Day 5

Yesterday was a hard day. I got a message from my big sister that our dog Butters passed away. I adopted Butters about 9 years ago from a family who couldn't have him due to allergies. I wanted an Australian Shepard at the time, but God had other plans. Butters was my first dog and there were days he drove me absolutely crazy. He was so hyper and playful, but also so loving and sweet. He made everyone smile, everyone loved him and he loved me. I went through some really hard times and he was with me through it all. There were days I would come home crying and tears running down my face and Butters would jump up on the couch and like my face until I was laughing. Everyone who has animals bonds with them in a way no one can understand. Butters was always so forgiving and so loving toward me. Unfortunately, through working full time and going to college full time, it wasn't fair leaving him alone all day, so thankfully my big sister and brother in law took him in and cared for him.  He was the first dog I had and the first animal I've ever loved and lost. I'll forever remember him and cherish him. I'm thankful the lord brought him in my life.

Today I read The Parable of the Great Banquet found in Luke 14:15-24. Here Jesus tells a story of a man who invited people to feast at a banquet. I'm assuming these would be his close friends. Each of them created excuses and chose not to come. The man then ordered strangers, poor, needy and anyone else to come and feast. What I learned from this is that God invites us to feast with him. He invites us in, but sometimes in our selfishness, we create excuses for not participating with him. I know I am truly guilty of that these days especially. Having a relationship with God is a choice and one we need to make. We need to be mindful of the importance of coming and meeting him every day understanding that other things are the things that can wait. I pray that I would be less like those friends and more like the poor and needy- craving a feast with God.

Day 3

This morning I made it to Crossfit at 6am. The workout consisted of: 100 push ups, 75 kettle bell swings, 50 sit ups and 25 pull ups. I found myself in need of going back to the basics with working out. Spin has been great, and I love it, but doing the basic movements again are critical. I was actually surprised at how difficult it was, but all and all it was a great workout.

Tonight I was reading the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast. This is a short parable and one that Jesus uses to try to help others understand what the kingdom of God is like. I remember a close friend of mine gave me a necklace that had a mustard seed in it and it referenced having faith like a mustard seed. A mustard seed is the smallest seed in the world and it produces the largest garden plant. I pray that I would have faith like that of a mustard seed. Learning to trust God with the small things especially and have faith to know he will make something great out of it.

Day 2

Word of the Day:

The next parable in Luke was chapter 10 verses 25-37: The Parable of the Good Samaritan. This is one of the most well known and referenced parables in my mind. I still remember watching this parable in cartoon form at church. In it's all simplicity, it is still convicting. The bible tells us that "an expert in the law" questioned Jesus to see how he believes one will have eternal life after death. Jesus replied with a parable of a man who was robbed and beaten and passed by a priest and a Levite. However, a Samaritan showed him mercy and took care of him at all cost to himself. He just chose to have compassion on a stranger that day. I don't remember the exact backgrounds of each of these men and the man who was robbed. From what I understand it had to do with cultures not interacting with others or some sort of manner where the priest and Levite had specific cultural reasons not to help him. But the Samaritan disregarded those cultural influences and did it anyway because he knew in his heart it was what God was calling him to do.

I guess this verse can hit home in a few ways. One being that the Samaritan must have been in tune with God that day to feel the spirit telling him to help this man and it was what God wanted him to do. Or that this man didn't live by the world's standards and lived by God's standards which is what we are called to do. I have found that working with poverty has hardened me over the years and frustrated me in many ways that I have lost that level of compassion for people. It's a wake up call that I need to filter my mind through the word of God and live by the spirit and not of the world.

Day 1

Word of the Day: 

I decided to go through a parable a day in the book of Luke. Today it's The Parable of the Sower. Luke chapter 8 verses 1-15. Here Jesus references Isaiah 6:9: "..though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand." I've heard this parable many times before. Today God showed me that I needed to reflect and see which seed I am right now in this time of my life. Not what I was years ago, because things have changed. 

First seed: Those that hear, but the devil takes away the truth from their heart and thus there is disbelief.

Second seed: Those scattered on the rock who hear the word, experience joy, but have no root. Thus it's just moments of joy and their spirit is weak. 

Third seed: Those who fell among the thorns are consumed with the worries riches and pleasures of life. There is no spiritual growth. 

Fourth seed: Those who are scattered upon the good soil. The ones with good hearts, they hear the word of God, receive it, retain it and produce a crop. They allow the word of God to continuously change them and work in them. 

