After a week in California, I have to admit, it was a little difficult coming home and I had not expected that... not because I don't have fabulous friends here but because have you ever met a group of people that you immediately fell in love with and knew God interwove your hearts before you ever met!?  Me too and it's incredible!  He did that with the women I spent my time with out there, so it tugged at my heart strings to leave them (and as I'm keeping it real... it's getting colder here... and I am no winter woman, ha) but really, it was such a great opportunity to be around like-minded woman seeking Christ to be the C.E.O. of their businesses and our lives!  I don't know about you but that get's me excited!

After sharing a little bit about myself, my chapter "Live Loved" and why I set the intention to live and experience "The Art of L.I.F.E." I shared a little bit about how I got there.  I had planned to share more about my chapter but God laid it on my heart during my flight the day before to change all that and share this instead.  I never expected this story to impact the women like it did but since there's something about this that He used to ignite vision in women's hearts, I am going to share it here with you as well!

I tell you this because I said YES. from. the. Pit!  You see when God brings you something packaged in His peace, no matter if it makes sense or not... sister, please say. Yes!  Had I not known how truly loved and cared for I was, this decision would have been much more difficult.

Fast forward to 2 weeks or so ago (before the event), the enemy kept telling me to cancel my flight and bail... because like every other day for the last ...over 634 days... I have gotten sick.  Real sick.  Ya know what though!?... I didn't entertain these thoughts. BUT...

I DID have to process through some shock that God had not yet healed me... as I was so sure in my faith was His plan when I said yes to this and another opportunity last spring.  I didn't seek these out, He opened the doors for me so it was hard to grasp that He was sending me all the way out there... still... sick...

But again... I chose to move forward and shared with others that I had to trust that by the time my feet hit the ground at the airport, either here or there, that I would be healed. 

Well, making a long story short, let me tell you....

That for the last 16 days straight my intestinal health has dramatically improved!!!!  (I'll spare you the icky details, but let me tell you... this. is. miraculous!)  I'm not completely out of the pit but God's got me!  Say Yes from the pit ladies.

Say yes to slowing down when your spouse or kids are around even though your phone is flashing with all sorts of notifications, say yes to boundaries that protect your time even though you need that client, say yes to that big leap of faith God is asking you to take even though it'll cost you everything if it doesn't work out.

If you walk away from anything today I hope it is to know that God hears you, God sees you
and God KNOWS YOU!  You are Loved!  We are loved!  Let's live like it!  With an abandoned trust that God WILL take care of us!  This looks like.... being Free of insecurities, free of unforgiveness, free to be present, free to say no to the good for the best God has for us!! 

Ladies!!!... let's Live Loved!!!!!

If you are on Facebook at all, I’m sure this last week you happened to see many people putting their name into an app that would then turn around and tell them the meaning of their name (supposedly) in different languages.  Now if you look up those names they don’t actually mean what that app told all of us but it was still fun and exciting for many of us to do (even if those sites are just a ploy).

So why did we do it?  Are we all Warrior Princesses, Little Fighters and Loyal Gentlemen?  (These were the 3 most popular answers I saw.)  The hopeless romantic in me would hope so on that last one lol… and the fighter in me absolutely believes all of us have a little fighter in us… but most provoking to me is the meaning Warrior Princess… and I loved seeing so many get that as their answer and to see their reactions to it was even better!!  More on this in a minute.

I tell you all this to inspire you to find out what your name actually means but more importantly to tell you that once you have given your heart to Christ, you do have a new name/meaning/description of yourself… you are Chosen, Adopted, Redeemed, Forgiven, Loved, Accepted… and so. much. more.!!!  You are a Warrior Prince/Princess because He has the victory and you are His!  Ponder those names for a moment.  Let them each really sink in.  As my reader, I also want to say that you are appreciated, respected, loved.  

If you don’t know Christ as your Friend and Savior and would like to, please say this prayer below, get in a Bible based church and if you would like to reach out to me and let me know, I’d love to celebrate this eternal victory with you!

Feel free to also share the real meaning of your name if you wish… it’s kind of fun! :D

As I sat here today asking God what my readers needed to hear, I felt some of you may be struggling to takes steps of faith in trusting God in different areas of your life.  So I want to share a glimpse of what daily life for me has been like in the last year and a half.

This is not something I would normally share.  Honestly, I hate talking about my health struggles.  I truly enjoy life more when I can go about my life focusing on all that is right and good verses all that could be better or isn’t well.  That hope and focus has gotten me through some pretty heavy stuff so I’m stickin’ to it. :D

In brief for those of you who don’t know, I had a 9 hour extensive surgery for severe endometriosis in December of 2013.  I touch more on this in my chapter of the book compilation I recently was a part of so I’m keeping it super short here.  During that surgery the doctors had to ressect my bowel because the endometriosis was kinking it and although it wasn’t causing trouble at that time, the doctors assumed it would in the future.  Well, as they say, hindsight is 20/20.  Looking back, I don’t know if we should’ve went ahead with this part of the procedure but we trusted the professionals so we did.

Faith doesn’t always look like what we have been known to envision it to be.  It’s not always big and grand.  It’s not always something like leaving all behind and heading to the mission field.  Sometimes, it’s trusting God to help you serve at church every Sunday regardless of social anxiety brought on by your health struggles.  Sometimes it’s speaking and believing that Christ already paid for your healing, etc. on the cross.  Sometimes it’s simply going to the grocery store, out with friends, etc.  Sometimes it’s choosing not to discuss your trial unless you are speaking the Word of God over it.  Sometimes it’s simply being obedient in graciousness through tithing, opening your home, extending a helping hand, etc.  For Andy and I, these are the things that have been steps of faith in this last year and a half.

