Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I want to speak many blessings and divine favor over 2011. This is going to be a great year for growth, new beginnings, supernatural breakthroughs, peace, joy, and above all, much love.

This is our time. This is our time to count our blessings and thank God in advance for the protection and blessings that are on the way.

We are going to let go of control and remember that God is in control, and that he is our way. We are going to let God guide us this year, and trust his timing. We are going to regain our faith and expect God’s promise in Ephesians 3:20 to come to pass:

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us”

Ring in the New Year with hope. Be blessed readers, and may your friends and family be blessed too. Have a safe New Year’s Eve.

I’ll talk to ya’ll next year!

~Elle  

Complaining is a No-No

“Most people do not realize that as they continue to find things to complain about, they disallow their own physical well-being. Many do not realize that before they were complaining about an aching body or a chronic disease, they were complaining about many other things first. It does not matter if the object of your complaint is about someone you are angry with, behavior in others that you believe is wrong, or something wrong with your own physical body. Complaining is complaining, and it disallows improvement.”

~Esther Hicks

One

Somewhere I was lied to. I lied to myself for years. My lie was in perfection. I wanted to be liked and talked well of. I wanted to avoid embarrassment and teasing from others. I thought that I could be grand by being number one, because we all like winners, right? I remember not wanting to do certain activities because if I thought I wasn’t going to be good at it, then why bother, why put myself though the embarrassment. I thought that if I was number one, the cool one, the talented one, the level-headed make good decisions one, then people would like me, and if people liked me, then I would feel accepted and all would be right in the world…or in my world anyhow.

Lies, lies, and more lies. It didn’t matter how I programmed my mind for this lie, because it already built a home in my head. Once the lie was in my head, it showed itself it my behavior. That is why knowing who you are in God and having a healthy positive thought life is so important…your thoughts will show up in your behavior.

I had to let the perfection go.  My number one attitude that I thought would lead to popularity was an illusion. I was alone. I found myself not getting close to people because I thought that if they knew me- the real me, the flawed imperfection me, they wouldn’t like me. I was chasing the quick encounters that seemed so put together and pretty on the surface. Seeing and meeting people for short moments leave you looking pretty, but if they stick around they might catch a glimpse of normalness and not be impressed anymore. I wanted strong healthy relationships so badly. I wanted to have people close to me and like me for who I am, not because I was this or that. But my desire for strong healthy relationships can never be reality until I let fear go.

It’s okay to just be yourself. It’s okay to have flaws and make mistakes, as long as you are doing your best to be your best you. God made us and loves us just as we are. Why are we so hard on ourselves? Why must we compare or compete with others? Life is meant to be enjoyed. If I am accepting of myself the way God is accepting of me, then I know that I don’t have to chase anyone’s approval. It has to come from a real place of love and acceptance; not this fakeness we see on reality shows were everyone runs around screaming how fabulous they are while making fools out-of-themselves for a little fame and some money.

When you realize how much God loves you, that real love comes with such confidence, that you don’t need to prove your fabulous by mentioning it to anyone in shouting distance.

Let the one (God) love you into acceptance; don’t chase it. Let yourself be the one who is kind and accepting and not putting pressure on yourself to be someone you’re not for admiration. If my healthy strong relationship starts with me and God, then I will attract the one that will love me and adore me for just being me. I think I was alone while chasing perfection which in return I thought would bring me love, is because people are smart, and deep down they could smell the fakeness. I think I was alone because when you chase something so hard, you’re not trusting and whatever you want won’t show up until you know you can be fine without it.

No illusions, no fakeness, no competing, no comparing, and no complaining. Remember that we are so important to God and that he even went to the trouble of making everyone’s fingers have unique fingerprints that no one else will ever have. The details that God has done to make each one of us special is amazing.  Be kind and accepting of yourself the way God is. Remember how many of you are in the world…..only one.

Let Go

Let Go. God is in control. Let Go. God is good. Let Go. Everything happens for a reason. Let Go. God has a great plan for you. Let Go. Don’t stand in your way for happiness. Let Go. God loves you. Let Go.

Let go and watch the beauty God is waiting to unfold for you in this new year of beginnings!

Merry Christmas

Joy to the World…It’s Christmas Eve!

I want to wish everyone a wonderful, safe Christmas. May you find your stockings filled with love! Let’s hope everyone steered clear of the naughty list this year. May you receive everything on your Christmas-wish list. Enjoy the holidays with good food, cheerful toasts, and peaceful gatherings. I send you all my love.