The seed I want to be is the fourth seed. I've been there before, but I fear that through the past few years, I've moved. I now find myself somewhere in between the fourth seed and the third seed. I guess this is a big wake up call to me. I've known my spiritual life is lacking and I've made excuses after excuses as stated in my initial post yesterday. I want to be the fourth seed again. My prayers are that through blogging, I find accountability with myself, and I develop a more spiritual strength so that I can confidently say that I feel in my heart I am the seed that fell on good soil. 

50 days!

I came across my old blog page from 2013 and started reading through all of my old posts that I made. It was interesting to see how different life was back then. I lived and breathed for 3 things: Fitness, Food, and my Faith.

It's been 4 years, and I feel as if these 3 areas of my life are in a slump and I probably make excuses for each area. Excuses can be made for everything and anything, but in the end nothing changes, improvement doesn't happen and the only thing felt is disappointment.

I decided to start blogging again in hopes that it would keep me more focused in these 3 areas again. I want to start picking scripture each day and reflecting and blogging on that verse(s), blog about my eating habits for the day, blog about my workouts, and what great things happened in the day.

So starting with today:

I woke up and went to TREE UMPH with some friends from work, my boyfriend and my roommate. I went once before about a year ago and it was a blast. It's always enjoyable doing different activities outdoors that are challenge, fun and safe.

Afterwards we went to Cheescake factory and enjoyed some much needed lunch! I'm excited to start blogging again and trying to focus on improving myself in all areas.

My goal is to develop healthy and smart habits again over the summer. Both for the mind, body and soul. For food this week, we have decided to create healthy paleo dinners and focus on portion control. My goal is to workout everyday and push myself a bit further than I typically do.

Food:
Sunday: Spagetti Squash and Chicken Breasts
Monday: Pork Chops and Steamed Veggies
Tuesday: Paleo Taco Bowl (Ground chicken, Quinoa Rice, Veggies)
Wednesday: Stuffed Peppers
Thursday: Cheat Day: Slice of Pizza and Salad
Friday: Steak and Green Beans

Workout:
Saturday: SPIN @ 9am
Sunday: SPIN @ Home 1 hour with Glute Workout
Monday: Crossfit 6am
Tuesday: Crossfit 6am / SPIN 5:30pm
Wednesday: Crossfit 6am
Thursday: Crossfit 6am / TEACH SPIN 5:30pm
Friday: Crossfit 6am or SPIN 9am
Saturdya: SPIN @ 9am

I HAVE MOVED

 

 

 

 

I HAVE MOVED TO:

 

www.mvhblog.blog.com

 

 

 

All content from this blog is featured on my other website

Some Ramblings ...

Lately I've been lacking in my devotionals. I know it happens to a lot of people. It is something that we tend to do living in a world filled with distractions. I look at these distractions as something getting in the way of my time with the Lord and I feel bad for making time for friends, school, crossfit and relax time etc.. but I truly don't believe that is the Lords intention- to make us feel bad for what we do. He just wants to be a part of each aspect of our lives. Once he is the center of each part of our lives then he becomes the focus of our lives which I believe is the true desire of the Christian heart.

 

So I began to think to myself, how can I get in the word more and incorporate God into my life more throughout the day. Last night as I was reading through Mark I chose to just read what was in red (the words of Jesus). I have been reading in Mark lately and also reading a couple books on Jesus- just studying him, his words, his character/personality etc. There is no greater person to study in the bible than him. Over the past year I have learned so much about him from doing this. My thoughts about the kind of person he was has greatly changed. I grew up with this image in my mind that Jesus walked around angry at the world throwing tables over (Mark 11) yelling at people telling them all they are sinners and they need to repent or they will spend eternity in hell. I think a lot of people probably think this about him and unfortunately that is the issue with religion these days.

 

I hear so many people say they don't go to church and are not Christians simply because Christians are hypocrites. I'm not going to sit here and say that they are wrong because of course Christians are hypocrites. I'll fully admit that I am but Isn't everyone? Just because you are a Christian doesn't mean you get to by pass being a human and being a sinner just like the rest of the world. Being a Christian doesn't make you better than anyone else it just simply means that you understand that you have been given grace and have received it. Your life is no longer just about you and what you want. Your life purpose is not fulfilled in relationships, jobs, school, status or any other type of identity. Your identity is solely for the purpose of Christ. Every day that goes by you are actively seeking the Lord for wisdom and guidance through prayer and through his word (the Bible) learning more about the God that he is and the person that he created you to be. So yes going back to church and hypocrites. Yes they are there and I'm there and I am one of them. I've judged people when I shouldn't. I've preached and not practiced. I've messed up a lot and I'll continue to.

