They Call Me Blondie

In a book Im reading called "The Healing Path" by Dan Allender, he writes: Life is captivity littered with the disappointment and partially satisfied yearning: captivity to a body that does not work as we wish; captivity to a heart that longs for freedom to truly love, to worship from the depths of our being and does not; captivity to the particulars of our culture, race, socioeconomic history, and era, when we would rather be radical, world-conscious Christians...But in every arena of life, I LONG to burst free of the constraints of my flesh, soul, and world …"  He continues to write, knowing it is not us or ourselves individually who can actually burst free from the constraints of our flesh, soul, or world.  It actually takes an act of God and his power giving us the ability to break free from a life that so easily entangles, and with a hope of tomorrow, its by HIM that we are able to move forward - with HIS help. Each and every step of the way. " To ...

"May you feel the warmth of His light today. May you know He is near even if it doesn't feel like it. May he heal your broken places. Draw you in closer. Show you that he is a God of faithfulness. He can redeem anything. Restore dreams. And bring joy! He loves calling you His beloved, He's fond of you, and He desires to give good gifts to the ones he loves because he's a good good father. He has  not forgotten. He's still at work. And he can do immeasurably more than you can ask think or imagine... {Wendy Henkelman} “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalms 106:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬ // ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I have the privilege of contributing to Still Waters Publishing Co among some incredible talent! if you're wanting some fantastic reads and new writers to follow; check out some of the blogs we featured over the last two months on Calling. . Many of us can relate to the question of asking "What have I been called to?" Or "H...

Falling into bed after a long day, as I buried my face in my pillows my thoughts race ahead of me: "Oh to be leaping into bed for excitement of the days to come!"   How I longed for a new night like this.  What seemed to be on repeat the last handful of days, who am I kidding, WEEKS; was the exhaustion of striving and not knowing what to do. Most days are't too difficult to get through.  Grab my coffee, jump in the car and off to the studio to teach some classes with the music up and sun shining!  A dozen thoughts race through my head as I drive to work: "What's on my list to get at Trader Joe's again?"  "Was today or was tomorrow Tiffany's birthday? Or was YESTERDAY Tiff's Birthday?!?  Oh shoooot.... better text her at the next light."  "Hmmm, I wonder who's going to be in my first class?"  "Did my sister get my call from yesterday?"  "Ooooh, I wonder If I have time to go to Starbucks between classes!...

Some of you may need to hear this right now. Your story matters. You are seen. Whether you are 21 and just finishing college and haven't a clue what you're going to do with your life, 27 or 33 still wondering why haven't things worked out the way you wanted them too, or even late thirties or forties and you find yourself married with kids and still asking questions of uncertainty and why! I am blessed to know some incredible women and get to do life with them near and far.  I know authors and doctors, fitness instructors and business owners.  Directors of their company that just so happened to evolve into their position over time, PR executives that work with Hollywood celebrities and overnight sensations, medical sales reps, account executives, even those transitioning to full-time mommyhood.  I know girls that are single and have their life ahead of them, or single way too long(if you asked them), girls that are married, with kids under 6 and kids that are grown...

The kind of karma we don't have to work for I recently had the privilege to take a trip to a city I loved and been to a handful of times; yet this trip was slightly different because it was for something familiar (an event), although something I had never done before (new people, new company, new atmosphere). I love traveling, so there was no worry there.  I love cities, and the exploration is always fun.  I also love events and talking with people and chances to meet new people; a nd so, I was excited all around! This trip was coming at a time in life where it was gladly welcomed to break up some monotony; so my bags were packed a day early and on the plane I went excited for a weekend away full of possibilities!  " Who will I meet? " I wondered. " What stories will I hear? " " What adventures will I get into? " I boarded the plane with endless possibilities and my joy sky high.  Excited for the adventure ahead; I hailed my cab(aka ...

The frost settled on the ground from the night before, the sun was already up and the traffic was starting to build for the final workday of the week.  With the engine barely running long enough to put the car into motion, I was off to work with a thermos of hot tea as the only thing warm in my car... My commute to work took only that of 15-20minutes; so just barely long enough to get that heat crankin, center my thoughts, and spend a few quiet moments in them before I would get to the studio and have to burst into energy to help everyone have a fantastic day.  (for the sake of the story, where I was employed doesn't matter - You can think it was an art studio, a studio for dance or even a boutique of clothing with your imagination;)   The important details are outside of the actual place of work. I had been on this journey for the past few years.  I knew what I was called to and still pursuing that, but I had to pay bills and put food on my table, so I did what an...

How many of you remember looking up to your Father, uncle, even big brother as if they were on the same level as spiderman, the Incredible Hulk or just plain superhero status? Of course they were human and had their moments of outbursts, or human breakdowns; but as a child I remember thinking my dad was the absolute bestest and greatest Firefighter of them all. He climbed mountains, and scaled rocks. He knew how to start a fire from twigs and rocks together which to me seemed magical. He always was up for an adventure or going out to do 'fun' things. Bike riding, body surfing, exploring; you name it! He even knew how to pick the prettiest of wildflowers to make bouquets for our mom, so he was charming too.   Growing up in a home where Dad had to save the world from bad guys or fires that were threatening buildings with trapped grandmothers in them; it seemed normal to me to have a father gone every other day.  He was a firefighter by trade so they worked shifts of 24hours...