Raising Amazing Kids.

If you want your kids to be those "NOT SO NORMAL KIDS"  then it is going to take some work, and getting out of your so call comfort zone.  Raising  not so normal kids takes work on your part and work on their part.  Sometimes you got to break down what you are trying to teach your kids to just a basic drill.  Having three daughters I have made my fair mistakes of yelling at those kids that really needed me to just break it down, but once you figure out the language your child speaks. They will become unstoppable.

Check out this Movie Scene: Blind Side

Lord, Help us to raise Amazing Dangerous Kids for you!  Show us how to really get to know our kids. Help us to make them a priority.

Stay Sharp. Stay Focused.

One thing that Cort taught me very early on in our marriage was we would praise God in the good times,  and we would praise God in the bad times.  I will never forget that night my man looked at me, and we knew our world as we knew it was crashing down all around us, and there was no way we could possibly put it back together on our own. Cort put that worship on and we got or Praise On!  Sometimes, in our lives we see  it get really bad before it gets great!

If you have never seen Saving the Giants I would encourage you to find time to snuggle up and  watch it. Such a powerful movie about having GRIT and never giving up! I would rank it in my top 5 favorite movies. 

 This is one of my favorite scenes from the movie.  The Death CRAWL SCENE 

Picture yourself as that kid in whatever struggle you are facing. 

 When the  blindfolded Brock thought he could only make it to the 20th doing the death crawl, but the coach looked at him and said Naw, you can make it to the 50th, and one more thing I want you to do it blindfolded so you don't give up on me when you think you got more in you.  Brock started the crawl and immediately starts asking his coach where am I? It hurts!  Coach, am I at the 20th yet? 

Coach would yell back! YOU KEEP DRIVING. GIVE ME YOUR BEST!   You keep going don't quit on me!  Leave it all on the field you keep driving! Don't you quit. I want everything you got!  The kid is yelling it hurts, its heavy, I am about out of strength, and that Coach yells! I know it hurts, you negotiate with your body and you keep going you don't quit! Don't stop! The kid is yelling it hurts, my body, I am tired! Yet the coach is yelling DON'T YOU QUIT ON ME!  YOU have ten more steps.  YOU can do it! YOU CAN YOU CAN!

Brock who couldn't see the end-zone  and looks up and says to the coach... Surely,I made it to the 50, I have nothing left in me. The coach says... Look up BROCK you are in the end zone. 

 In marriage, parenting, and  in life we all have to be willing to push through, when we feel weak and tired. Sure we would rather just give up. However, you bet your bottom dollar God is up in heaven just like that Coach and yelling! Don't you give up! You are almost there. I know you feel pain! But you PUSH THROUGH!!!!! Because you are one day closer to your end zone! 

If we want to see our miracles. If we want to see those promises. We have to be willing to dig daily through prayer. We can't walk around defeated. We got to give our ALL because now is the time to stand up and grab a hold of this thing that has got you feeling defeated. I have no doubt we will all give God our best! You are playing on the winning team,  and we will win at this thing called Life!  If we want the victories we have to face those giants! Push through today! Push through tomorrow!  Don't back down!  PUSH Through the mind games, the doubts! 

 

While God might be using this very situation to teach us to dig and push through. He has a bigger purpose for each of us! This is just the beginning! 

#BOOTSONMOVINGFORWARD #somebodyisgoingtogetabreakthru #pushonthrough #GODSGOTYOU 

Restart that "Stinking Thinking"

Have you ever had one of those weeks, months, days where you felt like  nothing was working out for you?  Sure you have! We all have had those moments.

So what do we do? How can we get over those moments where we feel as if nothing is changing?  Where do we put our faith in action at that moment?  What  can  we do to get the train back on the tracks?

First, I think you have to look at what you are thinking about.  Are we thinking with "stinking thinking thoughts"  or are focusing on those affirmations that lift us up? I don't know about you but it always seems to start with a tiny thought of doubt, or what if I do this.... and then the avalanche of cra cra starts flowing. You have heard it from the young age. What you think about comes about!  Why is that? Well its simple.  All our battles begin in our minds. Our minds are powerful!  If  you dwell on it. The human mind will find away to make it happen.  Why do you think we are seeing an increase in divorces due to porn in America.  It's simple its because the image is put out there, and thought about, dreamed about, allowed to grow rapid. The so call fantasy world slowly trickles into the minds until those thoughts begin to be put into actions. I don't have a son myself, but I do have daughters, and watching what society tells them they have to act like to get a boy is enough to make me sick!

If you want to do a 180 in your thinking area and see major change then it will all begin when those "stinking thinking" thoughts begin to slip into your mind.  Don't you dare dwell on it for one second! I love the song... "be careful little eyes what you see because the father up above is looking down below."  

 You counter act all the negative, lies, and  stressful thoughts that race through your mind  with truth. When a thought comes in your mind that is not good, or going to cause damage.  It is simple we  have to do these 2 things.

1. Quote the word.
    
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

2. Pray. Then leave it up to God.

If we want to see things change for us  and begin to see those mountains move  and miracles flow, then we have to  get a hold of our mind, our thoughts, and truly think on what is good, noble, and just.

Mirror Mirror On the Wall....

Sometimes it is easier to point the finger at others and play the blame game when things don't go as plan, or blow up like a dynamite stick.   This week has been a very trying yet rewarding week both emotionally and professionally.  I hope hearing my personal  story will encourage you to Be Bold. Because Better Things are coming we just have to excel and breathe in.

When we purposefully  begin to look for God in areas of our lives,  whether in  situations we can't control, decisions, how others are acting towards us, heck even just waking up in the morning. Basically, if you are breathing God is in the details of your life.    God has always been into the details of our lives I just picture his office to look nothing like mine, but more like the Container Store Mixed with a Day Planner with labels and everything crisps and clean.  Most of us want to  hide our junk, stuff some of those details,  even bury them hoping they never surface again. Because burying them is easier than facing them.  Yet sometimes, God has to hold a mirror up for us and wait for us to notice.   With a simple prayer, 10 years ago of  God fix me. Change me completely I don't want the easy band aid kind of fix. I want you to get ever ounce of yucky out! I want the lasting fix not the quick fix.  At the time, when I wrote that prayer in my prayer  journal. I truly thought it would be answered with the wave of the magic wand  I would be changed.  Yet I didn't want my change to only last to the strike of midnight I wanted it to last until I took my last breathe.      

