Thryve Magazine Fearless issue (and a discount code!!)

I am so excited to share that Thryve Magazine's Fearless issue is ready for pre-order!!! It feels like forever ago now that I submitted an article about Kicking Fear to the Curb and found out it was going to be in their next issue.  But the day has come, and I can't wait to get a copy into my hands and see my name, my words, (and some sweet pics by Brandon Brown at Roost Photography) in a magazine for the very first time. 

The most exciting aspect is not just the fact that this is my first published piece (besides my good ole days writing for Ripon College Days newspaper), but that this is another way that the Lord continues to affirm me over and over again in my writing endeavors.  Making a commitment to myself at the beginning of 2015 to really give writing a go, and placing that dream into the Lord's hands, it has been unreal how much encouragement I have received from Him, and from my sweet community.  

So I want to thank you - my readers, my family, my friends, who have challenged me, encouraged me, affirmed me, pushed me to write more, and shared in my excitement over this next step.  And for that reason I want to share a DISCOUNT CODE with you so that you can get your hands on a copy of this issue of Thryve!!!  

But before I do, I want to tell you why I am so excited about this issue and why you should go snag a copy- and it's not just because I am featured in the magazine...

• I really believe in the heart behind Thryve. The women who make up this team have such beautiful hearts for the Lord- it is evident in the way they conduct their business, speak with grace through emails, work with writers in the editing process, and encourage their Thryve family throughout social media.  It has been an immense blessing to be accepted into their little community and I can't wait to work with them in the future.  

• The message contained in this issue is one that each and every one of us needs to hear. Titled Fearless this issue is all about conquering fear. Written by the Thryve team, the issue description reads: Fear runs deep and visits every one of us. It is often the root of the things we resist, the steps untaken, and the taunting lies we allow to command our souls. This is why this issue is so important. Our prayer is that you would grab a hold of the power that you possess in Christ. God alone is unmatched by the forces that rage against you. We believe that the truth of God's Word will break every chain and propel you into the life you have been created to live! This theme hit home with me, and my guess is that it does for you too.  Through Jesus we are given the opportunity to be free, and it's about time we embrace that. 

So without further ado, head on over to Thryve Magazine and order your copy (it even includes a journal to go along with it) using the discount code MINDYLARSEN for 10% off!  

**Keep in mind, the discount is available for the pre-order which closes in about 2 weeks.  So make sure to snag your copy before the pre-order ends!! **

image by Thryve Magazine

Struggling with pain

Throughout the past couple months, discussion about my body has made an appearance on the blog. I’ve talked about the joys of seeing results from time spent in the gym and the excitement that comes from the process of transformation. But now I need to come at the body talk from a different direction. I need to be real with you, let off a bit of steam and admit that I am super discouraged.

So, I have a weird body. In the words of my sweet chiropractor, “It’s not weird. It’s special.” I so appreciate the positivity and encouragement reflected in her words because today I just don’t have it. Today I feel frustrated. Today I feel like a 29 year old trapped in an 80 year olds body wondering why I have struggled with such random body issues when I’m still so young!

A couple years ago the weirdness started when I had an issue with my clavicle. One night I came home from seeing the movie Argo, lifted my arms up above my head to change my shirt and was greeted by excruciating pain pulsing through my body focusing itself at the clavicle joint on my chest. For weeks I couldn’t raise my elbow above my shoulder unless I wanted to cower in pain. Many trips to the chiropractor, months spent in physical therapy, lots of stretching and a roll of kinesio tape was what it took to get myself to a place where I was no longer in constant pain.

Then several years later, bending over to stoke the fire was apparently the other “crazy activity” that caused chaos on my body. Suddenly the muscles in my lower back contracted; grabbing on so tightly they refused to let me move forcing me to awkwardly roll onto the floor and wait until the muscles released just enough to allow me to get up and run for my ice pack and essential oils. Again, I found myself back at the physical therapist for a couple more months learning the stretches and exercises needed to keep my back happy.

And here I am, facing yet again another random body issue – this time with my pinky fingers. For the past couple months I’ve woken up and realized my pinkies were contracted. Going to straighten my fingers from the sleepy fist position, it now takes a clunky pry to extend my finger. What the heck?! Just like my other weird issues there's no injury to explain my struggle. No justification to make, no blame to place, other than the fact that my body is “special.” Discouraged and confused, I’ve taken myself back to the chiropractor and maybe soon to be back at the physical therapist to find a way to return to and maintain a happy, tension free body.

I have to be real with you – I’m frustrated. I’m sad. I want to be fixed. I don't want to have a "special" body that seems to need so much maintenance.  Last night, tears slid down my cheek as my husband wrapped towels around my elbows securing them with tape to keep my arms straight overnight in order to give my ulna nerve (which is apparently causing this finger grief) a break. I felt like a freak, I felt like this pain wasn’t going to end, I felt like something was seriously wrong with me, and I felt so so alone.

The reason I share this with you is not just to complain, be sad about my body issues, and search for a little commiseration – it’s to put the encouragement that I need to be reminded of to words. To vent out the icky, sad feelings I have, replace them with truth that I need to hear and hopefully encourage you along the way.

So here’s a bit of truth.

• Bodies are amazing. The intricate way that God designed our skeleton to give our body shape, our muscles to hold up our weight and keep our bones where they need to be, the way the nerves and tendons stretch and contract as our brains ask our feet to take a step forward, is pretty awesome. I mean really, the fact that they our bodies are capable of so much is mind-blowing.
• I am a human, and my body is not perfect. Finding out that both my clavicle and lower back issues, (and most likely these pinky finger shenanigans) were mainly caused by improper posture, overuse, and under strengthened muscles, I’ve realized that bodies are delicate and precious. And that it takes work on our part to keep them happy. 
• I am not alone. Wallowing in my self-pity and letting the frustration of my locking fingers send me into a mood of depression, I was jolted into thankfulness as I thought about the many, many people who suffer with chronic pain. And can I just say, if that’s you, you are a rockstar – I admire you, I respect you, and I am so so sorry for the pain that you suffer day in and day out. Dealing with this pain is just a blip on the scale in comparison to the ailments, diseases, and pains that others are dealing with.  I need to get over myself, because what I've got is not all that bad.  

The moral of the story is, I need to change my attitude. Yes, my fingers are still having issues. Making a fist and waiting for the lock on my pinky to release is no fun – and it definitely makes writing and typing a bit of an issue. But I need to be patient, choose joy, be thankful for what the Lord has given me and trust that He is going to provide.

Jesus Calling, my daily devotional, spoke some much needed truth into my heart this morning as it said, “When things go ‘wrong’, you tend to react as if you’re being punished. Instead of this negative response, try to view difficulties as blessings in disguise. Make me your Refuge by pouring your heart to Me, trusting in Me at all times.” That is what I need to do. To pour my heart out to Him, with joy and thankfulness, but also with the sadness, frustration and fears that I’ll be stuck like this, and trust Him.

The reality is pain sucks, disease sucks, cancer sucks. But the reality that is even greater is that there is hope in the Lord. Placing our trust in Him we give him the opportunity to meet us in our struggles and give us joy like no other, no matter what we’re going through. And what’s even more exciting is His promise that with Him, there will be a day when there is no more pain and no more tears; there will be a new heaven and a new earth and we will have new heavenly bodies!!

I cannot wait for this day to come!!!! But as I do, I’m going to work on changing my focus and trusting that He is faithful – that He’ll meet me in my sadness, in my pain and love me like no other. If you think of me, please pray for me – I’ll take as much support as I can get.

And if you’re struggling with pain, know that you are not alone. I am here for you, and here to remind you that we have a God who’s a comforter, counselor, the ultimate healer and He is with you – so cry out to Him. Take heart dear ones – and be thankful.

xo

Image by Roost Photography

P.S. If you are looking for a good chiropractor please check out Dr. Jamie Mabeus at Full Motion Family Chiropractic !! She is amazing - and even offers animal chiropractic!! AND For an awesome physical therapist head to Health in Balance and ask for Maria.  She too is so great.  

Pursuing Transformation: a few final thoughts

Yesterday I was getting ready for yoga, and took a few minutes to look at my body in the full-length mirror. Standing there in my underwear and sports bra, I realized how my muscles were being to take shape. Seeing the strength in my biceps, growing definition in my triceps, and being able to feel how much stronger my foundation feels from my legs to my hips to my glutes to my stomach, I couldn’t help but get excited and be proud of the progress I have made in my journey to become a stronger person. I used to giggle and roll my eyes a little bit when I would catch Chris flexing his muscles in the mirror as he brushed his teeth, but now I totally get it. When you’ve worked really hard at something, dedicated time, energy and a whole lot of sweat, being able to look in the mirror and see results is so, so exciting. 

I share this not to be like, ooh look at me, I share it to remind and encourage you that transformation is exciting!!! Each baby step taken towards a goal is always hard, hard work but being able to look in the mirror, compare swimsuit selfies and see the difference obtained from disciplined time in the gym and the yoga studio – that is exciting, rewarding, and that’s what makes all the hard work worth it.

Looking back on my Pursuing Transformation posts, I’m realizing how much I really enjoyed this little series. Taking the opportunity to reflect, ask myself how I am doing and be honest about where I am at, was a valuable exercise that encouraged and challenged me to keep pushing forward in each of the goals I set for myself in 2015.

