authentic Archives - LeeAnn G Taylor - Embracing the Mosaic Life

Exploring the Importance of Soul Care

September 28, 2014 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

I sat still, so close to the keyboard and the microphone with the melodies floating through the air in the old barn, my soul transfixed in the moment of worship. Surrounded by beauty, the beauty of the place and the beauty of the people, my soul stirred within me as the evening darkened around us.

I found myself grateful.

Grateful for the space, for the time away from the mundane, for space for my soul to breathe.

The words of the hymn “Be Thou My Vision” slipped past my lips, a harmony rang out and my heart swelled with the truths in the ancient words.

Yes. This is what I desire.

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;

It is true that the day to day sometimes squelches our souls.

On our best days, we care for our body with proper nutrition and exercise and then in the same day, neglect our spirit. And we wonder why we feel empty inside.

Instead of that emptiness, today my soul experienced life.

What a gift to be in the presence of life-giving souls like Emily Freeman and Christa Wells for the At the Barn: A Day for Writers event. Emily and Christa offered truth through story and song with humility and refreshing authenticity. They’re faithfully living out God’s calling on their lives, using the gifts and talents God’s blessed them with and sharing their lives openly with others.

Their lives are a beautiful picture of how God uses our own brokenness and imperfections to continue to draw others closer to Him. Often much to our surprise, He uses us in spite of our weaknesses and sometimes even because of them.

So friends, I implore you. It’s time to prioritize the care of our souls.

God created us in His image, we are to be His image-bearers. To carry out that calling on our lives, we must pay attention to the status of our souls. We must listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit within us and allow His presence to be our Guide and Comforter and we learn to calibrate our souls once again.

Join me in reflecting on these words and the music and determine what small step you will take today to care for your soul.

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

How To Embrace Life Like a Child

July 18, 2014 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

She stoops, intent on finding just the right treasure to share with me. Her tiny frame all but disappears against the green grass.

She is my oldest, my first born, my precious child.

She’s my snuggle-bug, my sweet girl, the one who insists on living life right next to me.

Even in her youth, she sees beauty in the everyday and determines to share it.

Her offering today? A bunch of tiny purple blooms.

They’re not Pinterest perfect and this bouquet won’t ever show up in a Southern Living magazine, but it’s what she has to offer and she does it with such enthusiasm.

Her purpose is to make me feel special, to show love with what she has, today, in the moment.

What if we did that as adults?

What if we looked around, embraced the gifts we were given and shared our lives, just where we are?

What if we took the opportunities presented and made the best of them? What if we did it now with what we have instead of waiting for the illusive perfect moment or situation?

Today’s challenge? Live life like a child.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. In other words, bloom where you’re planted.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. Bloom where you’re planted.

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How will you embrace the challenge today? Share in the comments and let’s encourage one another!

*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 “Bloom“. Also sharing with Essential Fridays, Faith Filled Friday, Fellowship Friday, Family Fun Fridays, The Missional Weekend, The Weekend Brew, and Taste and See.

I Need You: A Challenge to Radically Trust God

July 16, 2014 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

At midnight last night my husband Chuck quietly arrived in our bedroom after a long day of work. He scooped up our 5 year old, who had managed to snuggle up next to me close enough that I had just a sliver of our king sized bed to myself, and he deposited her back into her bed.

As usual, as he was getting ready for bed I asked about the highlights of his day because, let’s be honest, what else am I going to remember at midnight about his day? Midnight, especially for a pregnant momma just awoken from a deep sleep, is not the time to be having deep conversations.

Except that last night, we did.

In the middle of sharing his daily highlights, he remembered a text he got from me yesterday:

“Can we have another money conversation? I need some help talking out a mindset & cash flow change please.”

So, at midnight last night Chuck and I had one of “those talks.” Dave Ramsey calls them “budget committee meetings” and I call them frustrating.

In our house, I’m the saver and Chuck’s the spender, meaning I do the budget and pay the bills and pay attention to all things money, then we talk once a month about how we’re doing. Except that lately, there’s not been much to talk about. It’s the same thing every month.

The budget doesn’t balance. We use the credit card to “float” gas, groceries, and other expenses not otherwise drafted from our account. We try to pay it off each month. And we pray God provides to cover the gap and any unexpected expenses.

Because it’s been like this for at least 18 months or longer, we don’t have much to talk about in our budget meetings. But around the 15th of the month (not coincidentally my payday) I at least am looking at the expenses and trying to figure out if we can pay what we charged on the credit card that month and whether or not by some miracle (literally) we are able to pay on the balance we’re still carrying from 2013.

This is why budget meetings frustrate me. It feels like we’re stuck. We have dreams of financial freedom & of opportunities to serve and bless others in big ways.

