A Little More YOU, a little less ME

There has been a resounding theme running through various channels of my life recently. It's the notion that when you focus on serving others, you will in turn receive success and blessing in your own life.

When you make everything about "I, me, and my" it becomes all about serving your own selfish interests. When you focus on "YOU" it becomes all about how to serve someone else.  My friend recently challenged me to have conversations with people without using the word "I, Me, or My".  It's not easy to do! It's much easier to ramble on about what "I" want and what "I" have accomplished and about "my" goals.

It's a tough lesson to learn, but as I've been trying to focus on this awareness lately, I've noticed some cool things happening. When approaching a situation with someone from the vantage point of what do "You" want or need or how can I serve and support "You", guess what happens?  The other person opens up and shares their heart! There is no "I, Me, My" ulterior motive. There is simply a pure, transparent goal to "serve" the other person. Letting go of your personal agenda and releasing yourself from outcome gives you freedom to serve the other person with greater genuine acceptance.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ~ Philippians 2:4

Be a difference maker! Make a difference in the lives of OTHERS.

Start today, November 1st and make this the season of serving others!

Love and Prayers,
Sondra

Words

I heard this song this week on Christian radio station, KLove, by Hawk Nelson called Words.  The opening lyrics caught my attention immediately. Maybe it was because I was feeling like a "prisoner to my thoughts". And thoughts often become words, whether spoken to others or spoken to ourselves. Throughout the next few days I kept seeing more signals about "words".

Whether spoken to others or to yourself... Let your words be life...Let your words be truth!

Read the lyrics below and you'll see what I mean.

They've made me feel like a prisoner

They've made me feel set free

They've made me feel like a criminal

Made me feel like a king

They've lifted my heart to places I've never been

They've dragged me down back to where I began

Words can build you up

Words can break you down

Start a fire in your heart

Or put it out

Let my words be life

Let my words be truth

I don't want to say a word

Unless it points the world back to You

You can heal the heartache

Speak over the fear

God, your voice is the only thing we need to hear

Words can build us up

Words can break us down

Start a fire in our hearts

Or put it out

Let my words be life

Let my words be truth

I don't want to say a word

Unless it points the world back to You

Let the words I say

Be the sound of Your grace

I don't want to say a word

Unless it points the world back to You

I want to speak Your love

Not just another noise

I want to be Your life

I want to be Your voice



Love and Prayers,
Sondra

He said

He said...

I'm a well watered garden

My springs don't quit

I'm the apple of his eye

I'm his beloved

I'm an overcomer

I'm the head and not the tail

I'm above and not beneath

I'm blessed in the city

I'm blessed in the field

I'm blessed when I come in

I'm blessed when I go out

Everything I put my hand to is "Blessed"

I can do all things through Him.

The beautiful words of this blog were shared with me by a beautiful woman at a women's retreat I attended this weekend! The word of the Lord is so beautiful!

Love and Prayers,
Sondra

Serve 16

This blog is dedicated to an amazing young lady who is turning 16. While most soon-to-be 16 year olds would be planning a Sweet 16 bash, shopping for new clothes, and picking out their future car, this young girl has assembled an initiative to serve others 16 times during the month of November in honor of her birthday. I've known this young girl for several years. She is kind, smart, and has a very big heart. I am in awe of her love for Jesus and desire to serve others at such a young age.  She is setting an amazing example for others young and old! My family will definitely be participating in her project.

Her project is called Serve 16! You can buy very cool Tshirts and the proceeds benefit a great cause. And you can read through her 16 ideas for serving others and create a plan for yourself and your family to serve others during the month of November!!  November is a month that many people recognize as a time to give thanks and to serve others. What can you do to get yourself out of your own way in the spirit of serving others?? Read her ideas below!!!

Serve16 is both a challenge and an invitation to see a need and to meet it. YOU are invited to join US in serving your community 16 times through the month of November. Let's get out there and see what awesome things God has in store as we are Jesus' hands and feet!

