Tyra Lane-Kingsland | Inspired Life

10Nov

Tyra Lane-KingslandReal Life, Spiritual Life

Why Videos Go Viral

I bet you’ve seen it. Don’t lie. “Cha-lie bit me! Ouch Cha-lie Oww!” As of 11/9/2014, it has been viewed 795, 377, 122. Yes, nearly 8 MILLION views of one child biting another’s finger. I have 5 children over here, so you can imagine the footage we could capture. And the thought that a kid’s bitten finger could evoke such a response is actually quite astounding.

From a girl fight to a baby announcement. From a celebrity riding naked on a wrecking ball to men eating like animals. From “What Does The Fox Say?” to the most current viral video, an 80’s sitcom show parody called Too Many Cooks that is actually an 11-minute show intro. And another recent one, a baby announcement that has nearly 1 million views in less than a month.

So what makes people enthralled in the macabre, bizarre and down right foolish? Why do videos go viral? Well there are at least 3 keys to any viral video.

Power Play
What propels a video? Someone with clout says it’s of value, such as a popular musician or actor. When someone with ‘credibility’ says it’s good, and then the masses follow and believe, yes this is good. Thus spawns the almost instant success of the video.

Well if you listen to The ONE with real clout, what He says about you should spawn something worth sharing. He says you are fearfully and wonderfully made. He says you are His friend. He says you are the apple of His eye. He says He loves you with an everlasting love. And friends to me that is news worth sharing. That is news worth Tweeting, Facebooking, and Instagraming.

Community
When videos go viral they are often copied and parodied. Everyone wants to get in on the action; giving their unique spin, style and flair to the video that has already gone viral; which can then spark another viral movement. Everyone longs to be a part of something big…something special.

Imagine the impact Believers could have if they truly imitated Christ and that crazy, radical love was duplicated and shared nearly 8 Million times like Charlie Bit Me? Imagine if Believers would carry out the great commandment to love one another and coupled that with the great commission to go and make disciples. Carrying out the commission while demonstrating the commandment, the movement could change the planet.

My church, The First Baptist Church of Glenarden, did this recently in conjunction with our Women’s Conference. The theme of the conference was He Loves Me. It was an effort to carry out the commission by demonstrating the commandment. We went on a love tour going into local middle and high schools, holding flash mobs around the city and performing random acts of love. Indeed the love was infectious. Just like a virus invades, the love of Christ that is in you could invade the community and go viral. What if we did the insane, ridiculous and crazy in the name of love? What would that crazy love look like? How quickly would it spread? In just a short period of time, one video, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised over $100 Million. I would venture to say LOVE has no cap; no end and can overflow until…

Strong Emotion
In order for a video to go viral it must also evoke intense emotion; whether joy or pain as evidenced in the announcement of the birth or the brutality of a fight.
We all want to believe in fairy tale romantic love. We are all acquainted with joy, fear and anguish. Social scientists say watching such videos has us in a heightened emotional state and in that state we are more susceptible to share what we’ve watched.

When you watch the events of your own life, do they cause intense emotion? Right in the midst of that raw emotion, the Lord has been ever present, watching the events of your life go viral. He wants that emotion to compel you to share the wondrous works He’s performed on your behalf. He wants you to Tweet and Instagram how He loved you, kept you, protected you and provided for you.

World pop star Justin Beiber was discovered on YouTube. A few years ago, he became the first person to reach 2 Billion views. In fact, he even had 94 Million views in one month alone! Oh dear friends, to what extent can we go viral with the power of the Lord of the universe working inside of each of us?

What can you do today to make your faith go viral? We’ve been commanded to love. We’ve been commissioned to make disciples. Obey Him and go viral today.

So please excuse me while I GO VIRAL starting by looking each of my children directly in the eye, telling them I love them and I’m proud of the young people God is molding and shaping them into and wrapping that all up in a big embrace.

Until next time, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired to Live Fully.

08Nov

Tyra Lane-KingslandHome Life, Real Life, Spiritual Life 5

I’m Doing Away With Thanksgiving

Well actually…I’m reframing Thanksgiving to pursue a lifestyle of thanksliving and I urge you to join me as we as embark on a…
20-Day Countdown: Embracing Thanksliving

Thanksliving: Maintaining a heart of gratitude and thankfulness for every blessing received.