Chuck’s business is doing well, but at this point, it’s just paying for itself. I got a promotion and a raise at the beginning of the year, but it’s still not enough to make the budget balance. I even got a side job working as a virtual assistant at night a few hours a week and that has helped some. But in the end, the amount coming in doesn’t match the amount scheduled to come out. It’s a frustrating place to be.

photo credit: kenteegardin via photopin cc

So back to the mindset change I mentioned. For months and months our plan of action has been the same.

Get paid.
Tithe.
Pay autodrafts with checking account.
Use credit card to “float” other expenses.
REPEAT.

Through it all, Chuck has challenged me to trust God on his promise to provide:

“My God will meet your every need out of his riches in the glory that is found in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

My God will meet your every need out of his riches in the glory that is found in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

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Over and over again I have seen proof of God’s faithfulness. The stories of blessings we have received at just the right time are numerous. But through it all, my heart has not been quite right. Yes, I’ve grown in trusting God to provide for our needs, but in the back of my mind, there was always the “safety net” of the credit card, floating along our expenses for a few weeks until I got paid again. As a result, I’ve not been trusting Him fully.

And so, our midnight talk last night involved me trying to explain the math to Chuck while laying in the bed instead of showing him on the computer (bad move on my part…he’s a visual guy) and then sharing my heart about needing to trust God fully…meaning no more credit card.

Dave Ramsey would be proud!

Practically, this will mean those expenses we put on the credit card for this past month won’t get paid and we’ll instead start only using my income for all expenses starting tomorrow.

No more floating. No more trusting in a piece of plastic instead of the God who created me.

Instead, I will hold onto this:

Proverbs 3:5-6 (CEB)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
don’t rely on your own intelligence.
Know him in all your paths,
and he will keep your ways straight.

photo credit: duncan via photopin cc

God says he will provide for our needs and TELLS me not to use my own intelligence. The credit card? Yep, that’s using my own intelligence.

Instead of spending my time using my own intelligence to try to “figure things out” with our budget, maybe I’d be more successful if I obeyed His word and instead trusted in HIM with all my heart.

This next month, I’ll be focusing on knowing Him in ALL my paths and trusting that the path before our family will be kept straight.

My job? Trust Him.

His job? Provide for our needs.

So here it goes. I’m jumping all in. No more credit card. No more relying on me.

As seems appropriate, I’m sharing this song for Worship Wednesday:

Lord, I Need You – written by Matt Maher and performed by Kristian Stanfill

If you’re reading in an email, click here to view the video. The 3 minutes you spend allowing this message to resonate in your heart will transform your day. Promise.

Lord, I come, I confess
Bowing here I find my rest
Without You I fall apart
You’re the One that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
And where You are, Lord, I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand I’ll fall on You
Jesus, You’re my hope and stay

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

You’re my one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Sharing this post at Three Word Wednesday {Simply Beth}, Wedded Wednesday, Wholehearted Home, Coffee for Your Heart, #TellHisStory, Works for Me Wednesday, and Recommendation Saturday.

What about you? Are you struggling to trust God in all things like me?

Share in the comments so we can encourage one another or if you feel more comfortable, email me at contact(at)leeanngtaylor(dot)com. I’d love to hear your story and pray for you as we journey together in learning to trust God more.

Beauty in the Mess

April 11, 2014 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

Her little brother is visiting his Mimi for the week and my 4 year old jumps at the opportunity for a rare uninterrupted moment to paint.

Hunched over the 1970s era leaf table with a wide swath of drawing paper taped down, her paint brushes littered among the homemade sticky paints, she diligently creates her work of art.

photo credit: via Eiimeon photopin cc

To me, it looks like a big sticky jumbled mess. Colors are everywhere; paint is on her hands, the table, the floor, her hair…and a bit on the paper.

I know better than to ask “What is it?” and instead say, “Tell me about it, doodle.” {Doodle has been her nickname since the beginning. My little artist.}

“It’s a rainbow mommy. You know, like God’s promises.”

Indeed it is.

Her sweet voice and messy art reminds this weary soul of the truth of God’s work in our lives.

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT)

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

photo credit: TEBart via photopin cc

He is the promise maker and the promise keeper. He takes our broken pieces, our messy, and turns it into a masterpiece used for His glory.

Although we may not see the rainbow in the messy art, it’s not our job to see the full picture. The Bible tells us we can’t see the scope of God’s work, its fullness.

Instead, it’s our job to trust the artist and walk with Him one day at a time. And He will reveal the rainbow, the beauty in our mess, as we say “yes” to Him.

*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 “Paint.” Also sharing with Essential Fridays, Fridays Unfolded, The Weekend Brew, Recommendation Saturday, Sacred Speco, Beauty Observed, and Sunday Stillness.

Also…while we’re on the topic of saying “yes”…

I just started reading the new book by Kristen Welch, Rhinestone Jesus: Saying Yes to God When Sparkly, Safe Faith is No Longer Enough. It’s a pre-release review copy and the book launches May 1 (although you might can find it in stores sooner & pre-order on Amazon). I started crying in the Introduction ya’ll, so I know this one’s a good one that will challenge me in ways I need it. Can’t wait to share more about it with you once I finish! In the meantime, a whole tribe of people are sharing how they’re saying “yes” to God in the middle of their mess – check it out on Twitter.

