How To Be Disciplined

Separating the good from the great, the almost from the achieved…

 

DISCIPLINE

 

We admire people we consider disciplined: athletes, soldiers, super heroes, martial artists, actors, and models. We may even think to ourselves, “If I could just be like them”.

 

Well let’s shed the light of truth here. To some degree we are like them. It’s not that they are necessarily smarter or more gifted but they tend to demonstrate the ability to be focused, determined, and strategic and all that requires discipline.

 

Successful people are disciplined people. Successful people not only make plans but also follow through with those plans. And discipline is the secret sauce that compels one to follow through.

 

Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.

~Jim Rohn

 

Webster’s defines DISCIPLINE as:

Training that corrects molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character; control gained by enforcing obedience or order; orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior; self-control.

 

An obsolete definition of discipline is instruction.

 

I am a disciplined person. There are times where I can allow fear to impede me from moving forward or following through but in general, everyday situations of life I am disciplined.

 

I am disciplined with my eating, time, money, relationships, and exercise. Even though discipline comes natural to me because of my personality type (A-Type, concrete, sequential, linear. But life has taught me to be flexible so I’m changing J), there are still plenty of times that I too have to WORK diligently at being disciplined.

 

One day my 11-year-old daughter and I were at a food buffet and I chose sautéed green beans and veggie sushi out of the plethora of fried, greasy, cheese, yummy options. She said, “Oh Mommy it’s just easy for you because you are so disciplined”. I told her, “Um…Not quite my dear. Actually I would love love love to have that mac and cheese but I CHOOSE to honor my temple instead.” I had to share with her that making that decision was not easy for me. The smells were intoxicating. In fact, there were several delicacies I wanted to get but I’d made my decision. And I walked away from that buffet feeling victorious that I had made a decision for my health, for my family and for our future.

 

Since discipline is what separates the rookies from the pros, how do we acquire it? Here are a few suggestions on how to be disciplined.

 

Keep Your Goal Before You

In being disciplined with my eating I keep my goals before me. One of my greatest reasons for choosing to eat right is to reverse my family medical history of illness and disease so that my children rewrite their DNA and with each successive generation we can eradicate certain diseases right out of our DNA. And each choice I make today contributes to or detracts from me reaching that goal so I keep that at the forefront of my mind at all times. There are times I fall short but I still aim for the target.

 

But I discipline my body and keep it under control,

lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:27

 

Positive Self-Talk

Think little train…”I think I can. I think I can.” The power of positive self-talk is transformative. Tell yourself who you are and what you CAN do. I can eat well. I can save money. I can bring my dream to fruition. God says speak those things that are not as though they were. And by His power and might, according to His will, they shall come to pass when you speak life.

 

Set Up Barriers

We all need guard rails. They are not there to hinder us but to protect us. Establishing systems and parameters keep us from straying. Budgets help keep our finances on track. Meal planning and preparation keeps our eating on track. The disciplined person always has an established set of boundaries. Even times for sleeping and waking, these all contribute to being disciplined.

 

Accountability

This is a huge piece missing from the puzzle of discipline. To whom do you report when you have not done what you said you would do? Will they hold you responsible for keeping your commitments? Will they dole out correction when necessary?

 

Keep Doing It

Discipline is not acquired after doing something three, four or five times. A successful pattern of behavior is established after doing it over and over and over. Because there will come a day when you really just don’t want to. Believe me, been there done that and have the blog post to show for it. You can read it by

CLICKING HERE. Practice may not always make perfect but practice, practice. practice will get you to your destination, imperfect and all.

 

Discipline is a thing that doesn’t always feel good at the moment. But fortunately we are not a people who allow our feelings to dictate our actions. We make decisions based on principles not on feelings so we discipline ourselves to choose well even when it hurts.

 

For the moment all discipline seems painful

rather than pleasant, but later it yields the

peaceful fruit of righteousness to those

who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 11:12

 

Think about a person you admire for their discipline. In what area(s) are they disciplined? Where do you think they got the will power to be so disciplined? What separates you from having that same level or even greater discipline?

 

You have it too. Just dig deep into THAT place. Commit to following some of the steps above for acquiring discipline. I’m here in your corner cheering you on. I know you can do it. And I don’t want to hear, “Oh Tyra, that’s good for you but I just can’t, ” Uh-un I don’t want to hear that. I can’t isn’t permitted here. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

 

Let me know how I can pray for you.

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!
Happy to connect with these friends sharing the Good News #DanceWithJesus, Grace & Truth, WordsWithWinter

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Life Is Fleeting

The antiseptic smell.

 

The incessant beeping of monitors.

 

The constant flurry of scrubs moving back and forth and back and forth.

 

Being in a hospital is quite unnerving. Even walking into the building is like being cloaked in a shroud of darkness. As I have a close relative in the hospital fiercely fighting to live, I am reminded of the fragility of life.

 

My birthday is in less than a week. Each birthday is a reason for me to rejoice, having lived to see another year. Again I am reminded of the fragility of life. My own mother died at 39. I was a freshman in college. I had just seen her as I had gone home for a holiday weekend. Sunday I said my farewell then Friday as I was planning my weekend fun I got an urgent call from my cousin telling me I had to come home again. My school and home were 500 miles apart. I told her I had just left there a few days ago and it wasn’t feasible to be running up and down, back and forth up the East Coast. Again she stated more forcefully that I HAD to come.

 

So I went to the ATM machine, withdrew money, packed a little bag and proceeded to the bus station. Little did I know I that little bag I packed wouldn’t be enough to carry me through staying an entire month. Riding that bus those 500 miles was the longest single event of my life. On that Greyhound I felt mature yet babyish, strong yet fragile as I travelled not knowing what I’d find on the other end.

 

In New York I had a bus transfer with a few hours layover. During the layover was the loneliest I have even felt. Thousands of people moving in and out of Port Authority, and here was a frightened 18 year-old girl, alone, trembling with anxiety at the thought of what awaited at the end of my destination.

 

As I took that final leg, I had an intense argument with God. I guess it was less of an argument and more of a tantrum on my part as God didn’t participate in my rant. I told God I would hate Him forever if He let something happen to my mother. I cursed Him for potentially letting something happen to a mother and her two young children. At the time I had no personal relationship with the Lord. My only connection to Him was going to church on Easter and all that meant to me was the coveted “Easter outfit”. There is an old quote that people often think is scripture though it’s not which says, “God protects children and fools”. Well He certainly protected me, as I didn’t not understand what I was saying and was speaking merely out of hurt and anger.

 

When I arrived at my destination I knew something was amiss. I stepped off the bus and saw my father standing there. I hadn’t talked to my father in a few days. “How did he know I was coming home?”, I thought. He then took me to my grandmother’s house, which again I thought was quite bizarre as it was just after 6:00am. Then they delivered the dreadful news. In fact, my mother had already died when my cousin had called me the first time to tell me I had to come home.

 

My mother who I had just spent the last weekend with.

 

My mother who had been stolen from me by drugs and alcohol, but recently given back was snatched right out of my grasp once again.

 

Why, you do not even know

what will happen tomorrow.

What is your life? You are a mist

that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

James 4:14

 

Here one day, gone tomorrow.

 

Life is fleeting, but a vapor.

 

As such, let us be reminded to:

 

Love deeply

 

Give generously

 

Show compassion

 

Dole out grace liberally

 

Take eye off self

 

I do want to point out, friends, that time is of the essence. There is no time to waste, so don’t complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple—in marriage, grief, joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things—your daily routines of shopping, and so on. Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out.

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

 

So as I prepare to celebrate another birthday, I give thanks for LIFE. And out of my gratitude I am prompted to be more loving, more gracious, less impatient and less knit picky.

 

While our days are in short supply, our love should run long.

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

 

Photo Credit: My Dad

Happy to connect with these friends sharing the Good News Purposeful Faith, #LifeGivingLinkup, #TestimonyTuesday

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Go Deeper

I finally broke the pattern in my dreams. I used to have a pattern in my dreams where I would consistently be late for or miss something entirely. From missing a mid-term to missing a flight, this theme had recurred in my dreams for years. In 2014, I embarked on a healing journey with 6 other women. One of our exercises was to write down and consider our dreams. Through this exercise I came to understand why I was having those dreams. But that story is one for another day.

 

This story is one of breaking the pattern and completing what I started.

 

I dreamt that I had to swim across this vast ocean holding onto a mini replica of my car. In fact, when I went to pick up my car, it wasn’t there and I was instructed by the Director to take any car of my choosing. I chose a Mustang (I am so NOT a Mustang girl, more like a Volvo/Mini Cooper hybrid; conservative yet energetic). Nonetheless I took my Mustang in hand and began to swim across this wide channel. I started out strong, arms slicing through the water like a Ginsu knife through a tomato. I just knew I was strong and powerful and I believed I could and would make it across. Then the Lord spoke to me and said, “Come deeper”. I couldn’t make sense of that. Even though dreaming, I thought I couldn’t go deeper. I thought I wouldn’t be able to breathe, just keep slicing through the water I told myself. Again the Lord said, “Come Deeper”, to which I quickly obey.

 

And wouldn’t you know, I could breathe underwater. And instead of exerting all this energy stroking through the water, I began to do the dolphin kick. My legs seemed to become as one and my body arched up and down in a fluid motion propelling me right through the water. I went deeper still and continued the dolphin/mermaid swim. I could breathe, I could feel the depth of cold of the water but I was making it across that great expanse. With the car held in my two hands out in front I me, I rocketed to the other side. I obediently went deeper and the pattern was broken.

