The science behind building rockets!

Did you know that I am a rocket scientist?  It's true, did you know that every domestic engineer knows how?  It's a strategy that I have recently uncovered.

Everyday, well...almost, I am faced with this problem.

Every day I have the choice to build a rocket.  Every day I get to practice how build a rocket.   Everyday I practice building.  Every day I practice what I know about building my rocket.

I practice rocket building.  I practice dreaming.

Dreaming is not rocket science.  Neither is replacing an empty toilet paper roll.  Dreaming takes practice.  Every day you get to practice your dreams.

So just dream.  Practice building.  Practice your start, building your why.

Then, when God says it's time, let Him push launch.  Let Him start your "go" button.

Watch your dreams soar.

Do the next thing.  Build your dreams, practice what you know.  Believe in what you know about God over what you can do on your own.  He will make your dreams soar.

Just ask your Dream-Weaver how to build.  Then do the next thing.  Start building and practicing every chance you get.

You will be come a rocket scientist too.  I've always wanted to build rockets.  It's a brilliant strategy!

How about you?

It's time to step up

Our lives have a purpose and God created us with an intention. We read books, we hear messages, many blogs, and even more posts, that talk about how unique we are. When it comes to the dreams department though sometimes, it seems when we don't excel in something we were at the end of the gifts and talented line when God passed out dreams.

Who doesn't have dream laying silently...our hearts and prayers?

Recently God gave me that "aha" moment where I realized that He has planted His creative essence in each one of us and that includes our dreams too.  Maybe it's me, but don't we tend to hide our heads under the cover of Jesus thinking that you jumped into the Christian life to just to skate by or it feels like God has left us out here in our dreams all alone?

One thing I learned is that God doesn't dangle our dreams in front of us, only to yank it back and say "I was just kidding about yours." No, God doesn't do that.

We are created with God's Holy breathe who breaths His holy essence into our lives, that includes our dreams too. He not only created us in His image but He created us to be creative.

I'll admit I have those seasons too when it doesn't feel like I'm very creative.  How about you? You might you say...

I'm inadequate.
I'm not enough.
I'm not capable.
I'm worthless.
I'm not needed.
I'm not what God thinks I am.

Think again.

What God has breathed in us His essence of perfection, His wholeness, character, His very Spirit, the very part of His heart to be His spiritual act of worship so that we can reflect His essence, His character, Him. We are His treasures. My problem is that I tend to let fear and self-sufficiency get in the way of surrendering my all to God's whole essence. I tend to meet God's strength with my list of excuses.

We need to wave our white flags to the call of obedience, it's truly what's in our hands. We can offer to God our dreams, or submit as one created to the Creator. What God wants is for His creation to come to a place of full obedience. It's then that our lives become a spiritual act of worship to lead His creative and free lives that He intentionally set before us.

It's time for us step up our dreams and let them be re-made by our Maker of Dreams. Now it's time to be come artists at work, artists of intention with influence in our communities. You are the creation that God dreams of to bring creativity and imagination, God's fullness and essence, to make this world more beautiful.

Take a risk with your dreams. Trust and obey.

What is God asking of you, or what's in your hands that you need to surrender to God?

What you should say to her dreams

Do you know you have the power of speaking life into her dreams?

Look up and how many "hers" do you see?  Count them.

Now go over to them, touch them, and say..."I believe in your dreams too."

That's it.

You will speak life and hope ...seriously.

She has dreams of being a great wife, and a woman of God.

She has dreams of being a great daughter of the King now.

She has dreams of adopting, nurturing, and growing.

She has dreams of being somebody someday just like you.

She has dreams.

Believe in her for just dreaming.

Cheer her on.  It means so much.  Just once speak"You can do it!" cheer into her.

She wants to be skinny, the best, the most awesome dreamer you know...

How do I know??...because I am her.

I've been stuck in her dreams.  We need your life giving words to propel us forward.

Her dreams need you.  They matter to her.

Words matter to her dreams.  Give life to them.

Stand back and watch her grow.

Open for my Father's business

My friend wrote on Facebook about her sweet little daughter who started a business.  I wondered if that was a secret dream of hers.  We all have them you know and I am amazed when I consider that God holds our dreams too.  

Sometimes God uses our dreams to teach us.  And we get more than what we signed up for.