I started out the series with one of my favorite verses, Ephesians 4:15, and it seems only appropriate to close with it as well. It says,“And we all, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” If you’re in a place where you, too, are pursuing transformation in many different areas of your life, I want to remind you that we have a God who is all about transformation. So keep your head up, and if you get discouraged, remember that you are not doing this alone.

xo

Pursuing Transformation: Building a stronger marriage

This is my handsome husband. His name is Chris and I think he’s a stud. I spotted him across the classroom in French 101, right away taken aback by his charming good looks, blonde hair, and his beautiful blue eyes. Sitting nearby when given the chance, asking him what page the professor was telling me to turn to, and receiving a wink in return, I couldn’t help but blush- I was crushing hard. Several weeks into hanging out, and a few cocktails into the night, the words, “I have high hopes for us…” and, “I think I love you” flew out of my mouth before I could think twice about them. Although my timing was most definitely a bit crazy (blame it on the alcohol... cue Jamie Foxx), I don’t doubt those words because that boy had my heart way before I even knew it. 10 years and a whole lot of fun later, I have the privilege of calling him my husband and those winks still get me.

If you’ve been following along, you know that I’ve been doing a series about Pursuing Transformation. It started with this proclamation that I made back in January, pinpointing five areas of my life where I want to see growth in 2015 - and I’ve been checking in with each area, sharing where I'm at and encouraging you to do the same.

This week I’m onto my last goal (!!!) and that is, to invest in building a stronger marriage.

Years before getting married, I heard a sermon from pastor Steve Sonderman about marriage. It wasn’t your standard, run of the mill, love each other, be faithful, sort of marriage talk – it was all about the importance of dating your spouse. His focus for the message was that even more so than before marriage, your relationship with your spouse needs to be cared for, nurtured, protected, and most importantly invested in – and that continuing to date each other played a big role in that. He talked about how, too often, all the hard work, the charming, the getting dressed up super cute, the sweet talking, the flirting, the fancy date planning, the focus on fun, happens before marriage but then falls under the radar after.

With just about four years under our marriage belt, I can totally attest to that statement. Now that we’re married, and the honeymoon phase has worn off a bit, dealing with Chris’ crazy work schedule, my evenings of volleyball or bible study, and then with the craziness of summer activities and packed weekends, we’re lucky if we even eat a meal together, let alone have a date night! It’s not that we don’t want to have fun together, or to enjoy getting dressed up, staring into each other’s eyes in a romantically lit restaurant filling our bellies with a mouthwatering steak and washing it down with a full bodied glass of merlot and a creamy, decadent spoonful of crème brûlée. It’s just that as of late, neither of us takes the time to plan it.

Thinking lots about this pending blog post, and asking myself how or if I have yet to make steps towards investing in our marriage, I can’t help but come back to this idea of dating. Going back to Steve Sonderman’s message, I really appreciated his approach to the marriage discussion; but what really stuck with me was the example that he gave of him and his wife. He said that they have a commitment to date each other weekly, have an outing monthly, and travel yearly. I remember hearing this and thinking, “that is awesome!” It seemed so inspiring, so fun, and so… simple.

Investing in my marriage doesn’t have to be this difficult, sit down and read a marriage book or do a strengths finder test and discuss how we could do better as a couple. It can be as simple as going on a date. But here’s the thing, even that doesn’t have to be super fancy. That’s fun every once in awhile, yes, but the most important thing about having a date with your husband is, intentionally spending time together.

This past weekend, I found this to be so true as Chris and I had a really great, much needed chunk of alone time. Instead of going out to dinner Friday night and seeing a movie on Saturday like we had originally brainstormed, we never left the house - and it was great. Friday night consisted of sitting in the backyard, eating steaks on the grill, enjoying a few Moscow mules, playing a bunch of games of cribbage, kissing a bit (duh), and sharing a lot of laughs. It was perfect – we reminisced about the early days of Chris and Mindy, poked fun at each other when the other lost the game of cribbage, and just soaked each other in (as cheesy as that may sound). And then Saturday was even better – sleeping in, eating a late brunch, and plastering ourselves to the couch making sure to cuddle and take bathroom breaks we watched ridiculous movies (umm.. Sharknado?! We might have watched the marathon on the SyFy channel... what?! Insert wide eyes blushing emoticon) and then finished the night with another game of cribbage and fell asleep on the couch. It was seriously, exactly what we needed.

We’ve had weekends where it’s looked pretty similar to this, but I think the difference was – this one was intentional. There was plenty we could’ve done, probably should’ve done – but both of us knew that we hadn’t spent much time together and that the week ahead didn’t foster much time to see each other’s faces so we chose to do nothing but spend time together.

I am so thankful for Chris.  He’s my rock, my safe place, my comfort when I’m a hot mess, he gives a perfectly timed wink when I’m feeling insecure, and he’s the perfect balance to my crazy 12-at-heart self.  I am sooo thankful that God brought us together, that I get to call him my husband, and that this weekend gave me a really good chance to focus on that.

My prayer is that moving forward, as I continue to think about how I can invest in building a stronger marriage, that I would look back on this weekend and remember the benefit that simply spending time with one another had for both of us. And that I would be challenged to make it more of a habit.  Going into the week I feel reconnected, refreshed, and very much in love with my husband – and I am thankful.

If you’re in a place where you need to reconnect with your spouse – do it. Make the effort, cancel your other plans, carve out time for each other, and go on a date, play some games, be silly, or do absolutely nothing and just soak up time spent together. It is so so worth it.

And if you’re not in this place, my prayer is that you wouldn’t feel singled out (too punny?) or neglected in any way by me speaking about my marriage. You are valued, you are loved, and you have great worth right where you are.

xo 

 image by Marissa Maharaj 

Pursuing Transformation: To be a better friend

If you’ve been following along, you know that I am in the middle of a little series about Pursuing Transformation. It started with this proclamation that I made back in January, pinpointing five areas of my life where I want to see growth in 2015 - and now I'm checking in with each area, sharing where I'm at and encouraging you to do the same.

This week I’m onto my fourth goal – to be a better friend. So far, I feel the least prepared to write an update on this one.

Friendships continue to remain a mystery to me. And honestly still a struggle. Here’s the thing: I really struggle with friendships when they unexpectedly take a turn for a different direction or fall right off the map. It’s happened to me time and time again where I’m super good friends with someone (not just acquaintances- but actual know each other’s deep feelings, thoughts, histories kind of friends) and for no reason that I’m aware of, something switches. Phone calls disappear, text messages remain unanswered, and the once strong bond that made our friendship so beautiful weakens – and with no explanation even when pursued.

I understand that relationships are not easy, that yes there is some truth to the cliché statement of friends are in your life for a reason, season, or a lifetime – but when it feels like someone just ups and leaves your life for no apparent reason and doesn’t have the guts to tell you why they’ve decided to cut you out, that hurts.

I’m a, for lack of a better term, “no shit” kind of gal. If I am struggling with something, I’m not just going to harbor it, talk behind your back and wait until four frustrations later when I finally blow up in your face. If there’s an issue, I want to talk about it and work through it right away, together– with love, and with grace. Being able to be up front with each other, to be honest, and love each other through confrontation brings huge value and trust to a relationship. And I think that’s what makes relationships strong.

But this post isn’t supposed to be about the bitterness that I am still working on in my heart, it’s about how I am going to challenge myself and my role in the friendships that I have. One of my favorite verses is Ephesians 4:15 – it says, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ.” The reason I first fell in love with this verse was because I felt like it was a positive encouragement for healthy confrontation. Encouraging us to speak the truth to each other, bringing up hard conversations, but in a loving manner. And I very much still love it for that reason. But what I’ve been thinking about more lately is a slightly different perspective of the challenge to speak truth in love.

Dealing with all these friendship struggles, the silver lining through it all is that I’ve become so much more thankful for the relationships that I do have. It’s made me realize just how thankful I am for the friends who have stuck it out with me through it all, and it makes me want to tell them just how great I think they are. And that’s what I think the second aspect of speaking the truth in love is, to communicate how much we appreciate each other – to speak that truth in love.

Just as important as it is to be honest about frustrations, it’s even more important to share how valuable I think my friends are, how kind, how encouraging, how much of a huge blessing their friendship is in my life. How often do you go through weeks, months, years, without saying – “hey, you know what? I am so thankful that you are my friend. I really think you are amazing”? Do you tell your friends how much you appreciate them and the way that they wear temporary tattoos with you even though you’re 29 years old? Or tell them how great it is that they care about what you’re doing, encourage you to chase your dreams, giggle together over a glass of wine, play Heads Up in the middle of a restaurant or go to Sephora 1700 times and walk around for way too long. I don’t know about you, but my answer is not enough.

I want to be a friend who is willing to speak truth lovingly in confrontational situations, but even more so I want to be a friend who is known for telling you how loved you are. I want to be a friend who is caring, encouraging, honest, invested, intentional and present through thick and thin. I think that’s what God calls us to be isn’t it? To be a community of men and women who really truly care about each other and communicate that love!

That’s how I want to be a better friend. I want the people in my life to know how thankful I am for them, and I’m looking forward to showing them.

If you, too, have awesome friends in your life, maybe you want to join me in telling them. Shoot a text message, send a fun card, a lil email, or maybe even give them a call and actually say the words! Let’s be a community known for speaking the truth in love, both in the good and in the bad.

