Hearts Transformed

I have recently become more involved in the women's ministry at my church,  LifePoint . We have monthly women's ministry events called Sisterhood Gatherings and for these last couple of months, they  have been focused on living our "such a time as this" moments bravely and boldly. In September we took a closer look at the story of Esther and the different seasons or times she traveled before getting to her famous "such a time as this" moment (Hear that message  here ). We were asked to search our hearts to identify the thing that is holding us back and for many women it was fear. This fear isn't phobia kind of fears, although those can be quite scary, but the fear that keeps us awake at night, the fear that stops us from taking that next step or making changes in our lives. Then this past Friday, a good friend brought a message of what next steps to overcoming our fears might look like and it really resonated with me. For many years I have tried, so

It is often times intimidating to put yourself out there. To be brave and bold in a world that does not feel safe. Yet we are so interconnected in our humanity. There are emotions and experiences that we all share even when we feel as if no one else gets us or that we are all alone. The "what ifs" are often the obstacles that hold us back from living a full and abundant life, those restraints on relationships from reaching their full potential and the thoughts that hinder us from being our true self. There is a fairly new country song by Kane Brown called What Ifs and it addresses this exact thing when it comes to a relationship between and man and woman. The woman is not willing to give the relationship a try because what if it doesn't work out, what if she gets hurt, what if... The guy responds when what ifs as well but from a completely different perspective. What if this is the right thing, what if it is more than imagined, what if everything does work out? I wa

I like crafts. I like feeling creative. I like spending time using paper and glue and glitter. I know some of you reading this just rolled your eyes at the mere mention of glitter. Some people have such an aversion to glitter because it has a tendency to have a mind of its own. But I love how it brings a little something extra, another dimension if you will. I like makeup. I like spending time making my tired face look fresh. I like the way I can add a little color in the areas that have frankly become a tad dull over the years. I like being able to cover up a blemish and to smooth out the rough places. I even like adding a little glitter from time to time. I like a clean house. I like when things are in the right place. I feel so much more at peace when there aren't piles of clothes and toys and unsorted mail laying around. I like walking in after a long day and there being a sense of order and calm. However, over time, if I am honest my crafts have become more replicating s