Here's the story...

As I was thinking about my Sweet 16 birthday party this year I wanted to incorporate the things that I love most...and I realized that one of my favorite things is to serve people! So why not do THAT instead of a party? That's how Serve16 was created! We decided to find 16 different ways to serve, help, and demonstrate Jesus' love to people in our area. 

Buying a t-shirt helps spread the word about Serve16 and becomes your first act of service! Proceeds from the sale will be given to Calvary Christian Church's One for One ministry. Each week the church finds someone in the Bellevue, NE area struggling financially...and blesses them with a monetary gift.

Where do you begin? First, check out the list of 16 projects we're doing in November. Second, open your eyes and see the needs all around you. Third, ACT.

Here are 16 ideas to get you started!

1. Buy a shirt! (www.booster.com/serve16)

2. Serve at least once at your church.

3. Take a meal to someone who needs it.

4. Choose one person to pray for for a week. Then tell that person what you're doing.

5. Take away someone's loneliness. Visit someone in a nursing home or hospital.

6. Do a job around the house that nobody else wants to do (mow the grass, organize the closet, clean the toilets).

7. Give up part of the big day and go serve Thanksgiving dinner at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen.

8. Spend 30mins with a younger sibling. Let THEM choose the activity!

9. Meet and talk to a new person at school, youth group or work.

10. Do yard work (mow grass, rake leaves, shovel the driveway) for one of your neighbors, especially if they can't do it themselves.

11. Write an encouraging note to a family member, friend, coworker, teacher or boss. Include some scripture you enjoy.

12. Volunteer at your local homeless shelter or soup kitchen.

13. Write a thank you note to a veteran.

14. Walk a neighbor's dog.

15. Introduce yourself to a neighbor you haven't met (take cookies. Cookies make everything better).

16. Clean out your closets and donate the old clothes you don't use anymore to a homeless shelter.

Whether you do one of these projects or you find your own, be sure to add your stories to this page. Together we can BE Jesus' hands and feet in November!


Join me in supporting this young lady and her amazing idea!!!

Love and Prayers,
Sondra

Born with Greatness

It's not everyday you hear these words, "You are such an inspiration and God has such big plans for you." These are words spoken to me today by a dear friend. It made me think. 

When someone tells you that you have "greatness", you most certainly should believe them! Soak up those words and make them your truth. Don't shrug it off as thought it's a shallow compliment. In fact, it occurred to me today that these are words we should hear everyday. What if we consistently told each other "you were born with greatness"? What if we were to tell our children daily "you were born with greatness"? What if you looked in the mirror every morning and said "I was born with greatness"? Perhaps we would all start to believe it and actually act upon our greatness. 

The truth is that God designed each and every one of us for greatness. Keith Kochner, author and founder of Mentorship Mastery says "You cannot walk towards your greatness, you can only walk away from it." The truth is that you don't have to seek it out, because you were born with it. It's a question of what you're going to choose to do with it. 

Are you walking in your greatness? Are you utilizing your God-given talents, skills, and gifts to the best of your ability? You were meant to thrive, not just survive. 

Love and Prayers,

Sondra

Faith in a Glass House

I don't have dreams often in which I wake up and typically don't remember my dreams. So, when I do have a dream that wakes me up at night, I figure there's an important message being sent to me through that dream. The other night I woke up at about 4am after dreaming that my husband and I were caught in a flash flood.

One of our favorite places to visit is Estes Park, Colorado.  You drive through the Big Thompson Canyon to get to Estes Park, and you're surrounded by rock walls on all sides. The road basically winds up the canyon along side the mountain stream until you arrive at this majestic view of the Rocky Mountains. Within the past few weeks a flood swept through the canyon and wiped out major portions of the road along with many homes and cabins along the way.

