by Torrie Oglesby | Nov 7, 2015 | Faith + Expressions
As we are now in the 11th month of the year (WHERE DID IT GO?!?) A lot of us are looking back at 2015 and reflecting. Just like the natural seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall our lives tend to have a seasonal rhythm. Some seasons are filled with life and everything seems to be blooming and prospering and other seasons are filled with change and transitioning and often the hardest seasons are filled with nothing—silence, emptiness and death. Though the seasons change, the Sun doesn’t. As a Christian, though the seasons of life change, the SON doesn’t. How do we maintain a spirit of thankfulness even in the hard and dry seasons?
Paul said he had learned the secret of being content in ANY and EVERY situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want (Philippians 4:12) and that secret was the simplest truth of “I can do all this through him who gives me strength†(Philippians 4:13). This scripture is not new to you and actually it’s used a lot. However sometimes it’s used in the cheesy way of “ALL MY DREAMS CAN COME TRUE BECAUSE I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH HIM WHO STRENGTHENS ME.†But this scripture is so much deeper than that. Paul can be content in everything because he knows WHO GOD IS.
Paul is telling us that life is going to change. One day you may be on top and the next day you might be on the bottom but the secret to remaining content and THANKFUL in everything is knowing that through HIM we can bare it all because he strengthens us. As I look back on my 2015 there’s moments where I’m like “How did I survive that?†“How did that not break me?†and the answer is not my own strength, the answer is Jesus’s strength and Gods ever present hand! There were nights when I cried out in prayer and somehow my spirit still had a “THANK YOU JESUS†inside to let out. I truly believe that when we say thank you and give thanks even when it’s hard, those “thank you’s†carry us through the dead seasons. No matter what may come and no matter what lies behind, give thanks, in and through it all.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.â€
That scripture is a roadmap for thankfulness. Rejoice! Rejoice in your worship, in your words and in the way you live throughout the day, even if it’s a hard season because who God is demands our rejoicing. This doesn’t always mean to smile and be glad, sometimes it means to just turn worship music on and rejoice in WHO GOD IS. It then tells us to pray without ceasing! Prayers are incense to God! Tell him how thankful you are! Tell him your needs and concerns! Talk to your Father and the final outcome with be a heart of thankfulness. When we remember WHO OUR GOD IS, the only response is thankfulness.
xo,
torrie
by Altimese Nichole | Nov 3, 2015 | Family + Relationships
I never truly understood the importance of having a peaceful home until I became a wife. It was important to me as a single woman but when joining lives with another person- peace began to have a different meaning.
Peace became sacred, covered, protected, and shield from harm and unwanted outside forces. I am not intentional with how I set the tone in my house, which ultimately guided the mood of all who walks into the doors.
Here are some of the ways that help me to keep and maintain a peaceful home:
- Declutter and maintain order
A clean home is not only inviting, but it helps with the positive vibes and energy of the home. When I first moved on my own, I would dedicate a day to cleaning and do a extensive cleanse of my house. But in the midst of home, family, work, and all other things that’s on our plates—it’s become difficult to do that. So now, every night I have a routine of “tidying” up, room by room. I put away blankets, put all dishes in the dishwasher, wipe down my countertops, and go intentionally through the home to prepare it for the next day. While doing so, I make it a point to slowly calm my mind from the day. It helps me to not go to bed and have my mind still racing. The clean aura of the home creates a welcoming feeling each morning and an inviting space every evening.
- Be Mindful of the company you invite to your home
I LOVE spending time with people. However, I can probably tell you all people who have entered the doors of my home. Every person contains 3 things; a body, a soul, and a spirit. Spirits are transferrable. Have you ever noticed that if you hang around someone who is angry long enough, you will find yourself being short tempered over time? When creating a peaceful environment, intention and discernment are your best friends. Be careful the people you bring into your personal space— especially since motives and intentions are unseen.
- Bless Your Home
Since I can remember, my mother blessed our home with oil. It would be a simple bottle of olive oil that she would pray over—and she will then pray over herself and walk each room with word of prayer and a heart of surrender. Now, as a wife of my own home, I find myself doing the same. Instead of olive oil, I use died sage (which is very similar to burning incense). I start at my front door and go to every corner of my home, ending back at my door and opening the door to allow any unwanted spirits to leave. I wish I could explain the aftermath of it but I can only compare it to PEACE. This has now become a part of my prayer/personal time with God that I look forward to, while increasing my intent to cleanse my home
Peace is provided to us all but we must become intentional to maintain it. What are some of the things you do to help maintain peace in your home?
by Altimese Nichole | Nov 3, 2015 | Learn + Grow
Have you heard of The Law of Attraction? It’s a thought philosophy that like attracts like. This simply means that in life, we attract the things that we are within us. Whether good, bad, or indifferent—we attract the things and people that are merely a reflection of what’s within.
