Double Portion Inspiration

The Lord’s Prayer is nestled in Matthew 6. It’s a model prayer that Jesus shared with His disciples. Even though the disciples walked with Jesus on a daily basis, they asked Him how they should pray. His response was a prayer that’s remained throughout time. I learned the prayer as a child and now as an adult, I've taught it to my children. The prayer begins with praise and adoration to our Heavenly Father. Before we escape into a prayer full of our wants and our needs, we enter into prayer time with a spirit of thanksgiving! Verse 11 shares 7 simple words: “ Give us this day our daily bread .” It’s a gentle reminder that our thoughts should only focus on TODAY . Tomorrow will take care of itself. Our Saviour that we worshipped and praised in the beginning of the prayer, is the same God that can take care of our DAILY needs. There are times when the cares of this world, take our minds into dark places. Thinking about what “could” happen can lead us down a r

This time last year I was at a low place. I was facing a medical challenge. I'd sent my oldest son off to college and was slowly adjusting to our new family dynamics. I lost many close family members. Unexpected deaths happened that just didn't make sense to me. My mental health was at best scattered after the highs and lows of senior year, graduation and college send off. I was trying to catch my breath but I couldn't. The mental load of life in the beginning can be easy to hide from others. You spend enough time away from self care and you will soon find yourself running on EMPTY. I was overcommitted in my dueling personal and professional schedules. I knew I needed to slow down BUT I didn't know how . I wouldn't say I'm a super detailed person, but I do try and stay as organized as possible. How do you organize your life?  How do you know what priorities to focus on (personally & professionally)?  How do you manage your time? A dear friend g

We often pray for physical healing either for ourselves or someone we know. We all know someone that stands in need of physical healing. Whether its cancer, mental illness, dementia, lupus or diabetes, the list of areas where individuals need healing is overwhelming. The list of physical illnesses seem endless. We pray on behalf of our sick loved ones because being ill is difficult and takes its toll on everyone around. Praying for physical healing is powerful and a necessity but what about praying for your soul ? Have you prayed for your soul lately? Have you asked someone to pray for your soul? If you’re physically sick, I’m sure you ask them to pray for your healing, so why aren’t we just as quick to ask them to pray for your UNHEALED SOUL ? Your soul is the part of you that encompasses your mind, will and emotions. The soul is typically an area we refuse to address. It’s that part of you that can lash out in bitterness, anger and rage almost on a dail

I hear many people confess that our younger generation lives in a bubble of entitlement. These kids believe they are entitled to the latest designer clothes, shoes, or cellphone because they perform well in sports, arts or at school. WHO actually modeled this behavior for them?  Children are sponges and most often repeat, behave or imitate what they’ve seen at home. No one ever really wants to admit it, but it’s true. Small children have mannerisms and daily expressions that come right from their everyday experiences. That child that can’t sit and eat at a restaurant is probably having that normal behavior at home when no one is looking or caring. Enjoy the view and model thankfulness! We can change that dynamic by TEACHING our youth (and adults) to leave  a trail of gratitude in their daily lives. It is easy to say, “Thank You”.  If it seems like a mundane task, still intentionally choose to be thankful. We pass many vehicular accidents on our daily commutes. Than

 This is the month that we celebrate our country's independence. We are blessed to live in a country where we are FREE! Free to speak our minds. Free to speak our truth. Free to worship and praise God! In the Bible, several scriptures remind us of our freedom in Christ. To live physically and spiritually free is such a blessing. It reminds us that God is always with us and when we keep Him at the forefront of our lives, we live in true freedom. John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free , you will be free indeed. 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom . Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Ephesians 3:12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 1 Peter 2:16 Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyon

There have been so many incredible posts on social media about high school reunions, proms, college and high school graduations. Even the graduations from PreK seem to tug at my heart. HOW has time moved so quickly?  I remember some of these students playing T-ball with my son and now they have mustaches, taller than me and walking across that stage happily to receive their diploma. Even my own son (Joshua) is graduating from 8th grade and heading into high school (YES high school). Life brings about swift transitions. I remember feeling so many emotions as Tyler (my oldest son graduated last year). The stress and strain of his senior year had taken it's toll on my physical and mental body. By the end of 2018, I was on medical leave for weeks taking a much needed BREAK from LIFE .  If I could only have told myself to CALM down and carry on. I wish someone would have hit me over the head and said, "stop stressing". But they couldn't because I didn't tel

VALOR . BRAVERY . SACRIFICE These are just a few words to describe many soldiers, cadets and officers that gave it all.  There are families grieving this holiday because their loved one paid the ultimate sacrifice. Many of us (including myself), relish in having a long holiday weekend, beach time and the unofficial start to Summer. Gold star families relive the pain of the moment they found out about their loved one that wouldn't be coming home. Memorial Day is a hard holiday. While I sleep there is a soldier standing watch on foreign soil that I might live and sleep in freedom. Freedom is NOT free. Stop and think about that statement. Veteran's day is when we thank those in the military that are still alive. This weekend we remember those that have given their life. Will you join countless Americans in a moment of silence? Will you silence your plans for a few short seconds to remember the sacrifice of those hurting this holiday? The parents without their children and

