High Five For Friday - New Job, New Seasons and New Clothes

High Five For Friday Number One:

I accepted a job offer this afternoon to work for Brazi Bites! If you haven't tasted Brazi Bites, you are missing out!!!!! I'll be an admin assistant and work in customer service as well. I'm super excited!

High Five For Friday Number Two:

Blogging blogging blogging has been super busy lately! Book blogging, fashion blogging and just fun blogging! It's been a blast and I'm excited to get more blogging jobs!

High Five For Friday Number Three:

One of my very good friends from back home gave me the news this week that her and her husband are looking for a job in Portland, OR! OMG!!!!!!! A hometown friend here in the Pacific Northwest!!!!! Yes, Please!!!!!!!!!

High Five For Friday Number Four:

I have found some new delicious gluten free yummies this week! If you are on a gluten free diet then you know how difficult this is.

High Five For Friday Number Five:

New job means new outfit!?!?!? I'm gonna shop this weekend....hopefully hubby will be ok with that! :)

Warfare Praying By Mark I. Bubeck - 5 Stars

Warfare Praying is a must read for every Christian. This book breaks down what it means to be a mighty warrior of prayer! There are 4 parts to this book and each part is extremely rich with wisdom. I had a hard time putting it down and when I did put it down, I immediately felt a move in my spirit to pray and lean more into God. The four parts are The Supremacy Of Christ, The Work Of The Holy Spirit, The Whole Armor Of God (my favorite one) and The Weapon Of Prayer. Mark does a great job of connecting each of these together and bringing you to a place of wanting to pray with a deeper purpose. 

The compelling way Mark Bubeck writes about prayer and going into battle with God challenged me to go into prayer with a different perspective. We all want spiritual triumph and this book helped me navigate through what that looks like in my prayer life. If you are a Christian struggling with prayer, in the midst of a spiritual battle or simply just want to have a stronger prayer life then I highly recommend this book! It's one that you won't be able to put down! 

Infertility Awareness Week

This week is Infertility Awareness Week! This week is near and dear to my heart as we have battled infertility after getting off fertility meds and multiple miscarriages. For any woman out there going through this, my heart goes out to you! It's a tough battle but it's a battle that we can stand together in! I was diagnosed with PCOS about 16 years ago. At the time I was diagnosed, they really didn't have answers to some of my questions. It wasn't until I got married and we started talking about starting a family that I started to research and ask questions. Since then, I've made it my mission to get answers and understand PCOS better. I have learned SO much about PCOS and it's led me to a conclusion that most of the health problems I have had have been a result of PCOS. One of those being my heart condition. Women with PCOS are twice as likely to have heart disease. Crazy that I have struggled with heart disease and had no idea it was linked to PCOS.

If you have PCOS, do everything you can to get informed! Learn about it, ask questions and most of all GET HEALTHY! For more information, you can visit http://www.pcosaa.org/! 

7 Day Jamberry Challenge

I'm taking the 7 Day Jamberry Challenge this week! 

Katie sent me these beautiful Jamberry samples and I love them! The colors are so vibrant and fun! Just what I need for spring time! 

I followed her application video step by step. It was an easy and quick application, which I liked.  

I then painted my other fingers with a pearl brown and glitter gold. 

Overall, I really love jamberry! I'm excited to see how they look in 7 days! I have high hopes that they will look JUST as beautiful after 7 days! Come back in a week to find out how the challenge concluded! 

You can order your own jamberry at http://Misskatie.jamberry.com! You can also like Katie's FB page here! 

Sofra Women's Pullover Fleece Lined Hoodie Sweater

OMG! Can you say COMFY!!!!!!!!! This pink pullover fleece hoodie is so soft and comfy! I've been relaxing in it ALL day long!!!!! This is perfect for lounging, running errands or just simply wearing for the day! You can pair it with leggings or jeans!

Feel free to check out White Apparel's storefront on Amazon and order your own Sofra Pullover! They have them in a variety of colors and they have so many other items to order!!

This was perfect for this cozy rainy day in.

ShoeDazzle Darci Spring Heels

SPRING!!!!!! I'm loving the light pinks and light purples this season! Pink is my FAVORITE color so the Darci shoe from ShoeDazzle is one of my favorites!!!

This beautiful pink floral shoe has a 4.5'' heel so if you like them high, this is the shoe for you!

I styled this pump with a light pink sweater, tan flowy undershirt, Ralph Lauren skinny jeans and a vintage tan handbag.

These shoes are perfect for date night or just a nice Saturday afternoon out and about.

You can order this shoe here.

God Searches For His Sheep

Ezekiel y'all!! I dove into Ezekiel 34 this morning and I'm so thankful that the Lord led me to this wonderful book. One of the things that has grieved my heart the past few months is the world today. And not just the world outside of Christ but the world of Christianity as well. The Bible warns us of the false teachers that surround us and it's been something that has hurt my heart more than words can even describe.