Xo

Pursuing Transformation: Becoming a better writer

Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be a writer. I loved writing stories for school, sharing memories of my day in my Precious Moments diary and locking it up with the tiniest key, and had big hopes of writing a book someday. Even though my dream got lost in the shuffle a bit growing up, through it all, from a Religion major and a French minor, to a job as a ministry assistant at a church, my heart kept coming back to writing.

Asking myself what I was going to do with my life I've been seeking the Lord continually saying, “okay God – I want to do this, but what do you want me to do? I want to do what you want me to do.”  A couple years ago, I went to the Influence Conference put on by the Influence Network– a community of women who are all about using our influence wherever that may be, to make Jesus known.  At this conference, one of the speakers really spoke into the questions I was asking. She reminded us that God is the one who created us, who blessed us with our giftings – and then pushed us further to think about, if you have this dream in your heart, and you’ve been praying about it and seeking Him and it still remains intact- isn’t it possible that He put it there? That maybe instead of doubting it’s existence so much, maybe just maybe you should pursue it?

That is exactly what I’ve decided to do this year - to reach for my dream to be a writer. Finally, when people ask me what I’m doing – not only am I responding with the housewife title that I struggled with for so long, but now there is tag-on. I am a writer. Owning that title is a big step in and of itself, but now I’m working hard to put feet to that dream.

If you’ve been following along, you know that I am in the middle of a little series about Pursuing Transformation. It started with this proclamation that I made back in January, pinpointing five areas of my life where I want to see growth in 2015 - and now I'm checking in with each area, sharing where I'm at and encouraging you to do the same!

So this week is all about my goal to become a better writer. And I am super excited to share the ways that I have been intentional in this area.

Editing a cookbook:
Being a part of a community group through the Influence Network, I met an amazing woman named Natasha Red. She is the sweetest, loves the Lord, and has a gift for encouraging women in the kitchen. With her blog, and newly opened shop, her mission is all about encouraging women to get into the kitchen – to push past fears and risks that might be holding them back and create memories, traditions, and love on people through the vehicle of food. As a part of this mission to reach women with this message, she decided to write a cookbook. A few conversations sharing our hearts in our community group and the Lord made a connection - I love editing, and Natasha was in need of an editor.

For the past couple months I have had the pleasure of acting as Natasha’s editor. And I am so blessed. It has been a great learning experience for me, being able to exercise my gift with writing and learn how I can be a good support to Natasha and help her use her words for the mission God has placed on her heart. I am so excited to be a part of this project with her and I can’t wait for you to see the finished project. If you don’t know Natasha-please check her out– and stay tuned for when the cookbook comes out! My mouth waters and my stomach growls every time I edit her recipes, and her words have seriously encouraged me to be more courageous in the kitchen. I love it and know you will too.

Blogging more consistently:
This is an area that I am still working on. I am discovering that especially in the summertime, I am struggling with time management. There are so many things I want to do, but I can’t possibly fit them all in unless I make a better schedule. Having this mini-series has been a blessing because it has held me accountable to writing (minus my little hiatus for the holiday weekend), and pushed me to stay consistent. I think I might need to take that into consideration in the future, to plan my blogging out a bit more.

FEATURE IN THRYVE MAGAZINE:
I had to put that one in caps, because I am so excited to share that my first magazine article is coming out in August!!!!!! Thinking about this goal I made in January, I decided it was time to stretch myself, to submit an article to a magazine. It was totally a God-thing how it all happened, as a ‘like’ on Instagram led me to the homepage for Thryve Magazine, a Christian women's magazine whose mission is encouraging women to live fully alive. Instantly finding the “writers” tab, I was greeted by a submission theme that seemed to be the perfect fit for what the Lord had been teaching me at that time. With a few days left before the deadline, I went to work and poured my heart out onto paper, edited, prayed, and sent my first submission off for review.

Expecting to hear back in 3-5 weeks as described in the guidelines, I was shocked to receive an email a day after the deadline from the editing team. And even more shocked, and elated when they said, “Without a doubt, we’d like to use this article in our summer issue of Thryve.” I could not believe it. Immediately, I called my husband, my mom, my sister, anyone who knew I had submitted an article and shared the exciting news! My first article, my first publication, my first magazine feature! As small as it may seem, this was a huge step for me, and a huge affirmation from the Lord that for right now- this is what He wants me to be doing.

Working with an editing team, making changes to my article, and working with a photographer for the spread to go along with my words – this process has been challenging, growing, and so exciting. I can’t wait to see the final product in Thryve Magazine with my words, and the beautiful images captured by the fabulous Roost Photography. It's coming out sometime in August, so if you want to snag a copy - stay tuned to Thryve's website!!

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I'm really excited about the steps that I am making in this area of transformation.  Even if my future doesn't end up the way that I might be envisioning at the moment, this process of pressing forward, reaching for the stars and dreaming big is so rewarding.

If there is a dream in your heart that you keep pushing aside thinking it’s not practical or asking yourself how it could possibly come to be, I want to encourage you to ask God about it, and entertain the idea that He might possibly be the one who placed it there. God calls us to “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:8) So don't just sit idle.  Think about it, pray about it, and be brave- press forward - pursue it.

Praying for you and whatever His dream is for your life – chances are it’s way better than you could ever imagine.

Xo

-- Image by Roost Photography --

Pursuing Transformation: Becoming a stronger, healthier person

Happy #TransformationWednesday!!! Truth be told, I wanted to post my transformation update on Tuesday to be all cute and join on the #transformationtuesday train, but then I giggled at myself, because why the heck can't it just be Transformation Wednesday?!!!  I want everyday to be transformational- not just Tuesdays and Thursdays for the sake of the hashtag!! So here I am on Transformation Wednesday, excited to be back sharing the second installment of my Pursuing Transformation updates!  If you're new to this mini-series, last week I talked about this proclamation that I made back in January, pinpointing five areas of my life where I want to see growth in 2015 - and I introduced this mini-series where I'm checking in with where I'm at and encouraging you to do the same!

I kicked off the series by talking about my goal to give more of myself to the Lord. I shared how I need to continue working on this area, more specifically by improving my discipline for daily Bible reading. I sat down (today… ) to start reading a Psalm a day and it was great!! Of course the Lord knows exactly what I needed to hear to start off this little journey; the scripture says, "Blessed is the one… whose delight is in the law of the Lord, who meditates on his law day and night.” Well, that pretty much sums up what I need to do- to delight in the law of the Lord day and night. So much truth in that first chapter!!

But before I go off on a tangent about Psalm 1 – I want to move on to my second goal of transformation for 2015. That is, to become a stronger and healthier person. I am pretty excited about this one because I have already grown leaps and bounds in this area since January.

Wanting to improve my posture, decrease pain, strengthen my body and work on improving my overall wellness, I made three intentional steps to move me in the right direction (hah, no pun intended) - Body pump, Yoga, and Essential Oils.

Body Pump-
You may have heard me talk about this before, but I am in love with my weightlifting class at the YMCA. Going back to class every week (sometimes twice a week), slowly but surely I have been increasing the amount of weight I add for each exercise.  My goal isn’t to be the next Hulk, but to be a more toned, stronger version of myself and I'm really excited because I feel like I am beginning to see (or at least feel) results. I really look forward to this workout every week - it's a great motivator to keep going, and it's an encouragement to the soul too because the music the instructor plays sings about the Lord!  Nothing like being motivated in body and mind! 

Yoga–
Man, I was missing out. I am sad that it has taken me this long to try yoga because I absolutely love it. I tried my first yoga class (besides good old Wii fit yoga) back in November and I am hooked. Having had far too many skeletal issues for my young age of 29 ;) I have found the great importance of taking care of my spine. Going to a Chiropractor regularly, I was so proud when she said everything in my spine was starting to line up nicely!  Being all about creating space in your spine and helping you strengthen your core muscles through the poses, I know that yoga has played a huge role in this and has been an incredible and crucial part in decreasing pain I was struggling with in both my lower back and my clavicle trouble areas. Not to mention, it’s the greatest way to de-stress!! There have been many times that I have gone to class super cranky, and left feeling refreshed and re-energized.  It's crazy how even the simplest exercise of focusing on my breath can encourage me to make a positive change in my day. If you are in the Milwaukee area, I highly recommend checking out Tosa Yoga. The owner, Melanie and each of the instructors I have experienced are phenomenal!! And plus, the first class there is free! Seriously do it!!
P.S. check out the pic above of my friend and I doing Paddleboard yoga!!! It was a blast!!! (Even if we fell into the water once or twice.)

Essential Oils–
It’s crazy to me that I have only written about my love for essential oils once before on lovemin!! You guys, they have made a huge impact in my life. I am a user, supporter, and distributor of Young Living essential oils. But you can be certain that any time I share about how essential oils have helped me, I am not trying to sell you on something- I just want to share with you the exciting benefit that I have learned about. My amazement for this blessing God has given us continues to grow with each and every oil I learn about and each new combination I try. As of late my favorite combination has been Lavender, Lemon and Peppermint as it has helped me immensely in coping with seasonal allergies!! And this is just one of the many ways that I have been using essential oils to promote a healthy life. If you don’t know about essential oils and how they can benefit you, please please let me know! I would love to help you start your own journey!!!

I am so thankful that the Lord doesn't just care about our souls but that He cares about our bodies!  And He gives us such great resources at our fingertips to play an active role in taking care of them.  I can't even believe how far I've come in regards to the amount of back pain I was still struggling with when I wrote that post back in January, and I can't wait to see how I continue to grow over the next six months.  I mean shoot, maybe I'll even have a six-pack!  Okay, props not, but hey, I can pretend.

