There are times when we need to break away from our "herd" and take care of ourselves without anyone else's involvement. This isn't because we don't care about others. It's because we need time with our own thoughts and with God, to sort out the things that are causing us pain or frustration. We need time without the noise that comes with family and friendships and other relationships. And, hopefully, the connections we make will be strong enough to allow us that time when we need it. Today, I'm talking about how we take care of ourselves, inside and outside of our circles.

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When we've been through bad things, it can take a very long time to recover. We must be honest with ourselves and actively pursue our healing. If we are to find peace and to be able to move forward, we absolutely must put in the effort. Some of us have been taught that if bad things happen, we just have to accept them. But the truth is, we can always fight back. We can always step up and defend ourselves against the things that are determined to tear us down. And God will help us. All we have to do is reach out.

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God bless you!

Words really can hurt. In today’s podcast, I talk about the impact of our words on others and how we should approach conflict if we are interested in leaving the situation better than we found it. Nobody’s perfect. We all have our reasons for responding to things the way that we do, but if we take a little time to consider our intent and the imprint we will have on the other person, we may find it a little easier to approach any conflict in a more productive way. And in doing so, we protect our energy and allow ourselves a better opportunity to heal from trauma, use our gifts, and grow our relationship with God.

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What I wouldn't give to hear something genuine. These days, it seems like more and more people are content to feed on content that is simply the most palatable part of the story...even if it means they aren't getting the whole truth. In some cases, they aren't getting any portion of the truth. Why are we okay with this? I'm actually not, and so, I'm talking about it here today. Don't be afraid to be genuine. We need more of that.

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God bless you!

For those who celebrate this day, I wish you a Happy Valentine's Day! For those who don't...well, I'm right there with you. It's never been my favorite, but to each his or her own.

This episode is all about understanding God's plan for your life and how He is always there for us...even when we're sure He's given up on us. Forgive me for getting a little emotional as I talk about this. I was going to edit out the rough spots, but I figured you might benefit more from hearing the whole statement as it hit me. And it hit me a little hard today. But don't worry, I'm good. Sometimes God's love is just a little overwhelming. I never promised to be polished, so you'll just have to accept me as I am...tears and all.

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God bless you!

This past week, as I reflected on things I had seen and heard, it occurred to me that many of us are hanging onto things we no longer need to hang on to. You probably knew that already. But today, I'm talking a bit about how we need to let go of our traumas and stop commemorating them, so that we can finally move on. It's time to get up and find new hope!

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God bless you!

Have you ever set a goal and then attempted to take action, only to run right smack into a brick wall? Well, it's the story of my life. And I'm here to share it with you. I hope you enjoy today's rather disjointed podcast. Please excuse the choppiness as I was attacked by allergens at a few points during my recording. I'm feeling much better now, thanks.

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God bless you!

In this upside-down society we live in, it’s hard to know

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Mentioned – One Day in May by Joanne Piccari Coleman

**I don’t do Trigger Warnings, but I want to let you know

First of all, I want to apologize in advance for the quality

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Mentioned – Finding Purpose in the Pain by Brenda W. McIntyre

Our society places way too much emphasis on what something looks like on the outside. To the point that each of us has our own way of automatically assessing others simply based on the way they look. It's my belief that we'd do better to stop with the labels and simply talk to each other. It takes a lot to get to know someone and even more than that to actually understand them. When we put labels on each other, we limit our ability to truly know one another. What would happen if we just saw God's children as fellow human beings? Will we ever know?

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God bless you!