And sometimes it comes as wisdom while you do nothing at all!!!  Wow, did I just say that!?  I live in America… that is taboo! But yes, I did just say that.  God commanded us to take a Sabbath for so many wonderful reasons… maybe you/we need to rest more and trust He can help us get it all done anyways.  (A secret for ya!... you usually get better quality production out of a rested body, mind and spirit… so SIT DOWN for a bit, quiet your mind and just be with God… go hide in the closet if you have to ;) )  Ok, where was I, oh yes…

What I am saying is faith doesn’t look the same for all of us!  Noone knows what you are struggling with or believing for or have heard from the Lord unless you or God have shared it with them.  So we need to care more about what God thinks of our faith than those around us… whether that be your spouse, your pastor, your friends and family, etc.  God knows your heart… and remember His ways are greater than ours, so you, I and others may not always get it… but that doesn’t make it any less a step of faith.

Father, I pray that whomever you had this message for, reads this and receives this.  May they sense your peace leading them to take that step or seat of faith and find their rest and victory in you and you alone!  In Jesus Name, Amen.



Note:  I’ll be sharing more on what I like to call "Selahs and Sabbaths" in my 2nd book compilation coming out in 2016, so if this struck a cord with you, watch for this and more blogs on this as well.  It’s time we pause and ponder.  

Does anyone else function better when everything is in it's place?  I mean everything doesn't have to be clean... dusted, vacuumed, etc. but put away where things belong.  Man, I do!  God is a god of order so I must get it from Him ;D  (and my mom and all 6 of my grandma’s who were all excellent house and home-keepers)

It feels like years since I've had a home.  Several different circumstances outside of our control, in the first years of our marriage, caused us to move several times from a place that I loved.  That we both loved.  It was our first little home together and even though we rented it still felt like ours.  Several moves later we moved to the place we just moved from.  We enjoyed the duplex, our landlord was great to us, it was cozy and secluded and we enjoyed this season to ourselves.  We did our best to make it “home” the 4 years that we were there but shortly after we moved in, I had a business that took off so I was rarely home and then... I got sick.  

“Aye yai yai yai… I am the frito bandito…”  

......Most would never know it, but these lyrics and her special dance that always matched this little tune, quickly enter my vision as I think of the highlight reel for my mom.  Yes my mom.  The reserved, sweet, quiet lady we all call ‘Jenise’ could put on quite a little show with this one.  (if I end up dead after this post… you’ll all know why)  She’d have us giggling in 5 seconds flat.  I loved that about her.  No matter what was going on as a little girl, no matter how much my heart was breaking or chaos was ensuing on the inside, she brought a peace to my childhood.

As a teenager, she would try so hard to get me to understand how loved I was, how special I was, but I couldn't understand.  I had a deep seated hatred for myself.  A poison that continually flowed through my mind but was masked in perfectionism, performance & smiles.  Lots of smiles.  Very few knew this daily battle that ensued within me and I can now see how it took it’s toll on those who did.

At a very young age we became friends.  This helped us both conquer our demons.  Every little girl needs their mother like every mother needs their little girl.  (or child)  God graced us from the beginning to see Him at work in our lives.  My mom rarely cried but one day as she sat on a step, alone & scared I reassured her at 5/6 years old that the man above would help us.  All would be fine.  My then, atheist mom, was surprised by this but by golly He did, He has, He will.

As a young adult she helped me in every way she could as I drifted from here to there and everywhere looking for love in all the wrong places.  She worried, she cried, she prayed.  At times she looked at me with disappoint and I didn't blame her for that, I just didn’t know how to get out from that pit of despair.  But long story short, I survived my 20’s!!  lol  Praise God and thank you mom.

In August of my 28th year, on the side of the rockies outside of Denver, God made some things very clear.  He ushered in a deep, deep healing to every part of me that was broken or had ever been broken.  That day I came to know & see many in my life, but especially my mother, in a whole new light.  He gave me a depth, to something He had put in me as a child that helped me survive so much, but this depth now enabled me to move forward, to pursue life and no longer just survive.  It was a new beginning.  

Less than a year later my mom, Andy and I pursued a business venture together and we both blossomed.  She’s my little flower (yes she knows I call her that… it’s endearing if you know our whole story lol).  I am so proud of who she was then and even more proud of who she has become today.  She always stepped up to the plate for my sister and I and as she is getting older God is showering her with love and teaching her to care for herself as well.  This brings me so much joy and I well up with pride for her. 

She loves my husband as her own and he welcomes her into our life and home as if she were his.  This is a rare and beautiful gift for which I am so grateful.  She is the most incredible grandma and I hope to one day get to experience life with her and call her grandma to children of our own, but until then I’ll enjoy seeing her light up with pride as she loves on all my nieces & nephews.  She is a wonderful woman, this lady that I call mom.  

She’s got the softest hands and hair that I love to run my fingers through.  It’s these little things we’ll all miss when our mothers are gone, so this Mother’s Day, celebrate that lady in your life.  Love on her.  She needs you.  You need her.  She gave it all for you.  Return the gift and notice her.  Really notice her.  All she has done.  All she still does.  All she is & is yet becoming.  Well up with pride because THAT is YOUR mother & no one else is like her!!!  Happy Mother’s Day mom!  I love you!