Merry Christmas!!!

Quotes

"Your problem is you are too busy holding on to your unworthiness."
~ Ram Dass

"Worthiness, in very simple terms, means, I have found a way to let the Energy reach me, the Energy that is natural, reach me. Worthiness, or unworthiness, is something that is pronounced upon you by you. You are the only one that can deem yourself worthy or unworthy. You are the only one who can love yourself into a state of allowing, or hate yourself in a state of disallowing. There is not something wrong with you, nor is there something wrong with one who is not loving you. You are all just, in the moment, practicing the art of not allowing, or the art of resisting."

~ Esther Hicks

Today’s Scripture

I thought this was a beautiful scripture to share this time of year. Enjoy!

1 John 4:7-12

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

No Pushed Buttons

With the holidays vastly approaching, I would like to bring into remembrance that this is a time for peace and joy. If you find yourself spending extra time with family that seem to always push your buttons….let it slide and remember the true spirit of the holidays. Don’t let hot topics steal your holiday cheer. Be at peace and full of smiles. Wish everyone around you health, happiness, and peace.

Christmas Tradition?

It’s almost Christmas!

Do you have a favorite Christmas tradition?

Feel free to share…

I’d love to hear from you…

~Elle

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If anyone has any questions or topics that they would like for me to talk about or give an opinion on, then please feel free to leave a note in the comment box!

Hope all of you are doing well. Have a fabulous weekend, readers!

Face it

Let’s face it, it can be challenging to accept our self just as we are. We seem to see every flaw when we look in the mirror; well, maybe not every time we look in the mirror. There are times when we all look in the mirror and think were lookin’ pretty fancy and we like what we see. There are times when we all look in the mirror and want to weep and disbelieve what we see, because all we seem to express is, yuck.

Why are we so willing to give compliments to our friends, family members or even complete strangers, but when it comes to us, we roll our eyes at the thought of a compliment. Why are we always so hard on ourselves? Is that healthy? No, of course it’s not. Then why is being hard on our self feel so comfortable? Does it make us feel humble to play our self down? Don’t only the arrogant people blow their own trumpet?

Playing yourself down or pumping yourself up, both come from an insecure place in your mind. You want to know and believe that you are a child of God and that makes you beautiful and unique. You want to know and believe that God loves you so much that he even has your face tattooed on the palm of his hands, and that he knows and loves everything about you; even the number of hairs on your head. Truly knowing this should help you understand that playing yourself down and being harsh to yourself is a waste of time, energy, and dims the light God placed in you.

And to those who blow their own trumpet and think the sun raises when they awake; know and believe the love of God also means that you know and believe that God sees us all as equals. God made each one of us to be unique with our own talents and divine assignments. The ego is the one blowing the horn. Like so many Christians believe, you are nothing without God. Thank God for all your graces.

I can’t be harsh on myself and I have to put my trumpet away, so where does that leave us? It leaves us in balance. Because there are days you are going to feel fantastic and then there are days you are going to want to keep the covers pulled up over your head. Its okay, just don’t permanently live in either condition. 

It’s easy to compare our self to others. It’s easy to get caught up in wanting what other people have. It’s easy to believe that someone else is living a more glamorous life then us. It’s important to face ourselves; to really face our life. God has a great plan for your life that is tailor made just for you, so don’t face someone else’s plan, face your own.  Face in God’s direction and believe in him for your fabulous life.

When you are faced with a compliment, say thank you to the person and quietly say thank you to God. When you face yourself in the mirror, think about how God carries your image on his hands. When you find your face staring at the glamorous life of a stranger (or friend) remind yourself to turn to cheek, and face upward to heaven. Whenever you look in the mirror and whatever mood you find yourself in that day, remember you are loved….face it!

Side to Side

How many times have you been told not to worry? People have stood on their soap box to tell me not to worry, and how everything always works out. Is this true? Yes. So why in the midst of the concern do we worry? Miss Elle, has taken heart to the worry speech. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m not comfortable worrying. Now it’s my turn on the box…

Someone told me that I had to stop looking from side to side and I needed to look up to God. Yes, I needed to raise my face to God. God, remember him? God, the one who hears me, sees me, cares for me, and above all understands what is best for me.

 I used to get so upset that I would want to fix the situation myself and I was looking all around for the answers or solution, but the solution wasn’t looking from side to side, it was by letting go and looking up.

