WHEW Tribe

I know I am a slow learner and I have come to realize that I have to be told some things over and over again, especially the hard things. Luckily, God is patient with me! He just gently reminds me that I need to get back to doing what He has told me to do, (numerous times before).  A few days ago I was just praying and listening for the Lord in a few areas and He nudged me and said, "You aren't loving the people." Ouch! He was right. I may have been loving them a little bit, but I was not loving them the way He calls us to love them. I was loving them based on my feelings, not based on scripture. He reminded me that before I can serve Him in any other way, I have to love them first. Of course when you want to know what God says about love, you go to His word. "Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one's achieve...

I have always loved all things old fashioned. I think maybe because it reminds me of my childhood, my grandma and the wonderful memories I have growing up. I love antique dishes and furniture. I love aprons and quilts. I love gardens and homemade pies.  To me cooking from scratch, gardening and sewing are old fashioned skills, because it doesn't seem near as many women do these things as used to. These skills used to be part of everyday life, at least in my family they were.  My Grandma always made pies from scratch, biscuits from scratch, hung out her clothes to dry and they had the best garden ever! Grandma fed anyone that stopped by and never acted like it was a bother. She took care of Grandpa and the house, because that's just the way it was done. Her home was always in order and she was always busy doing something. I learned a lot from Grandma, just by being around her - even though I didn't appreciate it until I was older. I remember when I was in the th...

We are not all the same.  That came as a shock to you didn't it?  Just kidding, I know that you know this.  However, I really believe that we need to be reminded of this - often.  We are NOT all the same, so why do we feel like we have to be like everyone else. Why do we feel like we have to do things the same way others do them?  And when we do something differently, why do we feel guilty? UGH!! Drives me crazy! But we do it. I know I'm not alone in this, because I've talked to too many women that struggle with this. We get  caught up in the comparison trap in so many areas: housekeeping raising children being the "best" wife clothes hair exercise food worship and the list goes on and on.... STOP!! Just STOP!! God created each one of us uniquely and we need to embrace that! It's okay to just be yourself, to just be who God made you to be and to be comfortable with that. Some of u...

I have let Satan win. Again.  Ugh, will I ever learn?  Maybe. But maybe not. Even as I am writing this, I'm giving in again. I hear that voice of perfectionism in my head that is critiquing every word I type to make sure I'm saying everything correctly, that I'm using just the right words to get my point across. This voice is what keeps me from blogging more, it tells me I have to know just what to say and how to say it correctly and let's not forget about proper punctuation. Every time I think about writing a post, this voice starts questioning me: what do you think they want to hear, what picture are you going to use with the post, do you really have time to sit down and write, what about all your housework? So, I don't write. I don't share with you what is on my heart, because I listen to that voice. That same voice also tells me that I'm a failure and that if I share what's really on my heart, you will all see just how many times...

I'm going to be really open and vulnerable with you on this post and trust me, it isn't easy for me. I would not be sharing these feelings with you, except I feel God telling me to because someone else needs to read it. Someone else needs to know they aren't the only ones that feel this way and that it's okay.  I believe it's time we, as sisters in Christ, lay down the masks and be real. We have to be open. We have to let others know it's okay to not have it all together. How can we build each other up if we don't even know we are falling down? I don't know where to start other than just jump in and blurt it all out.  So here it goes...

Have you ever been so moved by someone that you couldn't stop thinking about the encounter with them? Moved because just being around this person made you feel special, they made you feel important and loved? I had an encounter like that recently and it touched my heart so much that I just could not stop thinking about it.  Let me fill in a few details for you...

I didn't realize it at first, but I had let fear and perfectionism stop me from doing what God had called me to do. God told me to create WHEW Tribe to encourage and lift up other women; to let them know they were not alone. I made excuses: I don't have time, I don't know what to write, I don't know what they need, and on and on... But the truth is... I was afraid of what some people  might say if I wrote what was really on my heart. I was afraid of the criticism I might get if I didn't write properly, using the right grammar and punctuation. Because goodness knows it's been a long time since I was in school. I was afraid of the negative comments I might get; of the theological debates that might ensue if I shared my beliefs. I am not a theologian by any means.  Fear.  It's such a powerful thing. A crippling thing. But do you know what? All of those things I was afraid of weren't even REAL ! They were all thing...

Hey friends! I'm so excited! Today I officially launch WHEW Tribe!   I thought this would be the perfect time to share with you why I started WHEW Tribe and how it came about.  About a year ago I felt God leading me to start a new blog; I had been blogging at Rashel's Run for several years already, but really felt I was to start fresh. So after much prayer I started Breathing Authenticity and started learning all about how to start a blog, the best platforms, etc. Well, that was my first mistake - going to the world for direction instead of God. I should have listened more to how He wanted me to do it, not what the world said I needed to do to have a successful blog. I won't bore you with every detail, but let's just say that God was not in that blog. I paid for my own domain name, I signed up on a new platform and I started writing. It was a struggle. I'm not talking about getting people to my blog, I'm talking everything. I didn't know the p...

I think sometimes when we fall behind in something, or completely fall off the wagon, it's easy for us to just give up. We start thinking it would be easier if we just quit altogether. We listen to the little voice that tells us we failed, so why even bother trying again. Sometimes things happen and we get off track with our goals and plans. I want you to know it's okay . Sometimes we fall behind just out of laziness, it happens. Don't beat yourself up about it and don't listen to that little voice telling you that you will just fail again. That voice is a liar.

Are you guilty like me? I have a tendency to glance at people, even when I am speaking with someone. I can't say I  always  look someone in the eye, do you? I have a horrible habit of not giving the person my full attention when we are talking. But do you know what happens when you look someone in the eye, you make them feel special. Even if it is just for that brief moment of conversation, they feel noticed. Listened too. Respected. I really am trying to be better at this. I know how important it is and I'm working on it. As God's children we are called to love others and if we can't even take the time to look them in the eye, are we really loving them? If I'm talking to someone and the whole time they are looking around the room, paying attention to other conversations and checking out what everyone else is doing, I certainly don't feel like my conversation with them is important. Yet, I've been guilty of this very thing many times. Thank God for grace ...