Live. Love. Lead.

     I just finished my 3rd year in an official leadership position. I love it. Every day I experience the cycle of success, defeat, frustration, illumination, exhaustion, second wind, stuckness, alertness, "in my zone", no where near my "comfort zone" and everything (if there's anything left) in between. It's coming to a time when I am getting a lot of questions on what my next move is going to be. Are you ready for the next level?      I struggle with this because I often feel there is much still to be learned in the chapter I am living. I struggle with what the "next level" will require of me? What will it require of the family I seek to have one day? How can I find my rhythm between all the roles I carry?      As a woman who strives to live faithfully to God, I struggle to know how there can be room for public leadership, eventual entrepreneurship, health + fitness, beauty, education, family (when that time comes), and faith? Oh and sle...

     As the new year begins, many of us wonder about what God is calling us to do for His kingdom.  Maybe it's publishing a book. Or launching a business. Or adding a new element to an existing one. Maybe it's starting a Bible study or prayer group where there hasn't been one. Or fully committing to a ministry. Maybe it's working harder by the grace of God to cultivate stronger character in wisdom and kindness. Maybe it's pursuing a new role in your career. Perhaps it's finally pursuing a new relationship or cultivating an existing one. Perhaps it's deciding about a graduate program. Or buying a house. You name it.      It's usually during these times that we beg God for a sign. A sign that will come BEFORE we put ourselves out there. A sign reassuring us we are going in the right direction. A sign verifying that God has indeed called us to the task.      There are times when God shows a miraculous "sign" before  we put ourselves ...

     Faith. Why is it such a difficult word to understand? I have heard the word many times lately and it seems like a common definition of it is to "think hard enough that something will happen." Perhaps that's part of it; but definitely not the entirety.      This morning as I was studying Matthew 15, the Lord struck me with a statement I know I have read dozens of times, "Then Jesus said to her, 'O woman, your faith is great...'"      How did Yeshua know this woman's faith was great? Did other people (the disciples) recognize her for having great faith? What was it about this woman that demonstrated great faith? So I re-read.      According to Matthew 15, this woman approached Yeshua. She was intentional. She asked for mercy. She was humble to know this task was beyond her capabilities. She had all the right ingredients to prayer. But check out vs. 23, "Yeshua did not answer her a word." Wait, I know I have read in the Wo...

     Surely I cannot be the only one who has seriously tried to pray someone out of my life. You know those "thorn in the flesh" kind of people. The kind of people you pray Psalm 35 over like "may their way be slippery..." The kind of people that look for you to fail and when you do (because you're human) they are right there jubilant and ready to remind you of your shortcomings.      Recently, I was studying 1 Samuel 1, which recounts this courageous woman of faith named Hannah. She had one of these kind of people in her life. A hater.  Hannah was barren. Hannah would go to the house of God and be bullied and ridiculed time and time again by Peninnah about her barrenness. This woman made it her aim to poke fun and consistently bring to Hannah's mind that for which she deeply hoped for--a child. This woman threw this in Hannah's face consistently.  I think we all know what that's like at some level.     What was fascinating to me is th...

     Growing up in church, teaching about God's love was limited. I believe, there could have been a fear of speaking about God's love because some thought it might somehow diminish His grandiosity, His otherness, & perhaps make Him too human. Or maybe teaching about His love was limited because we, the humans, could not wrap our minds around it especially in a world that has so misused so rich of a word--love.      I struggle trying to comprehend God's love because my sight is often made cloudy by my sin, my all-too-often smallness of faith, & honestly a perspective that limits who God is because it's so focused on my shortcomings.      Recently, the Lord has been working on my heart specifically regarding His love. It started as I was reading through I John.  John writes "We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us" (4:16). As I read through the entire epistle, I was struck by the notion of "coming to...

     Mission. Purpose. Know your calling. To me, those words and phrases mean something. The fact is, every single one of us want to know why we are here. For, what purpose are we where we are? Then, let's go a step further. I submit that for us to know why we are here (our calling/purpose/mission); we must also be in tune with who we are (our identity). It is the "who" and the "for what" that so often eludes individuals, families, organizations; you name it. So often when we and others are confronted with this question of purpose we say or think things like, "to make the world a better place" or "to leave this earth better than I found it." Those are helpful sayings, but lack the specificity and the uniqueness each of us long to actualize.      As I was thinking about this age-old enigma, I also "happened" to be studying through the book of Judges. One of my all-time favs is the work God did on Gideon. Gideon is such the picture...