I’ve learned through experience that it is best to wait on God’s timing. I don’t want to look from side to side trying to figure out my solution, because that means I’m stepping out of God’s timing. If I step out of God’s timing, then I don’t have his grace. If I don’t have God’s grace, then the ‘solution’ I fought to find is going to crumble. When it crumbles, then I’m back to square one.

My plans should crumble, because God’s plans are better than my plans, his ways are better than my ways.

Look up my readers, and know that you are cared for. Be patient for your breakthroughs. Stop worrying over your concerns. Let’s raise our faces together….I’ll be the one standing on the soap box.

Poem

Poem
 By: Russell Kelfer

You are who you are for a reason.

You’re part of an intricate plan.

You’re a precious and perfect unique design,

Called God’s special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.

Our God made no mistake.

He knit you together within the womb,

You’re just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones he chose,

And no matter how you may feel,

They were custom-designed with God’s plan in mind,

And they bear the Master’s seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy.

And God wept that it hurt you so;

But it was allowed to shape your heart

So that into his likeness you’d grow.

You are who you are for a reason,

You’ve been formed by the Master’s rod.

You are who you are, beloved,

Because there is a God.



Big Picture

Try not to over analyze your troubled situations. Remember that everything really does happen for a reason. God sees the big picture and we need to remember his perspective is better than our own. Learn to let God truly be God in your life, and let go of trying to control things that seem to not be going your way.

"One day in retrospect the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful."
~ Sigmund Freud

Forgiveness

"Forgiveness is the most powerful thing that you can do for your physiology and your spirituality, and it remains one of the least attractive things to us, largely because our egos rule so unequivocally.  To forgive is somehow associated with saying that it is all right, that we accept the evil deed. But this is not forgiveness. Forgiveness means that you fill yourself with love and you radiate that love outward and refuse to hang onto the venom or hatred that was engendered by the behaviors that caused the wounds.  Forgiveness is a spiritual act of love for yourself and it sends a message to everyone, including yourself, that you are an object of love and that that is what you are going to impart."

~Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Believing in the Season

“Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship”
~Dr. Thieme

We are in the season of believing. It is the time where anything can happen if you only believe! It’s your time; your time to start believing in miracles.

I love the holiday season. The hope of new beginnings with the New Year approaching. The cold nights that make you want to stay in, cozy up, and watch your favorite movie. This is the time of year that brings people together for giving.

A jolly season is to be had for those who simply believe. Always have your hopes up. Always be believing that something good is happening to you. As we press into the holiday season, dust off your wish jar and start the wonderment of the unseen working on your dreams.

Think of all the things that God has given you and believe in more to come. Press into your dreams, and let your winter nights glow with anticipation.  

Happy Believing,

Elle

Your Job

Sometimes in life we want microwave answers to our problems. If we received every answer or every solution to ever problem instantly, would that help us or hurt us?

Life throws us challenges and sometimes we need to walk with our challenges instead of trying to run away from them.

Challenges come so we may grow and mature. If we didn’t have challenges then how would we exercise our faith; how would trust develop?

Believing that everything will work out is your job. Trusting that lessons come in all forms to stretch your character is your job. Releasing your problems to God is your job because he is the one in control; that’s his job.

Rest my readers. Rest in not knowing. Rest in not having an answer to your concerns. Rest in the palm of God’s hand… where you already are; make this your job.

Scripture

"I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people.

I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him."

Ephesians 1:18-19 NLT

Why Renewed Corner?

How did I come up with the name Renewed Corner? Have you ever thought about the vase amount of creativity there is in the world? It’s amazing. Inspiration can truly come from anywhere. Moving on…

By now, I’m sure you’re aware that I love heaven. Heaven has really been working overtime in my life the last few years to make me come up higher. I chapter these years: Get to Love Yourself, Already. When I say love myself, I’m not referring to ego love. Ego love and real love are two completely different things. If you read my very first blog L.O.V.E, then you’ll have a better understanding of my view on ego love vs. real love.

I read this wonderful article awhile back and there was a phrase in it that rang like a bell to my senses. In my own phrasing it said that life sometimes turns you inward to find validation instead of you collecting validation outside yourself; powerful stuff. That has been heaven’s duty with me these years. I have had to find the love and validation within instead of earthly validations. Our culture places worth on job titles, money status, level of education, social status, type of car you drive, home you live in, pretty much anything materialistic; those are false validations.

