LeeAnn G Taylor - Embracing the Mosaic Life

Trusting our broken pieces to the Ultimate Artist

Healing Your Spiritual Root System

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She cries out, uncomfortable and sad as she rubs her face back and forth on the crib mattress. My baby girl is sick.

girlie

This “summer fever virus” her brother shared has traveled to her eyes and she’s miserable. The thing is, a few days ago, I didn’t realize she was so sick. Oh yes, I knew she had a virus, but we’d called the nurse and gotten the okay to ride it out since there were no other symptoms.

In time though, the blocked tear duct she’d struggled with earlier in the week became inflamed and infected, leading to one feverish, sick baby.

It wasn’t until I realized how sick she actually was that we were able to tend to her and acquire the medication she needed to get well.

Isn’t it the same with us as adults sometimes?

We go through our daily routines, knowing we have sin-that-so-easily-entangles-us in our lives but not truly realizing the impact and the depth of the bondage we’re in. We don’t realize our souls are sick so we don’t seek Christ’s grace, forgiveness, and freedom – the medicine we need for healing.

For me, one turning point came 18 months ago in the form of a God-Centered Mom podcast episode. The host {Heather} interviewed Francie Winslow and through her words, I finally began to grasp the truth of one of my sins {my pride, taking the form of perfectionism} and the freedom from this “good girl” sin available through Christ.

I started using Francie’s method of healing my spiritual root system:

  • recognize something’s wrong
  • admit it’s wrong and repenting
  • renounce the lie I’ve believed
  • replace it with truth
  • accept forgiveness
  • and rejoice in the newfound freedom

healingspiritualroot

I encourage you to save the image above to your phone’s photo roll or print it out to refer back to it. It’s time for us to embrace the freedom Christ came to share!

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Galatians 5:1a #bgbg2

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What’s one action you’ve taken {or you’re going to take} to feed your soul and heal your spiritual root system? Share in the comments and let’s encourage one another!

Sharing with the Five Minute Friday community. This week’s prompt was “free” – I started writing and just couldn’t stop at 5 minutes. Glad there’s grace for that! 

You Were Made To Fly ~ Faith & Fellowship Friday {A Community Link-Up}

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What’s holding you back from a rich spiritual life?

For me for the longest time it was years spent in a religious tradition that valued rules and regulations over relationship. While I developed strong relationships with other Christian brothers and sisters, many of whom are still some of my closest friends, my relationship with God suffered.

When I was 16, I knew there was something more that I was missing. I wondered aloud to my sister in the car one day, “Why have we been taught all these things about God but no one has ever taught us how to know Him?“

Years later I’m just now discovering the freedom Christ offers us as believers.

God woke me up this morning with the lyrics to the song Make Me More Free playing over and over in my mind. Maybe I needed a reminder!

(click the play button to listen)

Help me to see, free me

To see You and know You

To know I am known

Help me to see You, see me

And know I am Yours alone

With wings like an eagle, my heart made to fly

Over sin, over sorrow, to new realms of life

From glory to glory, my gaze fixed so high

That I only see Jesus, the love of my life

My heart is no longer held back by a narrow interpretation of the body of Christ and instead I’ve started building stronger relationships with other Christians and with God, my creator, sustainer, friend, and provider. It’s a beautiful thing, freedom.

So what’s holding you back in your spiritual walk?

Be encouraged today. Christ came to set you free. God promises to provide and loves you as His child. Break free and FLY!

Isaiah 40:31 wings like eagles

This post is part of the Five Minute Friday weekly link-up. Today’s writing prompt was HOLD.
 
Also, I’m so excited to be co-hosting this week’s Faith and Fellowship Blog Hop along with Susannah from Simple Moments Stick. Take a moment to link up your latest encouraging, faith-building posts. Let’s continue to encourage one another on this journey of becoming more like Jesus.

 

So continue encouraging each other and building each other up, just like you are doing already.
Faith and Fellowship Guidelines

1.  Link up a post (not just the link to your blog) from the week that shares what the Lord’s been doing in your life or speaking to you.2.  Put the button on your blog post or blog so that others can hear about this wonderful group of Godly women.

