What's on your heart today?

I kept thinking this morning, as I was getting ready, what am I going to blog about today?  

And as I kept trying to force my mind to come up with a brilliant idea, the only thought that kept repeating was, "what is on your heart today?"  I tried to push that idea away many times, because there isn't just one thing on my heart, there are so many...

How could I even begin to narrow down all the things on my heart and mind today? But then I thought, why narrow them down? Why not share them? Because if we are honest with ourselves, we all have a lot on our minds and hearts and mental plates everyday!

Well, here's mine....getting in a walk today (which I have challenged myself to do daily, and haven't done for four days now), promoting the upcoming motherhood anthology "I Heart Mom" that I am a featured author in, which is coming out April 1st; continuing to work on my first nonfiction book, which includes publisher proposal, one sheet, new headshots, and more completed chapters to present to the publisher.  Ugh.  

And then there's family things, like single parenting for five days (when you are not used to that, it feels like a lot), finances, a very messy house, back pain, and so much more.

Okay, enough about me.  Like I said, I feel really confident that my readers all have plenty on their hearts today (and most every day) too.  So what are we to do about the sheer volume of thoughts and plans and chores and dreams that are on our hearts at any given time?

Psalm 26:2 

Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.

If I consider my overwhelming days, tests from the Lord, I tend to learn a lot from them!   I don't know about you, but I definitely need occasional reminders of what is most important in life.  Our overwhelmed schedules eventually force us to choose.  To choose what to make time for, and what to let drop.  To choose who to care for that day or week, and who can handle things on their own...

I find that these "tests" from the Lord, constantly cause me to "examine my heart and mind", and re-ground myself to the priorities that I have chosen in my life.

My priorities are things like, my children, my ministry, my church volunteering....

Take a moment to "examine your heart and mind", and refresh your priorities....... 

Those priorities are likely treasures, the true and immeasurable blessings, that God has gifted you with.

Matthew 6:21 

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I believe that God wants us to search each morning, as to "What is on our hearts today"?  But then,

as we prioritize in this crazy busy life, we must constantly and continually compare what is on our hearts, with where our "Treasures" in life lie.

Click to Tweet!

The points, in that lengthy list that is weighing on our hearts, where our treasures collide with the 'lists'; those are the blessings to keep on your heart and mind today.

Let's narrow down that list, one day at a time! 

What's on your heart TODAY? 

Hugs & Blessings to you all!

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Available April 1st!
A Motherhood Anthology, "I Heart Mom"

Motherhood... one word that can mean so many different things.
We have brought together 20 amazing authors who have shared their real experience with motherhood; their truth in the most honoring of ways.
Real struggles
 Real sacrifice
Real-life situations
​Get ready for the realities of realmotherhood to rock your world!

Email me to Reserve your copy today!  
frommylifetoyourheart@gmail.com

What's this all about Lord?

Have you ever had a Time in life when you know that God is trying to tell you something, but you can't define what? 

You wonder what the signs are supposed to be. Or are they even signs? 

Well, here is my odd predicament that I just can't figure out...

It has been going on for years too. 

It started about eight years ago, when my husband and I took our first trip without the kids. We planned everything to a T (in my normal, perfectionist manner) but while in Mexico, one of our lined up caregivers got pneumonia and ended up in hospital. One of my largest memories of that time in Mexico, was worrying about my children, because my plan for them did not work out. I also worried about the caregivers, that they would burn out. (cause my kids were young, and a handful! :) )

The enjoyment of the trip was definitely squashed by this inconvenience and added worry. That was the first time, and I didn't think anything of it... 

Then......wait, that is not entirely true, my husband and I did say on the way home from that trip, "maybe we are not supposed to travel without the kids." 

So, the next time that we tried, four whole years later, we left on a bus trip to an NFL game. 

Wouldn't you know it, our first night there, one of our children fell and bit through his tongue. I still remember the phone call, with the child crying and in pain, and about the blood... We had taken a bus to our destiny, so there was no running home early. So once again we sat through the remainder of our time away, worrying about the children. 