I didn't sign up for hard days of wrestling with my thoughts and those restless nights of wonder.  

I didn't sign up for true confessions and lonely days where I find myself laid bare.

What I wanted was the easy road where my best words flowed.

God understands that I want to do the work that matters.

I didn't sign up for God to shake my world in showing me how He is unshakable.

I didn't sign up for God to direct my dreams in showing me His determined steps.

I didn't sign up for His will to override mine but I've torn up my agenda to match His.  

I didn't know I was signing up for this full surrender.

I didn't sign up for the lonely walk with God as I submitted my dream to Him.

I didn't sign up for the raw moments of confession as He speaks truth in my healing.

I didn't sign up for the admission of the negatives which have brought so much positive.

I didn't sign up for this but I did.

I prayed to be God's voice.  I signed up for Him to change my language.

I trusted God with my dream and prayed a Spirit-filled prayer.

I signed up for walking with God in my dreams.  I prayed for God to show me what it means.

I signed up for submitting to my Author and Perfecter of my faith.  He has given me the permission to write with Authority and Honor.

I signed up for making a difference in the lives of others.  He's marked my life with truth and holy fear.  

I signed up to be used to build God's kingdom, God gave me a mission field at the end of my nose.

I signed up for what I thought was my dreamy dreams.  He gave me His greater plan.

I signed up to trust and obey, but I didn't sign up for the freedom those words would bring.

When you resign yourself to the will of God, then you signed up for full surrender to His greater plans for you.  You signed up for letting Him define what greater plans are ahead, not the finite plans that your heart wonders about.  

Isaiah 61:1  The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon Me, for the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent Me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed."

What we don't know is how from our small seed of faith, we have signed up for resignation to His power, control, agenda and plans over your dreams.

My prayer:  Dear God, In the raw places of faith, bring your new beginnings, truth and honor.  Show me what it means to follow You.  Show me what your truth is in the tenderness of new beginnings.  Show your heart, and thank you for letting my heart collide with yours.  I will follow you, seek your Kingdom, your righteousness, and your freedom in learning truth.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Freedom comes...even in your dreams...

When it your dreams get hard

Seth Godin calls this season "the dip".  He is a very wise man in respect to dreams.  Wait...he's just wise in general.  End of story.

He also advises people who are producing that there needs to be a "ship" deadline.  And it's easy to stand back and say he dreams with finesse and flavor, with dipping and shipping well. As a business-social media-writer-speaker-leader-guru, He is very successful in the dreams department.

That is part of my dream also, to be a social media-writer-speaker-leader-guru in this author-rich or  bloggerific-dreamy world of mine.  I'll leave the business part to you wonderful number crunchers out there.  If you want to apply to be mine, send me an email at janellekeith53@gmail.com.

Jon Acuff reminds me of what I am awesome at...starting a dream.

Jeff Goins reminds me of what I am not so awesome at....finishing a dream.

Lysa Tuerkerst reminds me that I am inching towards imperfect progress in this dream.

God reminds me that I am a grace-starving girl in my dreams.  

And right now that's about how I have been working my dreams.

I have looked in my very empty soul spots and tried to pigeon-hole myself into everyone else's niche.  I'm really awesome at comparing, I have won many blue ribbons in that class.  I've been comparing my dreams for a long time with a mile long list of published authors.  Much longer than I would like to admit here.  

I'm inspired by the best writers I know.  But now as I let God fine-tune my skill, I'm letting Him inspire me and create His best writing voice. 

I gave my writing voice back to God.

I did something life-giving...I stopped comparing my words to those of others.

A small thing that is benefiting in big ways and with a dream like this, I'm rolling up my sleeves and digging in.

Right now, in this pit of words, it's kind of gritty with the successes of others slapping me in the face.  I want to be awesome this:  writing my perspective of who God is, like words could ever encapsulate His greatness.  Perhaps, I should just stick with what He's teaching me.

In these unknown days of faith, I am learning a new facade of God's language.  Is it okay that I go a bit deeper to fully investigate what that means?  Yes, ...but it's about to get harder.  So hang on...

(That's me giving myself a little pep talk)  Maybe you need a little pep talk too.