My prayer for you this week is that no matter where you are at in your pursuit to become a stronger, healthier person, that you would be reminded that the Lord loves every inch of you.  As you go through this week and look in the mirror and are tempted to be discouraged, remember that you were created in His image and He wants you (and me) to use our bodies for His glory.  And that means, we can't diss his creations ;)  Own what you've got and be intentional; make steps towards becoming an even stronger, healthier you.

Want to join me in this? I’d love to hear how your pursuit for transformation in 2015 is happening- please share with me! Let’s be transformational ya’ll!

Xo

Pursuing Transformation: Giving more of myself to the Lord

One of my favorite verses comes from 2 Corinthians 3:18 as it says,“And we all, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” It gets me all sorts of excited when I think about these words that teach us that we are being transformed into His likeness. I love that it’s not a past tense or a future tense, but a present- are being transformed. There’s something so encouraging, so challenging and so exciting about this.

I love this truth so much that I decided to make it my anthem and my goal for this year- to pursue transformation. In the beginning of January I made this proclamation and explained five different ways that I want to grow- to be able to look back and pinpoint that I have been transformed more into His likeness. Being that we are now halfway through the year (what?!?!), I want to revisit my goals and see how I'm doing.   

Transformation isn’t like the lovely crockpot that is brewing up my habenero beef tostadas for dinner tonight, with the “set it and forget it” mentality.  Instead it's a challenging sometimes gut-wrenching process that needs to be monitored, prodded, encouraged and pursued with each and every step.  Just like toning up those biceps in the gym, it takes intentionality and follow-through (but it's so rewarding!).  So, for the next few weeks I am going to touch base with each of my growth areas, not just for me to see where I’m at, but to hopefully encourage you to keep challenging yourself in the areas you’d like to grow as well. 

My first goal was “Above all else, I want to give myself more to the Lord – to be transformed into a better reflection of Him. To dig deeper into His word and come out knowing more about Him and understanding how I can be a better communicator of His love.”

This is the most important one on my list and there is always much, much room for improvement here. I have made definite progress in giving myself more to Him by giving Him my dreams.  Making this choice day in and day out has been so rewarding, giving me great joy and more freedom as I give Him the power to guide me.  On the other hand, I have not been as successful in my efforts at digging deeper into His word. I seriously don't know what the catch is there- it’s not a difficult thing. I love to read, I’m all about words (clearly), but for whatever reason I am still terrible at daily Bible reading!!! It’s SO SIMPLE. Insert angry/annoyed emoticon.  There’s no excuse.  I need to start… today.  I am going to start by reading a Psalm a day (encouraged by our pastor Matt in church this Sunday) to build a habit of being in the word.  Once I build that habit back up a little bit, I’d like to add another book of the Bible in the mix- maybe one I haven’t spent much time in before, like Daniel or something.  For some reason I feel in the mood to be in the Old Testament; any suggestions of a favorite book to dig into?

I have a really hopeful expectation for this year, and I really do want be able to look back and see growth.  God created us to be reflections of His glory, but we need to do our part – by His power, let’s be transformed. 

Want to join me in this? I’d love to hear how your pursuit for transformation in 2015 is happening- please share with me!If you’re a fellow blogger we could even start a link up! Let’s be transformational ya’ll! 

Giving Him my dreams

When was the last time you were driving down the road, your jam came on, and you had no choice but to crank up the music and wholeheartedly belt out the lyrics with an occasional raised hand or a fist pump? You’re jamming out so strongly, with no restraint knowing that everyone who passes you can’t help but laugh at the sight of you giving it your best Kelly Clarkson. Yeah, you know the feeling. That is my favorite. I love when I am so obsessed with a song that I want to sing it out so loud, so strong that at the end I’m breathless.

There is something so powerful about music. It’s motivating, lifts your spirits, and most often gets your body moving. But one of my favorite things about music is when it inspires.Being a writer, it’s probably pretty evident that words are important to me. They have power, they speak for us when we can’t find the voice, they share emotion, they evict love, they proclaim truth- they’re just good. So when you partner a beautiful melody with strong words that speak to the heart- that’s when I love music the most.

The scenario I described at the beginning of this post? Yeah… that was totally me this Tuesday. I was on the two hour drive up to our family cabin and I was jamming out. A hand was being raised, my head was bobbing, eyes were closing here and there (quickly and carefully of course- I mean, I was driving) – it was pretty epic. Not too long ago, I discovered an artist named Lauren Daigle who has an Adele-like voice combined with some truth-speaking, Jesus loving, God seeking lyrics. I am pretty obsessed with her. (If you haven’t heard of her, check her out- you will not regret it, and you’ll probably thank me.)  The song that keeps finding itself on repeat, the reason that I felt inspired to write this post, and the cause of my jam-session is called Trust in You.  With lyrics all about giving our dreams to the Lord, recognizing that His ways are better than mine, and with a full breathed declaration to trust in Him even when things aren’t going as we hoped – it seriously speaks to my heart.  

I have very high hopes for this summer in regards to reaching for my dreams.  I feel a pressure on my soul to be intentional about what feels to be my calling as a writer, but the fear that tries to grip me is wanting to be certain that this isn’t just my dream, my hope for my life, but that it is indeed His call for me.  Being able to listen to a song that so clearly, and so profoundly describes the desires of my heart is so liberating and pushes me to make my trust in Him an outcry of my mouth and a declaration of my heart.  

Singing the words, “Letting go of every single dream, I lay each one down at your feet… Truth is you know what tomorrow brings, there’s not a day ahead you have not seen” and then joining in the anthem cried out in the chorus where it says, “When you don’t move the mountains I needed you to move, when you don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through, When you don’t give the answers as I cry out to you, I will trust, I will Trust, I will Trust in you!” I know that the Lord is using Lauren’s beautiful voice and powerful lyrics to inspire and encourage me to over and over again give it all to Him. 

I am so thankful that there is power in words.That God himself uses words to speak to us through the Bible - and that He reaches out to us through His Spirit to lay the truth that we so need to hear on our hearts. And I’m thankful that God created Lauren and her beautiful voice.

So if you drive past me in the near future and it looks like I’m embarrassingly in the zone, don’t worry, I'm most likely singing Trust in You. :) If you need a new jam with words that speak truth to your heart and give glory to God, I highly recommend checking out Lauren Daigle's cd How Can it Be.  Then we can both be the crazies on the road turning up the music and pumping our fists- but better yet we can join together in giving our dreams to Him. 

xo

the reason I write

Waking up this morning, the heaviness of my worries, my fears, my hopes, my to-do list, came crashing onto my heart like a 10-foot wave. Sitting on the edge of my bed having such strong desires to accomplish much, I felt stuck. 30 minutes went by as I paged through my Facebook and Instagram feeds as I avoided putting my feet on the ground and figuring out how to start my day. Dragging myself out of bed, I grabbed my cup of coffee and sat myself in front of my computer hoping that words would come bringing clarity with each letter typed onto my screen. Writing out a few paragraphs for what I hoped would be a June Goal and update post, my fingers seemed forced and my words felt dry. Taking a deep breath and fighting off the frustration that ensued, I started a new page and began to speak to the Lord. Words flowed off my fingers as I talked with him about my heart, the heavy feeling of this day, my hopes and dreams, and the struggles that I feel in finding the right way to move forward. Closing my eyes and pouring out my heart to Him, His words came to my heart like a much needed deep breath. It’s all about Me. Suddenly it clicked and a realization swept in that yet again, my focus was displaced…

Throughout the years God has taught me time and time again how important it is to understand that this life I live is and must be all about Him. He loves me so much that He sacrificed His son to the cross, just so that I might be freed from sin and build a relationship with Him. He, this awesome God, who has the power to move mountains and part the seas, so selflessly gave up His son for Me (and for you!). And that’s not where His love ends. He knows my heart, all of it, the good and the bad, and He still wants me to get to know Him and be a part of what He is doing on this earth. Learning this lesson and shifting my perspective to the understanding that I want to be a part of what He’s doing, that I want my life to be about Him is something I know to be true in my heart, and yet it’s as if it hasn’t quite stuck because every single day, I get distracted, lose my focus and need to re-center on Him.

Wanting so badly to pursue the dreams that the Lord has placed in my heart, I’ve gotten so caught up in the steps I am trying to take, the “how am I going to get this dream off the ground?”, thoughts about which designer I might use to help me create a logo and brand that best represents what I hope to be as a writer, where I am going to submit an article to, fears of how I could possibly one day become what I hope to be- that I’ve become overwhelmed and lost sight of why I want to do it all in the first place.

The reason I write, the reason I want to be a writer is not about me. I write because of the Lord. I write because it helps me connect with Him and process what He’s teaching me. And I write because I believe he’s given me a voice to share and a call to encourage.

Reconnecting with the why, it’s as if the weight of the how and the when and the next step of what to do if I want to be a writer has fallen off my shoulders. The desire is still here, the questions are still here, but with Him the weight,the heaviness, the burden, has been lifted away.

I need to be reminded of this lesson every. single. day. To be challenged to submit my desires, hopes, dreams, fears into His hands knowing that He is faithful and that his mercies really are new every single morning.