And the time away that was supposed to fill our souls on that break, was unattainable. 

Again, we said to each other once home, "we really are not supposed to go anywhere without our kids"... 

Then, I kid you not, almost exactly four years later, we bravely decided to give it a try again... 

We bought tickets for a wonderful live concert, and booked non-refundable hotel rooms.  This time, the travel was just to the other side of our state, so that we wouldn't be too far away. In case the inevitable might happen. 

Unfortunately, this 3rd try was just last weekend.  And wouldn't you know, on the day we were supposed to leave, we had a child on his 6th day in bed with influenza; on his 6th day of a high fever.  And it didn't look very promising that he would miraculously snap out of it once we left... 

So, we very reluctantly cancelled our trip. We tried everything that we could too cancel the hotel, but knew it was non-refundable when we booked it.  We also tried every method known to us to sell the expensive concert tickets, starting 48 hours before the concert, and still no luck. 

There were seats at that awesome concert with no one in them. 

Now, these things that happened, the injuries, illness, and money lost, are not that big of a deal. They certainly aren't major life events or anything.  But they were enough to dampen our trips, in different ways each time.

And what about the consistency; every four years we try again to go on a trip, and every time, something happens to decrease our enjoy-ability or to make the trip unrealistic all together. 

What is that about? I find myself on this, "third time is the charm", round, of this repeating life story....   I keep wondering, what the heck is God trying to tell me? What message am I supposed to be getting from this repetition of events? 

There's got to be something, right? Is it that I'm not supposed to leave my children behind? Is it that I'm not supposed to spend money on trips, and God wants me to stay home and give away more of my extra? 

Is it that my husband and I are supposed to learn how to reconnect and renew within our own home or our own town? 

I don't know. But I do know that it has been frustrating!

So I looked into God's word to see if I could find an answer there...

Proverbs 16:9

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps"

In Matthew 16:24, Jesus insists that if anyone has a plan to follow Him, "he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me".

Dave Keehn says in his Blog post titled When God Changes our Plans, "That is why, when God changes my plans, I must refocus my mind, asking what is God's design for this moment"

And Dave Keehn concludes, "When God changes our plans, look for His blessing of something new and unexpected.  While the pain of loss may be very real, God's grace is sufficient to carry us into His next steps for our lives."

Well, those are beautiful passages, and although they make me feel a bit better, they do not explain to me the reason why.....

But, I remain convinced, that there is a reason for these repetitive occurrences, and in God's time, He will reveal the lesson to me!   

In God's time, He will reveal the lesson to me!                                   Click to Tweet

In the meantime, at least I have developed a new level of appreciation for God's timing, and I wait, expectantly, to find out what His plan has in store for me (and my family) next! 

Live life as a Warrior, not as a Worrier

That title quote came from a great book I just read, "Fear Fighting" by Kelly Balarie.  

The full sentence from the book was " I don't want to live life as a wreak; I want to live life as a worshiper and a warrior, not a worrier".  

What a great sentence! That about sums it up for me. Sometimes I feel like a wreck, when all I want to be is a worshiper and Warrior for Him!

We all need reminding, often, that we can be a great warrior for God, even in the little things we do each day.

Let me share with you some wonderful quotes from this great book....these caused me to do some soul-searching...

"It is imperative we stand united so when fear tries to knock us over into failure (which tends to disguise itself as the pursuit of perfection), we rise as a red-rover band of women unbroken."

"If you spend your whole life grasping for happy in the future, you’ll end up missing God’s transformation in the present. You’ll run after something but you’ll never catch it."

"...reality sometimes makes me ask myself, How do you chase God when a whole lot of cruddy stuff is always nipping at your heels?"

"...to believe is to relieve the tension of what is to come. You hand over your will and then rest arrives."

Okay, let's tackle that first quote about the Red-Rover band of women... Maybe you didn't get the image in your mind the first time you read it, but let me help you. Remember when you used to play Red Rover Red Rover? You linked hands and tried as hard as you could to hold on and not let anyone through your line. Well this is what us women need to live like. Imagine, if we all held on tightly to all the women around us, to beat the negativity that comes our way day in and day out. Imagine if we fought societies expectations together, rather than inflicting them upon each other. We could be an Unstoppable Force!