When you signed up for this day, your life, your dreams or your 2014 goals you probably thought it was going to look a little different didn't you?  Isn't that always the wayof new beginnings ?  We are disappointed first and then we have to back up and re-group and put a little muscle and hustle to the things we want in life.

We end up working hard on projects, finding out what you have really signed up for in the messy middle.  But we ignore that it's going to get hard work when we are starting a dream.  We are blinded by the work part and tend to just focus on the dream itself.  

So are you ready to give in to your excuses or are you choosing to lean into your determination to make your dreams happen?  How about that dreamy 100lb-lighter picture of you on the refrigerator, or that photo of you with a full head of hair and six-pack abs, or you before or after children.  

Don't we love to fast-forward to the finish line of our dreams before we cross the start line?

My heart is already there too.

Starting a dream or goal is easy, finishing them is hard.
Starting an exercise plan is easy, consistency in moving your body on rainy, lazy days is hard.
Starting an healthy eating plan is easy, but saying no to a bowl of chips on game day is hard.
Starting a reading plan to grow your faith is easy, letting the Bible teach you is hard.

I have found that when the going gets tough, I give up too easy.  God didn't promise this was going to be easy, this step of faith that He called me to.  God did promise that He would not leave me in my dream frustrated and stuck in the messy middle of it all.

So why wouldn't He bring a dream specifically for me where I'm going to need Him in a big way?  Yes, it is hard work to trust, to have faith, to work on being the best Janelle I can be.  But the Power that is alive in me is greater than the powers that are at work against me.  

What kind of pride would I have to snub the Dream-giver the dream building process and think I can accomplish my own dreams on my own efforts?  

How about I leave this business-social media-writer-speaker-leader-guru busyness to the One in charge of my dream in the first place?  I'll just be over here in the corner, covered up with more words than I can handle, letting Him lift my head, and letting God show me His way in this dream of mine.  I can write hard, obey hard, and leave the hard results to the One who gives me a lot of grace by the google-load to handle this hard dream process.  This is not a sexy, popular, public place but the One who dreams of the Impossible already sees every place of imperfect progress, ship dates, and practice sessions of muscle and hustle.

1 Corinthians 9: 15-18 ~ "Still, I want it made clear that I’ve never gotten anything out of this for myself, and that I’m not writing now to get something. I’d rather die than give anyone ammunition to discredit me or impugn my motives. If I proclaim the Message, it’s not to get something out of it for myself. I’m compelled to do it, and doomed if I don’t! If this was my own idea of just another way to make a living, I’d expect some pay. But since it’s not my idea but something solemnly entrusted to me, why would I expect to get paid? So am I getting anything out of it? Yes, as a matter of fact: the pleasure of proclaiming the Message at no cost to you. "(MSG)

Sounds like a great plan to me.  How do you handle your dreams?

What have I been up to and how did I get here?

Everyone has to start somewhere....

Today I have started.

Listen to this.....

Let me know what you think,and leave a comment.

Thank you for being my friend.

Big thanks to the early believers and special thanks to the True Believers.

Special thanks to Brett N. for getting me into this!

To Brent, Andy & Carder...you're the best hosts a girl could ever dream of working with.

Thanks to all friends from The House FM,  your support means the world to me.

Now...your assignment...

Did you know that I have my own website?.  It's http://www.janellekeith.com.  It's a work in progress, so please be kind...

Tweet this link and then tag me:  @thejanellekeith
Share on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/janellekeith
Pin it:  http://www.pinterest.com/janellekeith/

And...
Contact me if you want to, let me know what you think about all of this.

Share it with whoever or your dog and cat.  Just listen.......(hope that didn't sound too desperate).

Until next time....

Doing the Hard Thing

A mullet seems appropriate for this occasion.

Some of you may know this news already...

My pastor says sometimes you have to give up the things you love for the things you love more. So it's with God's grace going before me, that I am leaving The House FM to pursue the dream that God has placed before me -- my love of writing matched with my call to missions.

Today is my last day on The House FM as part of the morning team. Please know that this was a very hard decision and one that has been bathed in much prayer. As I take this step of faith I would appreciate your continued prayers.

Do you know how much you mean to me? I would like to thank you for allowing me to be a part of your family during your day to day. Your friendships from the last 13.5 years have been true blue. Thank you for doing life together as we have grown in Christ, for the laughs, the tears we've cried, the memories that God has imprinted on our hearts. I am so thankful for the time we have spent together.