Being a wife,  mom of three, and running my own successful growing business life can become overwhelming pretty fast, and sometimes a massive juggling act. As you can imagine, I get plenty of opportunity too well go off the deep end and loose it or get worked up, and well most the time I do!  I am very passionate person. Which isn't a bad thing when channeled the right way, but when a passionate person begins to channel that passion in a destructive way not only do they get hurt, but those closest around them get hurt! Passionate people are your typical go getters, I can take on the world and will defeat them all!  If you had to put a phase to my childhood on how I was raised I would say it probably would have to be, "If your going to do it! Do it and Do it Big! I still think my family got robbed. We should have been the family to cash in on the  "Get ur Done Campaign" ! 

While I love what I do more than probably any individual on earth.  I see my titles as wife, mom, and Realtor more as a calling instead of a duty. It is so rewarding!  However, with all I got going on, I need  a little  "ME TIME" ever now and then so I can distress which normally takes place  at 2:45 am.  Like right now, it is 1:21 am, and I am distressing and love that I don't have 8 text messages waiting on me and 29 emails, and 4 voices mails and phone ringing, and  a  child wanting me to cook.

  Now, in case you are considering trying the "Tiffany- ME Time Way"  Make sure my fellow Southern Belles  remember this advice. Be aware that the chances of you going from Sweet as Pie Southern Belle to Ghetto Super star can happen before you can say "Bless your Heart".  Lord, help the person who puts you on that stage. 

 When we buckle down and get serious about  truly seeking God and looking  for ways  and opportunities we are going to come face to face with what He is trying to teach us.  Maybe, it comes  by the behavior of others in a situation, or thru being treated in a way that unnerves you to the point that normally you would be ready to bust out the can of Whoop Ass,  and fire back at them. This time instead of  looking in the mirror and seeing your reflection. Stop, and  take time to look into the Mirror and see yourself  the way God sees ya.  Keep in mind, this is not your typical does my booty look good in these jeans mirror looking while throwing on your red high shoes.   I am talking about its that moment you so desperately stare into that mirror,   and  your face is broken out and looking like a Vietnam and that dag-gone mirror is telling you everything you don't want to come face to face with mirror looking. 

Its natural for us at first to become unnerved, shaken even rattled.  Tonight, I came face to face with one of those Man in the Mirror moments, but God is so into the details of our lives that he began to lay the foundation for this particular lesson several years ago, and yet he held the mirror up for me in the most unlikely way.   The prep work for my life in this issue had been laying out over years. Jesus was in the process of taking those ingredients  to that   melt in your mouth hot slice of buttered covered Banana Bread kind of finish product.  

Our Saturday, started out pretty typical! With a kid busting in the room at 6:00 am.

With Kailee Grace saying, " Hey guys! You up?"  Nothing like a kid to kick start your only "sleep in day"  Note to self.... Lock bedroom door on Friday Nights!  

Ran some errands, and chatted it up with a stranger over the phone who had called me.  Little did I know, that phone call would be like the last 20 yards to the marathon finish line of taking a look into the mirror.  The small talk conversation turned into  a moment of  do I step out and share with him what I feel lead to say?  I mean really, God? I got a good thing going here! He is comfortable, conversation is going well, and you want me to be like that socially awkward person.  Great! Perfect! This day keeps getting better.  Maybe I need to just push the RESTART Button this day because we are not even to lunch yet! 

 Then I thought back on the week I had. When someone stepped up and spoke into my life and encouraged me.  They had no clue that 2 days before, I  had lost it on one of the girls, and then on my Momma and I was still carrying around the frustration of the unresolved issue. I was mad at myself for losing it, and frustrated that I had absolutely no control or way to fix the damage, yet had to carry on with life because there was no time for a pitty party I had to put my big girl panties on and keep on smiling and writing offers and dealing with inspections.  

 I want to make sure that you have a clear picture as to the magnitude of  the  LOST IT phrase! I mean  LIKE GHETTO SUPER STAR LOST IT STEROIDS STYLE mixed in with a little bit of Hillbilly Redneck. Hopefully, that makes it clear as mud.   I am sure you get what I am saying. 

However, I couldn't shake it off.  One, Two days go by and I decided I needed some "Tiffany Time". Finally, everyone went to sleep, and I began to chill but in a productive way. Because I was going to paint some curtains my latest pintrest find/ project.  While I was listening to the sounds of the distant faded crickets sounds that resonate through the windows from outside,   I knew I did some major damage to my family, and well truthfully received some as well.  Still frustrated, I began to pray because I always feel better after I pray.  So I started getting my Jesus on. I prayed  my little booty off making sure I was dotting the eyes and crossing the Ts in my prayer, to painting red stripes on project.  I so was mad at my actions from earlier in the week, yet still upset because I felt I was being wronged, and knowing I wronged them, and I had no time machine that could take me back in time so I could change my actions and reactions.  I channeled my best Yoga Mindset which is a challenge because I typically am that person who gets the whole Yoga Room Laughing. 

Surprisingly enough tonight,  I was the Sensei of Yoga Mindset. Minus  the ringing of the bell stuff they do that is suppose to calm your nerves,  but scares  you to death. Why they think that is relaxing is beyond me.    As I  watched the  brush dip into the  paint, and then slowly dragged the  brush across the canvas  making sure my  strokes would be perfection. Because no one wants to end up with a Pintrest Fail.   The red paint over took  the fibers of  the white cloth, slowly yet methodically. My Yoga Mindset was reaching it's peak I was as peaceful as the willow  tree gently tossed in the wind.    This was like a YOGA Milestone for me!  I made it literally 15 min without my mind going 900 ways, and running through an action list of to dos. It HIT ME like a ton of bricks.  I don't need to have the perfect prayer, this is not on my shoulders, I can't fix this situation. Heck, I can't fix half the things I try to fix, but with each stroke I was reminded of who could fix this mess, and it became clear to me what I had to do. 

So I said, "God, you sent your son and while I am  painting red stripes on this cloth.  It is astonishing how the  red  is  overtaking the  cloth covering ever fiber.  I am reminded that your word is clear and says, " By His Stripes I am Healed"   You showed me unspeakable grace. I didn't deserve it, and yet you gave it to me freely.  Why do I not do that for others? 

OH MY STARS!  Seriously???? It's that simple!    With the Red Stripes I just painted glaring back at me as if they were the air-stripes  runway flare lights  shining bright to guide the pilots in for landing. Two  seconds later...this phrase popped into my mind. Your Kingdom COME, and Your Will be DONE.  It seemed to simple.   Could those eight words be the landing spot I needed to land on?  By uttering those words, I was becoming the co-pilot and putting God in the pilot seat. I was giving myself permission to not fix it, and removing the pressure, anxiety and fear that I was facing. 