That 2nd quote above; wow!  I was just at a Women's conference this weekend, and heard the very same thought there too.  We are so wrapped up in making plans for the future, that we often miss the beauty in the moment right in front of us.   Ladies, let's try to be more cognizant of the wonderful blessings in each moment of TODAY. 

The third quote, to me, speaks about the speed of our ever busy lives.  The large number of chaotic "messes" that we get into and crawl out of, each and every day.   With all of that, where is there time to meditate over God's beautiful word or to knell in silent prayer?   

And lasty, of course, the reminder, the ever needed reminder, that we need not fear ANYTHING if we only believe.  If you trust and fully believe God's promises, there is no need to fear! 

The Book Fear Fighting by Kelly Balarie is just an all around, beautiful reminder of the strength that fear has over us, and the power that faith has against it!  

I would strongly recommend this book! 

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DEAR FRIENDS: Please help me out! 

I am entereing this Blog Post in a competition, in which the prize is a Publisher meeting or a Litterary Agent Meeting!!!! 

This is a HUGE opportunity for me, especially since I am already working on my 1st book! 

PLEASE, follow this link and VOTE FOR my post! 

I would really appreciate your vote!! 

To VOTE, Click here, and then scroll to the bottom of your screen and enter simply the number 51 in the comments to vote for me!! I would be honored if you would share this post with friends and encourage them to vote as well! Thanks so much dear friends!  

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You can check out more information about this book and about Kelly Balarie at www.fearfightingbook.com 

and www.purposefulfaith.com 

Pause

In this constantly busy, ever moving life, the power of Pause can be hard to experience.  

Today, while running my morning errands, I was given a very beautiful opportunity to Pause.

If you've been reading my Blog for a while, you probably will recall that music is a large part of who I am.   One song can change my day for the better, and the days that I get to sing, are the best days! 

If you look at the date of this post, you will also see that today is Valentine's Day.   As a person who tries not to fall prey to the commercialization of all of these "holidays", I don't have much planned today.   I did however, stop and buy a heart shaped cake to share with my family.   

While at the grocery store, standing in line to pay, I was blessed with a day-changing gift, and a cherished moment of Pause.

A group of 6 men, walked into the grocery store near me, in tuxedos with red ties and cummerbunds.  They proceeded to deliver a "Singing Valentine" to a woman working at the grocery store.  They gave a stellar performance!  They sang an entire song, at length, with beautiful harmony.   The woman receiving the song was smiling so broadly, and then happy tears began to flow down her face.  

This was a touching moment for me, to Pause and witness, for many reasons...

* The gift these men were sharing with so many people, by sharing their talented voices, was deeply inspiring. 

* The dedication they showed to creating pure awe with each word they sang, showed a true example of "love your neighbor as yourself", in that they sought to spend their whole day making others day wonderful. 

* The beauty of watching to recipient of this gift, be so deeply touched by it, was enough alone, to be grateful for having shared in that moment;  and she was a total stranger. 

* The peacefulness that my soul felt, in those brief moments of Pause, was powerful!   In those moments, I was reminded of the kindness humanity is capable of.  I was reminded of the power of Pause, grasped whenever we can, throughout the never-ending tasks of our days. 

Job 37:14

Pause a moment, Job, and listen;

consider the wonderful things God does.

Pause, dear children of God, Pause......

Then, blessed once again, as I sit here in Starbucks Pausing from daily life, to type this post; I looked up the origin of Job 37, and this is all I needed to know...

"Then the Lord spoke to Job, out of the storm......"

Now that verse takes on even more meaning!  So often in the midst of our minor storms, our trials during the journey of motherhood, and throughout the journey of this life, for that matter; we need to be reminded right from the middle of each storm, to Pause to notice the wonderful things around us! Click To Tweet

That special moment in the grocery store this morning, that caused me to pause and soak in the beauty of those God-given voices and those joy-filled tears, blessed my day too.  So, as I walk into the rest of my busy day today, I am refreshed by the joy that overcame me, in that moment of Pause.

