Author Archives: fromthecommittedheart

Drifting Slowly

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It’s almost Summer and that means a slower pace of life, relaxing days by the pool or at the beach. When our family travels to the beach it can be a real chore.  We usually have a wagon full of goodies, plus a large tent to lug through the sand, so I don’t always feel like jumping in the ocean right right away. Our kids, on the other hand, are the opposite. They’re older, so I don’t mind them going in the water alone, however I remind them to look up every now and then to make sure they haven’t drifted. Our family tent provides that gauge/landmark for them.  In theory, this should work, but there are times when they are talking with friends and forget and drift. The good news is, my eyes are always watching them. When I see that they have become absent minded about their surroundings, I calmly walk down to the edge, where the water meets the beach, and call out to them. This can sometimes take a few minutes because they have drifted too far to hear my voice. Thankfully, after numerous yells and crazy looks from spectators, our kids look up in shock and are amazed how far they have drifted. 

2020 was like no other year for everyone! We were separated and asked to refrain from meeting with one another. Our churches were closed and people lost their gauges. You see, the church is like our family’s tent, it provides a covering from the harsh elements, giving us time to rest. The church provides food for the body and the soul. These structures provide encouragement and accountability from people who love and care about you. 

My question is have you looked up recently? Are you even aware you have drifted? 

There’s good news, Jesus has been watching, He hasn’t lost sight of you, He is calling even now…“Come home!”

Let’s go Deeper!

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A few weeks back, my family and I met with some friends at the beach. The day was absolutely gorgeous!  We had our tent up, sand castle toys we’re scattered everywhere, and the water was crystal clear! 

While our friend was taking our kids out, one at time, on the jet ski, I was hanging back with his daughter. She is 4 years old and this was only the second time I had seen her. The first time we met she was only an infant, so of course she didn’t remember me. 

As we waded in the water with her mom and baby brother, she began to feel more comfortable with me. After ten minutes or so, I asked if she wanted to walk further into the water. There wasn’t much action in the ankle deep water, plus she had a life jacket on and I could tell that she was an adventurous little girl.

She took my hand slowly and cautiously and we walked out deeper into the ocean. I showed her, while she held my hand tightly, how to jump up right before the wave reached us. By keeping her hand clasped in mine, the wave had no power to knock her under. 

However, there were also monstrous waves that she would never be able to jump over in her own strength, so when they approached I would grab her and lift her little body over my head. After another ten minutes or so her wall of hesitation towards me had crumbled. She was no longer waiting on me to ask if she wanted to venture out further, she was telling me, “let’s go deeper!” Her trust in me had developed and she knew I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. 

This precious moment reminds me of my personal relationship with God. Time and time again, He has carried me over some pretty massive waves, which has produced deep roots of trust and faith in Him. Spiritual growth is not formed under the tent, in a beach chair, sipping ice cold lemonade. It is quite the contrary. Spiritual growth transpires when we venture out into the deep. Where our toes can barely touch the sandy bottom. It’s right at the moment when you see a mammoth wave coming towards you and feel completely vulnerable, but instead of buckling, you leap up and God grabs you thrusting you over the roaring waters. 

We live in a fallen world and waves are inevitable. The swells of life do not declare the absence of Jesus. No, He is always there in the midst of the raging seas with His hand open and available to grasp. Now leap up and trust Him. Allow Jesus to carry you over the rushing waves of life. Then observe how your Faith and Trust grows deeper!

“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,” ~Nahum 1:7

Not just a dream…

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The church service was over. As we turned to walk towards the parking lot, a church leader asked my husband to pray to say a closing prayer over the leaders. We joined in a circle like we usually do. Our kids happened to be with us, so they also joined in. We bowed our heads and Javier began to pray. Not even a minute into the prayer student leaders and church leaders one by one stepped away from the circle. Some began having their own side conversations, as if my husband was finished. The side conversations were so loud that I looked up and noticed my family were the only ones remaining. My heart broke!

