From the Abundance

  February 6th marked 10 years in Daytona Beach.  I could say a lot about what's happened over these last ten years, but I'll save that for the book I'm writing.  What I will say is this: when God tells you to go, you pack your things and GO! Moving was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, but the best act of obedience and decision I've ever made. In the past 10 years, I've made some beautiful friends who became my second family, and worked with incredible families in the community. written books, been on TV, Podcasts, and in the newspaper, won an award for my work, helped plant a ministry, started a singles ministry, and even opened my own practice.  Why does all that matter?  Before I moved, I was praying, and nobody knew what I was praying about.  I spoke with a friend for the first time in about two years,  and she prophesied, telling me what the Lord was showing her about my life and my relocation to Florida.  She told me in a nutshell...

Photo by  Kelly Sikkema  on  Unsplash When I asked God for the gift of healing I had absolutely no idea what I was really asking for.  I just knew that when I looked around, a lot of people were sick and hurting and I wanted to do something about it.  As I got older and matured in the things of Christ, I knew that healing wouldn't be just physical.  I knew that I was in for a crazy ride when God told me, "I have to keep breaking you in order to heal them". Sounds crazy right?  It's really not. Psalm 51:17 says  My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.  I wish someone would have told me what I was asking for when I asked God to break my heart with the things that break His heart.  That's a big, crazy, bold prayer.  I could have never imagined that it would lead me down the path that is has thus far.  I said all of that to say this... if you have a friend that has h...

Photo by  Dariusz Sankowski  on  Unsplash I took a very unintentional hiatus from blogging over the past few months and tonight  friend reminded me that I needed to get back to it.  So here I am!  I have so much to say but I often find it difficult to express or struggle with just putting things out there.  This post will be the first of several.  There are lots of things on my heart and mind so it's time I get back to sharing. John 4:24 NLT says, For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. In order for us to render proper worship unto God we have to walk in our truth, no matter what that is.  When we refuse to or don't acknowledge parts of our truth it can hinder our worship.  Honestly, our truth isn't always pretty, it isn't always what's expected or considered "proper", but it is what it is.  So here are a few of mine... Even though I live a life poured out, I often don't feel ful...

The post I should be writing would be entirely too long to hold anybody's attention.  It would be a stream of consciousness, dumping of the thoughts, cleaning out your brain type of post.  Instead I'll tell you what I learned during this year's hurricane.  This is my second hurricane season in Daytona Beach and this time I chose not to stay.  I was blessed to have a friend take me in and let me crash at her house.  She was a true blessing and the time during the storm was like being at a retreat.  I learned a few things this year that I really wasn't expecting to learn, but I'm glad I did. 1.  When the eye of the storm passes over, you see everything clearly.  The eye of the hurricane is usually the most pronounced part, and although chaos is raging all around it, remains fairly peaceful. In the middle of everything crazy, there's always a moment of clarity where you see exactly what you need to see.  This lesson came for me through s...

This may be one of the realest posts I've ever written but there are just some things that I  need to get off of my chest.  For the past few weeks I haven't written much of anything.  I've been in a funk and maybe even slightly depressed.  Life has been whooping my tail.  Honestly I feel like Martin when he fought Tommy Hitman Hearns. The level of weariness I've felt in my spirit has been beyond exhausted. I feel like I've been fighting and fighting then falling into my corner of the ring and having to jump right back up and fight before I can get a sip of water or catch a breath.  Every area of my life is in a transitional phase right now and seems so cloudy. I have to move,  work has been super crazy, relationship drama,  and financial issues all at once. It's very overwhelming and I'll be honest and say down right discouraging.  There have been nights where I have prayed and cried myself to sleep because I just don't have the wo...

tran·si·tion  tranˈziSH(ə)n,tranˈsiSH(ə)n/ noun 1.the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another. I've had so many discussions with friends and coworkers lately that are in a state of transition I had to take some time to share my feelings about it.  I was talking to a friend earlier today and I told her. like a few others, that I feel like right now my life is like the earth in Genesis 1:2 "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."  I told her I feel like I know a lot but nothing at the same time.  I have all of these images and glimpses of what God has shown me, words He's spoken over me, and promises He's made... but my life looks nothing like any of that. I told another friend it looks like a little kid's drawing.  They proudly come show you their picture of what appears to be a three chicken nuggets on a plate with ke...

One of the most beautiful things God created is the butterfly.  Each set of wings is as unique as a set of fingerprints.  The colors, pattern, size, and shape will tell you the type but each set is different.  The most amazing thing is that butterflies aren't born butterflies,  they transform. Nobody is in awe of the beauty of a lowly caterpillar but we all marvel at a Monarch, a Swallowtail or one of the other bright colorful beauties.  Most times we don't even notice the caterpillar until it's eating one of our plants. Right now many of us are caterpillars, unnoticed,  in the foliage of life eating and growing,  staying out of the way and the limelight. .. but when I tell you our time is coming! !  The caterpillar doesn't stay lowly for long. See there's this process that it goes through called metamorphosis.  During metamorphosis, the caterpillar makes itself a chrysalis (for some it's a cocoon) and goes into isolation.  It use...

I saw this post on Instagram and had to steal the picture because it was the exact sentiments of where I am right now.  2016 has been a season of transition in every area of my life and I have truly embodied the sentiments of this picture. When I moved to Florida I walked away from everything familiar and had no idea what I would be walking into... I just obeyed God and came. I knew I was leaving behind my family and friends, my home, my favorite places and things, but I didn't know I would be leaving behind me.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm still me, but the me that I assumed I was got left behind.  That me was the one that was pieced together with everyone else's expectations, goals, aspirations, hopes, dreams, and ideals for and of me.  Not the ones I'd created for myself or the ones God had given me in dreams and visions.  I'd always assumed I wanted certain things and wanted them a certain way but I quickly learned that sometimes the very thing we ...