A mentor once said that we should do what makes our hearts sing, and so it's with a big step of faith that God is closing this chapter of my life, to start a new one.

It's not about what I'm leaving but about Who I am following as I look to the Author and Perfecter of our faith for the next step.

I will continue to blog and write, write, write but mostly I am trusting with obedience in God's wisdom as He unfolds His plans for whatever is next.

I am not leaving Facebook, Twitter, blogging (please subscribe so you don't miss any more news!) and even considering podcasting too. You haven't heard the last of me and certainly God is not done with this voice.

As far as contacting me...check my evolving project...my website http://www.janellekeith.com/
Thank you again for loving and reading!!! Please...keep in touch! I cherish you all!

Don't hold out for someday

Everyday starts the same.  

She just wonders if this is all there is to living a life of joy or happiness.  It seems like the list of opportunities have passed her by.  Do you ever get that feeling too?  All she ever wanted in life was to make a difference, to be a part of something larger than herself.

Do you have dreams?  Do you longingly look out the window over your kitchen sink and wonder if it will ever be your turn?

If only....then...

Regret hits her heart as she tackles that stack of dirty dishes.  For some mysterious reason the laundry mounds are higher than her normal mundane day.  And she knows better than go near that room at the end of the hall, that wafts the aroma of a locker-room.  She sure wishes her heart could find it's way back to her first dream.

How did she get so far away from that?  How can she be happy if everyday she looks to the same mundane chores of her day?  

These are times when she feels so alone.  The overwhelming pressure to measure up with the other ladies at church are crushing.  So it seems this day she bellied up to the sink with a bubble of trouble brewing the size of Texas, and her dreams were just afloat and drifting.

Do you ever feel stuck?  Has your heart has calloused to the pain of unfulfilled dreams?  

Her 1-year-old cries as he wakes up from his afternoon nap.  Time had quickly escaped as she quickly packed her protected heart in her someday vault.  Her little baby cries again, and something deep inside of her just ripped a little more, while everything else looked a little more gray. 

I didn't think it would be like this.
Maybe I am just a bit too sensitive to dreams these days.  Who hasn't waited for that "someday" arrival?  Who dosen't want the mundane feeling to be swept away from our heart corners?   How many times do we find ourselves in this familiar place of feeling stuck?  

To give yourself fully to the work of the Lord you have to give yourself fully to the Lord first.

God isn't waiting for you to arrive on His "someday" horizon.  He can use you to make a difference today.  If you feel like you are not qualified well that is just about enough room for God to work in you what He whats to do through you.

Maybe God wants you to trust Him today while he is working on your someday. 

There's not much written about his first 30 years, but Jesus was glad in the mundane for sure.  I am not a carpenter but I would guess there was plenty of boring and other insignificant duties to attend to in that occupation.  What we do know is that Jesus was faithful in the ordinary.  Once he arrived on the scene, Jesus reached out to the ordinary, the mundane, on His way to someday.  

His one significant day.  

He gave himself fully to the business of His Father.   His obedience didn't wait for the day His dreams were in full view.     

"When we surrender ourselves to be used by God, we don't always get to the pick the time, the method or the place of ministry.  Serve in love where you are right now."  Joanna Weaver.  

The key is not in our doing but in our being.  Our willingness to be used by God is known to Him and you are known to God.  That's submitting to a Holy God, instead of feeling stuck in this day.  Serve in love, enjoy the in-between now and your someday.

"Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."  ~ 1 Corinthians 15:58

That's small potatoes

Photo Credit:  Lizard

Fear sometimes pushes me to failure or disappointment.  In this 131 lb-weight-loss journey, I have a new challenge.  I have to keep my "what if" doubts and fears at arm's length, and rely on my God infused-strong, self-controlled commitment close by.    

When doubt pushes it's way into my heart, the weak and tender places, it can be crushed by fear from my oh so many questions:

What if I allow myself one bite too many?
What if I keep eating chocolate cake and can't stop?
What if I start loving food more than I love God again?
What if I can't trust myself around food ever?  
What if I can't stay at my goal weight?
What if I fail you in this weight loss expectation thing?
What if my personal failures cause you to fail too?
What if I stop obeying God in the area of making healthy choices?

