Weathering Ground.

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When you weather storms with other people it often times becomes an environment where you develop a deeper intimacy in one capacity or another. There’s friends that have known my husband and I since way back when we were really struggling in our marriage and finding out who we were. There’s friends that were with us […]

Coming into focus…

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Today my sweet friend from Anavista came over to help me understand my A6000 a bit better. Meaning she started from scratch and went over photography 101. You know… important basics like aperture, shutter speed and ISO! She took me through all of the various settings on my camera and just did an overview on […]

Riding Along…

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Hey! So… I’m going to be doing something pretty random and incredible tomorrow. I’m going on a ride along!! In an ambulance. With a buddy that’s a paramedic. WHAT?? WHY?? Well, because I CAN. And because somehow a few months ago when we were all talking about our work and whatnot I somehow probably said something about […]

Launching changes…

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Today via FB live shared the vision of The Encouraging Voice and the changes coming this year. There’s still an incredible amount of details that need to be determined and yet I’m ready to continue getting this going one step at a time.

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it’s coming into focus…

And that’s how life goes, right?

There’s so many things that are “pending,” or “in progress” and yet we still have to keep moving in one way or another. The most important things in life seem to escape us if we don’t put intentional time and effort into them. So here we go!

The Encouraging Voice is going to be launching website changes, process changes, and all sorts of things. I want to connect with you the way that’s best for you and start planning the various aspects of this thing better.

Encouragements. Testimonials. Merch. Social Media. Events. Community Impact.

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the messy office of dreams!

I want this to be interactive and just as much about YOU as it is about me and my steps. It has to be really. This thing has to be about you and me being whatever God has called us to be and do. Stepping up to be faithful and obedient. He’ll take care of all the rest. Whatever we need, however He’ll lead us. By his strength, might and wisdom.

Let me know your reactions and opinions. What’s helpful? What’s not so helpful? What are you doing to follow the dreams God’s put in you?

For now subscribe so you can be a part of these changes and see this come alive in a whole new way. The next steps are planning the changes, details and setting up the launch dates for everything to start happening!

Thank you friend.

Be brave. Be great. Be YOU.

 

The Process in Moving Along…

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Between the three cups of coffee at Panera yesterday evening and great conversations on life over the past three years I could hardly get to sleep last night.

Grateful.

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Just so full of gratefulness with all that God has done in us and through us these past three years and the people in our lives that have invested and risked so much. They didn’t owe us a single thing and yet gave of themselves past such a point that now on this end of it I just can’t imagine my life without what’s happened.

So here I am doing videos now and writing and sharing my life with you. Last year was the launch of this website and blog along with the Facebook page. This year it’s been putting myself out there even farther and making encouraging videos and throwing them up on YouTube and Facebook for all to see.

Guys, I can’t edit and don’t know anything about cameras and lighting and all that jazz. However, I seem to have an abundance of amazing friends that do, and one determined hubby that went for broke and bought me all sorts of goodies and then has been on me every week to see where I’m at.

This January rolled around and I was determined to do this and learn. I tell everyone to “Be Brave!” and go for that thing that God’s put on your heart! So I should follow suit. And you get the privilege of seeing my progress and growth as this thing goes on. I’ve had tears and fits already trying to get this equipment to work (no operator errors of course) and along came February when every one in my fam had a week of sickness and here comes March already. fullsizeoutput_e.jpeg

My friend JD reminded me to just keep making the content. Just keep doing it. You’ll get better as you go along. I know that. All the growth books say that. All the great leaders say that. It’s just hard.

Pastor Jim taught today on pushing through your walls. You never know what you’re truly capable of until you push through and at the end of myself I find my Heavenly Father’s infinite power and grace every time. I want it to be by his power and strength anyhow… not my own.

So it’s coming along. Slowly, but surely, it’s coming. It’ll be fun to look back in another three years I bet. I just can’t even imagine. I would’ve never believed you had you told me this was all coming. So normal and great all twined together. Motherhood. Marriage. Challenges. Grief. Friendships. Business. New Adventures. Missions. Community.

I love how God does exceedingly more than we could ever imagine.

So let’s get going. We can’t outrun God.

But let’s chase after his beautiful glory.

So Grateful for His Faithfulness.

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Today in church, worship wasn’t what I thought it would be. I was wonderfully surprised by the flood of emotions and tears when we began to declare his faithfulness. In these moments where I can’t sing, I just pray. I contend for others in the room, or family or friends or whoever God lays on my heart. I intercede. How do I fully describe all of these things? How do I fully put into words all that he has done for me? All that he is?

