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GROW GRATEFUL. Prune Negativty.

GROW GRATEFUL. Prune Negativty.

Gratefulness is an energizing, powerful force that stimulates healthy relationships, wellness, spiritual clarity, emotional stability, and promotes productivity.However, human beings naturally resort to destructive habits like complaining, negative self-talk, criticism, cruelty, quarreling, depression, panic, etc. Each of these habits physically produce erosion. Complaining steals the beauty of…

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Dark, but learning to love myself.

DARK BUT LOVELY

On the eve of my twentieth birthday last year in October, I climbed into bed after a long, “normal” day, but could not slip into dreamland. Then, I heard a sweet whisper from the spirit of God blow through my right ear… I didn’t recognize the faint breeze, until He spoke verbally to my soul, “I’m going to teach you how to love yourself this year…” My breath stilled. I knew it was…

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Camobdia Love: Day 1/Part 1 The Floating City

My first full day in Cambodia involved two grand adventures: 1.) Encountering the floating city 2.) Experiencing shock and redemption in the red light district.

Early in the morning, our team of six eagerly piled into a van with Pastor Bunruth, our Cambodian pastor, friend, and interpreter, and his disciple, our driver. We predicted an hour and a half journey awaited us, but it soon turned into…

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I normally don't post a lot, butttt for all of you who don't know, I love sautéed veggies, fresh fruit, raw juice, and some almond milk honey lattes. Nutrition is one of my passions! Maybe not something I always follow, but when I do, I feel ten times better. Strive to live vibrantly, not just to fit into a pair of pants or so that you can stare at some definition in the mirror (men 😱😉). Working out, being fit and setting goals for your body is good, but don't let it become obsessive. Stay focused on the main thing: living an abundant life & you need a healthy body to do that with. Xoxox 😀 #lunch #indianspice #curryinspired #somefetacheeseyesssssidid #healthy #youreworthit

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Exposing The Woman's Battle For Justice

Exposing The Woman’s Battle For Justice

Africa, May 2014.

I was walking around the crusade in the dark with our team’s videographer. We were searching for perfect angles, timeless shots, and unique lens perspectives. Upon looking, our eyes were drawn to two young children, hovering in the dark. I could imagine their hearts fluttering while their eyes scanned a foreign site: hope.

They observed our movement and began to walk closer to…

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http://wp.me/s3zDLs-donate

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Journey to Ghana: A Dream Soon To Be Reality

Over the past year I have chosen to decline many opportunities to travel to other nations, simply…

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Journal Entry Two: Snow! http://wp.me/s3zDLs-snow

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Many people have asked me to update them on the current adventure I am on & so I have created a blog that will be recording my daily journey; Here it is: journeytosierra.wordpress.com Enjoy! P.S. I love feedback ☀️ #writing #blog #journey #eastcoast #government #community #regent #transition

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Journal Entry One: Transition

Journal Entry One: Transition http://wp.me/s3zDLs-9

It is my desire to update the world about the most current adventure I am on to encourage and inspire your faith, as well as declare the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord!

About two weeks ago on the first of the year, my mother and I boarded a red eye…

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Journal Entry One: Transition

Journal Entry One: Transition http://wp.me/s3zDLs-9

It is my desire to update the world about the most current adventure I am on to encourage and inspire your faith, as well as declare the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord!

About two weeks ago on the first of the year, my mother and I boarded a red eye…

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The reality of impersonal Christianity.

My reflection on the general population of Christians after working at a Christian bookstore for several months. Disclaimer; may be harsh.

Sometimes my heart weeps when all I see is a body of broken believers continually leaving a trail of religious lies, conditional love, and pain from years of misunderstanding and defeat. Instead of bearing fruit for the nations to eat from and healing leaves for the nations to rest under, distortion unfortunately produces Christians that unknowingly leak poison into the earth like an overdue battery that has exploded because it was not durable enough to withstand the climate of it's surroundings. The world seems to have overpowered most.

Christians stand often oppressed by death, pretending to have good intentions. Rather than being dressed in glistening purity and robes of royalty...Pride purchases "normal" adornment and appearance for the sake of hiding the soul's emptiness and blending into the world's surroundings. Emptyness is a beast inside of the soul, furiously devouring the notion of abundant life.

