I didn’t realize it had been this long since I have blogged….
O.M.G.
I really have been buried, (not in a negative way), in life. Life happens, right? Not only lots of changes for me, which seems to be the story of my life these days LOL but for real…. I said, Lord, are we done yet?
For real, I was thinking the other day, (if you could only be inside of my head, its a busy place hehe) But my life was literally like groundhogs day everyday. And I would do the same thing every. single. day. I wanted change so BAD, did I manifest this into existence?
PROBABLY!
I live in what is called ‘West Baton Rouge’, which is not exactly in Baton Rouge, but on the outskirts. Some would define this as ‘country’ because we are not in the city (thank you for that! LOL) You have to go over the Mississippi River in order to get to the west side. The bridge can be CRAZY at times, it definitely wasn’t built for the volume of people that live here, that is for sure! Well along the west side is around 4 towns (there are more, but I am sharing the ones that are the closest to the bridge) There is Port Allen that is right off of the bridge you take a right, if you take a left it leads you to Brusly, then Addis, and then finally Plaquemine. Going from Port Allen to a town called Brusly is literally like 2 miles away, and in that you have to go under the ramp where the bridge goes to go to Baton Rouge, then it takes you up on a ramp that is called the ‘intra coastal’. For the short of it, there is literally NO OTHER WAY to go across but here. You bring in traffic from all angles so it is an important travel area.
As I sit here this morning in prayer I said to God, why is it my last session? It finally was beginning to feel comfortable! And then I remembered even the words that came out of my own very mouth on this last episode of Soulfood Sundays with John Garay where I said “God doesn’t want us comfortable, because when we are comfortable we aren’t growing”. I immediately knew that was my answer.
A few weeks ago the Lord put on my heart to once again make room in my schedule and ‘clear my plate’. I’m not exactly sure the whole reason, but this time around, I fully trust. It’s interesting that the last recorded Soufood Sundays was about Faith because I am right in the mix of my own faith in the process (God, you are so good!). I wish I could say “oh, it was in the masterplan to end with the session being on faith” because doesn’t it fit so well together? LOL, but the truth is, it just ‘happened’, and that is what is so awesome.
What is your definition of ‘fearing God’? I have found that people have so many different views. Last night in SOULFOOD SUNDAYS, I took a leap into a touchy and uncomfortable topic to discuss. I shared how I felt hurt by ‘religious people’ and the church when it came to how they presented God. As this thought that one must FEAR GOD and be almost paralyzed with fear.
Have you experienced this? Have you been taught to fear God and that you are a sinner and presented in such a way you feel dirty? Well you might want to listen to last nights message HERE so you can hear what I shared about my experience as well.
There is a saying, ‘a deer in headlights’, and I’m sure you have heard it but in case you haven’t it’s when a deer sees the lights from a car it can leave them frozen because they maybe feel caught off guard. They feel stuck and don’t know if they should go forward or go backward, or even it’s put them in a state of shock.
Sometimes our life challenges can bring on a similar message of fear….
Maybe you are thinking about making a bold change and move out of the state you live in, or maybe it’s a new job you are going after. You have this opportunity to make more money but right now you have a job that feels comfortable and stable. You know the job that is being offered will give you a fresh new start and an opportunity to learn something new, but you can’t shake off that fear of making the wrong decision.
Do you need a little inspiration today? Recently I was blessed to have a soulful conversation with Garrison Redd.
If you have ever felt like you wanted to quit, or have felt hopeless, you are going to want to watch Soul Stories Episode 8: Abled with Limitations, your now is not your forever. Garrison walks us through his own journey, adversity, challenges and what he overcame in his life after being shot at the age of 17. Garrison has turned his adversity into passion and started his own foundation called The Garrison Redd Project, which helps to bring awareness to Companies about hiring people with disabilities, bridging the gap between employer and individual. “When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade”, come join Garrison and myself as he shares his own secret recipe!
Listen to the FULL EPISODE HERE
This soul Stories interview with Nancy Castro was so much fun! Nancy brings lots of golden nuggets for us all and also ignites that desire to follow your biggest dreams!
Listen to the FULL EPISODE HERE
Do you feel your confidence could use a little hug? Have you ever questioned your purpose or possibly lost faith for what God has for your life? Well, this episode of Soul Stories is going to leave you feeling a sense of hope and faith in your own journey.
Nancy Castro shares some of the things that hold us back, and things that can make us feel unworthy keeping us from creating the life that we desire.
In that very moment, my heart broke. So many feelings were flooded in my belly, my heart and my head.
First, let me back up and share that this happened this morning. I dropped my son off at school and I had my first client early at 8:45 am but was in dire need of some groceries. So I stopped at the grocery store at 7:30 am. One of my soul sisters sent me a voice message. (a few of my closest soul sisters communicate that way, we all live in other states and even one out of the country so it’s a good way to stay connected) I sat listening to the message in my car, as I wanted to finish it before I went into the store. Just then I see someone coming up from my rearview mirror. My husband has talked with me about being on alert at all times, not in a fearful way, but a smart and keep yourself safe kind of way.
Are you an Entrepreneur, or what I call a Soulpreneur, and sometimes feel alone in your family or your circle with the disconnect many people have with “what it is that you ‘actually do’? I am going to be honest here, I got upset one day a few weeks ago. I will admit that there are times where I get frustrated and I know that it’s a soft spot for me where God is working on me.
I’m just going to say it……some people think that just because I don’t leave to an office because my office/studio is in my home for the time being, that I don’t have ‘a real job’. They may not say it, but it’s those non-verbal cues and messages that say it. We’ve seen this big shift in our world with many people becoming their own boss and starting businesses from home over the past decade. It’s a beautiful thing, and it helps on so many levels, yet as with anything, there are pros and cons to it.
Whether this feeling will last or not, for right now this is where I am at. If you can believe it, I began writing this blog post on my Birthday last summer. I guess I wasn’t ready to share, and I wasn’t ready to share my bio either.
Humility. Just like the Chinese Proverb says: ‘Be like bamboo, the higher you grow, the more you bow’
This is what God said to me in one of my prayers. Be humble. I didn’t take it like He was scolding me, actually quite the opposite. I felt I was being given some sort of deep wisdom that I was so lucky to learn about.
So I began reading what the bible says about humility and the verse that came off of the paper and spoke to me was Proverbs 11:2 that says: When pride comes, then comes shame, but with the humble comes wisdom. (NKJV)
So, what exactly does that mean? It sounds so heavy right?
Often I think about how our world would be a better place if we all just did one thing every single day for another person. Wouldn’t that be amazing? Think about the overflow of love, compassion, service and kindness that would be spread around!
Well, in this Episode Soul Stories, with Dinora Arteaga I was so touched by how big her heart opened up to help other women, other families, and other children. She built her business around helping families, you really need to watch. She shares how she took $100 from a friend gave her to invest in a business, come listen to the replay HERE…….
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Soul Stories – Episode 3: Expressions with a Mission
Xo,
Listen to the prior Soul Stories Episodes HERE
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