The Be One Life

Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength together a one.

Gratitude

by

gratitudeLet all that I am praise the Lord. O Lord my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty. -Psalms 104:1 (NLT)

How great is our God! He is the Creator and sustainer of this world and everything in it. He spoke it all into existence, without having to left a finger. He is eternal and has infinite wisdom. He carefully crafted each one if us, and knows us right down to the hairs on our head. The best part? We are his most prized creation because He made us in his own image.

How can we not be grateful for such a wonderful creator? We are good because he made us good.

We are blessed because He left his place in heaven to come to earth to rescue us from yourselves, from our sins. We are blessed because Christ has set us free from our sins to live a life of gratitude in worship to him. Every day that we wake up, breathe, and move is a day to be thankful to God.

The beautiful thing about being in the kingdom of God is that we don’t have to work for our salvation. Our salvation is a gift–through grace by faith. For that reason alone, we get to be grateful to God. That’s right, friend, our gratitude is a “get to.”

If you are in a dark place right now and are finding it difficult to be thankful, remember this: the Lord our God is faithful and He will never leave you. There is NO place that His light cannot reach. There is nothing powerful enough to separate us from God’s love. Stay connected to him through prayer and His word–it will light your path out of the darkness. You are redeemed, and are set free.

This month our focus will be on gratitude. So let each of us live daily with thankful hearts for our Creator. Instead of working to earn the salvation that God freely gives, let’s serve Him and one another wholeheartedly.

Discipleship

by

Discipleship“If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison–our father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-yes, even our own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.” -Jesus (Luke 14:26-27 NLT)

In our “Jesus is only love” society, this is a hard pill to swallow, no? A difficult teaching to understand from a God/man who has been painted as a “we are the world”, hippie type. But let’s not forget that Jesus is God. He is man. He is the word. He is just. And He is love.

Because of His great love for us, Jesus came to earth to establish a kingdom where he will reign forever. Jesus graciously forgives and brings all who believe in Him and dedicate their lives to Him into His kingdom. This is where a disciple’s walk behind and towards Jesus begins. Imagine God’s kingdom as a circle. When we, as Jesus’s disciples, first step into the Kingdom of God, we are are on the fringe and Jesus sits on a throne in the center. Each day that we follow Jesus, study his word, and live by his teachings, the love in our hearts for Him and others grows. We begin to take baby steps closer to him. As we grow in faith and in our relationship with Jesus throughout our lives, the blurry image of him at a distance comes into focus, and the light of His glory shines brightly through us. Jesus extends this free gift of grace to all of us, but this grace came at a cost.

The grace that God extends to us through Jesus was not cheap. It cost Jesus his life. It cost Jesus His place in heaven for a time. It cost God his Son.

Grace is costly and we continuously cheapen it.

In the verses following our key verse, Jesus goes on to say that we must count the cost of following Him. Our relationships with our families are important, our lives are important, our jobs are important; but they all pale in comparison to WHO should have the place of ultimate importance in our lives. Before we become disciples of Christ, he asks us to count this cost.

He MUST come BEFORE everything else.

To be a disciple of Jesus, you must choose Christ. If the choice is between your mother and Jesus, you choose Jesus. There is no comparison in the life of a disciple, Jesus is always first.

Like I said, hard pill to swallow, Amen?

What does this look like on a daily basis? How do we count the cost and still choose Jesus over all things. How do we make him preeminent over all things? What does it look like to put Jesus first, for real and not just as advice to graduates and newlyweds?

This month, we will be exploring discipleship. We will be looking at what it truly means to be a disciple of Jesus, to follow him wholeheartedly as Lord of our lives. We will look at some common mistakes that we make, and how His word tells us to follow him. Most of all, we will be encouraging and challenging ourselves to follow him more fully, to more fully count the cost.

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook to view our daily posts on discipleship.

Renewed Strength

by

Renewed StrengthWe are 7 days into our Move into Stillness journey. It is a great time to check in with each other, with ourselves, and with God.

Today’s verse, Isaiah 40:31, says “But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” It could not have come at a better time in this journey. You see, during this first week, I have found myself exhausted by my own thoughts, fears, and worries. I worried what you all thought, why you were not participating, and whether social media is the best outlet for what I am trying to accomplish.

It.was.exhausting.

But God. His Word. ALWAYS speaks.

He gave me new strength, and reminded me that I need NOT accomplish anything. This ministry, Be One, my life, and all of you are His. His word will stir hearts and open eyes as He sees fit. I am only to do my part in the journey.

So here I am; still fidgeting and moving my way into stillness. This time, I am doing it with renewed strength and a promise from our Creator that I will not grow weary or faint.

You won’t either, my friend.

So in the coming weeks, let’s keep trusting in Him. Let’s gather our new strength. Let’s soar on wings like eagles–together.

I would love to hear from you. How is your journey going? What has been your favorite posture so far? Do you have any new insights?