Praying that you, too, would sink into His love and trust in His faithfulness. And that the words of Lamentations 3:22-23 would wash over your heart. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

XO

-- image by Roost Photography -- 

A real, scary taste of motherhood

Last week I got a real, scary taste of motherhood. Before the rumors start circulating, No, I’m not pregnant (unlike everyone else and their mom who seems to have drank the same baby-making water). Go ahead and call me crazy cat lady, but my scary taste of motherhood has to do with being a kitty mama. Let’s be real, Finn is my baby. I can already picture my sister reading this and rolling her eyes or faking a “puke in my hands” sort of motion- but really, he is! We adopted him a year and a half ago and he instantly became a big part of our little family. He cuddles with me when Chris is busy at work, he greets me at the door (he’s part dog), he brings joy when his tail gets all puffy because I caught him off guard when I came around the corner, or the way he chases his favorite purple ball and meows when he wants to be picked up- he’s my little furr baby!

Coming home from bible study last Wednesday with no greeting at the door, and walking in to find him in his bed unable to fully open his eyes or walk without slumping over- I knew something was wrong and I was terrified. Having just taken him into the vet earlier that day noticing that he was walking a little funny and having been told that it was just an injury from playing too hard (don’t even get me started on the misdiagnosis that plays into this whole scenario), I was completely caught off guard as this shouldn’t have been happening. Chris walked in the door just a few minutes later (praise God) and found me holding our limp kitty with eyes that couldn’t focus and legs that couldn’t support him.  Trying not to panic, we loaded him into the car and rushed off to the Animal Hospital.

The vet quickly went into “go mode” telling us that he had a urinary blockage and if he didn’t act fast and determine how bad the situation was, it could become quite serious. Suddenly I was handed a document with words like “do not resuscitate” or “take any action required” and as soon as it landed in my hand, Chris snatched it out of my hand because he knew I could not handle this. Tears instantly poured down my face, okay that’s an understatement- I went into sloppy tears and quick, short breath cry-mode, with a very sad attempt to keep it together, as I faced the unfortunate reality that there was a chance I might be going home without a kitty.

Getting home at midnight and waiting anxiously for the vet to call and give us good news, I jokingly said to Chris, “welp, looks like we’re never having kids.” I was a hot mess. When the phone rang an hour and a half later, we took a deep breath and prepared ourselves for who knows what news we were about to receive. As soon as the words “everything went really well” and “this is the best scenario that it could be” came out of the vet’s mouth, tears of joy ran down my cheeks and peace overwhelmed my anxious heart.

Praise the Lord I can say that God provided for us, and with much thanks to the amazing ER doctor, he saved our kitty. After staying in the hospital for a few days with a catheter and IV, the staff treated his infection and got him ready to go home with us. Now having him home for a few days and watching him recover and return to his peppy, loving self, still with a bit of crazy cat mom worries and “is he okay Chris?” moments, I am so so thankful for the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness in this situation.

I cannot believe how much I learned in the past 7 days. Not only did I realize how much I love this little creature, but it gave me an insanely real taste for motherhood and a brand new appreciation for parents. I mean shoot, I can’t even imagine how much of a mess I would be had this been my child?!  Although I was joking when I said, “and now we’re never having kids” – there’s an element of truth that exists in that statement because if I’m being super honest- being a mom terrifies me.  Lord willing, I feel like being a mom is part of my future, but it is going to take an army of prayer warriors, and a giant leap of faith and increase in trust in the Lord to make me ready.

I am a born and raised worry wart- I struggle with anxiety, I struggle with giving my fears to the Lord- it’s something I work on daily, have learned a TON about, but still need to constantly give over to the Lord. I have learned time and time again that His faithfulness is evident in even the most seemingly insignificant situations; but, I still need to be continually reminded that with every step of my life, whether with kitties or kiddies, my trust MUST be placed in Him in order for me to move forward. 

Although this situation was terrifying, and I don’t care to repeat it, I can wholly say that God’s word is true when it says that He uses every situation for our good. I’ve mentioned to a few people, usually somewhat kidding, that Finn is good prep for having kids someday; but really, there is no joke about it. Raising this kitty, loving him through his issues as a kitten and this health scare, I have already learned so much about what is going to be required of me when I become a mother. I am so so thankful that God uses even the most obscure situations to teach us, to shape us, to transform us, and to love us into trusting Him more and more.

God is so good. He really does deserve so much praise- so thank you Lord for loving me, for saving me, and for my sweet sweet kitty!

Praying that wherever you’re at, whether you’ve got a crazy situation on your hands or you’re resting peacefully in the goodness that God has given you, that you can give him more and more of your Trust. He’s so good- He deserves it.

Xo

soaking up May

I'm currently snuggled under the covers fighting the urge to let my head hit the pillow as my kitty is curled up by my feet and rain drops coat the window.  There's nothing quite like crawling into a cozy bed when the weather is gloomy and a chill is in the air.  The weather in May is always a guessing game in Wisconsin.  There have been years where it snows, and others where Memorial Day is a full day of sunshine and boating on the lake.  Today I am not complaining about the weather taking a bit of a dip into the 40's, because May has been off to a great start.  This past weekend was absoutely beautiful!  It was amazing to pull out shorts and a tank top and feel the warmth of the sun on my skin in my own front yard.  Of course we had to take full advantage and spend most of the weekend outside, grilling and soaking up every bit of warmth possible.

Much like I tried to do this weekend, I've decided that my goal for May is to soak it up.  I feel like every time I write, I battle the desire to say, "man, time flies!" because seriously... it does.  When it gets closer to the summer months I feel like time starts to go even faster, as weekends rapidly fill up with weddings, trips to the cabin, and all sorts of get-togethers as everyone is finally coming out of their houses from the winter hibernation.  Thinking ahead through this month, and even into June I started to feel anxiety bubble up in my gut as I thought about how quickly the summer is going to fill up and race by.  As quick as the anxiety rose up, I squashed it.  I stopped myself from letting those thoughts run any further and decided that the best thing I can do to slow time down, is to savor each moment.  I want to take full advantage of the days that the Lord has blessed me with and be intentional about taking moments where instead of getting lost in the chaos, I take a look around me and praise God for what He's provided.

With this goal in mind- I thought I'd share a few ways that I plan on embracing this goal to soak it up.

1 – Don’t play the comparison game.

I keep catching myself looking at my lawn and lack of landscaping and feeling like the loser on the block. Since this is not my area of expertise, reshaping and improving the curb appeal of our yard has been so slow in coming. It is really hard not to look down the block and feel envy for how beautiful others' yards are. I need to work on lowering my comparison and upping my praise for what I’ve been given- and knowing that these things take time!

2 – Take time to just be.

Especially if an upcoming week is jam-packed, I need to create space to just sit out on the porch and enjoy a cup of coffee (or champagne) and praise God for the breath in my lungs.

3 – Exercise my “No”.

It’s so easy to fill up every spare minute in the day, the week, or the month. I need to remind myself it’s okay to say "No" every once in awhile and take time for myself and for my husband.

4 – Get outside.

A little sun on the skin, does SO much good for my soul. I need to remember this when the laundry is calling and the stress is piling. Taking a few minutes to head outside, take a breather, and thank God for the sun might be just what I need to manage my time and get what I need to done (or learn what can be put aside for later).

5 – Celebrate.

The Lord doesn’t want us to just float through life, He wants us to be full of joy and embrace what He has given us.  So, I want to be intentional about celebrating those moments.  My big 29 is coming up in a few days, Mother’s day is just around the corner, and before we know it Memorial day will be upon us. Each of these create great opportunities to exercise my celebration muscles this month.  I am praying that each is full of joy and laughter!!!

I know that these goals are a bit more abstract, but I am hoping that I can make tangible, practical steps in making each of these happen.  Who knows, maybe I'll start this afternoon by taking time to just be- following Finn's example, and taking a little cat nap.  

Praying that you, too, can look at this month with joy in your heart and intentionality to soak up every minute.  

xo

back to my roots

The other night, I was in search of an old blog post that I'd written and ended up spending a good chunk of time reading through my blog archive.  Looking at all my old posts, I realized that for some reason as time has gone on, I've started writing less?  It didn't make much sense to me at first because as I think about the growth of my online space, my passion for it has only gotten bigger.  After some thought, I figured out that for who knows what reason, something shifted and deciding what to write about became a bigger deal.  I'd hem and haw over different ideas, rule them out, and consider it a writer's block.  I started to get so picky that by the time I sat down to write something, I'd used up all the time I had to write by brainstorming and changing my mind.

It's like when I decide I want to paint my nails.  I'll pull out a few colors that look fun and try to narrow down my choices.  I'll land on a color and then think, oh wait, I have such and such event later this week that might require me to pink instead of lavender.  Hmm is that one too much of a fall color?  Should I put sparkles on all of my fingers or just my ring-finger for a party nail?  And then all of a sudden it's 10:30 at night, I have to get ready for bed which means I can't paint my nails because how can you wash your face with wet nails?  I mean, man, the struggle is real.

I think that's what has happened with my writing.  I became too concerned about choosing a good topic and writing something that has significance, that I didn't end up writing anything at all.  I had somehow started to put too much pressure on myself to make sure I was writing something that people would resonate with, instead of simply writing what the Lord was laying on my heart that day.  As much as I don't want to admit it, I found myself motivated or discouraged about a certain post based on how many views it received.

But here's the thing.  I didn't start this blog to get viewers, I didn't make the shift to be a writer's blog because people told me that's what they thought would be good.  I did this simply because I wanted to use the gifts the Lord has given me and make His name known.  Unfortunately I got distracted from that truth and as a result my writing lost it's freedom.  I got too caught up in what message I thought should be conveyed, when really He is the only one who gives my writing significance.  I believe that life is all about Him, that we are here to glorify Him and make his name known, and I want this little space to be a reflection of that.