My eyelids slowly opened…it was a dream!

Has our youth become so impatient and distracted that they can’t pray for more than a minute?! Has the enemy blinded our leaders and pastors to a man made church culture that says everything is okay? The Holy Spirit is behind bars, intercession is a foreign word, salvation is a secret decision because we don’t want to offend anyone by asking them to walk to the front, and Godly sorrow is not allowed because the schedule doesn’t allow the allotted time for it!

Wake Up Brothers and Sisters, this is not a dream, this is the reality and the culture of our churches all across America.

Lord, helps us! Shake the pastors to their core, soften their hearts, and clear the cloud of ignorance they walk in daily! Lord, sound the inner alarm in your children, wake them up from their slumber. Help us to see the warning signs and turn towards You with every fiber of our bodies! I’m sick and tired of just “playing church”. Give us revival in our lives and in our churches. Amen!

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

The Day of the Lord

5 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

A Life is A Life

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“People say to me all the time, “Wow, you’re so lucky that you found what God wants you to do with your life.” I look at those people and think I didn’t find it, it was just in the Bible.  As someone who calls themselves a Christian it is very apparent that you are to love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.” Katie Davis

I often imagine myself in a third world country working at an orphanage. I picture Josiah running in the sand, playing kickball with the older boys, Victoria sitting in the sun braiding the little girl’s hair, Alayna rocking precious babies under a tree, and Kayla playing dolls with the youngest ones on the porch.  My heartstrings are pulled for the hurting and lost. There are many days I wish I could just pack up our family and move to Africa!

This to me is the greatest ministry possible. Serving some of the poorest people on earth and sharing God’s love with them.

Processed with VSCO with b1 presetAs I ponder on these thoughts God quickly spoke to my heart, “I care for the students in Fusion (a middle school ministry at our church) as much as I care for those kids in Africa.”  Wow! You’re right God (of course he’s right…lol). My mind has always glorified missionaries that make the track overseas. When to God a life is a life. He doesn’t place a higher value on the person that lives in Zimbabwe or Liberia. Each life is equally as important.  Our kids in America may have food and clothes, but they are mentally and emotionally hurting more than ever. If everyone felt called to be missionaries to third world countries, who would be left to help the next generation from turning away from God?

Let me encourage you today. To the ones who rather be working in Peru, China, or even South Africa as a missionary, your mission field is right where you are. God has placed people all around you that you have the power to influence, the words to encourage, and the abilities to show God’s love. Pray and seek his guidance, but in the end, he may just say, stay put, your boss, your classmate, your client, needs ME and they will only see ME through you.

Anxiety and Community

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Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.

In the world of Christianity, you will most often hear, just give it to God. You will also hear, these scriptures 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” and Psalm 55:22 “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” Here’s one more many recite in times of crisis, it’s found in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Although, these scriptures will give you peace (when you receive them) for all your concerns, they can also come across cold and churchy at times too.

My anxiety level for the past four months has been all over the place between trying to sell our house in Georgia, looking for a home church here in Florida, having one vehicle for our family of six, and wondering where in the world we are going to live.

It’s a weird place to be. If there was such a place as purgatory that is where I feel I’m at. Everything is on hold and I’m just sitting here waiting.

Cast means, to throw (something) forcefully in a specified direction. Yes, I’ve done this and peace comes, but after a week or so when I see no movement and no answers anxiety creeps in again!

I’ve learned when the feelings of anxiety overtake me I turn on worship music and pray. When the music isn’t penetrating my thoughts like I need it to I send out a S.O.S. to a few of my family members.

Don’t try to battle anxiety on your own! God did not create us to walk alone. He desires us to hold each other up when our brother or sister is too weak to stand.

My mama sent me this story a couple months back. It really shows the power of support.

When a mama elephant is giving birth, all the other female elephants in the herd back around her in formation. They close ranks so the delivering mama cannot even be seen in the middle. They stomp and kick up dirt and soil to throw attackers off the scent and basically act like a pack of fierce bodyguards.

They surround the mama and incoming baby in protection, sending a clear signal to predators that if they want to attack their friend while she is vulnerable, they’ll have to get through forty tons of female aggression first.

When the baby elephant is delivered, the sister elephants do two things: they kick sand or dirt over the newborn to protect its fragile skin from the sun, and then they all start trumpeting, a female celebration of new life, of sisterhood, of something beautiful being born in a harsh, wild world despite enemies and attackers and predators and odds.

Wow, what a visually….and in the subject line of my Mama’s email, “I’ve got you Sissy.” Talk about the water works flowing!

God knew I didn’t need another scripture, I already knew His promises, but they weren’t piercing through my thick scull. Instead, I just needed to know someone was going to battle for me when I was down and too weak to fight for myself.

I’m sharing all of this to say, the next time someone shares their fears and worries with you, don’t be quick to blurt out a scripture. Instead, pause a moment. Only God knows what that person needs. Yes, it could be a Bible verse or it might just be open ears, closed lips, and a tight embrace.

Aligning the Heart and Mind

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The Boy family is moving back to Florida, so this Father’s Day weekend we went house hunting around the New Tampa, Brandon, and Welsey Chapel area, with palm trees galore.  How exciting, right? No!

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It hasn’t even been a year since we moved to Georgia and we only closed on our current house seven months ago!

Needless to say, I’m not looking forward to all the paper work of relocating and starting over again.

When my husband first told me about his job opportunity, we took a week to pray about it before making the decision. Mentally, I knew the right decision was for my husband to take the offer, but my heart was not in agreement.

I personally had no desire to move back to Florida. My husband’s company relocated us to North Georgia in July and I fell in love! Here we have seasons. Fall isn’t just a word you describe to your kids and show them pictures online of how the leaves change, but you are able to experience it firsthand. The leaves actually turn gorgeous shades of caramel, strawberry red, and a golden yellow. Beyond the seasons, our entire family is plugged into an amazing church. The girls have had opportunities to sing on a worship team and be a part of a Christmas production.  We also found a beautiful homeschool group where the kids have found sweet friends to hang out with weekly. Does God really want us to move?

Well, I was expecting a stir of excitement when we went down to Florida, but that didn’t happen, at all! For three days we looked at pretty houses and nice lots, but nothing inside me said, “yay!” To be totally honest I felt a sense of depression at times, numb, speechless, and could care less!

My wonderful husband was taking my “vibes” (if you want to say), personally. He wanted me to be happy and he could see I wasn’t.

Last night he prayed about our move and our future. He then wrapped me up tight and prayed for me personally. After he stepped away, the tears streamed down my cheeks and I heard God say, “It’s time to move!” Not once, but three times, I heard God speak directly to my heart, “It’s time to move!” He knows I’ve been stubborn in this area and He didn’t want to leave room for me to question. For the first time, I felt peace, I felt my heart let go.

Afterwards, a memory came to mind of when I was little playing with my cousins, at my Mema’s house, and my Dad would stand up and say, “It’s time to go!” I automatically knew, I wouldn’t get another five minutes to play even if I asked. When my dad said it’s time to go, he meant it and I knew it! There was no room for doubt or pity parties. My mind, heart, and emotions would snap into place and I would leave my Mema’s house with my head up and a smile on my face. I can now say the same about Georgia, my mind, heart, and emotions have snapped into place, my head is high, and there’s a smile on my face because Father God said, “It’s time to Move!”

Thank you, God, for giving me peace about this new adventure. I pray for all my sweet friends out there that may be facing difficult times or big changes and their hearts are not in agreement. I pray you soften their hearts to hear your voice and I pray that you will give them peace today.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Okay, God, I hear you! 