In the dream, my husband and I were traversing down the post-flooded river bed on an all-terrain vehicle. The flood had passed and it seemed to be safe. We came upon a glass house nestled in the middle of the river bed that was amazingly untouched.  The next part of the dream was me being inside the glass house. There were other people in the glass house with me. And suddenly someone screamed "flash flood". Another unexpected flood was happening. I stood and turned around and saw this enormous wave rolling down the canyon toward the house. People were scattering in every direction. Running. Trying to escape. My instinct was to do the same. After all we were standing in a house made mostly of glass. Surely this wave would shatter this house into pieces. I was scared. Where was my husband? Where would we go? Was there time to get out? How would we find our way down the canyon? Or would we be swept away by the water?

There was a kind man standing near me. I felt a sense of wisdom from him, as if he would know what to do. For some reason, he wasn't panicking. He remained calm and still. The wave seemed to be suspended in it's motion, while I wrestled with what to do. I turned to the man and asked, "What do we do?"

The man said to me, "Stay here. You'll be safe here."

I questioned him about how we could be safe in this glass house. How could that be? Yet he remained calm, not moving. I felt compelled to run like the others, but something was keeping me there.

The dream went fuzzy at this point. I started to wake up. That moment where you start to wake and come out of a dream that seemed so real that you have to wonder if it really was. But then I remember a message coming to me almost immediately. And I heard the man say "This is a house of faith. No matter how unbelievable the situation may seem, if you remain in this house of faith, you will be safe."

As I lie there wondering what this dream meant, that was it!  That was the message in this dream! Stay in Faith! Stay in Faith! Do not try to escape the challenges of life, rather stay in faith! Do not try to venture off on your own! Stay in Faith! Even when the glass house feels as though its coming down, Stay in Faith!

What's going on outside your glass house that has you running in fear or anxiety? Stay in Faith!

Love and Prayers,
Sondra

What Can You Control?

I was just thinking about this very question the other day. What can I actually control? And then low and behold, my friend Kelli Dewispelare from Sweat Cycle Soul said the intention out loud! And it was exactly what I had been thinking. We cannot control what happens in the entire world around us. But we can control what happens in our own life.

Some people might challenge that idea and say that its not true. That we can't control whether we find a job or lose a job, or find love or lose love, or have children or not have children, and so forth.

And while we can't control all circumstances and situations, here are some things we can control...

We can control how we respond to life, to our circumstances and the people around us.
We can control whether we think of the glass being half full or half empty.
We can control whether we stay in a job or leave and pursue a different career.
We can control whether we spend money we don't have or live within our means.
We can control how we spend our time each day, watching TV or expanding our minds.
We can control whether we live in a hot climate or a cold climate.
We can control our decision to stay in a marriage or not stay in a marriage.
We can control whether we work on a relationship or give up on a relationship.
We can control our attitude being grateful for what we have or envious of what we don't.
We can control whether we serve others or wallow in our own selfishness.
We can control whether we get off the couch to exercise or complain about poor health.
We can control whether we eat nourishing food or empty calories of junk food.
We can control whether we set a good example for our children, or model poor behavior.

I look back at this list and will admit that I personally have a lot of areas over which I have control that I don't always make good choices. But just reviewing this list helps me to feel empowered! We have a lot more control over our world that we think we do!

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

For me, I'm going to personally pledge to do a better job with the last three items on the list. I've been gathering up a few pounds here and there and not taking the time to take care of myself through exercise and proper eating.  The interesting thing about that is that of anything on this list, it's the two things that I have the most control over!!! Nobody is shoving cookies down my throat and telling me I'm not allowed to go for a jog!  I am fully in control over those choices. And if I can regain proper balance in this area, I am most certainly setting a good example for my children. And I am most surely going to see a ripple effect of improvement in other areas of my life!

So stay tuned....you'll be seeing more focus on "healthy living" as a part of 63 Days of Faith Love Time!

Love and Prayers,
Sondra

Change of Heart

Personal growth can bring forth amazing revelations and open doors that you didn't even realize were closed. I had one of those realizations today. I'd like to share it with the hope that it might be relateable to others.

