by | Life Application
When you hear the word intimacy what’s the first thing you think of? It’s ok – be honest.
From my experience most people seem to associate the word with romance. For example, “My husband and I were intimate last night.” But there is more to this powerful word than that. Let me explain.
I’m guest posting on The Truth About Intimacy over at Mel’s World today. Click here for the rest of the post. You don’t want to miss what intimacy is really about..
by | Life Application
I experienced an amazing dining experience yesterday that I have to tell you about.
A new restaurant in Branson, Table 22, has been open for a little over a month. I have been so excited to go, and yesterday was the day. It was day 11, which meant I got to add protein to my 21-day cleanse.
Table 22 is a contemporary American bistro serving locally grown products with an extensive wine list. Their menus change according to what’s in season. From the moment I walked in, I was in love. The style fit my personality so well. From the art on the wall to the ice water pitchers, it was cool and contemporary.
I ordered the smoked salmon, which was brought out on my plate beautifully displayed in thinly slices, topped with onions and caps. One word: INCREDIBLE! I followed that up with a watermelon salad mixed with olive oil, cracked pepper and thyme. It was sweetly delicious!
Table 22 brings a new and much needed style to Branson. You no longer have to drive to the big city to enjoy contemporary style. If you’re planning a trip to Branson, make Table 22 a must on your list of things to do.
I haven’t experienced the dinner menu yet, but I’m looking very forward to it.
Have you been part of the Table 22 experience yet? What did you enjoy? Comment below..
by | Health & Wellness, Life Application
A year ago next month I completed one the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. That thing was the Table Rock Freedom Center, which is a 12-month discipleship program for women with life-controlling issues.
For 12 months I lived in the same house with between 4 and 10 women, depending on who stayed and who didn’t. We shared a closet, a bathroom, the dinner table, and pretty much everything else. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner together at the same time everyday. We went to church together. We rode in the same cars together. The only time we weren’t together was during the eight hours of sleep every night. But guess what? We slept in the same room together!
Perhaps you’re thinking, that doesn’t sound that hard. Maybe you’re right. Picture this for a second: If you’re married, imagine never leaving your husband’s side 24/7 for one complete year. Could you do it? If you’re not married, imagine never leaving your nagging mother’s side 24/7 for one complete year.
Still not convinced?
Every day we faced the haunting issues of our past. We cried. We grieved. We screamed. We fought. We learned to forgive. We learned to stop hating those who had hurt us. We learned to acceptance forgiveness from others. We learned to forgive ourselves. We learned to love. We learned to receive love. We learned who we are in Christ. We cried. We grieved. We screamed. We fought.
But at the end of the day we sat in our room and prayed together. Nothing brings unity in a house full of women faster than prayer.
I could write a book about the things that changed my life during the course of that year. Oh wait! I am writing a book about that. Seriously though, it maybe have been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but it was worth it. God changed me behind the walls of The Table Rock Freedom Center. And now I want to give back.
TRFC has an opportunity to win $50,000 from Giving of Life and they need your help. They need votes. They need ALOT of votes.
This amazing Christ-focused, non-denominational program operates strictly on the donations of others. The cost of providing for one student each month is $1500. Imagine what $50,000 would do.
Please take the time to go here and vote, then pass it onto your friends.
Interested in blogging about this organization, interviewing the students and more? Send me an email at info[at]sundijo[dot]com.
Thank you for your votes!
by | Life Application
Photo Credit: flickr (Creative Commons)
I recently read a guest post from Todd Henry, founder of Accidental Creative, on Michael Hyatt’s blog. I’ve had to go back several times and digest it. It was/is powerful!
In his post Henry tells a great story about a friend of his. The friend asked if he knew what the most valuable land in the world is. Where would you think? Todd’s guess was the diamond mines in Africa or the middle eastern oil fields. Neither guess was correct.
“No,” our friend replied, “it’s the graveyard, because with all of those people are buried unfulfilled dreams, unwritten novels, masterpieces not created, businesses not started, relationships not reconciled. THAT is the most valuable land in the world.”
Read that line again. Does it give you chillbumps like it did me?
Henry went on to say that his goal is to “die empty.” What exactly does that mean?
“I made a commitment that if any given day were my last I wanted to die empty, having completely divested myself of whatever insight or work was in me to share on that day.”
I had to ask myself, Do I die empty at the end of each day? Unfortunately, my answer was no. There are nights I close my eyes to go to sleep wishing I would have written that one blog, called that friend I haven’t talked to in four months, written part of the ebook I want to work on, went for a walk, laughed more with my family, made someone smile. The list goes on.
Reading Todd Henry’s post and thinking on the unfinished things in my life made me realize that I am in control of what I do. Now don’t misunderstand that statement. God is in control of everything and sometimes our plans change. But He puts the desires on our hearts. He puts the creativity in our minds. Don’t you think He expects us to do something with it?
God didn’t make us to have unfulfilled dreams. He made us for more.
I don’t want to make the graveyard valuable. I want to make my time here valuable.
I wan’t to die empty each day.
What can you do today to take a new step toward fulfilling a dream in your heart?
by | Life Application
Photo Credit: flickr (Creative Commons)
Do you have those people or things in your life that are like a toothache? The pain won’t go away and you can feel your pulse beating in your gums. Not only is it extremely annoying, but it hurts like crazy.
In one way or another we have all been trained to deal with pain. If you get a toothache you don’t usually rush to the dentist and get it removed. You take Tylenol, put some Ambesol on your gum, or stick an ice pack on your check.
What should we do with these toothaches?
Dr. Henry Cloud says in his book Nine Things You Simply Must Do, that it’s necessary to pull that tooth.
Why?
- They are a brain drain. Successful people deal with energy drains quickly, not slowly. When you have pain that means it’s a signal of a deeper problem. Pain tells us something is wrong. God gives us the knowledge to do something about it. Consider doing an inventory of your life and asking yourself what the brain drains around you are.
- How do I deal with the brain drain? Make sure it’s the right place and the right time. Try your best to take care of the problem before the crisis comes and the pain becomes unbearable.
- Where are you spending your time? Are good things come from the places you are? If you are still on level one, it’s time to move up to the big leagues. Those playing in level two realize quickly that something bad is going on in their situation. If it’s a relationship for example, they don’t toss it aside, but they deal with the brain drain quickly and get to work on the problem.
- What if it’s not working? Make sure you have confronted the problem quickly and to the point to try and resolve the toothache. If that doesn’t work, bring others in to help. If the problem is a person, use the Matthew 18:16 principle.
- Do I let go? There is a time, after you have done step four, and there are no other objective reasons, making the problem unresolvable, then you can let it go. Pull the tooth.
Cloud says “The best way to fix a problem is to not have it.”
Do you struggle to confront the problems in your life before they become toothaches?
