Live. Love. Lead.

     We have all said it, "But, I can just get a little more done."  We've said it to the neglect of our lunch, restroom break, fitness, family and our faith.  It happens in those times of crisis where we feel stuck between the choice of accomplishing one more task on the never-ending "to do" list or completing a life-time task on the "must be" list.  I am one of those folks with an insatiable appetite for excellence in everything that I do.  I am also one of those that can easily stay fueled on adrenaline and passion; instead of water and a hearty lunch.  This year has been especially challenging with an ever-climbing list of responsibilities and commitments.  I do not think there is a secret "sauce" to getting it all done; but I do think there is a disciplined practice to assessing the true value of things by God's standards and not our own self-critique or others' expectations.      It's simple and we have heard it time and...

     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...

     Currently, I am on a journey of shifting priorities so that my lifestyle can be more catered to and for my family.  Yes, as a single woman I am shifting my priorities and practices to prepare for my future family.  Talk about some faith...I am not even dating anyone so the prospect of family is a hazy dream at best and definitely a journey of trusting that God can and will provide.      So, why would I try to discipline myself in matters of time, finances, fitness, health, spending time with God, and career when God's timeline for when my family begins is a complete mystery to me?  One answer...Proverbs 31:12.      This verse reminds me of my "why."  It reminds me of why I work hard, by His grace, to discipline myself in matters that will assuredly impact my family in ways that right now I cannot even imagine.  This verse reminds me of the type of woman I am pursuing to be and in so doing I am becoming it. ...

     How to get a slimmer waist.  How to get the bubble butt.  Make him fall madly in love with you.  Hot body moves.  Make any man better in bed.  Toned Legs.  Get better hair.  8 hour diet.  Get the best abs ever.  These are just a few promises of popular magazines justified with the physical evidence of women with: flawless skin, perfect smiles, flowing hair, matching make-up, killer wardrobes, perfectly toned everything, confident eyes, bodies, beauty and attitude that would make most men crazy and most women feel just a little (maybe a lot) more body/hair/looks conscious.  Trust me, I am not anti-self improvement (I'm on a better fitness training regime now); but I am anti-self-evaluation based on a standard that finds its substance in subjective desires. So with that said... Dear Beauty Magazines,      The next time you are in the board room perhaps considering what new, exciting, innovative cover...

     Guaranteed success?--Who does not want to walk into every meeting, event, date, relationship, etc with the mindset of "I KNOW I've got this!"      For this post success is defined as the "accomplishment of a purpose" (Google) and I would suggest "the accomplishment of His purpose."      I have recently been meditating on Numbers 13 & 14.  The quick context is God is about to take the Children of Israel into His promise.  They had been victorious over slavery and were beginning to find their freedom.  They were experiencing a physical manifestation of God's leading with the pillar of fire and cloud.  Now, God was positioning them to fully embrace His promise of the land.  The spies came back with a bad report, with the exception of two, that accentuated all the reasons why the people would not be successful in this venture.      Then Caleb speaks up, "Do not rebel against the Lord! You should...

     "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...

     This year for me as a rookie leader was great and tough all at the same time.  One of the areas I wish to do better in is slowing down and investing all my heart in quieting the noise and hearing God's voice.  My goal is to create sacred spaces where I refuse to allow interrupting thoughts a foothold in my mind.      Lately, I have been pursuing a dream that I have had from a young age.  As I struggle between whether I should invest time and money into something that is not so "safe" I have been reading the book of Judges.  One of my favorite passages is about Gideon hearing God's voice in the overwhelming currents of fear.  The first time Judges records that God spoke to Gideon and Gideon heard His voice was when the Angel of the Lord came to Gideon.  Gideon was threshing wheat in the wine vat because there was fear the Midianites might take the wheat (Judges 6:1-12).  The first thing God tells Gideon was an affirma...