anchors the soul

Hi there! I'm Allyce and I blog over at Anchors the Soul, a lifestyle blog where I share my journey and how God is leading me through every twist and turn!  

To get to know me a bit more, visit my "About" page or any social media links here!

twitter  //  instagram //  bloglovin'

One of my favorite aspects of blogging is connecting with other God-fearing women and utilizing my small space as a somewhat larger platform to share how Jesus is working in my life.  I've been participating in the #shereadstruth community this year and have loved every study!  I'm constantly challenged and feel as though my time with God is more intentional, as many of my posts are a reflection of this.

With all that being said, I'd like to thank the ladies here at Girls of God's Heart for allowing me the opportunity to guest post today! I'm truly honored to hang out here and share a piece of my heart with the readers here!     

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During my quiet time today I came across a few verses that struck a series of cords that tie directly to my heart.  If you're not aware, I've been following along in the #shereadstruth studies and every day I'm challenged in a new way through reading God's Word and joining in a community of honest, God-fearing women.

Today's focus was on 1 John 2:15-17

"Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.  For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-- comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever."

Ok so this was hard hitting for me.  Sentence by sentence I felt as though God was prodding at my heart, reminding me that the things that I tend to consume myself with SEEM important, but don't have much of an eternal impact.  For instance, having a yellow shirt to wear tomorrow does not impact eternity.  So there's no need for me to stress about something so trivial.  I can't tell you the amount of times I subconsciously compare what I have or want to someone else, how much I complain about the things of "this world."  Obsess about the things I think I need and these thoughts literally consume my mind DAILY.  But what God is telling us here is to do the very opposite.

Fix your eyes and give your attention to the things that will impact eternity.  

It's hard not to love the world.  God's creation is beautiful and something to be in awe about.  But it's a place full of sin where we naturally find temporary comfort, love and satisfaction.

"The temporary things in the here and now can be so lovely, but let's not love them above the One who created them all." #shereadstruth

I've feared when that day comes when God takes me home and I get to experience Heaven and the wonder of eternity.  I'll say it again.  I've feared that day because I have feelings of not wanting to leave Earth and all that is in it.  And in my honest of hearts I've often wondered if there will be a Starbucks and a Chick-fil-A in Heaven.  I'm not sure about Starbucks, but I'm fairly certain there will be a Chick-fil-A. :)

I'm challenged today to shift my thinking from worshiping creation to worshiping the Creator.  

It's easy to get caught up in the daily grind, to let our sinful desires take over our good intended hearts.   I hold tightly to the things of this earth, the things that bring me comfort and satisfaction.

My prayer for this week is that with God's help I can start to shift my selfish ways of thinking to having more of an eternal mind set, where my focus and my intentions are fixed on worshiping my Creator, not creation.

Don't Be Labeled - Guest Post By Christy Krezman From Rosette Ministry

Happy Friday all! Today I (Julie) have the pleasure of introducing you to the beautiful Christy Krezman who blogs over at Rosette Ministry! Christy and I attend church together and she spoke in my mom's group this week. I believe she has some really inspirational words to share with all of you girls of Gods heart! To learn more about the Rosette Ministry and Christy, check out her blog and her Facebook page. Without further ado... here's Christy!

I'm Christy Krezman, wife to Rick for over 20 years and mom to son, Seth, age 18, and daughter Katelyn, age 16. I'm also a member of NorthPointe Church.

I love Thrifting...I love to spray paint items (over and over again forever changing my decor)... I love to craft... I love to decorate... I love fellowshipping with women and becoming fast friends...I love devotions... I love to speak at events... I love to share my ideas, thoughts and encouragements with others... I love coffee, but most of all I LOVE JESUS! Because of Him I have been witness to what started out as just making fabric flowers for myself, turn into something I could have never dreamed up. He used the ordinary and turned it into EXTRAORDINARY! This is how Rosette Ministry was birthed. The purpose of this ministry is "Repurposing for the Glory of God... transforming the discarded and unwanted into beautiful things just as Christ does for us."

Don't Be Labeled

   Who are you?  Really, really you.  Have you stopped to think about what makes you...YOU?  Why are you the way you are?  What makes you act in the way that you do?  Are you concerned about what others think of you?  Are YOU one of the ones that put that pressure on someone to be concerned about what others think?  OUCH!  Tough questions, but things that we must ask ourselves in order to dig deeper into whom we are and whose we belong.