For the next 20 days I’ll post daily Thanksliving inspiration on my Facebook fan page. Then the week of Thanksgiving, I’ll post in depth coping strategies, how to’s, recipes and more on my blog. If you aren’t receiving the blog posts via email, please visit www.inspiredtolivefully.com today. Go to the blog link, fill in your email address and simply click the green button that says Get Inspired. I want you to be INTENTIONAL about following the posts that entire week. Please don’t get lost in holiday pomp and circumstance or Black Friday sales that you miss reading a post. Remember our goal is Thanksliving: reducing stress and living an Inspired Life.

Day 1: Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
Believe
And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it of your own free will. Leviticus 22:29

When you extend thanks to the Lord for ALL He has done for you, do so voluntary, from your heart with joy and gratitude. No one needs to beg you to give thanks. Even me writing this here is not to try to make you give thanks but serves as a gentle reminder to posture yourself for thanksliving. And when you give thanks, do so lavishly and cheerfully.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

Do
Today, record at least 5 things for which you are grateful. You will do this each day leading up to Thanksgiving. You can do this in a journal, notes on your phone, or there is even an app called 1000 Gifts that lets you keep track of what you’re grateful for (you can even add photos). Whatever method you choose, write it down.

Thanksliving: Reducing stress, embracing the Inspired Life

I’m thankful for our next 20 days together.

07Nov

Tyra Lane-KingslandHome Life, Nourishing Life 10

Broccoli in Garlic Sauce

Save your money and eat at home tonight. Everyone in my house loves Chinese Food. And what’s not to love about it? The flavors tantalize the palette with the perfect balance of salty, sweet, and acidic. Here is an easy healthy recipe that’s in regular rotation in my home. The bonus is the dressing has multiple uses i.e. add Sriracha and have Szechuan String beans, use as a marinade, add peanut butter and make Sesame Noodles. The options are almost endless.

Broccoli in Garlic Sauce
1 lb broccoli
2 large carrots
4 sprigs scallion sliced on bias
4 large cloves garlic peeled and minced
1 tbsp ginger grated
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sesame oil
¼ cup soy sauce (or a little less, to taste)
¼ cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp honey (optional)

Bring a pot of water to boil. Trim broccoli into florets. Peel and cut on bias into ¼ in slices. Blanch broccoli and carrots by placing into boiling water for 2-3 minutes. While the broccoli is cooking, prepare the liquid for the sauce. In a bowl combine soy sauce, water, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Whisk to combine. In a separate small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 2 tbsp water. Remove broccoli from pot and place in an ice bath (large bowl filled with ice water). This will preserve the bright green color and stop the cooking. Drain and set aside. In a wok heat the olive oil over medium. Add broccoli/carrot and sauté for 3 minutes. Pour soy dressing in wok. Toss. Add cornstarch mixture. Sauce will begin to thicken. Add scallion and cook additional minute. Serve with brown rice. Enjoy!

05Nov

Tyra Lane-KingslandNourishing Life, Real Life 6

For the Rest of My Life

“Excuse me…but…um. Do you know you have your pants on inside out and backwards?”, he said. This kind man had pensively approached me while at my son’s Cub Scout meeting to share this news. I can only imagine his embarrassment at having to break this news to me. And sure enough, my pants were on inside out and backwards. And no, I had no idea.

You see, I had run myself ragged; staying up way too late to tinker, tweak and fine tune the appearance of my soon to be launched website. Yet my life necessitates that I wake up early so it was a recipe for disaster.

And what would drive an otherwise put together, A-type personality to be out in public with her pants on backward and inside out?

NO REST.

For a moment I had gotten away from properly caring for my temple through rest and I suffered because of it. I had a headache that lingered for over a week and was out in public looking disheveled (To my defense, I had changed abruptly out of my exercise clothes and hastily grabbed a pair of pants off my closet floor in the dark to race with all 5 children in tow to arrive at Cub Scouts on time).

Proper care of the temple requires nourishment, exercise and REST. Forsaking rest is one of the greatest ways we can sabotage our health.

Rest is defined as: Refreshing ease or inactivity after exertion or labor. To be free from anxiety or disturbance.

As a mother of 5 young children, I am constantly ‘ON’. I asked God to show me, outside of sleep, what are other ways I can get rest? He answered me saying,” look to these windows of opportunity to turn ‘OFF'”:

~morning quiet time before my family wakes

~peaceful solitude during/after lunch without tv, phone or social media

~a quick snatch early evening even if it’s just gazing out the window or walking slowly to the mailbox and back

~in the evening before bed more peaceful solitude.

