change, depression, God, healing and deliverance, prayer

Only God. . .That’s All I Need

livingwholecoaching

One thing that I noticed about myself since I was delivered from the depths of depression, is that I am very aware of my feelings more.  I know when I am about to feel that overwhelming feeling that causes me to start to feel defeated.  I don’t like the feeling at all, but I am glad that now I can recognize it very clearly and act appropriately.

God has given me a censor (discernment) to know when I am getting in a place that is not good for me and I stop.  I stop right where I am and I pray and ask God to give me the strength and wisdom I need to push pass that place.  You see before I didn’t understand what that feeling meant and I would allow it to take over me and put me in a place of despair and if I wasn’t careful, it would take me right back to depression.

I am so glad though that God loves me enough to help me in every situation whether big or small.  I am glad that He is there for me when nobody else may understand.  I can depend on Him.  That is one of main lessons that I learned when I came out of my depression was I didn’t have to rely on a person to be there because God was there with me every single day of my 730 day journey in depression.  He was the only one there as a matter of fact and I never would have made it if He wasn’t there with me.

Wow, I could go on  page after page telling you about God’s goodness towards me especially during that time because it changed my life.  But  I will leave that for you to read in my book:  The Butterfly’s Journey, releasing in April 2012.

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

 

2012, destiny, Faith, New Year, purpose

2012: Accountability

livingwholecoaching

Yesterday I spent some quality time with my best friend, my mom!  She is so full of wisdom and love for me and others.  I adore her.

As we were taking our adventure trip to her  doctor’s appointment, she gives me some ideas to becoming financially savvy.  She then goes on and says that she will be keeping me accountable and that she will be my accountability partner.  I started to laugh because I didn’t ask for an accountability partner, but am thankful that she has decided to take the position anyway.  You got to love mothers for giving you what you need, not necessarily what you ask for.

So as the New Year unfolds I see a common theme that God wants me to incorporate into my plans; accountability.  Without even planning for this I now have a prayer partner, a bible-study partner, a ministry development partner, an organizational partner, business development accountability partners, and a financial accountability partner!  God is grand!  He knows what I need and He made it all fall into place.

Having someone or others to come along side of you to help you stay on the course that you desire to see for your life is priceless.  I have always had a problem with staying on tasks and this year I vowed that I would be FAITHFUL and walk by FAITH, then God decided I needed one more level and that is ACCOUNTABILITY.

If you need someone to push you into your purpose and help you figure out your destiny, consider joining and participating with The Butterfly Journey ministry.  What is it that you want to accomplish in 2012?  We are here for you!

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

 

2012, expecting greatness, Faith, New Year, the butterfly journey

2012: Expecting Greatness

livingwholecoaching

Bishop T.D. Jakes said; “don’t just go into the New Year waiting to see what’s going happen, but go expecting great things to happen!”  I am going to do just that!

I decided to take off the first week of the New Year to focus, communicate with God, organize my life, and plan what I expect to see happen in 2012!

In the midst of working, going to meetings, running errands, and a host of other everyday tasks; we lose the time to be quiet and still in the presence of God.  This year for me is all about my faith walk.  Everything that I expect to see happen in 2012 can only come through the power of God.  And in order for me to have clarity and direction, I need to depend solely on the Lord.

You may think well if she is a Christian that is a given, but not true.  Life itself is designed to keep you busier than busy and fall away from the foundation of depending on God.   Walking a faith walk isn’t easy.  Quite the contrary, it is the hardest thing to do in my opinion.  But from experience I know it is the only way for me to live.

I can’t begin to understand all the things that I will face in 2012 and nor do I know how to figure most things out that require divine intervention, so in order to keep myself sane, I have to rely solely on God’s direction.

So that’s why I am taking the opportunity to be still, focus, and seek the face of God for 2012.  I am going into the New Year expecting great and mighty things that I can’t do in my own intelligence or strength.

