A New Season

It truly has been a long time since I posted on here.

I have been in a season where I have been silent.  A season where I was rediscovering myself.

The silence I have been enduring is definitely from the enemy.  He's been whispering in my ear saying I'm not qualified to do the things I want to do, amongst other lies he has been inputting into my mind.  It has been a roller coaster in my mind for a LONG time.  During this summer's revival meetings for our church, the Lord has been slowly reminding of how much He loves me.  He's been reminding me that He sees everything thing I do and telling me that He is proud of me.  A couple of months ago I was praying with some precious people in my life and the Lord set me free from past hurts and rejection that I have dealt with for years.  It was such a wonderful feeling.  The following day, I experienced more freedom when the Lord reminded me that I was still trying to please MAN.   (I had gotten upset about something so stupid and I was asking God why I was upset.  He said gently that I was trying pleasing man and not Him).

The mind is where the battle takes place behind the scenes.  We all know this... so many people deal with this issue.  It's absolutely ridiculous and we MUST TAKE CONTROL OVER THE LIES OF THE ENEMY.

I truly know that Sean and I are walking into a new season for our marriage.  This new season is part of our destiny.  One thing that I am going to share has been weighing on my heart to read again.  It's one of those things that you are so glad you highlighted in a book.  I love that God is doing something great in us because what I'm about to share just burns inside me so much.

What makes a bride a bride is that she knows that she stands utterly alone in the eyes of her beloved.  She knows that she is the unique one and the favorite of her husband.  This is why it is so crucial that each heart goes on a personal journey of bridal love.  We each have to stand alone within the fire of His gaze and allow His affections to be deeply personal.  We have to know and feel like the favorite of the Lord, standing utterly alone in His narrow gaze of desire.
   Deep Unto Deep by Dana Candler

I love this paragraph from this book.  It's one of my favorite books to read.  It reminds me of how much our God loves us.  I long to be His bride and I long to see His eyes.  I'm so excited for this new season for Sean and I to be more of one unit and be a bride for our Beloved.  God is so good.  It's time to not be silent.  It's time to be loud with our love and loud with our actions for Jesus.  It's a new season of making His name famous.

Inheritance

Last Friday was Sean's birthday! He is now 30!  We went to Ruth's Chris for dinner and enjoyed some amazing food!  They also gave him free dessert for his birthday.

On Saturday, we went to a friend's house and celebrated his birthday with some of our closest friends here in Fort Myers.  These people have truly become our family and it was a beautiful day to celebrate Sean's life with them.  I found this idea for his cake online.  Sean's favorite cake is Red Velvet.  So our friend Robyn, who owns Heavenly Sweetz by Robyn, made his favorite cake and added regular M&M's in the center.  It was delicious!  Make sure to get her for your next party!

One thing Sean truly wanted for his birthday was to have those who pour into him on a regular basis pray over him.  On Sunday, we were able to do that.  It was such a sweet, sweet blessing.  This year is going to be an incredible year for him and I am so honored to stand along side of him as his wife.

The reason why this post is titled "Inheritance" is because in the Jewish culture when Jesus was walking the earth, at the age of 30 is when the first born receives his inheritance from his father.  The time comes for the son to take over the family business/inherit the trade of his father.  We strongly believe that Sean is receiving his inheritance this year.  We can't wait to see what will happen in our lives!

Last but NOT least!!  My little brother and Sean share the same birthday.  This guy turned 12!!  It's crazy to see how much he has grown!  He also loves his long hair!  I'm so proud of this kid.  He is so smart and I know he is going to do some amazing things with the knowledge that God has given him.

Preparation

So it's been a while since I have given an update.  Honestly, I don't have the time to always write it down!  So much is going on and I'm trying to keep up!

Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.  Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it.  Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my door.  For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord.

  - Proverbs 8:32-35 (NIV)

One thing that has been going on with Sean and I is that we have felt God truly put this in our heart.  Sean and I had a conversation about a month ago on how we want to be healthier (we've had this convo multiple times).  This conversation was different though.  We have friends who are also aligning their bodies & their hearts to what the Lord wants for us.  We had the conversation of "what if"... 

"What if something catastrophic happened to our world?  Would we be ready?"  

Our answer was no at the time.  

Our answer is still no at this present time but we are starting to prepare ourselves for the "what if" and "what could" happen in the future.  The Bible prophecies these things and we believe we are in the last days.  We no longer have time to be slumber and be so drunk in the worldly things that we cannot even see what is happening in the spiritual realm. 

With this being our conversation on that day, we decided to find a new gym that has classes to take rather than just working out on our own.  We found a gym that does crossfit, bootcamp, and strike zone.  This is the perfect solution for us!  Sean can do crossfit and I could do bootcamp.  Sean has been wanting to do crossfit for a few years now and I finally caved in and decided that I will do it with him.  We have completed our intro classes and today we did our first crossfire class this morning.  It was a great first class as well.  The best part was that one of the owners taught our class and he really focuses on form and technique.  I look forward to doing more and getting stronger.