Maximizing on these rest opportunities fills me with peace, helps me remain calm and keeps me balanced. It gives my brain an opportunity to give thanks, file my thoughts, and refocus if necessary. These mini siestas are crucial to overall health and wellbeing. And while they are short snatches of time, they are enough to create room for me to BREATHE.

In her latest book, Breathe, Priscilla Shirer digs into the concept of the Sabbath rest. She says, “The Sabbath is a pause, a stopping point, a decision to take a break from buying or gathering or producing or accruing or doing or working. It’s the Spirit empowered choice to stop and enjoy God.”

Jesus Himself urges us to CEASE activity and REST. In Mark 6:31 He says, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while”.

So what can you do today to ensure you come aside by yourself and rest a while? Tell me by commenting below.

03Nov

Tyra Lane-KingslandSpiritual Life 1

Bulking Up

Why do they call it getting ripped?

When you are working to increase muscle mass, you literally have to go through the process of TEARING the flesh. Muscle building does not occur without first tearing down muscle fibers, the main element of muscle tissue. The increase in muscle mass then occurs when the body repairs the torn muscle fibers. Resistance training and weight training are two ways to initiate the tearing down and building up cycle.

When bulking, up you eat more of the right food at the right time such as protein and carbs before workout.

When bulking up you also want to lift heavier weight.

The same can be said for bulking up spiritually. When I bulk up spiritually I need to feast on more of God’s word; the right word at the right time. I know I need to sacrifice and wake up earlier to give Him the 1st of my day. I may need to even turn off Christian radio and tv programming so that I allow Him to speak to me directly from His word.

For my spiritual bulking up I also need to lift heavier weight. I need to feast not only on the word that is familiar or comfortable but dare myself to dig into scriptures that have challenged me. When lifting heavier weight I may also need a spotter. Who is your spiritual spotter? Who is there to hold you accountable? Who is there to challenge you to do just.one.more.rep; to believe God just one more time? And when you get weary and can long longer hold that weight, who is there to help you lift it? Moses had Aaron and Hur. Where are your Aaron and Hur?

So what will grow bigger; your fear or your faith? Whichever you feed and use will grow. I have purposed in my heart to exercise my faith muscle. I won’t suffer from analysis paralysis. I will start before I’m ready, because truthfully I’ll never be ready. The Lord told Abram go to a place I will show you. And Abram swiftly, obediently went.

I will move from comfort zone to STRETCH zone.

Will you join me today in living in the STRETCH zone?

Your reading of this blog post is evidence of me exercising my faith muscle. I had lots of fears in bring this blog to fruition. It has actually been 3+ years in the making. How many lives could I have impacted if fear hadn’t gotten the best of me? Since I embrace the now moment, I won’t dwell on that but will press ahead in faith.

I made a decision.

Do it afraid.

And guess what? Even though it is unnerving not knowing what’s coming next, I know whatever “it” is, it will be good because I’m moving in obedience. I am spiritually bulking up. I’m hitting those weight. I feel stronger each day.

Singer Stephen Hurd says in his song Through the Eyes of Faith, “You’ve gotta activate your faith”.

What will you do today to activate and exercise your faith muscle?

02Nov

Tyra Lane-KingslandHome Life, Nourishing Life 3

Eggplant Fries

In as much as I am a foodie, I don’t do squishy, seedy vegetables.

Whole tomatoes…no.
Okra…no.
Eggplant…no.

Until this recipe. A similar recipe was made for me by a sweet teenage friend after the birth of my 4th child. Hers were delicious but fried. So I’ve recreated the recipe to bake instead of fry.

Baked Eggplant Fries

1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch wide wedge fries

3 tbsp warm water

1 tbsp ground flax seed

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp italian seasoning

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup flour

olive oil mister or cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Whisk together the warm water and flax seeds (flax egg) in a shallow bowl; set aside. Cut off ends of eggplant, then cut them into 1/4 inch wide wedges. Mix the panko bread crumbs, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, and garlic powder on a plate. Toss the fries in the flour. Dip the fries in the flax egg then move the fries to the panko on the plate and roll them until completely coated. Repeat for all fries. Place fries on wire rack on a baking sheet and spray generously. Bake for about 25 minutes, until fries are golden brown on the outside.