Image is huge in today's society.  We are trying to reproduce or imitate things that "society" says is 'hip' and 'cool.'  By living this way, labels are developed and slapped onto people that do not "fit" in the current image society has set or they're slapped on so that we can "fit" in.  There are so many labels that the world puts on you...too many to list.  Not all labels appear to be in negative form.  Some may set such unrealistic expectations for you that it is impossible to ever be that.  Others are very much ugly and hurtful.  Ones that exclude, isolate and set you apart from what is considered 'living the life!'  Are you striving to live up to those labels?   Maybe not so much on purpose, but perhaps it's just been said of you for so long that you begin believing it for yourself.  So you begin living according to the label or labels that have been slapped onto you.  Is it true of what's on the inside?  Positively...NO!  I have an analogy that I had the opportunity to share with a young lady just about 4 years ago about how we do not have to live according to what the world has labeled us with.  Here's what I shared with her...

I asked her what her favorite canned food was and she replied with, "Peaches."  OK.  How do you know how to buy a can of peaches?  She said, "By seeing the label."  Of course that's how we know that, but do we absolutely believe that to be true by just the label?  What if I took a can of peaches and took off it's true label slapping on a "not so appetizing" one...say dog food.  "Eeeewww, gross!" she said.  Of course it's gross but stick with me.  I take that can of mislabeled peaches and put them in their rightful place on the shelf at the grocery store.  How many people will judge that can by its label?  Probably... most likely... every person who goes to buy peaches.  That can will be pushed aside, reached over, scooted with dislike to the back of the shelf.  Is the contents of that can of peaches any different than any other can of peaches?  ABSOLUTELY NOT but no one knows this until the contents are revealed when it has been opened up.  Then and only then the truth of the can is discovered.  The trueness of the peaches are pleasing and enjoyed.  Why, peaches were you hiding behind a label that contained you to a point that you were not able to enjoy or be enjoyed?

We are very much like that can of peaches.  We get stripped of who we are through hurts and/or disappointments in our lives and we feel very vulnerable in a weak way.  The world, which always has its label maker handy, begins to slap different labels on us.  Labels that are not true of us.  They hide what is truly inside.  But if we allow God to take us, go through the process of label removing with Him then our trueness begins to be revealed.

God's Imprint

You have a creator who designed you just the way you are and YOU ARE ENOUGH!  Psalm 139:14 declares, "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."  You are a unique expression of God's love in this world.  Nowhere on Earth is there anyone with exactly the same bright eyes, loving arms that hold, hands that do, feet that go, life to live. You...are...uniquely...you!  Every physical quality...or flaw as we sometimes call it,  is absolutely designed to fit just you.  Inner qualities are also very much designed specifically just for you!  These are what make you special and different.  The way you laugh, the tenderness of your heart, the care and concern that show through your bright eyes as you listen to others, your smile alone...warms and welcomes others.

You do not need to be labeled to be like anyone else.  You do need to be YOU just as God imprinted Himself all over you to be just YOU!  Absolutely no one else can do that except for YOU!  You are an original, which is priceless...YOU are priceless!  Be the wonderful YOU that God has designed for you to be, being confident in yourself through Christ.  2 Corinthians 7:16 says, "I am glad I can have complete confidence in you."  And Jeremiah 17:7 says, "But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him."

We will be blessed by God when we allow Him to remove the labels from our lives so that His Perfect imprint on our lives will be exposed, seen and able to be lived out.  God's imprint is not removable.  It does not come off.  It is YOU.  He created your inmost being; He knitted you together in your mother's womb (Psalm 139:13.) He knew you before You were YOU!

You are wonderfully, uniquely, fantastically, wonderously...YOU!  Live it.  Only you can!

Take Care and Be Blessed,
Christy Krezman
Rosette Ministry 

{Guest Post} Why people don't need him.

My name is Lauren McGuire and I am an Army brat who has settled in the South with my husband and three kids.  After working in a corporate environment for several years we began to hear God calling me to a new season.   I started a blog around a small business that God planted in my heart and a year and a half later, I had baby #3. I left my corporate job of 8 years to focus on my family and whatever God decided to do with this blog/small business.  Originally my writing focused on style and closet organization but, like most creative processes, it has morphed into writing about what I love.  You'll see style posts, closet and organization ideas, family posts and posts where I share my heart on what God is speaking to me about in the moment.  I love organizing, I love dressing up, and I love Jesus.  I hope you'll have a visit and be encouraged!

Form and Function By Lauren

Why People Don't Need Him
 

For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.  Mathew 5:20, NIV

I'm reading through Mathew right now and am in the place where Jesus famously launches His earthly ministry - The Sermon on the Mount.  He begins with the beatitudes of "Blessed are the" ...notarity, moves through being Salt and Light and then hits us with this:  He is the fulfillment of the law AND we have to do better than the Pharisees and Teachers of the law or we'll miss it entirely.