Rhinestone Jesus by Kristen Welch

I Am Who HE Says I Am: Letting Go of Perfectionism

April 4, 2014 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

I lay in bed, my head tucked into the crook of my husband’s arm, tears escaping from my weary eyes. Attempts at explaining how I’m feeling to the one person in the world who cares about me more than any other fail me.

The words “I don’t know” escape my lips over and over and he holds me closer.

All this striving to do things right, to do the practical things necessary to grow in my faith, to really trust God in the hard moments, and I’m still feeling like it’s not enough.

And I realize, old habits die hard.

The cycle of perfectionism, of feeling I must give 100% to absolutely everything, fearing failure, and then still feeling like it’s not enough, after awhile stops me in my tracks, yet again.

I Am Who He Says I Am: Letting Go of Perfectionism

photo credit: Daniela Vladimirova via photopin cc

It was just 5 short months ago after reading Emily Freeman’s book Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life that I started to realize the danger of constantly comparing my actual performance to this perfect version of me I had concocted in my mind.

“It’s time to read it again,” I said to my husband, after the tears had stopped; and he did what all good husbands do, listen.

Emily’s words, filled with the rawness of her story and God’s truth, broke open my heart and started the healing process.

I need the reminder again and again that I’m enough. That I’m pre-approved. That it’s God who picks up the pieces of my broken life and crafts them into a masterpiece, not me.

Sometimes the reminder comes in the form of God’s word. Ephesians tells us we are God’s masterpiece, created anew in Christ. I love the truth that HE has planned the good things we are going to do, not us.

It’s not up to me to work and strive for approval. Instead, it’s my job to lean in, to listen for God’s Spirit to lead me in the good things he has planned for me.

What freedom!

Other times the reminder comes through sweet friends. Thank you Rebekah for putting words to my calling as a writer in a way that spoke directly to my heart and into my life as confirmation from God that yes, this is what He has for me in this season of my life. No more doubting, my words are making a difference and I will keep on.

And if God’s word on the page in black and white and a Christian sister’s encouragement isn’t enough, this week I listened to an interview with Jennifer Dukes Lee on the God-Centered Mom podcast talking about the release of her new book, Love Idol: Letting Go of Your Need for Approval and Seeing Yourself Through God’s Eyes.

So I’m starting to get the message.

I’m pre-approved.
Worth it.
Enough.
Made perfect in Christ.
God’s masterpiece.

It’s my job to offer up my broken pieces and His job to make the work of art.

It’s my job to offer up my broken pieces and His job to make the work of art.

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Oh friends, may we continue to grow together in this!

This post contains affiliate links that help support the site and our family as we seek to become financially free of debt {full disclosure}.

On Brokenness and Being Brave (And New Clothes!)

March 7, 2014 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

It isn’t easy.

This putting yourself out there for the world to see.

The sharing of the inner self with all of its brokenness and scars.

But there is something beautiful in being willing to be authentic and sharing life’s experiences. The ups and downs and around and arounds.

It is not easy. Life is not always pretty, wrapped up in shiny paper with a flowing bow to match. It’s real and raw and it spills out of us in words and thoughts all jumbled. But in transparency there is power.

I know because you’ve told me. You’ve shared how words shared are speaking to your life. And all because one person is willing.

What about you? Are you willing to step outside of your comfort zone, that place that feels safe but really isn’t? Are you willing to do something brave, something that might not work…but then again, it might?

Today let’s be brave and live as God created us – as artists! Our lives, placed in his hands. The Creator molding the created, transforming lives.

“If you are willing to do something that might not work,
you’re closer to being an artist.”
Seth Godin

*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 “Willing“. I’m also sharing at Beauty Observed, The Weekend Brew, Faith Filled Friday, Fellowship Fridays, A Little R&R, Fridays Unfolded, Essential Fridays, and Recommendation Saturday. This post contains affiliate links {full disclosure}.

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It’s March, that time of the year when nature can’t decide whether or not it’s winter or spring. It’s a time of transition and of promise of beautiful things to come. Here in my little corner of the online world, it’s also a time of transition.

In the next few weeks you will see changes to the look and feel as well as the name of the site. The content will be the same but the “clothes” will be different. I’m excited about what’s to come!

It’ll be a bit of a whirlwind few weeks, with my son having surgery on Tuesday, March 11th to remove his tonsils and adenoids to help his breathing and the warning from his doctor of two weeks of challenging recovery for the little guy.

Will you please pray for for my little man to recover quickly from the cold & cough he’s developed {he needs to be well or the surgery will be canceled}, for a rested and steady-handed doctor, and for Sekaiah to drink plenty of fluids so recovery is as smooth as possible?

Thank you for covering us in prayer this next week!

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Blessings,

LeeAnn