29Oct

Tyra Lane-KingslandNourishing Life, Real Life 2

Energy, Strength & Stamina: A Mother of 5 Reveals

Sitting across from Rae Lynn and Audra, I listened to the cacophony of chatter emanating from my peers; a bunch of 9th and 10th grade students maximizing on one of the free moments in the day, lunch time. In between the babble, they took bites of beefy macaroni as I nibbled on a tempeh sandwich. Needless to say, being an African-American vegan child in the 80’s & 90’s wasn’t so easy.

Thus were the early years on my health & wellness journey. My father has been a vegan since 1976. I was raised by my mother as a meat eater but went to live with my vegan father when I was 14. The transition was quite jarring. To go from ham, greens, and mac & cheese for Sunday dinner to brown rice, lentils and steamed broccoli: to go from a gallon of cow milk in the fridge regularly to homemade almond milk prepared freshly right before I left for school was a transition indeed. I was already ‘different’. My dad is Jamaican with floor length dread locks and I dressed differently. I wanted to be the social butterfly and be liked which led me to talk A LOT often brash and loud but really I was a bookworm. So the food was yet another thing that set me apart.

In college I did what many college females do, I gained weight. Coupled with the fact that my mother died suddenly two months into my freshman year in college, I ate late and ate lots of prepared foods, which I almost never did when at home with dad. And it was not until my early-twenties, suffering from hyperthyroidism, high cholesterol and weighing 178 lbs. that I realized I was far removed from the healthy, nourishing, plant based diet that I experience when with my dad. I expressed my concerns to my then boyfriend (now my husband) and he committed to helping me get my health under control. With his help, I learned to manage my thyroid disease, manage my cholesterol and lose weight by eating differently and exercising regularly.

After I became pregnant with my 1st child, the desire to nourish my body grew stronger. I wanted to provide the best conditions I could for the growing baby. I read and read and finally began to know and understand some of the food decisions my father made. I finally knew for myself why we had eaten bee pollen, umiboshi plums and miso soup.

For over ten years now, I have been on this amazing journey of health and wellness. In a year, I consume hundreds of books, articles, documentaries, demos and the like, teaching myself to honor my temple through proper nourishment, rest and exercise. While my name is Tyra, I’m no food tyrant. I simply seek to make choices that are God honoring and since He has taught me how to care for my temple, following through on that is the least I can do. Furthermore, His word says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Wednesdays here on the blog are Wellness Wednesdays. Each Wednesday, I will share a nugget with you that I have learned along my journey with the hope that you will be inspired to implement the suggestions so that you are living fully. And to live fully and feel alive, you must be intentional about caring for your temple. I want to come alongside you to inspire you as you walk out your journey of health and wellness. And the journey requires not only proper nourishment but also adequate rest and exercise and we will tackle all of these here on Wellness Wednesdays too. Thank you for allowing me to partner with you on your journey.

I look forward to sharing some of the best practices that have worked for me. Here are just a few that I’ve implemented which have helped me remain energetic, youthful, strong, and focused.

~ I eat whole, unprocessed, unrefined, plant based foods 85% of the time.
The other 15%…well, I give myself room for a little indulgence.

~I meal plan. Every other Sunday I sit down with my coupons, grocery list
and menu-planning sheet to create a plan for the next two weeks.

~I have a green smoothie for breakfast, a raw salad with some type of protein for lunch and a nutrient dense dinner almost everyday.

~I’ve nearly eliminated dairy from my diet. When I did I immediately noticed all mucus and sinus problems were gone…like instantly!

~I exercise at least 3 days a week. In my ideal world, I would go to Zumba or African dance but since that doesn’t fit into my schedule and family dynamic, I make use of my treadmill, on demand videos, YouTube videos and an occasional boot camp class when I can get there. I also keep my resistance bands in my car for impromptu working out.

These are just a few of the best practices that have enabled me to honor my temple, manage my weight and nourish not only myself but my family as well.

I look forward to our continued journey. So where are you on your health and wellness journey? Let me know because I want to support you.

As always it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully. If you’ve been inspired, please comment and share.

27Oct

Tyra Lane-KingslandReal Life, Spiritual Life

Uncontrolled Emotion Leads to Brain Damage

Click media button. Nothing. Click media button again. Nothing. Ok. Don’t panic. Close the window and reopen it. That should work. Click media button again. Nothing…With each click my emotions swelled. Like the tide coming in, a mighty rush of fear, dread and panic swept over me. “What’s wrong? Why today? How will I fix this?” Then doubt crept in. “Am I really supposed to be doing this?” For half a second, I was ready to quit before even coming all the way out of the gate.