I just knew I could not hold back, what if...the man on the other side of the phone talking truly needed to be encouraged?  I couldn't hold back anymore, I dove right in and began to share with him. 

Now,  if that wasn't enough. Literally six hours later,  I was finishing up a deal, and as most of us know, buying a home and selling a home can be an emotional process.  Usually, those that become the most emotional and well basically go off the deep end, or  are on the edge of the cliff ready to jump,  until we Realtors help calm them down are the buyers and sellers. Heck! I was one of those emotional buyers myself. For most Americans its the largest purchase they will ever make. If that is not enough pressure in itself. Normally, buying and selling a house is not all that is going on in a persons life.  

So you can imagine my surprise, when I had a Realtor literally loose his well.... you know what I am talking about.  At first, my natural reaction was...." OH NO HE DIDN'T... Has this man lost his ever lasting mind!!!???!! Normally, it would take me 2.4 seconds to unleash the  Southern Belle Red Neck Hillbilly Ghetto Super Star you messed with the wrong chick.

Something switch to the earlier conversation I had with the stranger,  and remembering the advice I had freely given earlier.  I had a choice I was starring in the Mirror on the Wall. What would I decide to have staring back at me?  Ghetto Super Star Hot Mess, or would I try to show Grace and look more like an enchanted sweet fairy.   

Now don't get me wrong! I am not Mother Teresa over here. I went from being a little angry bird venting to Cort, pacing,  and smiling trying to channel my Yoga Mindset and not allow  him to pull me into his emotional party.  Yet I was determined,  to not be pulled into the Crazy Cycle this time.  So I made sure, I didn't get pulled in.

 Changing normally is a process and takes time and patience and a don't quit attitude. While I would love to say I got the easy pass and BOOM! I got it. I know I have a long road ahead. But just like   I was determined to look into that Mirror today. I am going to be purposeful as Michael Jackson lyrics say it best.. in his song Man in the Mirror  .  Don't forget, Tackle each day, if I fall down. I will shake it off and stand back up because change and being who God has created you to be brings freedom!

Man in the Mirror

I'm starting with the man in the mirror

I'm asking him to change his ways

And no message could have been any clearer

If you want to make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

My Two Cents: Stop Take a Look, Decided  is the Change Worth it for you? To have real change you have to give something up! Send up a prayer knowing that  patience persistence and perseverance is required to make that change! 

Crazy Little Thing Called Love.....

Crazy Little Thing Called Love....

 Kailee Grace moved up from coach pitch to fast pitch softball. She thought it was going to be a walk in the park. She was so excited to go to the ballpark to meet her new Coach and team. Cort had taken her to go get all her new equipment that the coach requested his team to wear. They had spent hours at Academy selecting the right helmet, practice pants,  bat, and glove. Honestly, this thought makes me giggle a little bit because my husband has the patience of Job, but any trip shopping with Kailee Grace is more like you are looking for the undiscovered buried  Nazi Gold in Lake Toplitz, Austria.  However, when her daddy told her she would be wearing  the "face protection", she was completely against it. The face mask felt awkward , uncomfortable and far from the fashion statements she likes to make. In reality the mask  was  not at all what she suspected it to feel like.

 After the first practice, watching several of her friends step up to bat and get beamed in the leg she looked at me with crocodile tears racing down her cheek.  She refused to get in the batter box to hit the box because what her eyes and mind was telling her was that she was only going to get hurt. 

Why is it that so many people have in their minds that love should be easy and like a fairy tale?  At some point in our marriage we girls have all mumbled the words...."Marriage...shouldn't be this hard".  Why is it that we believe this thing called love is so hard after we say I do? 

From a very young age we dream of our happily ever after, when our prince charming will run in and sweep us off our feet. I don't know about you, but I can remember watching Cinderella and picturing that one day my prince my soul mate  would come and sweep me off my feet.

The funny thing about this is I think we girls think there is just that one person out there for us to marry, and that our Prince Charming  will perfectly met our needs and wants exactly the way we want.  I jumped on the soul mate band wagon. You have heard the saying, "Don't drink the kool aide" well this chick took a big gulp of it.   This idea or moral premise could not be further from the truth. The older I get the more I realize that in reality we always marry the wrong person. I know some of you are already thinking... I did not marry the wrong person. Take a chill pill for a moment, and let me try to break this down for you. 

What I am trying to say is  that  when we pick our spouse we say I Do on how they treat us, how they act and who they are right then and there. We dismiss the idea that they will change and we will change.  The idea that if  they change or circumstances change  they will no longer fit our "idea of the prince charming".  We all change from the day we say I Do. So our perfect soul mate turns into the perfect counterfeit mate. Now let's pause a moment. I am not saying at all that you have married the wrong person. I am just trying to say that we all have different ideas of what marriage will look and feel like, and have to learn to adapt. 

So what do you do after you find out that your Prince Charming is not in reality your Prince Charming? Because Prince Charming actually wants you to put the dishes in the dish washer in certain places, or that Prince Charming wants to watch football instead of watching chick flicks. Then Prince Charming and Cinderella start having babies and those babies grow up and cause some problems in the Kingdom of Happy Ever After, or even worst tragedy hits in some kind of shape or form. 

 Do you leave the ballgame? Run to the nearest divorce attorney, or do you die to your wants and needs and learn that marriage is truly not about your happiness all the time and more about your holiness. Now, before you start reading into this post thinking Tiffany is wanting to leave Cort, or oh no what is happen to them?  Take a deep breath! We are good honestly probably the best we ever have been. While Cort might not live up to my Prince Charming ideas, I for sure don't live up to his babe quiet loving wife. However, the bottom line  is at some point you realized your  fairy tales is not turning out exactly the way either of you imagined it to be. You have two options.  

1. Do what society says do... Move on there is someone better out there. 

2. Realize that you  have an amazing relationship with another Human Being one that is closer than any other Human Relationship you will ever have. It might be laced with a little bit of crazy, and dysfunction, but it is also laced with two people who love each other for who they are in the good,bad, and the ugly times. You  both are far from each others Happy Ever After, but who really defined the so call "Happy Ever After"? 

So next time you want to utter the phrases like... Why is Love so Hard, or This is not what I deserve.  Remember no one said Marriage would be Easy.  So take a step back and think, no one is perfect, but remind yourself that you are with  exactly who you want to do life with. Sure they  drive me a little batty and always second guess me, sing in the shower, and dance a little crazy, but I am defining my Happy Ever After.