 

As I've been studying the character of Christ it's really made me more sensitive to this subject because my desire is not to ever be hypocritical and turn people away from the most important decision of their lives. The more I study Christ the more I see that he had personality. Ya he did get angry but at the religious people who should know better. You can have all the knowledge of the Bible in the world but if you don't actively live through the words it is meaningless knowledge. Jesus often got angry at the Pharisees and with his disciples he got frustrated with many times. He would respond to their questions in smart alack ways. I'm a pretty sarcastic person and I tend to enjoy other people that are too. Its a character quality that many possess. The bible does say that God created us in his image.(Genesis 1)  Humor and sarcasm is not something we created but that He did because I believe that is a quality he has. We love to laugh and joke with one another and the more I study Jesus the more I see that he did too. 

 

The more I study Jesus the more I fall in love with him. The more I desire to know because the more I know him the more I know my own heart. Every day is a battle. Just when I feel like I finally have it all together I somehow trip and fall off of a cliff. As true as that is, the reality is that God is there no matter how much we have it together or don't. He is love.

 

Its all about Jesus <3

Rich Froning "First"

I just finished Rich Froning's new book "First"

It was an awesome read! If you are not familiar with who Rich Froning is, he is the two time CrossFit champion and named to be the fittest man on earth. He won the CrossFit Games the past two years (2011 & 2012). He is not only an amazing athlete but he is a christian and has decided to share about who he is and how CrossFit has impacted his life not only physically but spiritually. I think it's amazing how he wants to use this peak of his life to glory God in any way possible. It is a constant prayer of mine as well, which is why I respect him as an athlete. I truly enjoyed this read as it was easy to relate to a lot of the things he talked about both as a CrossFitter and as a christian. I highly recommend this book- especially to CrossFitters! You will get pumped to read what was going through his head during the games and what kept him moving. You'll also find encouragement in his words about his faith in Christ and how that has shaped him to become a better man and athlete. 

Breakfast Acorn Squash

I got the idea from PALEOMG but just made it my own. I get a lot of people who ask me where I get my recipes. I used to follow recipes exactly for what they were but these days I kind of just get ideas and create them myself. It is a fun thing to do - especially when your creations come out delicious! 

Ingredients:

Acorn Squash (You would only use 1/2) 

1 Egg

2-3 slices of Bacon 

Cheese (optional) 

Method:

-Cut your acorn squash in half, remove the seeds and add a bit of olive oil. Bake face down on a baking sheet for about 45-60 minutes at 375 degrees. (I did this the night before so in the morning it would just need to reheat) 

-Cook your Bacon in a pan. Once it is cooked, add in the filling of the acorn squash and cook together. 

- Stuff the Acorn squash bowl with the bacon/squash filling. 

- Crack an egg over the top and add cheese if you would like. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the egg is cooked to your liking. 

Very tasty!! It's a different kind of breakfast which is nice sometimes :) 

Coconut Fried Paleo Chicken

I was craving fried chicken which doesn't happen often. I really do not crave fried food. Maybe fries but that is about it. I came across a paleo recipe for fried chicken using coconut flour and flakes. This is not the recipe I saw but I just winged it and did what I thought would work and be good using the ingredients in my pantry. It turned out awesome and the entire house smelt amazing!! 

Ingredients:
Chicken Breast
Coconut Flour
Coconut Milk
Coconut Flakes 
Coconut Oil 

Method:
- Melt some coconut oil in a pan 
- Dip your chicken in a bowl of coconut milk (just enough to get it moist) 
- Then dip it in a bowl of coconut flour (again just enough to cover it) 
- Dip the coconut flower covered chicken once more in the coconut milk
- Then dip the chicken in a bowl of coconut flakes for the crispy outer layer. 
- Fry on medium heat on your skillet 

**These ingredients are not the cheapest so I tried to conserve. Don't be frugal. A small amount goes a long way** 

Simple Paleo Pancakes!

I've tried a couple of different recipes this week. Lately I've been pretty basic with my food. I eat an omelet 1-2 times a day and I never get sick of it. I found this recipe online for paleo pancakes and it was so simple so I decided to give it a shot. The ingredients are so basic I can't believe how good these pancakes came out to be! I typically stay away from pancakes because they either 1) have almond meal and I do not do well with nuts or 2) have a ton of random ingredients that I don't normally have in my pantry when I get the craving for a pancake. 