 

For months the Lord has been calling me to come deeper.

 

When He had stopped speaking,

He said to Simon, “Launch out into

the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

Luke 5:4

 

 

I believe it is the mark of discipleship to have an ongoing, vibrant relationship with the Lord in which He continues to make mysteries known to you. He wants to lead you and guide you in paths of righteousness for His namesake. And to traverse some of those paths requires us to go deeper. And when we obediently take up our cross and follow Him deeper, He makes His mysteries known to us.

 

Diving deep into the ocean we find mysterious sea creatures that stand in stark contrast to their present reality. In the inky blue/black of the deep sea live bioluminescent sea creatures. 12,000 feet below are astounding animals that shine bright in stark contrast to their dark surroundings. Chemical reactions in their bodies cause them to glow.

 

As you go deeper in the Lord, His glory shines, flooding you with light and causing you to glow even in the inky blue/black situations of life. Because of your willingness to follow Him into the deep, He makes the mysteries of life know to YOU. This type of revelation is not for all but for His TRUE disciples because TRUE disciples follow and obey His commands

 

 

He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given

to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,

but to them it has not been given.

 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;

for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men

desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear,

and did not hear it.

Matthew 13:11, 16-17

 

This topic of going deeper isn’t new to me. In fact, one of my top 5 favorite movies, The Abyss is about going deeper.

 

In the movie, one of the lead characters, Brigman goes deeper than deep to detonate a nuclear bomb. He thought it was the end for him. In fact, he said going down deeper was a one-way ticket. And we may feel like that sometimes when trusting God and walking in faith. We may feel like we are plunging into darkness with no way of escape. But as happened with Brigman, he was standing right on the brink of breakthrough. He was just feet away from the light. Saving himself, his loved ones and the entire planet was within his reach.

 

Oh friends we would do well to trust God. To walk out in faith and not give up before our breakthrough. It’s right there on the brink. You are standing on the precipice of deeper revelation, deeper knowledge, deeper love.

 

In addition to Israel Houghton’s Deeper, I’ve been blessed to have a song that encapsulates this journey of going deeper. The song is called Oceans by Hillsong. The lyrics read:

 

You call me out upon the waters

The great unknown where feet may fail

And there I find You in the mystery

In oceans deep

My faith will stand

 

And I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine

 

Your grace abounds in deepest waters

Your sovereign hand

Will be my guide

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me

You’ve never failed and You won’t start now

 

So I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine

 

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

 

Oh, Jesus, you’re my God!

 

I will call upon Your name

Keep my eyes above the waves

My soul will rest in Your embrace

I am Yours and You are mine

Yes. That’s where we find Him, in oceans deep. Feet may fail in oceans deep but faith equips us to breathe underwater. Totally immersed in the rivers of living water is where I want to be.

 

Last year He told me, “I need water walkers”. And like Peter I walked out to meet Him. Since then, He’s calling me deeper, deeper, deeper.

 

Yes Lord, I am coming.

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

 

P.S. This subject of living waters started out as a single post but it just would let me go. This is part three of the series on Living Waters. Read parts 1 & 2:

Rivers of Living Water

Tapping Into The Source

 

PhotoCredit

 

Happy to connect with friends sharing the Good News #DanceWith Jesus, Grace & Truth

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Eat Your Water

Since water comprises 60% of your body weight, you can’t live without it. The body goes through a constant cycle of losing and replenishing that water. Water helps your organs function as designed, eliminate waste, regulate body temperature, aids in digestion and more. Ensure you keep hydrated and supply your body with this necessary fluid.

 

We’ve been taught to drink 64oz of water a day. But drinking water isn’t the only way to get your water intake. Water intake varies for each individual based on height, weight, environmental conditions, health and more. We’re accustomed to drinking our way to hydration, but let’s add eating to that equation.

 

Eat Your Water

 

Fruits

 

Watermelon

About 92% water per volume.

High in lycopene and highly alkaline this fruit is a summer staple. So refreshing and cooling on a hot summer day, it’s a fan fav at BBQ’s and summer parties.

 

Strawberries

About 92% water per volume.

High in antioxidants and vitamin C, also a good source of vitamin A, manganese and potassium, these sweet, succulent berries are best when consumed in season. Their softness, ripeness and sweetness in season can’t compare. One cup of strawberries contains 160% of your daily value of vitamin C. And you were always told to eat oranges for C. Eat these and get your C and water in one swoop.

strawberries 1

Grapefruit

91% water per volume

When eating grapefruit you not only hydrate but also burn fat and control cravings. Now who doesn’t want that?! And grapefruit are encouraged for heart health.

 

Cantaloupe

90% water per volume

One serving will not only hydrate you but also give you 100% of your daily value of vitamins A & C. One of my favorite ways to enjoy is having cantaloupe/sweet potato juice.

