Looking back on 2015

The fact that I am sitting down to write a “Looking back on 2015” post blows my mind. I still want to write ’14 when I’m asked to sign and date something and now it’s about time to write 2016- what? That is just nuts.  Although this year feels like it has flown by, it is hard for me to wrap my mind around how much the Lord has done in my life this year.  It's as if somehow a few years happened in the time of 2015.  Before it rolls over to 2016, I am thankful for this opportunity to sit down and look back on highlights from this past year.  There is so much to be thankful for. 

Yoga

After hearing about how great it was, I finally took the dive into yoga.  It has been a crazy blessing for this hypermobile, somewhat difficult body of mine.  By helping me work on flexibility and encouraging me to strengthen and stretch my muscles it has had an enormous impact on the goal I set back at the beginning of 2015 to build a stronger healthier body.  Having to decrease the regularity of my yoga practice lately as I am still dealing with arm issues, I am really looking forward to getting back into it once I'm healed. 

Sister trip to Puerto Rico

This was a huge highlight in 2015. My sister is my best friend, so the fact that we had yet to take a trip just the two of us was pretty crazy.  Feeling like this year was the year, we bit the bullet and took a sisters’ spring break trip to my go-to destination Puerto Rico – and we had a blast.  Having that one-on-one hang time, not to mention soaking up the beautiful hot sun and swimming in the ocean made this a memory I will cherish forever.  Coco locos, surfing, a meat buzz, Medallas in the waves and super awkward sunburns are just a few of the fun memories that I am so glad to have shared with my beautiful sister.  #letsgoback

Writing milestones _ Thryve and Influence Network

Thinking about how much God has poured into my writing career (whoa, am I really using that word? hah), I am overwhelmed.  Giving Him my dreams and letting go of control, was exactly what needed to happen for me to move forward in my pursuit of writing.  Writing more regularly, blogging more consistently, and submitting my first article to a magazine were important baby steps.  And then the Lord surprised me with His goodness and faithfulness in providing me with my first magazine article published in Thryve Magazine and a devotional published in the member content for the Influence Network.  The awesome part is that these opportunities were put in front of me by the Lord – no question.  I did not dig around to find places to submit; one popped up on Instagram and another I was asked to write.  I could not be more thankful for the way God has surprised, loved, and blessed me through these opportunities.  I cannot wait to see what God has for me and my writing in 2016.

Lots of time spent up north this summer

Although summer was a bit late to appear, it was a great year on the lake at our family cabin in Waupaca.  Being able to spend random days, weekends and a whole week (or was it two? I can’t remember) soaking up the sun, skiing, sipping margarita’s at the Harbor Bar, and eating Scooper’s ice cream it was a summer to remember.  One week that was especially fun was filling up the cabin, every bed filled by the fan and a clan of my sister’s friends.  Having a strong friendship with my sister, it has been a lifetime blessing to be invited to hang even when she is hanging with her friends.  It felt like being a kid in highschool all over again.  Music playing on the dock, dance parties, girls giggling, screaming the lyrics on the boat, and there was even an epic moment where my sis and I were double skiing and I snuck a football in my life jacket and threw it to my her mid-lap (and she caught it!).  It was seriously SO much fun. 

New logo and website

Dreaming about a logo for lovemin since it’s birth, finally landing on a design that I loved was really a dream come true.  Working with Jenny Highsmith, she seemed to read my mind as she created a logo I love looking at and cannot wait to brand for years to come.  With a new logo in hand, the time seemed fitting to make the switch to a new blog host.  Taking the leap with Squarespace and pouring hours and hours and hours (seriously my eye doc had to give me rules to protect my eyes from all the close work- oops), I am incredibly happy and satisfied with how it turned out.  Feeling more “legit” and professional, it takes my focus away from design and onto writing, which is the very purpose of lovemin.  With that said, I'd like to stop and say thank you to my husband Chris.  He not only supports and encourages me in where the Lord has called me, but lets me use our resources for logos, websites and other ways to push my writing forward.  Chris, you mean the world to me and I am so so thankful. 

Attending the Influence Conference

I was first introduced to the Influence Network – an online community all about supporting and encouraging each other as we make Jesus’ name known wherever we are in life – by my dear friend Audra years ago.  I am so thankful because the network, and attending my first Conference in 2013 played a gigantic role in my confidence and my ownership of writing for the Lord.  Meeting incredible women who have encouraged me on this journey and being challenged to dig deeper, both in faith and writing, the network is irreplaceable.  But the most amazing thing is, this year I got to go to the Influence Conference with the sweet friend who told me about the network to begin with.  Having been roomies who went different directions after college, we are unable to spend as much time together as we like.  So the opportunity to have girly sleepovers for 3 nights was priceless.  But what was even more valuable was the time spent learning together, and having conversations about the Lord that we have never shared in our friendship.  Having this special time with her I was completely reminded of how awesome God’s perfect timing and orchestration is.  Aud, I love you, I’m praying for you, and will cherish this memory of going to the conference together forever! 

Closing this year in the next few days, I’m a little sad to say goodbye to 2015 because really, it has been so good to me.  Of course, there have been struggles and challenges laced throughout but through it all He has been faithful.  I know that God is good and his mercies are new each and every morning, so I look forward to 2016 with hope and anticipation of what He has in store.  I'm praying for you as you close your 2015 and I encourage you to take a few minutes to think back over the blessings (and bumps in the road) and praise the One who loved you and encouraged you through it all.  He wholly deserves it. 