When my daughter was a tiny baby she had her first open heart surgery.  For days after the surgery, the doctors tried to take her off the ventilator to allow her to breathe on her own. In the end, it proved not to be possible. Our little baby wasn't able to breathe properly now without the support of a breathing machine. We struggled to understand how this could be the case. For the first three months of her little life, she had been breathing on her own without the support of this machine. Why was it the case that she now could not breath properly without the support of tubes and machines? Why? We asked this question of the doctors.

Their answer was that because they had repaired her heart, it had changed the anatomy of how her body functioned overall. The heart and lungs no longer worked in concert with one another in the same way they had prior to the surgical repair of her heart.  Her heart had changed and now the rest of her body needed to also change in order to adapt. This would take time. Time. It would take time.

Photo I took of Street Tile in Pueblo Nuevo, Guatemala 

during my mission trip

I realized today that my own personal journey of transformation has been similar. While my heart has not physically been touched, my heart has been changed. It has been changed by the choices I've made and thus the experiences, people, passions, and causes I've come to know. I realized that when I question why I'm not where I want to be in certain aspects of my life, it's because the "change of heart" has created a ripple effect and the anatomy of everything else has changed now too.  I no longer see things from the same point of view, with the same "heart". Everything is different now. And just like my daughter's healing journey, "time" is required for the rest of the anatomy to catch up.

What "changes of heart" have you experienced in your life? Do you find yourself waiting and wondering when the ripple effects will be over and the anatomy of your situation will fully mend itself? Is it possible that God's timing just doesn't quite match your expectations? Can you be patient a little longer? It will be worth the wait.

Love and Prayers,

Sondra

Butterflies in Your Stomach

Do you enjoy public speaking? Are you invigorated by standing up in front of a room full of people? How about an auditorium? Do you stutter? Do you stammer? Does your heart race? Do you perspire? Do you get butterflies in your stomach? Do you do it anyway?

My answer... Yes! Yes! Yes to all!

Most people would rather die than speak in front of a large audience! And there are statistics that support that! I actually get a charge out of it. I get extremely nervous, fearful, all those things I mention above, yet in the end I enjoy doing it! I had the opportunity today to speak to an auditorium of people. It wasn't a massive audience. It was around 70 people, but that's more than you'd meet in a coffee shop! I had the butterflies in the stomach, heart pounding, hope-I'm-not-pitting-out nervousness. I was sharing the story of my family from our book Miracle of Belief to a group of medical professionals. I shared a very emotional reading from the book and at that point, I actually felt my knees buckle. My legs were feeling a bit numb.

Here's my observation about this.  Somehow, I pushed past the signs and signals my body was giving me. I pushed past the fear and the physical "feelings" and I did it anyway! I put myself through this physically, emotionally charged situation anyway.

Why? I found myself really asking Why? It wasn't like I was auditioning for The Voice, or a chance to win a million bucks. I didn't have to speak to this group. I was asked and I said yes. It was my choice.

Here's what I believe to be the answer. I am driven by the "connections" I can make with the audience. I am driven by the "passion" in my heart to share a message with others that I believe can have an impact, inspire, and make a difference for a handful of people in that group of 70. I know that it is my calling and I'm willing to push past the fear and the near nausea to get to the other side.

My question to you is this. What is the thing that you are scared of doing that you know you must do in order to achieve your goal, your dream, your vision? What is it that gives you the butterflies in your stomach? It's probably the thing you try hardest to avoid. And it very well could be the one thing, that if you just take a deep breath and do it anyway, you'll be amazed at what happens next.  The truth is that nobody else can see the butterflies that you feel. And if they could, they would probably delight in knowing that you are merely human and experience the same fears, anxiety, and doubts they themselves experience.

Have you heard the expression "Feel the fear and do it anyway"? Let the fear be your friend. When it shows up, invite it to sit down beside you. Stop trying to chase it away. It's there to force you to grow.