Yeah Yeah Yeah…so how does this explain how you came up with your blog title, you say? Moving on…

Heaven’s lesson plan for me has been about changing my mindset. If you want change in your life, you must change your mindset. You have to retrain your mind into the direction you want your life to go. Retrain your mind to think on things that are positive. Retraining you mindset is in fact renewing yourself….ta da! There’s the renewed word. But wait, there’s more! Moving on…

What the bible says about the mind and being renewed:

Romans 12: 1-2

 “¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is true worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Ephesians 4:23

“to be made new in the attitude of your minds”

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)

^“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

So I moved on by retraining my mind and purposely choosing to think positive. You’re old ways will throw you a, “what the hell?”, but that happens with change….you just have to get settled into your new habit of positivity.  

The world has many daily distractions, which is why renewing needs to be done daily. Renewing yourself daily will help keep you not only grounded, but it will create such a strong foundation in you that when life throws you a curve ball, you’ll be able to handle it with a state of grace.

How do you renew yourself? The bible says:

Philippians 4:8

^“ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Yes! Think things, speak things, read things, listen to things that are uplifting and excellent. Find things that uplift up, not pull you down. Tell yourself everyday that you are loved, and that God loves you.

This is your corner, I write this for you. My hope is for this blog to be the spot in the corner of the world that you can come to for your daily dose of excellence, so that you can have something to read and mediate on to a renewed you.

~Elle

Gentleman

Romantic movies are so….um, romantic. The dance between to loves can be encouraging because you’re expecting the happy ending no matter what their journey was. Real love always finds a way, because when there’s a will there’s a way.

The best love story is the one between you and heaven. Heaven is all love. Heaven is full of grace and mercy, forgiveness and blessings, love and understanding. Heaven sees you. Heaven hears you. Heaven is simply cheering you on from every angle of your life. But, I’ve learned how gentle heaven is. God is so good to me, that he never pushes me to be something that I’m not; he loves and accepts me just as I am. Heaven is always working with me to help me get better, and they do this step by step, little by little, glory by glory.

If I want to get better in all areas of my life, then I have to get serious about my relationship with God. God is a gentleman and he is not going to force me to pray to him or read my bible or go to church or respond to life’s situations in love. God is always there, but I have to do my part too. What if you had a friend that only came to you when they were in trouble or got upset and didn’t know what else to do or who else to turn to? How many people do that with God? Don’t just go to God for sorrow, but go to him for joy and with joy too. Always go to God for everything.

God is not harsh, instead he is all love. If I work with God, then I know he is happy with me, even if I’m not doing everything right…he sees me trying and he sees me making the effort to do better.

If I’m working on godly things like love, patience, forgives or acceptance, then I know that my foundation in God is getting strong. You need a good foundation because that’s going to help you make it through life when situations you don’t like fall upon you. If you really know who you are in ugly life situations, you will come out victorious because God works all things together for your good and his glory. Get strong before the storm. Don’t wait for storms to make you reach out for Gods help, he always wants to help you…and it’s never too late for his help…even if your find yourself in the eye of the storm. The storms of life are there as teachers to help us get better, but think how much easier the storm would be and how much faster we’d move through the storms if we are grounded in God. To be grounded in God you need to know God. You know God by saying Godly things, reading what the bible says, praying to God.

If we had a miracle for every trial…then we would never really grow, because when the next trial came, we would then need yet another miracle. Miracles are wonderful, and God does and can perform miracles, but God also wants you to be strong and grow, and he wants you to be in a relationship with him, and that you can face all things with him by your side.

A true gentleman is elegant and patient. A gentleman should make you feel like you are important and valuable. A true gentleman is soft spoken and caring. Be the star in your own romantic movie! And let the leading man be Gentle!

Be You

Stop letting yourself play small

You have so much to offer

Be the bright light you’re meant to be

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bottoms Up!

Recipe:

1 Clear drinking cup

3-4 Scoops of dirt

Clean water

Take your clear cup or drinking glass and toss in your scoops of dirt. Then fill clear cup or drinking glass with clean water. View content of glass: Do NOT drink. What do you see? Is the glass cloudy? Does the water look appealing to drink? Would you serve this drink to friends or family? No!

