In honor of the Fourth of July, I want to talk about freedom. I’m talking about the kind of freedom that happens to us, by us, and in spite of us. I’m going to talk about the kind of imprisonment that I brought on myself, but first an excerpt from my upcoming book. Eat Cake. Be Brave.

I’ve been sharing excerpts that pertain to my podcasts. Today’s was hard to choose. My book is a memoir of how all the years of my life led up to my 41st year. This year changed me forever. Before this point, I figuratively, spiritually, and mentally spent a lot of time in prison. This excerpt is from the chapter entitled All Inked up and No Place to Go.

You can find Melissa here:

Podcast Web Page Facebook Page @MsMelissaRadke on Instagram @msmelissaradke on Twitter

Show Notes

• [02:04] Excerpt from Eat Cake. Be Brave. All Inked Up and No Place to Go...
• [06:23] I have a shirt that I sell called Choose Your Own Tattoo. People have no clue what the shirt means until they hear me speak.
• [07:05] My prison was in physical it came in words. These words they called me stuck.
• [09:05] The white noise that plays in the background of your mind and your thoughts. The words that have been used against you and have stuck.
• [10:16] What is the white noise that you hear day in and day out?
• [10:58] White noise becomes a protective barrier between sleep and what is going on.
• [11:21] What plays over and over in your thought life becomes a barrier from what is really going on.
• [11:31] What if what lied on the other side of the barrier was freedom?
• [12:22] It took a long time to get so tatted up, it's going to take a long time to fix the issue.
• [12:45] It will take a long time to undo those thought processes, but it can be done. I am living proof of that.
• [12:57] The first thing I did was open up my computer and type out everything that God had said about me.
• [13:13] I printed 10 copies and pasted them around my house.
• [13:52] If you have a tattoo that is the opposite of what God has said about you or your situation, one of those things is untrue. Guess which one?
• [14:50] The devil isn't doing this to you. You are doing it to yourself.
• [15:22] God is available to you in books, podcasts, and copies printed out at your desk.
• [15:42] Freedom isn't free. It takes work and diligence.
• [16:23] You are made in God's image, and there will be a time when this reference just comes up.
• [17:06] When you hear yourself begin to say these things about how you are a child of God, they will be ingrained in your soul.
• [17:20] An excerpt from the Message Bible Second Corinthians 3: 17-18…
• [18:42] Aren't you ready to live free and exchange your past?
• [19:24] What you are wanting is just within your grasp.The key is right there and you can reach it.
• [19:35] Happy Fourth of July. Enjoy your freedom.
• [20:52] More from Eat Cake. Be Brave. All Inked Up and No Place to Go...

Thanks for joining us on Ordinary People Ordinary Things. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Just like your mother taught you.

Links and Resources:

• Eat Cake. Be Brave.
• Choose Your Own Tattoo Shirt
• Podcast Web Page
• Facebook Page
• @MsMelissaRadke on Instagram
• @msmelissaradke on Twitter
• This Sucks But God Is Good (online course)