Ingredients: (Makes 2 Pancakes) 
1 Egg
1 Banana 
Salt
Cinnamon
Vanilla 

Method:
- Mash banana with a fork
- Add egg and blend in a bit of salt, cinnamon and vanilla 
- Fry in a pan with grass fed butter 

** It cooks a bit differently than a normal pancake so just give it time before you flip it or it will turn into a mush pile* 

PR's Today!!

I hit two more PR's today! I still was not able to PR on my strict press though. I'm not sure what it is about that lift but I never seem to PR on that.. I'm going to make more of an effort to practice that lift on my own so in a couple months I can actually pass up my personal record! 

Dinner last night- PALEO Yummness... 

My Sweet Tooth Sherbet!

I was having a sweet tooth moment at work and instead of going for the candy jar I decided to use what I had in the freezer. I always have frozen bananas and strawberries for shakes. I took a half of a frozen banana and 3 frozen strawberries and stuck them in my magic bullet with a bit of water. I had to add more and more water to get the consistency right (very small amounts). It turned out awesome! I'm a girl who loves ice cream so this was a nice little treat and a healthy one! Plus it's under 100 calories.. :) 

Ingredients: 
1/2 Frozen Banana
3 Frozen Strawberries 
Water (adding in small increments) 

Method:
Stick it in a blender (I use a magic bullet) and pulse until it reaches an icy consistency. 

*Don't add too much water or it will ruin it- best to go in small amounts at a time to be safe- I added a bit about 3-4 times before I got the right consistency** 

Refreshing!! :)

Baked Salmon

I'm not a huge seafood fan but I know it is healthy and I have a feeling that if I just give it a shot I might like it. I tried Salmon the other night at blue sushi and I liked it so I decided to try cooking it at home. I got this recipe from a friend - it was so simple it was ridiculous.. 

Ingredients:

3 Pounds of Salmon Fillets 

2 Tablespoons of Grass-Fed Butter

1/8 Cup Capers

1 Lemon Sliced 

Salt and Pepper to taste 

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the salmon under cool water and pat dry. Poor melted butter over the fillets on the baking dish/pan. Sprinkle them with capers and place lemon slices on top. Salt and pepper the fillets and bake the salmon for 15 minutes per pound. Serve with fresh greens... :) 

Chicken Sausage && Veggies over Spaghetti Squash

New Recipe I just whipped together the other night. So tasty and so easy! 

Ingredients: 

(note: The ingredients are just estimates... just add or remove according to your liking)

Pack of organic chicken sausage

1 Green Pepper

1 Orange pepper

1/2 Onion 

1 Can of Diced Tomatoes 

2-3 Tablespoons of Pesto **KEY Ingredient**

1 Spaghetti Squash 

SPICES:

Minced Garlic

Chili Powder

Onion Powder

Oregano 

Salt/Pepper

Olive Oil

Method:

1- Heat Oven at 350 degrees, cut your spaghetti squash in half and bake for an hour or so... Take a fork and pit out the spaghetti squash (remove seeds as you do this) if it needs a bit more time just stick it back in for another 15 min or so... 

2- Cut up the sausage in chunks and heat over a skillet with olive oil. Cut up peppers and onions in strips and heat over olive oil and minced garlic in a separate pan. When the sausage has basically cooked through add the the cooked peppers and onions to that pan and also add a the can of diced tomatoes. Saute everything together and add spices. Cook on medium heat for a at least 20-30 minutes or until your spaghetti squash is ready. Add the pesto the last 3-5 minutes before serving. Serve over the cooked spaghetti squash. Wah lah! Easy Yumness... 

New PR's!

I hit two new personal records last night. I've only been lifting for a little over a year now and I wish I would have started a long time ago. I love weight training! A lot of women get discouraged or weirded out to lift but I'll be honest and say that I love being strong and I want to get stronger! 

Studyin Galatians

I'm going through Galatians slowly on my own and just studying it for what it is. I've never studied a book in the bible intricately on my own before. I have through sermons and studies with groups etc. I'm not a bible scholar. I've not gone to bible school for this so of course I'm sure I may be missing quite a few things but it's always awesome to see what the Lord opens my eyes to. 