I take very seriously, the fact that God tells us to pray and to pray big things! To pray that heaven would come to earth. That his will would be done here just as it is in heaven. I don’t take it lightly, the words that I pray. I’ve learned over the years to step into the authority that God has granted us and his promises towards prayer and faith. And so I prayed…

God breath new life right now! Those that are down and broken, breath new life into their bones, into their hearts and souls. Rise up and stand upon the mercy and promises of God! Oh you that are broken and heavy laden, rise up! Holy Spirit blow through the caverns of our souls. Give us a new heart, give us a new song! I pray that the gates of their hearts would be opened, that they would bravely step through the door, that rivers of living water would pour out, that they would receive your mercy, healing and salvation. 15590212_590410284477113_7951750864563443575_n

I pray in such boldness and find myself coming back to this state of almost of mental wildness. Shouldn’t I be so used to all of this by now? Shouldn’t I be used to not knowing the next steps and just being cool with winging it? Shouldn’t I be so used to God doing miraculous things and his faithfulness that I’m no longer anxious or nervous about tomorrow?

Again and again it goes back to; I can’t do this without Him. I can’t do anything without his word or without his Spirit. None of this will be in my own strength. None of this is even just on me. He’s leading us places and I’m taking the hand of my Father as he guides me. If I have to do this over and over, as I step into these new things, then so be it. It might sound repetitive to you all, but maybe someone out there will find hope and solace in knowing they’re not alone in these daily reminders. The daily choice to rise up and stand upon his truth and promises.

I will rest in your promises
My confidence is your faithfulness
I will rest in your promises
My confidence is your faithfulness
Faithful you are
Faithful forever you will be
Faithful yes you are
All your promises are yes and Amen
There’s a great many things coming. Oh child, arm yourself in his word and his Spirit. Find your guard and shelter in Him. Find your fire and strength in all that he is. Know him more. Know Him and fall in love with him deeper and wider and truer. All of these other things will sort themselves out, but first start with Him.
God, I’m so grateful for all that you’ve done and all that you continue to do. You’ve turned my mourning into dancing and my darkness into light and strength. You are my hope and my joy. You are my pursuer and my redeemer. You’ve brought life back into my bones and breathed a new life in this heart. I ask that whoever is reading this now, would call on you for help and find every good thing from your heart waiting for them. Yes and amen.

2017 is Tricky so Far.

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I still turn around and surprise myself all the time. Time and again I realize that I have this assumption that I’m going to get to a point where I’ve got this ‘life’ thing all figured out. It’s both comical, annoying and not really surprising.

I figure things out, God shows me something new, I learn something about myself and so then I’m like; “Okay, I got this!,” only to turn around and realize I lost it again. Life just gets so tricky. Each new year or season comes with its new level or different type of responsibilities, challenges, and situations. And I didn’t really lose it, it’s just a lot of moving targets. We have a lot on our plates and a lot of areas of our life that we’re growing in (hopefully).

That’s why I know his word says in Matthew, Chapter 6;

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendorwas dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We lose the focus. We forget that it’s about our relationship with our Heavenly Father instead of just running around trying to accomplish all these tasks. Yes, we have some incredibly awesome things to get done. We have been commissioned to do a great many, amazing things! But if doesn’t start with the Father’s Heart, then it’s all for nothing. If we start from the wrong place we’ll get proud, greedy, jealous, all sorts of ugly things will start growing in the garden of our hearts. If we allow ourselves the proximity of being in his heart, then when things don’t settle right or we begin to have the wrong focus we’ll discern it.

So I have some big things I want to accomplish this year. 2017 is supposed to be a year of release! Get launched out into those big beautiful dreams and soar! Except not really. Kind of. He put it on my heart in December that he’s established us here in this new home, freed us of our debts and burdens, to settle us here and be founded. In order to build a truly authentic and impactful business, ministry or whatever it may be, there has to be a strong foundation. 14650477_910032716763_8228108285412353503_n

So what is my foundation? What’s your foundation on?

Jesus. Seek first his kingdom. 

My aunt sent me a book this past fall before all this titled More. It’s about finding your calling and purpose. I’m all excited! Yes! I’m going to finally get this all figured out. I don’t have any more financial excuses anymore. I can run after this thing! Only to read the first half of the book and it’s all about starting with Jesus. Your relationship with Jesus. Honestly, I started getting a little annoyed after the third chapter of this. I’m like, I know, I know, I know. But the Lord was asking me, but do you really?

I’m like my kids. I start giving them directions to do something and they run off before they even hear everything I had to say! Here I am running off excitedly to do these great things and then I get annoyed and surprised that they’re not working. Like, what am I doing wrong? I know how to do this.

It was never about going at it alone. That’s what we try to do. Tell God, I got this. In truth, this was all about you getting to know your incredible Heavenly Father, and in doing so finding yourself. The entire journey is simply the arena that we get to experience all of the vast and infinite measures of his character of who he is. Where we get to grow and become who we were destined to be. It’s a beautiful, hard race.

Lord. Father, keep reminding me of what this is all about. Let me always seek your heart in all that I do. That your name and glory would be known. I can’t save the world. I can’t heal their hearts. But you can. Keep molding me and directing my steps.