Quiet the voices, move and shift

Do the voices in your head ever keep your head spinning?
You think about the well-being of your family, how much laundry you still need to wash, your health, the job, your bills, the need to make more money, the desire to take a vacation and so much more.  All of these thoughts and ideas swim around in your head waiting to either take over or to be subdued.

Honestly, there have been many days when I've allowed those thoughts to rule over me and I felt crippled for a short period of time.  But any time in which I am worrying, is too much time!  I have found that by getting up and moving around, I am able to find a reprieve and the voices don't scream as loudly.  When I take time to walk the dog, find a zumba class or simply stroll around the block I lose myself.....NO, I find myself in the activity.

Yesterday, cutting the grass helped me to find center again.  Yes, I have a 14-year old who is more than able to cut our lawn, but sometimes I need to do it for my own well-being. 

The loud, continuous hum of the lawnmower quickly subdued the chatter of voices.  As the sound waves from the mower entered my ear and bounced off of my eardrum, I noticed that my entire energy shifted.  As I mowed in a linear pattern up and down the yard, I took pride in how straight the lines were.  Down one row and up the other, watching my handiwork transform the backyard, I smiled internally. I was faced with the challenge of making my yard beautiful and I forgot about all of those other things.  I was ready to conquer anything and able to subdue the nagging voices that had begun  to cloud my judgment.

Sometimes the spiritual journey is about moving your body and allowing the endorphins to take over and trigger a sense of happiness all over your body.   Once those endorphins kick in, your mood can do nothing else but SHIFT.  Moving is spiritual!  Moving can be like a fast beating drum like a runner or a zumba class or it can be slow and melodic, like a slow stroll around the block or a yoga class.  Whatever it is...FIND yourself in it and watch your entire day and mental status shift.

Now walk it out...

What's in a tear?

Have you ever wanted to cry?

Perhaps you lost a loved one and ache to hear their voice or hold their hand again.
Perhaps you realize that you just made a horrible decision and now you have to deal with the harsh consequences.
Perhaps you have more month than money and can't figure out how to pay your bills.
Perhaps in one trip to the doctor you received a diagnosis that will forever change your life.
Perhaps your dream marriage, home or vacation turned out to be a nightmare.

Do you ever want to cry?

Maybe you feel helpless...
Maybe you're frightened...
Maybe you're frustrated...
Maybe you're angry...
Maybe you're confused...
Maybe you're exhausted...

For all one knows you could be elated...
For all one knows you could be excited...
For all one knows you could be aroused...
For all one knows you could be reflective and thankful...
For all one knows you could be deeply sentimental...
For all one knows you could be extremely sympathetic...

There are so many reasons that we cry, but no matter the reason it seems that we shy away from this display of emotion because we don't people to assume that we're weak.  I think that we all need to pause for a second and realize that crying can be a beautiful thing.

I'm sitting up at 4 o'clock in the morning in silence.  I can hear the sounds of my husband breathing, the grunting of the dog in his sleep, the passing train that sounds so close that it must be in the backyard, the hum of the dryer, the agitation of the washing machine, the periodic drip of water from the faucet, the heater kicking on and off, the wind pushing against the windows and I can feel a warm stream of water cascading down my face.

I'm crying because...
I am completely still and thankful.
I am enjoying a moment of peace.
I am reconnecting with myself and with God.
I am finding my center after all of noise of the day.
When I think of God's goodness, I am completely overwhelmed.
I am humbled at the fact that God loves me and shows me daily.
After all that I've been through, I still have joy.

There is a song that I remember from my childhood, yet I didn't quite know what it meant until I matured.  Sometimes when I am alone and want to connect with God, I sing this song...

"Blessed quietness, Holy quietness

What assurance in my soul 

On a stormy sea, He speaks PEACE to me

And the billows cease to roll."

Now that's a good reason to cry!

I invite you to stay still long enough to feel God's presence and hear his voice and not be afraid to cry.  What's in those tears?  It's more than just saline and hormones.  Think of it as the act of transferance.  As you are releasing your emotions, God is replacing them with exactly what you need.

Your tears of frustration can become tears of faith.

Your tears of heartache can become tears of happiness.

Your tears of longing can become tears of love.

Your tears of desperation can become tears of deliverance.

So I encourage to be present in your emotions, but remain open to God and allow His love to transform your tears into something powerful.

Now grab a tissue my friend and walk it out!

What are you so afraid of?

You've been talking about it, but you haven't acted on it yet.
You've been awakened at night with only this on your mind, yet once you were fully awake you began to doubt your ability.
You talk about it constantly with friends, yet when given the opportunity, you shy away.
You've even prayed and asked God for direction, He showed you the path, yet you decided to turn around and head the other way.

What are you so afraid of?

Do you think that if you truly walked in your calling, your friends would walk away? (They're probably not your real friends.)
Do you think your family would think you're crazy?  Maybe you've heard this before..."How are you going to leave that good-paying job to do THAT".
Do you think that if you start it and somehow it doesn't work the way that you anticipated, you'll be embarrassed and have to "eat humble pie"?

So what?

What if all of these things do happen?  What if you're family and friends do treat you differently? What if your first attempt doesn't have the success that you had initially intended?  So what if you takes you a longer time to get there?

The fact of the matter is, you have experienced failure before.  At some point in your life, you have failed a test or two, yet you still graduated.  At some point in your life, you've experienced a horrible break up, but you're more discerning than you were before.  At some point in your life, you've had to eat different flavors of humble pie, but you're still standing.  At some point in your life, you've been in a financial situation, so broke is not a new concept to you.

