Category: Faith

be all you can be, bucket list, life, live, New, potential in God, start living, women

Start Living!

livingwholecoaching

Are you satisfied with your life today?  Are you stuck in the normal routine rut and can’t get out?  Well try something new!  It doesn’t have to be something elaborate just different.  If you have always driven by a store on your “normal” route to and from work but never stopped in to see what they offer, today go inside.  If you want to change careers or desire to start your own business but don’t know where to start, sign up for a class at  your local community college to get more information.

I believe it is each person’s civic duty to be all that they can be.  Or is that in the army?  Anyway, you get my drift, start something different in your life and live a little.  We all know that life is short, so why leave this earth without ever experiences some of the exciting moments it has to offer.

I had a friend that passed away a year or so ago, she had worked and retired, she had raised her children and had the short opportunity to know her grand-child.  She was just getting started to live her life but unfortunately death came to knock on her door and she had to go.  Don’t have regrets at the end of your time.  Use your life to its fullest potential.  Take risks and find your “sweet” spot in life.

Create your “bucket list” of things you want to accomplish before you die.  Don’t wait, do it today!  Life is worth living!

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa

Faith, God, the butterfly journey, women

Faith Without Works…

livingwholecoaching

Life gets rough sometimes.  There are times in our lives that we don’t know what to do or where to turn because our situations seem larger than we are.  What do we do to manage the things that loom over us and we have no control?

As a Christian we know we can turn to God, for He is our help in times of trouble.  But He is also there when our life is seemingly good.  Our faith is strong when things are going well.  It is easy to be hopeful when all things are working right.  But it is the test of our faith when things don’t look so good and we can’t find a solution anywhere.  God is still the same though.  We need to activate our faith more in those times when nothing seems to be coming together.  But is gets hard when the bills are due and you can’t see a way to pay.  It gets tough when your body is constantly in pain.  It gets rough when you can’t walk and do the simple things for yourself.  I know I have been there.  God said that faith without works is dead.  If can stir up a little more faith and push a little bit more, I know God will come to your rescue!  He is faithful!

I have a friend (and I call her a friend even though I have never met her) that has been suffering with physical pain.  I don’t know how long she has been suffering but I know it is a heavy burden on her right now.  I met her through this blog and she shared a little bit about her situation.  I have been praying for her ever since.  I have other people praying for her too.  But what God showed me is I can’t just pray, I need to activate some action behind those prayers.  My friend is in need right now and I need to help meet those physical needs somehow.

It is through the things that we do to make someone else’s life better, to meet their needs that brings glory to God.  As a vessel for Him we can show people that God is real.  That is what I am trying to do for my friend; that through me and other like-minded people God has sent us to help her in her time of need.

I hope that you are reading this right now, my friend (you know who you are), you are heavy on my mind.  I want to help you get to wholeness again through more than just elaborate words on a blog.  I want to share in your journey whether broken or whole.  I want to show the love of Christ.  If you need your house cleaned, we will find a way to do that.  If you need someone to pick up and pay for some groceries, God is able.  Please reach out to me and let me know what it is that we can do.  You have my contact information.

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa

coach, depression, facebook, journey, plans, purpose, radical, women

Radical Change

livingwholecoaching

The strangest thing happened this morning while writing my blog.  I completed what I thought was a pretty good blog and hit “publish”, all seemed well until I went to view the post and only the title was there.  Technical glitch or something else?  I understand that the opposite of good is evil and we can’t remain naive to the fact that the adversary is lurking around to try to “halt” the mighty plans of the Lord.  Unfortunately for him that is not an option.  Whatever plans the Lord sets in motion will prevail!

The ones close to me know that my life today is nowhere near where I was over 2 years ago.  I was stuck in a place of depression with little hope to make it through to the other side of sane much less a place of purpose and abundance.  But you see the journey that the Lord placed me on was a divine intervention of my life.  I truly have been transformed by the renewing of my mind.