Galatians Chapter 1 Versus 1 & 2

1- Paul, an apostle- sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead. 2- and all the brothers and sisters with me, To the churches in Galatia. 

Paul is identified as an apostle here which is a chosen follower of Christ. If you are not familiar with who Paul is and how he was chosen by God, you can find his transformation story in Acts Chapter 9. I love the fact that God chose Paul to be an apostle and used him drastically in the spreading of the news of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote almost half of the new testament (13 out of 27 books). Before he met Christ, he was nothing but a sinner in this world heading straight for eternal destruction. He was a murderer and of Christians for that matter. It still astonishes me that God used an unwilling man to further and better his kingdom. Just stopping for a second and thinking about that gives me the chills.. That is one of my favorite things about the Lord is he chooses to use us for his good even we are unwilling or even with little or no desire to be used. This is a great example of not only his power to be able to transform a heart instantly but also a direct reflection of his heart as he doesn't look upon us with hatred and worthlessness but with love and value to himself. He wants to rescue us and wants us to come to him and allow him to change our hearts. I do not believe that love ever stops. He loves his people in whom he created. He wants our attention and wants us to reach our full potential as his creation. Ephesians 1:4 says, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." Even though we are sinners God will continue to transform our hearts to be like his- which is how he created us to be. The next part says that he was not sent from men or by man but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead. I think this is a good imagery of the trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). Since God the Father, raised Jesus Christ from the dead we are now able to have the Holy Spirit working in us as a transformer and mediator. The holy spirit is what works in and through us to guide and direct us as well as change us internally. In verse two he says "and all the brothers and sisters with me, to the churches in Galatia" he is speaking of all the men and women who share in the acceptance and joy of the gospel that is Jesus Christ. He is writing this book in particular to the churches in Galatia. 

Regarding the Churches of Galatia in this time:

"His readers knew the gospel. Yet they had willingly accepted a false gospel of human effort. So Paul looked in some detail at what the law can and cannot do. It cannot save. It cannot bring righteousness. It cannot provide any power at all, just a list of dos and don'ts. Only the Holy Spirit provides the power to keep the law." - quoted directly from my Zondervan bible. 

It's crazy to think how even as Christians we still struggle with this mind set at times. We don't always get it that it's by grace that we have been saved. There is absolutely nothing we can do to win God's favor. We just need to rest in the truth that it's by his love and grace alone that we are able to have a relationship with him and be a part of his eternal promise. I'm just humbled by the fact that God chooses to love me each day no matter how much of a sucky daughter I am. His love will never fail us. 

Paleo Coconut Flour Brownies

Paleo Coconut Flour Brownies

Found this recipe online- there are so many paleo brownie recipes and this one is pretty decent. I like how there are no nuts or almond meal required too. Easy Peasy Paleo!


Ingredients: 
1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cacao Powder
4 Eggs 
1/2 Cup Natural Honey
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/3 Cup Melted Butter or Coconut Oil 

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and begin by whisking the coconut flour and cacao powder together.
2) Whisk eggs, honey, melted butter (or coconut oil), and vanilla together until smooth
3) Mix the dry and wet ingredients together.
4) Place parchment paper in pan or oil with coconut oil. Spread batter evenly throughout the pan and bake for 20- minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
                                Cut into squares and serve.

Keep that BA Mentality!

Its crazy how discouraged we get at times about things. I'd have to say I get discouraged quite a bit when it comes to getting fit/healthier/losing weight. I mean it's been an ongoing issue my entire life. I've always struggled with it and sometimes I feel like I will absolutely never reach my goals at all. In reality though I try to constantly remind myself that I'm 23 years old and have soaked in unhealthy and bad habits for at least 21 of those years and I cannot fix these habits overnight or over a few months. I started being more "health conscious  about 2-3 years ago when I started long distance running. Those were the days of canning the soda habit and trying to drink water instead. Also trying to eat more greens rather than grains etc.. you know, the basics. 

Though my choices were better they are no where near where I am today and that is what I need to think about when I get discouraged. Yes I may not have lost all of the weight I've wanted to but I'm a heck of a lot stronger, faster and healthier than I've been in my entire life. I have about 12 or so pounds or so of weight I would really like to lose and I believe I will get there in due time. I have really gotten more strict on my eating and training in the past four or so months so I can't wait to see where I am even just a year from now. I've transformed my eating and cooking habits to follow the paleo diet as closely as possible and I've loved the journey so far. The food is amazing and it is also fun to see other people notice the results and want to make the same habit changes. That makes it all the more worth it since there are so many people close to me who have the same problems I did/have. I always try to have the mentality of being an example to others. Maybe that is the teacher side in me but let's face it- you are what you eat and you are who you hang out with. That makes me think not about the people I'm hangin with as much as the person I am. Am I bettering the people around me? Am I encouraging them? I only hope so. 