To God be the glory for the great and mighty things that He will do in 2012!

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

2012, Faith, New Year

2012 A Year of Faith

livingwholecoaching

Happy New Year!   We are turning the page to a new chapter in our lives today!  It’s nothing like a new beginning, a fresh start, an opportunity to do things better!

I took a few weeks before the New Year to reflect on the past year.  I thought about all the trials and triumphs, the lost opportunities and the opening of doors, the unchanged habits, obtained goals and I vowed that this new year would be different.  I decided not to make any resolutions, but promises to myself and God.  I didn’t write a list of the must-dos, but I simply decided to focus on one word FAITH.

If I am faithful and I look to God for all my direction, everything else will follow.  I will meet all the goals, aspirations, and changes that I desire to see for myself and others.  If I walk in FAITH, my own limitations will not interfere with what God has in store for me.  If I continue to believe in the things that I can not see or understand with my limited mind I will succeed!  I will win because God is well-pleased with those who are faithful!

I am going into this year with huge expectations and with child-like FAITH!  I choose to walk by FAITH and not be sight because my sight is limited, but God’s ideas are limitless!  I choose to live an extraordinary life today with God!

My resolve reminds me that of Noah, when he listened to God and began to build the ark.  Friends and family laughed at him when he explained what God had told him to do.  They had never even seen rain before so to imagine it raining for 40 days and 40 nights and eventually destroy the earth as they knew it was way out there.  But Noah believed God even though his mind probably couldn’t even fathom the idea!  But his FAITH, moved him to be obedient and look what happened!

That is the type of FAITH that I want to experience this year and beyond!  I desire to see people laugh at me for stepping out with no finances and launching a ministry that God said for me to do!  I want to see the women that the ministry will touch, s change their lives from ordinary to extraordinary.  I want to see the manifestation of every good thing that God stored up for me to come to life right before my eyes!  More so I want to see people come to know the God that I serve!  I want them to say; “Wow, how did you do that?” and I can tell them it was through FAITH in God!

And my heart can hardly contain the joy and praise that I will explode into just thinking about the goodness and faithfulness of God towards me.

What will your New Year theme be?

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

book, distractions, life, mother, procrastination, purpose, success, the butterfly journey

Stop That Procrastination!

livingwholecoaching

I am trying to get the word procrastination out of my life!  It creeps up at the most untimely times.  I don’t want it to be my friend but I can’t seem to get away from it.  I have so much to do and really am very excited about all the projects that I want to complete, but still the little friend and his cohort distraction come to visit almost every day.

I know my problem and I know how to fix it so why is it so hard to get past it?  I don’t know I guess if everything were easy life would be that bowl of cherries without the pits.  Unfortunately, you must have the pits in order to have the cherries.  I’ll get to the place of progress soon.  If I have to fight procrastination and distractions for the rest of my life, I will!

When you finally find your place of purpose; that’s all you want to focus on.  However, in life you have many more responsibilities to take care of  and sometimes you can’t just do want you want.  I am learning the hard way that I have to prioritize, organize, plan and oh yeah execute to be successful.

Do you remember how “Bewitched” used to just wiggle her nose and things would happen.  Well I definitely don’t want to be a witch, but the trick with the nose is pretty impressive and I could use some things happening in that type of quickness.  It doesn’t work that way, I know.

My mother is a super planner and executor.  She always tells me just do one thing at a time and you will eventually get the task done.  But I am a visionary and I always look at things in “big picture” form.  So it is hard for me to look at the little steps in between that make it a reality.  I just want to jump from concept to vision!

I have to stop this crazy thinking if I am ever to get to my full place of purpose!  I have to get started somewhere.  Well today looks like a good of a day as any to start moving forward.  Book editing; ready or not here I go!

The Butterfly’s Journey book is due out in April 2012!  Pray for me!