It has taken an emotional toll on me to write about the place of desolation that I was in but God knew that was where I needed to be in order to be radically changed for His purpose in life.

I could have wasted away in my place of darkness, but instead God had plans far brighter than my most horrific days of depression.  It reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures: Jeremiah 29:11 ~ “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

God has great plans for your life too.  A radical change is waiting to take place in your life right in the middle of your struggles.  Will you embrace it?  Will you die in your place of desperation?  Or will you decide to live out your true purpose and have an abundant life full of promise, healing, and restoration?

I am here to help you through your journey; to coach you, to help you find the resources that you need to catapult you to the next level, and to pray for you in the midst of your storms.  Are you ready for your radical change today?

Join The Butterfly Journey Facebook page by clicking the “like” button and begin to live out your God-given plans!

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa

book, facebook, Faith, God, hurting women, journey, purpose, the butterfly journey, women

The Time Has Come

livingwholecoaching

If you have been so gracious as to read any of my blogs, you know by now that I am currently writing my first book – The Butterfly’s Journey.  I just received my copyright papers today!  The time has come!  My deadline is set for October 2011.  I am sending another copy to the editor tonight!

Over the course of one week a shift has begun to occur in my journey.  I have been overly blessed to have connected to some amazing, encouraging, women who have been divinely connected to me.  These ladies have already touched my heart and I pray that our journey together will be one of amazement in God.

I didn’t think I was ready for the shift yet, but I knew it would come soon.  God has prepared me for such a time as this.  Now the time has come for me to move out into the territory in faith of ministering to hurting women.  I don’t take my mission and purpose lightly and I won’t move on anything until God tells me where to go, what to do, when to do it, and what to say when I get there.

This is such an awesome responsibility and I pray that I will accomplish all that God will set before me in an excellent way.

If you are feeling generous and have the desire to help me optimize my Facebook page, please go to The Butterfly Journey page and click “like”, as this will help me get the most exposure and reach the women that I desperately desire to touch.  On this page is where I will be holding online discussions, connecting with others, and posting upcoming events.  I am going to also use it to give the progress of my book, unveiling the cover design, and choosing a select few to pre-read one of the first copies to add a review to the back cover.

I thank you in advance for your support!

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

blogging, book, God, God has ordained, hurting women, journey, potential in God, purpose, social media, Tweeting, vessel

This is Who I Am

livingwholecoaching

I have been blogging for over 2 months now and I only had a few comments and one subscriber, but I that is not why I started blogging.  I wanted to have another avenue to reach out to other women to share my life as I live it.  It is my online journal of the lessons that God shows me everyday.

Perhaps you can relate to the fact that ever since I started blogging, posting, and tweeting, I have left little time to concentrate on my writing.  I am presently in the middle of writing my first book.  Because it is totally inspired by God I know that He has a fresh, relevant message that needs to reach the masses.  I am just the vessel in which He chose to deliver it.   But honestly I have been slacking back on the writing.  Wasting time on worthless stuff.  I know better than that.

Well on Saturday morning I woke up and as usual I checked all my social media sites to see what was going on.  And to my surprise I had a comment on one of my recent posts.  I was so excited that I accidentally called my mother at 7 o’clock in the morning (I know better than that).  But I couldn’t contain myself.  It was as if I had won the lottery or struck oil.  The reason for my great joy is because I had touched one person with my message that day.

You may not understand my wild excitement, but you see, God has ordained me to encourage and inspire women to live out their purpose in Him.  And to actually have one person touched by my blog meant the whole world to me.  This is who I am, this is what I was put on this earth to do.  And if I can help 1 or 1,000, my journey would not have been in vain.  I will be able to have glorified my God!  I may not have gotten it all right in life, but this one thing is burning on my spirit so deep that I must fulfill it before I die.