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Have you ever heard the phrases, “God will never give you more than you can handle” or “He’ll always provide an escape from your temptation?” Well, I have a new one, “He’ll never let me sit in my self-pity for long before putting things into perspective.”
Without fail, every time I start feeling overwhelmed or even in a state of emotional self-pity, God paints a picture to put things into perspective!

Last year we had some issues with the closing of our house. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen and I felt very overwhelmed to the point it started affecting me emotionally. The truth is, I wasn’t trusting God! Anyways, as the kids were playing at the park I noticed a beautiful little girl, with no hair, on a swing. As I looked closer, I saw her mom pushing her on the swing. The mom and the girl were laughing and enjoying that sunny day. The mom wasn’t sitting on a bench pouting about her daughter having cancer; no she was seizing the moments she had with her daughter! My heart dropped and tears followed down my cheeks! Okay, God, I hear you!

Then just a few months ago I was having another “moment”. I was stressed over a money situation that went wrong because of a miscommunication with Southwest. I was so frustrated and my outward appearance was showing it. I was short with my kids and I felt yet stressed again! As I stood in line to return something at Target, another beautiful girl, without any hair, caught my eye! She was smiling big as she looked up at her dad walking beside her. Again, tears filled my eyes! Okay, God, I hear you!

For almost two weeks my kids have had the flu! The first week the girls had it and now my little guy has it. I haven’t been able to do much around the house because of their sickness and they are behind on schoolwork, which stresses me out! Today I dropped the girls off at their co-op by themselves, I know they are in good hands, but they aren’t my hands. It’s hard for me to ask for help from others, especially when it comes to my crew. I personally feel like they are my full responsibility, but their brother is sick and he can’t be around other kids. As I dropped them off my heart started pounding. I began to pray for them and for myself. I felt totally overwhelmed and stressed to the max. As I was texting my dad, he reminded me of my cousin that just had brain surgery for the second time in only a few months and he hasn’t woke up yet. At that second, I felt all anxiety leave! Okay, God, I hear you!

I share these stories to say, life is never easy, there are terrible days, but it could always be worse! God doesn’t want us to sit and dwell on ourselves; nothing good can come out of that. He wants us to pray and give it to him, then go and help someone else. To experience freedom from self-pity, stress, and anxiety, we have to take our eyes off our current situation and ourselves! And we need to ask ourselves, “do we trust God?” When we fully trust him, we can exhale and know He has our back and He will work it out!

Thank you, God, for loving me so much that you interrupt my self-pity and paint just the right picture to put things into perspective!

Today, I want to lift up every child with cancer and every parent that is watching their child fight this terrible disease. And specifically for my cousin, who is in the hospital right now! I pray you heal his body and wake him up! In Jesus Name! Amen!

Is your purse empty? 

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Last week my husband brought home a wonderful surprise for me, a Kate Spade gift set. The set included a sleek, black, leather wallet and a chevron print phone cover. I quickly asked, “how much was it?” You see I don’t like for people to spend money on me. My sweet husband explained to me there was a promotion going on at work and he got it for free. Wow! I don’t know who Kate Spade is, but I love free gifts. Later I realized Kate Spade is actually a well known designer. Well, I need a new purse to go with my fancy wallet now, you see this wallet won’t fit in my current purse, plus if I was going carry around a Kate Spade wallet now, I need to have a name brand purse to go with it. So the following day I went shopping. I found a MK tote from TJ Maxx, it wasn’t full price, but it wasn’t cheap either. After a few days of carrying it around, I felt guilty. We are in the process of buying a new house and we need to be wise with our money, also, there are tons of other things I could spend that money on, so I returned it. 

The day after returning it, I went out looking for a purse again, I was on a mission. I spent an hour and a half between three different stores. Looking up and down the aisle, pushing purses left and right to see what was behind them. Even taking pictures with name brand purses like MK and Kate Spade, so I could send them to my mom and get her opinion. After searching and looking for what seemed like hours (my poor kids), I left! This was ridiculous! As I drove off toward my next errand, I felt like a spoiled brat, I was frustrated and pouty because I couldn’t find “the purse” I wanted one.

