Monthly Archives: March 2015

Christian, Inspiration, personal excellence, purpose

Our Points In Heaven


Today was an Ordinary day UNTIL something Extraordinary happened.  It started with a random call from an old neighborhood friend who reached out to me on Facebook.  He had reached out to me the week before and then contacted me by phone today.

He started the conversation, talking about how proud he was of me for my recent educational accomplishment and then started sharing with me something he said he wanted to share with me for years.   Well…that of course that sparked my curiosity and I was all ears.

He started by saying “Thank you for having a profound effect on my lifeâ€.   You know the pause you are to have in public speaking… it went on way too long… I was silent.  I was thinking  to myself that (1) I usually don’t have that effect on men lol and (2)  what on earth is this guy thinking…me having a profound effect on someone!

He went on to say that when he was younger he was very dark… almost pitch black in color.  Because of this he was teased by everyone, even his own race.  He said that one day, I walked across the street and said to him “You have the most beautiful skin and color that I have ever seen!  It is so smooth and silky!† He said from that day on he no longer thought of his dark complexion as being bad and that his entire image of himself changed.

I tell this story to say three things:

  1. You never know what message God uses you to give to someone.
  2. Work on getting those points in heaven by doing good deeds that are of the heart.
  3. Be grateful for the blessing you able to hear about  concerning  your good deeds as some or stored and never revealed to you.

I end in a prayer…

“Thank you God for helping me to continue to send your messages to those in need.  Let me continue to realize that it is you that teaches me how to communicate to others.  Let me always remember that things and messages like these are not of me, but of you, and to always remember to give you heavenly father, the praise and glory!

~Estella

Bible Study, Christian, Faith, how to, Inspiration, personal excellence, purpose, Stress relief, tips for purpose driven life, wellness

How to Keep A Purpose Driven Focus


Before a healing took place Jesus would often inquire about the time and intensity of their condition. Perhaps to remind us all that healing is not restricted by the longevity or intensity of the condition…when God says, “It is finished”.

As I paused for a moment under this magnificent tree this morning I asked, “So who told you when to bloom and when to remain dormant?” God’s divine intelligence woven throughout all of nature speak to this truth:

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

There are no challenges in life only situations that invite us to remember our God given ability to come up with creative solutions…and move mountains.

Take it from the bulb in the dark throughout the winter months. If it ever forgot its natural state of being, to bloom in this world, it would have ceased to emerge out of the darkness into the light.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is ETERNAL.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Because of His Love,

Lauren <><

Christian, Faith, how to, Inspiration, personal excellence, purpose, Stress relief, tips for purpose driven life

Facing Your Fear


“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:2

Are you willing to step in the ring with your greatest fear?

Jesus faced  two of our greatest fears: death and rejection.

Fr. Robert Barron brings clarity to this face to face encounter Jesus took on for us: “Remember Jesus Himself said that, “No one can plunder the house of a strong man unless a stronger one comes and ties him up.” The strong man is death itself. No one will conquer death until a stronger one comes and ties him up. Jesus is the very strength of God now tying up the strong man of death.”

I remember being in the competition ring in Tae Kwon Do calming my racing heart, fueled by fear, so that I could remember and access the strength of my training outside of the ring. I trained 4 hours a day 6 days a week for the Colorado State Championship. Spiritual training has greater value than physical, what percentage of our time do we put in on a daily basis to expand our training for the spiritual battles we face?

Because of His Love,

Lauren <><

Bible Study, Christian, Faith, how to, Inspiration, personal excellence, purpose, Stress relief, tips for purpose driven life, wellness

3 Shiny Objects that Create Potholes in Life


 

Do you ever have cravings, lust or boast in life?  Know that the fuel behind these emotional experiences does not flow from your soul’s connection with God but from outside distractions that cause you to forget that you are a spiritual being having a physical experience.

An unbridled desire to satisfy an unfulfilled emotional state of being or compromised self image will often manifest in the following:

 

Cravings: an intense yearning for something…a desire…a feeling that comes along with an unsatisfied state.

Lust: a self-absorbed desire for a certain thing, person or experience.

Boasting: to speak with exaggeration about yourself in a prideful manner.

 

Solution to the above unhealthy antics:

 

When we forget to spend time daily nurturing our relationship with God, along with the things that we will draw unto ourselves at the sunset of this life, we start to wander out into the world to experience quick hits of satisfaction that leave us empty handed and unsatisfied.  This unhealthy cycle causes us to crave more of that which can never fully satisfied: recognition, acknowledgment, status and material things.

 

Increase your experience with God each day by spending time focused on what you value and love most in life…these are the things that are void of the need to define, own, control or possess (exchange of love, watching a sunset, playing, laughing).  Life is created for us to experience and grow in our ability to love and be loved.

 

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”  1 John 2:15-17

Because of His Love,

Lauren <><

Bible Study, Christian, Faith, how to, Inspiration, personal excellence, purpose, Stress relief, tips for purpose driven life, wellness

3 Questions Worth Your Time


 

How does your relationship with Jesus reflect in your words, thoughts, deeds and actions?

In what specific ways will you commit to showing up today that will make the presence of Jesus love recognizable to those around you?

How specifically am I committed to allowing these attributes of Jesus presence within me to shine forth?: (choose three specific character traits of Jesus that you desire to reflect today, for example: I am committed to shine forth love, patient understanding and gratitude) =>

1. _______________________________________

2.________________________________________

3._________________________________________

Tonight before you go to sleep pause and reflect on the ways you allowed Jesus presence within you guide the way you showed up throughout your gift of life.

Because of His Love,

Lauren <><