The way I hope my life is changing the world is by letting people around me know who Jesus is and that he loves them.
There are so many things that I would want to tell my younger self. The first thing I would say to myself is to cherish the relationships that you often take for granted because even those small things that annoy the hell out of you now will be the things that you miss when God decides he wants someone home.
The second thing that I need you to know is that you don’t have to be the girl who has a ten-year plan. At 14, you’re going to feel like you have everything in life figured out, at an event at USC is where you discover your love for speaking to audiences, but in your first speech, you tell the audience that your dream is to become a special education teacher, when what God had planned for you is to become a public speaker via cool technology that seems impossible to dream up.
When you get your final volunteer teaching internship, and you start to feel you’re not respected and treated as an adult by your peers, make the hard and fast decision to leave; it’s not giving up. At this point in your life, you’ve spent a decade doing something that you fell out of love with a long time ago but kept doing because you were the girl who knew what she wanted.
When you quit volunteering, you need to start something called a podcast, and it should be called Encouragement Notes. You need to do this because being a coach for a multi-level marketing company called Beachbody has led you to a life of taking selfies and talking about overpriced products, and the entire experience is making you pushy with your friends and family.
Starting a podcast will be easier than you think; find an app on the cell phone that you have, pull out your most recent sermon notes from your purse, and start reading them as if you are talking to someone who missed Church on Sunday.
Lastly, Stop using the words Just and Nothing when people ask you
1. What did you do today? or
2. What do you do?
Be confident that the Lord is using what you are doing, even though you are doing it from home.
You Got This! God is not done with you yet!
These are in No Particular order
- The Very Best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
- Hello, My Name is by Matthew West
- Frozen two soundtrack
- Frozen musical soundtrack
- Wicked Soundtrack
- Broken things by Matthew West
- Jersey Boys Movie Soundtrack
- My Turn by John Lloyd Young
- Nobody by casting crowns
- Bring it on home Sam Cooke
- Josh Groban’s entire career catalog
- Mercy me -Lifer album
- Mercy Me- Welcome to the New -album
This is today’s #bloganuary topic. One of my favorite things about myself is that I love making new friends, and I think that it is easy for me because I have never been a shy person. I try to be one of the first people to say hi to someone new at church and in life group. I’m also a good listener, and I’m willing to be there for my friends and family when they need me.
I’m not a shy person, but there have been many times when I stepped out of my comfort zone.
The most recent was last July, when I signed up for Rollettes Experience 2021 to attend virtually for two days. I’d spent most of my life avoiding gatherings of people who looked like me, but in mid-2020, my perspective started to shift, and while attending RE21, I made friends and found out that I wasn’t alone in what I felt. I’m happy to have stuck with the Rollettes community. It had had a significant impact on me in such a short amount of time.
Another example of stepping out of my comfort zone is my love for singing. In 2019, I auditioned for and got the first solo I would perform since I was 13 years old.
When I was younger, I wasn’t afraid to let people hear my voice, but a moment changed everything. A young woman used to go to our church back in my mid-college years, and I let her beauty and talent make me self-conscious.
Yet another time I stepped out of my comfort zone was when I told someone how I felt about them. I first felt that feeling of OMG! I’m too much. I’m being silly, but I went against my doubts and spoke what was in my heart because life is short, and people who matter to you should know how you feel about them.
An Enduring Faith is a Faith That…
1. Comes to Jesus with it’s doubts
But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We saw the Master.” But he said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.” Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” Then he focused his attention on Thomas. “Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don’t be unbelieving. Believe.” Thomas said, “My Master! My God!” Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.”
John 20:24-29 MSG
He asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been going on?” “Ever since he was a little boy. Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!” Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, “Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”
Mark 9:21-24 MSG
2. Looks at Trials with an Eternal Perspective.
So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 MSG
Memory Verse
“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.”
John 16:33 NIV
3. Relies on others during difficult times
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
Mark 2:1-12 NIV
My favorite quotes are Bible verses
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13 NIV
This verse was the first verse I ever committed to memory in third grade
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
These are the verses that I learned in tenth grade when I was going through recovery from surgery.
It’s strange yet comforting that I got this prompt from the #blogganuary writing challenge because 41 years ago today, my grandpa Joe passed away. He died the year before I was born. I would love to travel back in time to meet him and hug him.
There was never a moment in my childhood when I felt like I didn’t know him because every time I entered my Granny’s house, I would see a picture of my grandparents on the wall.
My Granny Ruth was also the best at telling stories about my grandpa. I miss those days of sitting in her kitchen and asking her for the millionth time to tell me the story of how they met.
Granny was a widow for 25 years before she passed away. I’m convinced that they are both watching over me right now
Today is the #internationaldayofacceptance
Accepting myself has been a journey, and I don’t think it will be one that has an end. I am grateful for the community of women I’ve found.
I’m looking forward to growing and creating new goals in the near future. Thank you, God, for leading me here.
Hey, I hope you’re having a beautiful blessed day. What are you doing today? Today we are babysitting a little cutie pie.
Before I go, I wanted to tell you about my jewelry. The cross that im wearing was given to me by my cousins Yvonne, Oceann, and Skye. The rope chain that it was originally on was very long, so I recently replaced it with this shorter rope chain. The earrings that I’m wearing were our grandma’s so I feel like I’m surrounded by guardian angels today. ❤
Encouragement Notes Podcast 