May your days be filled with small, beautiful pauses, that remind you of God glory and presence, even in the midst of storms! 

"Fruitful Lives", my Guest Post on Real Women Ministries

Hello Readers! 

This week, please enjoy my Guest Post for Real Women Ministries, titled "Fruitful Lives".    This  post focuses on Galatians 5:22-23, and is part of a series on Real Women Ministries, about Fruits of the Spirit. 

Check it out here:  Fruitful Lives post

Blessings to your week! 

Where can Hope be Found?

"Where Can Hope be Found?" 

Thanks to my new friend in ministry, Joan Gallagher, with Women Mentoring Women, I have begun a new journey this January, to learn more about HOPE. 

Please enjoy this post on Joan's Blog (click the link below), that her and I worked on together.  It is very uplifting! 

"Where Can Hope Be Found" joangallaghernowo.com

Also, check out Joan's NEW BOOK, "Hope Markers", 
to dive deeper in to seeing God's Amazing Plan for your life! 

It is available NOW on amazon.com,  
Click Here to Order!

Looking Forward to 2017

I am so very excited for a new year to begin! 2016 was a long and emotional year, and I am very ready to move on from it! 

Yesterday, I saw this post by a friend on Facebook, and responded "My Sentiments Exactly": 

"Dear 2016, 
We've been through so much together.  It's not you, it's me.  I've got to be moving along now.  I will always remember you." 

The feelings of moving on, moving forward, in to a new year are overwhelming me with excitement!   I cannot wait to see what God and 2017 have in store for me! 

And, I hope and pray every day, that it is an 'upgrade' from 2016! 

I decided to chose a Bible passage to start off 2017 with, and to make it my 'theme' of the coming year.  In the very beginning of my search for the perfect passage, I came upon 'the one'.   
Psalm 103:1-5
Praise the Lord, I tell myself, 
With my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 
Praise the Lord, I tell myself, 
and never forget the good things He does for me. 
He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases. 
He ransoms me from death
and surrounds me with love and tender mercies. 
He fills my life with good things
so that my Youth is renewed like the eagles's. 

My interpretation, in relation to 2017 and myself, is a follows: 
Never stop praising the Lord! 
Notice and rejoice in all good things He does for and in me!
Remember, every day, the mercies of the Lord! 
The Lord loves me more than words can express. 
When I am tired, look to Him for strength and renewal.

Wow!  That turned out to be a great theme for 2017!

Going in to the new year, 2017, I strongly encourage you to: 
*Turn your complaints in to Praise.
*Magnify all good things in your life.
*Remember that you are forgiven.
*Look to the Lord to heal all your ills. 
*Remember how much He loves you. 
*Thank God daily for His mercies. 
*Focus on all your blessings.
*Fly through adversity like a youthful Eagle, and don't let anything bring you down! 

"I'm Dreaming of a Peace-Filled Christmas"

I just sat down to write a holiday blog post, and I am listening to Elvis Presley's "White Christmas".  I caught myself changing to words to "Peace-Filled Christmas"...

I'm Dreaming of a Peace-Filled Christmas. I am. 

Wow. The Lord just handed me my post topic! (I love it when that happens!)   

Unfortunately, this year's Holiday post is not going to be of the same joyful-spirit that it usually is; but I certainly hope that my words can help others out there that are hurting this Holiday season. 

You see, this year December is very different for me than any other December that I have lived.  

I have lost someone and Christmas can be a difficult time to grieve. 

My Christmas planning partner and shopping sharer from years past is not around to enjoy the season with this year. My 1st mate for attending Holiday concerts and wine tastings is not available to go with me this year and it has changed my holiday spirit dramatically.  

The biggest Christmas wish that I make, over and over, year after year, above all else, is that every human being be surrounded with love, at some point during the Christmas season. 