Man...I didn't know that this losing weight gig could be so complicated!

At this point...I have to turn my Titantic-sized-load of worry into many points of resistance, using the negatives to become God's greatest opportunities.  These looming giant-sized questions have no place in my thinking if I am to continue in right oobedience of a healthy lifestyle.  I must consistently press on towards the goal of making healthy choices each and every day, no matter what.  The hard work of resistance grinds on.

The tension of "what if's" has to continue to push me through to obedience.

So here's a new question:

Does resistance asks all the wrong questions?  And the even bigger shiny question is...  

What’s blocking my courage to look at the temptation in the face and grabbing it by the throat and showing it's who's boss?  

Food holds no power over me anymore.  But the fear of going back to my heaviest does.

Is that what you need today?  A little more courage to look at your giant temptation?  To look at your fears, to kick your fears in the gut and say...

Look...if God is for me, what's to stop me from using resistance to take the next step of courage?

Resistance keeps knocking repeat on the fear button. Ahem.....

So...this is my call out to the enemy known as failure!  Scootch over you looming giants disguised as doubt and weakness that ebb and flow through my thinking, those that call loudly for dominion in my heart!  

Don't let fear's voice roar to a loud chorus within your soul to keep you from obeying what God is calling you to do.  Let your fear be the catalyst to move you to action to obey Him.

My disobedience matters to God.  And my knowing the difference between the pros and cons of consequences matters to me.  Staying healthy matters to God, and therefore it matters to me too.  It's time to put this fear to rest.

So the next time fear knocks hard with questions and asks:

Do I have what it takes?  ...Answer back with ..."no, but God does".

Does behaving myself around food matter?  "Yes".  It matters.  Because food won't behave for you.  Only God can give you the strength to walk away from the dinner table.  

Is God's strength enough to fight off the biggest piece of Wall-O-China chocolate cake?   

....Yes, that's small potatoes to Him.  

If we are living in total dependence on His How's, we won't have to succumb to our questions and food-fears.  

We can put fear to death, we can put fear to rest, we can bury our fears in His chest.  We can, because God can handle them all.  And God can handle your questions too.  He helps us figure the hows, the whats, the whens along the way of resistance.

So back to that word, how can resistance be a positive?  It helps us face the imperfect solutions by embracing God's perfection.  Once we submit our wills to obey His perfect Authority, there really is no resistance now is there?

Now do something today that makes you laugh at fear and makes you laugh hard.  Stepping into your dreams isn't always meant for the weekends.  

How do you handle temptations? 

Church camp mathematics

Photo Credit

I think I was about five when I had my first church camp encounter.  My mom worked in the kitchen as was part of the food crew, my dad was a counselor and he ran the canteen. The canteen was the hot spot for making new relationships.  It was an oasis of the popular and the dreamy.  A snack king's wish, yes, but the place to wait for what the summer had to offer in the way of new and attractive campers.  

I was young at the time but there are so many memories that were born from those days at church camp in the summer.   So many new things. 

Year after year, I grew to be one of the older campers, and then evolved into a church camp leader.  I remember climbing up on the bunk beds like a monkey and giggling until all hours of the night, and waking the exasperated camp counselors.  The summer heat drove us to the swimming area. Campers would make fun summer memories and cling on to dear life onto that really old rope swing that looked like it would snap any moment. Each and every year there was a new patch of poison ivy to watch out for.  And there were those years when I woke up in the middle of the night, exasperated from the campers pranks too.    

Each year as a camper and a leader, there were some things that never changed about church camp.  Every year my little child-like faith was renewed.  It was church camp in the summer.  A retreat from the normal meeting God experience.  Something new happened every summer.

There's something about meeting our Creator in the wild that stirs the wild on the inside.  

A stirring your soul.  Anew.  A new stirring..a deeper new stirring.

I love church camp especially when cabin bunks are full of young and eager students who want to be broken before a Holy God.  There was many a warm evening when the Word of God was shared, there were some sweetly broken souls given over to surrender.  Faith's transaction melting the strongholds of a tightly knotted spirit. Gripping grace, relinquishing chaos.   Changing to new.  

Near-to-God experiences, authentic and real, organic faith.

