by Torrie Oglesby | Sep 15, 2015 | Learn + Grow
In a world where being a female and being black can get you sold or killed, Ronnie J. reminds us why now more than ever, we need to stand up and take our lives in our own hands. In this timely and honest read, Ronnie J speaks to girls everywhere, and though it is towards black girls, I believe this can speak to any female that has ever been a minority in any way, shape or form. It’s very insightful and empowering and makes you want to work even harder on the vision and dreams you’ve been given. Despite whatever adversity stands in your way Ronnie challenges you to stop making excuses and start taking control of your life.
With haunting statistics that make you realize just how harsh our reality is, Ronnie encourages us to question if we are going to fall into the statistics or rise above. She forces us to look at our decisions and choices and to be bold enough to choose the path that may not be the easiest in our lives because in the end, that is the path that gets us what we want out of life.
“Do you know what a diamond is without pressure? Coal. Invaluable lumps of coal. Your life is that diamond. You will have to work sometimes under pressure, to get where you want to be. Working hard and deviating from the norm may sound overwhelming but there is no better feeling than when you start seeing results and reaping the benefits of your hard work.”
After getting you pumped up in the first part of the book she then prepares you with methods and real world examples to help you achieve all your goals. Things like building work ethic, making a plan, sticking to it, and remaining unbothered in a world that is constantly trying to upset you and get you off focus. Finally she ends by encouraging us to finish strong!! The path will not always be easy but with a little sweat, a lot of prayer, and perseverance you will be fruitful in the end. I recommend this book to any young minority female who is building her empire despite all the challenges that she is facing. This book will inspire you and pull you forward on your journey!
All in all, I gave this book 4/5 stars. Defintely go pick it up and catch Ronnie on Instagram @OFFICIAL_CANILIVE to join the Can I Live? Movement.
With love and big smiles,
torrie
by Torrie Oglesby | Aug 27, 2015 | Faith + Expressions
Lately, God has been quietly showing and reminding me just how important, precious and valuable my body is. As a woman, I get to carry my children in my womb, I get to feed them from my own breast, and then I get to carry them and nurture them all the days of their young lives. After I had my first child, I got back into shape immediately! Watching what I ate, working out everyday and being diligent with getting my body back into top shape. After I had my second child, life was a little bit different and I didn’t have the focus that I had with my first one to commit myself back to getting in shape.
Let me be clear here, it’s not about being skinny, that was never my focus and still isn’t my focus. It is, however, about treating your body like the most precious, rare, and valuable commodity that it is. We only get one and yes we are women and we have children and our bodies change in shape and size, but that’s not an excuse to stop feeding and moving your body with the upmost respect. If anything, having children should motivate us to be healthy so that we can see our children grow up.
Unfortunately, life gets in the way and we trade healthy meals for convenient meals and sitting down on the couch catching our breath from the constant mundane movement over getting up and working out. I haven’t workout or fed my body properly for a year and let me just say, I have never felt more unhealthy in my life. The funny thing is, if a stranger looked at me they would think I was in decent shape, but it’s not the outside appearance that is suffering it’s the inward aches and pains. My body is constantly trying to tell me that it’s lacking something and needs me to do something about it. This is when I hear God whisper:
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodiesâ€
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Even as I’m writing this, that scripture convicts me in so many ways. The beautiful thing about conviction, is that it calls you to a higher place. My prayer for all of us is that we learn to honor our God by honoring our bodies. Not just with what we feed it, but how we move it, what we allow our eyes to see, what we allow our ears to hear, what we allow our hands to touch, what we allow our minds to read and receive, and what we allow our mouths to say. Be empowered today, and with every action you take, remember that your body is a temple, not a garbage can.
With love and big smiles,
torrie
by Torrie Oglesby | Aug 27, 2015 | Faith + Expressions
Did you know, that from the time a girl reaches puberty until about the age of 50, she is twice as likely to have an anxiety disorder as a man? Anxiety disorders also occur earlier in women than in men as well and women are also more likely to have multiple psychiatric disorders during their lifetime than men. As if that is isn’t enough, the most common mental disease to co-occur with anxiety is depression. (www.adaa.org)
This is disturbing. It breaks my heart that so many of my sisters out there are fighting a battle within their minds against anxiety and depression. I have not been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or depression, but I do struggle with worrying and deep thoughts sometimes weigh me down. Minutes before writing this, I was so anxious that I couldn’t focus on what I wanted to do. I would read my book for a second, then surf the internet, then write and then look at my phone. I’m aware of my body, spirit and mind and they all were completely out of order and antsy. I became aware quickly that something was off and maybe I just needed to spend a moment with God. I shut the computer, threw my phone across the room, grabbed my prayer journal and poured out my spirit. I started with a heart of thanks and asked for forgiveness and went into proclaiming that Jesus has the victory over everything.
After that, I began to pray for others who were specifically on my heart in that moment. Everyone I prayed for had a common need and the need was God’s peace. I felt in my spirit to then proclaim peace over everyone in my circle of influence. I feel like creation as a whole is searching and crying out for Gods peace. I then let the Holy Spirit lead me to scripture and to no surprise, he lead me to Judges 6:23-24:
The LORD said to him, “Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.” Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and called it, The LORD Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.
   Let’s be honest, I wouldn’t have found that scripture without the Holy Spirit prompting me to, I mean when was the last time I read judges? (The answer is never.) We search everywhere trying to find peace and the only place to find it is in Him and through His word. When we rest in his promises peace overflows and when we realize who He is (THE LORD IS PEACE) all doubt, fear, anxiety, depression and sadness have no place.
Sweet girl, the Lord Is Peace so stop worrying yourself. Trust that He is holding you and carrying for you. He is so close to you, he’s for you and he sees you. My prayer is that he covers you, me and anyone struggling with fears with His blanket of peace. Whenever you feel anxiety, depression, or fear creeping into your space and spirit chant this mantra of HIS promises:
“THE LORD IS PEACE. THE LORD IS PEACE. THE LORD IS PEACE.â€
With love and big smiles,
torrie
by Torrie Oglesby | Aug 27, 2015 | Lifestyle+Culture
Back in 1913, when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act something monumental changed in the way America decided to handle our money. He decided, on executive order, to have our money controlled by a private banking agency, which is The Federal Reserve. Congress didn’t know about this and the public didn’t know about this either. Only a selective handful of people were aware of what was happening.
Fast forward to 2015 and what cost you $1.00 now only cost .04 cents in 1913. That’s a 96% devaluation of the dollar since this act came in to existence. With the system that is in place right now, the dollar is only going to continue to decrease. How does this affect you and what can you do to prepare for what lies ahead?
The first thing you need to know is that it most certainly affects you which is why it’s important to educate yourself on it and why I felt called to write this article. You and I need to be mindful of what is happening with the economy. I suggest to be weary of false news and to only listen to the few voices out there that are being honest with what is happening. Two that I want to suggest are Alex Jones and Ron Paul. Alex can be found at www.infowars.com and Ron Paul can be found on www.ronpaul.com
Secondly, you need to know what inflation truly is. Inflation is NOT just the price of everything going up, but also the value of the dollar going down. If our dollar is decreasing this means we need to be preparing for when/if it collapse completely. We need to be investing our money into necessary commodities, the necessities of life. For example, long storage food, gasoline, and your basic survival tools. The last thing you want, is for the economy to crash and you and your family not be prepared.
I’m not saying to stop enjoying life and doing fun things with your money, but perhaps budget a certain amount of money each paycheck to go towards an emergency kit that will be able to help you and your loved ones survive. My husband and I have adopted this habit and it’s very reassuring. I’m not writing this article to scare you but to educate you and fill you with hope. If an economic crash ever happened I want us all to be prepared and ready because when you’re prepared fear has no hold.
With love and big smiles,
torrie
by Torrie Oglesby | Aug 27, 2015 | Faith + Expressions
Shutting off the world and connecting with my maker is one of my favorite times of the day! Creating an atmosphere that is going to allow me to focus and hear the Holy Spirit is vital to how effective my devotional time is. Light some candles, put your phone away and allow this playlist to play quietly in the background! I hope you enjoy.
The Devotional Playlist
- Lauren Diagel: Once and For All
- All Sons & Daughters: Great Are You Lord
- Sarah Hart Pearsons: Sweet Holy Spirit
- Tamela Mann: Take Me to the King
- Kim Walker:Smith and Skyler Smith: Christ The Rock
- Kari Jobe: I Am Not Alone
- Lauren Diagel: Here’s My Heart
- Meredith Andrews: Not for a Moment
- All Sons & Daughters: Christ Be All Around Me
- Ellie Holcomb: My Portion and My Strength
- Rend Collective: 10,000 Reasons
- Janice Gaines: Wait On You
- Jesus Culture: Set a Fire
- Kim Walker: Yield My Heart
- Bethel Music: Anchor
- Hillsong: Love Goes On
- Beckah Shae: Overflow
- Brothers McClurg: Lean Not
- Forever JONES: He Wants It All
- Fellowship Church: Everlasting God
With love & big smiles,
torrie
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