Think of the cup as your mind. The dirt represents mean, harsh, worried, negative thoughts. The clean water represents kind, encouraging, uplifting, positive thoughts. Now, even though you only have a couple of dirt scoops (negative words) in the glass, it still causes the glass (your mind) to be unappealing and not serve worthy. Even a couple of negative thoughts in your mind are causing you to not serve at your best. It’s only natural to have moments of stress that bring on negative or worried mindsets, but follow the rest of the recipe.

Take your glass that still has the dirt scoops in it and keep pouring clean water in it. What do you notice? You’ll find that as you keeping pouring the clean water into the cup, the cup overflows and overflows until the dirt gets lifted to the rim of the cup and flows out. Keep running the clean water long enough and you’ll find there’s no longer any dirt in the cup; the cup is crystal clear and ready to serve!

That’s the recipe to a healthy mindset: Keep pouring positive words and thoughts into your mind until the negativity flows out. Keep pouring, and when you think you don’t need to pour anymore….keep pouring. This is not an overnight recipe, but the results are delicious!

Cheers!

Rest

Be careful of the thoughts you hold in your mind, for they produce results. Results of hope, joy, peace, compassion, or love all come from the processing attitude of the mind. Rest your mind from the stealing energy of worry: Rest in the thought that you are loved and cared for. 

My breath represents purpose. Your breath represents purpose. Let there be great wonderment in the the next chapter of your life. I choose to expect my next chapter to be a wonderland of God’s graces, because magical things can happen with the attitude of faith: Rest in wonderment.

Change is the process for transformation that is tooled to shape us into more than we realized we are; rest in your shaping period. Work hard at growing and becoming better: Rest in the results.

Colossians 3:15 (NLT) "Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace."

Illuminate

Things may seem confusing but they are not. The answers you seek may seem far away but they are not. There is always a spot of light that leads to the path of fulfillment. Illuminate my steps. Oh what a romantic journey we are on to see our dreams and prayers unfold in mystical ways. My day is filled with wonder and expectancy, because I choose to see the spot of light that calls my name. My faith filled eyes can see the promises and my heart has decided to stop questioning what it sees. Illuminate my intentions. I don’t need to know everything, because I believe in the one who does. I don’t need to worry about my life, because I believe in the one who already has every answer to my needs. Illuminate my divine destinations. I must be still to find that flashing light that never extinguishes. Illuminate my purpose. I will not fight the gentle hand that lights my northern star; instead, I will stretch out my hand back to you and we’ll walk this illuminated path together.

Operation: Reconnect Weekend

The mission for this weekend is to reconnect. With busy schedules and must do obligations, I request that you take this weekend to go back to basics and enjoy the simple pleasures in life and relax. Relax this weekend and enjoy life and enjoy those who are in your life. Reconnect this weekend with the ones you love: friends, family, even yourself! It’s not selfish to want to take time for yourself, it’s a necessity. If you don’t recharge your batteries, then how do you expect to keep giving to everyone who needs your help?  

Kick off the weekend by doing something fun (and safe). Tell the people in your life that you appreciate them; Even if someone is far away…pick up the phone or send an e-mail telling them you’re thinking of them.

If you choose to accept your assignment you’ll be ready to tackle another manic Monday with grace, and remember the true meaning of T.G.I.F

Wait

There are events in our lives that we want now. There’s the must have, gotta have, dream to have situations. We want to get married. We want to be popular. We want to get promoted. We want the perfect job. We want to live in the house of our dreams on our favorite street. We want…well, you get the point.

Why do we make ourselves go stir crazy for the things we want, especially if we want it now? Wait. Is that the answer that follows the question? Yes. We have to wait. Waiting is not a bad thing, because waiting can build character. Sometimes when we get something fast, we tend to lose a scene of appreciation for it. If there is something that you’ve been wanting and praying for, don’t give up; just wait for God and his timing to bring it into your life. Trust God with your request and when he wants to bring it into your life.

For example, it’s hard to be lonely. But I’d rather be alone and wait for God to bring the right kind of people who he knows will be beneficial in my life. It’s hard to see others get promoted when you’ve been wanting increase. I’d rather wait on God to bring me promotion because he knows the type of promotion that will be most stable for me in my life. God has a way of working everything out. You’re situation can change for the better in an instant. But isn’t waiting and my situation can change in an instant a contradiction? No. If you are waiting and trusting God, then that waiting is building strength, trust, faith, and appreciation in you, and when God has worked everything out….wham, instant increase.  God is amazing, and I want you to get excited about your life. Have bold prayers. Trust God. Wait for your breakthroughs because your breakthroughs are tailor made for you; so wait for the finishing touches God is putting on your breakthrough.