So needless to say I need to finish this book.  I can’t spend countless hours just looking at what everybody else is doing.  I need to be about my Father’s business!  I need to be helping hurting women know their true worth.  I need to be helping them discover their potential in God.  I need to be there to pray with them and for them as they go through their storms.  I need to be their sister-friend and encourage them in their dreams.

This is who I am! I am living out the purpose that God predestined for me to be in the world to help transform lives from ordinary to extraordinary in Him.

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

depression, God, Healing, hurting women, journey, Mirror, Tough questions

The Woman in the Mirror

livingwholecoaching

When I was suffering from depression and beginning my healing process with God; I had to ask myself some tough questions.  Why did I end up that way?  What were some of the things that I personally did that contributed to my situation?

It took all the emotional strength that I could muster up to ask those questions.  I was frightened more by the thought of what the answers were.  But I had to know, I couldn’t move forward in my healing without knowing the truth.  I never wanted to travel to that place again.

As I saw myself in the mirror of God’s eyes it cut me as deep as a double-edged sword.  The darkness that surrounded me was overwhelming.  I didn’t even recognize myself.  But in the writing of my book I now realize now raw those pains still are.  Whenever I share my testimony, I get emotional about the imagery that God showed me of my life.  It grieves my soul!

But still everyday, I look in that mirror of myself to see where I am now.  I see the miraculous changes that only God could do.  I see a woman full of life and purpose.  I see the light of life surrounding me taking the place of the darkness that once followed and plagued me.  I can’t forget that woman in the mirror, she is my sister, my friend, she is me.  I will continue to advocate for her and pray for her and help her to find her place in life.  It is not easy looking at yourself in the mirror; seeing your life as it really is.

But I wanted to endure that so that I can be real for other women who are going through their storms of life.  I want to tell them the whole process; every detail is important to the healing process and growth.  You can’t just give someone  the beginning and the end and never share the middle of your story.  It does them no good at all.  Everyone wants to know that they are not the only one who has suffered, who has gone through bad things.  They want to relate to some piece of your story so they know that you truly understand.

Once they see you on the other side they wonder if they too can be healed.  That is why it is so important for me to share, to minister, to pray with and to love all the hurting women no matter what they face because I know that through it all God can redeem you.  He can and He will turn your ashes into beauty if you allow Him to.

If only I could touch a 1,000 lives then I know my journey would not have been in vain.

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

depression, Faith, God, hurting women, journey, self-discovery, worthy

Losing Myself to Find Myself

livingwholecoaching

The darkness was intense.  The eerie soundless space was unnerving.  It was as if all living things had disappeared.  I found myself drowning in a pit of sadness and loneliness for over 730 days of pure torment.  This place of depression had stolen my life as I once knew it and there was nothing that I could do.

As unbearable as it was at the time, I wouldn’t change anything; because out of my pit of despair came life.  When God delivered me from the shame and pain of the place I found myself in, I was different.  I was not the same anymore.

He showed me that through this process, although painful, made me useful for His purpose.  Once healed I am able to share my story with other hurting women and help them on their journey to wholeness.  I found my “true” self.

Now I have hope and purpose!  I have the understanding of who I really am and whose I am.  I no longer have to conform to the people or situations around me that pull out all of my good for their own purposes.  And leave me empty and useless to myself and God.

God I am grateful for losing my worldly self to find my “true” worthy self in you.

It is true it is a process and your journey might not look exactly like mine, but nonetheless it is a process for whatever you are going through.  But you must: 1. embrace your journey, 2. self-discovery – understand your role in the mess of your life, 3. seek your worth from the one who made you (God), 4. repent and change by building a new relationship with God 5. understand and pursue your purpose.

Let’s find the real you today!  Email me @ lisa@thebutterflyjourney.net

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

depression, Faith, journey, Joy, New

I’m New Again!

livingwholecoaching

God is so gracious to us!  When I found myself drowning in a pit of depression I never thought I would make it out.  It was the worst time in my life.   I had no one to turn to; no one reached out to me.  It was just hopelessness and darkness.  But God…

God was not only in the pit with me, but He lifted me up and out as a brand new “me”.   He made me NEW!

