Viva La Vida

Do You See the Beauty in Your Surroundings? Well, it's been quite a while since my last blog and I'm glad to share my thoughts once again:)  So much has happened in the past month or so which has given me a lot time to reflect.  Something that has been placed in heart, especially since I've been overseas, is that I need to take the time to truly appreciate the environment around me.  God has made so many beautiful creations on this earth and we have the opportunity to really marvel at the scenery that he has placed around us.   I find myself driving around the area here and I see castles, old cathedrals, villages, and so many different trees.  It may not be that exciting to some, but for me, it's just a testament to how awesome God truly is.  These things didn't just manifest overnight.  It took a lot of skill, knowledge, nature, and patience to create many of these beautiful images.  We know that in the beginning of the word in Genesis, God spoke everyth

How Do You Quench Your Thirst?   I remember for a while that Sprite commercials used to claim that just by simply drinking Sprite, your thirst would be quenched.  That's a pretty good slogan for them to sell you on the idea that your thirst will be quenched by consuming soda!  Well, I'm sure we're all aware that that's not really the case, but either way, it's a good marketing scheme.  But, this whole concept about thirst has me thinking about life...    When I'm thirsty, I just want a nice glass, cup, or bottle of cold water!  Speaking of, I'm still getting used to the way water is served here in Europe.  I was asked on the first night I went out to dinner if I wanted water "with gas" and it made me giggle because I hadn't heard that term before.  It took me a minute to realize the waiter was just asking if I wanted "sparkling (with bubbles/gas)" or "distilled (no bubbles/gas)" water.  I'm definitely a "No

My Mom is a pretty interesting lady.  She's in her 50s, but lives as she if she's still in her 20s.  What do I mean by that?  No she doesn't dress young and she doesn't run around trying to look like she's a 20 year old (although she looks great for her age:).  What I mean is that she lives life adventurously.  Imagine all of the different things you want to do in your lifetime.  Some people have a "bucket list" or some just have some "must do" things that they want to accomplish before it's simply too late.  She sent me a text last week to tell me that she was taking a motorcycle riders class.  Now for those who know my Mom, seeing her as a "biker chick" seems to be a far stretch.  However, she passed the class and is now on the hunt for her own bike.  Everyday when she wakes up, she thanks God for the next adventure that the day may bring her and she steps into it with complete faith.  That mentality of hers has certainly rubbed o

I have an announcement.... (DRUM ROLL PLEASE)..... We were ALL fearfully and wonderfully made (period)!  I'm sure at some point in our lives, we've suffered some sort of self-esteem issues because of situations or people in our lives that made us feel unworthy.  However, I am here to tell you (as well as myself) that yes, you are worthy!         What drives your self-esteem?  I can remember a time when my self-esteem wasn't based on the thoughts of myself, but instead it was solely based on the thoughts, opinions, words, and actions of others towards me.  Does this sound familiar to anyone else?  It's a crazy concept to take in because naturally, self-esteem should be based on what one believes of "himself"... But of course, we tend to develop a sense of "self" by what others or even society identifies us as.  Now imagine, if you will, that you made a sound decision to tune out all of the outside influences and ONLY accepted what God has deter

  And so it begins ladies and gentlemen, I am officially a blogger!:)  Never thought I'd see the day, but I'm in a "go for it" kind of mind set in my life right now and I've had quite a few folks in my circle that have encouraged me to let my voice be heard.  My main focus for blogging is motivational speaking simply because it's a huge part of my life.  I can honestly say that I haven't experienced quite as much of life's overwhelming disappointments, but I've certainly had my fair share and only God has been able to sustain me through it all.  If you are the least bit interested in keeping a positive mindset, grasping on to hope, looking for that silver lining, or just knowing that things will be okay, this is the blog for you.  I only know of ONE WAY to keep moving forward and that's through Jesus!  May sound like a cliché for some, but it's been the reality for my life.      Just as a side note, in case you're wonderin