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa

change, destiny, Faith, God, grace, life, prayer, preparing for transformation, seeking God

Preparing for Transformation

livingwholecoaching

Before we can begin to start our “butterfly journey”, we must first prepare for transformation.  How do you do that, you ask?  It’s not easy!

First we need to change our mindset towards ourselves and recognize that we can’t do this alone.  That there is more to life than just living the way we have been.  We need God to help us through and we need each other to encourage one another along the way.  We have to build trust in God’s process.  Most importantly we need to desire the change.  We have to get tired of being tired of the way that things are with our lives.

Our desire to seek our “true” destiny has to be stronger than turning back or remaining in a life that is dead and unfruitful.  We need to acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers to life and we need God to help us.  We need to begin the purging process and that takes a lot of courage.

You will need to dig deep into yourself to identify the places in your life that need to be understood and then buried.  Asking, praying, and seeking God for those answers is our key to moving beyond our past and starting anew.  I literally had to relive those places in my life that were not so wonderful and ask God to show me why I made the choices that I did and how to move past the hurt and disappointment that people had left in my life and things that I myself had deposited in my spirit.  I had to allow Him to purge me from those things that were keeping me from understanding my “true” worth in Him.

We can’t skip this part of the process because it prepares us for the transformation stage; which in itself is a tough process.  You have to put your trust in a God that you can’t see, but you can feel His love, grace, and peace all around you!

It’s time for you to prepare, let’s go!

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa

 

 

change, forgiving, God, Healing, Position Yourself for Greatness, the butterfly journey

Position Yourself for Greatness!

livingwholecoaching

My mother and I were talking the other day about how people don’t want to do their part in transforming their lives for greatness.  It is definitely a process.  One that requires some things of you.  God is the one who can and will do the transforming but YOU are the one who has to receive it.  You are the one who needs to open your heart to what it is that God is trying to do for you and in you.

God wants us to be vulnerable to Him and the process.  Your heart has to be open in order to receive.  You have to be willing to let some things go in order to receive some “new” things in.

A closed hand will never receive any gifts.  A closed heart will never receive love.  You have to position yourself for greatness.  I believe it is truly a season of receiving all the good that God has for you.  But you must be ready.  Just like running a marathon you have to condition yourself to endure the challenge, you can’t just go out there and run.  You will hurt yourself.

As it is with receiving from God you must position yourself to receive what it is that He has for you.  You may have to deal with some past hurts, you may have to forgive a few people that you don’t want to forgive, you may have to deny yourself of some selfish motives but it is so worth it my friend.  Those bandages are going to have to come off and some healing will need to take place.

Ask yourself this question are you ready to receive the greatness that God has for you?  Is your heart open to change and transformation?  The caterpillar doesn’t have a choice but to be ready to transform because it is a part of his nature to receive the gift of becoming a butterfly.  But we have a choice and we can choose to remain in the same old place or we can choose to open ourselves up to the greatness that God wants to give us.

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa

 

depression, God, journey, Joy, life worth living, purpose

My Life is Worth Living!

livingwholecoaching

My life is worth living!

Even though my life has been filled with disappointments and trials.  It has had many turns and dips that have left me weary and exhausted.  I have suffered from unworthiness, low self-esteem, depression and a whole host of other negative things.  I have been lied on, cheated on, giving broken promises, but still my life is worth living.

Through every storm there has been a rainbow at the end to show me that God still exists and better still He has been with me through all of the pain.  He has kept on giving me reasons to push on!   Rays of hope and direction for my future!

Sickness has knocked on my door and lingered in my room sometimes too.  But God has healed me each time and strengthen me for the next leg of my journey.  I have had strangers and friends bless me with gifts of love right at the perfect time.

When I consider all that God has in store for me and how much He loves me and wants to give me a life of purpose, joy, and peace, I get excited!  My life is worth living!

Can you count the blessings that the Lord has given you over the year even in the midst of your mess?  Just think about what He wants to do for you and get in position to receive it!  Jeremiah 29:11 says; “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.” NIV  Come on get that in your spirit right now!