The law was the description of perfect, godly living.  It describes the impossible tasks around being holy.  The Pharisees and Teachers were the cream of the crop in their day who had committed their lives to studying the law and becoming experts on it.  You would think this pursuit would make them holy, humble, but often Jesus points out how greatly flawed they actually are.  They lacked humility and trust. They were too bound by human entrapment's (power, leadership, affluence, knowledge and education) to humble themselves before Jesus.  They were caught up in their own mini-kingdom to receive the kingdom of heaven.

It got me thinking, what mini-kingdoms do we get caught up in?  Why do people now, as well as when Jesus walked with them, say they don't need Him?

Our kingdoms don't have to be sprawling to be traps.  You don't have to be the CEO of a major company to feel like you have a kingdom.  The lure of leadership and affluence can be found in the the big fish in small pond scenarios of the everyday - leader of a small/medium/large business, a volunteer organization (PTA anyone?), a book club.  Leaders of homes and children as well as adults and movements.  A person can get so enamored with leading that they don't see the need for Christ.

Then there are the multiple other detractors from need: church hurt and hypocrisy, childhood wounds, pride, distraction, busyness, lack of worth, etc.  Not to mention the S word (sin - lots of people think they are pretty good and don't need forgiveness) and the fact that the bible takes a pretty strong stance on some social issues that are pretty hotly debated in our present culture.

So how can I, as a Christian, overcome these obstacles?

I can't.

(whhhooo, did she just say that?!)

I can't.  Only God can.  Only God calls.  Only Jesus saves.  All I can do is live out my faith the best I can, keeping a posture of humility, being broken and remade.  Humble and pliable. Ready to love and forgive.  I can build relationships with others to bridge the cultural gap between believers and non-believers.  I can take risks and be vulnerable with my heart knowing that my worth is deeply rooted in Jesus rather than in the opinions and affections of others.  Then I can share Him, lovingly, gently, hopefully humbly.  And let Him do the hard work of changing hearts.

My past is my past

Today we have a guest writer! Andrea is out sick with the flu, please keep her in your prayers!

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I am so blessed to be sharing with everyone here today!  My name is Kelly and I blog @ The Houtz House Party where I talk about my life as a wife, my life with 4 littles under age 4, some randomness and quite a bit about my faith in Jesus.  God has put on my heart a longing to encourage women right where they are in life and to be a safe place to find love and acceptance.  I long for each woman to find that strength through Him to achieve their dreams in this life.

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I am so blessed to have met some wonderful women at church.  I so enjoy the REALNESS of these girls during our weekly bible study and they have no idea how much they've impacted my life.  I truly value each of them.

Recently, we were discussing who in our lives was our Hosea.  You see Hosea never gave up on his wife even though she left him, publicly embarrassed herself and him over and over.  He NEVER gave up.  He NEVER ever stopped loving.

Who saved me?  Who has always been there unwavering even when I didn't deserve it?

A couple of the girls spoke up about their husbands.  I just kept nodding in agreement and couldn't help but hold back my tears…and I am not really the crying at bible study type.  Crying in public makes me a little uncomfortable for some reason.  Anyway, I digress…

I feel 100% that my husband is my Hosea.  I've joked to people at times since J and I got married that I don’t know what God was doing when J and I got together.  Perhaps he was sleeping?  I don’t deserve J in the least.  Not one bit.  Somehow God saw fit to give him to me as my husband and I am so grateful.  Our first year was rough.  You can read about that here.

Honestly my past was a “past”…

I went through that party girl phase.

I was self-absorbed.

I only cared about what I was doing, accomplishing, etc.

I wasn't very nice.

J was pretty much perfect.  I was a mess.  I liked to think I was good at hiding it.

I regret that person for the way I treated people I love.  I don’t regret that time though, because I firmly believe that made me who I am and am blessed to share my story in even some small way. 

God redeems.  God loves UNCONDITIONALLY, although I think that much love is almost impossible to fathom. 

I pray to share with my kids one day in a way that teaches so they don’t have to have the rough road to hoe.  Although, to be perfectly honest I've always tended to do things the hard way so I pray.  I pray again & I pray some more that they don’t have that gene. 

I pray their Hosea to find them one day.

You can find me on my blog, shop, facebook, twitter & Instagram.

Religion got in the way

Today, we have a special guest writing for us, Mimi!