So my Two Cent's of the Day:

Always climb into the batters box, don't let fear grip you because to become a Major League Star you have to be willing to take a hit or two. The pain only last for a moment, but a joy last a lifetime! Marriage might be hard, but Marriage can be Amazing! So embrace this thing called love! You are never ready for the crazy! 

I love you Cort Bethmann. You drive me crazy, but I love you even those things did not turn out to be my happy ever little after ideas. I would take this crazy ride with you again! 

The Shoes of Life

Shoes of Life 

Jamie yelled from the other side of the pond!  HOUSTON!!!!!!!!!!!! WE HAVE A PROBLEM! GET OVER HERE NOW! I could tell by my little sister’s tone that what just happened on her side of the pond was not good.  I made a mad dash through the tall cat tail grass and around the corner to the far side of the pond.  As we both watched her brand new leather shoe sinking to the bottom of Granny Bea and Papaw’s catfish pond. Jamie was grasping wildly trying to grab it before it sank.  Without hesitation I said, really? We just got those yesterday! Mom is going to have a cow.  How did you let that happen? She responded, “ Your really not helping the situation out at the moment. However, remember that  bright idea of yours tying our shoes the trendy way instead of the old fashion way. Now are you going to get to problem solving mode or set her and preach  to me the B attitudes of wish I... should of'.... could of ”

 OK ok… So feeling a little bit like this was now my fault.  I got down on my knees next to her. I told Jamie to get up from where she was on her stomach desperately trying to fish out the shoe.

 “Don’t you dare let me fall into that water!  Ok?”  Laying horizontally to the pond, and placing trust into my little sister holding one arm and one leg and leveraging my body to keep me from falling.  Jamie said, “Good grief, Tiffany I already stuck my hand into the water. Now get my shoe. After changing and adapting ourselves several times we finally found the position that gave us the advantage on the situation.   I began to stick my hand down as far as I could into the muddy yucky nasty man eating catfish pond in hopes of “rescuing the shoe”.  Together after 15 minutes of carefully positioning ourselves we fished out the brown leather shoe that decided to go Awah.

All of us face situation that we have to adapt to accomplish our goals, and our challenges.  With those goals and challenges we must all embrace one key trait. Can you guess what that trait is?  You got it! Courage!

To exceed in life we must all embrace some level of courage. We have to face the fear of failures, be willing to stick our hands in muddy waters of life in hopes of pulling out that so called shoe or goal we are striving to achieve. 

Think about exercising courage as if you were playing a game of  Mother may I. Some of us are asked to take giant leaps of faith while others get 10 baby steps. While some are just stinking lucky and get to leap frog over the yucky stuff and never have to walk through it. Life is not fair by any means.

Jeremiah 15:19 gives us a hidden treasure that we must take Courage to “extract the precious from the worthless.” This is a great verse to mediate on when you are in the process of going for a goal because you will have moments where you have to overcome your frustrations and your own negative thoughts that will try to paralyze you by saying it is just too muddy? What if you get hurt? Or even worst what if you don't accomplish the goal at all?  I know I have personally  battled those thoughts lately myself. The truth is in every situation even those times we think doing these things that seem worthless and waste of our time. We truly are shaping our lives and forming them into precious moments, by just walking by faith and courage in the muddy waters of life in hopes of victory and reaching that shoe!

Our shoes can be different things to us. Some of us are reaching for that shoe of Success, while others are reaching for the Shoe of happiness. Some of us are even reaching for that shoe to prove to the world they got what it takes.  Jobs, Family, Marriage, Success  we all have different shoes we are desperately trying to reach. No matter what shoe you are reaching for in life. You will always have to face the muddy water where you have to reach for the shoe. It is in the moments we are reaching we must remember to push through the task that seem worthless  to extract the precious.  

So my two cent’s worth of the day is this: If we take a mindset that would be a mindset of Courage nothing could stop us. We were all created to be Exceptional. We have to have the courage to be different.  Even when that different is uncomfortable because when we get uncomfortable and push ourselves into the unclear muddy waters we rely on our faith to carry us and operating in that type of faith is when we extract the precious. 

Spread a Little LOVE TODAY!

The three most precious things in life to me are my daughters.  But today my little Chaise melted my heart just a little.  It was a typical Bethmann morning for the girls. I had finished making smoothies for their breakfast.  Sent Rielly out the door with her ride,  and was serving  the two little girls up with some smoothies while we watched  a television evangelist.

Chaise was reclined on the sofa with her smoothie when she let the berry filled smoothie dribble down her neon orange brand new shirt. She was devastated! Luckily I had my wonder woman costume under my pjs.

I quickly assessed the situation like any good ER nurse would and said Chaise I am going to need to preform some surgery on your shirt with some Shout and will have it good as new before the bus arrives.  I was back in my bathroom blow drying the shirt dry when she came in. I announced to her, " Chaise, it is as good as new!"  With the most melt your heart puppy dog eyes she said, Mommy I don't know what I would do without you!

Funny how our kids have a way of making us feel important by just needing us. I think the same is true with our Heavenly Father.

Well as a mother of three girls, my jobs is to show them by example and hopefully when I breath my last breathe they will remember the things I taught them.  From the saving the day before school tricks, look people in the eye when you speak, take time to read their name tags to show the check out lady she is important,  to simply believing the best when it seems there is no hope. Spreading a little love and hope will go along way, but if you leave it behind to our children it will go a lot longer. Keep in mind with out Love we can do NOTHING!  So show some love to someone today, even the person who doesn't deserve it because they need it the most!

Yellow Polka Dot Bikini Friendly Salsa Dip

Yellow Polka Dot Bikini Friendly Salsa

I am always on the search for healthy yummy recipes that will keep me feeling great and keep us all in shape!  Those of you who know me well know without a doubt when it comes to cooking  I am no Martha Stewart.  Cooking totally does not come natural to me by any stretch. However this is a 100% dummy proof recipe and takes less than 10 minutes to make. My kind of cooking!  But the best part of it is you can still wear your favorite yellow polka dot bikini and not feel guilty eating something that taste so yummy. 

Black Bean & Corn Salsa 
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can corn, rinsed
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
2 avocados, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/4-1/2 fat free Italian dressing
Jalapeno, chopped (opt)
Cilantro, chopped

Combine all chopped ingredients and mix together in a bowl, add Italian dressing.  Serve with chips totally optional  It is also great alone! 