Happy New years dear ones! Xo

-- image of by top 9 instagram pics from 2015 - thanks to 2015bestnine.com --

5 tips for coping with anxiety: #3

The other day, I woke up with what felt like an elephant on my chest.  Rudely greeted with anxiety from the very moment I opened my eyes, I fought the desire to roll over and avoid the day altogether.  With a tight chest, racing heart and toes I couldn’t seem to keep still, I found myself reaching for the coping mechanisms I’ve been sharing with you.  Thinking about 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, the passage that brought this mini-series on, where it says we are comforted in our troubles so that we might comfort others, it seems ironically appropriate that I myself have been struggling with anxiety the past couple weeks.  Using my breath and changing my focus, and still feeling stuck, I reached over to my nightstand to seek the comfort of my next anxiety tip.

ESSENTIAL OILS

For the past 7 years, I have experienced the benefits of Young Living essentials oils – and now, I can’t imagine a day without them.  Seriously.  You can read about how Lavender was my “gateway” oil here, but what I want to share with you specifically is how essential oils help me cope with anxiety.  When I am struggling, two of my biggest stressors are sleep (or really, being unable to sleep) and anxious stomach.  And thankfully, Lavender and Peppermint are two oils that have worked wonders in both of these areas.

Lavender essential oil

For as long as I can remember I have been a terrible sleeper.  Constantly feeling exhausted, and too many sleepless nights caused even the thought of going to bed to bring on anxiety.  You can read more about my sleep struggles here, but long-story short Lavender changed my sleep life.  With a sweet, floral aroma Lavender essential oil promotes relaxation. Discovering that just a few drops rubbed onto my spine significantly helped promote a healthy night’s rest, Lavender was a huge answer to prayer. 

Peppermint essential oil

The impact of peppermint essential oil is no less.  If there’s one thing that can give me anxiety it’s the thought of getting a stomachache and having no way to deal with it. I’m going to be real with you – I call it poop anxiety.  Go ahead and giggle or gasp at my honesty, but here’s the reality, everybody poops.  Besides, I am firm believer that talking about poop with a friend takes friendship to a whole other level.  So consider this a milestone in our relationship. ;)  As silly as it may sound, the thought of getting sick somewhere where there might not be a bathroom can really heighten my anxious heart.  And then, if I dwell on the thought for too long, all of a sudden I have an actual stomachache, which in turn gives me more anxiety.  It’s kind of a vicious cycle.  I don’t know where it came from or why, but what I do know is that peppermint changed my poop-anxiety world.  One of the oldest and most highly regarded herbs for supporting normal digestion, Peppermint promotes healthy intestinal function and gastrointestinal system comfort.  Mixing it in water, rubbing a drop on my stomach, or putting a drop on the roof of my mouth has been a life-saver for coping with and preventing an anxious stomach.

So.. here’s my tip

1. Buy Lavender and Peppermint essential oil.  And if you do, be certain that it is 100% pure therapeutic grade.  Sacrificing purity means there are other things in it, and so it won’t work as well.  I highly recommend Young Living – and would be happy to teach you how to order.
2. Breathe in the scent of your Lavender or apply it topically to promote relaxation.
3. If you have a quick onset of anxious stomach (or headache – Peppermint is helpful there too), use Peppermint to support your digestive system.  Even breathing from the top of the bottle can be helpful!

I don’t go anywhere without my peppermint, and my lavender never leaves my nightstand.  Essential oils have dramatically reduced the impact of my anxiety and my prayer is that they might help yours as well. 

If you want to learn more, don’t hesitate to contact me!  I’d love to share what I’ve learned.  

-- Keep in mind, the information I am sharing is my personal opinion and it should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Statements from the Young Living website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  --

5 tips for coping with anxiety: #2

An anxious mind is like being stuck in the mud.  Wheels spinning with zero traction, mud flings everywhere.  No matter how hard you step on the gas, the only progress you make is to sink deeper into the rut you’ve created getting yourself even more stuck.  Much like this scenario, instead of being able to pass by a thought that makes you uncomfortable or afraid, an anxious mind traps you there.  What is typically a momentary flash of fear builds on itself as you think deeper, darker thoughts about the one tiny thing that got it all started.  Suddenly you’re stuck in a place of heaviness, stuck with this icky thought at the forefront of your mind, stuck in a battle with mental anxiety.

Having personally struggled with both mental and physical aspects of anxiety over the past 5 years, the Lord has taught me so much about how to cope.  Reading 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 last week, which talks about how the Lord comforts us so that we might pass that comfort on to others, I started a mini-series where I am going to share 5 tips for coping with anxiety in hopes that it might encourage you in your own struggle.  My first tip was to breathe and today I am presenting you with my second tip.

change focus

Mental anxiety is no joke.  Just as I described, it causes you to feel trapped in negative thinking and unable to get out.  It’s an incredibly difficult battle, but one of the most important things to realize is you are not stuck.  You have the choice and the ability to free yourself.  It’s hard, hard work but one of the most helpful strategies I’ve found is to simply change focus.

A couple years ago, when I was in the midst of my deepest struggle with anxiety I came across this sentence in my devotional called Jesus Calling – “The only remedy is to switch your focus from the problem to My presence.”  Reading this sentence, it was like a light bulb went on.  An anxious thought only has power as long as I give it my attention.  If I don’t want to give a fearful thought even the slightest opportunity to trap me in fear, then I need to stop it in its tracks.  And the best way to do that is, to change focus – to replace it with something better and take away its power. 