MiMi is a very proud mommy of 2 boys. When she's not embarrassing herself with potty humor and awkwardness you can find her blogging about it at Living in France or with her hands covered in glitter and Mod Podge while she tries to craft. She's also set a goal to finish the Bible in a year or less. Currently she is in Romans. At the end of the day when she's done being awesome you can find her with her nose in a book.
blog // twitter // etsy // facebook

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So here's the deal with me. Ya see, I don't speak with much knowledge about God. I don't have quotes, psalms, passages or anything from the Bible memorized. I haven't even read it all the way through. In fact I just recently started attending church regularly. As in, last year. I had quit going for about 12 years. There were lots of reasons why, and I don't want to blab too much about the negative environment at this prior church, but it was one of the principal reasons I decided to quit. Oh, and also, I was too lazy to get up early on the weekends. Do you get what happened there? With the quitting of the church? Think of this:

Religion got in the way.

I know it sounds weird. But there are so many religions with so many rules and ideas about the best way to come to God.I think they sometimes forget that the business end of church is not what church is about. And that the only way to come to God is through Jesus. Religion doesn't buy you a ticket into heaven. Clean living doesn't get you in. You can't squeak in by the skin of your teeth because your will states that all your money goes to the poor. Recently, I had an acquaintance say something astonishing to me. She said, "MiMi, I just don't understand why you are attending church now...I've been trying to convert you to Christian for years." This felt like a blow to me. Like she had punched me in the gut. She may as well have said, "MiMi, I just don't understand why you have two eyes a nose and a mouth." I was insulted, indignant, mad, sad, all of those things. Finally I stammered out with tears in my eyes that I am Christian. I don't remember a time in my life where I didn't know Jesus. It made me think, though. What about my life said to her that I wasn't Christian? And I really thought about it. I didn't just get indignant and walk away and forget it. I've been pondering this question for weeks. In fact, this is the first time I'm really talking about it because I've just been holding it for a while. I decided that there were reasons, for sure, why she would think I'm not a Christian. From her point of view, and her legalistic philosophy of the Bible, of course she thinks I'm not a Christian. No matter that we discussed the Bible, God, Jesus, everything about Christianity and I had said many times I was a Christian, I guess I didn't show it. Here's the rub though: Some peoples' view of a Christian is flat out whacked. Completely insane. There's a difference between being a Christian and being a good Christian. Or even a mediocre Christian. I have not always been a good Christian, but I have always been a Christian. Heck, some days I struggle really hard to be a mediocre one.

But I do know this:

Because I cut my hair short and dye it doesn't make me not a Christian.

Because I sometimes (or a lot) cuss, does not make me not a Christian.

If I'm covered in tattoos and drink beer, it doesn't mean I'm not a Christian.

If I think you can drink wine with communion instead of juice, it doesn't mean I'm not a Christian.

If I have to fight the urge to punch the dude behind me in line at they grocery store because he is irritated waiting for me to check out and makes a sigh into a 3 syllable noise, that does not make me not a Christian.

If I wear makeup and have my ears pierced, that doesn't mean I'm not a Christian.

Because I like loud rock 'n roll doesn't mean I'm not a Christian.

Because I read, eat junk food, laugh when people fall down...still doesn't make me not a Christian.

I recently read something that went like this: When I say I'm a Christian I'm not announcing that I'm clean living or better than you. I'm saying that I'm a sinner and I know that Jesus died for my sins. That's all. And that's everything!! No matter what religion you are...don't let it get in the way! There is one person between you and God and he sits at God's right hand, waiting for you. Waiting for me. Although, I'm sure he wants me to clean up my language before I get there. I saw this video the other day and it reminded me of the one who thought I wasn't a Christian. Click here to view. It's a little over a minute long, and it's hilarious, definitely worth watching if you like tongue in cheek humor. Now, I don't know if this post makes any sense whatsoever. It looks nothing like what I originally planned. My thoughts ran away with my keyboard, I guess. I just wanted to put it out there...what I believe. I am a sinner. But I am saved.

 

Obedience, Blessings, Fellowship, Listen

We are so excited to introduce a new little portion of our blog for guest writers & for our first one, we have Sybil from Peace It All Together.

A little bit about Sybil --

Sybil fills many different roles in life. She is a School Psychologist, by profession and a Christian, by faith. But, what she has come to realize is that there is more to life than roles and titles. It is how you live your life that matters most! She believes that everybody has a story to tell. She began writing her own blog, Peace it all Together, to tell her story. It's where she reflects on the circumstances of life, faith, and issues related to having a child with sensory needs.  

blog // pinterest // instagram

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The Sovereign LORD has given me his words of wisdom,

so that I know how to comfort the weary.

Morning by morning he wakens me

and opens my understanding to his will. - Isaiah 50:4 (NLT)

Have you ever thought that God was speaking to you? I have felt the nudging of the Lord before, but never as much in the past eight months. What has changed? Has He just decided that He is now ready to communicate with me? Honestly, I think He was always ready. It was me who wasn't.