3.  Visit as many blogs as you’re able and get to know your sisters in Christ!

4.  Share this blog hop on social media using #faithandfellowship or pin the button on Pinterest.

Simple Moments Stick

Your Host:

Susannah1Susannah from Simple Moments Stick
 If you’d like to cohost in the future, please email Susannah at susannah.kellogg (at) gmail.com

This Week’s Co-Host:

LeeAnn from Embracing the Mosaic Life

 

Now it’s your turn! Link up your faith-based, encouraging posts here:

 

The Solution to the Ultimate Joy-Stealer

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Last night marked a milestone in our family as we poured through mounds of paperwork at my daughter’s kindergarten registration night.

My Facebook status read, “How is it even possible that I will be attending kindergarten registration tonight? Someone please tell me where 5 years went…” IMG-5337

The time passed just like all time passes, second by second, moment by moment.

While the years seem to fly by, I’m trying desperately to remember to live in the moment. Lots of tiny glimpses of the daily happenings piled up in a heap turn into the days, weeks, months, and years of my life. And I try so desperately to make the little moments matter.

Some days, it’s beautiful. The moments look like building towers on the floor with the little ones, snuggling on the couch watching Elmo lullaby videos on You Tube, cutting strawberries and marveling at all the seeds, and reading books and books and more books before bed.

But other days it’s a struggle. The little moments of these days have snapshots like an entire box of Kix cereal spilled all over the living room floor, a feverish baby recovering from surgery fighting his dose of medication, crying to my husband because I don’t know how the budget is going to work this month, and falling asleep exhausted on the couch with my laptop (again) with too many to-do list items and not enough time or energy to complete them.

photo credit: mliu92 via photopin cc

photo credit: mliu92 via photopin cc

In reality, most days are made up of a crazy combination of ‘beautiful’ and ‘struggle’ moments.

Ok, let’s be really real. Sometimes it’s all a struggle and I worry and stress and fret and busy myself with tasks but forget to offer up all my cares and concerns up to the only One who has any power to change anything about anything. Yet in the middle of my mess, God meets me where I am as I seek Him daily. 

Lately, my morning quiet time has been more focused on how much I can accomplish on my to do list instead of sitting and soaking up God’s presence in these precious quiet early moments of the day. When it happens, my Bible study has been reduced to browsing through one chapter of Proverbs a day and cracking open the daily devotional Jesus Calling. Slowly but surely, I’m also working my way through Ann Voskamp’s book One Thousand Gifts.

While it’s definitely leaps and bounds from where I’ve been in the past with my quiet time (non-existent for many years), the time is often not spent in the deep reflection and study that I know will grow my relationship with God in the way I desire.

Even though I’ve not been offering my whole self to my Creator, his grace is so evident to me as he meets me where I am in my weakness and fills me with His truth. He takes the small things I offer (think fishes and loaves) and turns it into provision for my life. This morning I have been filled again with his gracious and tender love, an example of how deeply He cares for me in the midst of my chaos, turning it right back into order – His order.

It’s Friday and today’s Five Minute Friday writing prompt from Lisa-Jo Baker is “joy”. I love the community of the #fmfparty women on Twitter each Thursday night and I stayed up late last night waiting for the prompt so I could join in with my words and share our hearts together through our writing. The prompt was posted around 11pm and instead of writing, I laid my head down to “rest” for a moment and woke up 30 minutes later to my husband walking in the door late from work. Foggy-headed and discouraged that I stayed up so late yet couldn’t manage to type out a few words for 5 minutes, I closed my laptop and crawled into bed.

This morning, after a long week of brain-draining training at work, a cranky toddler recovering from surgery, anxiety over finances, and the monthly hormonal swings that leave me snapping at my husband, I just wasn’t sure if there were any impactful words in my heart for me to share around the prompt of “joy”. Enter God’s grace and his provision (as always!). I opened up my journal to where I’ve been taking notes as I read through One Thousand Gifts and saw this quote:

Stress isn’t only a joy stealer. The way we respond to it can be sin.” And then more: “I can’t fill with joy until I learn to trust.”