Love and Prayers,
Sondra

Love the Life You Live

I know I'm not alone. There are times of great inspiration. And then there are times when its hard to feel inspired. I decided not to put pressure on myself to blog every single day during this 63 day run, but rather to look at the 63 day block as a whole and find meaningful inspiration to guide transformation throughout a 63 day calendar journey. As a result of cutting myself some slack, I've been slacking on my daily "thinking" about what to write about! Call it a writer's block, I guess. Not something I have often as I love to write and the words generally flow.

So, what to do when you're stuck? I find that looking to other people for sources of inspiration is the best answer.  I pulled out a book called Love Your Life and It Will Love You Back, written by Sourena Vasseghi. Mr Vasseghi was born with severe cerebral palsy which robbed him of muscle control and the ability to speak clearly. He is in a wheelchair. Yet, he has become a speaker, life coach, and author with a passion to inspire other people. I was inspired by his book when I originally read it, and decided to pull it out tonight to revisit some of the highlighted passages.

My favorite quote from the book :

"There's a party going on all the time, and it's called life." 

Sourena's philosophy is that if you love your life enough, it will eventually love you back.  And he believes that true talent is fully loving your life when nothing is going well. Wow! That's an inspiring way to live and think.

A friend once gave me a keychain (which I still carry) that said "Love the Life You Live" and on the other side "Live the Life You Love".  I remember when she gave it to me secretly thinking to myself "Ya right." That was many years ago, and I've gotten past that way of thinking.

Sourena suggests falling passionately in love with your life by doing the following:

"To fall passionately in love with your life, think like someone who's in that passionate, overwhelming state of being in love. You'll see how they exude these characteristics.

• They have the courage to dream.
• They accept the ones they love exactly the way they are.
• They depend on people for support.
• And, most importantly, they do anything to win the other person's love."

Sourena Vasseghi fell in love with his own life despite his physical challenges and is an inspiration to anyone who thinks they can't do the same!

What can you decide to do to fall in love with your life?

Love and Prayers,
Sondra

Better Than a Hallelujah

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know that I find healing and inspiration from music. My friend and spiritual mentor suggested that I listen to Amy Grant's song, Better Than a Hallelujah.  I've always loved this song, but never really "listened" to the words. I've been listening to it over and over all day.

The message I heard in this song today is that God really wants to hear our truth. God loves us no matter the messes we might have in our life. We pour out our miseries and He hears a melody.  I've really been working on strengthening my relationship with God through daily prayer, and this song solidified for me that those daily prayers of miseries big or small are music to God's ears! Read the words and then google the song title and watch the official video.

"Better Than A Hallelujah"

God loves a lulluby

In a mother's tears in the dead of night

Better than a Hallelujah sometimes

God loves the drunkard's cry

The soldier's plea not to let him die

Better than a Hallelujah sometimes

We pour out our miseries

God just hears a melody

Beautiful, the mess we are

The honest cries of breaking hearts

Are better than a Hallelujah

The woman holding on for life

The dying man giving up the fight

Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes

The tears of shame for what's been done

The silence when the words won't come

Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes

We pour out our miseries

God just hears a melody

Beautiful the mess we are

The honest cries of breaking hearts

Are better than a Hallelujah

Better than a church bell ringing

Better than a choir singing out, singing out

We pour out out miseries

God just hears a melody

Beautiful, the mess we are

The honest cries of breaking hearts

Are better than a Hallelujah

We pour out our miseries

God just hears a melody

Beautiful, the mess we are

The honest cries of breaking hearts

Are better than a Hallelujah

(Better than a Hallelujah sometimes)

Better than a Hallelujah

(Better than a Hallelujah sometimes)

Love and Prayers,
Sondra

Are 'Self Help' Books Worth the Money?