     For me, this season has been a long, long, one more time LONG one! There have been many triumphs and also many trials that have taken me by the chin and put my face before the throne of my King. Praise Him for His faithfulness especially in our process of repentance! Our King is kind and faithful! No way, do we deserve to even have audience with Him and yet like the Psalmist states "what is man that You take thought of us?" (Psalm 8:4).      In this season, the Lord has tested my faith...and many times I did not know how much more I could take. In these times of despair, the Spirit prompted me back to the only source of truth, not my feelings, not my grit; but His word; so I re-read Hebrews 11. The portion on Sarah stuck out particularly to me since she was the first woman mentioned as this example of one who hopes and has the assurance of hope even though that hope is not seen. The Word says, "she considered Him..." (Heb. 11:11). She "considered Him...

     This week I have been studying the book of Exodus. This study has refreshed my heart and reinvigorated my passion for seeing God work in ways that have His signature all on them. In Exodus 14, the Children of Israel had just been released from the grip of slavery and were just tasting their new freedom accomplished by God's "outstretched arm". Only a little into their new life free from the chains of Pharoah's whims, they face a trial begging them to enter the slavery of fear again. They see that all of Pharoah's army was coming after them and the Scripture says, "...they were very frightened..." In this crisis of faith, they believed that the "ease" of past slavery was better than the beauty of the promise. And they say it, "...it is better for us to serve Egypt that that we should die in the Wilderness..." The Wilderness was part of their journey to realizing the promise that God made generations before. But, it that moment the...

     For the past couple of weeks I have allowed myself to get blindingly distracted.  Usually, my summer months are times of almost effortless refreshment in the presence of God, feasting on His word and allowing His peace to reign in my heart through prayer.  But, this summer has been a wrestling match...in so many ways.  I have had to get more disciplined in listening for and obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit.  I have to deliberately work at removing the things, situations, and people that I allowed to cloud my view of my Heavenly Father.      In the midst of these weeks, I "happened" to be reading Jeremiah 32.  Here's one message that stood out to me, "To Me they turned their back and not their face..." (Jer. 32:33). After a handful of challenging situations I teetered between doubting God's plan and believing His purpose.  The Holy Spirit convicted me with this statement by saying--"Brandy, stop turning your back to Me...

     "Stop thinking like a loser."  This statement reminds me of the verse that states "You are not the tail; you are the head..." (Deut. 28:13).  So often in the stillness of life's moments the enemy lets loose an array of mental arrows purposed to pierce even the strongest moments of faith. You know what it's like when you are in the regular grind and suddenly accusing thoughts of inadequacy, doubt, fear, and many others try to take over your mental space.  It is truly in these moments where "Finally, brothers whatever is TRUE...think about such things" (Phil. 4:8) must take effect.  In Phillipians 4:8, the first thing Paul encourages us to think about is TRUTH! Yeshua said that the "truth sets us free..." (John 8:32).  The only way to escape the ever-locking chains of negative thoughts that seek to undermine God's workmanship (us) is to think about what is TRUE! Our self-talk must constantly be true words from His word! Imagine con...

     Leadership.  This term has been something that I have struggled with for a few years now.  I can remember being a senior in college playing basketball and the term "leader" made me cringe.  I thought about a player who out-hustled, out-worked everyone and most importantly did not make mistakes.  I thought of a player of perfection; not necessarily one who pursues excellence.  And although, I should know better, even years later as a leader in the work place I am still sometimes plagued with a similar mentality...leaders should equal "mistake free".      This is not nor has ever been the case.  Consider Moses...the man of God who was God's instrument in bringing the people out of Egypt and through the trials of the wilderness.  This man was the quintessential leader.  The leader that knew what is was to face tribulations and triumphs.  Yet, he was a leader who made mistakes...and sometimes really big ones. ...

     This week I was re-reading through the book of Joshua. The message that stood out to me during this challenging and hectic new chapter I am currently living is-- "Joshua conquered...because the Lord God of Israel was waging war..." (Josh. 10:42). God was the one fighting the battles for Joshua and the nation.  At the same time, make no mistake, Joshua and the people had to use their weapons of warfare, strategy, and intentional walking by faith in the will of God in order to achieve what God intended.  There was no "rely and relax" kind of faith.      This week when I confronted situations that initially instigated fear, the Spirit continued to bring this message of God waging war on my behalf, just like He did for the nation of Israel, to mind. This renewed mindset in turn disabled the paralysis of fear and awakened the "fight" in my soul.  This message girded me with such a resolve to aggressively confront and defeat the things that s...