Here's my tip  -
As soon as an anxious thought enters your mind, recognize what it is and label it as anxiety.  Whether out loud or in your head tell yourself, "This is anxiety talking.  It is based on fear, worry, and lies, and I am not going to let it have power."  And then, change your focus.  It is near impossible to just stop thinking about something– so, instead think of something else.  Read a scripture that encourages you, turn it over to the Lord in prayer, think through the character of God, call a friend, watch an episode of Friends, say a prayer for someone else who might be struggling– consider it a healthy distraction, a way of keeping yourself from spending time on a negative thought.

_ recognize the anxiety
_ change focus
 

This sounds so simple- and it is.  However, if you, too, struggle with mental anxiety you know that actually putting it into practice is incredibly difficult.  As soon as you replace one anxious thought another seems to weasel its way in and then the cycle repeats itself.  In that case, doing this action may be a constant, every minute requirement.  But just like any discipline, the harder you work at it and the more often you do it, the more natural it becomes.  By building up this habit you can more easily stop an anxious thought the very second it pops into your mind, take away its power and claim your peace.

Changing my focus has been incredibly helpful for me in my struggle with anxiety.  But the most beneficial and the most peace-giving is when I change my focus specifically to the Lord - just as the devotional said, “from the problem to My presence.”

I’d like you to leave you with this devotional from Jesus Calling –
“I want to be central in your entire being.  When your focus is firmly on me, My peace displaces fear and worries.  They will encircle you, seeking entrance, so you must stay alert.  Let trust and thankfulness stand guard, turning back fear before it can gain a foothold.  There is no fear in My love, which shines on you continually.  Sit quietly in my Love-light, while I bless you with radiant Peace.  Turn your whole being to trusting and loving Me.”    

Work hard in your fight against anxiety.  Build up this discipline, turn your focus to the One who created peace, and stay tuned for tip #3. 

-- image by Roost Photography --
You can also find Roost Photography on Instagram @roostmke

5 tips for coping with anxiety: #1

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."  2 Corinthians 1:3-4

In the midst of struggles, our natural tendency is to seek comfort.  Whether it be reaching out to a close friend, sipping on a glass (or two) of wine, or cuddling into the couch to watch a brainless movie, the hope is comfort and freedom from whatever ails us.  But what doesn't come natural is the realization that our God, the God of all comfort, doesn't just provide comfort so that we might find solace from our troubles, he comforts us so that we might pass it on.  

When I was reading this verse the other day and thinking of its significance, I got to thinking about anxiety.  Hearing the news, seeing reactions on social media, and knowing the hearts of dear friends, it seems like anxiety is everywhere.  Having personally struggled with anxiety on and off for the past 5 years, I am all too familiar with how heavy and terrible it feels.  Let's be real - anxiety sucks.  Reading this verse in 2 Corinthians, I realized how much comfort I've received throughout these years.  The Lord has taught me so much about how to cope with anxiety and I want to pass it on to you.  

Throughout the next couple weeks, I am going to break down my top 5 coping mechanisms for anxiety. 

1. Breathe

2. Change focus

3. Use essential oils

4. Exercise your "no"

5. Claim the victory

My prayer is that by sharing them with you, you might receive comfort and peace, and conquer the power of anxiety.  So, without further ado - here's my first tip.  

breathe

This sounds a bit obvious and you might be thinking "well, duh. I know I have to breathe..." but, I've realized that breath is an incredible weapon against anxiety.  And I have yoga to thank for that.  Yoga is all about using breath in conjunction with poses.  Connecting inhales and exhales with each movement, yoga encourages you to breathe while your body works. But more importantly, it challenges you to focus on your breath.  Instead of thinking about what you have going on that day, how tight your muscles are, or what stressors await you after class, the instructors encourage you to draw your focus to your breathing and let your thoughts slip away.  (This goes hand in hand with my next tip to change your focus, so that could be another reason I love it so much.) But here's what has been really helpful for me.  

When I am struggling with anxiety, everything gets tight.  My heart feels constricted with an increased heart rate, my chest feels like a 3 year old is sitting on it, and my neck muscles tense as I draw my shoulders up to my ears as if to protect myself from an impending attack.  The thought of relaxing is like a childhood dream to be a princess, near impossible. But the truth is, the possibility of relaxation is right at my fingertips, or should I say lungs.  Without getting too longwinded (oh gosh, I can't stop the puns) I'm going to jump right to my anxiety tip.

When you are feeling the weight of anxiety and you can't seem to relax, lay on your back and get as comfortable as possible.  Release tension in every muscle in your body and begin to focus on your breath. Take a deep breath and exhale out completely.  Then slowly inhale to the count of 5.  Inhale, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - so that your chest is fully expanded.  Then exhale slowly again to the count of 5, until your stomach has caved and all the air is out.  Continue doing this for the next 3 minutes, adding a count or two if you can.  With each exhale imagine your body sinking even deeper into the floor or wherever you are laying, and each muscle fiber letting go of tension.  As you do this, allow your breath to become your sole focus.  If an anxious thought tries to jump in, notice it and with your exhalation let it go - and keep breathing.  

I have found this trick to be incredibly helpful. By changing my focus, even if for a second, my mind is taken away from the anxious thoughts causing me terror - and by breathing I allow my body to relax.  I'm amazed by how a simple, deep breath significantly decreases the power of anxiety, and my prayer is that you might experience it too.

The next time you find yourself slipping into the grasp of anxiety, take a few moments, try some deep breathing and let me know how it helps.  I'm here for you, praying for you, and look forward to sharing my next tip.  

- image by Roost Photography - 

Giveaway winner

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the giveaway for the Silver Faux Druzy earrings by One Delightful Button.  The winner is... Nicole K!  Congratulations!