 

Vegetables

 

Lettuce

95% water per volume

While iceberg gets a bad rap, it is the lettuce with the highest water content. Other lettuces have slightly lower water but are more nutrient dense. Most lettuces have are high in vitamins A & K and high in folate. From salads to smoothies and juices, lettuce has many uses.

 

Zucchini

Over 95% water per volume

A good source of vitamin C and potassium, this versatile vegetable can be added to nearly everything. From raw noodles to juicing, when these are plentiful during summer, make full use of them. You can even shred one and add to pasta sauce to up the nutritional value.

 

Celery

95% water per volume

High in water and very low in calories rich in vitamins A, C and K. It hasn’t always been one of my favorite vegetables because its flavor is so strong but I always keep it on hand because I know how good it is for me. From soups to juices, celery is a household staple.

 

Cucumber

96% water per volume

High in vitamin K and powerfully fighting free radicals this vegetable is also an anti-inflammatory food. Research even shows that drinking watermelon or cucumber juice after a workout is twice as effective at hydrating the body than water. So post workout grab your watermelon/cucumber juice and drink up. (And it isn’t surprising their so hydrating. They belong to the same botanical family as two above items: zucchini and melons).

 

For more on water, check these out:

8 Benefits of Lemon Water

Life Water {Coconut Water}

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

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Tapping Into The Source

Their survival depended on it. They needed to access fresh water. This tool would give them access.

 

spile

The Spile

 

Like Katniss Everdeen and her crew from The 75th Hunger Games, receiving the spile was a lifesaver. In the event of a natural disaster, we could use spiles today to tap trees for water.

 

Oh friends we are the trees planted by rivers of water and God’s word is the spile that penetrates our hearts and permits rivers of living water to flow. He and His word are one.

 

While water tapped from trees is only good for 24 hours, God’s word is good and true from everlasting to everlasting. But we need to tap into it daily to prevent it from becoming stale in our hearts.

 

In The Hunger Games, wealthy benefactors gift needed supplies. We have the ultimate Benefactor who gave Himself as the gift that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Because of Him we have boldness and access with confidence to not only approach the throne of grace, but to tap into His unlimited power supply. And the combination of His living water coupled with His power will not electrocute us unto death but will act as a defibrillator, creating in us a clean heart and renewing a steadfast spirit within us.

 

So exactly how do we go about tapping into the source? The methodology may be a little different for each of us but here are some simple, practical tips. We don’t have to be SUPER spiritual, or SUPER deep. We just have to come to God with clean hands and a pure heart. I thank God for purging me with hyssop and for presenting me without spot or wrinkle then I eagerly run on to tap in.

 

Tapping In

 

Worship Music

Music ushers me right into the presence of God. For the first few years of my salvation, I didn’t really understand how integral the role of praise and worship was to the Sunday church worship experience. It was one of those things I just didn’t GET until I got it. When I look back now, I can smile and say to myself, “Girl, you really had no clue.” And I follow that up with, “Thank you Jesus for being patient with me.”

 

Today, I can listen to the same song on repeat umpteen times throughout the day. I let the spirit guide me to the song. And sure enough the song speaks to my heart and serves as the gateway to worship and intimate fellowship with the Lord.

 

“Lord I reach for you, lead me to your heart. And I thirst for you, draw me deeper still. Deeper into the water. Deeper until I’m under. Ohhh Oh living water flow and overtake us. Ohhh oh healing water flow and overtake us”, sings Israel Houghton in one my absolute favorite songs, Deeper. Needless to say with all that’s churning in my spirit right now, this song is the current soundtrack to my spiritual life.

He goes on to sing, “God give us a heart, give us a heart, give us your heart. God gives us a heart. Deep cries out to deep.”

 

Mmm. Those lyrics right there. Each time I sing them, it’s like I’m putting on the mind of Christ and I come into alignment with Him. We begin walking step in step and my will becomes His will and we are ONE. Our hearts beat in unison. And the music is the metronome that keeps our hearts beating with synchronicity. And my response is, “Yes Lord. You are calling me deeper. I am coming. Getting closer with every step”.

 

Scrap The Legalism

My daily tapping in always involves scripture. Because I am a systematic, linear person, I tend to use structured materials for my scripture reading. Bible reading plans, day-by-day devotional books, topical studies, etc. My natural nature can hold me hostage to completing these materials in a robotic fashion, blocking up the flow of the spirit. So I’ve had to learn to not be legalistic in my approach to tapping in and to give God room to communicate what He desires in the way that He desires, even if He says step away from those materials and sit still. Sometimes He’ll call a word up in my heart. Sometimes it’s a scripture sung in a song. Sometimes he’ll have me turn to a specific scripture, chapter and verse. But I had to crucify my need to tick off or not skip a day of scheduled reading to not miss Him in how He chose to show up in my quiet time.