Every year I try to do a post on or very close to my birthday and this year's birthday is quite a bit different than any other I've had so far.  This is the first birthday I've spent away from my family & friends.  Although I'm blessed with sweet friends and co-workers here that have made my day special, I've kept it pretty low key today.  I spent the day working, helping families and walking in purpose. The past year has been filled with transitions and changes and learning experiences. For the first time ever I've had to walk through things without my support network being close by and it's been so eye opening. I feel like I'm stepping into adulthood for the first time for real.  You never know what you're really capable of until that safety net is gone.  I've experienced some of the most trying times of my life over the past two years and when God relocated me it was a chance to start fresh and step out into purpose and obedience. I...

Each week when I blog I try to choose an image that is fitting and somewhat goes along with the post.  I chose this historical marker for several reasons.  It's a perfect visual for what God was speaking to me.   Let's start with the title, Hidden Truths.  As I've been on this journey of allowing God to heal the broken pieces of my heart He's been revealing Hidden Truths.  Things that have been true from the beginning but hidden away in the recesses of my mind and heart.  Some things were hidden to the point that I didn't even realize they were true.  The main one is the entire reason for this blog, but I'll get to that in a minute. The truth is, I'd been pouring out of a broken vessel.  The truth is, at times I was running on fumes of the Holy Ghost.  The truth is, sometimes I've been so disappointed I wanted to walk away and not do anything ministry related.  The truth is sometimes the people I'm required to minister to do m...

One of the many things I've learned over the past few years is that just because there's a scab on something, doesn't mean it's healed.  When I had my first spider bite it was pretty nasty. The hole in my leg was so deep I could stick my finger in it.  After it was cut open and packed it began healing from the inside and the outside at the same time.  A layer of skin grew over and closed the hole in my leg but it still wasn't healed on the inside.  I had to go pull that layer of dead skin off and leave the hole exposed so that the wound could heal from the inside out.. Each day I had to clean the wound out and apply Neosporin... I had to expose it, clean it, oil it... expose it, clean it, oil it... expose it clean it oil it... every day for several weeks. I don't know if anybody else has been on God's operating table for open heart surgery but I just found out I was on the table in the middle of a marathon surgery.  When God began to show me the con...

The past week has been catastrophic for those in the path of Hurricane Matthew.  My heart is overwhelmed for Haiti and all of the families who lost loved ones, everything, and those who are in the process of repairing and rebuilding.  I was fortunate not having any damage or loss personally nor within my close circle of friends.  We're truly blessed to have survived with minimal damage in comparison.   Matthew was my first hurricane and I used the time to think, write, pray, enjoy fellowship with friends, eat Reese's minis, and be amazed by God in a whole new way.  As my friends and I sat in the house hearing and watching the storm range all around us,  the house was peaceful. We could hear the wolf whistles of the winds,  the thrashing trees, and the water pounding down like golden gloved fists of fury. The storm shutters clanged and banged against the neighbors house like tangled tin cans yet the house was peacefully quiet. .. I wa...

It's taken me a while to get to the place where I could write this blog.  I've been struggling with writing for the past few weeks and hadn't really realized why.  Tonight all of that changed.  I needed some couch time, for those who don't know me couch time is when my friends and I play therapist for one another.  I'm fortunate that most of my close friends are actually social workers, therapists or ministers/Pastors.  So I was talking to one of my friends an explaining to her all the things that had been going on in my head, the things God had been showing me about myself and how I'd just been a bit overwhelmed with it all.  Then it hit me.  The light bulb came on and I knew exactly why I was struggling and what I was struggling with. I'm in a season where everything in my life is new.  New city, new state, new people, new church, new job, new relationship, new everything... That's all great but what I forgot was that with all that newness ...

About a year ago I was having a conversation with a friend and we were talking about God's instructions and being obedient when He speaks.  Fast forward to a couple of days ago and that same word was spoken by another friend with myself and the first friend present for the conversation.  I can't begin to explain to you how excited I was.  God had just awakened me from a deep sleep with a specific set of instructions, then sent vessels to confirm it.  It didn't take a long time, it didn't take a bunch of extra stuff.  It was a simple coming together of believers. In the initial conversation I had with my friend she spoke to me about how things would start to fall into place once I started to move in obedience.  It's been an amazing journey so far and I can't even express all of the things God has done and is doing.  This morning on the Prayer call Bishop Walker was speaking from Psalm 23:2 on the topic of He Knew what I needed...  Rest, Resto...

In a few days I will hit my four month mark here in Daytona Beach.  It has truly been an adventure.  In these four months God has connected me with amazing people that feel like home, I've done things I never had the opportunity to do in KY, completed several projects that I'd been trying to finish forever, and opened up the door for me to use all of my gifts for ministry and to generate income.  Oh what a difference location can make!  Now I'm not telling you to jump up and move, but what I am saying is this. If you know that God is calling you to a different location, go! Don't hesitate, don't make excuses, just go as He leads. The pastor has been preaching a series called unstuck and the lesson last night was 5 signs you're stuck. You feel like you're going through the motions You make excuses to avoid change You have no plan for what's next and worry about what's coming You feel scatterbrained You don't feel like yourself  (yo...