And here's the last piece (and quite an important one) of what I think was different.  Going through the posts from one of the years where I wrote a bit more, I realized just how many came as an outpouring of my time reading the Bible.... Now that is humbling and convicting and motivating all at the same time.  If I want to write His words, I need to be in His word.

So that's it.  That's what I need to do.  Get back into His word daily, remind myself why I write, stop overthinking what I'm going to write about and just sit myself down in front of my computer, and write my little heart out.

I'm so glad that I came to this realization.  I can already feel the fun and freedom in writing returning.  Woohoo!  Thank you Lord :)

xo

-- image by Marissa Maharaj --

Being the gospel made simple

Grabbing a bench top, risers, a bar, and weights, I situated myself towards the front of the workout room guaranteeing a clear view of the instructor.  I "loaded" up my bar with an appropriately small amount of weight as I haven't been to this class in quite awhile, and prepared to feel the burn.   If you've never been to body pump, it's a weightlifting class choreographed to music with tons and tons of reps.  From squats to lunges, to dead lifts, to clean-and-presses and bicep curls- your entire body is challenged in a 45-60 minute, energy-packed class.   Having been a regular to body pump in the past, I knew that I would walk away from class feeling sweaty with tired muscles.  But what I didn't expect, was to leave feeling encouraged and challenged about how simple it is to be the gospel.

Putting my bar in set position, I rolled my shoulders back and got started as the instructor led us through the first set.  Getting lost in the flow of the class, I zoned out to the rhythm of the music and sank low over my heels to get this booty ready for the beach (hah).  A few songs in, I realized that this wasn't just any ordinary body pump class.  Instead of the top 40's "my anaconda don't want some" beats pushing us to get lower and really push ourselves, this playlist was different.  This playlist proclaimed the name of Christ.

I'm not going to lie, this threw me off a bit.  But in a good way.  I immediately started thinking- oh man, this guy must be a Christian right?  Am I the only one who recognizes these songs?  Is he allowed to do this- no one else has ever done this? Is that DC talk?  A little body pump AND Jesus? This is so great!  I couldn't help but get pumped up and want to jump around a bit as a catchy beat poured out of the speakers with these lyrics,  "You are my freedom.  We lift you higher.  You are alive in us, nothing can take your place.  You are all we need, your love has set us free." Jamming out to this playlist, I got to thinking about how simply the instructor had made his faith known.

As believers, it's so easy to get caught up in the idea that making an impact for Christ is all about how many lives you've changed, about how many "will you accept Jesus" conversations you've had, or how many times you've told the gospel story.  Yes, God's ultimate plan is that all people will know Him and sharing His story is a big part of that, but the truth is, it's much more than that.  In addition to telling His story, He calls us to be the gospel.  In Acts 1:8 Jesus says to his disciples, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  Notice how he doesn't say "and you will witness, you'll go tell my story, talk to lots of people about what I did in Jerusalem" - instead he says, "you will be my witnesses."  Jesus' focus is not about all the words He wants His disciples to say, but about how they are to be the representation of who He is.

Being the gospel made simple is making Jesus' name known through the way we live our lives, not just through the ways we share the story of what He's done.  It's meeting people where they're at and loving them with the love of Jesus.

The instructor of my body pump class didn't use any words to make the name of Jesus known in the workout room.  Instead of saying "hey guys, my name is Andy, I'm a Christian - here's the gospel story and here's what I think you should do with it," he created a playlist with songs that spoke the name of Jesus, of the freedom found in Christ, and of the love of God.  The songs that he chose, the way he led the class, how he made sure to know every person's name in the room, the words that he chose to motivate us to not quit, and the joy that he brought to the workout- those are the ways he made being the gospel simple.

I may not have a venue like the YMCA where I can lead 15+ people with some sweet Christian jams, but I have the choice to establish meaningful contact with my community.  A choice to be His witness- to see each moment as an opportunity to bring the kingdom of God to places where He might not yet be known. 

As you go about your day, I want to challenge you to join me in thinking about how you can bring light into the darkness that so often encompasses our world.  Think about all the people you interact with in a week and show them a little love.  Bring joy to the cashier at the grocery store who just got yelled at by the last customer for bagging her eggs with the bread, bring flowers to your dry cleaning lady who always asks how your day is going and sincerely wants to know the answer, call up a friend who you know is struggling and really listen.   Being the gospel can be so simple.  So let's do it- let's be a little more like Andy and brighten this place up a bit.

You'll just know

The other night, my husband Chris and I were talking about the beginning of our relationship; well, the beginning of our second time dating... that's another story.  We were reminiscing about aspects of our journey and I suddenly felt stuck as I couldn't seem to find the memory of how or when I knew that I was going to marry him!   I was trying to recollect if it was an instant "I just knew" sort of situation, and I could not remember for the life of me.

Having dated him for two years, breaking up for a year because I felt the Lord leading me to focus only on Him, to then only a year later still feeling my heart tugging towards Chris, I remember that the decision whether to simply start dating him or not was a hard enough decision on its own!  I knew that I did not want to start dating him again unless we had the intentions of our relationship leading to marriage, so I really sought the Lord and asked wise women in my life for wisdom on how to proceed.   All too often it seemed like the cliché statement of "you'll just know" would come up.  Even typing those words makes me want to roll my eyes as I remember the frustration I would feel when people would tell me that.  I still get annoyed with that statement because it's not just used in reference to knowing whether you want to marry someone, it's pretty universal.

Being a person who often struggles with big decisions, that phrase is still a big part of my life.  And I kind of hate it.  It always makes me feel so frustrated because it seems like a cop out.  When I am asking for help in making a decision, I don't want someone to tell me that I will at some point know, I want them to tell me right then what I should do- I want them to make the decision for me- to play God in a sense and tell me what is the best thing for me.  I mean really, how nice would it be if God would every once in awhile just write us a little email or shoot us a text and say, "just do this."  Unfortunately that's not how it works.  It pains me, it frustrates me- and yet time and time again you'll just know proves to be true.  God has shown me over and over again that as much as we'd like Him to speak in loud claps of thunder, lightning strikes or to pick up the phone and make the call, it really doesn't look like that.  I very much believe that He could do that if He wanted to, but I think that more often than not, hearing Him speak truth into our lives, and giving us direction is much more of a gentle nudging or a feeling in my gut sort of thing.  Or, if we're going to go ahead and use the annoying phrase a you'll just know sort of thing.

For the past couple weeks I have been struggling with a big life decision in deciding whether or not to take a job that my sweet, sweet dad was offering me.  As you know, my struggles with whether or not being a housewife right now is enough are very real... so the prospect of the Lord leading me to a new career was very interesting and perplexing.  For weeks and weeks I felt like I was getting nowhere in the decision process.  I started to feel heavier and heavier as the weight of indecision seemed to cloud my mind and steal my joy.  I really felt like I was never going to make the decision.  I didn't feel swayed one way or another and saw no hope of being able to find the piece I needed to tip the scale one way or another.  And then God spoke.

Right in the middle of a phone call with my dad and his business partner, as they were clarifying the role for me, in one single instant, I knew.  I had been praying and praying for something exactly like this, that the Lord would make it so clear - and through my dad's business partner's words, that's exactly what He did.  I was so shocked that my decision could seem so obvious, that in that moment I almost couldn't believe it.  It was as if the blinders had been removed and I could see oh so clearly that taking the job wasn't the direction in which He was leading me.  It's in moments like this where I am reminded of how awesome God is, and how strongly I can rely on His promise to guide me.  I don't need a handwritten letter or a firework in the sky, I just need to trust that in His perfect timing and in His perfect way, He will lead me- and I will just know.

Coming back to where this post began... after a few gruesome moments of not being able to recollect how I knew I wanted to marry Chris, he reminded me that it was very much like the scenario I just described.  After praying and praying, and seeking the Lord's guidance and wisdom for my relationship with Chris, He laid it on my heart and I just knew.  Sitting on a porch swing of my good friend's house, I can now clearly remember admitting to myself (and to my small group ladies) for the first time, that I knew, like a weight in my gut and peace in my soul, that I wanted to marry this man.

I am SO thankful that we have a God who communicates with us.  He doesn't just ask us to follow Him and then leave us to find the breadcrumbs; He grabs our hand asks us to dance and whether audibly or silently with a light pressure on our hand or back, He leads us to take the next step.

If you're stuck in a place of indecision where you are wholeheartedly seeking your next step, my prayer is that you might be encouraged.  If your mind is clouded and you feel a sense of analysis paralysis (story of my life), don't give up.  Keep seeking Him, keep praying, and trust that you'll just know because He will  guide you.

--- image by Marissa Maharaj ---

Encouraged and affirmed

It is hard for me to grasp that I am going on 3 years with my unofficial title of housewife.  It has been a journey with many ups and downs- and as far as me owning up to this title, realistically more downs.  But the time has come for me to be proud of where the Lord has me right now, and to really be affirmed in my role and my worth in being a support to my husband.