If you didn't win, don't be bummed - Katie at One Delightful Button has offered a 20% off discount with the code MINDY.  Head on over to www.onedelightfulbutton.com and snag your own pair.  You'll love them! 

Celebration giveaway!

I can't believe it's already been one week since I shared my new site and logo with you! (And if this is your first time seeing the new space, be sure to take a peek around!) Watching the site go live and hearing all your sweet words of encouragement, I felt a bit like a kid in a candy shop.  And I'm not quite ready to be done celebrating.  So, in honor of my new site, and in thanks for all the love, encouragement and positive feedback you've given me, I want to celebrate you by giving you a chance to win these beautiful earrings!

Thinking about hosting a giveaway in celebration of my new site, I immediately thought of these beauties by the lovely Katie of One Delightful Button.  Having admired her earrings in person at the Influence Conference, purchasing a few pairs, and getting tons of compliments every time I wear them, I thought this would be the perfect item to share with you.  (Sorry to my male readers, but hey - you could enter and get them for a lady in your life.)  Reaching out to Katie, she so graciously agreed to partner with me and giveaway these earrings to you - and I could not be more excited.  And that's not all, she's also offering an amazing discount code for use at her shop- One Delightful Button!  Enter the code MINDY at checkout for 20% off your order.  Just in time for some Christmas shopping!! :) 

With all that said, get to entering!! The giveaway will close on Friday, November 20th at 11:59 pm and the winner will be announced on Saturday. (full terms & conditions below)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was in no way compensated for this post.  All opinions are my own.  
Earrings are courtesy of One Delightful Button. 

Welcome to the new lovemin!

I am so excited to finally reveal my new logo and website!!! It has been a long time coming, a lot of hours, and eyes-crossing, but it was worth it.  From working with the amazing Jenny Highsmith who designed my lovely logo, to transferring from blogger to Squarespace, and building my website from the ground up, I have poured my heart into this new space. And I really hope you like it!

Working behind the scenes for so long it has become my baby.  And let's be honest, I want you to think it's the cutest baby you've ever seen! ;)  But really, my prayer for these pages is not about you liking them or me finally being satisfied with the layout or design - my prayer is that through this space, and the words on the pages, the Lord's name might be known.  He's the real heart behind lovemin (head over to the About page to get the full story), and He's the reason I write.

Looking back through old posts and previous looks of lovemin (see below), I can't help but celebrate how the Lord has transformed me through this journey thus far.  Suddenly I feel as if I should have a glass of champagne in hand ready to toast... and if I did, I'd say, "Here's to transformation, big and small. To the journeys we never knew would shape us. And to the One who makes it all possible."  So raise your glass (imaginary or hey go for it, pop a bottle) and celebrate with me!  I can't wait to see what else the Lord has in store. 

Please stick around, check out transformation of lovemin and let me know what you think!  I am so thankful for you - for the support, encouragement, and excitement that you share. 

Much love!!!

Suit up

I’ve always been quite the imaginative dreamer.  And the odd thing is, I usually remember a large portion of it. Like the other day, Finn was attacking a bird, which then became a hawk that carried him off into the wind only to drop him in a pond and injure his lung. Or there was the time I was about to compete with Derek Hough, and yet we never got to the dance portion because we were too busy sitting on the couch eating fro-yo becoming besties.  Sometimes, like these, my dreams are super entertaining and quite mind-boggling.   But then other times, they are a lot darker and I wake up in a fright.  Unfortunately that’s the kind of dream that shook me this week.  I’m not going to get into it, partly because it was a dark place that I would rather not return, but mainly because I want to focus on the words that came out of this dream. 

Typically, when I have a nightmare I wake up with a scream as if I am clawing my way out. Then, as quickly as I’ve woken, I scoot my body as close to Chris as I can possibly get and shake him awake. With a click, he turns on the light and I attempt to lock the darkness in the dream that it came from. I lay there for about fifteen to twenty minutes, think happy thoughts and eventually get the courage to attempt sleep yet again. But this time it was different. Wide-awake, cuddled next to Chris with the light on, I could not shake the darkness. Feeling so so heavy, and wrought with fear, my cat jumped up on the bed (which is not atypical) causing me to throw myself even closer to Chris as a gaspy, frightened sob escaped from my mouth. That’s when I knew this wasn’t my average nightmare.

We live in a world where as Jesus says, “there will be trouble… “ So, no matter what we do, no matter how much light we surround ourselves with, as long as we are on this earth we will have to fight against evil. I know this; I know that as a follower of Christ, I am in a battle against the evil one. But lying in bed that night, clinging to Chris like a terrified child, I felt wholly inadequate to fight. 

Trying to change my focus, I desperately texted my sister for support. Praise God she happened to be awake, getting ready (at 4 am!?!?) for her earliest day at school and she gave me a mental image. She said, “Min, picture your room full of angels bearing their swords to destroy the evil one.”  With my head on Chris' shoulder, I couldn’t help but fear that I was leaving my back unprotected. Quickly, I focused on the visualization my sister gave me as I imagined our king bed full of warriors, armor clanging together as they packed in tightly to protect me.  But then I thought, you know what’s even cooler then a room full of angels fighting for me?!  Not only do I have the entire Army of God on my side, I have Jesus Christ himself fighting for me.  Him, the one who destroyed the power of death through the cross, who conquered evil in the world, is fighting for me as I struggle with fear.  He’s exposing the darkness behind me and before me because He is for me and He is with me.  That is powerful ya’ll. 