We are in a time to no longer be lazy.  We must get ready for what's to come.  We must follow the instructions of the Lord.  The Lord is pressing our hearts to get ready for Him, to get ready for His will for our lives.  I want wisdom and I want to be blessed because I listened to the Words of the Lord.

We have also been changing our diet slowly so that we don't get burnt out so quickly.  One of my favorite things I enjoy making is smoothies!  I love my smoothies!  They are so filling to me and I love just sipping on them throughout the morning for my breakfast.  The one pictured below has become a favorite recipe of mine.  It's a banana, peanut butter smoothie.  It's full of protein which is so good to have after working out.  Protein helps repair your muscles after working out.  Don't worry, I am not the person that will be a health expert and I don't plan on being that.  It's just a great journey that Sean and I have started.

 

Valentine's Day weekend

So I'm late on the Valentine's Day post but oh well!  Valentine's day weekend was great.  I got to go to Miami for the first time and walk on South Beach.. and unfortunately, I did not see any celebrity.  ha!

But I did get to see Bethel Music in Miami and I don't think I could have given myself a better reason to go to Miami other than for this.  Sean and I have been wanting to see Bethel for a while now so we took the opportunity to go.  It was great too.  We got to just soak in the Lord's presence that night along with other people in Miami.  It was great to see what Bethel wants to do with their music.  Their heart is so pure and they long to see God everywhere they go by raising up His children.  Here are some photos from the Worship Night.

Paul McClure

First Band of the night

Kalley Heiligenthal

Stephany Gretzinger

Amanda Cook

On Valentine's day, we went downtown towards South beach.  So I acted like a tourist in the car taking a bunch of photos of the buildings... it's just something I do...

                                    

We also walked up and down Lincoln Road.  My favorite part of the day was hearing Sean's stories of where ministry used to be and what all they did with the Bible School.  It was great to hear it. 

We only went into this store on Lincoln Rd because of the industrial look. The store was too expensive for me.

Loved these antique sewing machines.  All the walls were covered in them.

On South Beach!

The water was so clear!  It was beautiful!

                                     

The gentleman in the background goes by Apache. He's homeless on South Beach. Holy Spirit told Sean to give our leftover pizza away after lunch. We gave it to a homeless couple who then later gave it to Apache & his friend. He summoned us over to him to make me this beautiful rose out of a palm leaf for V-day. We started talking more & he kept saying 'cool beans.' That confirmed in Sean's spirit to keep talking with him since he says that all the time. After hearing Apache's heart for the people in this world, Sean prayed for him, prophesied over him, then he gave his heart to Jesus. Apache also LOVED Sean's shirt so much that Sean gave it to him. Needless to say, today has been a great Valentine's Day

The Dropbox Film

Last night I went to see the movie, The Dropbox Film.  I went with a lovely lady from church who has adopted children.  She knows mine and Sean's heart for adoption and I knew this would be good for us to go see together.

This movie, literally wrecked me.  My heart is so full with happiness and brokenness.  This man, Pastor Lee, has literally laid his life down to care for these children he has adopted and for the ones that come in daily through the baby box.  Yes, babies come almost daily to this man's home.

I did not realize how bad it is for women who are unwed to get pregnant, especially minors.  Most babies that get put in the baby box have mothers who are TEENAGE GIRLS and cannot take care of them alone.  Their families will not help raise the child; it's either abort the child or abandoning the child on the streets of Seoul.  Most babies have been abandoned on the streets and this pastor has provided an option to give them up so these babies can be adopted.  It is a great thing that this man is doing.  There is some controversy over this baby box, which I do understand why, however, I believe this is a great alternative to bring Life in this world.

Pastor Lee says every child that comes into the home has a purpose.  Most of the babies he has adopted have special needs and have to be cared for.  He prays over child and thanks God for saving their life.  Seriously, how amazing is this?!

We need to wake up.  Our society needs to be willing to be transparent and open their homes to these children who have been abandoned by their families.  Now is the time to take care of the orphans and the widows (James 1:27).  We can no longer wait for someone else to take care of it.  It's our time to get over ourselves.  It's time to give our time with a servant's heart.  

One of my favorite things about this movie is how the director of the file, Brian Ivie, found his identity in Christ.  It was an amazing gift of how God orchestrated this.  I have posted the link to his interview of how this film came together.  

Brian Ivie's Story


I have more things to say regarding this but I don't have the words yet to write down at this moment.  I can't wait for this film to be out in stores and share it everyone I know.

Happy 30!

Happy birthday to my sister! She is now in adulthood! Haha! 😜

Take us further

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever you would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior

                                      Oceans by Hillsong United

This past week was our first Holy Ghost Meetings of 2015 at Light.  It was a great week of meetings.  I was able to just rest in the presence of the Lord during this time.  I mainly work all of our services since Sean is over our Media department and I help out wherever I need to with him.  On Saturday night, Sean and I made a point to actually sit and be a part of the service.  We did not volunteer to help with anything, we just sat and soaked in the presence of the Lord.  