I was just having a conversation this evening with a young woman in corporate America. She reminded me a lot of myself 10-15 years ago. Hard working, type-A, full of promise and energy.  I still believe I'm all those things, but with a greater appreciation for having purpose that accompanies all that hard-work.  We were talking about inspirational books to read.  I had been reflecting recently on the fact that I've read more books in the past five years than I have in all the previous adult years of my life. And they haven't been Harlequin Romance novels!

In fact I recall some years back joking with business colleagues about how "self-help" books were only for mentally unstable, insecure people who had low self-esteem. "Those books" weren't for successful people who know where they are going in their career. Funny, how little I knew then!

I recently had a friend comment when I told her I read daily. She said, "Reading! When in the world do you find the time to read a book?"

My answer was "I make the time because I feel it grounds me and keeps me focused and growing."

What have I learned from all these books? How to believe in myself, let go of past mistakes, open my mind to new possibilities, dream, plan, organize, write goals, create vision, strengthen my faith, run a business, be an entrepreneuer, have persistence, network, live with purpose, eat healthier, love, teach my children, be a better wife and mother, think abundantly, live fearlessly, inspire others, and live each day to the fullest.

Why do I keep reading daily? So I can learn to do all these things consistently better and become the best version of myself possible. These books have helped me discover that when I thought I knew where I was headed, maybe I really didn't know where I was going at all!

And from the oldest and best book of all time, here is what I've learned:

Why do the schools reinforce reading so much? It's the best way to continually grow and expand your mind for the rest of your life! What are you reading right now?

Love and Prayers,
Sondra

Believing in Yourself

It doesn't matter where you are at in life right now. What matters is that you believe that you are great enough to become what you believe you have the potential to become. If you are not where you want to be you are not growing enough. It's about who you are going to become. It starts with believing in your dreams.

Then it's a matter of believing in what is possible.

And, then it's a matter of believing in yourself and what is possible for YOU!

Believe that the best is yet to be.
Believe in yourself.
Be unstoppable.
Be brilliant.
Be amazing.
Believe!

Love and Prayers,
Sondra

Seasons of Struggle

One of my favorite motivational speakers and mentors is Keith Kochner. (check out www.mentorfish.com). I was sorting through a pile of papers and discovered a small sheet of hand-written notes from a webinar I attended that Keith had led.  The note page was labeled "How to Deal with Seasons of Struggle". Keith offers:

Seven S's of Surviving your Season of Struggle:

1. See through your Struggle
2. Stand in your Struggle (rely on the memory of other struggles you've had and conquered)
3. Stay Focused--Focus is the fuel of desire and desire is the fuel of discipline.
4. Starve the relationships that are not part of forward progress
5. Speak life over circumstances, have conversations that reveal expectations
6. Serve someone else's season of struggle
7. Support--Be willing to ask for it!

Keith also suggests that successful people bring attention to things. Unsuccessful people let things get their attention. Choose where your attention goes.

You might be having a struggle today, or you might be in a season of struggle. Whatever your situation, I hope that you read this blog and realize that everyone's life is as messy as yours. We all have seasons of struggle from time to time that we must overcome. I appreciate mentors like Keith sharing their own personal seasons of struggle and offering suggestions on how to get over them and thrive!

Love and Prayers,
Sondra

Choked by Life's Worries

With a husband who has been in bed sick for 7 days now, I've fallen behind in my blogging. Let's just say that despite my rules for only positive thinking, states of worry have been setting into our house! Timing couldn't be more perfect for me to read a chapter on "worry" from the book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World~Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life by Joanna Weaver.  This blog is largely based on the concepts she addresses about the worthlessness of worry. She offers up many bible scriptures which not only suggest, but command us not to worry!

"An anxious heart weighs a man down" ~Proverbs 12:25

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?' ~Matthew 6:27

Some interesting statistics report that there is nothing we can do about 70 percent of our worries. These are the things we worry about:

40% are things that will never happen.
30% are about the past--which can't be changed.
12% are about criticism by others, mostly untrue.
10% are about health, which gets worse with stress.
8% are about real problems that can be solved.

