So, I have not blogged since August! Great, one more thing to feel guilty about. There is a Chinese proverb that says " The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now." I am constantly writing things in my head, but apparently, not that good at getting them down. New year, new habits, no really. I have started walking 2 miles a day, except when I nanny. The goal is a 15 minute mile, I am at 20 minutes per mile. We were unable to use our water for about a week because the pipes under our house were broken. I was never so happy to do dishes in my life as I was when they were fixed. We complain, don't we, with the mundane chores of life. But things shift when you are faced with a different reality. I have become familiar with the mantra, "I am grateful, I am grateful' because in a blink your life can shift drastically. At 66, I have seen this a few times. Joy turned to sorrow, complaining turned to praise. This is a business blog, however, I am a person. I have a life that I balance and fail at sometimes. And overcome obstacles as well

What's new? I have been trying out glamor/boudoir photography for a year. It is difficult to market because I am family friendly and cannot, will not, place certain images on my social media pages. I am praying about that. I see it as a self empowering thing for women to have gorgeous images of themselves, even if no one else sees, However, if it is frowned upon by God, I will not pursue. I am doing a couple milestone birthday sessions for a 10 year old and a thirteen year old. I have done milestones for babies and toddlers, but this is a thing I will like to add. Sports photography has been fun, but it would be amazing to start earning money while I do it too! I will do more high school seniors in the future and continue to capture families as they grow and change. Weddings are in the past unless they are elopements and 4 hours or under. Editing 2000 images to deliver 200 images just isn't in my wheelhouse. If I were a man I could shoot, come home and edit and deliver in a timely fashion. As a woman, it is harder because, as mentioned above, it requires a lot more balance! 

Everything I do comes from a heart for God. No matter who I serve, it is to reflect who I am in Jesus, and what I have learned. John Wooden was the one of the greatest basketball coaches in history. He was a godly man, but was unable to preach or teach godly principals in the secular world of UCLA. But, he could live them and as a result, he helped form godly young men who grew up to live and perform well. My goal as well. Love as we are loved by God. 

We don’t often think about it, but we live by standards daily. Standard operating procedures for a business, standards of conduct at home or in an office, standards of dress and behavior as leaders in the public eye, a church body, celebrity or politics.

If we are to grow in our daily spiritual journey, we need to develop a spirit of leadership and set a standard for living a blessed life. This can be difficult and is often done through trial and error, watching leaders, friends and family walk in example, but it is the right way to go if we want to see God move in our lives.

The Word of God tells us how to build this standard in several different ways. One way is to look at what other leaders do. Be careful not to be discouraged by fear or disappointment, or settle for less than God’s plan for our lives. As Moses was getting ready to pass leadership over to Joshua who would lead the Israelites into Canaan, there were those that cried out “don’t make us go.” I can’t imagine making sacrifice, walking the desert for years and following the spirit of God, getting to the edge of victory and saying, ‘Don’t make me go!’

When you are a leader, you are expected to give others the Word of God. Jeremiah 4:6 tells us to “set up the standard toward Zion; stay not for I will bring evil from the north and a great destruction.” We need to stay the course, finish the race set before us, and prepare for battle. This requires you to feed the sheep, stand firm on the truth of God and His ways and live a life that reflects Jesus.

We must be willing to be a leader despite our weaknesses and failures, and let people know that they can depend on you by being consistent and loving. When we can accept our flaws but continue in boldness and love and show grace in the midst of them, then we are able to build a strong testimony and empower disciples to share the message of Jesus.

Another way to build a standard for living a blessed life is by refusing to settle for less than the life God has set for you. The Bible warns that if we choose to settle for less than the life God has  destined for us, then we are destined to miss out on many of His wonderful promises.

This is why it is so important to observe standards for your life that is biblically based and not merely what you see others doing. We can easily become confused and deceived, so it is essential to find out what God has ordained for us as children of God. We do this by reading the Bible, studying the examples and lives of those that walked this road before us. We gather in fellowship, asking for help in understanding, and spend time in the presence of the Lord through prayer and worship. We must be careful not to compromise what we know to be true and right with the actions of others that may have a different standard of life. The apostle Paul tells us that we are not born again to conform to the standards of this world, but to be transformed inwardly by a complete change of our minds and hearts. The more time we spend at the feet of Jesus, the better we are able to discern the will of God and do what is good and pleasing to Him.

We only have so much time on this earth, let’s learn to use our powers for good. Let us use our talents to help others, our prayers to restore others and our love to heal others. John 15:12 “Love one another as I have loved you.”