Romans 8:31 says, “ What then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Seriously! Amen!! But I can’t stop there, Romans 8:34-35 continues, “ Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died- more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”  I'm going to go ahead and continue that question saying, “should gossip, or insecurities, or bullies, or bad dreams separate us from the love of Christ?" Praise God, the answer is a valiant No!!! In fact, verse 39 says, “…neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is crazy - crazy awesome.  And extremely encouraging. 

Going back to the darkness of my bedroom that night, I knew in my head and in my heart that I had nothing to be afraid of because I know that Jesus has won the victory and nothing can separate me from Him. However, the heaviness was so thick and my brain was so weak in power that this thought alone could not clear the fog. Knowing that God doesn’t just fight for us, but He gives us to the tools we need to fight, I knew that the only way I could get rid of the ickiness I felt was by using the weapon He gave me through His word. Praise God for iPhones where the world is at our fingertips– I quickly pulled up Romans 8, and read the words aloud.  With each word that came out of my mouth, I felt more and more like Ironman – completely protected, no tiny bit of flesh exposed, being 100% safe from whatever elements existed on the outside.  Feeling the heaviness begin to subside and the darkness begin to lift, I was humbly reminded how incredibly true Ephesians 6:17 is when it says that the Word of the Lord is the “sword of the spirit.”  Reading these words out loud, it was as if I was slicing into the darkness, obliterating the evil with the light. 

With the fear finally dissipating, what really got me thinking was that in my fear and weakness, I could not pull up enough of the Word of the Lord into my mind to make myself feel protected. I could remember bits and pieces of His truth, but I couldn’t quite form the words like those in Romans 8, that I knew were required to win this fight. Here’s the thing - the only way to dispel lies is with truth. The only way to get rid of darkness is with light. And the only way to fully get rid of the evil one is with the power of Jesus. If I want to be all over here like Ironman, in my suit and ready for battle – then I need to cover myself in His word.  Like a tattoo, I need to have scripture written on my heart so deeply that no matter the elements, no matter the fears, anxieties, or sadness, I am ready and able to use it to bring the Light. 

As followers of Christ, these battles against the darkness, nights of fitful sleep and spiritual warfare are our reality. I know that might sound a little scary, but please don’t be discouraged. Instead, be empowered by the fact that you play a crucial role as a warrior with Christ fighting off the darkness and building up the army against the evil one.  Romans 8:37 says, “…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”  Do you hear that?  We are not just fighters in the fight, we are more than conquerors.  That is the truth we need to cling to and proclaim when we are overcome with fear.

If you’re afraid, can I challenge you to do one thing? Say the name of Jesus out loud. I know it might feel a little weird at first, but it’s not. There is power in the name of Jesus and it is yours to use. Whether you believe it or not, you are in a battle between dark and light. So claim the everlasting light that's brighter than the LED headlights that make you go blind on the road, and shatter the power of the darkness by simply speaking His name.

Let’s suit up together, cover ourselves in His word and get out there and fight.

-- image and print by Jenny Highsmith--
Jenny is an amazing artist, and she is the lovely lady who designed my new logo that I am so excited to reveal to you!! In fact, stay tuned - by the end of this week (fingers crossed) you will see a whole new lovemin!  I can't wait to share it with you. 

Wherever the wind takes us

The other day,  I planted myself at a local coffee shop to get some studying, writing, and blog design done. Fall is ever so beautiful in good ole Wisconsin right now, so I found a table outside to soak up the 70-degree weather and get to work.   Eating my turkey pesto sandwich I couldn't help but get caught up in the sound of the rustling wind in the trees and leaves fluttering down to meet the concrete with a light crack.  For far too long, I stared out, watching as the leaves blew wherever the wind took them.  

Sitting there, I thought about how in that moment I’d really like to be a leaf. Despite my stellar attitude and high hopes for accomplishing my to-do list, I felt a sense of disorder in my day.  Knowing everything I wanted to do my brain quickly hopped from one thought to the next to the next, wanting to fully think through and accomplish each and every action item on my plate. As I watched a leaf fall onto my keyboard, I was envious. Thinking about how we sometimes use the phrase “Let’s go wherever the wind takes us,” I realized how much I’d really like to do that. To not wake up in the morning and look at the list and make a schedule. To not reach the end of the day feeling discouraged because that long list was not accomplished for yet another day. If I were a leaf I could literally go wherever the wind took me. I wouldn’t have a choice! I wouldn’t be responsible for what did or didn't get done, because I would be at the mercy of the wind. If the wind made me fly off the tree, rock on. If it threw me into a puddle leaving ripples in my wake, sweet deal! Or shoot, maybe I’d be whisked right into the joy-filled pile of leaves under which a little girl is squealing in laughter. Doesn’t that sound kind of amazing?!

Dreaming about my life as a leaf I was thoroughly enjoying myself. And then out of nowhere, anxiety set in. Panic bubbled up from my heart like water boiling over in a pot of noodles. My heart rate escalated, I started to sweat and a tingling sensation moved up my neck. Without the slightest bit of warning, my peaceful, quiet time was blown away by panic.  As much as I wanted to squash it and return to my imagination, I caved. I packed up my things, got in my car, went home and crashed. Closing my eyes hoping to squelch my anxiety, I practiced my yoga breaths, slowly inhaling and exhaling to calm my heart. 