 

Dialogue Not A Monologue

When we tap into the source, we have to give Him opportunity and room to flow. If I stick my spile into a tree then fill the spout with debris, I will certainly muddy and impede the flow of water. And the same is true when allowing His truth to flow through our hearts and mind. When communicating with the Father it is not a monologue but a dialogue. There is a time to speak and a time to listen. We cannot hear from the Lord if we have endless internal chatter. It is critical to silence the chatter. This requires much practice and disciple. But God is a very present help. He will help you take those thoughts captive so that you can be quiet and clear your mind so you can hear from Him. For more on quieting your thoughts, CLICK HERE.

 

He longs to communicate with you. His voice will flow.

 

And behold, the glory of the God of Israel

came from the way of the east. His voice

was like the sound of many waters;

and the earth shone with His glory.

Ezekiel 43:2

 

Write

Writing has always been therapy for me. It is the way I receive, communicate, find clarity, vent, heal, and more. Writing helps me think and process. So after I sing and meditate on scripture, I write. I write whatever scripture I’ve been led to. I may write some of the lyrics to the song I listened to. I sit and I listen to what the Lord has to say then I write His response.

 

These are a few of the strategies I employ to tap into the well that never runs dry.

 

You’ve been invited to tap into the source.

 

COME!

 

DRINK.

 

And thirst no more.

 

The Spirit and the bride say,

“Come!” And let the one who hears

say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty

come; and let the one who wishes take

the free gift of the water of life.

Revelation 22:7

 

P.S. I try to keep posts shorter than this as I don’t want you to skim the post but to read in its entirety. But the water has overtaken me once again. To read Part 1 of The Living Waters series CLICK HERE

 

Glory to God I’m going deeper!

 

Will you join me?

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

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Rivers Of Living Water

What an incredible parallel, a simple two atoms of hydrogen combined with one atom of oxygen, creates the very thing that is necessary to sustain life.

 

WATER

 

Water gives life.

 

Water sustains life.

 

Water is life.

 

 

While our world is almost covered with water, nearly all of it is unsuitable for drinking. With water all around us, 97% is undrinkable as is. And most of that which is drinkable is locked in ice.

 

Such is life. While there are many things that vie for our attention and try to meet our needs, there is but ONE we were created to desire above all. Drinking contaminated water will make you ill. Likewise, trying to fill your longings with people, food, or stuff will make you spiritually ill.

 

Jesus, The One, is the only ONE capable of quenching your thirst.

 

Our thirst, an unquenchable thirst can only be satiated by taking a drink from the rivers of living water. You can survive weeks without food but only days without water. And my soul is thirsty for a tall, cool, refreshing drink delivered directly from the Master’s water pot.

 

You, God, are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

I thirst for you,

my whole being longs for you,

in a dry and parched land

where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your glory.

Psalm 63:1-2

 

And when I beseech Him, He supplies. He supplies all my needs and I am satisfied.

 

A sip from His cup pours:

~Patience in my heart for my children

~Love and affection for my husband

~Words that edify for the women I serve

~Physical stamina to carry my cross

 

His nourishing waters incite action. Trees grow, flowers bloom and succulent fruit hangs heavy with growth.

 

Oh Father, plant me. I want my roots to go deep. Like the mighty, strong baobab tree, let my trunk be thick and filled with your living waters. I am the tree planted by rivers of living water. My leaves will not wither. Rooted in you I am fruitful.

 

And the blessings will flow from generation to generations. As the rivers of living waters flow, they will reach even to your children’s children.

 

For I will pour water on the thirsty land,

and streams on the dry ground;

I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,

and my blessing on your descendants.

They will spring up like grass in a meadow,

like poplar trees by flowing streams.

Isaiah 44:3-4

 

Thanks be to our Lord and savior Jesus Christ for being our Living Water. He alone supplies EVERYTHING we need to sustain life. When we drink deeply from His cup, our thirst is quenched and we are imbued with everlasting life.

 

“But whoever drinks of the water

that I shall give him will never thirst.

But the water that I shall give him

will become in him a fountain of water

springing up into everlasting life.”

John 4:14

 

Even now as I type, the rivers of living water are overtaking me. I go with the flow, go with the current and am overtaken by the sheer magnitude of His love. My heart is so full and I have so much to say on this subject. I have a feeling this will go on to be a series. My spirit is free and soaring and my thoughts are moving faster than my hands can type.

 

beach

 

 

Friends, I pray you do not allow yourselves to become dehydrated. Most often, when we realize we are thirsty, we are already nearing dehydration. If you’ve been encouraged to drink 64oz of water a day, how much of Jesus should you be drinking daily? In fact, if you are a believer, the water is in you. Just like reaching water in the desert, you may have to dig deep for it. Your body is composed of more than 60% water. So dig deep into yourself. Crucify your flesh and it’s longings to release the water (for more on releasing your spirit CLICK HERE).