If you've been following my little story, or are friends with me outside of lovemin, you'd know that my first year as a housewife was not so easy.  I lost my job a few months before we got married, was beginning the soul searching of what to do next, and pretty much waved newlywed-life goodbye as my husband was married to, owned and dominated by the company he worked for.  During my first year of marriage, there were many-a-night where I sat home alone on the couch as Chris would not return home until 2:00 or maybe 3:00 in the morning.  I loathed the work world that so absorbed my husband's life and felt seriously ready to write a letter, as my Grandpa would always say, or as I more dramatically planned over and over again in my head, to storm into Chris' boss' office and give them a little how-to-and-what-for, telling them how cruel and crazy they were for expecting people to work 90+ hours a week.  I really wanted to let them have it (probably in some not so nice words...) There was one night in particular where I wrote this post, when I hit rock bottom.  I was SO so angry and so drained from what our lives had become and felt really robbed of experiencing the joy of marriage.

Now here we are 2 years later, and I can thankfully look back at that crazy year, remember the pain of being a "work widow" and praise God for how he brought us out of that place by providing a new job for Chris.  There are still some long days and many nights where he stays at work to get the job done, but being at Cleary Gull has cultivated a much better life-balance and one where we can actually experience the joys of marriage.  But let me bring you back to the point of this post.

Tonight, I had the blessing of attending a dinner celebration for my husband's work.  What Chris does, is help people buy and sell companies; he (alongwith the other guys on the investment banking side at Cleary Gull) is essentially a middle man who helps connect companies who want to sell, with the right buyers and facilitate the deal.  It's quite a long process where they pitch to the seller, put together the books to market the company, find buyers, screen bids, and ultimately help the seller choose the right buyer for their company.  That was a really long winded way of explaining that tonight was a "closing dinner" aka a celebration for Cleary Gull to honor the people involved with the sale of a company.  There have been several other closing dinners that Chris has been a part of that I have not been invited to, but tonight was different.  Tonight they invited the spouses of the sellers, Cleary Gull employees, and the lawyers who were involved with the deal.  And I am so glad that they did.

After enjoying a lovely cocktail hour, and an amazing dinner hosted at the highly-acclaimed Bartolotta restaurant on the east side of Milwaukee called Bacchus, there was a time for a little presentation.  After one of Chris' bosses thanked the sellers for all their hard work and for choosing Clearly Gull to represent them, one of the sellers took his time to say a few words.  And here's why my heart felt happy.  The first words out of his mouth were not all about the money that the company made during the sell, or about the thrill of the deal, or finally closing- but it was a sincere thanks for all of the spouses in the room.  He talked about how he had pushed for the spouses to be invited to the closing deal because he wanted to recognize not just the men who worked so hard to complete the deal, but to appreciate the women who support these men behind the scenes, making sacrifices and being okay with long nights, so that the best job can be done.  Honestly, I was stunned for a moment there. I was so happily surprised to hear those words come out of his mouth and felt a great sense of pride and affirmation of how important my role is as being a support to my husband.  Although those words of encouragement and appreciation for the wives in the room may have seemed so small for this seller to say, they were HUGE for me.

Being a 28-year old housewife, I always feel like I am completely misunderstood.  I'm not staying at home with kids or an empty-nester or anything, so most often I feel insecure when I respond to the infamous question "what do you do" with a "oh, I'm a housewife at the moment."  But for the first time as a young housewife, tonight, I felt understood and validated.  Even though I may not have a distinct "career" at the moment, and I am still trying to figure out life, I felt so affirmed that what I am doing by acting as a support to my husband really matters.  And that even in this place, I have worth.

I am so so thankful; and it is in moments like this where I am yet again amazed by the way that God so lovingly, and so personally provides exactly what we need, right when we need it.  I was feeling lost and insecure this week, like my role as housewife wasn't "good" enough, and God provided just what I needed to hear.  I am forever grateful that the Lord placed my husband into this position with a company that truly cares about their employees- and I am so thankful that it's through them that I feel a new sense of affirmation in my ever-so-important role as a support to my husband.

photo by Marissa Maharaj

Pursuing transformation in 2015

Sometimes the thought of planning something for New Years can be quite intimidating as it is supposed to be an amazing night.  But it seems to be the times that you don't try to plan much, that everything just falls right into place and everyone has a great time.  This, was one of those years.  We had a really lovely celebration as we spent time with friends munching on snacks and appetizers, popping a little bubbly, enjoying a few cocktails and as with any good party we played some fun-filled (and somewhat competitive) board games and had to throw in a good ole college game of flip cup (not going to lie, it's still fun).

But now, all the bubbly has been popped, glasses cleaned and put away, the snacks have found their rightful place in our bellies, the games are stored away until next time, and the happy tiredness that follows a great celebration has ensued.  The end of 2014 has come and gone and it's time to gear up for another year.

I have a good feeling and high hopes for 2015.  After spending some time reflecting on 2014, I found myself hopeful as I looked forward to thinking of goals that I might like to set for the coming year.  Sometimes I have a hard time coming up with goals and picking ones that might be realistic (cause no one likes making a list that never gets crossed off).  But as I've been thinking about the goals I might have for this year, I want to take the pressure off a little bit by making them less about specific things that I need to do, and more about ways that I want to grow in the next year.

Living a life in Christ, our lives are all about transformation - about becoming more and more like Christ as we take off the old self and put on the new as we are made new in the image of our creator.  This thought always excites me.  Who doesn't want to be transformed into a better version of themselves!!?

With that said, I want this year to be one of transformation. At the end of 2015, I want to look back and be able to pinpoint all sorts of ways that I have grown and been transformed more into His likeness.  Here's a few ways that I hope to transform my life in 2015.

1. Above all else, I want to give myself more to the Lord- to be transformed into a better reflection of Him.  I want to dig deeper into His word and come out knowing more about Him and understanding how I can be a better communicator of his Love. 
2. To become a stronger and healthier person.  Spending time with a physical therapist (who happens to be really amazing) for some pain in my lower back and previously for a clavicle injury, I have learned just how important it is to maintain good posture in everything we do and to strengthen the core muscles that support our body.  I want to continue to practice good posture and be actively strengthening my body so that I can not just keep the pains away, but have a stronger healthier body.  (P.S. Did I mention I started YOGA??  I had this on my to-do list forever ago, and I finally went and I love it.  This is going to be a big part of this transformation goal.)
3. To become a better writer.  I want to actively pursue ways that I can grow in my writing abilities and further use them for the glory of the Lord.  Ways that I intend to do this are: blog more consistently (even when I don't feel like it), help others edit their writing whenever I can, read lots, and pray more intentionally about how God might want to use this gift.  
4. To be a better friend.  As I shared in my looking back on 2014 post, this past year was a difficult one for me in regards to friendships.  I have hopes that 2015 will be one of restoring and reconciling disconnected relationships.  
5. Invest in building a stronger marriage.  It is so easy to flow through life with my sweet husband by my side (which is amazing) but I want to focus on how we can better our relationship.  To learn more about each other, discover how to better support each other, to communicate better, and bring more joy into each other's days. Overall, I want to strengthen our marriage.  Just as I  want to be transformed into Christ's likeness, I also want our marriage to be a strong reflection of His love.  I am really looking forward to pursuing transformation in our marriage-  I'm excited to learn more about my husband and I also think lots of fun dates will be involved.  

5 days into January I am feeling pretty hopeful about this new year, and am praying that my positive attitude and desire to make progress in each area of transformation would continue as the year moves on.  As you, too, set hopes and goals for 2015, please let me know how I can be an encouragement or help remind you of the goals you are reaching for.  And please, if you feel lead, do so for me too! The Lord gave us community so that we may encourage one another and build each other up- and this is just one great way that we can do that.  

Cheers to a wonderful 2014 and a hope, joy, and transformation-filled 2015.  

xoxo

--- linking up with The Tiny Twig -Goals with Grace ---

--image by Marissa Maharaj--

Looking back on 2014

For this first time in what feels like forever, I am sipping on a vanilla latte, gazing out the window watching cars go by as I settle into the comforting feel and buzz of the chatter at my favorite local coffee shop. Whether writing a paper in college or working on a message for college ministry, planting myself at a little coffee shop to get things done amidst the light chatter and sounds of the espresso machine has always been the perfect environment to encourage the words to pour out from my fingers. So when I had a little time in between appointments and my computer in the backseat I knew that this was just what I needed to spend some time looking back on 2014 before the next year is here.

Growing up in the late 80s/early 90s, when I thought of the year 2020, I pictured an environment very much like the Jetsons. I figured that we would be driving around flying cars, have robot dogs and live in homes that looked like spaceships. Although things are not quite as I hoped as a kid, zooming around in flying cars, I am so thankful for where the Lord has lead me thus far. (and I mean shoot, we have 5 years till 2020- you never know what technology will look like by then!)

Looking back on 2014, here are some of the highlights and lessons that I’ve learned:

- In January, we added Finn to our family!! I learned lots about trusting the Lord as he had many health issues as a kitten, and realized just how much having children someday will require every fiber in my being to rely on the Lord.

- It was a rough winter!!! But that made me super thankful for two things: sunshine and a fireplace!! I cannot tell you enough how much I love making a fire in the fireplace- it is sooo nostalgic of childhoods spent by the fire or trips to Colorado warming up our toes after a long day skiing. I am soo thankful that we were able to get an insert in our previously unusable fireplace to make it a toasty asset for warming our house! You can count on me to be making a fire anytime you come over to visit- it might even be borderline warm outside and this girl will still find a reason to get the fireplace going.

- In March, my sister turned 30! It was so cool to be a part of this monumental year in her life and to see the way that she embraced the sometimes intimidating big 3-0! Celebrating with a scavenger hunt was one of the many fun things we did to honor her special year!