Ready to throw in the towel and just call the day a complete fail, I received a text from my sister who I’d sent a desperate plea for prayer.  Opening up the message, I found a prayer that filled my screen. I won’t share the whole thing with you, but the words that got my attention were, “God, overwhelm her with the same power that rose Jesus from the grave – that’s the power that lives in her.” Sorry for getting a little gospel on you, but can I get an Amen?! I mean for real! That sentence shook me a little bit because it’s true. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have gained access to the Father – to the One who raised Jesus from the grave!!!  Thinking about the sheer awesomeness of that reality, it reminded me of a verse I read in my Bible earlier that day. 1 Corinthians 14:33 says, “For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace.”  

Re-visiting that Bible verse, and thinking about the power that I have through Christ Jesus, I thought to myself, what if my wishful thinking about the freedom of being blown about by the wind wasn’t so wishful after all? What if I really could throw my ambitions, my obsession with my to do list and fear of lack of accomplishment to the wind and instead be directed through my day by the God who is not a God of disorder, but of peace!? Umm... yes please!!  The truth is, I can - and I think that’s actually what God wants us to do. To surrender our plans, our wishes, our fears, our anxiety-filled moments to Him and trust that He will lead us. But the question is, how? How can I do that?

Years ago at church, the choir sang a gospel song that engrained three words on my heart – “Order my steps.” The soulful lyrics spoke of asking the Lord to lead us, guide us, and “order my steps in your word.” These words really challenged me; they still do. And I think praying those three simple words is the answer I was looking for.

Waking up, before my feet hit the floor or my brain has a chance to think about my to-do list, I can ask the Lord to order my steps, giving Him control of my day and asking Him to lead me. Instead of immediately getting all worked up about what I want to get done, I can fix my focus on Him and whatever He might have for me that day. Asking the Lord to set my expectations for the day I can greatly reduce my risk of disappointment and anxiety over an unaccomplished to-do list, by choosing to get things done in His timing, not mine.  This is something I have been working on doing for years, and honestly, when I actually do it, it is so freeing!

Unfortunately that doesn't mean that there won't be any anxious or frustrating moments in my life.   In John 16:33 Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."  Yes, there will be trouble but I have the power to actively seek peace that is found in Him!  If giving the Lord control, and asking Him to order my steps means that I can experience the freedom of "going wherever the wind takes me," then sign me up!  I need to do this daily.

Let's not sugar coat it - anxiety is terrible.  If this is where you're finding yourself as you're reading these words, please hang in there.  The disorder you feel in your soul is not of Him - know that, take some deep breaths and trust that this will pass.  Together, let's lean into the One who created us and do whatever we possibly can to take away anxiety's power.

When we wake up tomorrow, before we even pull off the covers, let's ask the Lord to order our steps. Let’s be like those beautiful, fire-colored fall leaves carried by the wind, by giving the God of peace control of our day and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us.

image by Marissa Maharaj

Dance with Freedom

I’d like to think that if I wanted to, I could be a good dancer (dear ABC, can you please create a Dancing with Normal People?  And if you do I sure as heck better be on it because I’ve been talking about it for years - AND dibs on Derek).  I love going salsa dancing, learning sweet moves and spinning around the dance floor.  But what I love even more is the random, erratic, jump around, stomp your feet, pump your fist in the air kind of dancing. (evidence here) The image that jumps into my mind is from the movie The Holiday when Cameron Diaz is running around the little cottage in England jamming out to Mr. Brightside by The Killers.  It’s an epic moment where she jumps up and down, thrashes her arms, and violently whips her hair around.  That’s the kind of dancing I like because it’s all about being free. 

Watching Dancing with the Stars, and my all time favorite dance show So You Think You Can Dance the past couple of years, I noticed myself falling more and more in love with dance.  More times than I’d like to admit, I caught myself applauding the tv, or catching a few tears as they slid down my face.  I know as I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten a little more emotional, but I couldn’t quite figure out why dance was affecting me so much as of late. And the other night I figured it out. 

On both shows, once a competitor becomes more confident, more comfortable on their feet and on the floor, a transformation happens. What initially started out as a bit of awkwardness, or lack of fluidity becomes perfection in the moment that they let go of their insecurities and allow themselves to really feel the dance. Instead of being about the movements orchestrated by the choreographers, the captivation comes from the connection between the dancers and the emotions exhibited. As I watched this week’s episode of DWTS, a few of the competitors experienced this transformation and the word that kept coming out of the judges' mouths when they praised and rewarded them with 10’s was “authentic.” They finally forgot the stage, forgot the crowd, and let the steps be an extension of who they are, an extension of the joy, of the sadness, of the passion that they felt within. The dance became authentic and it became free. 

Dancing isn’t supposed to be this scary, “I can’t move like that or people won’t think I’m cool” sort of thing, it’s supposed to be freeing.  To be an extension of who you are.  And I love that.

God created us in His image, but he did not make any of us even remotely the same.  We are unique – in the way we look, communicate, how we want to be loved, and in the way that we dance.   And He wants us to own that, to be confident in our crazy selves, and let the way we walk and talk and shake it be an extension of the joy and freedom we find in Him. 

If there’s one person I know who is as free as a bird when he dances, it’s my dad. Get that man out on the dance floor and he’s twinkle toes with crazy shoulders meets incredible rhythm and a joy that is contagious. With a smile from ear to ear, he shakes his groove thang not for one second thinking about what other people think of him. All he’s concerned about is trying to sing along to the song, and keep those feet and shoulders moving. 

Instead of being worried about whether my go-to finger snaps, or “break my legs” movements aren’t cool, I want to dance more like my dad.  I want to embrace my sweet moves and glorify the Lord by proudly exhibiting the weird, silly 12-at-heart woman that He created me to be.  

