Was Blind But Now I See

This last week was a big day in history for our family.

Seven years ago on the weekend after Thanksgiving, Jared and I started dating.

Four years ago, I had life changing eye surgery.

Last year, we closed on our first house.

I've been very reflective this week on where I have been. I didn't have dating or marriage high on the list of things to do in college. Would it be nice to date? Sure. Were there guys interested in dating me? Yes. But I shrugged off one by one, more determined to focus on school and being the strong willed independent woman I wanted to be. Thank goodness God gave Jared the patience to wait my stubbornness out. He has helped me change into a better person. One that is more patient, more forgiving and less judgmental. I feel I still have a long way to go but I'm definitely better off with him!

Right before we got married I had eye surgery. I was legally blind and didn't have enough tissue on my eye to correct it via Lasik. However, I had the right doctor who knew the best surgeon who was able to do ICL surgery. It cost a fortune and I know how much my parents sacrificed for me to have this surgery. It has been one of the single life changing moments of my life. I remember growing up and getting my prescription adjusted every year. When we would go home I would marvel at the leaves on the trees and notice that we had our address number above our garage. But this was that on a whole different scale. I didn't know the world could be seen in HD after viewing it on a fuzzy box my whole life. I don't think I would appreciate the beauty of the world like I do today if I had not had the opportunity to have this surgery.

Last year was a life changing moment as well. Jared and I didn't just buy a house...we bought a HOME. It's a place I have been able to finally feel comfortable in. I wasn't just a passerby waiting for the next best thing. I was finally able to see and feel and decorate this space because it's my home. It's where we are going to raise our kids. It's where we are going to entertain our friends and family. It's where Jared and I will spend our good days and our bad days together. My PTSD has significantly reduced the frequency of rearing it's ugly head since moving in a year ago. Again, life changing.

As I reflect on these things, I can't help but remember Paul writing in 1 Corinthians that when we are younger in life, whether that be in our Christian walk or our physical life span, "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know it part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." I remember having so many questions after graduating college...even more than after graduating high school. Most of my questions can be summarized by "Now what?" It's so incredible that just a few years later I can look back and go, "Wow God. I had a big vision of what you wanted me to do. But the path that you took me down to get here is something only you could have dreamed up."

And it can all be summarized as grace.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
was blind but now I see.

Grace from God is what brought me to Jared. Grace from my parents is what allowed me to literally see. Grace is what allowed me to see metaphorically what God wanted me to do. Grace is what brought us to this home and this job and this amazing group of friends and family. I am truly thankful this Christmas season. It's the most content I have ever been in my life, and I am truly thankful.

Here's to what God is doing next.

Universal Encouragement

One of the many "fun" administrative jobs of mine is to send out our newsletter for our ministry every month. I always begin by dreading it. By the end I get excited by all I get to share about what's going on with our team!

I wrote this as an encouragement to our volunteers, but thought some of you could use it and apply it in our daily lives. Community is being slowly replaced by technology and it is crucial to God working in our lives!

"October is such a fun month. We have cooler temperatures, pumpkins are coming out. Everyone
seems to be on board with October being super fantastic.

What is also super fantastic is the teams we are building within Redeemed in Dallas. We have some
incredible people stepping up and answering the call God has put on their hearts to serve the women
who are being exploited within our city.

With all the awesome activity, the thing that has been on my heart has been the word "sustainability."
These women are used to people coming in and out of their life, never sticking around long term for
them. The question most people ask of them is "what can I get out of you?" We are working to have
them ask the question, "What does God think about you?"

We all know the answer to that is God hold us in high value. We are his most prized creation. He
knows our thoughts. He knows our hurts. He knows our dreams. He loves us unconditionally, which is a concept that is hard for us to wrap our heads around. But once these women know God is for them and not against them, we know it can turn their whole situation around.

So the question I ask of myself and our teams is how are we going to sustain these efforts to reach
these women? When burn out comes, when we experience fear, when life seems too complicated to
continue, how are we going to continue reaching out to these women who are desperately looking for
God's love? The answer is two fold: 1) continuing our personal walk with Christ, asking for him to
stretch time and energy so that we can obey the call and 2) reaching out to those we work with for
support and help with the things Satan is throwing at us to try to stop us.

Redeemed is unique in that we are not just a non-profit that you check in and out of in order to get
service hours or experience. Rather, we are a community of believers from all over the metroplex
gathering together in Christ to reach out to those in the darkest of situations and offer them a light of
hope. On top of that, God isn't just using us to change the lives of the women we minister to, but he's
using our community and those we volunteer with to change us to become more like Christ as well.

So I encourage you to not just check in and out and add this work to the list of things you do to be a
"good Christian." Rather I encourage you to really plug in and build community with the people doing this work alongside you. I know the people that have stepped up and volunteered for a while have already changed my life. I pray that God does the same in your life."

Time Travel

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Jared and I have found a new favorite nerdy TV show. It's not so new...but more new to us. It is none other than

Dr. Who

When it comes to cheesy British TV shows I have found that I'm a sucker. I absolutely know there are some jokes that just go way over my American head. But it's funny, witty and like any good sic-fy show, helps us to clarify our values as humans.

With Dr. Who on Netflix streaming in our house much more these days, it really does have me thinking about the past, present and future more. More specifically, what's on loop is the old adage that sometimes you have to look back at where you have been to determine where you should go next. With time continuums and alternate dimensions constantly being created by our choices no matter how small, I've been evaluating my own life in the scope of human history...which can get a bit overwhelming at times!

What I have boiled it down to is three things.

1. Dr. Who LOVES humans and sees the best in them.
Whenever he comes across some crisis that humans are about to overcome or they are on the verge of some scientific breakthrough, he is the human race's biggest fan. He doesn't let individual humans give in to defeatism. He praises humans for spanning time and space with their courage and bravery. When someone holds the human race back from their potential, he defeats them with a vengeance.

This is something that I feel like is missing in our culture today. I hear much in the political talk about how many talk show host don't have faith in the American public today to make good decisions. They begin to talk down to people who are low information voters and become just like the elitists you find on the progressive side of policies. Conservative or liberal, you cannot hold yourself higher in position than any other fellow human and be effective at bringing about change.

Imagine if we did believe in ourselves. Imagine if we kept believing that we really could make changes for the better and actively made them happen right now. Imagine if we didn't give in and acquiesce to a challenge just because it got hard. Disney didn't let that stop him from making Snow White or Disneyland. Reagan effected great change politically because he believed in the American public. Dr. Who doesn't dismiss the defects humans have but rather encourages humans to work past them.

2. Dr. Who just simply loves to explore new places.
I think this is lost on many of us as human beings. Even myself who loves to travel likes having a home and a schedule. It's hard for me to wrap my brain around how Dr. Who literally never has a normal day. He never has a schedule or relationships (other than the revolving door of girls that come in and out of his life). But his thirst for knowledge drives him to see and explore so many new places.

Sometimes as humans we tend to lose that sense of adventure and prefer our couches in front of the TV instead of experiencing the world around us. I hope that we never lose that desire to travel and learn from other people that we meet...even if the relationships only last for a short time.

3. Dr. Who is always regenerating.
Usually he regenerates after something catastrophic has happened. Literally, his cells reorganize and he becomes as completely new human being. He has to rediscover his own personality and his own likes and dislikes. While biologically we as humans may not regenerate I believe we spiritually and emotionally regenerate. Usually, if you think about it, after a very traumatic and trying time. It's that moment when you realize that you don't have that job you wanted and so you rethink everything you wanted to do in your career. It's that moment a relationship breaks down. It's that time when you have to overcome a physical ailment. People relate it to life breaking down your old walls and you having to rebuild them all over again.

But what's cool is those are the moments you get to discover a whole new self. You can discover that you really can overcome your fear of heights or can run further. You might discover you actually like escargot after years of avoiding it. Or that person you thought didn't like you can actually become a good friend. Your little stone shack just got knocked down but a beautiful castle is being built up in it's place.

And if you want to bring it full circle, the times when you feel like you have to regenerate are those times when it is most critical to see the best in your future. To believe the future can be greater than before.

Thankfully, I'm not at a point where I feel like I have a cataclysmic regeneration going on right now. But I am still growing and changing and learning about myself and where I'm going. I believe Dr. Who is so popular because he is the one who gives us hope. While the future may be daunting and scary and unknown it is also our untapped potential. If we hold on to that adventurous spirit and believe that we can always be improving individually, we will be able to really do all the amazing things that we see on the Dr. Who show!

“We’re all stories, in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?”

— The Doctor, Season 5, Episode 13

New Stuff in the LLDC Store!

We have been working hard in the shop to develop some great stuff! Here's what's new!

Inspired by our love for adventure and the movie UP! we designed this fantastic sign to add happiness and whimsy to your home! No matter your age or where you come from, there is always a new adventure waiting for you!

It's football season! We are celebrating by making school pride Texas'! We started with our home roots, the Coppell Cowboys! Be sure to stay tuned for all the other fantastic schools we have in the works!

When God Says No

Growing up I always wanted to be an astronaut. My copy of "Flying to the Moon" by Michael Collins has a lot of wear and tear over the years from reading it constantly, only interrupted by homework and dance lessons. I did my research papers on astronauts. My drawings were of space. I remember looking through the telescope with my dad at planets and waking up at 3 AM to watch meteor showers from my backyard. We went to NASA in both Houston and Florida. My living statue assignment was on the Challenger teacher Christa McAuliffe...proof that someone "ordinary" could become an astronaut had the space shuttle actually worked. I watched Star Wars, wondering if I would someday find other planets to live on. I dreamed of becoming the first person on Mars.

But even after all of this, I distinctly remember struggling in math my junior year of high school and praying to God, "Is being an astronaut what you want me to do?" While I never heard a voice, I remember my heart going numb, knowing that wasn't going to be where He was leading me. I was distraught. I didn't know what else I would do.

And then life took it's turns. I didn't get the grades. I struggled with physics. I had my own mental issues to deal with much less think of solving how to get to Mars. My interest in space turned into music, art, biochemistry...more, Earthly things. I still however, catch myself staring up, looking for stars and wondering if someone or something else is looking at our star and dreaming of other planets as well.

When I still catch myself looking up at the stars I keep wondering what was the reasoning God designed my life this way. Honestly, I don't think I will every get the answer to it until I get to heaven. But let's speculate, based on what we know, shall we?

Reasons why I wanted to be an astronaut:
1. I wanted to do what was considered impossible.
2. I wanted to explore new worlds.
3. I wanted to fly a plane.
4. I wanted to be famous and inspire other people.

Do we notice a pattern with all my reasons? They all start with "I." Also, think about this...NASA has been shut down due to budget cuts. There are no missions to space in the exact time frames I would have been looking for a job as an astronaut. Currently they are being used to produce facts about climate change...and we all know how I feel about that...

The Bible says in Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Many people told me this as a kid when I told them the big plans I had for my life. But what they didn't tell me was that it was coupled with Psalm 37:3 "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness." 

While my intentions may have been good in all my reasons to be an astronaut, God wasn't at the center of what I desired. I loved God, and I wanted Him to make me an astronaut. I was viewing God as a cosmic blessing on my plans and my dreams instead of trusting in the Lord and doing good, even when disappointment and chaos reigned in my life. If I had not been faithful with what God was calling me to do, I wouldn't have met my deepest desire...to inspire and help other people to be better versions of themselves. Had I gone down the space path, at least up to this point in my lifetime, my dreams would have been crushed. Meanwhile, God has formed me and shaped me into ministry where I get to work with - and hopefully help people - become better versions of themselves every day with God being the power behind my work. In a way, I am getting to do my original #1 reason I wanted to be an astronaut...I'm doing what most people consider impossible.

While I know it's a limited view right now, it's enough to step back and say, "Wow God, you really had my back on that one." I'm sure it will become more and more evident as time goes on why I'm on this road, but it's enough to look to the sky and say even "if we are faithless, [God] remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself." (2 Timothy 2:13b)

So for now my exploration of space will be limited to the new Star Wars in December and watching the new TV series of "Astronaut Wives." I'll pull the start chart out every once in a while while we are camping and dream other planets from the back of our truck. But on the bright side, God still hasn't closed the door on me learning how to fly a plane. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

So I've recently been out of the loop on blogging. For good reason! It's been a bit of an introspective season of my life. I'm learning to be discreet with my words, including blogging, and not just spewing out dirty laundry whenever I feel like it.

I have been learning something very important though. I have talked about having dreams and longings that God has put deep in my heart. I greatly wish for people to get to know Jesus, especially kids. I long for women who have been broken by he sin of this world to have their hope restored by Him. I long to push myself and do things that I never thought I could in order to push my faith and keep myself constantly depending on God to show me the way.

All these dreams are good and in my eyes, worthy of pursing. I have taken the time to mull them over in my mind. Set up reminders of what my dreams are in my room. I've internalized them and set up my life around them.

But no one told me what happens when you take your dreams from that lofty space in your head and then try to birth them into the world.

The world has humans in it and therefore, is messy.

People either try to tell you your dream isn't good or worth pursuing. "It's a waste of time and talent!" Situations can place obstacles in your way that you have to overcome. There might be people who oppose your dream and directly try to stop it.

But what I've learned is that the important thing about bringing dreams into the world is focus. It's so easy to get caught up in the things that are impeding your dream that you focus on those rather than why you started the process of bringing your dreams into reality. Recently, I had a Sunday at church where everything seemed to be going wrong. While we had a "great" weekend as far as programing and tons of kids, I considered the weekend a miss because I focused on all the things that went wrong instead of pushing on and focusing on connecting to the parent's and kids that God brought to church that morning. I can get so focused on all the things that don't go right, that I forget to do the thing that I came to do in the first place!

This is the mentality that makes or breaks dreams. When I first started running, I thought that I had to follow a training schedule perfectly. And if I missed a workout, then the whole dream was ruined because I didn't do it perfectly. But that's the mentality the devil wants us to have when it comes to furthering the Kingdom of God. God doesn't demand perfection. He just asks for you to bring everything that you have. He then takes your natural and makes it supernatural.

So as you pursue your dreams, whether it be training for a big race or changing the world, don't forget to keep the vision of your dream the focus of your work. Don't get distracted by what isn't going the way you want it to. Simply bring you best, and let God do the rest!

Nike Woman's Half Marathon

I knew it had been a while since I posted. But I didn't know it had been THIS long!

Also late, is my post about our recent trip and race in Washington D.C.! Mom and I had a blast touring and racing. I PRed by 8.5 minutes on a gorgeous course. The race was really well run. But don't take my word for it. See for yourself!

Things I've Learned From My Dog

She's cuddly. She's furry. She begs for all of my food. She's my loveable, adorable dog.

But the story of what I've learned from Duchess, goes way further back. Back to before I even was thinking where I'd go to college or who I'd marry.

My mom got me involved in dance. I think the incessant dancing naked around the house with my towel as my cape after baths (while listening to Disney songs) tipped her off about my love for dance. That love for dance turned into dance class almost every day of the week, for about two or three hours each day. Even though I constantly looked at the clock during class to see when it was time to go, I think this exercise routine really prepped my body for doing high intensity workouts for long periods of time.

After I had to quit dance due to my over-commitment to extra curricular activities, I still exercised. While band required me to spend two hours every day in the sun, I began to get involved in running. I had always wanted to be a runner. But when I'd go try to reenact my Pocahontas "Colors of the Wind" routine, I'd always be winded just by running a few steps. Back then, 10 minutes of running/walking around the small pond was, in my opinion, a difficult workout. I'd do Pilates, kickboxing with mom, walking and weight lifting, but running was always my secret ambition.

College brought along sporadic running with my roommates, but nothing to really be consistent about. And with busy schedules during the summer of my junior and senior year, exercise had really fallen off the radar. It was an occasional blip on the horizon.

So when we got Duchess, we knew that she would be a big ball of energy. I mean, just look at her when she was a puppy!

She's 10 weeks old in this picture!

It was love at first sight!

Jared and Duchess playing!

But I was excited about her being a giant fluffy energy ball. I knew that it was going to force me to take her on walks and be active. I wanted to get back to being active and moving! But when we took her on these walks, we quickly realized this husky/lab pup liked walks. But what she really loved, was running.

So as she got older, Jared and I started an exercise routine with her. We would go run in the neighborhood, working on just being able to run a mile without walking. Duchess would be so happy on runs. Even today, she gets so excited she just pulls us along. We just have to move our feet to go forward. She thinks she's a sled dog. She loves it when we run "in formation" with her in front and dead center of Jared and I. When it's just Duchess and I, she loves running right beside me.

I'm often chasing these two on our runs!

But as my dream for running a marathon grew, she became a part of that training process. When I wanted to just sit on the couch, she would be so disappointed if we didn't get out there and run.

Mom? Are we going running today?

She's so excited to go running!

She trained right along side me. We started out with those 30 second intervals a year and a half ago, and now she's doing up to 10 miles with me in the blistering 32 degree winter wind (5 if it's hot!). We come home from those long runs, and she wants to play as if we didn't just cover some serious milage!

She's post-run cooling in front of the fan...

...five minutes later, she wants to play!

Tug of war is her favorite!

What I've learned from her is that running is supposed to be fun. When we first start to run, she looks back at me with that little happy trot and it's like she's telling me this is the best thing ever! She's become the best running buddy ever. She loves to run so much, it makes me smile and makes those long, solo runs more enjoyable.

Post run shenanigans in the car!

Second thing I've learned from her, is to see the world with wonder. We almost always see a bobcat or armadillo on our runs (sometimes raccoons!) and she thinks these animals are new found friends. She gets to excited to try to meet them. Poor dog doesn't realize that's not a good idea, but that's not the point. Even if it's a person on rollerblades, she thinks every new thing is a fantastic, new experience and she gets so excited to meet new people and do new things.

That leads me into the next thing I've learned from Duchess. She loves people. She's learned to "defend the fortress" when we are home, but she loves meeting all the people we pass in the parks and loves kids! We often stop and let kids pet her and she gets so many compliments from people passing by on how pretty she is. I wish I could love people as unconditionally as her.

Turkey Trot this year, she's wondering when we can start running and meeting new dogs!

So as we are in the final preparations of our marathon training and in the peak week with our 20 mile run (that she won't get to join us on) I have to say I love this dog. She's an amazing friend and companion through all the crazies of life. She has taught me so much about running and loving people. She's become the catalyst to help me dream and stick to my marathon training when I wanted to quit. I wish I could give her a medal or something for all the miles she's put in with me. But let's be honest. She's a dog. And I think she would rather just have me take her out on a bonus run as a reward. :)

You are a Treasure

Hello everyone! I hope you all are having as beautiful fall weather as we have been.

We just recently got the opportunity to go camping. It was amazing! We went to Lake Mineral Wells and it reminded me of my childhood a bit, camping with my dad and other Indian Princesses with the YMCA. While it was a bit on the chilly side, we enjoyed our time hiking and spending time together. Some of the views of the lake we had were breathtaking and the sunsets were some of the prettiest colors. I love waking up in the middle of the night and seeing stars shining through the ceiling of the tent. Not to mention the amazing food you get to eat on camping trips (hello s'mores!).

While we were out there, we took the time to assess what's going on in our lives. We ask each other what we are learning, what we like and dislike, how can we make things better. The whole time we were out there, I was constantly asking God what was he trying to teach me? What was new that I needed to hear?

Thing is, there wasn't anything new. But what kept coming to my head was the amazing love that God has for us. I've recently wondered about the people that robbed our house. If I had a son, would I be willing to let him die to save the murderers that came into our house and stole our security? Honestly, I wouldn't be able to. Momma bear would come out and protect my son at all costs. But that's what God sees when he looks at us. He sees a bunch of murderers, adulterers, liars, thieves and worriers. But he was willing to give up what was most precious to him in order to save us.

I recently discovered that I had been taught a parable wrong. For the longest time, I heard the parables of what the kingdom of heaven is like:

Matthew 13:44-46

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he found a pearl of great value, he went out and sold everything he had and bought it." 

For the longest time, I read these out of context and didn't associate it with the surrounding text. I had been taught that this is how we should treat God. God is like a treasure or a pearl hidden in a field. Once we find him, we should give up everything for him. 

This is of course, really hard for humans to do. We love our TV, our food, our friendships, our jobs, our houses and to give up everything for Him is something not easily attained. Even if it is attained, I feel like a little bit of resentment sets in, especially when hard times hit. 

But the beauty of this passage is that it doesn't talk about our relationship towards God. This passage talks about God's relationship to us.

Add in the last parable:

Matthew 13:47-50

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea that caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, they pulled it ashore, sat down, and put the good fish into containers and threw the bad away. It will be this way at the end of the age. Angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, ⁶²  where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

When we add this parable in, we see that God is the one doing the acting. God is the one finding the treasures and the pearls and selling everything for them. God is the one that is catching the fish and bringing ones who have accepted his gift of eternal life into heaven. These passages tell us that God finds us as valuable as treasure. As beautiful as pearls. He gave everything up for us. He didn't do it because he had to. He did it because he loves us. Add in, God isn't the one hidden! God is right there, pursuing us. Wanting a relationship with us!

How wonderful is it to realize that God isn't demanding everything of us in order to follow him? He wants to meet us where we are and treats us like gold, no matter where in life we are. From personal experience, I have found the more I walk with him the more I grow to love him and allow him to change every bit of me. I talked about dreams in my previous blog. God took my small dreams and exchanged them for big, abundant dreams. I know that he will never give me a dream that he won't work out in due time. 

You may not feel like gold. You may feel dirty because you know God wouldn't approve of things in your life. But he doesn't hold those against you like some tally sheet. He values you way more than he values your shortcomings. When God chooses people in the Bible, he doesn't choose good people who happen to mess up later. He chooses messed up people in the first place and they happen to keep continuing to mess up, just because they are human! But God uses them and we still talk about the amazing things they did today!

My encouragement to you today is to hold on to the fact that God loves you. He values you more than you believe. He knew you couldn't overcome the debt that you have for your sins and so he sent the only person that could pay your debt. It's the unwavering theme of laying one's life down for love that we find in life and it's nothing new. But it is still as profound today as the first time we hear it!

Tangled Dreams

So in anticipation of our Disney run coming up (wohoo WDW Marathon!) Jared and I have been getting into the mood by watching some of our favorite Disney movies...including some ones that we are a little bit behind on, and hadn't watched yet.

One of those was Tangled. Let me say, it's my new favorite!

First off, this girl has as many hobbies as I do!

She reads more than I do!

Her mom lets her paint on the wall too!

She knits! Needless to say, I never had a chameleon sitting in my knitting...

So within 10 minutes of the movie, I'm already in love with this girl. I've been described by others as ...mmmmmm.... passionate. I have so many emotions. When they come up though, they are super extreme.

First thrill of leaving the tower!

Then, she starts feeling guilty about lying.

But then she's elated and running around! I love Flynn's expression in this picture!

Then she is at a low point again, feeling like the worst daughter ever.

Next moment she's swinging from the tree singing, "BEST DAY EVER!!!!"

Then she's face down feeling like a despicable human being...

I feel like this explains Jared and I's relationship pretty well. I go all extreme, and he just bears with me! Talk about true love!

But despite the love story, the happily ever after, the witty points of the creators in the movie, the dramatic death with the extra-dramatic bringing back to life moment... I feel there is one moment in this movie where it is the most tender, the most simple and the most profound.

Right before she is about to see the lanterns, Rapunzel is worried. When Flynn asks what's wrong, she says she's terrified. What if her dream isn't everything she hoped for? Or worse...what if it is? What then?

As a dreamer, I've often had this moment. I've been dreaming about running the Disney marathon. I often have the fear that I go through all this training, put in the hours and the miles (and my mom's money since it's my birthday, Christmas, and birthday gift all combined) and it's not everything I dreamed of. What if something goes wrong? What if I get injured or sick and can't race? What if I can't finish?

I had this line of thinking with my wedding day. After the waiting and the planning and the anticipation, what if it wasn't everything I dreamed of? I've had this moment in ministry. Planning events and hoping for people to come. What if they don't? What happens if nobody comes or cares?

Flynn tells Rapunzel that this moment with them in the boat watching the lanterns will be everything that she dreams of. And I think this is important. If we focus on the negative points, we will never enjoy the moment that we have been waiting for. We will never be free to just enjoy it. Then, he says something very profound. Once you've lived your dream, you get to go find a new one!

Marathoners often experience Post-Marathon-Syndrome. They've worked so hard towards this marathon that in the aftermath, they start looking around and go, "Ok. Did that. What now?" Newlyweds often have Post-Wedding-Syndrome, where now that the hype of the wedding is over, they look at each other and go, "Now what?" New moms can have Post-Baby-Depression (there's a clinical term for that which I'm blanking on right now) where they have anticipated this baby and now that it's here, they go, "What do I do with this thing???"

But here's the deal. If our dreams and desires are in line with God's heart and His plan, our moments where dreams are realized are going to be way more amazing than we could have ever dreamed. Earlier I wrote a blog about the garage sale I did for my kids. All that work and stress and God blessed it three times over what I was hoping and dreaming for. Then, God gave me new dreams and gave me the directions on where to take them. This past week has been one that I have been really doubting the dreams. I've been doubting if they would come true at all. If they did, would they will be everything I hoped for?

But the truth is, I've seen God work in my life. I've seen him bring dream after dream to life and he has never failed to give me a dream that he wouldn't work out in it's due time.

So today I want to encourage you, never stop dreaming! Ask God to give you dreams and desires that fall into his heart. Give up ok, self made dreams for great, God given ones. Don't give up hope on your God given dreams, and when doubt comes, trust in Him to bring you through.

And then when it happens, we will all look like this, entering the Kingdom of God!

At this point in the movie, Jared looks over and says, "You didn't tell me they filmed you going into Disney World!!"

Have a great rest of your day!! Love you all!