Wednesday, February 22, 2017

#FitnessMotivation: Week 1 of The Bikini Body Challenge

I plan to do a new blog post March 1 but I wanted to let you all know that I am starting a new lifestyle change regarding my health. For more, please check out my video below:




While we are here, Kickflip My Heart is 10 chapters strong with a word count that has exceeded the original three novels it was readapted from that I wrote and published in high school. God is good!
Click the title to read.




Saturday, February 11, 2017

#WriterRevelations: The Forgiveness Project (A Valentine's Day Tale)

25 and still not able to write that I've got myself a boyfriend.

With Valentine's Day coming up, that's never fun.

If you clicked this post hoping for some advice on how to be single on Valentine's day, you'll have to check my blog archive.

I'm sure I've already wrote THAT blog.

This is a story about how I've realized how self-absorbed I've been.

I started hating my friends.

Yeah, you read that right.

My friends are great but they sure had no problem ignoring me.

I know I am a marketing graduate and I tend to have a new cause every week but

it seems like every other person in the world can gain support, get donations, or is smothered in encouraging comments on their statuses...

Then people got straight up NASTY on social media almost hourly with all the political trash
and it still hasn't gone away.

Recently, when I log in to social media, I feel as though I'm standing up and people walk by and they pile really large rocks on me until I can't make a sound. I'm still breathing, my heart is still beating but no one can tell. I'm still alive. Honestly, I now get anxiety just logging in lately.

I'm totally used to social rejection and being told I can't say certain things because it offends people.
I've been undermined, marginalized, and silenced, humiliated, embarrassed, labeled unfairly and misunderstood, and I'm a twenty-five STRAIGHT WHITE POLISH-DUTCH-IRISH-SCOTTISH New Jersodian woman. (Florida born and raised but I got Jersey in my veins).

Yet, this isn't a post about how unfairly I've been treated.

That's what I wrote a memoir for.

Once again, God got real with me.


This world needs Love more than ever.

Love in action is a perfect mix of kindness, patience, and forgiveness.

So God asked me to start not only praying for all the leaders of the U.S. government, but I also needed to start praying for any and all people I interact with on social media.
Especially those who sow discord to me or others.



So I said yes sir, and I started to. I wrote out every name of every person on my Facebook friends list (that's where most of the drama happens) and have added my Twitter blocked list to that. Pretty soon, I will be adding every follower on Twitter, Instagram, and Google to it.

I prayed this prayer over them.

Father God, in the Name of Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I forgive _________. Now, they are forgiven, and I hold nothing against them Lord. They are forgiven, just like you forgave me. Thank you, God. I praise you for the gift of forgiveness. 
Father, I ask that every name mentioned is abundantly blessed, that they have your peace that passes all understanding, that they operate daily with your divine wisdom and have the mind of Christ. I pray for those mentioned that if they do not know you as their Lord and Savior, laborers will walk across their path so they may know the truth of your love and forgiveness. I pray that they are prosperous in  their careers, finances, and relationships. I pray for wholeness and health in their spirit, soul and bodies. Lord, I thank you for all you've done, in Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

Now, if a name comes up on my list and I see that they posted about some issue they are facing, I pray for that as well because John 15: 13 states Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. Maybe I can't physically help them but their is definite power in prayer and the greatest part is it causes me to forget my self for as long as it takes for me to pray for all these people. 

I get myself off my mind.




Now I know not everyone who reads my blog is a Christian, and that's okay. I hope that my words and actions make you want to know Jesus more but regardless of your faith, I hope the message can be adapted and applied to your life in some way. After all, love and forgiveness are universal languages.

Yet, if you do call yourself a Christian, no matter your denomination, you should be actively practicing love and forgiveness as an act of your faith.

Believe me when I say it's not always easy but with God, all things are possible. :)


With that in mind, you should realize that Jesus forgave you of your sins so if he can forgive you of whatever you may have done in your past, you can forgive others no matter how NASTY they may be.



Look, I'm not telling you how to live your life. 
I just wanted to share what God has shared with me.
If you want to start doing a forgiveness project of your own, be prepared to feel happier, at peace, and like you are changing the world because with each prayer for another, each kind word on someone's post, each action taken in support of someone, you are. 

Until next time, I hope you have a Blessed Valentine's Day and see God's goodness every single day.

Also, if you need prayer, please let me know. 




In Christ-Like Love and Confidence,
Chelsea
~Just Keep Swimming~

















Wednesday, February 1, 2017

#WriterRevelations: The Landmine of Laziness

Let me just start by telling you guys something no one knows or has caught on to. I posted that last blog about confidence then I went into this whole spiral of emotions and excuses. I started skipping days for writing, even my daily Bible study was half-hearted at best.

Then, God started being hella direct about what he wanted me to realize.

I've been practicing laziness.

So anything that God shared with me is what I am going to present to you.

The book of Proverbs gives us a description of the lazy person.





See,  I've been making and practicing excuses for poor work ethic and not showing up.

Did you know that excuses can take another form?

Blaming others for your life not being all that it could be is totally an excuse that most people don't even realize they live daily.

The reality is we are called to walk in discipline and service to God. We are to work with diligence in all we do.

Stop blaming your home environment (my favorite excuse for not doing what I should be doing. Truth: I spend too much time on my phone).

Stop blaming your self-esteem (don't like the way you look? Eat healthier. Stop binge eating late at night)

Stop blaming the way someone is treating you ( Check your negative attitude at the door, bro).


Treating our work like an extension of our service to the Lord changes our attitude. Pleasing Him motivates us to do our best and inevitably results is the believer's contentment. A job may be challenging, frustrating, or boring but we can be at peace instead of wallowing in negative emotions.

Don't worry if your job isn't like walking the red carpet every day. No one's is. Faith is forever. Feelings are fickle. Faith has nothing to do with feelings. Go take a break. Close your eyes and pray your way through the rest of your shift and head back out there and do your best work as if every customer, client, or reader is Jesus in disguise because well, they truly are.



Feeling Down? Say This: I'm going to focus on the goodness of God in my life today. Whatever I may have lost is nothing compared to all I have gained in Christ.

So join me in catching yourself and all your lazy habits and telling them to hit the road.

Let's make the most of each and every day in order to give glory to God therfore HAVE FAITH and DO GOOD from the minute you wake up to the minute you fall asleep.

It's 2017 and there is already enough self-absorbed hurting people in this world. Let's be world changers, peace makers, and examples of God's GREAT love to all that we interact with.

This includes on social media. (Blog coming next week on that).

Until next time, remember:

In Christ-Like Love and Confidence,
Chelsea
~Just Keep Swimming~




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