Our church has been singing the bridge to the song called Oceans for over a year now.  I believe we have sung it before it became a huge hit on mainstream Christian radio, who has ran it to the ground (my personal opinion).  Anyways, I have become somewhat numb to this song since it has been over-played everywhere but whenever we sing in our services, it's like God always makes it a love song to our congregation.  I love it.  It's a cry from our heart to take us further in our walk with the Lord.

We sang the bridge this past Saturday night and God just revealed something to me as I was singing this.  He revealed to me that Sean &  I have started this path.  We are walking in this right now.  HE has revealed to me that His trust has no borders; He has called me to a place where I would have never imagined to be; He has taken me to a deeper place; my faith has been tested, therefore, it has been made stronger.

It's so crazy how everything changes when God is in control.  I mean EVERYTHING too.  God has completely changed my mind on so many things since I have lived in Florida.  Yes, I still prefer Alabama seasons, but I cannot imagine Sean and I still living there with what God has called us to do.  God has provided Sean & I a family to be a part of here and when He finally revealed those people to us, life here has been so much better.  The waiting is long & torturous (that's how I felt)  sometimes but it's worth going through. 

So, I encourage you to not despise the wilderness.  The time in the wilderness is good to learn what God wants us to know.  We must try to listen for His voice and understand what His Word says.  I encourage to not despise the waiting period.  Learn to be content where God has you in the season you are in. 

No Longer a Slave

loving this song right now.  It just reminds that I am a child of the one true God and my identity is in Him. 

Quote for thought

How true is this statement. I challenge you to pay attention to what you think.  It determines everything around you.

Anticipation

There is an anticipation in the atmosphere.  I can feel a shift coming soon.  I can't say what it is, since I don't know, but something is going to happen this year.  It's going to be good too.  God has been revealing himself more and more to Sean and me.  He is reminding us and guiding us back to how we once worshiped separately, and stirring and instilling it back into us as a married couple.

At the end of last year, God started to shift some things in our life.  He started to place people in our path to form a family.  Sean and I do not really have family that are close to us (closest family is at least 1.5hr away).  It has been amazing to see God orchestrate this and I love every person who is in our family here in Fort Myers.  He is starting to unify us as one body and it is only going to grow from here. 

I can't wait to see what God is going to do this year.. 2015.

Authentic Living

"Living authentically is a journey of remembrance, acknowledging that we are powerful spiritual beings... to remember this truth; we need to move away from our mind's incessant chatter, and move directly into our hearts.  This is the quiet space of our true essence, our knowing.  Aligning our heart with the heart of God allows us to be in touch with our spirit.  Each day we can request to see ourselves as God sees us, in all of our perfection, without judgement or expectations.  We are no ordinary beings.  We are powerful spirits destined to remember our greatness, our divine connection.  It is time to remove the blocks.  It is time to remember."

- Kay Nuyens, Author

Lord, I pray we learn to align our hearts with Your heart so that we may do Your will.

hello 2015!

I really hope everyone enjoyed their holiday season!  I know it was busy for most but I hope most of you were able to take the time to just relax and spend time with family and friends. 

Sean and I were busy for most of the season with church related events and it was really nice to get away for Thanksgiving to Birmingham.  It was also nice to relax with his family over Christmas. 

One thing I like about the New Year (besides the cold) is that I get the time to relax and really think about how the year went for me.  I think of the good and the really bad parts of the year.  Yes, there are some things I think I would have liked to have done differently (don't we all?) but overall 2014 was a great year.  It wasn't easy, by any means, but it was worth fighting for and that my friends, means it was a great year.  One thing I learned in 2014 is that my boldness is coming back.  I used to be more bold in college and after graduating I somehow stopped being bold.  When you decide to do God's Will and start walking in His will you must be bold!  You cannot live a life of fear.  He has been teaching me that these last couple of months and it's been amazing to see it coming back slowly.  There is so much more I could go on but I will won't.

2015... I have seen so many prophetic words over this year already.  It's been amazing!  2015 is a year of blessings and rewards.  That is what I keep hearing for myself and Sean.  Sean and I will receive our rewards from the Lord this year.  I can't say which rewards we are getting because I don't know what they are but I feel it in my spirit that this is a year of blessing.  He has seen our faithfulness.  He has seen our obedience.  He has seen our hearts' desires and I know that He will bring them to us at His time.  We must remember to truly be patient and not be jaded during the process.  It's easy to forget and get lost in the worldly things and we must take time to remember the promises that God gave us in His Word.

So, this year, 2015... We wait for the promises to come into fruition and we will thank Him as we wait, thank Him when they come.  No resolutions have been made for our family except to grow in God and live the life He has designed for us to live.  That's not a resolution.  It's a lifestyle.