(Source: Bible Study Foundation: www.bible.org) 

In the parable of the sower, Jesus tells us:

"The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures" ~Luke 8:14

This verse suggests that there are those that are Christian and surviving, but are not truly thriving. According to Weaver, she suggests that the bible is adamant about avoiding worry and fear because it short-circuits our relationship with God.  If fixes our eye on our situation rather than on our faith. 

"Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life." ~Matthew 6:25

Weaver also points out how worry can become a habit, a way of life.  Have you ever had a thought about worry that leads to another worry that leads to another? It becomes a domino effect and your mind starts to conjure up all sorts of unfortunate unlikely scenarios. This type of worry becomes toxic and can actually prevent us from leading the full lives God intends us to live.

So if you identify with any of this, like I did when I read it, What do you do? Weaver suggests we follow the recommendation found in Phillippians 4:6-7

1. Be anxious about nothing.
2. Be prayerful about everything.
3. Be thankful for all things.

Bottomline...stop mentally obsessing about your problems. Consciously turn those worries into prayer. And then count your blessings!

Love and Prayers,
Sondra

Karma Day

It's been one of those kind of "karma" days. Ironic since I blogged yesterday that "what you think about you bring about". I don't recall thinking about the things that came about today. You know one of those kind of days that when one thing goes wrong, everything seems to go haywire..husband at the ER, kids fighting in the back seat, soda spilled in the car, broken glass in the kitchen.

So what do ya do? I like to look on the bright side of life. Find the silver lining. Discover the lessons learned. I'll be honest, I have been grumpy and mad today and not too interested in seeking out the positive in the craziness of our day. Nothing I seemed to have planned, went as planned. Thank goodness a friend recommended to me a few days ago that I google "Nick no arms no legs". Let me tell you, today was the day I needed to be introduced to Nick!

If you've never heard of Nick Vujicic, you need to check him out. He was born without hands or feet. Yet his attitude toward life is amazing. I watched several of his videos on YouTube today. In fact, I couldn't get enough. He's married, has a child, has written books, traveled the world, and has an amazing career teaching others about the how obstacles can become opportunities.

Let me tell you, If you are having a bad day, imagine getting through your busy day without hands or feet. Picture your life without being able to walk or care for your own basic needs, or hold your spouse's hand. I am so glad I met Nick today, because it was a huge lesson in humility. I love his motto, "No arms, no legs, no worries." What an amazing attitude!

I had my girls sit down with me tonight and watch the YouTube video of him surfing with Bethany Hamilton. They were in awe and had a million questions. Can you imagine surfing without arms or legs! This man has an amazing heart and mind and attitude! Having a pity party that needs to end? Watch a few of the videos about Nick! Check him out at http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org  and http://www.attitudeisaltitude.com.  

An absolute  "must watch" video about overcoming hopelessness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P2nPI6CTlc.  I believe EVERYONE needs to see this video of his talk.

Love and Prayers,
Sondra

P.S. Tomorrow is a new day!

You Are What You Think

The Law of Attraction, Power of Positive Thinking, The Secret...all of these books and principles lead to the same basic conclusion: You Are What You Think!  Or as author and speaker, Rita Davenport says, "What you think about, you bring about!" The truth is that every thought creates energy frequencies. Where is your frequency and emotion right now?

Are you on a high, positive frequency? Or a low, negative frequency?

Shad Helmstetter, Ph.D. points out in his amazing book, What To Say When You Talk To Yourself, 

"It all starts with our programming! What we have accepted from the outside world, or fed to ourselves, has initiated a natural cause and effect chain reaction ... It is our programming that sets up our beliefs, and the chain reaction begins... 1. Programming creates beliefs. 2. Beliefs create attitudes. 3. Attitudes create feelings. 4. Feelings determine actions. 5. Actions create results."