Do your best and trust that everything is okay, because it is. Expect God to come through for you; I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait!

Hello

Hello Viewers,

I wanted to let you know that I’m going to post something new soon, but in the mean time, I want you to really soak in the words that I have already posted. I want this blog to encourage you, inspire you, and help you. Please let the lessons and insights that I’ve shared so far really soak in; I suggest you re-read your favorite post or read a post you haven’t. I want you to get the most from this blog. I want to make your day brighter!

Have a beautiful day!

~Elle

Spin the Record

I love this song….play it again Mr. DJ. Don’t you love it when your favorite song comes on the radio?! When your song comes on you dance or sing along at the top of your lungs…or if you’re anything like me, you’ll grove and sing while pretending you’re in the music video.

Good songs, bad songs, and even jingles for ads can get stuck in our head, right? Sometimes we don’t even have to hear the song but hear some random person singing the song that’s stuck in their head for it to then be stuck in our heads. Annoying, right? Right? Yeah…you know what I’m talking about.

The mind is very important. I’ve heard the saying: everything starts with a thought; that is really true. The mind is so powerful and complicated that is should be given more respect and we should focus more on our mind. The mind is here to help us and when you work with your mind, you can really change your life for the better.

The misconception is that mediation is the thing that hippies and spiritual gurus only do. Mediation is conceived as a difficult and hard task to do, because who has the time to sit on the floor in silence and completely clear their mind for long stretches of time? Mediation is wonderful, and if you want to learn how to mediate then I suggest you go search and learn how to mediate and find which mediation is right for you. But, I want to talk about another type of mediation that people seem to over look. I’m going to call this ‘record mediation.’

You have a mind designed with a conscience and a sub-conscience. You are always taking in information and processing information. You are always working from your mind, if you realize this or not. You are the DJ and you are playing a record in your mind….and your actions and how you live is a reflection of your song choice.

Example: If you were always told that you were creative and how you always have such great creative ideas, then you will always be the one in the group that is creative and everyone always loves your ideas; you won’t even know how you come up with the ideas, you just know you’re creative. But your mind knows why you’re creative…it is working off that positive input or in other terms the repeated song you kept hearing: You are one creative individual.

Sadly to say negativity is just as effective as positivity, but with different results. Positivity breeds positive results and negativity breeds negative results. Those are your two choices in every situation: Positive vs. Negative. What side of the record will you play?

What kind of music, TV programs, and movies do you watch? What type of books, magazines, or blogs do you read? How are you spending your time? What type of conversations are you having with your friends? All those things are a form of record mediation; it’s what you are feeding your mind.

If you are finding yourself on the negative side of the record, there is good news, because like any good DJ can tell you, you can re-record material and do great re-mixes.

Pay attention to your thoughts. The best way to record a bad record is to speak positive things all the time. Won’t that feel weird? Yep! But anything is worth trying if it leads to a better life. Get to know God. Get to know the Bible and what God says about you. God loves you so much. If you could only see how much God loved you…you would never be so harsh on yourself. Be kind to yourself, do that for yourself and don’t put expectations on others to give you your validation. Put post-it notes all over that say positive things. If you are hearing something or watching something that you don’t think is positive…turn away from it. If you can’t get away from someone that is negative then you have to know who you are in God so that person can’t fill your mind with their meanness; you don’t want someone else’s sad song to become the record in your own mind. Seek the good in everything. Those are the tunes you want stuck in your head.

Give yourself time for the change, because nothing ever really works over night. So treat yourself like the rock star that you are and play your number one hit song…over and over again. There are no one-hit wonders to God, he can produce so much beauty in your life if you play that positive record.

Go dust off your record and give it a new spin (no turntables required) and just push play!

Simply

Prayer time does not have to be something you only do on Sundays in church. Prayer does not have to be fancy or filled with biblical terms. Prayer can be done anywhere at any time. Prayer is simply talking to God as if you’re talking with a good friend; in fact God is your best friend. Since God knows everything and understands you better than you know yourself, talk to him with an open heart about what concerns you and what you want. Ask God for his help. Ask God to give you favor. God has your prayers in his heart, and he will answer you. Prayer does work. Know that if you are praying then heaven is working. Heaven answers may not seem as clear to us, but sometimes that’s for our best interest. Have faith that everything in your life will work out. Simply talk. Simply trust. Simply believe.  