It was in those days that God birthed a passion to record thoughts, to keep a collection of verses, to write reflections, and wanderings through His heart. He taught me how to sit still and listen, in the quiet.  In the secret place, that stilled in the wildest parts of my heart.  The place far from my problems, far from the winds of the world, the words that hurt, where the quiet had no borders and where my heart would dream.  I walked away from those summers feeling that something new had begun. 

I have to write those things down.  Because it all adds up in my heart.  Organic faith written.  Habakkuk 2:2 "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets...."  Grace embracing second chances, God making His truth plain.  Simple quiet moments, simple camp mathematics.  

Grace filling in the new gaps, in the new secret gardens of stillness.  The sound of the Lord invited.  Memories of change, where discipleship is exchanged for chaos, in the middle of summer camp.

When we subtract the distractions of the world, something new is multiplied in our spirits so that we come away from our God encounters with some life application-holy-mathematics-truth, that touches a new part of our obedience.  Our souls are refreshed in the time away when we seek a fresh newness that only comes from God wreaking havoc with our stale passion.  

Church camp mathematics = prayer + God's word =revival for a stone heart.

What was one of your favorite church camp memories?

Smiles come with caring

Smiles...a result of caring and helping children achieve their dreams.   

This story comes from a Children's Cup Nurse who has been working one-on-one with the children in one of the African CarePoints... 

Echos of laughing children is heard from children playing outside around the clinic, while inside, children sit quietly lined up against the classroom walls waiting to be seen.  Muffled coughs and quiet whispers filled the air as one by one they are seen by the nurses. Full of anticipation  they wait for their turn to cuddle up with the nurse to share their sickness, and hopeful, get some medicine to feel better. 

Children's Cup medical team has the privilege of providing mobile clinic on a regular basis directly to the kids at the Carepoints in Swaziland. It is one of the greatest joys to see the continued improvement in the health of the kids over the years.  Bongiwe, a beautiful 12 year old girl, came with symptoms of a runny tummy. An all to common problem when clean water and good sanitation are only dreamed of, and rarely a reality. This young girl talked with such sweetness, her next statement caught my attention. 

"When I read my Bible at night the white pages make my eyes cry".

She continued to explain that her eye strain was from reading the pages of the Bible at night with her mom. Night blindness is caused by a simple vitamin A deficiency, commonly affecting the children's vision in Swaziland.  Every child seen in the clinic is equipped with multivitamin tablets.

Bongiwe, who dropped out of fourth grade last year after her dad died, loves to read. It has become very hard for her and her four siblings to survive with a mom who hasn't been able to find work and cannot pay rent for their one room house. Her mom takes them all to a good Bible teaching church and often reads the Bible with them. 

With no hope for school fees Bongiwe now stays at home washing dirty dishes, cleaning the house, and helping wash the family clothes by hand.  You can see the longing in her eyes to learn.  She earnestly seeks opportunities to improve her skills of reading. Like a sponge she soaks in the words eager to absorb all she can. If only she had the money for school she might one day fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor. 

She then quoted... Proverbs 1:10 "My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them."

Bongiwe said she now resists the temptation to steal sugar for the kitchen and try's not to insult other people. What a tender heart!  The nurse embraced Bongiwe with a bear hug whispering in her ear how much she was loved and encouraged her to continue reading the Bible and allowing it to speak into her life. With a new spring in her step she left clinic with a small bag of medicine for her stomach, a smile on her face, and joy in her heart.  

There are many more children that need help like Bongiwe, children who want to learn but don't have the funds or support to pay for school.  Their future is as stake.  Education is the path to escaping poverty.

In this country, some girls sell their bodies to get an education.  As a mom, when I think about having to make a choice between my child having to sell her body for the opportunity to go to school, it shuts me down.  I can't comprehend that.  I won't accept that.

You can make a difference with make a contribution to the future of an African generation.   

Children's Cup is making a difference in the lives of children like Bongiwe, who have a safe haven even when life at home is hard. At the Carepoint, Bongiwe gets a warm nutritious meal, medical care, Bible teaching and tutoring, and with your on going help, an opportunity to attend school next year. 

Will you invest in a generation of kids so that they can attend school?  You never know you may be you may be investing in the future Dr. Bongiwe!