 

Be proactive.

 

Dig deep.

 

Stay hydrated.

 

Take a deep drink from the Master’s cup.

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!
Happy to connect with friends sharing the Good News Purposeful Faith

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Free To Be {A Spoken Word Poem}

Free To Be {A Spoken Word Poem}

 

Authentic.

 

Real.

 

Transparent.

 

What’s apparent is that we can’t recognize real. Buried in Sheol like the “Los 33”. Trapped under layers and layers of fraudulent fabrication. Self-adorned, one dimensional, wash and shrink flea market finds.

 

New realities created.

 

New identities established.

 

Fake ID by way of your Gravatar, your avatar has become the new you. This carefully guarded new persona is shallow at best and when put to the test will prove defective. That plastic armor does not guard but suffocates. Check the warning label on your grocery store plastic bag.

 

Choking out your gifts, snuffing out what makes you uniquely you.

 

While your spirit smothers, your souls smolders and the soot and ash render you unrecognizable.

 

But when you KNOW that your identity cannot be shaped by:

LIKES

COMMENTS

SHARES

FOLLOWS

FRIENDING

UNFRIENDING

THUMBS UP

THUMBS DOWN

HEARTS

 

You are unrestricted and unshackled. Like the grotesque beings removing their outer casings at the dawn of A Brand New Day, you are free to give rise to your true self. No longer caged, the bird sings and I know why.

 

Delivered from confinement, mind, body and spirit come into alignment. With jet propulsion, rocket boosters thrust, power ignites and takes flight.

 

The course is set. Charting to free.

 

You are free to BE.

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Eating Clean On Vacation

Last week I took a 9 hour road trip and I’ve got another coming up soon. Highway rest stop are a bane to the clean eating lifestyle, so what is one to do?

 

Proper Preparation Prevents Pitfalls

 

For the road trip and during my vacation I commit to not falling off the wagon. I do grant myself a cheat meal while on vacation but I try to limit that to one day. Vacationing is not a reason to scrap all the hard work and discipline I’ve invested. In fact, it’s all the more reason to continue honoring my temple through proper nourishment, rest and exercise. With the relaxed schedule of vacation and away from the pull of regular home commitments, I certainly have the time to devote to honoring my temple.

 

Tobin Bridge

On The Road

When on the road my mission is to get to my destination as quickly as possible. Minimizing stops allow me to do that and that also keeps me clear of the dozens of fast food joints along the way. Here’s what I pack for the road:

~Water

~Watermelon Juice (which I freeze as it starts to melt it gets slushy and is quite refreshing)

~Green Smoothie (made w/ coconut water to hydrate)

~Hummus

~Carrot Sticks

~Fruit

~Raw Revolution Bar

~Nuts

Watermelon juice

Raw-Revolution-Organic-Live-Food-Bar-Heavenly2

 

During My Stay

When on vacation, I nearly always select a property that has a kitchen. Most vacations I’m travelling with my children and this just makes it easier, healthier and more cost effective to feed this family of 7. Before we leave, I follow my usual practice of creating a meal plan and grocery list. Again, just because we are on vacation doesn’t mean we succumb to the trap of eating poorly. We do give the children at least one night of eating out otherwise it’s home cooking. And while that may be contrary to me “vacationing” and possibly getting away from kitchen duty, it’s a job I don’t mind carrying out. But it can be a little challenging, as I’m not in my own kitchen with FULL use of my kitchen tools, gadgets, spices and pantry. Again, this is where proper planning helps. When planning the menu, I streamline the offerings, selecting meals that are uncomplicated and require fewer ingredients. I stick to my smoothie or fruit & granola for breakfast, salads for lunch then a light dinner of soup and salad or salad and baked sweet potato. I even cook before I go and freeze meal then store them in thermal travel bags. Here’s what I pack ahead of time:

~Spices (Virtuous Living are the best because the blends truly season a whole dish. No need for bringing many spices)

~Himalayan Salt

~Pepper

~Garlic Powder

~Cumin

~Maple Syrup

~Olive Oil

~Homemade Granola

~Homemade Salad Dressing

~Freezer Meals (Chipotle At Home, Baked Pasta Dish)

~My Ninja (Ok this may be taking it too far but I normally use it everyday. There are times when I feel like it’s cumbersome and I worry about it getting broken and bumping around in the car. But it’s truly a member of the family so it has to come)

~Evolution Juices (When I don’t bring the Ninja)

Evolution

 

Also check out my post HEALTHY EATING ON THE GO

 

Following these tips will ensure you’re eating clean on vacation.

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

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The Release Of The Spirit

At the grocery store checkout through a pack of gum?!

It’s amazing the ways God chooses to speak to His people. So yes, God did communicated a powerful truth through a pack of gum. And it’s not the 1st time He’s spoken to me in an unusual fashion. He’s spoken to me by vigorously waving tree branches on a still windless day. I’ve even heard His booming voice from heaven audibly call my name. And that happened while I was new in the faith so it was quite unnerving.