- I definitely learned that friendships are HARD. Struggling with the ebbs and flows of long-time friendships and others that have dropped off the map, I discovered that my desire for community and deep relationships is as strong as the hulk. I’ve learned to rely on the Lord to fill the void left by friendships lost, and I am still learning how to adjust to changes. This has been a huge part of my 2014 and I am eager to see how God grows me and teaches me in this in the next year.

- Surprising my mom by taking her on a trip for her 60th birthday was a ginormous highlight of the year. Thinking she was just going on a trip to an unknown destination with my dad, it was so fun to show up at the airport and reveal to her that we were not just there to send her off but to join for a fun-filled vacay to Maine. This was a first time with my husband on a family trip- so this was a blessing and a learning curve as well.

- This past summer, I finally took the jump into all things Young Living. Having used essential oils for several years, I finally took the dive to sign up, learn more about it, and share with others the immense benefits and blessings that can be found through essential oils (and I’ve already reaped some of the financial benefits too!). They have changed my life, and I can’t wait to put more effort into this endeavor of sharing Young Living in 2015. P.s. want to know more, please let me know!!

- In November, my husband and I took an anniversary trip to Seattle – this was definitely high on the list of highlights. Continuing what we hope will be a tradition of taking a getaway around the time of our anniversary, Chris and I explored and relaxed in the delicious food-filled, beautiful although sometimes rainy location of Seattle. We also marked this 3rd year as a special one by having anniversary photos taken by our wedding photographers who live in Seattle (like the one above- can’t wait to share more). Spending time with Marissa and Meghan, two phenomenal and oh-so-talented photographers who share our love for the Lord, was like donuts for breakfast- a joyful and filling time. They showed us places of the city we hadn't seen, snapped pics, and chatted and laughed over wine and cheese. (It's pretty cool how the Lord connects believers together through his Holy Spirit- I LOVE when this instant bond seems visible.)

This is just a tiny taste of my year and the highlights and lessons I have learned.  Don’t get me wrong, there were difficulties and sad moments laced into the good... but overall, I am so thankful because I feel so so blessed. The Lord has been so good to me and my family and He deserves so much praise and thanksgiving for every way that He cares for us.

I am looking forward to 2015 and can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store.

May your end of the year be so full of joy and love and bubbly! Praying that you are able to look back with thanks and look forward with hope to what the Lord has planned for you in the next year.

xoxo

---- Image by: Marissa Maharaj ----

Catching up a bit...

It has been far too long since I have sat down to write, but let me tell you - the last couple months have been crazy.  I assure you I am not hiding (like my crazy cat in our Christmas tree = trouble hah), and my lack of posts is not due to a lack of things to say - but has been a result of a busy schedule, and a somewhat intentional break to again be present in life.

But since I've been a little M.I.A. and before it all of a sudden becomes 2015 (bah!!!!?!?!), I thought I'd share a little bit of what I've been up to since last time.

From August through November my schedule was irregularly crazy busy as I took a temporary position working for my dad as his administrative assistant while his regular gal was on maternity leave.  It was a huge blessing, and it's always cool to see my dad in action (I've filled in for his assistant before) but man did it take awhile to adjust to the schedule.  Having been "in between things" (ahh, the phrase that comes so quickly to my tongue and that I've come to love and hate, when people ask "what are you doing?") for so many years now, I've come accustomed to the life of being on my own schedule.  Adjusting to a full time position for 3 months was simply that, an adjustment.  So naturally after getting used to it and gelling with the way of life as a full-time employee, it was then time for my dad's assistant to come back to work and for me to re-adjust to figuring out what life outside of work looks like.

The timing of my position ending couldn't have been more perfect though, as later that week, my husband and I jetted off to Seattle for a long weekend getaway in honor of our 3rd (!!!) anniversary.  It was fantastic.  Having just spent a couple really busy months and my husband being in a busy season at work, we had been passing each other through the night.  Being able to get away from the norm and explore a new city was exactly the medicine that we needed to nourish our relationship.

We ate our hearts out, explored the city, took some anniversary photos (can't wait to see how they turned out!), had a really great time hanging out with our wedding photographers who are two incredibly sweet, lovely ladies who live in Seattle, and really just flew by the seat of our pants.  It was so amazing to see Chris unplugged and really enjoying just being.  We decided that this type of vacation is a must-do for us when things are getting a little crazy.  Not to mention, we fell in love with Seattle.

Besides our vacay, the past month has been full of lil house projects, my weekly bible study and volleyball matches, and beginning to prepare my home and heart for the holidays.  Although it's always difficult to wrestle with the questions that often flood my head, "What am I doing with my life?  What steps should I take to pursue my dreams?  Where are you leading me Lord?" - I have been intentional about not letting stress or worry get the best of me, and instead being thankful for the time God has given me to be fully supported by my husband and trusting that I'll take the necessary steps as the Lord guides me.

As for the rest of December, my goal is to be invested in the life God has given me and to really soak up the precious moments that surround the celebration of our Savior's birth.  I'm anxious to see what God has for me the rest of this month, and for the next year that is rapidly approaching.

Praying that your December is full of love, joy and the peace of Christ this holiday season.

xoxo

God is Bigger than fear

For as long as I can remember, I have avoided the news like the plague.  At 4:00 on days where I'm free, I love watching Ellen Degeneres.  She brings so much joy and laughter.  But as soon as the hour ends and the 5:00 news starts - click, off goes the TV or the channel changes.  I know that not all of the news is bad or sad, but sooo much of it is.  And I understand that some awareness of what is happening around me is good.  But for me, I can't be constantly bombarded with all the bad in the world because all it does is bring me sadness and fear.

Prime example...hearing all of the Ebola news about the endless cases in Africa and the ones that keep popping up in the States, is a lot to handle.  For a girl who avoids the regular news and it's heaviness, the thoughts of an epidemic sweeping our nation shakes my world a bit.  The other night I lay awake with tears streaming down my face, dampening my pillow as I couldn't get these thoughts out of my head. It was like an avalanche- these fears led to others which led to others which led to an overwhelming feeling of being like a little girl convinced that there's a monster under the bed just waiting to jump out and get me.  I hate when moments like this come and I feel so unable to control my thoughts.  Praise God that my husband was there to hold me as I cried and tried to rationalize with myself and convince my brain to think of other things because man, I felt like I. was. stuck.

Fear is like an ever-changing monster of darkness that feeds on itself, doing whatever it can to extinguish the light.  And for me, being in the darkness, lying in bed at night- is when this monster seems to have the easiest time working its way towards me.

I am a very visual thinker, (hence the monster descriptions) and so when I start to feel afraid, to me it feels as if I can literally see a cloud of darkness coming over me.  So what's the first thing I want to do?  Turn on the light.   Turning on the light illuminates the room, bringing reality into focus and ridding the shadows that creatively became a creature in the corner of my imagination.  Turning on the light helps me be able to distinguish from what is real and what is simply my fear.

One of my all-time favorite Bible verses and one that I cling to most heavily when I feel the darkness weighing on my heart (or physically in a dark room) comes from Psalm 139:11-12.  It says,"Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.'"

I cannot tell you how much comfort it brings me, to be reminded of these verses (and the ones before it that tell us there is nowhere we can go that the Spirit will not be with us) when I am struggling with fear.  To be quite honest, if I am home alone and hear a noise and the darkness suddenly brings all sorts of fears to my mind, over and over in my head I will repeat a version of this verse saying, Even the darkness is not dark to you for the night is as bright as the day. And then I'll repeat it to myself again Even the darkness is not dark to you, for the night is as bright as the day.  It's like a chant in my head that starts out quiet and grows louder as I gain confidence in the reminder that I am not alone- that with God, there is no darkness and that with Him I can bring light to, and conquer my fear.

I am so confident that we have a God who is much bigger and stronger than any of the darkness or fears that we face.  He's bigger than Ebola, he's bigger than the violence on the streets, he's bigger than the "monsters" that form in the darkness as I try to go to sleep- as Junior Asparagus from Veggie Tales would say - "God is bigger than the Boogie Man.  He's bigger than godzilla or the monsters on TV! Oh, God is bigger than the Boogie Man and He's watching out for you and me." Praise God that this is true.  I am so so thankful.

The problem though, is this.  We live in a world with a lot of darkness and a lot to be afraid of.  And unfortunately, that's not something that we can fix in the blink of an eye.  But, there is something that we can do.  We can bring light to the darkness in this world by proclaiming the name of Jesus; We can stop thinking about all the things that freak us out and make us want to curl up and hide under a blanket - we can extinguish these fears by changing our focus to the One True God who we know will bring light to the darkest of days and give us the strength to endure whatever is in front of us.  We can choose to bring light to the darkness.

This is SO not easy.  I had a terrible time moving past my fears the other night- it felt like a long fight, but with His grace and some loving encouragement from my sweet husband, I dried my tears, blew my nose and did my best to block out the negative thoughts that plagued me.  John 16:33 says, " In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."  Praise God that the darkness cannot touch Him; that with Him the night is brighter than the day, and that through His Son we can look forward to a world without fear because He has overcome- He has won the victory.

I know that I have many fear-filled days ahead of me- but I am going to do whatever I can, to fight the fight and refuse to let the darkness overshadow the light. My prayer is that you will too- that amidst the craziness that is this world we live in, that we would find peace in the One who created us.