That night after cleaning up from dinner I got on the computer and started looking again, yes again! I was trying to find deals, but the prices were still in the hundreds! Finally, something said look at H&M. I found the perfect solid black purse, under $30 (after my discount)! Now that’s something I can buy!

As I laid down that night I started thinking about how much people feed the “brand” name, just hashtag brand names on Instagram! They also spend hundreds of dollars on the outward appearance from clothes to makeup and hours grooming themselves from manicures to hair treatment. But how much time do we spend investing on the inner self? I spent hours looking for a stupid purse that had the outer appearance altogether…it was cute, expensive, trendy, and had the hashtag liketoknow.it all over it, but none of that matters if the purse is empty inside because you invested all your money on the outward appearance. Who cares what clothes you wear, handbags you carry, and shoes you strut, if you have nothing inside that’s worth any kind of substance? 

Don’t get me wrong, if you have the money and you want to give me a name brand purse, I will gladly take it…lol. No, really if you have the money, fine. Also, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with getting your hair colored and your nails painted, I actually have an appointment on Thursday to get my roots done! I just want to encourage you to not get wrapped up in the outward appearance. For in 1 Samuel 16:7 it says, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Yeah, you might look real cute for your Instagram pic, but is your purse empty? 

Prayer: Lord, may our character speak louder than our wardrobes. Help us Father, to focus our attention on what pleases you, rather than be concerned about how many followers and likes we have on social media. Search our hearts and guide us in your truth. In Jesus Name, Amen

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Facing Fear with a Thankful Heart

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img_1041Overwhelmed is not even the word to described the feeling that came over me this morning! It was the first day of Classical Conversation (basically a homeschool co-op)! Lunches and backpacks were packed the day before, fingernails were painted, and outfits were ironed. I had us set up for success, or so I thought.

My oldest woke up with a headache for the third day in a row. No worries, I knew what to do. I quickly measured out her Motrin and prayed it worked! Ten minutes later she was up and ready to start her day, Thank God! Things were going well…two of the kids were finishing up their cereal and the other two were getting dressed. As we went to gather our things to leave, my oldest went down to the floor! The excruciating pain had come back to her head and this time she couldn’t open her eyes or walk. I ran to the cabinet to now measure out some Tylenol, again praying the medicine would work. Finally, we were able to get everyone to the car. The sky was blue and there was no traffic, which is always a miracle when driving around the Atlanta area!

We pulled into Church where we were to meet the group, ten minutes early at that! I prayed over the kids and their nerves before getting out of the car. Everyone was stoked that this day had finally come!

As we walked in the building there are women and kids everywhere! We followed one family down a hall, but we had no idea where each of the their classrooms were. With kids running around us everything started to spin! Right about the time I was going to ask for some help, I heard a bell! They were calling all of us to gather in a small hallway to listen to the announcements and upcoming events. As we stood there listening, my oldest started crying, I asked if her head was hurting.

“Just a little,” she said.

I asked her while looking at her sweet face, “Then why are you crying?”

“Because I don’t want to go to class, she replied as her voice cracked.”

Meanwhile as this conversation is going on, my four year old is wrapped around my leg, begging me to stay with him!

I felt helpless! There is only one of me and four of them!

img_1046The group dismissed in prayer and tutors started walking to their classrooms with their students behind them. They were naming the tutors so quickly I couldn’t catch who was a tutor and who was a parent. So again I stood there with all my little ones looking at me for guidance, and I was lost.
Thankfully, a mom saw my frantic face and offered to assist me. First we dropped off Kayla, next was Victoria. When we made it to Josiah’s room the parents and kids were already sitting down introducing themselves! Then here we come disrupting the tutor, walking in a few minutes late! I encouraged Josiah to take a seat so I could go talk to his sister, but he wouldn’t let go of me! He had a grip on me like an alligator on a hippo in the Savannah! So here we go again disrupting the class to leave. As I walked out with my leach, I calmly said, “it’s his first time in a classroom setting, please give us some grace.” With that I walked out grabbing my daughter’s hand and jetting straight to the bathroom!