If you’re ever tempted to avoid the dance floor because you don’t think you have moves, please throw that lie in the trash. Wait for your favorite jam, take a deep breath, and run, jump, fist pump, twist, nae nae, wobble, twinkle toes or do whatever your fave move is all over the dance floor. I promise you, it will be fun and you will feel free. And if anyone looks at you, I guarantee it’s out of admiration and a jealous desire to be as brave and free as you are.

You were fearfully and wonderfully made. Don’t doubt that. Go rock out.

image by Marissa Maharaj

Talking the walk

If you know my story at all, you’ll know that I often call college my “dark years.” The short version is that during that time period I tried to live a double life – satisfying my worldly desires to be a party girl, while still pouring into my relationship with Jesus. Unfortunately, during those years a little more effort was put into the party mode. I did some things that I’m not proud of, and most of them have to do with words that I used.

I can be one sassy girl. Pretty sure that’s what got me in trouble with my parents from time to time; I wasn’t a rebel, but I could pour on attitude like it was my job. Add that together with alcohol and a drunk frat boy that is ruffling my feathers and you get a mean, confrontational Mindy. One such episode, built on an already growing distaste for one another, resulted in many choice words flung back and forth at each other, and then… I got up right in his face, and I slapped him. Instantly, even amidst the anger I felt towards this dude, I knew I went too far. And then he said these words, “And you call yourself a Christian?” Talk about a buzz kill. I was speechless. I had no more mean words, no more sassiness to throw his way because he was right.

Walking away with rocks in my gut, I began to process the challenge the Lord had given to me through this frat boy. Here I was, calling myself a Christian, leading my campus ministry and then in the same heartbeat I was all full of cuss words and slapping people upside the face. About a week later, I knew I had to reach out to this guy. Scraping up all the courage I could find, I got his number and made one of the most humbling phone calls and told him, he was right. I apologized and admitted that I had been such a bad representation of the Lord that I believe in.  And I thanked him for calling me out on it.

The reason I thought of this shining moment was, in my bible study this week we were challenged to think about this question – look at your life and your ministry involvement. Do “the words being said and the deeds being done” point to the presence and influence of God’s kingdom?

It’s like the message we’ve all probably heard at some point, “If you’re going to talk the talk, then you better walk the walk.” But what actually got me thinking was re-phrasing it like this - are we talking the walk?  Are the words that come out of our mouths evidence that we love Jesus? Is it clear that we spent time reading the Bible today?  Or does the attitude we used with our loved ones and the gossip that shot out of our mouths with our girls over vino make us want to puke?

I will never forget that moment when the frat boy's challenging words made me realize there was no evidence in my talk that I was walking with Jesus. I am so thankful that this guy had the balls to say to me what I really needed to hear. And I'm thankful that many years later, the Lord has redeemed our crazy relationship and I can actually call him a friend.

As followers of Christ, we are called to live lives worthy of our calling - we are called to be physical representations of Jesus in everything we do and in everything we say.  Let's be real, that is hard.  But, we don't have to do it alone, praise God.  He created us to need each other, and He calls us to be active participants in supporting each other and speaking the truth in love as we do our best to represent Him.

So, if you hear me being a turd, call me out on it (lovingly please!). And if you want me to, I’ll do the same for you. Let's work together and be evidence of Jesus in our walk and our talk.

xo

All about Posture

Have you ever sat and thought about how amazing (and kind of weird) bodies are?  We have a skeleton of bones inside our body that literally holds us up.  It bears the weight of our muscles, it holds everything together, it keeps us from being giant piles of mush (that’s a weird mental image) and it allows us to move.  We have a bunch of organs that help us eat, breathe, pump blood through our bodies.  We have a maze of veins that transports blood throughout the entire body.  And we have a giant organ of flesh that keeps the package all together.  And that’s just scratching the surface.  The more and more I think about it, the more I’m in awe of my body and the Creator who made it from dust.

The truth about my body is that I have somewhat of a “special” skeleton- I prefer to call it weird, but in thankfulness knowing that God gave me good bones, I will call it special.  Over the past 4 years I’ve been greeted by a few issues in relation to this special body – a painful clavicle, shooting spasms in my lower back, and my latest and greatest discovery, an entrapped ulna nerve causing issues in my pinky fingers.  None of these are life threatening, praise God, and so far each ailment is correctable with exercise and changes in how I operate.  But here’s the underlying issue that I’ve discovered – each one has to do with my posture. 

I never would’ve considered myself someone with bad posture.  I don’t slump over a ton.  I try to stand up straight.  And I work out regularly to try to support these bones.  But I've become incredibly aware that the secret to better wellness and a happy body is really good posture. Spending some time in our garden, or lack-there-of, and taking breaks to stretch from the crouched over position, I got to thinking about how extremely important the practice of good posture is both physically andspiritually.

Living with bad posture – I’ve basically been saying to my body, “I want to be lazy and slouch over, I want to be able to lock my knees, to scrunch my shoulders when I’m stressed - I don’t want to do the work of good posture.  But, can you please not hurt? Can you feel loose, and free, and flexible for me?  Why can’t you just be “normal” and work?” 

Thinking about it that way, I’ve realized that too often I have this same attitude towards the Lord.  It's as if I’m saying,  “God, I want to be lazy, to watch TV instead of reading my bible, to sleep in and go to church next week, to fill up every minute with busyness and all the social events on my calendar.  But, can you please bless me?  Can you help me figure out which job I should take?  Ugh, I am anxious, can you please bring me peace?”