Please consider their future like you consider the future of your own children. These children are God's too.  Be a part of what God is changing in Africa with Children's Cup.  Give and make a difference.   Please click this.

You will notice your heart smiling once you do.

Dear you

It may look like it comes easy, but it doesn't.  Some days, knowing what to share with you and what to keep inside, reveal some uncertain areas for me.  I have a tendency to just spill my spiritual guts but also selfishly I don't want to open up to you.

Until that one person says...."I love what you are doing on your blog."  That was so kind of you to say...random lady on the street corner.

Honestly, it's not what I am doing with this blog.  It's more importantly what God is doing with this.    I am just one who sits and lets the words flow through her heart.

It seems I am always writing something uncomfortable or incomplete.  Not good enough.  I understand now this is continuing story.  God's continuing story in me to you.

Dear you...

So why am I writing this today?  I just wanted to say thanks for being faithful to show up here to read my heart today.  Here's a big 'ole heart hug for you.  Guys, you only get one of those side hugs, awkward...I know.

You have been so supportive to read, comment and share.  Well, some of you have.   I remember when I first started this thing.  It was really for no reason than to be heard.  My first post was about my favorite subject...shoes.  But what God has done in the process of this practice is to let His heart be heard.

He has helped my find my writing voice.  It's different.  I just hope it connects with you.

One thing you need to remember today, if nothing else hits you with this, is that you matter to God.  I can remember when I wrote a post about mascara.  It was one of the most impacting posts and life-changing for one reader.  I didn't realize it at the time but when I got a life update from her the other day, wow...has God done a wonder in her life.  That's what happens when you allow God to wander through your heart.  I come away changed every time, and it's what I pray, that His heart that is reflected here.

Will I make some grammar errors?  yes.

Will I make some crazy life analogies?  yes.

Will I reinforce life truths with His Truth?  yes.

That's what I promise to you.  If nothing else I will keep writing because this is my spiritual act of worshiping God with the written word.  I hope you are okay with that reason.  If you believe it's worth it to stick around to see what this is all about then please do so.  We can wander through God's heart together.  But I have to tell you....I am such a slow student it make take a while. And may I be gut level honest with you?  I like lingering around Him....

My heart here is to shine the Light of God's heart.  You're so invited along for the ride.  It's going to be fierce and wild, but hopefully inspiring and warm around those brittle corners.    

Many other bloggers can't say they have a purpose.  Pretty sure I will fail sometimes at purpose too, but you don't want to read perfect, you want to read real.  And if it's authenticity you want then I can promise you that.  

I write about the Real Deal.  I can write about God's real truth dealings with me.  I'll just be over here in the corner, maybe in a nice little purple and daisy-dotted room with a corner view will be just about the right place for me, crunching the keys as I pour my heart out post after post.

Can you please just offer me a little grace for my incompleteness?  

Would I do this if no one read it?  yes.

Can I count you to be here?  If so, please leave a comment letting me know.  I want to get to know you too.

It's from this little heart lens that I see God.  It's from the large lens of truth that I want to share God's heart with you.  It's worth the cost, worth it all.  At least to me, I hope it is to you too.  Thank you for investing your time, I pray my time was spent encouraging you today.

Now....go do something awesomely dreamy-like today.    

"You are imperfect and you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging."
-Brene Brown

All my love,

Janelle, I am a writer.  (There, I said it out loud)

The work no one sees

Is it just me or do you think about your dream everyday?  At least once a day, perhaps more?  Or am I the only one who holds them close every day and every night?

Maybe your heart is too tired to dream.  Perhaps your hands are full of your heart's hurt? Maybe there is just too much hurt inside that goes way too deep to even hope for a dream.

Just maybe that's you.  Just maybe you think your dreams are too big, intimidating and daunting.  Perhaps you need to take a day off from your thoughts.

While your sleeping, God is holding your dreams tight. He gives our yearning hearts a little respite to rejuvenate and oomph to make them come alive once again every morning. He holds even our dreams so near and dear.

Don't we all have that unspoken thing we want God to do in our lives?  (If you said no to this question, are you breathing?)  Is it just me, or would you like the dream fairy to come by your notebook and sprinkle a little fairy dust?

Does anyone even notice you have a dream and that you hold them close?

