Who did you interact with today? Anyone new? Anyone who thinks differently than you? Or, was it your normal crew who acts, thinks, talks, and believes just like you?

Mercy, the Lord convicted me of these things as He had me prepare this episode. I LOVE those people in my close group BUT, I DESIRE to "go out and make disciples." If I'm only hanging out with those who are already saved, am I on mission for the Great Commission? Now, I know we shouldn't forsake the assembling together with our brothers and sisters but those aren't the only people I should be interacting with. Jesus hung with and taught His disciples, then He went out to seek and save the lost. Am I leaving that last part out? Are you? Do we make it our goal to introduce people to Jesus?

I think about the people Jesus went to. He went to people others wouldn't go to. Those with leprosy … Those living lifestyles that many today gossip about…sadly. He went to and USED those we might consider "ineligible" for ministry. Oh mercy. Let's be careful there friends.

Today, I want to take a look at how Jesus treated and interacted with others. In an article titled: "How Jesus Interacted With People" from the Bible.org website, we stand to learn from these examples of Christ:

- "Jesus knew how to take initiative.

- Jesus responded to the initiatives of others.

- Jesus left room in his schedule for interruptions by friends and others enlisting his help.

- Jesus usually met people on their own turf.

- Jesus was interested in establishing common ground with others.

Witnessing is a science, an art, and a mystery. It involves connecting your faith with people's experience in a way that they can understand it, in their own time and manner. It means cooperating with whatever God's Spirit may be doing with them and leaving the results to Him."

Wow…such truth! If we are Spirit-led, led by the Spirit as we live out this life, God will open the doors for conversations and we just take part in them. That's all. God will do the rest.

Jesus loved everyone. His method of showing it may have been a little different though in how He had to deal with people but I do think in all ways He was showing love, even in those times He was correcting. Correction IS love!

How do you think Jesus treated people? Think on that, then view your life to see if you love the way He did. If not, ask yourself what changes you need to make in order to look like love. I definitely have some areas I need to look at. I'm still growing over here, and I will be until I finish this race.

Join me to dig deeper into this topic. Let's learn to love others and treat them with love just as He did. Let's love others and walk life with them.

To join conversation relating to each episode, join me in the Walking Life Together Facebook Group.

Be blessed!

What is love? I mean, I LOVE coffee! If you know me, you know this is true! 😊 I LOVE to read! My book shelves are overflowing! I LOVE my family! Are all these things really "lovable" in the sense of love?

Some people will tell you they LOVE long walks on the beach. LOL. Ok, all joking aside. I do REALLY like coffee and books. I do REALLY LOVE my family. But, today I want to share about some of the ways I feel the Lord tells us to love others. What I will share isn't about coffee, books, or long walks on the beach. What I will share might be more of a tough love, step on your toes a bit type of love. So…put on your steel toe boots and let's chat. 😉

I'd love for you to join me in the Walking Life Together FB Group and join in the conversation!

Be blessed friends!

Friends, some days are hard, but we have to keep going. Focus on the task at hand and keep moving forward. Maybe it's a week at a time, a day at a time, or a moment at a time … and that's ok! Just keep pushing. Don't give up!

Remember Whose you are in those times when it gets hard! Knowing Whose you are is LIFE CHANGING! My pastor often says "belief impacts behavior." SUCH TRUTH! When I BELIEVE what God says about me, that will IMPACT how I live…and giving up when God calls me to something or calls me to live a certain way just isn't an option.

Focus on what Psalms 3 says:

- The Lord is our shield.

- We can call out to Him and He will answer.

- There's no need to fear because He is our deliverer.

- He makes our way straight.

- We can take refuge in Him and be glad.

- He blesses us and surrounds us with His favor.

I would encourage you not to give up...

…even when people don't cheer for you

…even when people come against you

…even when things don't work as they're supposed to and you have to find a new way

….just keep going

Keep moving forward in the things you're called to do no matter the opposition.

When you find yourself wanting to give up … Don't. Keep Going.

When you realize the road is bumpier and more crooked than you expected … Don't Stop. Don't turn around. Keep Going.

When nothing seems to work like it should … don't quit. Find a different way to get things done. Just keep going.

Only invite those in your circle who desire to dream with you and God. Walk life with those who are going in the same direction as you.

Don't quit.

Just … Keep … Going

Thanks for joining me today! I would love to hear from you. You can visit the Walking Life Together FB Group or email me at [email protected]

Be blessed friends because you are a blessing!

As I sat in prayer, I thought about all the labels that are placed on people. My heart is to help us think about this topic and either become free from labels we might wear or to help us walk with others and encourage freedom from the labels that they've worn for way too long.

If we're going to wear labels or give labels to others, let them be labels that pour love over the person - like Precious, Valuable, Special, Chosen, Wonderful, Wanted, Beautiful, Smart, Loved. If we must label, let's label in love.

How can we help people become free of the labels they've placed on themselves or maybe the labels others have placed on them?

First, let us become more aware of our words.

Second, building relationships with others allows us the opportunity to speak life to them, to lift them up and encourage them.

Let us be encouragers and not discouragers. A negative label can hold us back.

Let's help others peel off the labels that don't belong so they can learn to walk freely. This will help them become who they're called to be!

Thank you for joining me today friends!

