Philippians 2:15b “Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky."

I do not remember reading the above verse before, but I know I probably have countless times. I felt like God highlighted it for me recently.

Do you wonder what proceeds this promise of shining like a star?

Is it how many Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter followers you have? Is it how many likes or retweets you get?

Maybe the condition for this to come true is based on how educated you are or how many credentials you have.

No? Well, it must have something to do with the way you look, the car you drive, or the house you own.

Again, that would be a “No.” This passage isn’t talking about any of those things.

In our culture, you may assume you need to accumulate possessions, or titles, or followers on social media in order to “shine among them like the stars in the sky.”

You may think of yourself as unworthy or “less...

Have you ever wanted a Starbuck's coffee drink so badly that you just won't give up until you find one? Well, I can relate. Plus I learned a couple of great lessons along the way. Watch the video above. 

How many times have you stopped yourself from doing something because you were afraid of what other people were going to say or think? Or least what you imagined them saying and thinking?

“Oh, what will people think if they see me walk into a gym to workout? It’s been so long.”

“What was I thinking saying I would speak at that event? What are they going to say behind my back when I’m finished speaking?”

“I can’t ask for help. People will think I’m weak.”

If you are like most people, this happens more times than you would like to admit. It may even happen when you are not conscious of it. An idea may come to you and you just as quickly dismiss the idea for being “silly, or stupid.” What you don’t stop to consider is that the reason you may be dismissing that idea so quickly is because you are actually worried that someone else is going to think it is “silly or...

Imagine being “snapped at” by a co-worker seemingly out of nowhere. How do you react? It certainly is not a pleasant experience when that happens. What you may not have seen is the 9 people who have already approached this person today complaining or bringing a problem to them that needed solving.  You have no way of knowing that they are at work with a splitting headache while receiving angry texts from their teenager because they forgot to sign a permission slip this morning.

Maybe you are the person who “snapped” at a co-worker and are now full of regret. Stress comes in many forms and no one is totally immune. The problem in this scenario is that your co-worker has no idea of your stress level. They may begin to avoid you because they assume you do not like them or that you don’t want to help them.

Obviously, stress can cause problems in relationships, not only at work but in every single relationship. This is only one thing that should...

Have you ever looked at something and not been able to figure out what you see? Your brain is "seeing" something different than your eyes. When you finally see it properly it seems ridiculous to explain to someone what you thought you saw. Am I the only one?

Perspective is a powerful thing and our mind is involved in how we "see" things. Our past experiences affect the way we "see" different situations. The thing is each of us looks at life through our own unique perspective. 

When I speak to groups about perspective I often compare it to the game of tennis. If the ball lands on any tiny bit of the line it is considered "in." The majority of the ball could be outside of the line but it could still be "in." That is why in professional tennis tournaments you will see many line judges. To really assess if any part of the ball touches the line you need to be looking straight down the line. You cannot tell with accuracy if a ball is in or not from across the court. But when you...

We have had so many issues with our lawn over the years, it’s almost comical. When we lived in a small home, on a tree-lined street, we had trouble growing grass in the front yard. The large maple trees provided so much shade and the roots proceeded out so far that there was no topsoil for growing grass. In the small backyard, we always had our own children and neighborhood children running around. I remember telling my husband, “This is all that matters right now. We will have plenty of years when we can have perfect grass.”

Maybe that promise set my husband up for frustration. When our children were a little older, we moved to a new home and what my husband thought would be his chance for that “perfect grass.” The first problem we encountered, was that we had sandy soil and there had not been enough topsoil brought in. The roots never got deep enough so our grass was always “hit or miss.”

One spring our grass was looking quite healthy, and...

                                    Three Steps to Maintain your Peace

            You cannot change or control the behavior of other people. You can only control and choose to make changes yourself. BUT, when you chase after peace, things shift in the spiritual atmosphere. When you make changes in your heart and in your thoughts it often changes the situation. You've probably heard it said before that all you can do is control your reactions to other people's behavior. 

            I have a client who has had trouble with a family member for years. This family member has been frustrating to deal with because they are welcoming one day and then accusing my client of ridiculous things the next day. After working through some tools with me, my client began the process of...

Watch the above video. God wants to turn your situation around. When we are grateful and praise God when we least feel like it, the spiritual atmosphere changes. Gratitude is also good for us. We can re-wire our brains away from negative, toxic thinking. When we enter into gratitude, dopamine is released. God, who created our brains, knows that the instructions in Psalm 100:4 will bless us "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name." 

Falsely Accused; Live out your Purpose no matter your Circumstance

Have you ever been falsely accused of something? It is a terrible feeling. If you’re like most people this infuriated you and you did everything possible to set the record straight. You probably felt judged and hated that people were making these judgments based on wrong information.

In the 16^th chapter of Acts we find Paul and Silas unfairly accused of disturbing the peace. They get arrested and thrown in jail and kept in the maximum security cell. All they were doing was living out their purpose. They were teaching people about Jesus.

The way these two react is dramatically different than what most people would do. They were so locked in to their purpose that they didn’t bother worrying what others thought. In the midst of their terrible circumstances, they were singing praise songs to God. They didn’t complain, or try to tell all the other prisoners of their innocence. Instead, they were praying...

          A major roadblock for many people, when stepping into their purpose, is comparison and feeling “less than”. You may have some idea of how God would like to use you but you get stuck when you start comparing yourself to others. Satan loves to see this happen. If the enemy isn’t bringing comparisons to mind, he will bring all your shortcomings to mind. Often this is done with such subtlety that we don’t recognize we’ve let doubt creep in the back door. When it comes to our calling or when God is asking us to step out into something new, the enemy can often slide in undetected. The thoughts and doubts may just be fleeting, but they are enough to get us “stuck”.

          You may stay busy doing this and that. You may even be doing some things for the Lord but keep wondering why you aren’t getting the other things done. You may be keeping yourself busy because you have unknowingly...