Hello From The Other Side

It's the New Year, so I always like to take a look back at the year that just passed to reflect on how the Lord blessed me, and be grateful. Each experience we have helps mold us and it's important to remember them so we can learn and move forward.

JANUARY 2015:
I went on a weekend retreat to OBX with 30 other women from my Leadership Training International course I was taking. That weekend was powerful. Three things God revealed to me: (1) God understood why/how things happened in my last relationship, and reassured me I would move on and be redeemed from it all. (2) God told me that He plans on using my greatest hurt in ministry in the future somehow. (3) I received prophetic words from a pastor that I will use the power and gift of discernment to call out Truth and lies in others, and that my ability to identify those own lies in my life will be used to help others find healing.

MARCH 2015:
After 4.5 yrs as Director of Communications at Orphan Helpers, God gave me peace that it was time to move on and that He had other plans for me. So, I accepted a new job as Marketing Services Manager at Operation Blessing International.

Also, got to attend Wave Church's Women's Devoted Conference with some amazing ladies.

Lastly, went to Christian concert of one of my favorite worship leaders, Chris Tomlin.

APRIL 2015:
The miracle of new life left me in awe once again when my family and I welcomed my first niece, Haven McClain, in this world on April 10th.

MAY 2015:
Graduated from a year long course on Christian leadership through Leadership Training International. I deepened my understanding of different leadership styles and understanding people's personalities and spiritual gifts so I can best lead them.

JUNE 2015:
Hiked to McAfee Knob with one of my closest friends, Bridget. I love nature and seeing God's Creation. The elevation climb was high and me being out of shape, it was hard! But the end result was totally worth it to see everything from the top!

Got to see two of my closest friends from college get married! Yay Nick and Mary!

JULY 2015:
Road tripped with some of my favorite people to Charlotte, NC for Elevation Church's live album recording of their latest CD "Here as in Heaven" at Time Warner Cable Arena.

AUGUST 2015:
Went on a week long vacation with my family to my favorite place in the world, Outerbanks, North Carolina. It was my niece's first vacation with us in OBX, and also one of my best friends Kori joined us for most of the week! Cherish family, friends, and nature.

SEPTEMBER 2015:
Got to witness two dear church friends, Nancy and Shane, get hitched! It was such a fun and beautiful night.

OCTOBER 2015:
Went to Wake Forest, NC to visit my brother's family and celebrate my brother and father's birthdays!

NOVEMBER 2015:
Spent Thanksgiving holiday with my parents, Grammy, and Aunt Mimi in Stroudsburg, PA. Got to spend quality time with my 95 year old grandma who is the sweetest lady I've ever met.

DECEMBER 2015:
My brother's family came to Newport News to visit us the weekend after Christmas. :) Love them!

I also moved into a new apartment, and now have my own place with no roommates for the first time in 28 years.

Finished out the year strong at Elevation Church's NYE Praise Party with some awesome friends from WEC!

The Art of Saying No

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

In such a fast-paced world, there is always something going on. Work, family, friends, social activities, commitments, church, volunteering, etc. Life can get filled up with so much STUFF that we barely find time to take a breath, to pause, and to rest. Why do we do that? Why do we feel the need to have to be present at every activity, as if we're going to miss out on something if we're not there? Why do we over-commit ourselves to more than any sane human can balance in their life? We feel like if we don't do that social function, or don't commit to every volunteer opportunity, that we will lose our friends, our reputation will crumble, and life will pass us by.

But what if stretching ourselves too thin and saying "yes" to everything is really dishonoring to those commitments because when we are there, we aren't able to give all of ourselves. We are so run down, thinking about the next commitment or thing we have to be at, and not present at our current activity. When will we learn that it is ok to say "No" to some things? When will we learn the art of saying "No"? It's ok to not attend every social event. It's ok to not be able to be there for every single friend every single time they need something.

This idea of saying "no" can apply to so much more than just life commitments or social activities. What about saying "no" to buying that extra outfit or extra pair of shoes that you know you can't afford in your budget? What about saying "no" to eating out, and packing your lunch because you know you need to save money? Or what about saying "no" to that sin or temptation that creeps into your life every time you get weak?

Sometimes....the art of saying NO is the best YES!