Although the theory is debatable by many, I am a firm believer that that is true because I’ve seen it play out in my life personally. Additionally, the philosophy has a foundation of belief – which further reinforces truth behind the concept that we attract what we put out. For example, in the word of God, we’re told to BELIEVE FIRST and we will SEE it manifest later. Regardless of the circumstances, we’re told to stand on faith and believe that our perception will become our reality. It all starts within.
I’ve lived this out for years. A professional mentor (that’s a CMO of a globally recognized company and home brand) share with me one of her secrets to success:
“I don’t think about where I am. I visualize where I want to be. I go beyond visualizing through living my life as if it’s already happened. For every promotion, I’ve found someone in the company that had the type of role I wanted next. I would observe and study the person’s behaviors, how they interacted with peers, and learned more about their work ethic… and I would imitate them. I’d put my one personal spin one what I found as my next professional stepping stone. You can’t have what you don’t believe you deserve or you can see. If you can see yourself there, then it’s yours.”
From marriage, to career moves… her wisdom has held great truth for me. I’ve taught myself to live my life through the lens of my future self, and my physical and current circumstances will simply align with time.
Have you experienced the Law of Attraction in your life? Share with the STRONG leaders how it’s had an impact on your life.
by Torrie Oglesby | Oct 25, 2015 | Faith + Expressions
I’m going to be transparent and admit that I don’t always put time with God at the top of my to-do list. I usually wake up to hungry children who want food and want it immediately. I routinely hit the ground running, preparing breakfast, serving breakfast, getting my coffee, making the beds, getting the kids dressed, and the list goes on and on and on. I often don’t stop until after I lay down which is at 10:30 or 11:00 at night. Throughout the day, I may whisper a “thank you Jesus” but these days I hardly ever, besides on Sunday, get to feed my spirit and saturate it with God and His promises.
This is half my fault and half just the rhythm of the season I’m in right now. But in every season, we need to make time for God. The Bible tells us to be instant in and out of season and to always be prepared and ready with the word of God as our weapon. How can we as mama’s be prepared if we aren’t constantly living off of fresh bread every day and not old bread from last season? So what’s the solution? There has to be some way for a busy mama like myself and you ladies, to capitalize on the small moments that we can have with God.
Our culture has made it hard to rest and hard to be still. However both things are talked about in the Bible as important things to do. As a multitasking mother and entrepreneur it feels impossible to stop and pause and be still in His presence. It’s absolutely vital that every day we are surrounding ourselves with His words, promises, and presence. We can’t let our busy schedules or to-do list come between spiritual disciplines such as worship and prayer. I’ve made a list of at least 3 times throughout the day that we can commit ourselves to so that we can fill up at least 3 times a day! These thing require very little from you (except the last one) yet have the power to transform your day.
- Play worship music throughout the day, start first thing in the morning. Allow it to play in the background while you go about doing your daily tasks.
- Listen to a sermon via Podcast or YouTube video during naptime. You can play this in the background while you clean up, answer emails, or you can just listen to it and take notes. Depending on what your time lets you do, do it. This will be getting The Word into you for the day!
- Write in your prayer journal, nightly, as soon as the kids lay down for the evening. This will give you a moment to reflect over the day, cultivate thankfulness, ask God for help in areas you’re struggling in and surrender the things that you need to lay down at His feet.
With love and big smiles,
Torrie.
by Altimese Nichole | Oct 25, 2015 | Learn + Grow
Every day, we have great power through the use of our words. We can speak life to our circumstances or we can speak what we see and feel into the atmosphere. Our words can brighten our day or remind us of the gloom or difficulty in our lives.
Although much easier said than done, here are some tips that can help you fuel your words to the direction you desire.
- Read your Bible
The Word of God is full of amazing words or wisdom when it comes to the power of words, our thoughts, and our feelings. If you’re struggling in this area, I encourage you to read with the clear intention and direction. Make it a point to find all of the scriptures involving our words and study those scriptures. If initial studying is slightly difficult with you, check out our articles called Using SOAP with God.
- Review Yearly Goals
Writing goals help us to stay focused on the things that matter when our feelings of motivation as left us. Reading and reviewing our goals help us to keep in mind the bigger picture when the journey becomes tougher than we expected. When we remind ourselves of our WHY, we encourage ourselves through the HOW.
- Listen to motivational videos and podcasts
Though technology, we can chose to be reactive to the information we receive or be intentionally proactive with the type of content we let into our lives. Through Facebook, our timelines are full of things and people we CHOOSE to follow and connect ourselves with. Want more positivity? Simply add more positive things and people to your friends list and pages, while hiding the negativity. Simply click the hide button over status updates or go to the person’s page and click unfollow updates. This leaves the friendship or connection intact without the interference of your desired timeline environment. YouTube “Motivational videos†and the “Power of Your Word,†and prepare to fill up with great content.
We all get off course with our words, and that’s okay! It’s up to recognize when we get off course and be intentional about getting back on track. Use your words to fuel your success, love life, and future. Your words contain power so be very intentional about the power you’ve been given.
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