This week I’d like to share just a few of the images I recently created using quotes from my book Waiting on God Well. They’re just snapshots of some of the key points found in the book. They’ve become pretty popular on Pinterest. I pray they will bless you.
If you’ve read the book and have an idea for a quote that would make a good image, please let me know.
To view “If a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words Part 1,” click here.
“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:13-14).
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I just got back from an amazing and relaxing women’s retreat with my church family. The theme of the retreat was “God loves you. God loves you. God loves you!” Yes, God loves you more than you can imagine. I pray you will be blessed by these two short videos.
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The first half of this year has been quite a whirlwind. All Glory to God! I’ve got lots of news to share. In case you were wondering what I’ve been up to lately, here goes:
It’s been so exciting to celebrate the launch of my first book Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough! It’s been so well-received. My Pastor even told the congregation that everyone should keep a copy of my book close to where they have their Bible so they can refer to it. Wow, what an honor! I love hearing how the book is touching people. If you’ve read it and it’s been a blessing to you, please write a review on Amazon or feel free to leave a comment below.
I recently got to speak and run the whole service at my friend’s church in Upstate, NY, which was such a blessing! If you’d like to invite me to come speak at your church or event, click here.
I recently posted my 30th short, encouraging video on my YouTube Channel. To view videos shot during my recent Epic European Adventure and videos filmed in the Caribbean, Honduras, and Peru, click here.
Did you know that I have a “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF that I created especially for those who sign up to have my weekly encouraging posts from this blog e-mailed to them? Each writing prompt is meant to inspire you as you reflect on what God is doing in your life! You can sign up here.
Do you need help navigating through a transition time? One-on-One Life Coaching and Group Life Coaching sessions are available! I’d be delighted to be your Life Coach. To learn more, click here.
I know that’s a lot to cover. God is moving and I’m excited! I’m so thankful that you’re taking this journey with me! Let’s see what the Lord does next. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!
Let’s keep believing God for the best. May the second half of the year be even better than the first! Blessings!
“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8)
Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.
This week I’d like to take a moment and celebrate my Mom. Yes, I know this year’s Mother’s Day has come and gone but it’s always a good time to recognize just how special Moms are.
There is so much I could say about my Mom. She really is a major part of the wind beneath my wings. For now, I’d like to focus on one of the gifts she’s recently discovered.
Growing up, my Mom didn’t have much time for hobbies. Not during her humble childhood nor as a single Mom after my parents divorced. She was too busy caring for my sister and I, our two dogs, our bird oh and running her beauty salon. Later on, she found time to serve at church and went to seminary.
But she has always been good at drawing. I remember her helping me and/or my sister whenever we had to create book report covers or other school art projects. She likes decorating birthday cards with little drawings and stickers. And she’s always been fascinated by flowers, trees, and nature.
So I’m thrilled that lately my Mom has discovered her gift of painting. It delights me to see my Mom creating all types of works of art. She’s actually really good! And she’s had no formal training. Just a keen attention to detail and a whimsical imagination.
Oh, and courage! She’s brave enough to try different designs and to experiment with different colors and textures.
Her newfound talent inspires me and reminds me that we never outgrow discovering and using new God-given gifts!
I’d like to share with you a very special painting that hangs in my room. It’s a one-of-a-kind painting created by my Mom! Sure I just came back from seeing the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, which was special, but this painting is priceless to me!
I’m so proud of my Mom for continuing to dream, and create, and inspire others! I’m so blessed to call her Mom!
So, what about your gifts? Do you have some hidden talents that could be developed and used to bless others? I’d love to hear about some of your gifts. If you’re not sure what they are, pray and ask God to reveal them to you and to give you the wisdom and courage to use them for His Glory!
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17)
Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.
The above video is very special to me because it’s the final video I shot on the last day of my Epic European Adventure! That day I woke up in Amsterdam, had lunch in Bruge, Belgium, and then crossed the English Channel on a ferry from France to London. It was an extraordinary and fitting way to end the trip.
There are so many reasons why I call this trip Epic. For starters, it was a tour of many of the major European cities including Paris, Venice, Florence, Amsterdam, parts of Switzerland, and Munich. It even included lunch in Austria one day. And on my way to and from the meeting city of London I even had layovers in Ireland. So that alone is Amazing! God blessed me and protected me in all those countries.
I saw mountains including the Swiss Alps! I took river cruises along the Seine River in Paris and the Rhine River in Germany and took a gondola ride in Venice! I saw castles in Germany and windmills in Amsterdam. I saw the Mona Lisa up close and personal and went inside the famed Notre Dame Cathedral. If that wasn’t enough, the Lord even allowed me to start my trip by visiting the London Olympic stadium!
I’ve come back with stories, videos, and memories galore! The butterfly in me is still glowing and rejoicing. The reporter in me had her iPhone in one pocket and her camera in the other pocket. I was ready to record and document all the sights and sounds at a moment’s notice so that I could report back to my friends and family about how wonderful the trip was.
God’s favor was upon me so much so that members from the tour group noticed and remarked that I was “lucky”. I had to say, “I’m blessed!”
I could go on and on about how Amazing the trip was, but I’d like to share part of the reason why I went in the first place.
Back when I was 15, my parents gave my sister and me the incredible gift of a trip to Italy and Greece with my high school. It was a beautiful trip (and that’s when I got to go to the Olympic stadium in Athens) but it left me longing to go back to Italy. As I grew up, I dreamed of going back and just wandering around the quaint and narrow streets of Italy much like Belle does in France in “Beauty and the Beast”.
But the timing was never right. I went on to travel all around the world through work, vacation, and missions but Italy was still on my mind.
A few years ago, I was at a sleepover with a few church friends and they asked the question, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” The only thing I could think to say was, “I’d go to Italy by myself.”
To think that I mustered up the courage to GO to Italy and all throughout Europe just a few weeks ago, is simply awe-inspiring for me. I faced down one of my fears and went. And God honored me, protected me, and allowed me to see more of His beauty and splendor than I could have ever imagined.
Which brings me back to the video above. You’re looking at one very satisfied woman of God in that video! (I’m also freezing because it was windy out on the deck, and I also had to shoot it with my regular camera so I didn’t have the benefit of using my front-facing camera to see where I was aiming, but I digress).
There is something so special and empowering about facing down your fears and letting God walk you through them. I pray that you will all experience that in your lives.
Please remove the limits off of God! Let Him be God in your life! Just watch what He will do. Let Him Amaze you!
And yes, it took me lots of years to finally get back to Italy, but it was worth the wait!
Many blessings to you and many happy adventures even in your own neck of the woods!
“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
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I’ve just come back from traveling through some of the major cities of Europe such as Venice, Paris, Florence, London, Munich, and Amsterdam. God allowed so many of my dreams to come true during this trip. I am amazed by His love for me and by how beautiful His world is! It really is Miraculous and Lovely!
I took some time to record some short, encouraging videos from many of these cities. I pray that they will bless you! The video above was shot in Munich, Germany where I was reminded to let God lead you and surprise you!
Here are links to a few more videos:
Don’t give up in the middle of your story! It gets better!
We must go through the valley to stand upon the mountaintop of God!
I stand in awe of all of the beauty God has created!
“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8).
Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.
I recently read a statement on Facebook that really resonated with me. It said “You’re going into a season where you’re about to experience breakthrough after breakthrough because what you went through didn’t break you.” Amen! I Receive it!
I pray you will believe it and receive it as well. Remember, that God works in seasons.
I hope you enjoy taking another look at this short video I shot last year. Yes, there is a time for everything. Don’t quit in the middle of your story!
Blessings to you! Please note that I will be taking a break the next two weeks. I should have loads more to share after that. In the meantime, please feel free to catch up on older posts you might have missed.
Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! I hope you had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday. Here’s another look at the short video I shot last year. Blessings!
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I’d like to share just some thoughts about what I’ve learned about this process thus far:
God’s plans are way bigger than ours! I grew up writing in diaries, making my own mini-magazines, and studied journalism. But when it came time to lay down journalism, writing a book was so far from my mind. This book started out as simply an e-book, but I’m glad that I kept moving forward and now have a printed version. The response has been such a blessing. Anything that happens from here on out is sprinkles and cherries on top! “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3: 20-21).
We need to share our stories. People are saying they can relate to my writing, and that they are also finding it hard to wait on God. Private me could have remained silent, but I kept feeling the Lord tell me to write. And now others are being blessed. Glory! God wastes nothing. We all have a story to tell and people need to hear it. What lessons has God been showing you? What miraculous things has He done in your life? You don’t have to shout it from the roof tops, per se. Just pray and tell the next person that God places on your heart. You never know how blessed they may be. “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13).
People can surprise you in good and bad ways. I’ve been so delighted to see some of my closest friends rejoice with me over this milestone in my life. You can tell when people are genuinely happy for you and it makes such a difference. Even friends I haven’t seen for a few years are showing up to celebrate with me. How wonderful! Then there are others that seem bent on staying away from the party. That’s ok. It’s best to leave those folks to the Lord. At times like these, it’s important to ask the Lord to help you discern who is for you and who is not. It’s also a good time to practice forgiving and showing mercy and grace. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).
I’m sure I’ll have more lessons to share down the line. In the meantime, I hope you have a miraculous and lovely Holy Week! He is Risen!
Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.
After all the writing and editing, and after all the prayer and planning, the day finally came for my launch event for my new book Waiting On God Well.
It’s going to take me a bit to process everything and to describe how special Saturday night was for me. But I wanted to take a moment to publically thank every single person who attended my book launch and for those who were praying for the success of the event and the book.
One of the best ways I could describe it was surreal. I had family members there mixed with a friend I’ve known since kindergarten, dear friends from high school and college, a close co-worker, and my lovely church family and co-laborers in Christ. I was so excited every time one of my friends walked through the door.
While I was blessed to get to share a bit about my writing background and my faith journey with my guests, I was also delighted to see my friends mingling together. I was so touched to hear the kind words they shared about our friendship.
My friends are a mini United Nations and come from such diverse backgrounds, but I love that we can find common ground and have stayed in contact after all these years.
Writing can be such a solitary process, but oh the joy there is in getting to share the finished product with your friends and family. These memories will last a lifetime. I’m so thankful to God for allowing this part of my waiting process to be fulfilled!
A giant Thank You to all my volunteers! The night would not have been the same without you!
Have you read Waiting on God Well? I look forward to hearing your thoughts. If it blessed you, please leave a kind review and rating on Amazon. Thank you in advance!
Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.
For more encouragement, read my new book Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough! To learn how I can come alongside of you as your Life Coach or to invite me to speak at your event, visit my website www.aboundingfaith.com. You can also find me on YouTube and Pinterest.