Just like our bodies can’t be well without the diligence of practicing good posture, our hearts can’t be healthy without changing our posture towards the Lord. 

At the Influence Conference (which I can’t wait to tell you more about), multiple women talked about literally sitting in a way that encourages this attitude.  Sitting tall, placing our feet solid, rooting them into the ground, laying our hands on our knees with palms facing up, and closing our eyes, we created a body language, a physical representation of what our hearts we're saying – Lord we're here, we're listening.  This may sound a bit cooky, or too yoga-ish if you’re not a fan of yoga, but it’s a great way to remember that everything we do – even the way we position our bodies plays a role in our focus, in our ability to put Him first. 

As far as my physical body goes, I know what posture it needs to keep my muscles from straining in odd positions and allow my nerves the space they need to glide freely.  Standing tall, keeping my shoulders back, planting my feet evenly on the ground, and keeping my joints from hyperextending as they would prefer to do, are all requirements for my body if I want to feel better.  I’ve seen the incredible difference it makes, so I’m working really hard to position my body this way. 

Well it’s the same with our relationship with the Lord. If we want to experience God in the fullest way, then we have to put ourselves in a posture to do so.  Being in the word every day, taking time away from the social media craziness and just being quiet, spending time in prayer, going to church, studying the word with fellow Christ-followers, changing our focus to Him, is what we need to fully experience and glorify the Lord.

I really want to emanate Jesus.  I want to be so full of His joy that it’s evident in the way I conduct myself, how I speak, and how I influence others.  So I must work on my posture towards Him. 

Just like when I am bathing in the summer sun, and arranging my lounge chair so that I am directly facing the sun – I want to arrange myself in a way that I am directly facing Him so that I might reflect who He is. 

I love how God uses anything and everything to teach us more about Him – I am so thankful for my crazy body and what I learned about posture as a result. If you too are one who struggles with posture (physically and spiritually), I’m here for you!  Let’s work on this together, so that we might better glorify Him. 

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P.S. The image above is from Mandy Reid Instagram. I love her feed -she's a yoga instructor who loves Jesus.  So her posts are super encouraging and challenging and all things yoga, not to mention they are beautiful images!  Go check her out @mandyreidyoga

Quiet

Quiet is a weird thing.  Suddenly you can hear noises you wouldn't otherwise notice.  The hum of the refrigerator, the creak of the wall, the whir of the cars driving by, the ticking of your watch, the slap of your cat's tongue drinking water out of his bowl.  You discover that the quiet is quite noisy, yet peaceful.

That's how my house feels tonight.  Coming off of weeks of busyness I can honestly say this is the first time in far too long that I've even noticed the quiet.  With a husband out of town and nothing on the agenda I'm sitting on the couch watching my cat climb into the fort I made him just cause I thought it'd be fun (yeah I'm special, and maybe a cat lady... oh well) and I'm feeling the quiet.  Throughout these busy weeks full of social activities, household tasks, and a good chunk of writing I remember saying to my husband, oh man I feel like I need a break!  And tonight, as I am experiencing this break, I'm struggling between the joy of doing absolutely nothing and the odd complexity of the feeling of sadness as I sit here in an empty house.

Reading in a book called Kingdom Come by Allen Wakabayashi,  I ran across this quote about spiritual disciplines - "Spiritual disciplines are disciplines that provide places and times for the Holy Spirit to work in us and equip us for kingdom service.”  Thinking about this quote and my struggle with the quiet, I can't help but think how little emphasis I give this truth in my life.  I have been SO busy lately, working on so many things - things that in and of themselves are good and are for the goal of the proclaiming the name of Jesus and yet I've neglected to just sit, be quiet and provide time for my heart to be filled by Him.

Lately, I've been leaning into the Lord for me.  Continuing to struggle with this issue with my pinky fingers and just wanting them to work like a normal person, feeling like my eyes have been an issue with being at the computer so much (sometimes I really think I might be 90), and pouring my heart into a message I'm writing as I prepare to speak at a college ministry next week, I have been coming to the Lord saying, "Hey God, here is what I'm doing, here is what I'm struggling with, can you help me?"  While there's nothing wrong with this attitude as I am seeking Him, it's still less than I want to be doing.

I want to be pursuing Him wholeheartedly when I feel I need Him and when I don't.  It's sad how desperation can drive us to realize we are nothing without Him, but then when we feel semi-normal again we act as if we can do life all on our own.  I hate to admit that I operate like that.  But, I do.

I want to lean into the Lord in a desperate, soul-thirsty sort of way no matter what I'm going through, good or bad.  And I think an important piece of that is making room for the quiet.  Putting the cell phone away, stepping away from the social scene, and shutting out the rest of the world (even our loved ones), is such a valuable practice to allow the Holy Spirit the opportunity to feed our souls and encourage us to keep coming back for more.

This is something that I need to get better at.  It takes moments like these where by chance I'm here in the quiet, to make me realize how energizing and how necessary it is for my soul.  As I move forward into the rest of this evening, and into a crazy week ahead I really need to cling to this memory and reminder that while quiet may be difficult to prioritize, difficult to create, it is so so worth it.

As you're going about your weekend, whether in the crazy or in the quiet - I am praying that you recognize the Lord's presence with you and that you'd lean into Him, prioritizing Him wherever you may be.

---

Thanks for being patient with me as I've been MIA from lovemin for a little while.  I look forward to getting back into a rhythm as soon as time allows.  If you think of me, can you pray for me?  I have a big week ahead with speaking at a local College Ministry and heading off to the Influence Conference  (which I am praying will be so fulfilling and energizing).

Much love
xo

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