"2013" Are you ready to take the journey from your mind to your heart?

 

"2013" The Journey from your mind to your heart!

 

Yes we made it! Man has it been a year.. I want you to take a moment and just let it out! Yes breathe.

God has been speaking to me this year about the journey. Not your ordinary journey but the journey from your mind to your heart.   Yes our mind has kept many of us stuck for far too long, it keeps us in bondage to what has already happened, it keeps us holding on to the what if's.  I have said it before and I would say it again the word "If" can often stand for "Individual failure"-   Lets move away from the "If" and move into this New Year with the "I can" and "I will".

 2012 has been a tuff yet amazing year for me but the reality is- it's over!  I can't live there unless I make a conscious chose to stay stuck in the past!  Now what I choose to do is allow the negative be the force to thrust me into my new year with much determination and allow the positive to take me higher than I ever been before!  I learned to take the journey from my mind to my heart. Do you know your mind can play tricks on you? It is the enemy's strongest weapon against us many times. This is the place he plants lies, fears, doubts, and it is the place you hear his voice the most! He sneaks into our mind and plants thoughts that do not belong to us! Your mind will replay all your failures but your heart will show you new possibilities, your mind will say no while your heart is screaming out "yes". Your mind will have you living someone else's dreams but your heart will reveal your true passions.

2013 is a year to follow your heart!  What does your heart desire to do but your mind said it's impossible? With God nothing is impossible and He can give you the desires of your heart if you trust Him and simply believe.  2013 is a year of freedom!  Remember when you first fell in love with that boy or girl when you were younger? No matter what anyone said you were determined to be with him or her at all cost! You didn't care what people thought, you were in Love! You would pass notes in class even though it was a chance that you could get caught, you would save your little allowance to buy the perfect gift, you would spend hours picking out the perfect outfit and doing your hair for when you saw them, you couldn't wait to after school to hold their hands, and you would stay up all night just thinking about them. You didn't hold back how you felt to anyone...you wanted to shout it out to the world  "I'm in love" - Well it's time to fall in love again but this time with yourself and your dreams! What are you willing to do to make your dreams come true? Are you ready to shout it out to the world no matter who is listening and do whatever it takes to fulfill your dreams and walk in your purpose without fear and doubt holding you back! Yes it's time to find that child like faith within and get ready to walk on water in 2013! Yes do something you have never done before.  Take that journey from your head to your heart.  It's time out for just thinking about it! It's time to take a chance. What do you have to lose? You took the chance on that crush, didn't you? I know I did and even though my first crush didn't last long I never regretted it. I went for it and yes I held hands with the boy of my childhood dreams, yes I wrote that love note, yes I wore that cute, short, blue jean skirt with my white shirt that tied on the side, yes I stayed up all night thinking and dreaming about him even though I had to get up for school the next morning, and yes I shouted to everyone that I was in love.

 You might say I'm crazy but I wanted to use something we all can relate to and yes it does take us to go back to when our heart overruled our minds.  I was fearless as a child! I had so much fun and I went after what I wanted but somewhere in my life I took an unexpected and unplanned journey from my heart to my mind and got stuck! I lived in that place far too long.  I was trapped by doubt, surrounded by the opinions of others, limited by resources, and held back by fear.  I finally found the courage and the one (God) who could get me back to the place where I desire to live from which is my heart. What's so awesome is I now possess the wisdom to live from this place.  Meaning I'm not foolish in going after my dreams, walking in my purpose, and living the life I so desire! 

Live with no regrets! Learn from every new experience. I watched a movie, " The odd life of Timothy Green" in the movie the parents are asked by the adoption agency who are determining will they be suitable parents again, what would they do different if they are given a second chance to be parents. They responded by saying they would make new and different mistakes.  That was a powerful and truthful statement!  With every new experience or we can say New Year there will be new mistakes. That's some of the wisdom that I learned that allows me live successfully from my heart.  We learn from our mistakes. We learn what works and what doesn't! I heard a very true story about this man who had a dream to own and build his own vineyard.  I heard how people thought he was crazy after he kept trying even after going bankrupt but guess what he now owns one of the second largest vineyards in a small town located in California.  He chose to live from his heart!  I can go on and on… but what I'm saying is embrace this New Year.  The key word is New- the first start of something that hasn't been done yet. You get to create what your year looks like. Search your heart and ask God to give you the wisdom on how to follow your dreams and walk in your purpose.  Remember that old quote, "work like you don't need the money, love like you never been hurt before, and dance freely like nobody is watching!"  I will add to that quote and say, "Live from your heart like there is no tomorrow"

When you follow your heart you will be amazed what you find , the passion that lies within, the creative ability you possess, and courage you will have to go beyond what your mind could every comprehend.  Leave the past of your mind and embrace the heart of your present! 

Happy New Year and as always Be Ye Encouraged.

Tiffany James, Encouraging Touch Enterprise
"Give a gift that creates a Legacy to Encourage, Inspire, and Bless those you love for a life time"

  http://www.encouragingtouch.com/ 

"2013" Don't enter the same way you exited...

 

Back of the Book Excerpt: Life is a journey……. We spend most our life trying to get to a destination that we have never seen before, but we know exist. Our daily life experiences help us realize that the path we travel is not always clear and as a result, many of us become lost. Those sometimes seemingly small decisions can cost us years of back pedaling if we are not careful. We turn left instead of right. We go up instead of down. We say yes instead of no. While there is nothing wrong with getting lost (It happens to the best of us), the problem occurs when we refuse to admit it. Pride, ignorance, fear, shame, and even discouragement can cause us never to stop and ask for directions and before we know it, we will find ourselves ask, "How did I get here?"….

2013 is a New Year but let's be determined not to let it be just another year but a year of Change and Freedom.  Let's not enter the New Year the same way we exited the old.  Let this be a year where dreams really do come true, visions come to pass, healthy relationships are formed and some restored, a year of full of joy, peace, rest, encouragement, freedom, and so much more!

Go to www.encouragingtouch.com or www.ginadacus.com and purchase your book, "How did I get here? It's time to be set free today".  Purchase a book for a friend. Yes give a gift this year that will impart seeds of wisdom, ah ha moments, love, inspiration, and hope for a lifetime.

As always on today Be Ye Encouraged!

Tiffany James, Encouraging Touch Enterprise
"Give a gift that creates a Legacy to Encourage, Inspire, and Bless those you love for a life time"

  http://www.encouragingtouch.com/ 

Now is the Time

Raw and Uncut. Yes I'm doing kitchen ministry again. (lol) but seriously my daughter recorded me in my kitchen. I might redo more professional if the Lord says the same. Two years ago God began to speak to me and gave me this piece. I heard him say that I would do this spoken word at many churches and it really wasn't one that I was thrilled about giving but knew it was from Him. I released it at my church but He didn't have me release it until now. I felt prompted today to just do it. Be Ye encouraged!

A thought on Forgiveness...Powerful!

 

I heard Oprah repeat a powerful quote that she heard from one of her guest, "Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past can be changed" … That quote was like a flaming arrow that penetrated the core of my soul.  I've heard and held on to that old saying, "I will forgive but I won't forget."   I believe like me many of us have taken that saying out of context based off our own experience. 

We often forgive with our mouths but our emotions as well as actions are depicting a total different response.  We say we forgive while our mind takes a mini and sometimes over-extended vacation from the offense until something else reminds us of the pain, betrayal, rejection, lie, etc and brings us back to the home of our soul.  We find ourselves back living with the very offense we said we forgave but didn't forget.  When I heard this quote I had what I like to call an Ah-Ha moment.  I didn't forget the offense therefore I didn't forget the emotions behind it.  I believe what we are not suppose to forget is what we learned about ourselves through the situation and the lessons behind it as well.  Yes, what did you learn about yourself? I remember there was a situation that happened to me when I called a person who I respected to share how I felt about things that were done and I was hurt by, but I never was truthful with her about it. Well I didn't even get very far and I didn't get the response I expected from her.  I called one of my prayer partners to come over and pray with me about it. After I finished explaining the situation and explaining that I had forgiven this particular person already, my friend boldly & truthfully looked into my eyes and said, "This is not about her this is about you."  You should have seen the bewildered look I gave her as my response.  She said, "This is about you still trying to prove to people who you are."  She went on to say, "you have to stop trying to please man." Wow! How did she get that from me telling her someone hurt me in the past and I forgave them? As we began to wrestle through the incident it was plain for me to see that she was right.  I had forgiven this person a long time ago but I was still visiting the incident in my head so when something else that similar happened it triggered that memory of offense and I wanted to come off my vacation and deal with what she did years ago.  Had I truly forgiven her?  Let the truth be told if I had learned the lesson from before or may I say seen how I was affected before I wouldn't have even been in the same situation again with someone else.  Yet I wanted to call her and make her accountable for something she did to me years ago.

This has happened to me before but in an entirely different way.  I thought I had forgiven an ex-boyfriend of mine only to find myself 7 years later married with three girls, awesome job and friends, content, but yet memories of his verbal abuse was still vacationing somewhere in my mind.  Well 7 years had passed when my ex-boyfriend's grandmother had the family over for dinner which wasn't unusual. We have a daughter together and I was very close to his family. Well while we were visiting my oldest daughter had gotten in trouble and I was in a room reprehending her when my ex walked by to go to the rest room and he made one statement on how I should handle her instead of the way I chose to handle her and it took me back seven years and I was right back in the middle of our past relationship full of fury. To put it bluntly- I went the hell off.  I say that because after I cursed him out … I went after my husband because I felt like he should have knocked my ex out for saying anything to me instead he was trying to calm me down.  Now before I go on let me say this, my ex didn't say anything wrong he was actually giving me some good wisdom about my daughter, but coming from Him I took it as him putting me down about the type of mother I was.  Also my husband and Him was just in the room watching the game so he responded how any man who didn't understand his wife's irate behavior coming from another room.  So why did I go off? Had I really forgiven him? The next day I was so conflicted by the woman I thought I was and the woman that went the Hell off.   Then I heard the saying above, "Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past can be changed."  Ah Ha Moment!

I wanted the past to be different. I wanted him to be a different person in the past when we were together but the fact of the matter he wasn't a different man back then and we were no longer together.  I had to forgive him for who he was with me and also understand who he was at that present time is what I should have responded to.  I didn't go into detail of all the lessons that I should have learned when I was hurt, betrayed, misunderstood, etc., but I will admit that I know now there were lessons to be learned in every situation that I found myself having to forgive someone.  One lesson I learned and I wanted to share is "Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past can be changed." That is true freedom!  You are not being imprisoned by woulda, coulda, shoulda thoughts. The past is over, we are suppose to learn from it not hold on to it. Letting go of the hope that the past can be changed or different also frees you from standing at the prison cell to make sure the person who committed the offensive pays for it. It's time to move on!  Whether you are imprisoned or standing guard of the prisoner, you are still bound!  So I will add to that quote, "Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past can be changed" and "allows you to grab a hold of the future that can be!"  I have seen so much fruit in my life from this truth! I was able to even let go of the hope that my childhood and relationship with my mother could have been different it can't be it's over but now I am able to embrace what can be and what is! My mother and I have an amazing relationship and I never had to hear the words I'm sorry!  There is so much more to forgiveness but wanted to give you a simple post to cause you to think about forgiveness in a new light and may it stir up something on the inside of you if you haven't been able to forgive someone or if you haven't forgiven them.  Be Ye Encouraged and Be Blessed 

 

To order my new book, "How did I get here?" It's time to be set Free! ... Go to www.encouragingtouch.com 

 

 

 

Tiffany James, Encouraging Touch Enterprise
"Give a gift that creates a Legacy to Encourage, Inspire, and Bless those you love for a life time"

  http://www.encouragingtouch.com/ 

Be Thankful In all Things!

Good Morning.. As we preparing ourselves for Thanksgiving, remember to be thankful for all things even in your valley experiences. Here is an inspiration excerpt from the book  "How did I get Here?" Get your copy today. Go to www.encouragingtouch.com or www.ginadacus.com   Happy Thanksgiving Everyone and as always Be Blessed and Be Ye Encouraged.


 Poem - "Listen"
Swim through the river of tears until you reach the destination of your passion,
Search through the fields of disappointment and confusion until you stumble across the field of purpose,
Climb up the ladder of your rejection until you reach the level of your potential,
Fight to rise above the quick sand of gossip and negativity that keeps you bound in your own self-pity,
Continue to sow a seed of endurance until it produces a harvest of restortion....

"Get the Book" 

How Did I Get Here? Time To be Set Free!

Have you ever found yourself in a valley, low place and had to ask yourself the question. How did I get here? It's not about where you are but where you can go! You have the power to move forward. Our mess can become our message.  There also comes a time when good is no longer good enough and it's time to face greatness with every ounce of courage! Don't ask yourself will this book change your life because I can give you the answer if you allow the words in this book and the stories to encourage, inspire, and empower you it will ! Go to my site today www.encouragingtouch.com and order your copy! Lets support each other so please pass on to your network.

Lord, I trust you!

 

As the air gave life to my next breath, I glanced up for there was a great ensemble amongst the trees. Their production was magnificent.  It was something exhilarating about the way their hands freely gave way to the melody of the wind that joined in. I envied them in a way because their very presence was free!  Free to be who they were created to be, free to do what they were created to do, free to trust their creation and their creator.  Trust is a word we throw around often especially in our relationships and often times its misrepresented.  We've all heard the sayings, "Without no Trust it's no us, I trust no one so don't take it personal, and what about this one I use it often- Trust is earned". Even though all these statements hold a high percentage of truth we tend to forget that at the very core of trust is relationship.  Trust is the reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, and surety of a person or thing. It's having a confidence in the certainty of something or someone.   I stood infatuated at how the trees positioned themselves in confidence with their chests poked out and the strength within their arms was evident. What a mighty array of warriors that stood before me.  It caused me to reflect on a situation that had just happened where an opportunity for my daughter arose but because of the cost we couldn't take advantage of it. I felt so helpless and went on the porch to cry without my daughter seeing me. It was at that moment I felt the Lord speak through the bellows of the trees. He said you give money too much power. Money doesn't have the final say in your destiny nor the destiny of your daughter.   It was as if I found a lost treasure. I can't describe it but I became so overwhelmed… I couldn't speak but wanted to shout out I'm rich! I'm rich!  His wisdom was a wealth of information to me in a critical moment of choosing would I trust Him.  Money is a powerful resource and a great influencer but it still has to yield to its creator & when it comes to what God has for us it's even limited in what it can do.  The earth is the Lord and everything in it!  I want to encourage and remind you that GOD is your provider! He will have the final say. Trust Him and know that He see's all and knows all.   Trust in God opens up the door to the Favor of GOD!!! Yes there are some things money can't even buy!  So I stood before those mighty warriors and I too positioned myself in the confidence of the one I trust.  I spoke into the atmosphere, "Lord I trust you." Be Ye Encouraged today.

Tiffany James, Encouraging Touch Enterprise
"Give a gift that creates a Legacy to Encourage, Inspire, and Bless those you love for a life time"

  http://www.encouragingtouch.com/ 

Book Release Trailer ! How did I get Here? Time to get set free!

 Watch the video but then go the website and purchase your copy of the book. It will change your life! Thank you

 

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