Knowing this was God speaking truth into my life in the midst of my quite stressful week, I turned to my other morning staple, the Jesus Calling devotional, and read these words on the page for March 21:

Trust Me and don’t be afraid, for I am your Strength and Song…I want you to share My Joy, living in conscious awareness of My Presence.”

And there it was. My answer to the joy-struggle.

trust tiles

Trust.

Trust that God is working all things to the good as I seek Him daily. Trust that He will provide in the ways that our family needs it. Trust that this overwhelming season at work will resolve soon. I must practice trusting God. It is not enough just to believe He exists.

Remember, even the demons believe! But it’s my job to trust and then, only then, will my heart fill with joy as I am grateful for his love and provision in my life. Is it easy? Oh, surely not. Trust is a process and part of why I think we’re told in God’s word to “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” The verse continues by reminding us, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Phillipians 2:12-13)

We offer up our lives as a living sacrifice, trusting him with each tiny choice we make instead of dwelling on the daily pressures and struggles.

Stress is a joy-stealer. Don’t let the constant dwelling on the worries of the world steal your joy like I’ve been letting it steal mine.

Instead, embrace the answer to this joy-struggle and trust God in the midst of the fears of the unknown.

joy stealer

photo credit: manumagalhaes via photopin cc

Remember with me that trying to control all the variables of your life only leads to more fear and uncertainty. Instead, let’s focus on God’s truths and seek him as we trust him with our lives – not just once for our salvation, but daily, moment by moment.

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12:2-3

*This post is part of Lisa-Jo Baker’s 5 Minute Friday series, where she empowers bloggers to write for 5 minutes each Friday on a specific topic. Free writing. Writing just for the sheer joy of it. Today’s topic was “Joy“. While this post was not written in the usual 5 minutes, it was what was on my heart today to share after a week of quiet here on the blog. I’m also linking up with Essential Fridays, Fridays Unfolded, Sunday Share, and The Weekend Brew. This post contains affiliate links {full disclosure}. 

What I Learned In February

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It was a quarter of the size of my high school. The tiny college in East TN beckoned me with its rolling hills, small class size, and promise of deep relationships and I never looked back. Instead of graduating solely with degrees in sociology, business, and nonprofit management, a handful of passionate professors instilled in me a love of learning.

Maryville College

Maryville College – photo credit

It’s the love of learning that started me on this blogging journey as I devoured hours and hours of podcasts in 2013, soaking in everything I could about the online world and social media. At the time, I had not a clue that I’d have my own little space in the world to write and share and encourage others. Instead, I was supporting my husband’s venture into owning a small business and the relational and spiritual development ministry God has called him to accomplish through pastoral life coaching.

It was at the end of 2013 after reading Emily Freeman’s book Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life and attending her At the Barn event that I heard God speaking to my soul. The message was clear – I need to encourage others with my story of moving from crippling fear to embracing true faith and stepping into the freedom God has for us as believers. It’s a path we all need to travel to open the door to the abundant life full of peace that only Christ provides.

Emily Freeman's At the Barn event - November 2013 - We Will Make Art!

Emily Freeman’s At the Barn event – November 2013 – We Will Make Art!

In celebration of my first full month of writing in this world of blogging, I’m linking up with Emily Freeman at Chatting at the Sky for a reflection of the past month. Here’s what I’ve learned in February:

1. Women thrive in community. Especially this woman. But I bet you do too!

I’ve learned this month about the incredible power of relationships and living in community with one another.

As I started blogging this year, I discovered my in-real-life friend Holly also has a blog and writes at Reclaiming a Redeemed Life {and you should totally check it out!}.

Holly introduced me to the community of women writing weekly at Lisa-jo Baker’s Five Minute Friday.

Many of the Five Minute Friday ladies are connected with the community of women at (in)courage.me, a site that provides “a home for the heart of women”. Here you’ll find {you guessed it} encouragement for your Jesus-loving heart!

(in)courage.me - a beautiful community of women

(in)courage.me – a beautiful community of women seeking God’s voice

(In)courage hosts an online conference that also provides an opportunity for women to meet face-to-face in their own hometowns since so many of us are only connected via social media with the barrier of a screen between us.

The conference, called (in)RL {because meeting in-real-life is better than online} is FREE and is April 25 & 26, 2014.

The idea is that you watch a video Friday night on your own in your home {cue PJs, hot cocoa, and your laptop all snuggled in your warm bed}. Then you meet up on Saturday with a local group of women gathering to watch the simulcast, fostering in-real-life relationships.

I am so excited to meet some of my online-only friends in person in just a few weeks!  You can experience this much-needed community too since there are meet-ups all over the country {and the world!}.

2. I’ve decided to be brave and swim.

No, I’m not afraid of the water but I sure have struggled with fear for as long as I can remember. Fear of failure. Fear of not measuring up {to others’ and my own expectations}. Fear of what other people will think.

But instead of succumbing to the breath-taking waves of fear and doubt, I’ve decided to be brave and SWIM. No more sinking under the weight of “what if”. It’s time to move forward and go somewhere!

Be Brave

I learned that I’m not the only one in this boat {hmm…or in the water!} and that you also are working through what being brave and stepping out into the unknown looks like in your life.

I love that we’re doing this together!

3. People look at you funny when you say you’re going to host a webinar about sex.

Apparently sex in the Christian marriage is not talked about enough because when my husband and I decided that we wanted to share some things we’ve learned the last 10 years about the sexual side of marriage and started mentioning it to others, we got some seriously weird looks!

Let’s be real. It was the women who were looking at us funny. The men got giddy looks on their faces and said “where do we sign up?!”

{Soapbox warning} Ladies, we need to start taking this area of our lives more seriously than we may have in the past. Healthy physical intimacy is one key to a rock-solid marriage…a key that can’t be left out, neglected, or forgotten!

The webinar was held right around Valentine’s Day and provided Christian couples a way to start the conversation about improving this one area of marriage that is so hush-hush in some Christian environments.

essentials to re-igniting the sexual spark in your marriage

To find out more, we’ve provided the resource guide we developed as part of the webinar to give you a place to start.

FREE Resource Guide: Essentials to Re-Igniting the Sexual Spark in your Marriage: A Guide for Christian Couples

4. There are few things more silly than a frog in a snowstorm. 

It snowed last month. You know, like it’s been doing all winter all over the country. But for us in North Carolina, snow is a BIG hairy deal. Bread, milk, and eggs all but walk out of grocery stores and we hunker down in our homes like we’ll be stuck here for eternity. In reality, we were only stuck one day and that gave my thrill-seeking husband long enough to realize that even his 4WD wasn’t going to get us anywhere past our tiny {no stoplights} town.

When we did make it out, we ventured over to my parents’ house for snowcream and sledding. Out came my dad’s digital SLR camera and I began shooting away {warning: a barrage of snow pictures is about to begin}.

The silliest one? The frog in the snowstorm. If you can look at this picture without giggling a little bit…well you could use a better sense of humor!

frog in a snowstorm LeeAnn G Taylor

kiddoinsnowstorm

backyardsledding

littlemansnow

handsomehusbandinsnow

redbirdsnow

5. You are amazing!

Yes, I mean you!

The comments on the blog and in-person conversations I’ve had with you all {my blog readers} these last two months have been so encouraging and inspiring.  You all are brave souls striving to live this life as authentic Christians, intentionally choosing to release fear, embrace faith and move forward into freedom.

Each of our stories and paths are different, but we all are making a difference in the choices we make in the tiny moments of our lives. And it’s the tiny moments that add up to make a life!

Will you do me a favor?

If you’ve been reading the blog and haven’t let me know yet, will you somehow let me know you’re reading? It’s an honor to share with you my journey and I’d love to know who you are and how I can pray for you. You can also share topics you’d like me to address or questions you have.

You can:

I promise to pray for each prayer request individually. God is growing me in the area of prayer and this is one way I can serve you and we can grow together!

If you know of someone who would enjoy these posts, you can share the photo below on your favorite social media site.

What I Learned in February - a post from leeanngtaylor.com

 

Today I’m linking up with Emily Freeman’s What I Learned community and the Unite, Inspire Me Monday, Mommy Monday, Titus 2sday, Titus 2 Tuesday, Life Through the Lens, and Wedded Wednesday linkups. This post contains affiliate links {full disclosure}.