It was a tough process, but like the caterpillar’s transformation process, it was necessary so that I could FLY.  I am grateful for the entire experience, as it has made me a new person.  I now have clarity about who I really am, my worth in God, and my purpose in life.

I no longer have to conform to the people or things around me to feel valued.  I am free to be me and I will no longer seek the approval of “man”.  I will be excellent in all that I do, but temporal praise is not my goal.  I thrive now for a more eternal approval.  I no longer worship the gifts, more than the Giver!

I am new again!  I was broken in a million pieces and God put me back on the potter’s wheel and transformed my life.  I am now a useful vessel for His purpose.

You know the joy that is expressed in the Bible; that unspeakable joy? That’s what I have with God.   It is not conditioned to any circumstance or situation but it is there all the time.  Even when the storms of life coming crashing down, it is there.  Follow God, He will not lead you astray.  He will replace your ashes for beauty and give you joy, unspeakable!

Embrace your life’s challenges and seek clarity in what God is trying to show you about yourself.  It will renew your spirit.  It will make you new again!

The Buttefly Journey – Lisa

Faith

Am I My Sister’s Keeper?

livingwholecoaching

To answer that question; Am I my sister’s keeper?  Yes! Yes I am.

God did not create us to travel this road of life alone.  He is the one who we truly need, but He made us to walk beside one another.  He said in His word, “love thy neighbor as thyself”.

We need to be sensitive to each other’s needs and be available when we need each other.  Being in tuned to the Holy Spirit will allow us to feel each other’s pain and be there as a listener, encourager, prayer partner, or just to give a hug.

Words are great and cards are wonderful but sometimes they don’t do the trick like a comforting person to come to see about how you are.

Life has us so busy sometimes that we fail to be there for the people who need us.  We see them every Sunday in church, but do we really see people where they truly are.  I remember going to church every Sunday and was clinically depressed to 2 whole years and no one seemed to notice.

As sad as it may seem, we go through all the motions that we think are expected of us, but yet we by-pass the small gestures that may just make somebody’s day.

I am no therapist but some of the posts that I read on FB are screaming I need help!  Someone reach out to me!  As most people I don’t get involved but tonight, I saw a message that touched my heart and God urged me to reach out.  I didn’t know this person but she is somebody.  I reached out to her with an invitation to call me and talk.  She didn’t call but my prayer is that she felt the love that I extended to her.

Sometimes it is just about showing the love.  No pulpit, no formal evangelism committee, no pomp or circumstance.  Just pure unadulterated love!

What the world needs now is love sweet love!  I am my sister’s keeper!

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

 

 

Faith

God is So Amazing!

livingwholecoaching

The protagonist of my book didn’t live a bad life.  Her life was pretty good when you measure it against other people.  She was actually a very strong believer and follower of God.  So why did she become so depressed?  Even if you have never suffered depression you will be able to relate on some level to this woman’s journey.  Even though this book was especially written for hurting women, I can see that it will reach and help a lot of people.  I can’t wait for you to read it!  It will change your life.

God is so amazing!  As He is giving me the words for this story, I find myself crying at the imagery and feeling the pain that she must have  felt, I feel them too.  This book is healing me as I write it!  I am scared and excited all at the same time to know the magnitude this book’s effect will have on the world!  Because I know God Himself is the writer and I am just the vessel.  The Holy Spirit resides in the pages and will meet you right were you are.  This is a must read!

Nothing that God does ceases to amaze me!  He is a wonderful God and loves us so much.  This book is a true testament to His amazing grace and love.  I am too human to even understand the depth of His love for me.

How long has it been since you just thanked God for being Him?   If He never did another great thing for you or I, He is still a great God!

Share with me your experience of God’s great love.

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa