Be Like Jeffrey: Thanking God Despite Circumstances by Tara Hall

I hope you all are having a great Thanksgiving! I love how this season reminds us that no matter what is going on in our lives, there is always a reason to be thankful. My sister, Tara, is here to share some of her thoughts on this, as well as a recent encounter she experienced with a homeless person.

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Living in New York City, you see the most interesting people, to say the least. But recently, I have noticed the massive collision of those who "have it all" and those who "have absolutely nothing." Just by walking down one single block, you can count on seeing both of these types of people.

I’d like to tell you about one of my most recent friends, Jeffery. I guess you could say he is one who "has absolutely nothing." At least that is what I assumed about him at first glance… but I was proven dead wrong. Jeffery caught the attention of many the other day on our first snow day of the season by walking down the street barefoot on the Upper West Side. Being stubborn yet polite, he would immediately decline the offer of any stranger who wanted to buy him a pair of shoes. “No thank you. I’m fine. I’m fine.” He would say while walking away, until suddenly one guy showed up who went ahead and bought some for Jeffery, along with a pair of thick socks. This is the time Jeffery finally gave in, sat down, and put them on with a massive smile across his face. “You have to promise me two things if I give you these,” said the guy who bought them. “1) You cannot sell them and 2) you have to actually wear them.” Jeffery just shook his head in agreement, and the generous guy soon went on his way.

But I couldn’t just yet. The sight of all that was going on had stopped me dead in my tracks. It looked so beautiful outside, but these same gorgeous snow flakes were causing the people who "have absolutely nothing" to freeze. And how could someone so desperate repeatedly turn down the offer of help, but when it was right in their face, gladly accept? I felt compelled to do more for him and after I did some begging, Jeffery finally agreed to go to the diner on the next block so my roommate and I could treat him to a hot meal. After some strange looks, the waiter finally sat this odd looking party of 3 at a large booth. Jeffery, looking around worriedly, warned us that he may be kicked out because he didn’t “look nice”… but he never was.

I’ll never forget the conversations we shared for those 45 minutes. It was mostly a lot of listening on mine and my roommate's part, and the rest was Jeffery talking about his past and experiences. We learned he was in the military, he has two children living in Georgia, he was divorced, and he talked about his experience on September 11, 2001 while being homeless. Somewhere between all of this is when we realized his indescribable joy. His compassion. His determination. His strength… each and every day when he wakes up and before he finds a place to “lay his head,” he recites Psalm 23. His other favorite scripture is Psalm 91. He carries a small dilapidated Bible in a plastic bag inside of his shirt every single day. It is his only possession besides the thin, worn out clothing on his back (and his new leather boots!)… but yet his joy was so evident. He was beaming with gladness! That is when we quickly realized that this "have absolutely nothing" actually "has it all"… all that really matters and is truly necessary to live a life of fulfillment.

"I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances.I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry,hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am." 

~Philippians 4:12

After finishing most of his meal (and taking the leftovers to go), Jeffery thanked us over and over for everything. “Man, I never would have thought this would have happened when I woke up today! You girls made my year! This has never happened to me! People give me food all the time, but no one has ever sat with me to eat it.” This was my first time ever taking the time to do exactly this, but I can boldly say it will not be my last. Jeffery made a huge impression on my heart that snowy day that will never ever go away… no matter what your circumstance, every single one of us can be the type of person that "has it all."

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name's sake,.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
~Psalm 23

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"Anchored With Love".

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(I'm on a blogging break for Thanksgiving and will return Dec. 3rd.)

What’s Keeping You From Pursuing Your Dreams?

When we were kids, we had multiple dreams. Some far-fetched, some realistic. We were planning on being an astronaut, a rockstar,  or a teacher. Perhaps some of us may have wanted to be all three. (I personally wanted to be an angel, a ballerina, and an author. At least I pursued the last one!)

What happened to these dreams as we grew older? Since we had a big imagination when we were little, we believed that we could do anything when we "grew up". But once we actually did grow up, we started to realize just how unrealistic our dreams were. They might even seem a little silly when you look back.

Of course, some of the dreams we had when we were a little silly, and not exactly "God-given". Sometimes a kid might want to become a president, but once he becomes a teenager, he finds that he really doesn't care much for politics. (And as I got older, I started realizing that ballet was definitely not something I was interested in.)

But what if a certain dream of yours hasn't gone away? What if, over the years, the passion has remained—yet you still haven't pursued it?

Something I absolutely hate is when I see people not pursuing the thing they are most passionate about. The thing that gives them a certain rush of excitement just thinking about it. Instead, they throw their talent away. They throw away all of the good opportunities that they could've had in the future. But why?

What keeps people from pursuing their dreams?

• The dream seems impossible. They're focusing on the probability of succeeding.
• They’ve become impatient and have given up. They failed to persevere.
• They don't think they're good enough.
• They've allowed fear to hold them back.

I’m not saying that we should go after every desire we may have. It may not be a God-given gift of yours. However, if you believe that it really is the desire that God has placed on your heart, then it's probably there for a reason. Don't just ignore it and throw it away along with all your other childhood dreams. Give it to God. He will show you if it’s your calling, something you should pursue. If the desire just will not go away and you feel like it’s time to pursue it, then ask God to open the right doors in His timing.

Yes, it may seem impossible. But remember that nothing is impossible with God. No matter how unlikely something seems, God can always make a way. Especially if it includes the plans that he has for you. My mom always reminds me that someone has to do it. How did the president get to where he is now? By taking the first step. It all starts with a dream. Of course, there will be obstacles involved. Pursuing a dream never comes easy. But remember that you have to persevere  no matter what gets in the way. And definitely do not allow yourself to recoil due to fear. If your passion is big enough, and you feel as if it could be your calling, then nothing should hold you back. Not even fear. No amount of rejection or criticism should keep you from keeping on. If you want it bad enough, you'll do whatever it takes to get there. Yes, you may be afraid. But do it anyway.

 "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."
~John Wayne

Take action in pursuing your dream. Don't look at the fears, the obstacles, the probability of succeeding. Instead, focus on the goal ahead. It might take a while to reach the goal, but once you take your first step, you're already on your way and your journey has begun.

"Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear… any action is better than no action at all."
~Norman Vincent Peale

If it is God’s time, then don’t listen to those who might say you’re too young or too old to pursue your dream. Everyone starts somewhere, at some point. There is no age limit to the gifts that God has given us. Listen to what He's telling you, not them. And if you do, in fact, feel like now is the time to pursue this dream—then go for it! It is never too early or too late to pursue your gift.

Also, keep a positive attitude about the journey. Keep praying. Keep persevering, working and growing in your craft daily. Don’t procrastinate. Let go of the fear of rejection, fear of not making it, and the fear of not being good enough. I believe that the three ingredients to becoming successful in the gift God has given us is prayer, passion, and perseverance.  

"Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with the inner drive, go much farther than people with vastly superior talent."
~Sophia Loren

If you want to write books, you must start somewhere. If you want to be a singer, you must start somewhere. When it's time, God will open the right doors for you. But go ahead and do what you can now. If God has given you a gift, you're going against His Word and His Will by not using it. And if you're not pursuing your gift due to any of the above reasons, you're basically telling God that you don't believe He is All Powerful. Don't you know that if He has given you the desire, then you are good enough, and that He will bring it to fruition, no matter how impossible it seems? You have to believe in yourself and trust God to make a way.

"You must take action in order to become who you desire to be."
~John C. Maxwell

Your prayer, passion, and perseverance will eventually pay off. Focus on the size of your passion and the size of your God. Don't allow yourself to become discouraged because of yourself or anyone else. No one has ever been rewarded for quitting or never even beginning. Step out in faith, knowing that God will be with you through it all. And with Him, you can face the rejection. You can face the critics. Because God will be holding your hand all throughout the journey. No, it may not always be comfortable, and it certainly won't be easy. In fact, it'll be painful at times. But you must keep your eyes on God only. Ask Him to give you courage and the faith that you need in order to succeed.

 "What would you rather live with? The pain of risk or the pain of regret?"
~John C. Maxwell

Fighting to Find the Benefits & Blessings of Purity by Sheri Rose Shepherd

Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18) By Sheri Rose Shepherd Bestselling Author and Bible Life Coach learn more ▶ When I was a new Christian,  it never occurred to me to change the way I dressed or flirted; after all, I was single, so why shouldn't I dress the way I wanted and get whatever attention I could? I had worked hard to lose over fifty pounds and get in shape. I was finally thin for the first time. Then one day, about a year into my walk with God, my young singles pastor came up to me after our church service and politely asked me if I could come to church dressed more modestly. He told me I was distracting him and some of the young men in our group from focusing on God. I know it took every ounce of courage he had to confront me and help me understand how men struggle, and even though I was a bit embarrassed and slightly offended, I'm glad he took a chance and told me the truth. We have no idea the major internal battle that goes on inside our men when it comes to women. The truth is, sex and women hold the key to unlock a beast inside of them. Deep down inside, our men are screaming for some relief from all the overstimulation and sensual battles that war against their souls every day. Even those men who desire purity are forced to fight for it because of all the women who flirt and flash their flesh to get attention. Even our beloved King David, a warrior who was strong enough to stand before a giant, could not withstand temptation when he saw Bathsheba naked in the bathtub. The interesting thing about this story is that Bathsheba was unaware she was even tempting David. Bathsheba was in her own home, taking a bath in her own yard, but when David's eyes saw her flesh, he lost his strength and forgot who he was: a God-appointed king. Once he lost his moral compass, he lost his senses. He caved to his craving for her and then set up her husband to be killed on the battlefield so his own sin wouldn't be exposed. David's moment of weakness had tragic consequences as the baby conceived by Bathsheba died. But even more tragic was that a piece of David's soul died that day, and the passion he once had to be a heroic man never did fully return. Our hearts' desire is for men to know how to connect to our hearts, but we make it difficult for them when we blind them with our bodies. We know how to grab their attention, but in the process are we trading what we want most, which is a real love relationship with them? Feeling sexy is fun, but what is the cost when we force men to fight temptation? Somehow it seems the price that we pay to get attention is not worth it. And it's really out of control when a man cannot even attend church because the women are distracting him from worshiping. Look at the influence the first lady in the human race had. Her craving led Adam to follow her into disobeying God. Eve saw something that was pleasing to the eye, and she wanted it more than she wanted to obey God. She ended up taking her husband down with her, and the Fall occurred. Today the "fall of families" is an epidemic. We are losing our moral men of faith by the masses while pornography and human trafficking are out of control. Our men are forced to look at our flesh, whether they want to or not. They don't even have to seek it on the Internet; all they have to do is walk out their doors. Is it any wonder they are struggling to remain pure? Something has to change, and it has to start with us. How will our sons and daughters find the strength to remain pure and experience a pure love if no one leads the way? For more teaching from the Your Heart's Desire book and Bible study, visit www.biblelifecoaching.com.

The Pressure to Be Perfect

The pressure to be perfect seems to be everywhere these days: on television. In magazines. Through our peers. In weight loss advertisements. And even celebrities. The media is giving us a pretty clear message—that in order to be perfect, we have to look a certain way, act a certain way, and wear certain size clothing.

The world’s standard of beauty can be a bit intimidating. And although we know it’s impossible to be perfect, we still try to reach that level of perfection. We still strive to have the approval of man. (Continue reading)

Should Our Fiction Be Autobiographical?

photo credit: HaoJan via photopin cc

Writers are often told to “write what you know”. Of course, this is great advice. I believe that writing what we know can tremendously enrich our fiction. But should we go to the extent of making our fiction exactly about us and our life experiences, almost to the point that it’s autobiographical?

I recently read a guest post at Author Steph Bowe's blog where Author Cally Jackson discussed whetheror not authors should incorporate real-life experiences into their fiction. She mentioned that several people have asked her if her debut novel, The Big Smoke, was autobiographical.

I thought this was interesting since, fiction is, in fact, based on real life. There is no better writing inspiration than life itself. Authors tend to pull from their own past experiences, memories, and people that they know personally into their fiction. This could be considered “writing what you know” so that your fiction seems more real—since, well, it somewhat is.

However, should our fiction—or at least our debut novel—be completely autobiographical?

