Journey along with me as we find freedom in our daily lives!
Safety Planning
These statistics are alarming to me. Domestic violence happens every minute to 20 people in the US. Domestic abuse happens to 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men in the US. When you hear those words, what do you think? I think about the women and children at the local shelter where I volunteer. They risked their lives to become safe. Safety planning is so important to bring more people to safety. What is safety planning? Safety planning is coming up with a plan in order to escape violence. Whether you’re leaving your residence or the residence of the...
read moreHow self-reliance can become God-reliance
I am survivor. I am a doer. I’m also self-reliant. Survivor is a badge I wear proudly. Surviving multiple things such as domestic violence, health issues, and upheaval of community has lead me to become self-reliant. Most of the time, I’m pretty proud of my self-reliance. While being self-reliant, I’m also a doer. Doer’s have a hard time sitting down and not doing anything. These fine qualities can help you navigate life well, but if you’re unhealthy, they can become very detrimental. Being self-reliant in this culture is something people...
read moreFinding freedom during health issues
A few weeks ago brought another health challenge. As we walked through another possible surgery, I kept thinking of all the amazing gifts we’ve been given. My family and I can walk, talk, see, and hear. The older we get the more our bodies can resist harder workouts. I love to workout, but sometimes we’re reduced to walking. And guess what? That’s okay. I can still hike, snowshoe and ski, but in the midst of health hardships, how do you keep going? Put one foot in front of the other. You get up each day and make the decision to keep moving...
read moreFinding freedom
Finding freedom is a topic near to my heart. Freedom is something I’ve always craved in order to live life my way. But I realized my way wasn’t getting me too far. Most people long to be free. So many long to have an abundant life. What if there’s a different way to gain freedom? Join me as we discuss what it means to be free and have an abundant life this month. What is freedom? What is freedom? Freedom, in the simplest terms, is the state of being free instead of imprisoned or enslaved. It is the right to act, speak, or think as one wants...
read moreThe Backside of the Mountain
Recently I met with a dear friend and we caught up. She wanted to get together and hear how life was going. This is a trust-worthy person because she is a mentor and cares with kindness. As we caught up, she kept saying this phrase which I had never heard before. She said ‘you’re on the backside of the mountain’. She explained you’ve been strategically placed in solitude in order to prepare you for His work. The backside can also be a place of transition and pruning. Yikes! Those are all the words I’ve been fighting against for the last year....
read moreGrowing into 2019
Here comes 2019! 2019 is going to be a year filled with anticipation and hope. Hope of how we’ll continue to grow during the good and the bad times, and for all the adventures ahead. However, 2018 was a year of growth for me and my family. Each area of growth has led us to hope for the good each day. We grew spiritually. Being a part of BSF each year, studying Romans and listening to Alisa Childers podcast has led to incredible growth. The amount of direction and pruning has been overwhelming, but also welcoming. We also took time to really...
read moreGiving All Year: Our Holiday Traditions
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again. Andy Williams sang it best letting everyone know there will kids jingle belling, parties for hosting and hearts will be glowing. Loved ones will be near and it will the happiest season of all. I’m going to be super honest here and say I only care for certain parts of the Christmas season. What? Yes, it’s true. Hang with me here. There’s too much pressure to get Christmas right. We stress at getting all the gifts ready, Christmas cards out the door, baking cookies, and not to mention teacher...
read moreDevotion: Many Samaritans Believe
This devotion was recently published, and I hope it brings some encouragement during this season. Today’s Reading: John 4:39-42 Many Samaritans Believe 39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and...
read moreHonoring your parents
Honoring your parents is something I haven’t always done well. In fact, this post is hard for me to write this year. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, and long conversations on how to make our relationship better. My husband and I discussed several questions on the way home from visiting my family last year. As Thanksgiving approaches and we’re headed back into family time, we want to navigate this well. We want everyone to enjoy our time together and create special memories. As we discussed this topic, my husband and I had some interesting...
read moreHope in Hardship
Hope in hardship is one of the themes of my story. Hope means holding onto courage when you feel like giving up. Courage keeps up moving towards hope. How does someone keep hope during hardship? Give yourself grace. Grace is an undeserved gift. Sometimes the gift is recognizing you’re exactly where you need to be in your story. You don’t have to be as far along as someone else. Whether you’re just leaving your perpetrator or have been out of the relationship for 15 years, giving yourself grace will allow you to enjoy life. Finding and...
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