Becoming the Expert!

Today, was turning out to be another typical day. Got up did the whole dog and pony show of getting dressed, started a load of laundry, read my devotion, and  answered some emails. It is amazing how quickly we can revert into the daily routines and become bogged down with the daily grind before we know it we look up and it is 10:26 am and we are thinking where did the time just go?

I have always had the attitude of I want to be the best, second is not good enough for me. Maybe that has  a lot to do with being the first borne child.  Lately, I have been trying to become the "expert" in a particular area of my life.  I have always been a huge advocate of praying and journal.  So it is funny when, you come across something and it is clear as day and you had only shared it with you, your journal, and the big man upstairs.

 We all have areas that we would like to be the so call "experts" in.

1.Inventing a Device that will save the worlds water supply
2. Best Body
3. Raises the smartest kids alive.
4. The Fashion Diva
5. The Next Paula Dean

It could be even something as simple as. Respecting your husband and loving your children. Whatever it is don't give up on becoming that expert,or maybe you have never done an life inventory. If not I encourage you to think about it. There is something that you have secretly unawarely set your eyes out to be the expert in. Most of the time  it is not that we want to be the expert for others, but just the expert in our own minds.  Because in  our minds if we  are the expert we are well doing it the best and most efficient way possible.

I know it seems crazy that we would kid ourselves to  think that with a snap of a finger we could hear something and BOOM become the expert on this issue.

It is not a bad thing for us to desire something and want to be the expert in that area. I actually think it is a good goal to have. However, we must always give ourselves the permission to become the "Beginner" before we can actually be the " Expert".

We have to be able to not hold ourselves to the level of being a Mount Everest Climber if we are truly just about to take our first hike.  It takes time to build and become what God wants and desires for our lives and what we want and desire for our lives.

So when you start to hold yourselves to the crazy level of an Expert just remind yourself that all Experts had to be the Beginner.  Today, I was pinned these words in my journal.    So my two cent's of the day is:

God is more interested in your growth than what you are going through. Trails will change forms and manifest themselves in different ways. However, until we get the growth God desires we will never become the EXPERTS! Don't allow fears, others smart remarks, the lies of they will never change.  We must never let   challenges paralyze us.  You are More than a Conqueror and you will be formed into the Expert at the Correct Time. Maybe not mine but when the transformation is completed you will not have to announce it others will be drawn to you to learn.   You got to start somewhere!!! To be great we must become the student not the instructor first.  So start growing your courage and become one step closer to being the EXPERT TODAY!

I hope those words help you!  Remember, Life is short.  Have the goal of becoming the Expert in something! Because you were designed for GREATNESS!!!!

My OWN REALITY TV DRAMA

When I got married 12 years ago to the most wonderful man on the face of the earth,  I had zero intentions of starring in my own reality series of  “HUSBAND  and Children MAKEOVER “.  I mean I was staring in our own personal drama before reality  shows were even cool.  I slowly fell captive to trying to makeover and change everyone around me instead of the one person that needed to change. 

One of my favorite “help” books of all times is Power of the Praying Wife.  I remember the day when my precious mother-in-law gave me these books.  My first thought was oh no this is going to be bad. His own mother is trying to pass the baton to me and give me a book to change him. So when we hit our first storm. I picked that book up knowing with every fiber in my body who needed the changing. I was on the mission to Makeover and Change that man. Little did I know, that the first chapter was going to be all about changing me. I mean really Stormie?  If you want women to read this you might want to throw them  a bone or two.  Just Kidding!  While most people could knock that chapter out in like 15 minutes and move on. It has taking me a life- time. The first time of what I like to call the pounding on the potter wheel for me took a good solid month of ready just chapter one. CHANGE YOU! I mean when I picked this book up I was ready to hit my knees and change everything I saw that could be better. It is so funny how we get sucked into envy and wanted our marriage or kids to be something that maybe is not what God wants or needs.   The sooner you can lay the facade down and embrace what God has for you the better it will be.  So go ahead get off that hamster wheel and embrace what God wants your family and marriage to be, and I promise it will be you changing not them it will be 100% about changing you. 

The funny thing about this whole thing looking back over the years  the one person who God wanted to change was me. Sometimes you might ask yourself. Why does it have to be me that needs to change?  Why do I always have to be the one to change?  The one thing I tell myself whether it is true or not is that "Hey you are better at change! And more of a risk taker so naturally it has to be you who changes first.  Because the person willing to risk changing them is the bigger gambler. One of my favorite sayings is GO BIG OR GO HOME! So Go big Go for the change. 

 It is a very humble thing when God starts to place you on the refiner’s firer or on the potter’s wheel and begins to mold you.  Honestly, I know Paul talks about counting it all joy through trails. I think that man must have one good direct line to God and has to be on an IV drip of Prozac, Clear Mood  or something.  Sure looking back on different trails I can honestly say. They were for my good and made me a stronger and better person today.  I am all for praising through the storm, but I also give myself permission to be human and know God is going to love me through it. Having three girls in the family I have often been occussed of having a house full of drama. I always think to myself, well YEA!!! I mean we all have a Heavenly Father and if you don't think He would take the Oscar for BEST ACTOR and Best Drama well I am going to go on a limb and say you probably have not read the bible lately. So yes Drama does run in our family! 

About a month later after receiving my book Power of the Praying Wife my mother-in-law gave me another book by Dr Laura. How to Properly Feed and Nurture Your Husband.  It was at that moment that I realized it was not her son she was trying to change it was ME.  I  know all you daughter- in- laws out there are starting to think if my mother- in -law did that she would not be stepping a foot in my house and be thinking you need to call 911 or the Crazy Wagon.  But honestly I know 100%  that my mother in law was not trying to Change me she was being that Titus 2 Woman we are called too.  She was trying to pass on to me the biblical principals of what a wife should be.   I am grateful for my relationship with both my mom and my mother-in-law.  They both in their own way encourage me and teach me how to strive to be a godly women which in return has been passed down to the next generation my girls. Praise God for those Titus 2 Women  God has brought into my life to encourage me.

I can say it is probably a miracle that my man stayed with me, and Rielly still listens and ask for advice. But we have all  grown up a lot and I love that HE is the one person that can sharpen me more than any individual  Cort knows the good, the bad and the ugly and still chooses to love me, and that is enough for me. I can't tell you a day that child has not spoken some type of truth into my life. 