If you are not getting the results you desire in your life, it very well possibly traces all the way back to your internal beliefs and programming. Shad's recommendation is to change your internal programming by changing your self-talk! So as we embark on this next 63 days journey, I'm going to put that out there as the first ground rule! Eliminate the negative self-talk. Put a rubber band on your wrist and snap it every time you have a negative thought, particularly if it's negative self-talk.  Try it.  It works. You might have a sore arm by the end of the day, but it will bring your awareness to the negativity that's permeating your head.

Love and Prayers,

Sondra

Don't Quit

After successfully completing my 63 consecutive days of blogging, I thought long and hard about why I was doing it. I sought feedback from friends and followers. I prayed about it. I thought about who I was helping. Was it for anyone else's benefit other than my own?

Here's what I came up with. For me personally, writing "grounds" me. I'm finding my inner voice through my writing. And I'm finding that voice is seeping out into other areas of my life in a positive way. I've also learned than my thoughts, as crazy as they sometimes seem to me are pretty darn close to what a lot of other people are thinking too. And so if I can help a few other people find their voice, experience transformation, and discover their "miracle", it's worth it!

I've witnessed a miracle take place in the course of 63 days. Maybe some miracles take longer than 63 days. I do believe that amazing transformations can happen in the course of 63 days! I believe I haven't fully witnessed the miracles within my own personal journey of transformation yet. And I would never, ever quit three feet from striking gold.....so join me on the next journey of 63 Days of Faith, Love, Time!

Love and Prayers,
Sondra

Loosen the Grip

This post seems somehow very appropriate as the last of 63 days of consecutive posts!

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ~Hebrews 11:1

Recently my pastor asked the question, "What do you hold as your true North? As your Core? As your absolute pillar?"

He shared the story of Abraham and that at the end of his life after all he had accomplished through the Lord, he is only credited for his "Faith".  He was asked to leave his land and family and everything and travel to a distant unknown land. This would not be an easy fate for anyone to accept.  He had to learn to "let go" of everything and trust his calling.

The message was that we have to loosen our grip on our own power and plans and sink deeper into Faith, because our plan is already written!  The lesson was also about not trying to constantly take the reigns, and control and try to remain independent. Instead, our God wants us to fully rely on him as our source of strength. This isn't the first time in the last 63 days that this message has fallen on my ears. It probably won't be the last, as it seems I need to be constantly reminded!

Because I am continually moved my music. This song helps me create the "refrain" in my head that reminds me that I need to stop always trying to be self-sufficient and in control.

“Lord, I Need You” lyrics

Lord, I come, I confess
Bowing here I find my rest
Without You I fall apart
You’re the One that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
And where You are, Lord, I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand I’ll fall on You
Jesus, You’re my hope and stay

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

You’re my one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Loosen the grip on the plans you so desperately are trying to fulfill. What "phasod" about your life are you holding onto? Be still, just for a moment. And "listen" to what God is calling you to faithfully do and trust. Simply trust.

Love and Prayers
Sondra

The People We Hurt the Most

I realized today in church that I always feel emotional when I'm in church. I think it's a feeling of humility and joy at the same time. Humility that I am there in confession of my imperfections. And joy that I am always and continually forgiven.  Something struck me today during the opening prayer. When the Pastor encouraged us to individually, quietly confess our sins from the week, he said to think about the people we may have hurt with an unkind word or gesture.  Sadly, I thought mostly of the disagreements or the disregard toward my husband or that I yelled too much at my children. That I could have been a better wife or mother or friend this past week.

I didn't think about what I could have done differently or better in business or work. I thought about what I didn't do well enough with regard to the important people in my life. It occurred to me that we tend to hurt the people most that we love the most. The people we love the most and are most present in our lives and take the brunt of our daily stress, worry, anger, and frustration.  We don't do it intentionally. They are just in our path when we have our moments of weakness.

I recalled the hand-written bible verse that my daughter handed to me yesterday...

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1Corinthians 13:4-8a

I hope this causes you to pause and consider whether you are showing love to the people in your life that deserve it the most.

Love and Prayers,

Sondra