 

On my weekly trip to the grocery store, as I stood in the checkout line I glanced over at the gum, My eyes landed right on Mentos Pure Fresh. Mentos Pure Fresh Gum has three layers.   A hard candy outer shell, a chewy, gummy layers then a cool liquid center. And you and I are like the Mentos gum. We are three layered persons. Our hard shell represents our outer most physical body, the gum layer being our mind, will and emotions and the center our spirit. To release the liquid center of the gum, we must get through two tough layers. And the same can be said for releasing our spirit. Let’s journey through the layers.

 

HARD SHELL

Oh how we long to satisfy the desires of the flesh.

 

When angry, we want to holler or play the power move of being passive aggressive.

 

When hurt or sad we may turn to food or other external sources for comfort.

 

That hard outer shell of the gum, the tough, rebellious outer layer of our person, the flesh, MUST crucify its longings to get to the next layer. That outer shell like the outer shell of an M&M can be cracked. Will we embrace being cracked? Do we see the value and benefit of being broken before God?

 

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. John 12:24

 

CHEWY GUM

When the flesh and its longings have been bought under subjection, we can then reach the next layer of ourselves and that is our mind, will and emotions. And like chewing gum, they are malleable. Just like our teeth and tongue crush, squeeze, fold and turn gum, God takes our mind, will and emotions and turns and squeezes them so that are bought to the obedience of Christ.

 

Therefore do not lose heart, even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16

 

While there are many well meaning, good intentions we may have, unless they are in alignment with the will of the Lord, they are for naught. It is not OUR will but HIS will that must be done.

 

LIQUID CENTER

Now I find there are three camps people fall into when eating layered candies like M&M’s and this gum. Some lick each layer. Some nibble each layer. And the last just bite through the whole thing. Whatever the strategy, each layer is enjoyed yet the center holds the promise, like getting to the center of a Tootsie Pop lollipop.

 

It behooves us to remain aware and sensitive so that we don’t miss Him. Now every time I SEE the Mentos gum, think about the Mentos gum, or even smell minty gum, I am reminded that Jesus is the center and I have to remain centered in Him.

 

In the case of the Mentos, the outer layer seems to hold the most intense flavor. The mint is strong and fills the nostrils. The mint is cool yet fiery. And when eating the gum, one wants that minty outer layer to last forever. And we can be like that, wanting to satisfy our desires forever. But do you not know there is even more intense flavor inside waiting to be released? For the liquid center inside the gum is even more intense, even more pungent. And the same can be said for your spirit. Your spirit man is capable of producing MORE fruit than your flesh ever could.

 

And this is the work of the Lord. Day by day He puts us in situations where we will be challenged to crack the hard outer shell of our bodily desires, where we will have to stretch and squeeze the longings of our will so that our spirit man will be released to flow freely and fly right in line with the Lord.

 

This is His desire for you. This is His desire for me, that we would be broken before Him so that our spirits can commune with Him and with other like-minded spirits to expedite the work of building the Kingdom here on earth. This is truly living. Doing the work that we were purposed and placed here for from the beginning of time.

 

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The Words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63

 

Last year I asked the Lord to move my relationship with Him from my head to my heart. My head knows plenty about the Lord; I have memorized His word, I have seen His work, I have heard and continue to hear Him speak. The first two layers of ME know plenty about Him. Oh but I desire more than just head knowledge about Him. I long to know Him intimately. I long to commune with Him. I pine for the opportunity to hang out with Him and learn from Him. So He simply beckoned me to “COME!” And when I walked toward Him, the desires of my first two layers, my body and my will HAD to fall away. To sit with Him and hear from Him required me to respond. And to respond appropriately, obediently required me to deny myself so that my spirit could receive and act accordingly.

 

In his book The Release Of The Spirit, Watchman Nee says, “Our spirit is released according to the degree of our brokenness. The one who has accepted the most discipline is the one who can best serve. The more one is broken, the more sensitive he can be.” He goes on to say it is, “Through the Spirit’s discipline, that the outer man is broken. And, through the Spirit’s revelation, the powers of the outer man are completely divided from the spirit.”

 

Therefore, through disciplining ourselves and by divine revelation of the Holy Spirit, our inner man, our spirit man is released and is FREE.

 

In what ways are you being broken?

Can you see blessing in brokenness?

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!
Happy to connect with these friends spreading the Good News Purposeful Faith

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FitMom, Get It In. No Excuses!

Ok, so off the break let me say this upfront, I am no personal trainer, fitness buff, fitness expert, muscle head or exercise fanatic. I’m just a person who seeks to leave a legacy of health and generational blessing of total wellness, mind, body and spirit.