     This whole year of newness has been exactly that...NEW. It feels like it takes me 30 minutes at least to make a decision and even when I do; oh do I waver back and forth and consider other options; as I constantly question, "did I do the right thing?"      Today, our students were testing and many did not go to the right rooms. Instead of trying to see where the confusion happened, the devil began to throw the flaming darts of accusations like not being as prepared as I should be, not communicating as best as I should have, and not being proactive enough. This is not the first time, nor probably the last, where defeat comes clawing at my confidence. When defeat begins to pound at the door of one area; it's soon that other areas reverberate with its cadence too. My heart was heavy with shame and guilt for something that I had somehow taken on myself.  To me I was and am always "on call" so when something does not go smoothly I tend to ache about i...

     Recently, I had decided to read through the gospels again.  How blessed are we to be able to read the Words of our Messiah Yeshua! The other morning I was struck with an encouragement and exhortation that I cannot ignore.  Currently I am in the book of Luke.       The beginning of Luke 18 starts out like this: "He then told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not become discouraged..."  Wow! I could have just camped right there! So often our Heavenly Father gifts us with a "load" to carry that at times feels too heavy.  Daily we confront situations that grant us the humble realization that we are just human and the battles we must fight are beyond the scope of our aptitude. So what do we do?-We pray.  Too often prayer is a last resort when it should always be our first.       Right here in the Scripture that the L-RD graciously preserved for us so that we could be "equipped for ever...

     Lately it seems like so many people I know have been going through some serious challenges.  Challenges with health, family illness, job security, workplace concerns, financial duress, family members passing away, disappointments, and more.  And it does not help when we live in a world that constantly threatens our faith, scorns the G-D we serve, and yet makes ample room for leaders who mishandle our trust. All of these are times in which we toggle between strong faith that G-D has a purpose and then swing back into the notion of complacency asking why even bother trying to live obediently.        We live in a world when at times, we even question ourselves as to why we should follow that old adage of, "Keep your head up!"      This week as I was struggling, asking G-D, "What difference does it make to try and do the right thing; when it always seems that the wrong side is winning?"  This is the verse that I "happen...

     Every year about this time I read the book of Deuteronomy about the children of Israel finally going into the land that God promised. This is the time of year that many are beginning new things as a new school year quickly approaches. And new beginnings often carry with it a unique sense of fear or anxiousness.        When reading Deuteronomy, I cannot help but to think about the constant command that God gives in this passage of "not being afraid." The children of Israel were in a delicate place in Deuteronomy. They had experienced God's provision in the wilderness and seen the results of refusing to live life believing that God works for our benefit. But, where God was calling them to was a huge challenge. There were giants in the land, there were a lot of people who would need to be conquered, and so much more. There was the potential for a huge crisis of faith here. So it appears that Moses works really hard to make sure the people remember w...

   Our culture thrives on making us, especially women "second guess" ourselves. We "second guess" our upbringing, our choice of career, our looks, and so much more. We look back and often think, "Oh maybe I should have...?"     This past week, as I was reading Genesis 19, I was hit with this thought--do not be a woman who looks back. Here's the story from the Word-- the L-RD is destroying Sodom and Gomorrah. G-D's protecting angels told Lot to hurry and get out of the place and do not look back. As the divine annihilation is happening, "Lot's wife looked back and she turned into a pillar of salt." She looked back to a place that G-D had taken her out of. She forfeited her opportunity to completely fulfill the potential G-D had given her because she "looked back." Looking back inhibits our ability to freely live in the protective shadow of the Almighty.      How often have we been obedient to G-D in leaving a place t...

     It's amazes me how much our confidence and faith in the L-RD grows when we spend time with Him, listen to Him, and seek His face. It's equally intriguing how we can also so quickly see the challenges ahead and focus our attention on them instead of Him.      In Numbers 13, and again in chapter 32, there is an example of this scenario. "They went up...saw the Land and they dissuaded the hearts" (Numbers 32:6). This is the story of the spies who went to look at the Land; the amazing promise of G-D. Ten of them saw the greatness of the gift, but found it difficult to see the ability of the Giver. Nevertheless Joshua and Caleb's (the other two) hearts remained steadfast in HaShem's promise.      How often do we fall into the category of the ten spies? Many times we analyze G-D's ability through the lenses of our incapabilities.           He sees His hand of provisi...