Thankful Comment

Keeping with the thankful theme, I’ll share some things I’m grateful for:

·        My Health

·        My family

·        Hot water to take relaxing baths

·        Clean sheets to sleep in at night

·        Laughter

·        God understanding me

I’d be thankful if my lovely readers left a comment below mentioning something they are grateful for.

Thankful List

The theme in the last couple of posts has been about being thankful; I’d like to continue this theme. It is my opinion that being thankful really makes you humble. There are so many things we take for granted in our daily lives. Some people get stuck making thankful lists, but truly there is so much that is going right in your life instead of what’s going wrong; you just need to give the thankful experience a fresh set of eyes.

I hear of really successful people being thankful for everything they have, which by the way is an interesting subject. Some really successful people came from nothing and were able to set a foundation for themselves that they can be happy with or without success, because they’ve experienced both. Being thankful in small times will only make you more grounded and ready for promotion. It’s the challenging times that make you even more thankful when you do reach a new level of prosperity. But the flip side is when you hear really successful people saying their so thankful for everything they have, but they’ve never struggled. Well, let’s back up and say that we all have a cross to carry in life, and nobody has a perfect life. But to those who seem to have everything and go on and on about how lucky they are, I wonder how they would feel if their luck ran out? Would they still find reasons to give thanks? My point: never get complacent with your gratitude. If you’re struggling, remember to be thankful for the little things and give thanks in advance for the big things that are coming. If you’re already where you want to be, remember the grace that put you there and show your gratitude by helping someone who is on the up and coming.

I would like to thank all my readers who visit, follow, and leave lovely comments….you have made my thankful list grow a little more!

Love At Every Turn

I want to encourage my viewers to learn how to love. Most importantly learn to love yourself exactly the way you are. Remove your ego and accept how you are in the present moment and tell yourself that you are loved and valuable. You do not have to be like anyone else; you are enough. You don’t have to impress anyone for validation or approval, you’re already impressive. Don’t look at your life and think, ‘if only I was this, if only I had that!’ No, you have everything right now to embrace and love and accept yourself.

You should always want to do your best and be a person of excellence, but please recognize the amazing being that you are. If your ego tells you that you have to be a certain way for love, tell that ego it is wrong. You have an amazing spirit, so let that spirit shine its light on this often dark world. Hold your head high. Be proud of who you are…you’re an original that deserves love at every turn.

Happy Flipping

I understand that it is important to be thankful. But recently I’ve grown to have an even deeper understanding of thankfulness. I’ve read that your mind cannot hold a positive and negative thought at the same time; I’ve put it to the test and found this to be true. If I start to get upset or feel some fear or doubt creeping its way into my pea brain, I stop and remember what I’ve learned. If my brain can’t handle negative and positive thoughts at once, I simply flip it. Flip it? Yes. For example, if I catch myself upset then I instantly start saying things that I am thankful for. When I flip it, I start to notice a shift in my presence. There are times when the flip has to sink in a bit, but it is well worth the time and effort. If I can flip my outcome sooner than later, I’m all for it! Make a list of all the things you’re thankful for. Making a daily thankful list is a great way to keep yourself grounded and humble, but it is also a great way to have things already in place for when you need an instant flip. Keep repeating your list until you flip yourself into the enjoyable day you’re meant to have.

Take Time

 Think back to when Jesus was on earth. You may read the bible, watch a movie or hear a church service and get a glimpse of what the times and experiences were like while Jesus was here. We may hear about the spiritual teachings he gave the disciples or how he performed miracles, but there is one area in these stories that I think gets over looked way too often.

As pure and good as Jesus was, as lovely as Jesus was, as close to heaven as he was, the one thing even Jesus had to do was go get quiet and pray/spend time with the father. If Jesus had to make time on earth to spend time in prayer, then it’s a must for……little ol’ non-performing miracle making me.

It’s important to be silent. Present yourself to God and honor him by spending some of your time with him.  Could you imagine hanging out with a friend or family member all day without them ever acknowledging you? How would that make you feel?  Our heaven family is always with us; shouldn’t we honor them with some recognition? Our days can get so busy and we can have so much on our minds, but remember that God has us on his mind and he wants you to come to him…as he cares for you so much.

Stand By Me

"I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always with me, I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me."