Man ruins God's blessing by becoming the provider himself and conjuring up provision that is alienated from his "I Am" nature. Have our ministers resorted to storytelling rather than testifying? Are the pulpits filled with professional ministers or spirit filled, joy filled, love sick witnesses? Is there mere acting occurring? Are we professing the opportunity to acquire abundant health without truly possessing it personally? Selling cheap grace to audiences that only digs a pit of turmoil because we are disconnected from the source... Such messages create spiritual illness that silently crushes every ounce of hope, molding an individual into a fallen state of defeat instead of into an identity of victory. Instead of greeting the holy spirit of might and power, we are introduced to works that please the eyes of man and justify our salvation such as profession of faith, outreach, ministry (Don't get me wrong, I love endorse all of those things & they certainly do have their place in our lives, however, newborns do not need to be enrolled into an institution of religion- they need the experience, baptism, and teaching of the holy spirit).

The salesman of religion would have been a humble servant if he had met the only creator who is the ultimate transformer. The gospel is not a one dimensional packet, it is the defining moment in history when light and darkness emerged and collided and the only Savior arose in power as the only King with authority over all.

We must determine to be set a part from the world and its enticing marketing and other manipulative systems, especially when it comes to the glorious gospel. I am not a solicitor or salesman of the gospel; I am a representative of Jesus, his personal minister & a holy priest, which means my actions will convict before I speak. My lifestyle will be a testimony of love drawing others to be witnesses of the cross as his goodness and his mercy calls men to repentance. In everything, we must seek divine wisdom and imitate the format of heaven instead of the culture shaped by carnality. Our definition of who we are must be shaped by our position in Christ & our outlook should derive solely from the "above" view in which we have access to since we are seated in heavenly places.

For example, I'm not a politician; But I am an official ambassador enforcing the righteousness of the Kingdom of God in purity of action which is a governing position.

Christian productivity is slow and limited because of a friendly method of works that trained religous Pharisees instead of nurtured the development of sons and daughters into the likeness of their Father in Heaven.

Activity in the kindom would increase if the spirit of God remained the mentor of each newborn introducing them to endless wealth, creative power, and building techniques leading to mighty men peforming mighty exploits. There is only one requirement for greatness: intimate knowledge of God.

There is restoration for the tired and worn sons and daughters,

There is hope for a new wildfire for the lukewarm,

There is anecdote for the unbelieving believer,

Start with the truth; Speak it.

"But you (I) belong to God, my dear children. You (I) have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you (ME) is greater than the spirit who lives in the world." 1 John 4:4

~emphasis added

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Waves, dwell in me.

There are waves inside of me waiting to be released as I wade in the mysteries of the unseen.

His pulse resounds and bellows, forming the beat of each billow that topples over and over tumbling into my heart. His deep calls unto my deep.

Boulders reside like breakers along the shoreline in my encounter, merely to entertain the eyes with the explosiveness of two opposing forces. It is a picture perfect resemblance of the collision between lost humanity suddenly encountering

Abba, whom stands like a Rock in the midst of chaos.

Celebration echoes in the depths of every found soul; silence is foreign to a kingdom of adoration in which every facet of God that is seen reveals more glory and more beauty.

The destiny of adoption calls forth sons into an eternal embrace of identity. Intimate contact with the warmth of the Father reveals the meaning of life.

The sound of his heartbeat calls me home & whispers of heavenly realms; I am my Father's Daughter; within me I hear his voice resounding like an octave of endless JOY. My spirit dances to the rhythm of love while my entire being cries "Holy, Holy, Holy". Everything within is awakened in the deep.

Waves upon waves of glory carrying new paradigms and new revelations are building a temple of purity for the Spirit to abide in.

The sound of revival is flooding my soul like an anthem of hope.

Forever, I will bask in the harmony of revelation, (revelation: sudden acknowledgement and understanding of TRUE identity, referring to sonship, co-heirs of Christ, heavenly ambassadors, spirit being)

Your billows and your waves are roaring and surging the more my soul is yielding.

Let Love R E I G N

Amen

"Deep calls unto deep at the sound of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have rolled over me" Psalm 42:7 <3

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"I AM in YOU to Empower You, says the Holy Spirit

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Raw Leadership, N. Ireland

New revelations of leadership have pierced my heart during the last month as I spend time with an Irish family that is dedicated to reconciling the Catholic and Protestant church in their nation. Kris bower, (although he wouldn't want me to recognize him) has re-defined true apostolic leadership to me. In wisdom, he has laid down his life for the sake of the gospel in every area of his life. Ministry is not a scheduled time slot in his life; rather, he lives, breathes, and moves in the ways of Christ at all times. There is no "break". 