Article mention in this podcast: Why Our Tendency To Label People Is Wrong

Dr. Harold J. Sala

https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/why-our-tendency-to-label-people-is-wrong/

This week I was meditating on what it looks like to walk life together, and I realized it's really about "doing life with others," being there to celebrate during the joyful seasons and crying together in the painful ones...assisting others when they need a helping hand. It's just about being present.

Do I do this well? I am not sure. I try but I feel I could do better. Today, I'll share a few thoughts that came to me as I contemplated what walking life together actually looks like. I hope we can learn and grow together in this journey.

The Lord desires that we walk with others, that we don't walk alone. Walking alone and being isolated is the enemy's playground. Don't show up to play with him. Don't give him a foothold. Join others on this journey. Lock arms with others who can help you, who can be the hands and feet of Jesus when life gets hard. Not only do YOU NEED IT, but someone else needs it too. They need you! In this episode, you'll hear a childhood story about how a Jem Barbie Doll (yes, the cartoon from the 80's) played such an important role in me feeling loved as a kid! It's such a fond memory for me! Join in to hear it. Also, we can connect in the Walking Life Together Facebook Group or feel free to send me an email at [email protected]. *I do not own the rights to this music.*

There are times in life when we just don't feel strong, but I think it's in those exact moments when others around us would say they see strength. Why wouldn't they? We're standing in the midst of the storm. They see the storm brewing, raging against us, and they see us standing strong. They see strength. That might not be what we always FEEL. We might not FEEL strong, but we're often stronger than we think.

In today's show, I share some amazing quotes from friends who discussed their thoughts on strength. Such beautiful stories of overcomers. Their stories provided hope to me during my own time of struggle. Hearing the testimonies of others lifts our faith! I am beyond thankful to those who took time to share.

Thank you for listening! I would love to connect with you. Please join me in the Walking Life Together Facebook Group. You can also email me at [email protected]

In this episode, we will look at some of the characteristics of Job and how we can be like him, how we can imitate him. Yes, we are to follow Christ but God gave us some wonderful examples to learn from…in the Bible as well as those we daily get to walk like with.

When I think of Job, I think of patience. He was SO VERY PATIENT with his friends! I think of kindness and perseverance, I think of a person who truly worshiped the Lord through it all. He was a friend willing to have hard conversations with his friends. He was faithful, oh how faithful he was. And how can we forget God's description of him?! God said, "there is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears the Lord and shuns evil." WOW! Talk about a high compliment!

Join me on this episode to learn how we can be more like Job in all the ways he followed the Lord.

Thank you for listening! I would love to connect with you. Please join me in the Walking Life Together Facebook Group. You can also email me at [email protected]

In order to "walk life together," we need to be a good friend to others. As I recently journeyed through the book a Job, I realized that I probably wouldn't choose to walk life with friends like he had. While friendships won't always be easy, we should work to be a good friend.

During my reading, I noticed some characteristics that stood out as "not friend-like qualities," and that's what I want to talk about today.

Thank you for joining me! I would love to connect with you. Please join me in the Walking Life Together Facebook Group. You can also email me at [email protected]

In this episode I talk about "where do you take refuge?"

The world looks crazy sometimes. Actually, if you look around much at all, it looks crazy a lot of the time!

So for that reason, this is a GREAT question to think about…to ask yourself. Where do you take refuge? Where do you seek protection and shelter from danger, trouble, and hardship? Where is your hiding place? Where do you retreat to?

Friends, we choose where we take refuge. Just like we choose what we take in…meaning what we watch and/or listen to. Let us choose wisely. Our choice greatly impacts our life.

Thank you for joining me today! I would love to connect with you. Please join me in the Walking Life Together Facebook Group. You can also email me at [email protected].

Today I'll talk about wisdom.

That said, I want to throw this out there before I dive in …There's a difference between Godly wisdom and worldly wisdom. A BIG difference! Godly wisdom comes from His word and it IS truth. Worldly wisdom might not be BAD, but it's not the best wisdom. Let me expound on this. I used to always think, "I want my kids to learn from my mistakes," which isn't bad. BUT…I would MUCH RATHER teach them the truth of the Word than simply what I have to teach from the brokenness of my life. Not that God cannot use my mistakes to make a message, but I do not want to lean on MY understanding of MY life to teach my children. I want to lean on the Word … on His truth.

The fear of the Lord is wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10)

Wisdom brings peace. (Proverbs 3:17)

Sometimes wisdom is being still...or silent. (Proverbs 17:26)

As I thought and prayed about this podcast, I kind of had to chuckle. Me, speaking on wisdom. Looking back at my life and seeing ALL the mistakes I've made...who am I to speak on wisdom? But, I would like to believe through the mistakes, I have learned a few things. While in some instances, I've learned the hard way, at least I'm learning! That, I think, is wisdom. Through learning, we gain wisdom. By choosing to learn from our mistakes, we gain wisdom. If I thought I knew it all or had it all right, I would then be in trouble. One might call me an idiot. LOL. I know I would think so. I'd like to think I try to walk in wisdom, learning and growing as I go, recognizing and owning up to my mistakes and failures, accepting correction when needed, digging in to learn about something of which I may not understand. Do I have it all right? No. Actually, the more I learn, the more I realize I have a ways to go…so much more to learn. And that's ok! I might even call it exciting!…because I love learning!

Thanks for joining me on this journey as we walk life together. Be blessed.