You've experienced all of this before, so stop acting as if you don't know what to do.  You know that all you have to do is stop, assess the situation, pray, turn around, redirect and strike out again.  But you will notice that the next time.........you are stronger, wiser, more resilient, more focused and more determined.

You are able to carry the vision, because God gave the vision to you.
People will be blessed and inspired, once you begin to walk in your calling and follow your dreams.
You will learn and grow from the past and catapult yourself into your destiny, if you allow yourself to be open to the infinite possibilities.

My friend it's alright to be afraid, as long as you're not crippled by it.  There is no secret recipe...it takes hard-work, salty tears, prayer and resolution. Your journey may look totally different from the one who is running beside you...that's alright...just stay in your lane.

Now go lace up your tennis shoes and walk it out...

#prayforourchildren2015...I'm on assignment again

Last year during the Lenten season, God told me to pour into my family and keep a record of how I was being intentional with them.  I did just that, blogged about it and within six months it had actually become my first book.  That is NOT God’s mandate for me this time. Let me show you how God works though. 

This week, my family and I visited Barnes & Noble bookstore.  (That’s when I actually saw my own book on the bookshelf in the parenting section.  THANKYA! )  Yes, I screamed and took pictures with the boys but that wasn’t the only thing God wanted me to see. In the Christian section, I saw the name Mark Batterson.  This was familiar because I had just completed reading his book, The Circle Maker and my husband is actually teaching from it in Bible study.  It’s a powerful book!  One that will change how you pray .  The title of this book was different though.  This book is Praying Circles around the Lives of Your Children.  This title immediately caught my attention because I had just mentioned to my husband less than 2-weeks ago that I wanted to make sure that our children are getting their Christian foundation from us and not from Children’s or Youth Church.

  Let me let you in on a little secret….oftimes when you Pastor a congregation, you get caught up in the job of saving everyone else and your children get the leftovers.  This is why there’s a running joke about Preacher’s kids.  For this reason, I have not been to Bible study consistently during this past year to manage the boys’ schedules.  We are mindful and intentional about it! While Byron is at church, I’m at home praying for him as he ministers, while ministering to our own children as I carry them home from school and practice, feed them, help them with homework and try to shut the house down at a decent hour.  Yes it’s a sacrifice and sometimes I feel like I’m missing something (our Bible study is off the chain), but in the end I refuse to let my children be the punch-line to Preachers kids jokes. 

For this reason, the title of the book really caught my attention!  Yesterday while waiting on the boys to get out of school, I sat in a sandwich shop and began reading the book. I could not put it down and started praying for my boys right there at the table.   Then I put out a call on Facebook for my friends to pray a blessing over their children.  Batterson mentions in the book about hyperlinking your prayers to scripture.  Not just reading the Bible, but praying the Bible.  So I asked my friends to pray Luke 2:52,  “May (insert child’s name here) grow in wisdom and stature and find favor with God and men”. 

As I lay in bed this morning, God gave me the latest assignment.  I am to leverage social media  (#prayforourchildren2015), during the remainder of the Lenten season to start a prayer circle around each other’s children.  Join me on Facebook, twitter and instagram to intercede for all of our children and pray circles around them.  I am here today, because my parents prayed for me and over me! (Although Mommy has been gone for 2 years, her prayer never dies.  Even my mother-in-law references her father praying for unborn generations.) Prayer works my friend!

So join me, as we lead up to Resurrection Sunday, to #prayforourchildren2015.   Even if you don’t have children, you know a child who needs your prayers.  IF YOU ARE A PRAYER WARRIOR, please pray over the requests daily. The Bible says in James 5:16, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results”. (New Living Translation)

Let’s produce wonderful results in the lives of children EVERYWHERE!

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter  @soul2soledoctor

Now walk it out……………………………………and start circling your child in prayer.

#prayforourchildren2015

Has it been 2-years already? Tribute to Mommy

Dear Mommy,

February 28, 2015 marks your 2-year transition date and yet it seems like you were here just yesterday.  I can still hear your voice, still feel your prayers and sometimes feel your presence as I experience new things in life.

Thank you for being a praying woman, who loved us all so deeply, yet differently.  Thank you for allowing all of your children to develop into our own beings.  You didn’t force us to be like anyone else and you loved us just the way we were.

Thank you for showing us what true love could be between a husband and a wife.  This was evidenced by the fact that you decided to leave when it was just you and Daddy.  No fanfare, no show, no audience... just two lovebirds in the room, sharing their last moments together.

I can’t thank God enough for giving you to us.  You were a great daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother and friend.   We knew that if we ever needed to get a prayer through, we could always call on you.

We rejoice on February 28^th because it’s the day that you transitioned to a place where pain was no longer your predicament, nor was sorrow your situation because you'd finally found peace in the pasture. 

Nelda J. Mattison we honor you, we miss you and we love you!

Love always,

Your #1 and only Baby-girl

Rules to Live By

Live your life to the fullest!

1. Get off your "rusty dusty" and do something that feeds your soul! ‪#‎getmovingnow‬
2. If you're waiting on someone else to do it, it will never get done. ‪#‎itsalluptome‬
3. Your message is unique!  ‪#‎nobodylikeme‬
4. That test was tailor-made for you, so only YOU can share the testimony. ‪#‎customfit‬
5. Surround yourself with others who will support you and want to see you excel. ‪#‎hatersnotallowed‬

Happy feet

Today, I am walking in my mother's shoes. Literally! It is snowing in OKC and I have on a pair of her rain/snow boots. I have happy feet!
It's been almost two years since her transition and I can still feel her presence.