Psalm 16:7-8 NLT

The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

Psalm 37:23-24

God is always with us. Life has ups and downs like a rollercoaster, but our God is always our guided companion. Miss Elle has moments of doubt, worry, or concerns like anyone else; yet, I have to remind myself just like I want you to remind yourself that you are loved, guided, and cared for. God loves each one of us so much, and why wouldn’t he…were his kids! I wash away the feeling of needing to be ‘good enough’ because I know and you should know, we are already enough, already loved, already accepted, and already valuable.

No matter what my life looks like or what situation I am feeling or experiencing, I know that God understands me. God is caring for me and wants to comfort me. God is a good God and I know he watches over us. God sees our hearts, and he sees our beauty. Look at yourself the way God looks at you…which is wonderful and wonderfully made.

You are not an afterthought, you are here with a divine assignment. God has a great plan for you, even if you don’t know what that plan is or how your dreams will come to pass, rest in knowing God has all the answers and he knows how to give you favor.

Thank you God for always being by my side.

New Quotes

“Man is never so tall as when he kneels before God — never so great as when he humbles himself before God. And the man who kneels to God can stand up to anything.”

~Louis H. Evans1

  Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT

"I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need."

~Philippians 4:13 NLT

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter."

~E E Cummings

"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."

~Confucius

"Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life."

~Buddha

Realize that God sees the big picture. God is always with you and he is guiding you. Be thankful when things don’t go your way; you don’t know what God sees, he could be protecting you in the greatest way possible. Talk to God, thank God, and wait on his timing.

Peaceful Scenario

I’ve learned that you have to deal with the issues that are holding you back from reaching your full potential. Life will keep giving you the same test over and over and over again until you pass. Instead of chasing after a scenario that you think will make you happy, learn to be happy with your current situation. For example, if you are single and want to be in the relationship because you think that being in a relationship will make you happy…pause. Reflect on why you think you need a relationship to be happy? Do you feel more complete in a relationship? Do you feel validated in a relationship?  What does being a relationship look like for you? Why have your relationships failed in the past? Then pause again. Looking outward for happiness is not where you want to be, instead look within for your answers and completeness. Work on your scenario…whatever the scenario it is you’re facing. When you stop grabbing at what you want, and you truly love and accept the moment you’re in, that’s when life will seemingly hand you the once desire of your heart; if it doesn’t then there must be a better plan and you’re already at peace: win win. It’s not always easy to find happiness and love in a situation you want to change so badly, but it’s necessary. You can do it; you can change, improve, grow and come up higher.

Vampires

Vampires are such a popular theme within entertainment. Traditionally a vampire is there to suck your blood, right? You recognize vampires by their pale face, fang teeth and black and red silk cape.

But to me, a real vampire lives beyond the studio lot of Hollywood. There are people who walk around seemingly nice and clever, but once they have you in there corner their dark side emerges. They may not have those classic k-9 fang teeth, but there words are sharp as knifes. Their attitude is dark and damp ready to spoil and stuck the life out of anyone else’s happiness. They get jealous and petty at the spark of someone else’s good fortune. Do you know anyone who ruins your day with their negative outlook? Have you ever met someone that you felt drained by their whining and complaining? Have you felt as though someone has sucked you dry with their doom and gloom behavior?

Let me say that there is light (and remember vampires hate the light). If you are experiencing a vampire, remember that their attitude is not your attitude; there thoughts don’t have to become your thoughts. Shine your light and hold your head high, and walk away slowly. Developing your own healthy mental perspective on life, which includes a right attitude, positive thinking, and speaking optimistic will be your vampire anti-dote.

Shopping

I had a shopping experience that I often think about and would like to pass the story on to you. I was shopping with someone and they were standing in line for the register. I was not purchasing anything, so I decided to step aside and look at some of the fun items around me. I moved out of the line, because it was a little busy, and it was my way of making the line feel less crowded.

A stranger lady was standing next to me waiting for the cashier lady to address her needs. The stranger lady was standing next to me and I observed that she was a little annoyed to wait.

I said to her as cutely as I could, ‘are you exercising your patience?’

She replied cutely, ‘no, she’s exercising my patience!’

I just smiled and went about my in-store browsing. But what I was thinking was, ‘you missed my point, stranger lady.’

In that moment, the cashier was busy and it caused the stranger lady to wait. There was nothing to do but wait. It’s in small disguise moments, that you learn how to love, listen, forgive, encourage or in this case be patient. This was an exercise moment that the stranger lady couldn’t recognize. Recognize your moments. Open your eyes to  what’s going on around you and be mindful of the lessons that come with each experience….