I worked at a church full time and once a week had the amazing honor of being Pastor on call, so I know first hand that there are so many hurting and hungry people out there searching for hope and searching for answers. With such an enormous amount of lost hurting people, I'm realistic and wise enough to know that this means easy prey for lots of predators. The devil knew that this would be the case and while God is raising up legit leaders, the enemy is raising up false teachers.

So as I've studied false teachers and signs to be aware of over the past few months, I have asked God many hard questions. I knew when He was ready and when I was ready to receive the answers, that He would answer. Don't you just LOVE HIS LOVE!? This morning, I received that comfort and peace I had been searching for in my studying of false teachers. Ezekiel 34 happened to me this morning and my heart couldn't be more at peace.

Ezekiel 34 teaches us that there is so much hope for those who have been led astray by false teachers. It reminded me and gave me hope that He has taken care of these details that sometimes get overlooked. Leaders are like shepherds to God and I know that the same God who rescued then is the same God who will rescue now. He sees the shepherds now who are misleading like He saw them in the past. "This is what the Lord God says: I am against the shepherds. I will blame them for what has happened to my sheep and will not let them tend the flock anymore. Then the shepherds will stop feeding themselves, and I will take my flock from their mouths and so they will no longer be their food." Ezekiel 34:10

My questions to God have been questions about the innocent ones. "What about the ones who are hungry and lost but know no better?" He answers that for me in Ezekiel 34:11-12, "This is what the Lord God says: I, myself, will search for my sheep and take care of them. As a shepherd takes care of his scattered flock when it is found, I will take care of my sheep. I will save them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day." Of course He is going to take care of the innocent and of course He is going to hand pick His children from the grips of evil before it's too late. Thank You Jesus for loving your people the way you do! Thank you for giving my heart peace in a world of false teachers preying on lost souls.

As Darin and I continue our journey in a new state, I know that God is protecting us from false teachers. I have been so timid in the new search for a new church that the process has been a slow movement. But that's OK. After reading Ezekiel, I no longer feel rushed to look nor do I feel fear to look. I know He will guide us, protect us and (if needed) rescue us!!!

Accountability and Separation Equals True Love

Friendships and business partnerships are a tricky thing. We should always make sure we know who we really are entrusting our lives and businesses with. If they are not living right behind closed doors, they WILL tarnish your family name, business name, and reputation. Not to mention the spiritual harm it can do to yourself, your circle of influence and that person. 

Often times we feel like in order to love, we must not turn them away. This kind of thinking is foolish thinking. Yes, we are called to love but real love is holding others accountable and not turning a blind eye to their sin. I wouldn't be where I am today spiritually if it weren't for the people who exhibited true Godly love toward me. They loved me enough to hold me accountable and yes, sometimes had to love me from a distance because of my ways. Did it hurt? Yes, ABSOLUTELY!! But it taught me a valuable lesson and it made me realize that people I loved deserved better than who I was giving them!

I was giving them a pretend "christian" who said all the right things at the right times. I would pretend to turn away from my sin and put on a good "christian" show for others. I lived half way in the world and half way in church raising my hands in praise. I look back at who I was many many years ago and I'm SO thankful for the ones who didn't live in the delusion of who I pretended to be. They used the powerful discernment God had gifted them with and used it for His good. They loved me with truth and God's Word. They were obedient to what He says. He commanded them to stay separated from somebody like me and their obedience worked out for my good as well. We can't ignore the guidance He gives us in scripture. 

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Loving others doesn't mean you have to give them your complete all or trust them with everything and everybody in your life. Scripture teaches us to watch our company. We can still love others without putting our own family, other people's salvation or hard work at risk. In fact God guides us to stay away from them. Who in your life is needing some tough love? Who in your life is needing somebody to love them enough to sit them down and have a true and honest heart to heart? Who in your life are you putting too much trust in? Talk to God about it and seek His guidance. Read scripture and align what we are taught with your actions. Be brave today and LOVE somebody with TRUE GODLY LOVE. 

"Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." Proverbs 13:20

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. ..." 2 Timothy 3:1-17

"I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked." Psalm 26:4-5

What I'm Loving Wednesday - Weather, Happy Place and Family

I'm loving the beautiful weather here in Washington the past couple of days. It's normally rainy (which I DO LOVE) but the sunshine and spring atmosphere has been amazing as well!!!!

I'm loving that I have a supportive husband who took me to find my happy place this past weekend. My heart was hurting due to the death of a family member. We cross the St. John's bridge at least two times a week, so he decided to take me to explore the area. One of his friends from work told him there was a little park under the bridge. Indeed there was and indeed it was beautiful and indeed.....I found my happy place.

What I'm loving the most is God's amazing grace and peace. We lost Steve Reese this past weekend and it broke my heart. However, I know Steve is finally resting and in peace and that brings me joy. Thank You Jesus for loving him!