When I get discouraged I also like to look to some pretty Bad A$$ chicks for motivation. When I look at healthy crossfit girls like this I remind myself that there is no way I could ever look like that eating crap. They may not be perfect and they still may have cheat days and all but overall those are healthy people! People I look to for encouragement and motivation. 

Far fetched maybe but where is the challenge when aiming for the attainable? 

KEEP THAT B-A MENTALITY!

Just Me Blabbing...

Looking around my house trying to picture the next year to two years is starting to scare me. I look around at all my things I've acquired throughout the years. I've been on my own since I was barely 18 and have always felt as if I was in control and independent so to speak.. the first half of the years on my own were horrible and difficult while the last half so far have been absolutely great. As I always say, God has blessed me greatly- more than I deserve. But I think he pushing me in a direction that not only scares me but is basically requiring me to just rely on him and his plan for me. I'm always praying to the Lord asking for his will to be done in my life and for him to show me the direction he wants me to go, but if i'm at all honest, my feet don't move as fast as they probably should after I pray these prayers. It is very hard for me to make major decisions in my life- not that I do not want to but I guess sometimes I get a bit scared with the "not knowing"- probably makes me sound a bit boring with no adventure at all. In my defense.. I have plenty of adventure.. I just like to be smart about it if that makes sense..lol

 I'll admit, I definitely need to practice "letting go and letting God" more and I really truly think that over the next year he is going to be making me be more like that. I'm nearly 24 years old and sometimes I feel way older. I feel as if i'm set in this life somehow- this comfortable living of work, school, play, repeat. Nothing wrong with that of course but I think the Lord is nudging that it's time for a change. It's time for adventure. It's time to let go and "go with the flow" for once. It's time for new memories, new experiences, new phases. And I think he is right.

As I've stated before in my other posts, i'm a big journal-er  I love to write about my random thoughts even if no one is reading. It helps me think and evaluate my life and myself. It somewhat slows me down to reality and gets my focus in line. As I stair at my book shelf I have several old journals I have written in just over the past 6 years. I dare not open and read them afraid some crazy stuff might fly out of there... I've walked down some heavy roads, dark ones- emotionally. I look back and feel as if i'm in another lifetime sometimes. Like those pages are just a story i'm reading. Like that was never my life before. I never thought or felt those things- those things never happened to me. But they did. They may not be a part of my life now but they are a direct reason of why I am who I am right now. 

For the longest time I felt as if I was going down down down.. then the Lord came in and lifted me up and brought me higher than I could ever imagine. These days - I feel as if i'm just soaring through life trying to get through school which is one of my main focuses right now for myself. I do complain yet in reality I have nothing to complain about. I have a home, nice things, a job, a great big family whom I love, friendships that I know will be everlasting and good health along with many other things. One of my favorite pastors - Matt Chandler once said "If your not coming out of a storm or currently in one, get ready because your heading for one". ((PURE WISDOM!!-love it!)) - Because it is so true isn't it? And right now I'd have to say, i'm past a storm, i'm not currently in one so I know there is one ahead. So how do I- me prepare for this storm? It's not do what I have been doing which is- not reading my bible which is filled with amazing truth and real armor of protection for the mind and heart. No I need to be clinging to the cross, clinging to the word and saturating myself in it's truth so that when this storm arises I will be ready to withstand it- however long it lasts. 

Maybe this storm isn't in the near future and i'll be here soaring for  while longer.. whatever it may be- I need to learn how to trust the Lord and rely on him for direction in my life instead of trying to create a comfortable nest for myself. That is exactly what I believe the Lord is up to. If I wont move voluntarily he's going to make me- because he is in control and he knows best. So I sit here yes very scared of the unknown and how different life is going to look. But like I said before- I'm overly blessed because I have an amazing navigator- Even though I have absolutely no idea where i'm going and what i'll be doing- he does and he will never ever navigate me in the wrong direction- he will never send me somewhere without him being there with me and he will never put me in a place without fully equipping me with the abilities to follow through. I may be weak, but he is strong- I may not have this, but He does. Man oh man am I glad he does..