 

Like most people I know, exercise is not easy for me. Who wakes up thinking, “Yay, today I get to do squats until my legs are on FIRE and I can barely stand?” Who loves feeling the burn the day after those squats when all you’re trying to do is bend to pee? Well, I know there are some who like that feeling, I’m not particularly one of them.

 

But I am one who finds confidence in knowing that as I’m working those quads doing squats, I’m working the largest muscle group in my body thus giving me the biggest bang for my buck. I like knowing that I’m proactively reducing my risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease when I exercise. It’s reassuring to know I’m lowering my cholesterol, blood pressure and stress when I exercise. And it doesn’t hurt when I look at myself and see some of the fruit of my labor.

  

  

Leaving a generational legacy of health and wellness requires me to DO something about it today.

 

And what I can do TODAY is this:

 

~Choose to eat Whole Foods that add to not detract from my health. For more on eating clean, check out these posts.

I Can Eat Clean

Eat Right On The Go 

 

~Get adequate rest so my brain and body can function as designed. For more on Rest check out these posts.

For The REST Of My Life

How To Get Rest

 

~Of the 1440 minutes I’m given each day, I can dedicate a minimum of 30 back to myself in the form of exercise. As a busy mom of 5 young children, I can certain come up with PLENTY of legitimate reasons for not exercising regularly. But I will not let legitimate reasons (code name, uh-umm excuses) hamper my children’s ability to receive their blessing.

 

While my preferred method of exercise would be an intense African dance session to live drumming, my family schedule does not permit that. I’d also like to workout with others in a class setting, again that’s a tough one. I am able to squeeze in one day a week with a group. Other than that, I’ve had to devise a method that works well for me. When devising an exercise plan consider all factor that would contribute to making your plan a success such as: your schedule, family dynamic, finances, current health, exercise options available, personality, etc. All of these will directly impact your ability to sustain a workout regime. Once you find a formula that works for you, STICK TO IT! There can be lots of starts and stops in committing to exercise. Keep the goal before you always. And the goal for me is to LIVE FULLY by nurturing mind, body and spirit. To neglect one area is to neglect the others.

 

So here’s a glimpse at what works for me.

 

~Do It Early

My days start very early. I am up before my children so I can get a head start with my prayer and exercise. My agenda is WORD IN, WORK OUT, WORK THE DAILY PLAN. Thanks to Ann Voskamp for lending to that inspiration. I just wake up and put on my workout clothes. This helps get my mind focused on what needs to be accomplished. And if I don’t exercise early, I find that it falls at the mercy of other events of the day. And by evening I am absolutely worn out. And my husband comes home from work late so there’s no changing of the guard even if I wanted to workout in the evening so early morning it is. And since school has been out, some days I’ve even been able to add an early morning run to my routine. Those runs have been so refreshing in connecting with God in the outdoors, smelling the dew, listening to the birds and embracing the beauty in the now moment. Whoosah.

 

~Short but intense workouts

I’ve tried lots of exercise videos, video on demand, borrowing from friends, checking out of the library. If exercises are too repetitive or move too slowly, I get bored. Because time is also an issue for me, I want to get the biggest return on investment for my time. So I can’t do a 50-minute video or run the track for an hour. That simply doesn’t work for me so I know I wouldn’t commit to it. I’ve found Tabata workouts and H.I.I.T workouts to be effective for me. Two of my go to resources for those workouts are:

 

Sworkit App

BodyRock

I love, love, love these! With the Sworkit app you choose the type of workout (strength, cardio, yoga or stretching). Then you choose the number of minutes you want to workout. Then the real time workout begins and a person demonstrates it real time including a countdown clock. The lite version is free and is something I’d actually pay for I like it so much. But I have to say it doesn’t stretch me as much as the second, BodyRock. A friend introduced me to this YouTube channel and I’ve been HOOKED ever since. When I just think about the videos, I think POWER! The videos push me and when I’m done I feel strong and powerful.

 

Sworkit

 

~Playground Workout

Of my 5 children, 2 aren’t school age yet so since they are home with me everyday, all day I had to figure out a way to mesh their play and my workout thus the playground workout was born. In a coming post, I’ll detail what that looks like.

 

~At Hand Artillery

I keep my resistance bands and jump rope close at hand. If I have idle time (which is rare) I just pull them out. Even when I’m standing around watching my little ones ride their bikes or skate up and down the driveway, I can get some skipping in. No excuses maximize on the time.

 

skipping

 

These are a few of the strategies I employ to ensure I am honoring my temple through exercise so that I leave a legacy of health and wellness.

 

What are you doing to honor your temple through exercise?

 

What’s working well? What challenges are you facing?

 

You are not alone. I am here friend, cheering you on as you glorify God through honoring your temple. So do your thang FitMom. Get it in. No excuses!

 

before and after 2

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!
Happy to connect with others sharing the good news Grace&Truth Dance With Jesus

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