This was my status on Saturday morning as I attempted to do more tinkering on this website that had just launched. After testing, restarting, troubleshooting, nothing seemed to work. In fact, it still doesn’t. This post was sent using my phone. I can’t do anything to my site at present.

The capacity to experience a full range of emotions is good, even necessary for survival. It is when our reactions are overwhelmingly negative that we put our health in danger. Chronic occurrences of fear, stress, anxiety, anger and the like disturb cognitive functions. If left unchecked, allowing emotions to run free can actually damage your brain. When emotional outbursts become our baseline behavior, we wire our brains to default to that. Instead of having survival mode instinct for emergencies, it can become our norm.

Yet we live in a culture that says let your emotions be your master. Go with what you feel. Do what makes you happy. Whatever makes you unhappy, get rid of it.

So what are we to do? How can we control our emotions?

Surely I can give you some advice like breathe deeply, meditate, count to ten before reacting. Those are all great. But…if the negative emotions are chronic, there is a deeper, underlying issue. I pray that the next time a situation arises that causes you to be overwhelmed by negative emotion, you pray for God to expose the root of it. The power of the spirit at work in you is capable of mastering your emotion. “The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such, there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

We are also better able to control our emotions when we KNOW who we are.

Karen Ward, Founder of Beyond Two, LLC helps people maximize their potential by understand their personalities. Karen says when people understand who they are, they make better decisions. You can find out more about Karen by visiting her on the web at beyondtwollc.com

What can you do today to master your emotions?

25Oct

Tyra Lane-KingslandNourishing Life, Real Life, Spiritual Life 7

Honor

Man is composed of three parts: Spirit, Soul {mind, will, emotions} and Body.

The spirit is real and active and occupies space in our physical bodies.

Should we not then, create an environment suitable for our hosting our spirit?

When a woman is pregnant and carrying a baby, isn’t it wise for her to create conditions suitable in which the baby can thrive? Some of those conditions will happen automatically like increased blood in the body but others the mother has a direct impact on like: eating nutritious foods for optimal minerals and vitamins, getting adequate exercise and rest and avoiding things which are harmful to the developing baby.

The same can be said for our temple where the Holy Spirit dwells. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

As such, it is imperative that we honor the temple by eating the good of the land, getting adequate exercise and practicing the art rest.

I have to be intentional about caring for my temple. In caring for my husband, five young children and the women I minister to, the time and energy for self-care could easily fall by the wayside. To be diligent in caring for my temple, I have implemented a few strategies that have proven successful.

~I nourish my body by eating a green smoothie almost every day for breakfast. I eat a raw salad for lunch then a sensible, well-balanced, low-calorie, nutrient dense dinner.

~I exercise 3-5 times a week. I’m no fitness buff but I want my heart strong and my body quick and agile to keep up with my children. I have 3 sons. Need I say more?

~I practice to art of rest. Rest includes sleep, moments of quiet and stillness throughout the day, quiet meditation on God’s word, and the like.

In order for you to carry out your purpose, you have to do that through your body so it is crucial that your physical body functions in optimal condition.

What will you do today to honor you temple?

25Oct

Tyra Lane-KingslandReal Life, Spiritual Life 3

Embrace

Jesus makes it very clear that it would do us good to focus our time, energy and efforts on this present moment.

He says in Matthew 6:25-34 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?“ So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

We would be wise to follow his instructions in this.

SLOW DOWN

Bask in the beauty, majesty and splendor that abounds at this very second. The wonderous way your body was made. Feel your heart beating within your chest. Inhale. Exhale. Breath in the breathe of life.

What sounds do you hear? What beauty lies before your eyes?

This moment; NOW, is all we have. The past is gone and the future isn’t here yet. Embrace THIS moment now. Be encouraged, empowered and equipped to be present for His presence by embracing Him in this moment.

Challenge: Examine where you spend most of your thought life? Are you dwelling on the past? Are you concerned and anxious about what’s to come? Be intentional about embracing this moment called now; the now moment.

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Why Videos Go Viral

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I’m Doing Away With Thanksgiving

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Broccoli in Garlic Sauce

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