 Now before you start sending me messages of you are worthy of him and you are a great mother, lalalal and etc. Please know that I do not think I am not a good mother and I know 159% that we were the best thing that happened to each other, and that I truly have given birth too not just one legend but three.  But the bottom line as wives and moms and even just as humans  the only control and person we can change is the very one we are scared to change, and that is the exact person that needs the change.  Yea you know it. IT is US!

Trust me! I might have missed my calling as a drill sergeant in the army. I have an act some might even call it a passion for helping others be the “BEST THEY CAN BE” whether it is shoving it down their face or drilling it in with the act of what I like to say “encouraging you to be all you can be” however no matter how I like to dress it up it all comes down to two things.

1.       Control

2.      Nagging

So where do we go from here. How do we pass on to our girls and our boys that it is ok to encourage, but there is a fine line and so easy to step over into Controlling or Nagging, and if you are two first born married to each other  you know the desire to lead, be perfect at everything  and control is even a harder battle to overcome in your marriage. 

The lesson that I feel we all can take and will always be learning as long as we live is this:

When we have the desire to step in and nag or become controlling to those we love or our friends we have to do these things.

Replace nagging with prayer. (Not with: “Lord, change him or her!” “Why are my kids not picking it up, I told them 800 times already” But with replace the nagging with a simple easy prayer of:

Lord change me. Help me love. Strengthen me to show unconditional love. Give me Your grace. Give me Your wisdom. Give me your Peace.”)

Leave the room or conversation if possible or appropriate. (Don’t even give yourself a chance to get the words out!)

Change what you can control: your response. I tend to go straight into the OH MY WORD level.  So this one is become huge test. I sometimes have to repeat over and over. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

Counting to 10 is another thing that is working well for me.

My two cents of the day is: 

Don’t kid yourself the ONLY person you can change is yourself. God never called us to any type of control except that of SELF CONTROL! 

Tiffany 

A Little Action Goes a Long Way

A Little Action Goes a Long Way 

It is that time of year again, getting together expense reports, mileage reports turning in the 1099s and W2s. Cort has been inundated with work at his company trying to get all his clients prepared for their taxes. I volunteered to handle our taxes this year. Finally, I convinced Cort I could do it. This was my first actual year to do the taxes completely by myself.  The funny thing is now I understand what he was trying to protect me from. Let’s just say if your man does the taxes like Cort does for us. You need to give him some kind of “I really appreciate the hard work kudos” because that stuff is for the birds.

After countless hours of going through receipts, bank statements and calendars I felt as if I had conquered Mt Everest.  But it was not until I began to use the shredder this morning that something was spoken to my heart. 

So many times in life we are handed tasks that we feel overwhelmed and not competent to complete.  I am a perfectionist when it comes to completing a task maybe in a different way than most perfectionists but never less a perfectionist. Anytime, I begin a task I want to make sure that I get it done, fast, to a high standard of excellence and please those people I am doing it for.  When I feel as if I did not meet that standard I get extremely mad at myself for letting people down and I begin to deal with the “insecurities” that plague me, and turn my frustration on them through anger. Because my goal is always to knock it out of the park. Everything I laid out is the cycle of insecurities I deal with. We all deal with insecurities on some level. If we were to say we don’t we would be lying, and as the saying goes, "If your lying your dying!" 

 So what are insecurities?  I once heard insecurities defined as being in your own personal crazy ward. I would have to agree with that. Your mind plays tricks on you. Begins to go at you like you are going at war with yourself. Telling you how you don't measure up. He is mad at me. What did I do? Why are they mad? You know the common questions/answers you play silently in your head. We begin to allow our thoughts to tear us down and beat our self up. This is what I call classic Insecurities. We feel real heavy in our mind yet not for sure why. 

 The bible speaks plain as day about Satan is the “accuser”.  His job is to try and get you and I  hung up however. I am convinced that he has three major attacks he launches at humans.  One of my favorite things to do is cuddle on the sofa with Cort and watch a good action pack movie, but the one thing that always happens is the “good guys” have to figure out what the “bad guys” are doing, and then Go to work. 

So that is exactly what we are going to do. Let’s take a moment together and expose Satan’s attack plans. We know we are not battling against flesh and blood. So that let's us know we are in a spiritual battle. So let's take a moment and inventory some of the ways that Satan attacks us. I am going to list 3 I have watched played out in my life and others. 

 1.   Get you to believe there is no God.

Once he can convenience you there is no God. His work is done and he leaves you to your own destruction.

   

2.  Get you to “know of God” but not “KNOW HIM”

I have personally walked this one out. I grew up in church and so I knew the right things to say and do because "I knew of God". This is very dangerous because the pride in my life was leading me down a path of I am ok. I can do both what I want and I will be fine  because I know the right things. I am sad to report nothing is farther from the truth. I was living out what Timothy warned us of. I was allowing my selfishness and Self-center ness to rule my decisions and choices. I knew the right things to do. I knew I had no business going where I was going and what I was doing. But kept telling myself because I knew the word, I would be ok. I knew it was wrong but I was having a hard time making my mind and heart line up because my flesh was stronger.  I am convinced, not just because of my circumstances but because of watching others dear to me walk down that same paths of destruction. If we were in our bible’s every day, praying and truly seeking God. That small faint voice,  I heard telling me to get out would have been more like an ambulance warning me.  It is not until we begin to put him in our everyday life and have a regular routine that we get to KNOW HIM.

3.       Get you to crumble why you are in a growing phase. By attacking your identity and mind.

Oh and the most classic of classic attack we read about countless times in the word. He tries to take us out while we are growing. Joseph and Job are just two examples of this.   Why is that do you think? Paul tells us that we should count our trails as joy. I know it is because those trails produce faith.  Faith is the essences of our belief. Think about what Jesus said to those he touched to heal. His classic phrases, “Your Faith healed You” So if Satan can knock our faith and get us focused on our circumstances instead of our Promise he can knock us every time.  

Now, I don’t know about you ladies I have heard this stuff multiple times but it was not until I was at the shredder did I get that I am ready to take the attack I have going on in my life and begin to not allow the insecurities and attack plans of the enemy to rule my mind.  I am ready to have my own little movie of "Independence Day" and take out the bad guy better known as Satan. We have to remind ourselves and do as Joseph and Job did Hold to the promises. So that is what I am going to do.  I will hold to a promise that God gave me back in 2007.  It took David 14 years of hiding in caves for his life as a man whom he felt was like a daddy to him tried to kill him. I believe that Satan attacks us the same as he did  David. Yet David is known as a man after God's own heart. David claimed his promises and Praised through the storm. Did insecurities plague David. You bet your bottom dollar they did. But He allowed his head knowledge to penetrate his heart and stood his ground. 