Share, please. You may just encourage someone else.

You can join the journey on our Facebook or Instagram page.

 

Moving into Stillness…

by

StillnessOh friend! 90 days. 3 months. A quarter of a year. It has been that amount of time since our family followed God’s nudges and moved to Puerto Rico. It is a turning point for sure. The experts say that it is at this point that a transition happens. The novelty fades. We realize we that this is not temporary, we are no longer tourists. This.is.our.home.

Thing is, it doesn’t feel like home yet. We are still transitioning, still learning, still adjusting (all normal). We long to feel at home here, while at the same time longing for all the things and people we left behind. It is difficult to explain this to people–especially because many people think we are one long vacation. Yet we long to be understood.

Thank God for the gift of yoga–especially yin yoga.

My mat and my yoga practice gives me a safe place to be understood, to be myself. It also provides the perfect metaphor for my life. This year, I have fallen in love with yin yoga. It has been such a reflection of what is currently happening in my life. In the yin style of yoga, we hold postures for a 3-10 minutes (sometimes longer) in order to get into the deeper spaces of our bodies–our ligaments, tendons, and joints. To the unfamiliar eye, it looks like one is doing nothing. That could not be further from the truth.

When coming into a posture, you move and you fidget your way into stillness. In the stillness, you are doing the hard and holy work of waiting, waiting, waiting.

Sounds boring huh?

A favorite quote of mine says “When you’re waiting, you’re not doing nothing, you’re doing the most important thing there is. You’re allowing your soul a chance to grow up. If you can’t be still and wiat, you can’t become what God created you to be. “ (Sue Monk Kidd)

In other words, “Be still and know.” (Ps. 46:10)

As you move into stillness and waiting, something almost magical happens. You feel places in your body, and sometimes deep within your soul begin to open up and release. If you can move past very human and cultural desire of always needing to move and to “do,” you can enter into the holy space of BEing still. This process teaches us both who we are and who God created us to be.

So back to the move. That’s where we are with this move. For three months (or more if you count all of the preparation), we have been moving, fidgeting, and trying very hard to find a soft place to land so that we can get still.

We have had flashes of some beautiful and difficult out-of-our-comfort-zone things that God has invited us here to do. But we have committed to getting still first. First, we will create space for our new lives to open up and for our souls to get quiet so that we can hear the only voice that matters. We will not run ahead of God’s plan.

But we can not do this alone. We are list making, to do list checker, get things done-ers. We are also recovering perfectionists. This month, I would love for you to journey with us into stillness. Everyday for the month of September, I will post a yin yoga posture, instructions for practicing the posture, and an intention. All you need to do is set a timer and practice the posture in your own home along with me while focusing on the intention.

That’s it. One pose per day. 30 days.

We will learn together how to sit in the hard and holy spaces, and wait for God to move us.

I cannot wait to hear about how God works in your life through this.

Will you join me?

You can find the the daily poses on our Instagram: @thebeonelife

Faithfulness

by

 

faithfulnessWhen we think about faithfulness, it is hard not to think about love as well. Faithfulness and love go hand in hand. Love produces faithfulness. We learned love from God, who in his loving kindness and infinite mercy personified love in the form of Jesus to save the world (John 1:14). God did not form this plan haphazardly; He laid out this plan before time began. God showed unending faithfulness and love for his creation (us) by sending his Son, Jesus, to the earth to redeem all humanity (John 3:16-17). In turn, Jesus was loving and faithful to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins (Romans 5:6-11). Because we are made in the image of God, we ought to reflect this love and faithfulness towards God and each other. (Mark 12:29-32; Mark 8:34-36).

Our love and faithfulness to God should overflow into our marriages and families. God gives us the example of a faithful spouse in his faithfulness to Israel (Hosea 2:19-20). Jesus gives us the example of the faithful spouse in his faithfulness to his bride, the church (Ephesians 5:25-33). As husbands and wives, God has called us to be one. An excellent way to do this is to practice faithfulness in though, word and deed, allowing nothing come between you.

As spouses, parents, children, and friends, let us show love and faithfulness with our relationships the way God shows love and faithfulness to us.

Goodness

by

GoodnessOur Abba is good. We are good. You are good. We know this because His word tells us so. This months theme is goodness. We will be focusing not only on the goodness of God, but also all the goodness He created. So often, we are bombarded with images of negativity, destruction and sadness; for this month, we want to simply meditate on goodness.

This month, today actually, our family will be making a huge life transition. We will uproot and move our family to the Caribbean. It is a God-sized dream come true, and a gift we honestly don’t have words for. This is what we consider a highlight. It’s easy to see the highlights as good, but I want to focus on the goodness that led to this.

I struggle with depression and anxiety. Towards the end of last year, I lapsed into a deep depression that I thought I would never be able to climb out of. I felt nothing but sadness, loneliness, despair, anger, exhaustion, and indifference. I definitely thought our world, or at least my part of it was ending.