Overcoming the Waves of Fear

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Be Courageous and Write

I’ve lived in fear as long as I can remember.
Somehow, it seemed easier to live in that place.

Sure, it was overwhelming and even soul crushing at times, but it felt safe.

It’s odd, really, now that I think about it.

To stay in the very place where you’re actively drowning, not even trying to come up for air. Not even wondering what it would be like to take a breath, swim to shore, stand up, and walk confidently on solid ground.

For many years, it was easier to swirl around in uncertain waters, occasionally treading water and looking around to see if anyone else might be considering swimming to shore.

Fear kept me locked into the lie that I didn’t have anything special to share like the others who had decided to be brave and swim.

I feared failure and instead of embracing my weaknesses and allowing God to work through me, I held onto the notion that I could control my life, leading to years of perfectionism and shaming myself when I didn’t measure up to my own standards.

I’m in a different place now. One where I can come up for air, swim for shore, and walk confidently on the path God is preparing for me, one step at a time.

It took years of inner turmoil and more uncertainty than I ever could have imagined, but I’m learning to be brave.  Instead of walking in fear, I’m trusting each day that God’s promises are true and his plans and purposes for my life are more grand than anything I could construct on my own.

The new year has welcomed in a refreshing confidence that part of my journey of releasing fear and walking in Christ’s freedom is to write and encourage others. To be brave despite the potential for rejection, criticism, or doubt.

And so, I write.

And I share this story within me because it is spilling out in waves. The same waves that once were crashing around me as I sank deeper in fear are now gently washing me to the shore with the promise of hope and renewal.

*This post is part of Lisa-Jo Baker’s 5 Minute Friday series, where she empowers bloggers to write for 5 minutes each Friday on a specific topic. Free writing. Writing just for the sheer joy of it. Today’s topic was “Write“. Also sharing with Essential Fridays, First Friday Finds, Fridays Unfolded, The Weekend Brew and Faith-Filled Friday.

What fears are you overcoming? What is one way you can be brave and walk on solid ground in God’s grace this week? Share in the comments & let’s encourage one another!

 

 

When Life Is More Than You Can Handle

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It was not as picture perfect as we might imagine.

Mary, visited by the angel to share the good news that she would carry and give birth to Jesus, God’s son, who would redeem the world.

She was a teenager! Confused and scared.

The angel had to specifically tell her not to be afraid.

So instead of fear, Mary chose to trust. With no other options, she could only act in obedience and trust God to provide. And provide he did – Elizabeth for companionship and Joseph for support.

But what about us?

We’re not visited by an angel when we’re in the midst of an overwhelming life situation. Instead, we comfort ourselves with the common Christian saying, “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle so he must think I can manage this on my own.”

Oh friend, this is so far from the truth!

I’m convinced that God DOES give us more than we can handle so that we will have to rely on Him. [click to tweet]

 

This week I had lunch with a dear friend. As I recapped my year, she was quickly able to see how challenging life had been on a day to day basis for our family – finances, relationships, spiritual life – the whole bit.

As I poured out my heart, I realized the only way I made it through that tumultuous year was by releasing my firm grasp on my illusion that I can control my life and instead embracing faith that God really does keep his promises and would take care of us. There is no other explanation.

Moving forward, I’m learning the joy of freedom in not knowing all the answers but trusting the one who does.

Like Job, I had heard of the Lord, but now I see him. (Job 42:5)

My ears had heard about you, but now my eyes have seen you. Job 42:5

My ears had heard about you, but now my eyes have seen you. Job 42:5 image credit

*This post is part of Lisa-Jo Baker’s 5 Minute Friday series, where she encourages bloggers to write for 5 minutes each Friday on a specific topic. Free writing. No edits. Writing just for the sheer joy of it. Today’s topic was “Visit“. Also sharing with Essential Fridays, Faith Filled Fridays, and Beauty Observed.

I pray today that you will choose to experience the joy and freedom of releasing your grip of {perceived} control on your life and instead allow God to control you from the inside out and give you unfathomable peace. 

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