Baby Jesus was completely surrounded by love!  I mean, he was immediately, unconditionally loved by his mother, who did not plan nor expect the pregnancy.   He and his mother were surrounded with the love of Joseph, who accepted that he didn't have a hand in creating this baby, yet he loved Jesus just the same. Even strangers traveled to surround Jesus with love.  

I guess, if I am to be completely honest, this holiday season, I am a little envious of the immediate and unconditional love that Baby Jesus was surrounded with.  Of course the Savior of the World certainly was deserving, and the amazing miracle of Jesus birth is a story matched by none! But, don't we all need and deserve a little love? 

So, I've come to the conclusion that the best way for me to make my Holiday Season brighter, is to share my love with others!  I intend to brighten the season for others around me, and in turn spread the Love of Jesus and the Joy of Christmas to those I encounter.  

Please join me in spreading the Love of this time of year to people around you!  Fill a void for someone in need of holiday joy and make your journey to Christmas brighter too! 

Guest Post on "Striving To Be A Godly Woman"

Check out my Guest Post titled: 

"I Want My Children to Feel God’s Peace!" 

as a part of the Parenting Like God Series.

Here is the link - https://kerimosier.com/2016/11/03/i-want-my-children-to-feel-gods-peace-the-parenting-like-god-series/

Enjoy! 

True Friendship

Ephesians 4:29-32 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

"True Friendship"....what are the characteristics of a true friend?   "Kind, tenderhearted, forgiving"....and I would add, trustworthy, caring, unselfish, and fun!   That certainly is not a complete list of the traits of a true friend, but it is a start...these are certainly the traits that I have been searching for all my life!  

In Ephesians, Paul writes about the traits of a true friend...

Paul was writing about union with Christ, but this certainly also applies to our lives and our friendships of all kinds!

Let's take a closer look at the above verses:

"No corrupting talk...but only for building up...to give grace..."   Wow!   That is quiet a trait!  I try to BE this friend, and always have.  How very important it is, especially for women, to have friends that build them up, not tear them down!   To have people in your life that give you grace in your weaknesses, is so powerful!  Giving grace to another, allows them to further give grace to themselves!  I have lived many situations where my friends have chose to condemn me, rather than give grace, and from experience, I can BOLDLY say, that grace from the people that surround us, is an important part of the road to giving grace to yourself! 

"Grieve the Holy Spirit", this means do not hurt your friends with your transgressions. Do not involve your friends.  Do not cause your friends to be burdened by your transgressions.  This does not mean that we shouldn't talk through life's difficult moments and situations with friends; no, it means that we should not overdo it, to the point that they are burdened too.  The only friend that naturally helps us carry our burdens, is our Heavenly Father!! 

And what a WONDERFUL friend He is! 

With a true friend, in a true and great friendship, there should be no "bitterness...anger....or slander".   True friends lift us up.  Good friends do not put us down, to others or to our faces.  Friends should strive to be calm and supportive in all things! 

Now, all that being said, I have realized over many years, that the ONLY being capable of holding true to those standards of a True Friend, all the time, is God!    I have learned to share all of my burdens, all of my trials, all of my happiness, all of my thoughts and dreams....EVERYTHING...with Him, who IS my True Best Friend Forever! 

Thank for venturing through those verses with me!   May God bless you with many Wonderful Friends and surround you with Grace and Love! 

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My Dear, Dear Readers, I am SO SORRY that it has been over a month since I have posted!   UGGGHH!   I feel terrible about that!!!   In my absence, I was very busy relocating my family to a new home.   It is so BEAUTIFUL, and I cannot wait to continue my ministry of Blogging, Writing, and Teaching, from a new location in God's Great Creation!! 

That being said...I just want to give you all a heads-up, that I will be posting less frequently over the next several months, as I am working diligently on my First Book! :) :) 

The topic is, much like this post, Loneliness and Friendship with God.   Please join me in excitement for this new Chapter for me and my ministry to God's Kingdom, and please give me Grace, dear friends, while I am somewhat consumed in writing my book! 

Peace to you all!