His family of 8 children and one adopted child opened their hearts to my team of missionaries in extravagant ways. He hid us under his fatherly covering while his wife and children loved us sacrificially by giving money (which they did not have), time, hope, and encouragement which sprang from the strength of their deep roots in God. Their simple outlook about living life has gripped my heart and their love for one another has transformed my character. 

This glorious land has unlocked traditional doors in the gospel that I had shut. Tradition in Ireland is the source of all conflict and the source of all purpose and truth. Traveling around Ireland has exposed a part of Jesus I never really was encouraged to explore; his heart that finds tradition beautiful, and necessary. Jesus came to fulfill the law and therefore expounded (explained) tradition and actually increased its value! New life in Ireland, Restoration, and Peace must be built upon history, hardship, triumph, and tradition. Culture must be preserved in order to be enriched! Jesus desires to purify Ireland, not get rid of it's foundation. 

Kris illuminated raw leadership in his morning devotions and daily outpouring of himself. He recognized that "leaders" are in fact dead to self, called to be totally set apart, training & releasing their sheep into wholehearted faith in Jesus Christ. He demonstrates this by sleeping by the door entrance to the halls and churches we stayed in during street evangelism; he reasoned that it was a symbolic act and even a responsibility to be the first  defense against any opposition. His advice is to find a leader that will lay himself down for you, literally, and never let him go for that is Christlike. 

An explosive remark he made was this "I don't believe leaders should have reserved, up front parking; I believe they should park two miles down the road and walk in order to make a way for their 'followers/disciples' to be close'. When did it become biblical to separate leaders in a way that would raise them 'higher' in the sight of man? In actuality, leaders are the least of all, they are the servants of all, they are called to make a way, pour out, and lay down their lives for others! Surely they will be held accountable! Surely, they will be judged stricter!"

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in the appearance as a man, He HUMBLED himself and became OBEDIENT to the point of Death, even the Death of the Cross" Philippians 2:6-8

If Jesus is the perfect model of leadership, the perfect image, the perfect man, then his humility, and lowliness, must be our set goal to imitate. 

My response to his leadership is weeping. My soul has been awakened to the corruption in leadership and the disfigured image of Western Christianity's display of it. 

Jesus, come and teach me; come and teach the church pure ministry. 

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Compass

My comfort, My friend. My longing, my depth.

The force that propels me onward along the wild path, foreign to civilization, and far from domestication. Tameless nature interferes before me, estimation and mere prediction keep me from plunging beyond passion into purpose; insight forewarns my cautious heart.

My desire, my love.

Awaits my choice. Are you here? My soul asks. Are you there? My mind debates. Are you with me, always? My heart silently petitions.

Like hot tea soothes a cold body so does divine confirmation soothe a frazzled, perplexed heart. My beloved answers my silent petitions.   His voice loosens the tension created by the ache of lovesickness. My frame is restored by his word of life.

Truth is sweet like honey. Beauty is dazzling like light. Assurance produces a calming effect like the caressing effect of ocean waves repeatedly gliding over fingertips.

"Since you are with me," whispers my soul, "I will carry on"

For in every moment the breath of God is present

actively resuscitating the power of my innate dreams that compel me onward. Although my heart may lag behind my footsteps and strides, I will not falter. Grace will eventually sync my desires with my dreams; each outward movement will align with my inner beliefs.

Until then, although my faith may experience weakness, I will walk confidently in the unseen and boldly receive the world I create with my speech.

My heart and my head, my feet and my steps will flow like a beautiful stream meditating on one theme: romance between the bride and her king,

Lead me, my Maker. The strength of your shoulders carry me over the hurdles. Your embrace lifts me up and over real boundaries of limitation.

I invite you to come and walk with me in the cool of day, I desire your ways, come and make my path straight.

Jesus, testimony of life.

Flaming purity, your eyes appear as the compass of life

In humility, I gaze upon the author, heeding to heavenly signs of direction; either to continue forward, cease in motion, or suddenly turn right. 

I will wait patiently for you. I am paralyzed until you move, for in you I live and have my being. For in you, my ordained plans unfold like an invitation.

There are times determined for each step; every hour proposes a new appointment with purpose. 

"Hold back!" My thoughts command my heart to remain steady until the door of fulfillment is ready. Prophecy parallels my irregular beat; for my heart awaits what God has predestined to be, if the bride acts accordingly. 

Flaming purity, your eyes appear as the Compass of Life

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