But God.

As I look back at my journaling through the depression, the work I did, and the help I received, I am in awe of Abba’s goodness in all things. He used that time in the wilderness to teach me about waiting, cocooning, and loving myself and him well. He used depression–my recognition of it and my continual healing from it to teach me that though I am flawed, though I stumble, I am GOOD. Not because of anything I have done or will do, but because He is good. Before creation, God declared that I was good because He is good.

You are good too, friend. Will you believe that today? No matter where you find yourself. Whether it be marriage troubles, parenting strife, illness, depression, or any other transition. Look for His goodness, and you will inevitably find yours.

Why Surrender to God?

by

Surrender-SubmitThe act of surrendering to God has never felt right to us for several reasons. 1) You surrender to an enemy, but God is not our enemy, he is our Heavenly Father (Matthew 6:30-33); 2) surrendering is to give up and give over your freedom, but God wants us all to be free in Christ (John 8:36); to surrender means we lose, but Christ has already given us the victory through His death on the cross and His resurrection (1 Cor. 15:56-56). To surrender is just not what God intended. So what does God command us to do?

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” -James 4:7

God wants us to submit to him. Our humble submission to Him gives us the power to fight the real enemy, the devil. Submitting to God does not require looking at him as an enemy who strips us of our freedom and forces us to worship him. Instead, humble submission to God means we are his lost children who have repented and returned home to a loving Father. He has been patiently waiting for our return, and runs to meet us with opens arms. As his children, we are loved completely, free in Christ, and victorious over sin. Let us all choose to submit to God, not surrender.

How To S.H.O.W. Jesus in Your Marriage: Part 1

by

wedding_rings_fixedOur family mission is simple:  We show Jesus.  In all that we do as a family, we make sure that nothing takes away from that mission.  As a part of this mission, it’s been my personal goal that as I advance my career as a wellness and fitness teacher that I don’t forget that the true call on my life is to show the love of Jesus wherever I go.

A few months ago, I was asked to speak at a Ladies’ Day, and of course I wanted to say no.  God had different plans for me, and though the Spirit, I was able to craft a message that I pray will speak to your heart.

I have been timid for years with sharing God’s word, and after lots of prayers for boldness, here I go. The Bible passage I’m using is Titus 2:4-5.

Funny that this lesson starts with a lesson I learned from my toddler.

She is the person who helped me to understand this passage more clearly.  How many of you have or have had a toddler?  Right now I’m in full-blown toddler season, ya’ll–pray for me.

One Sunday morning a little while back we were getting ready for church. You know how it is on a Sunday morning when you have littles.  You’re rushing around trying to get them ready and yourself ready and everybody out of the door.  But it isn’t working because:

A toddler will do EVERYTHING in their power to derail your plans.

My toddler girl  was “helping” me get ready for church.  So while I was rushing around she asked me a question that stopped me right in my tracks.

She said to me “Mommy are you a ShJesus girl?”  

Now to be honest, I was only half listening the first time, so I answered her with a  “Huh?”  She said it again, louder this time and seemingly annoyed that I didn’t understand her the first time.  In her two-year old tongue she repeated rather loudly “You a ShJesus girl?”

I have to admit, sisters, I was floored. 

I had no idea how to answer her.  So many long-winded, over the top answers raced through my mind, and then, after a few moments, when I didn’t think I would ever have the words to answer her, the Holy Spirit gave me the words to say.   I found myself simply saying:

Yes, yes I am baby.  I’m a ShJesus girl.  I.am.a.Jesus.girl. and so are you.

It was then that I realized that this is what this passage, Titus 2:4-5 is about.  It is not a checklist like it’s made out to be.  It’s not a set of rules, either.   It’s simply a way for us Jesus girls to “show Jesus to our husbands, to our children, and to the world.

You see, so many of us look at this like a check list or a job description.  As a matter of fact, when I first got married, I thought that if I did these things I would be a good wife.  Soon though, I came to see that checking things off the list didn’t get me any closer to my husband, or to God.  What God is after, what our husbands and our children are after is not our “to do list.”  They want our hearts.  So, I ask you, my sisters, to begin looking at this passage with me another way.  Instead of a to do list to be accomplished or a set of rules to follow, let’s see it as another avenue that we have as wives or future wives to simply “Show Jesus.”

In the coming posts, I will begin breaking down the S.H.O.W. Jesus into each of its parts.  The next post will focus on how we as wives can show Jesus by “Starting at Home.”  Look for it next Tuesday!

This was a hard post for me to share because I’ve always been very timid with sharing God’s word publicly.  I’m growing, though, and in this season, I’m choosing bravery!

What’s your family mission statement?  I’d love to hear all about it.

The Be One Life

The Be One Life

Social

Recent Posts

Contact Info.

Hampton, VA
757-880-6838
thebeonelife@gmail.com
Appointment only