Sometime ago, nearer than I would like to admit, I had to lay down my dream. I had held it in for quite sometime. I had to lay it before God and walk away.  It was in those moments of sweet surrender that I realized I had the freedom to live my dream God's way.

We often hold our silent wishes so tight. We pray, we wish, we pray some more. We ask God, we plead, and then we stand by and tap our foot.

We give up on them and think it's never going to happen. We forget that our God is for us. We forget that He has His perfect will in place since before we were His dream. We forget that it depends on God, we pray like it depends on us.

For many of us a dream can be a burden, or a suffering for a cause. Something that is only birthed in our minds and never develops heart. We struggle, and play tug-o-war with the details and then do battle some more. It loops continually in our souls, one failed attempt at a time.  This leaves us empty. 

Do your dreams need a new breath of life?

Holy breath that inspires and gives good things, can make your dream come alive once again.  What dream do you need to surrender to God? What sweet peace are you craving?  What dream do you hold close that you don't want others to see but yet you want people to notice?

I have surrendered my dream to my Savior who holds it dear to His heart. And now I am going to pray like it depends on God over me.   If you need me, I'll be over here hunched over my laptop with a new blog post on my mind. using the skills that God has given me to reach out to you, developing my dream. yes, that is me night after night working silently and diligently on His craft.

What are you doing about yours?

God can piece your dream together breath by breath, page by page, piece by piece. I need not worry about the time well spent logging my thoughts or pondering. God is holding those close too. I know it's not meaningless, but worth the effort. After all this voice I have been given is my response back to One who holds my dreams. The work is worth it, the sweat, the sacrifice, the time, His cause is worth it.

In the dark of the night, in the light of your workroom, in the silence of your creation, may you allow yourself a little Holy breath of Life?  Remember you have been created with gifts and special abilities that gnaw at your insides for a reason.  Don't forget why you started to dream, don't forget what hole that God wants to fill, and don't forget who has your dreams in His hands. 

Do the work that no one sees.  Breath a little life into your dream, and let go of it.  Offer your dream to a Holy God that can already see the hard work you can't notice.  Your sweet surrender is waiting, the freedom to soar.  While your waiting, develop your craft.  Do the work no one sees.  

When Your Heart Feels Like a Sand Storm

It's been quiet here...

In my heart of stillness, there's been a stirring.  A gentle grace-filled assault of sand pebbles, stinging deep.

God is growing my faith in this gritty season.

My heart feels like an hour glass spinning on the inside and processing...churning...absorbing...stirring...

God is confirming His calling.

Do you you ever stop and evaluate your direction in life?  I do this often to keep myself in check.

More and more God's call is coming into view and more defined.  His call is filled with Hope.

Hope is being redefined and renovated in my soul.  Hope is confirmed and is settling.

Ephesians 1:11-12  "It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone." (MSG)

I Dare You To

Hey, You… Pssst...over here.

I am the little voice of your little heart that is dry and brittle.  The part of your heart that is whispering....shhhhh!  

I know what you've been thinking .....that awful defeating 

"it will never happen to me" .  

Yeah...that's exactly what I thought.

Am I am the only one....that feels like starting

the New Year over again?

Oh discouragement, how I want to swat you away like a pesky mosquito. 

Are you wanting to give up those resolutions you made just a few days ago?
  

Okay...here it comes.....

                                                  lean in and let me whisper this hard truth... 

The riskiest thing is not to dream. 

The only way you will fail is to do nothing– 

and that’s the biggest failure of all… 

 What have you got to lose... except the possibility of your dream become a reality?

The only way to avoid being hurt is to never love– 

and you risk being alone where your hearts hurts the deepest.  

The things that help us feel safe are the same ones that can put us at greatest risk. 

The things we clutch... 

the close-to-our-heart things.

You are braver, stronger, more capable than you know. 

And the God you serve is greater than you’ve yet experienced. 

Dream, yes, you....out there.....reading this right now......you.can.do.it. 

Dream today. Dream tomorrow. 

Dream until you can't dream another dream, then starting living them.

It's possible. 

Except when you don't try or try again.

And when you discover that you’ve done what matters most–you’ve really lived. 

Discover God's possible, God's possiblities.

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream another dream.  C.S.Lewis