So my two cents of the day: Do not let GO of your promises. Do not let Go of your Lord and don’t just know of Him. Get to Know your Jesus. When the insecurities plague you know this. If you are not fighting them. You are doing them or you are them. You are worth the fight. No matter how long it takes for that promise to be fulfilled God does keep his Promises.

Love you Girls!

Tiffany 

Speak with Boldness

Boldness has never been a struggle of mine. I have always been able to speak up and say what is on my mind.  Honestly, my boldness normally hurts me more than it helps me.   I was looking forward to bringing on a new client to handle their marketing.  I had scheduled a phone call with the owner after receiving an inquiry. After going over some of his needs we were finalizing the Scope of Work. 

I  listened to this  business owners needs and then I heard the Lord speak clearly and said, "You tell him he is speaking and thinking things that destroy his family... I will handle the rest."  So finally after hearing this man speak as negative as he could. I politely interpreted him and said,"Sir, with all do respect. I know you do not know me from Adam. However, I feel the Lord told me to tell you something."  I did not give him a chance to say no or yes. (I truly have a gift in this. LOL) 

I said, " Sir,  the Lord has brought you out of working at the beer company and has given you many blessings. You need to tap into Praising God. You need to have an additude of gratefulness   because GOD alone has poured out an abundance of blessings on you and you are being ungrateful.  Your God has done exactly what Jeremiah 29:11 says... He has plans to prosper you and they are good and to give you a HOPE! Do you not know that you are working against him when you say those things?"

Then I thought to myself. OH MY STARS! This will not be a future client.  I reminded myself,  God you pay our bills. I will be faithful.  

Then He responded, "Tiffany, how old are you?  I said I am 32 years old. Sir. My God has done big things for me. That is why I can speak to you with such boldness. I have watched God done the impossible in my life and I believe He can do it for you as well. I have aloud negative thoughts rob me from blessings and I don't want to see that happen to you" 

Then He said, "Tiffany, can I be honest with you.?"  

I said, "Yes Sir"  

Tiffany, I am going to be honest. I am unhappy and thinking about leaving my wife of 17 years. I am just not happy. 

Then I paused. thinking to myself.. Really God? This is  You handling it? You got to be kidding me. God take my mouth and use it. Let me say what I need to say.  Then I said the first thing that came to me. 

I said, "Sir, you don't have that right to walk out on your marriage on your wife of your youth. Marriage is a Covenant not a Contract. Marriage is not meant for your Happiness all the time it is meant for your Holiness. Sir, we are going to pray for you and your family?"  

I went boldly and I DO mean BODLY. My heart  pounding out of my chest  as I held that phone to my ear and began to pace my living room floor to the door of my house. I began to shake as I prayed for this family. I could see it I could feel it, and I cried out for Freedom and Chains of addiction to be broken. 

  I was broken for that wife, mother and lady I did not know. My mind was flooded with a very graphic movie like of this family.  I had an image of her in my mind and  I could not shake it.  I could only imagine what she was feeling.  So I prayed until the Lord told me to say the next thing.  

Then I took a deep breath and said in my head father God let me deliver it with love.Up to this point this man never once told me he was addicted to porn.  Sir, your wife is hurting very deeply. You are unhappy because you are filling your mind with images she will never be able to meet.  Your wife was created to reflect you back. The image you see in your wife right now is a mirror of yourself. Just as you should reflect the Lord to her. You are her mirror of Jesus and then she is your mirror of you. 

You have the wife God intended you to have. You need to stand up and be the man God has called you to be. If you walk out on your wife. You walk out on the blessings God has for you. I promise your business will not survive. You think you got it bad now. If you keep feeding your mind with these images you will be walking a path of death and destruction  The bible says, " Death and Destruction are never satisfied either are the eyes of man."  The only thing that will meet this unmet feeling you have is your Lord and Savior. No porn image or person can ever fulfill that need. 

 You have to be courageous. You have to take the pornography out of your phone, computer and burn the CD's and magazines you are hiding. Because your wife is beautiful and wants to please you yet you have given the enemy a foot hold in your home. You can do this. You must stand up and fight. You want to be seen as the big bad dude that can provide. Well then provide. Provide the way of escape for yourself. Go find a godly man and make him your mentor. Take the facade down and let God rebuild you. 

If you walk away from your wife and kids you are walking away from the blessings of the Lord. Then I paused. Not believing I said what I just had  said to this man. I could hear him breathing yet nothing coming out of the phone. I said. Sir, I know you can do this. I believe in you. Sometimes the best leaders admit when they are wrong and just simply say sorry will you forgive me. You might want to add a rose with that as well. Then I giggled. 

He said, "Mrs. Tiffany, I am not certain why you have taken time out of your day to speak into my life,  and that prayer you prayed. But Mrs. Tiffany  you have done something so big that I could never repay you for. You spoke the truth. The truth that sets you free.  No one knew about that stuff. That pornography has done nothing but made me unhappy in marriage and now I see it is stealing my very life out of me. 

I said, No sir I don't know you. But God is a God of precise timing! But I also know you are my brother in Christ and you needed a hand out of the pit. That pit is dark and brings destruction to more people than just you. So I am glad I got to throw down the life line to you, but it is your job to climb out.Please know that Satan is not going to lie down now the fight will get harder. 

I did not tell him this but when I was praying for him, I felt like the Holy Spirit showed me a very crystal picture of  his wife and of him, and I had a choice of throwing the lifeline down to help.  As much as I wanted to bring his company on and have a new client. I came to the point with God that yes we need money, but I would rather be apart of saving a marriage  than having a new client. I knew God was given me a choice of throwing down the life line rope. I had to throw it down.  I hung the phone up and tears flooded me. I began to pray even more. I knew that I had done the right thing, yet I was in totally shock of what I just said to this man and what occurred on that phone call. 

I want to encourage you ladies out there. We all have chances to speak into peoples lives. Sometimes it is easy to be bold. Other times you are scared to death, because we need a paycheck, or scared you will lose your friends. But the one thing God taught me today is. I AM your Jehovah Jirah. You speak Bold and IN LOVE and my truth will set people free. 