I absolutely love prayer.  I enjoy praying for myself & especially interceding on behalf of others. The opportunity to go before our sovereign God with requests and petitions is an honor! It's also the bedrock of my faith. Jesus' death gives us the availability to pray directly to Him. We no longer need someone to pray for us. We can pray for ourselves! Psalms 4:3 reminds us of this fact: Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to Him. I'm sure you're asking yourself, why then would she title this post, "Stop Praying?" For years I've prayed in a way to direct, control and manipulate God . Not only would I tell God what I needed,  I would also tell Him how it needed to work out in my favor. As if that wasn't enough, I would also give a timeframe in which to make it all happen. What in the world was I thinking? God isn't a vending machine! He's sovereign . He knows

Because of surgery I recently endured a forced hiatus, a pause in my life that showed me I need to embrace mental clarity. Do you ever try and fall asleep yet your mind is still racing?  Are you sitting in a meeting or church thinking about a thousand other things rather than focusing on the presenter?  Are you mid sentence and completely forget your thought?   Have you ever forgotten what your kids said even though they only said it 10 minutes ago? Then my friend, you too need mental clarity. Thoughts are natural, there is NO escaping them. But there are times when they overwhelm and start to control us in a negative and NOT positive way. If I don’t carve space for mental clarity, I find myself complaining and competing in ways that are NOT healthy. One of the best pieces of advice I can offer myself is to build in more pause  moments in my life. Life for me moves rapidly. In the past six weeks I’ve traveled to Dallas twice, New Jersey and Toronto. Over and over a

During a recent family meal, we each went around the table and shared one thing we loved about each other. Typically my 16 and 10 year old are on each other's nerves, so it warmed my heart to hear them being pleasant to each other. They were also surprised to hear each other's response. Do you ever ask similar questions around your dinner table? If not, try it. My youngest during vacation  As much as it was a blessing to hear them talk about each other, their answer to me was beyond words. My 10 year old started out first. I was pretty sure he was going to compliment my cooking. I've always felt like I take "rock star" status in his mind because I enjoy cooking his favorites on a regular basis. His world revolves around sports, video games, sleep, reading books, and eating. Typical kid stuff. Instead of him listing my participation in any of those activities, he quickly let me know that he loves how I teach him God's word. Wait, what?

What happens if I just get in my car and drive? Where will I end up? What will I see along the way? This is how many of us are pacing through life - NO plan and NO end goal in mind. I truly believe this is the reason that so many of us are stressed. Life is just happening all around us and we are numb and overwhelmed through all of it. Remember that feeling when you said, "Happy New Year" just a FEW days ago. You said to yourself, "this is my year". It was less than a month ago that many of us committed to ourselves that this year would be different . Do NOT let that optimism die. February 1st is this week and we can't afford to waste anymore time. For you to know where you are going, you must develop a PLAN.  Not just a broad plan but a very specific plan that will yield RESULTS. During my goal setting time, I like to create plans that are S.M.A.R.T. S = Specific M = Measurable A = Applicable R = Relevant T = Time Bound When you buil

Two years ago I was at my heaviest weight. If I would've put my pinky toe on the scale, it would register 200 pounds. My blood pressure was on the rise and I just didn't feel healthy. Now, with that being said, I was still a beautiful black woman. I just had a few more curves and edges. When I visited with my doctor for my yearly physical and to discuss next steps regarding my blood pressure, she suggested that I decrease my sodium intake. I quickly realized that it was poison to my body. So many foods that I loved were high in sodium. I remember looking at the sodium content for a grilled chicken salad that I frequently enjoyed at a local restaurant and it exceeded 1100 mg of sodium! That's almost a daily supply of sodium in one salad. At my doctor's suggestion, I decided to make small changes. Over time, those small changes led to 21 pounds of weight lost in a 2 year period. Here's what worked for me: Decreased my sodium intake Decreased my food portion

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Renee and I have declared that 2019 is OUR year. This year we celebrate 8 years of blogging. Eight years of being inspired by YOU, our faithful readers. We receive encouraging comments on social media and also in person about how this blog has been a blessing. We are deeply grateful for YOU choosing to read while commuting, sitting at work, sitting on your couch, sitting at the doctor's office, or even reading while on the treadmill. This year we are committing to give inspiring advice that has helped us in the past. Many mistakes have been made. Renee and I have learned that if we don't acknowledge them, learn and heal from them, we will end up making the exact SAME mistake. During 2019, we will cover topics such as healthy eating, motivation, mental clarity, parenting, financial wealth and exercise. Each of these topics have great meaning in our lives. We want to inspire you to constantly evolve and elevate as you move through the rest of 2019.