What I mean by that is this: God wants what is best for us. Yes he wants us to be in relationship with others, to have community, accountability, etc. But He doesn't want all those things to take full precedence over time spent with Him. Sometimes, it is in God's Will for us to say "no" to things and to turn them down. Saying "no" to our sins, addictions and temptations may be extremely difficult, but we know it's what is best for us. Even the things that we think may be good for us, like volunteering at church, going out with friends, those things may seem beneficial and honoring to God, but if our schedules are too jam-packed to fulfill those obligations and activities with our complete focus and best performance, in a way, it could not be what God had in mind. Maybe the best answer, our best YES, is to actually say no to things.

This is something I have really had to work on over the last couple years, and I think I've gotten slightly better at it. Being involved in so many things definitely fills up my schedule, but does it fill up my life, does it fill up my heart and spirit? The only true time that my heart feels full is when I am sitting in God's presence, one on one, because I made time for Him, because I had to say "no" to something else. It's ok to say no. Don't feel guilty about it. It might be something you have to say in order to bring a sense of order to your life, or a sense of peace. God does not want us chaotic running around trying to be EVERYTHING to EVERY PERSON. That is God's job, that is His role. It says in 1 Corinthians 14:33 "For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace." Let your yes be yes, let your no be no (Matthew 5:37).

Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015

At the start of 2015, I want to take a few moments to reflect on the best moments of 2014, remember how God blessed me, and give thanks to Him.

Here are some of the highlights from my 2014...

JANUARY: Celebrated my nephew Forrest turning 1 year old in Warsaw, VA.

FEBRUARY: On February 2nd, I was baptized as an adult at Waters Edge Church.

MARCH: Went to Frederick, MD for an Orphan Helpers dinner gala and fundraiser, Seeds of Hope, with my colleagues.
















APRIL: I went to Wake Forest, NC for a weekend to visit my favorite little man. #NephewLove

MAY: I went to Sarasota, FL with college friend Mary to see my college roommate Melissa get married to Joel. :) First time in Florida.

JUNE: Went to South Nags Head in Outerbanks, NC with my family for a week long beach vacation. OBX is pretty much our favorite vacation spot. :)

JULY: I road tripped with 20 friends from my church to Charlotte, NC for Elevation Worship's live album recording of "Wake Up the Wonder." I got to worship with ~13,000 people in the Time Warner Cable Arena!

AUGUST: Went on a 8 day Royal Caribbean cruise with my friend Nancy to visit Haiti, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, and Mexico. It was my first cruise and most definitely won't be my last!

SEPTEMBER: Went to visit my high school best friend Kori out in Los Angeles, CA. It was my first time to California and my first time to the West Coast.

OCTOBER: Went to Wake Forest, NC for Halloween to visit my little nephew, aka elmo. ;)

NOVEMBER: Enjoyed a snowy, white Thanksgiving with family in Stroudsburg, PA.

DECEMBER: Celebrated the birth of my Savior Jesus Christ for Christmas in my hometown, Newport News, VA.

It was a year filled with immense blessing, huge travels and adventures, and many loved ones. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me in 2015!

Walking Through the Shadows Together

Those who don't know me very well, see my life on the surface and think I have it all together and that I have everything going for me. Those who do know me well, know I struggle with depression greatly, and have done so for a vast majority of my life. I'm not ashamed to say it or confess it. It's a common struggle that many people deal with, but it can be so debilitating at times. Just because I am a Christian, doesn't mean my life is perfect or easy. BUT, it does mean that I have great Hope found in my Savior, Jesus Christ, who has overcome the world and can overcome my depression. He promises to be with me through it all, to never leave me nor forsake me. I stumbled across a blog series this month on depression by a Christian author and thought it might encourage others as it has me. It was posted on Alyssa Joy's blog, the wife of Jefferson Bethke (who is known for his spoken word and his book Jesus > Religion).

Alyssa's Blog: http://alyssajoy.me/journal/hope-in-the-darkness/?tp=1126

2nd Heaven on Earth

Well, I've already talked about my first personal heaven on earth in a previous blog post.... OUTERBANKS, NC. My second personal heaven on earth is CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA!

Reason, Season, or a Lifetime

My CG and me were discussing a few weeks ago the different type of friends we can have. The phrase "Reason, Season, or Lifetime" came up a lot. Then, we discovered this short poem which really resonated with me. I am a lifetime friend, and I try and make every one of my friends lifetime friends. But, it's sometimes a good, yet harsh reality to realize some friends are just reason or season friends. Here's the poem....