While I will probably will never met his beautiful wife, and who knows if He will sign the Scope of Work now. LOL!  I truly believe I was apart of getting a family back into church, started the healing of a marriage, and help a man break the addiction of Porn off his life. All because this chick spoke with boldness and did not allow the enemy to tell her she is stupid. What will you do today?  Will you be bold! The fields are ready to harvest? Are you ready to go to work?  Because God is ready to put us to WORK!!!! 

Love y'all

Tiffany 

Far from a 'kumbaya'Family

5 personalities, 4 girls, 1 handsome man, and a cute little fur ball is what our family is made up of.  Each family is made up with different personalities, strengths, birth orders and weakness.  When one of us hurts the others hurt. When one wins we all celebrate.  When entering our doors  you might feel as if you  enter a firework show rather than a calm campfire scene setting around roasting marshmallows singing Kumbaya my Lord.  While most people would take Cort as a quiet a man of little words, I have had the pleasure from day one to get to see the side that he only allows few to know.

 Cort Bethmann is the funniest man I have ever met in my life. He leads with wisdom and strength, and when it comes to competition it is on!  My girls are very different. Rielly has always been mature way beyond her years, has the most giving and loving spirit. She is very reserved and tends to follow in her daddy’s footsteps of watching you and assisting you before allowing you in. Once she feels you will not hurt her.  Chaise is very sweet she is our middle child and is very territorial over her things. I am always amazed at the deals she works up with her sisters. She tends to be the “money bags” of the family.  I love watching her and Rielly when the come up with an idea. Rielly pitches the idea, and approaches Chaise for a loan. Chaise comes up with what she will need to have in return for her investment and they both come out on top. Kailee Grace is the youngest of the family. Let’s just say that little bit has three mommies, and keeps us all on our toes. Rielly and Chaise tell her all of the time she has Jedi-mad skills of getting out of trouble and can get me laughing. Buddy the dog is the newest addition. God never gave me a son of my own flesh so I got a male dog. I figured it was a good trade, and would be easier on my body. To say I love my family is an understatement. These are the 5 people I would take a bullet for; jump in a train for would give my last breath to.  While we might not be perfect, God brought us together to be the Bethmanns.

You hear it a lot that two first borns together makes life a little difficult sometimes. Why is that?  Well, being a first born married to a first born, and having a first born, middle and baby in the family I have been asking God to show me how to use our strengths as firstborns as strengths instead of weakness.

Typically, if you are a first born you will tend to be a “little” bossy. I stress “little”.  I mean you see yourself  as smarter and better than others and well no one can do it to your level, and statics prove that they are  typically are the movers and shakers. We also tend to be the perfectionists of the world, just a personal opinion but I think it is because we did not pop out of the womb holding the parenting book. We are the lab rat tester for our parents.  Having my own first born and knowing the level I hold her too I 100% believe this to be true. 

We tend to have a running joke in our home with our oldest daughter Rielly. She loves watching Nanny 911 and has the British accent down, and all her parenting techniques down. She tends to crack me up when she bust out as my personal Nanny teaching me how to raise the girls.   Rielly tells Cort and me all the time that we do not hold the other two girls to the level that she was/ is held too.  I love being out in public and Rielly start talking about how “WE” (Cort, her and me) are raising the two little girls.  I will tell you yes I have slacked the more kids I get because you learn that some things just are not that big of a deal as you thought.  While we do most of the parenting, being the oldest in my family and having a little sister. I do understand that the two other girls do want to be like their oldest sister.  Since Rielly was six she has been a role model to the other girls, and honestly walks out that calling very well. While no one is perfect she does try her best to give advice and does a great job helping us out.

So with three first borns in the house we tend to have three natural born leaders, which means we have three different ideas and we all think we are right.  It amazes me that the child that is the same birth order as you tend to clash more with.  So even though Cort and I to be like two sheep butting heads due to those natural personalities and traits of being first borns, I would not trade it for the world. I love the way Cort leads, and how as a first born you have this feeling of needing to establish your territorial right.

So while we will probably never have the kumbaya family. I know with every fiber in my being we are all in this family because He has a plan. So I started asking God what verses do I pray. We can’t change birth orders, our family is our family.  Rielly says our family motto is: "Ohana means family. Family means no one is left behind - or forgotten."  

I really started thinking about that this morning after dropping her off at school. We are all part of Go’'s family and each one of us has a birth order, traits, and personality, and no matter how crazy it gets God tells us we are his Ohana! Nothing we do can ever take us out of his hands. No one, no thing can pluck us from his hands. Not even anything we do. I know that I have not been the perfect Christian, wife or mother. Yet nothing can remove me out of the Bethmann Family, or the Family of God. Today, I felt lead to let you each know that there is absolutely nothing you can do that will take your spiritual birth right. While you might think, “Oh my if they knew this about me…. They would not accept me. Well, I want you to know that is nothing but a lie from the enemy. 

I remember a time in my life I had to call my husband up scared to death to let him know what I was dealing with, but opening up the lines of communication and sharing what I was going through brought about freedom for me and even for him.  It really ticks me off that so many of us believe the lies of the enemy that we cannot let our family know because I will look like a failure or they will view me as a weak person.  When in reality, not opening up and asking for help from someone family member or friend you are staying in prison. 

I want to shout it from the roof tops. God gives you opportunities to get out of what you are trapped in, however if we allow pride and fear to paralyzes we might miss out on the best He has for us. I don’t know who this is for today, but I feel very strong to let you know.  "Ohana means family. Family means no one is left behind - or forgotten."  Nothing you do, say will ever take you out of your earthly or physical family. Do not believe the lie. Walk in your freedom today. Remove the Yuck that has a grip over you. 

I know it is hard to admit when you do something that is something that goes so against every fiber of your being.  When I say I have walked out that process I have walked it out. More than I would ever like to admit. The one thing I have learned is the longer you let it linger the deeper the wound to heal. While fear and the lies of the enemy will try to keep you paralyzed you have to take the stance of a first born. Whether you are a firstborn, baby or middle child in your family, in the kingdom of God, You are a first born! You are strong, you are a leader, you have the ability to push through and come up on top.

So my two cent’s today is:

 Stand Firm on these verses….God wants to bring Healing, yet you get a choice today. Will today be the day of Freedom for you?  Remember "Ohana means family. Family means no one is left behind - or forgotten."  

John 8:7     When they persisted in asking him questions, he straightened up and said, "The person who is sinless should be the first to throw a stone at her."

This gives you the peace in knowing. We all sin and no one is without sin. Rest in the Peace!! 

Gal. 5:1      It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Check out this song: It is one I love and very close to my heart. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mXeA0G_xKc