While writing my debut novel, Purple Moon, I tried to stay away from making my main character, Selena, too much like myself. However, even though she has a completely different past and family situation, I did incorporate a little bit of “me” in her.  For example, she’s passionate, a dreamer, an artist, somewhat of an introvert, has the same style as I do, a romantic, and a little too obsessed with coffee. All much like myself. I've also given her some of my flaws. The beauty in writing is that it can, in a way, be therapeutic. A healing process, even. Some of the things that Selena deals with in Purple Moon are things that God has been having to work with in me for the past few years. I think it’s completely fine to give your main character some of your own strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. I also think that authors should use past experiences to enrich their writing, just like an actor should do with a character they’re playing.

On a side note—although I didn’t exactly put my memories into scenes in my book, Purple Moon seemed to have put some of its scenes into my own life. After I wrote the first draft, many things in my own life have occurred that are scenes in my book. It’s kind of like having a dream that becomes reality. Kind of strange. I'll have to create a page on my website when Purple Moon is released so readers can see what life has pulled from my book. =)

One reason I stayed away from making my debut novel auto-biographical is because it kind of takes away the joy of writing. Yes, some of my own experiences have influenced a few scenes in Purple Moon. But I was sure not to copy them exactly. And since I love to act, I enjoy putting myself in someone else’s shoes and creating a world different from my own. I think if I would have made Purple Moon autobiographical, it would’ve sort of taken away the thrill of using my imagination, of exploring certain issues, and being someone else in a completely different location.

So yes, it’s okay to pour some of ourselves, past experiences, and things that we’ve learned in life into our fiction. Even in a way that it becomes not only a healing process for our protagonist, but for ourselves as well. However, be sure that you're still writing fiction rather than an autobiography of your life. Write what you know in a way that there’s still some room left for you to use your imagination. I think that being able to write based off our own life while remaining imaginative is the beauty of storytelling. 

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Do you think our books should be autobiographical, perhaps even a healing process? Has life ever copied your writing?

Feeling Unworthy of Love by Sheri Rose Shepherd

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. 

~Ephesians 3:19

By Sheri Rose Shepherd
Bestselling Author and Bible Life Coach

learn more ▶

There is a battle within most women's hearts to believe they are worthy of love. If we believe the lie that we do not deserve love and are hiding behind feelings of unworthiness, even the most loving man in the world will not be able to break down the wall around our hearts.

Can you imagine if every night when you went to tuck your children into bed they refused to let you hug them or express your love because they did not feel they deserved it? As a parent, you would embrace them every time you could to prove to them they were indeed worthy of your love. If they refused to receive it because of how they felt, it would break your heart.

I believe that is how our heavenly Father feels when we refuse to let Him love us. But there's so much more at stake when we feel unworthy of love. When we are locked up inside, we cannot become the women we want to be in our men's and children's lives. If we do not love ourselves and do not let God lavish His love on us, it will hinder us and hurt others.

There are many reasons we may fight feelings of unworthiness. Some of us had fathers who never expressed how much they loved us, and others had mothers who did not feel they deserved love and did not know how to show love, so we began to see our worth through their eyes and not through God's. We may have been abused verbally, emotionally, or physically. Maybe our first love made us feel we were worthless. Some of us had all the love in the world from our families, but we felt rejected by our peers.

The list of things we women believe when it comes to love is endless. But the truth is, how we feel will never change how loved we are by the Lord. And nothing that we have done or that has been done to us can keep God from loving us. The question is, will we open our hearts and let His love in? I believe if God wrote us a love letter, it might read like this . . .

My Beloved Daughter,
I love you with an unconditional, everlasting love so you can be free to love. My precious daughter, don't allow those who have hurt you to keep you from experiencing the joy of loving others. I know giving a piece of your heart away involves risk, but I am here to heal your heart when someone hurts you. I want you to choose wisely whom you allow in your heart, and I also want you to give those you love the freedom to fail. Remember that no one else can love you as perfectly and completely as I do. Don't look for a perfect love in people, or you will always find disappointment and heartache. If you allow your soul to settle into Mine and become one with Me, you will never doubt that I am forever and always devoted to you. 
Your Prince Jesus, who can't stop loving you

May you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. (Ephesians 3:18)

For more teaching from the Your Heart's Desire book and Bible study, visit www.biblelifecoaching.com.