Your life is worth living, so stop trying to figure it all out yourself and let God show you just what He has for you.

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa

Christ, family, friends, God, love, mother, thanksgiving

Unconditional Love – Priceless

livingwholecoaching

After spending almost an entire 24 hours in the hospital with my mother yesterday, who was having chest pains early Wednesday, we were blessed to find out that her heart is in great condition!  It was a blessing to spend the day with her even under those circumstances.  It bought to my attention how blessed we really and truly are.  My family and extended friends were there for us and for that I am truly thankful!  It reminds me that it’s not the big triumphs in life that make it all worth while; but it is the little things that we often take for granted.

My siblings and I are not used to seeing our mother in such a vulnerable physical state and it brings to our minds that she is getting older and her body is showing those signs.  We have always seen her as this strong woman of God not letting anything stop her from doing what she needed to do.  Often times putting her on needs aside to tend to ours.  Now she needs us to come along side of her to help her through these physical issues that have decided to change her body.

As I watched over her resting in the hospital bed, the thoughts of her doing the same for me when I was a child touched my heart.  I thanked God for allowing me to have such a wonderful person as a mother and father in my life.  Not only has she touched my life in a positive way but she has deposited lots of love and inspiration into my daughter and my grandchildren.  They are blessed to have her in their lives.  She is our best friend, our advocate, our mom!

Take the time today to reach out to your loved ones wherever they may be what ever the circumstance of your relationship and try to make it right.  Life is too short to harbour feelings of anything but love.  I challenge you to choose to move past any hurt or pain and begin a new life today with God with you.  You won’t regret it.

Today I am thankful for the unconditional love of my mother, my family and friends and most of all the love of Christ who died so that I could be free!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

God, purpose, seeking God, the butterfly journey, try one more thing

Try One More Thing

livingwholecoaching

I was having lunch with a few close friends the other day and they were going through some “stuff” in their lives.  Trying desperately to find their purpose and move into their destiny.  I know it is frustrating for them to feel like they are just “being” and not making progress towards their true life purposes.

As I listened to them explain about all the things they had tried to help them figure out the “why” of their lives; I began to go directly into my spiritual self.  I know what they need to help them; this is what I do in my ministry, but how do I say it to them?  So without biting my tongue I asked them if they tried praying to God?  Their responses came all at once back to me laden with excuses of why they never tried God.  Sad but true for a lot of people that I know.  I see them struggling in life for answers that I know for sure they will never find in the places that they are searching.

I understand all too well that you can’t take your friends by the hand and lead them to God,  but I can show them how much He has done for me through my life.  After years of trying my own way and failing I finally was in a position to only seek Him.  I suffered with depression for over 2 years!  No one could help me in the place that I was in not even if I wanted them to.  God planned it that way for me, because He knew any other way would not have been the personal connection that I needed so much.  And that is what my friends need, they have to get to a place where nothing else works and finally realize that and turn to God.

He is right there waiting for us all to come to the realization that there is no earthly thing that can fill a void that only He can fill.  He designed us to seek Him for our lives.  When you understand that you need to go directly back to the Creator to find out your purpose; your life will be so much more exciting and pleasurable.  Unfortunately, I have to watch my friends wiggle and wrangle  with their lives until they turn and seek God.  And I continue to pray for them to get tired of trying all the other “stuff” soon so that they can live a life of purpose!

It doesn’t cost anything to try God, He is free.  Unlike all the “stuff” that is out on the market today that promises it will get you to a place of purpose only to fail and have you spending more money than you can afford and going back to the same place that you began.  Just like the hamster on the little wheel; and around and around you go!  Making no progress at all.

If you have tried to self medicate yourself with the “things” of this world and have tried every coaching system, read every book, met with every counselor, every guru, and everything else and have had no success; try one more thing for me . . .

Try God and let me know what happens!

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa