes it hard to keep going in the right direction, you eventually quit.  Around March, you realize you're not making any more progression towards these new goals and you throw your hands up! You say "whatever!" Maybe next year I'll lose 15 pounds.  Maybe next year I'll stop dealing with no good guys who use and abuse me.  Next year, I'm cutting off all these "fake" friends who don't appreciate me.  Next year, you either get with me or get lost! Etc., etc., etc.!!!

I was reading my Bible the other day and came across this scripture that reminded me of New Years Resolutions and the type of attitude we must have to be successful.  It's from Luke 8:9-15.  This is the parable of the seed.  The seed is the word of God and verses 12-15 explains the different types of ground the seed will fall on.  Although the seed in these scriptures represents the word of God, I felt like I could use it as a metaphor to represent people who makes new years resolutions.

Type One: The Easily Discouraged.....

verse 12: Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes along and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

The Easily Discouraged is the type of person who gets an idea of what they need to be doing to make significant changes in their lives, but they are easily discouraged by others.  You know you're overweight and it's affecting your health.  You know what you need to do and you even have a gym membership.  You know you need to start saving more of your money instead of spending it.  You are only two semesters away from graduating and getting your degree and you're standing on the decision of taking this next semester off or continuing.  You've got the vision in your heart, but your problem is, you let others deter you from accomplishing what you really need to be doing.  You decide on a gym partner to help keep you motivated, but when that person consistently cancels on you, you get discouraged too and stop going.  You continue to accept dinner invitations from friends, trips to the mall to find an outfit for yet another event instead of just wearing something you already have or just simply declining the invitation to go.  You have packed your lunch for the day, but find yourself ordering out with coworkers anyway.  You let your mind get boggled down with all these other things that you "need" to be doing instead of making school a priority and just finishing.  You've come this far, you see the light at the end of the tunnel, but you keep putting it off. Another year goes by, and all of these things have still not gotten done.  You feel like maybe it's not for you.

Type Two: Solid Ground is Nowhere to be Found....

verse 13: Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root.  They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.

Foundations are so important in just about anything we do! You want to achieve these things for the new year, but you have no idea where to start.  You're super excited for the new year! You declare: NEW YEAR, NEW ME!!  You're hype and excited for this fresh start! Woohooo this is exciting!! You've made your list of resolutions, you've put it in your mind you're going to get out there and make some changes, and then a road block comes along.  Whoa...didn't expect that one did you? You didn't have an emergency plan for those unexpected set backs that would try to get in your way.  So what do you do? You give in and feel defeated.  You give up and just like the easily discouraged person, you decide you'll just pick up and start again next year.  Around November of this new year, you'll start getting excited again and start to declare how much this "new" year was a bunch of trash and you can't wait for it to get out of here!! I'M SOOOOO DONE WITH 201__ AND I'M READY FOR 201__!!!!! A lot of the things we want to accomplish require us to have a solid foundation.  To be fully rooted in what it is we want to achieve.  If you want to lose weight, educate yourself on healthy ways to do it, surround yourself with other people who are looking to achieve the same goals.  If you want to save money, talk with a financial adviser.  Open a savings account and set up an automatic savings plan.  Plan ahead!! Expect the unexpected!!

Type Three: Unfocused Ursula/Ubaldo

verse 14: The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.

The unfocused person will be like the seed that falls on thorns.  You know what you want to accomplish or what you want to achieve, but your mind is everywhere except on your goals.  You're wandering through life aimlessly like a nomad.  You verbalized what you wanted to achieve, but you haven't written it down.  You haven't made any plans for success.  When you're unprepared like this, of course it's easy to get distracted.  Life is tough as is, so to make changes to our lives, we have to be focused.  Change requires maturity.  You'll be caught up in the same boat as the Easily Discouraged, and the person who's not standing on solid ground if you don't gain focus!

Type Four: Perseverance and the Determined Soul

verse 15: But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

This is the type of person I'm striving to be with my New Years Resolutions! Like I said before, I started early.  First I evaluated what I said I wanted to achieve for 2012 and what didn't actually get done.  I thought about what changes I wanted to make for the new year and what I wanted to continue doing that I declared for 2012.  By starting early, giving a true evaluation to your progression or regression on a daily basis, by the time the new year sets in, you're already in the habit of making the changes that you wanted to make.  Of course with any change, we will backslide, make mistakes, fall back into old habits, etc.  It's not about falling down, it's about whether you get back up and get back on track.  Going through anything and falling down makes perseverance so much sweeter in the end.  As you look back over the year and see what could have stopped you, what could have gotten in your way and stayed in your way, yet you made it through anyhow is a huge accomplishment.

I'm going to declare my "New Years Resolutions" as My Lifestyle Changes.  I only have two for right now, but they definitely will have a huge impact in my life and the lives of others.

1. To live more for God.  My relationship with God has grown and flourished as they years go on.  I am nowhere near perfect and am a sinner, but I pray and hope that I will sin less and be more pleasing in God's sight from now on.  I give myself away so He can use me.  I give God all the glory for everything he has done in my life! I was at church on Sunday and I was just thinking about how I wish I would have fallen in love with Jesus sooner. My life has been so much better since I've developed a personal relationship with him! My soul has been more at peace, my heart has smiled from the inside out, I have become a better person.  He loves me so much and I know I don't deserve it.  Had I accepted this unconditional love a long time ago, my life would have been so different.  Everything happens for a reason and my past is part of my testimony.

2. To continue to take care of my body: spiritually, mentally, and physically.  I started working out and educating myself on eating better back in November.  Since then, I am thirsty to learn more and to continue to get fit and stay fit.  My body is a temple and the only body I will have for this life.  While I am here on earth, I know I have to take the best care of it that I can! I want to be healthy for my children and grandchildren.  I also want to inspire and help others along.  A lot of people have been telling me that I'm an inspiration to them when I talk about working out and eating right.  That inspires me to keep pushing and moving forward with this goal.  The inspired inspires the inspirer and vice versa! It's a cycle of inspiration!!

What are your New Years Resolutions or are you looking to make Lifestyle Changes as well?

Prayers for Newtown, CT...

As you all may have heard by now, there was a tragic mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut early yesterday morning.  It is with a very heavy heart that I state 20 children and 6 adults were killed.  Although our nation still remains in great shock over these horrific events, school shootings are becoming very familiar in America.  This event really hit home for me because I work in an elementary school  that is about the same size as Sandy Hook E.S.  Every day, I walk into the building and the joy those children bring me is beyond what words can describe! They are our future and I love them all!

Yesterday, I went home and I read countless Facebook status posts, twitter messages, and tweetgram messages on Instagram about this senseless tragedy.  All I could think about was praying for these people.  It is about 10 days before Christmas and families are torn to pieces with grief and an unanswered question of "Why?"

Many of the posts I read were posts of anger labeling the gun man as "crazy", "sick", "evil", and the list goes on.  I don't know what the motive for this was, but all I could think of was mental illness.  Many of the shootings that have taken place in our nation have been committed by someone who suffers from a mental illness (depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, etc.). All of these illnesses are real and we must educate ourselves and get the people who are suffering the help they need!

I can't put this all on mental illness because the case is still being investigated.  We still don't know why.  In the mean time, prayers for those who are too weak to pray on their own are much needed right now! I can't stop thinking about everyone affected! The parents of the children who were killed, the family members of the staff members who were slain, the children in the building who were there to witness their classmates be murdered, the staff members who had to think as fast as they could to protect the children in their classroom, the members of the community who never thought this would happen in a town like Newtown.  They all need our prayers right now.

Times like this are times when we need to cling to God! To seek him and really rely on Him to get us through.  Some people will be angry with God, swearing He is nowhere to be found because how could He let this happen? God is always there and we don't know why things happen the way they do, but despite this tragedy, the rest of our nation is coming together grieving with these people.  We are pulling together to host candle light vigils in honor and memory of the slain victims.  We are interceding on their behalf to pray for peace, comfort, and joy to come in the morning.  God is working in the lives of so many of us right now! I even saw a Facebook post that said "I"m not really religious, but I'm praying for these people".  Now that's God! Tragedy does that sometimes.  We can't control what happened or change it, but we can control our reaction.  My reaction is to mourn with these people, but mainly to pray for them.  My reaction is to continue to spread the love of Jesus and to believe his word that he will comfort those who mourn (Matthew 5:4), he will heal the brokenhearted and bind their wounds (Psalm 147:3), and that these children will come to Jesus and be among the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:4).

God bless Newtown, Connecticut and God Bless America!