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I couldn’t hold back the tears! I knew my daughter didn’t want to be in her class, but I wouldn’t allow fear to paralyze her. She needed to be strong! Even though I knew this, it didn’t make it easier on me, mama. You better believe I wanted to wrap her up and drive away from that church as fast as I could, but that wouldn’t help her to grow, it wouldn’t help her to face her fears.

Three seconds after entering my safe haven place, the bathroom, the director walked in! I had never met her in person, I had only spoke to her on the phone and through a few emails. She asked if I was okay. “No! I feel overwhelmed, I said.” As tears ran down my cheeks.

“I know I haven’t met you, but can I hug you, she asked?”

In which I replied, “yes!”

Let me tell you there is nothing better than a hug! The human touch is so powerful and healing!

After sharing with her a little in the bathroom, Alayna came out of the stall tearless! I encouraged her that she could do this.

We went to her class and tok a seat in the back of the room. She was able to warm up and relax at the same time. A few hours passed and it was snack time. I was able to motivate her to move her chair to the table with the rest of the kids. She finished the day strong, answering questions and participating in games with her classmates.

As for Josiah, he didn’t give a presentation like all the other kids, but he did listen and learned he must raise his hand if he wants to make a comment.

I cannot say it enough, God is stretching our family! We were so comfortable in our happy little lives that growth was a joke and dependence on him was pretty much nonexistent!

When we lift weights, we make small tears in our muscles which usually brings on pain and soreness, but after awhile our muscles heal and we become stronger. Our family is spiritually working out, we feel sore and we are experiencing pain at times, but I know God is also healing and strengthening us and for that, I AM THANKFUL!
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Christianity Is Not About Rules

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If I was asked to sum up Christianity in one word, what would it be? Well, I would choose a four letter word, L-O-V-E, LOVE.

People, the church and religion has complicated Jesus!

I have four beautiful kids. Each time I gave birth, the nurse would put my sweet baby in my right arm and a large rule book in the other arm…no, not really. The nurse didn’t need to give me a rule book of do’s and don’t’s.

You see, when she placed my baby girls and my baby boy in my arms, I instantly felt LOVE. I wanted to be the best mom possible for them.  As I looked in their eyes, the love was so strong, at that moment I knew my life wasn’t my own. From that point on, my life was their’s! I was there to protect and guide them.

Is it required to have a rule book to be a parent? NO, but I now wanted all the information I could get my hands on to help me raise my children! Why, because I love them. Parents that truly love their children are constantly asking advice from doctors, other moms, and family members. They spend time reading books and blogs on parenting, terrible twos, potty training, teenage years, etc…that’s because when we love, we give our best to those we love.

How many of us take our kids to sports practice, dance class, piano lessons etc. multiple times a week or even drive an hour or two to their event every weekend? Why do we do it?  We do it because we love them, we will go the distance for those we love.

That goes the same for our relationship with God. When we ask Jesus into our life, we are instantaneously filled with LOVE. We quickly realize our life is not our own, but God’s. We don’t need a church to give us a list of do’s and don’t’s, but because we love Jesus with all our heart we want to read all we can about Him. When we love Him, we long to spend time with Him in prayer, talking to Him. You desire to build a close relationship with Him and when you deeply love Him, you never want to leave Him. You will possibly find yourself driving 40 to 50 minutes to church, three to four times a week…why, because you love Him.

To be a Christian is not complicated at all. Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and the rest will follow.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ~Deuteronomy 6:5

 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ~Matthew 22:37

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. ~Mark 12:30

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind..’ ~Luke 10:27