If you've been reading my blog, you have heard the story of the beginning, when I first began following the urgings of Holy Spirit. In April 2012, I began praying more, searching for answers, and really listening to what God was telling me. Since that time, I have attempted to follow Him more closely. Each time I feel Him speaking to me, which usually comes through an inner voice, I have tried to be obedient.

But, how do you know if the words you're hearing are truly from God? I have heard several messages or sermons on this exact question in my lifetime. The overwhelming theme has been...if it aligns with the Bible and biblical principles, then it is probably from God. While, this is a good starting point, I have put together a list of things that have helped me differentiate between my own random, sometimes crazy, thoughts and those that I believe the Holy Spirit has given to me.

Obedience

If you love me, obey my commandments. - John 14:15 (NLT)

If I am being truly honest, I would say that I have had many thoughts about making a phone call, sending an email or message, or giving a word of encouragement to others, but did not often do them. Since I began developing this desire to "do more" I have adopted the Nike motto. Just do it. Instead of holding back and second-guessing, I have decided to put my thoughts into actions. The phrase, "it's the thought that counts," no longer applies to me.

What I have found is that the more I follow this mantra, the more I am used by God. He speaks to me more. Since the urging of this inner voice does not go against what I believe to be right and true, I can only conclude that since I started doing more, God has further entrusted me with even more acts of love.

Blessings

You will experience all these blessings if you obey the LORD your God...

Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed. Deuteronomy 28:2, 6 (NLT)

Although getting blessings has not been the motivation for my actions, I have developed better friendships, received more compliments, and am feeling more loved by others, since this journey began. My conclusion: To be used by God is to experience the blessings of being loved. Yes, people have and will continue to be persecuted for their faith. Following God's plan is not all sunshine and roses. But, recently, I have been blessed by my choice to be a blessing. I have also chosen this as one of MY words for 2013.

Fellowship

For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” - Matthew 18:20 NLT

The term "coincidence" has always puzzled me in relation to my faith. By definition, this means that there are things that happen by chance, by accident. I don't know if that is true.

Last September, I had been thinking of making changes to my blog. I wanted to change its appearance, to make it more eye catching, more of an expression of me. Also, I desired to get my message to more people, and thought a fresh design might help with that vision. I hadn't talked to M about it, mainly because I knew I couldn't do a redesign myself, which would mean hiring someone, which would mean spending money. So, I researched it, thought about it some, and prepared how I was going to sell this idea to M. Funny thing is, when I brought it up to him, he had been researching it, too and was trying to figure out how to bring it up to me. This was no coincidence. I believe God was there, putting it all together, orchestrating the whole thing.

Ignore It

Listen to my instruction and be wise. Don’t ignore it. Proverbs 8:33 (NLT)

Okay. Okay. I get the message...don't ignore words from the Lord. Although I have been trying to live a Nike-esque life, there has been one thing that I believe the Holy Spirit is prompting me to do, and I have been ignoring it, for over a month. Ignoring it because I'm scared, because it would be a lot of work, because I don't want to fail, and the list goes on. But, my plan to ignore it is not working. That still, small voice keeps returning. It's clearly God, urging me to trust, to step out, and to stop ignoring Him. I hope that I can, soon.

This list is not exhaustive. I know there are more ways to be led by the Spirit. There are also many more things that I wish God would speak to me about. To provide me with answers. As long as I continue to seek Him, I have to believe that He will. 

I would love to know how God speaks or has spoken to you. Write a comment or send me a message. 

Got a Message?

Friends! Here at GOGH Blog our main focus is to be an inspiration to others.

 Spreading the word of the living God.

From our Hearts, in our words, on to this blog.

 I can not even begin to tell you how fulfilling this blog has been for us.

God gave each of us a vision to spread the word...

Out of that vision came Girls of Gods Heart Blog.

We want to extend that opportunity to you.

 

Has God given you a message? A testimony? Are you willing to share?

Is there anything on your heart?

We love reading your beautiful comments, tweets and Facebook posts.
We are inviting you to write a "Guest Post" here on GOGH blog.

Simply just email us at
girlsofgodsheart@gmail.com

Put "Guest Post" in your Subject Line.
One of us will be in contact with you and we will get that post published for you.

Also can we ask a favor?
See that lovely button over there to the right?
We would LOVE if you would grab it and display it somewhere on your blog.
If we can reach even one more soul...we know our vision had a purpose.

We are so excited to see where this blog goes in 2013.
We are so blessed to have all of you as readers and we look forward to what God has in store.