Fourth of July is an incredible summer holiday that’s deep meaning gets forgotten about often. Fourth of July, or Independence day is about freedom. Not simply, the freedom to speak freely, have a voice in our government, live our lives the way we want but in religion. So many sacrificed so that we could follow Jesus Christ. When we follow Christ we also have independence or freedom from this world and the hurts it causes. With God all things are possible. THis is a day of freedoms. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from hurt.

God is straightforward. God is clear when it comes to what He is wanting our next move to be. If you are feeling confused on a decision that is the work of the devil. The devil plants doubt in our hearts and minds. If he successfully makes us doubt a decision we had already felt so clearly with Christ than he is winning the power over our hearts not Christ. Think about how you make your decisions and what you feel when making those decisions. God’s timing not mine.

A breakdown of easter sunday and what the resurrection meant. Resurrection sunday also has been described multiple times in four different ways. The resurrection of Christ has been explained multiple times, once in each gospel. The gospels are each pointing out an important life lesson and an important topic that was being pointed out in order to share to the followers of God. Also, I share a little on how my own personal Easter Sunday went.

What was your biggest “Ah- Ha!” moment while in Israel? Was there anything that until you went to the Holy land you were unable to understand completely until being there. These tours and time of prayer allowed me to grow deeply in my faith. There is so much we will never understand but I want to learn as much as possible. I am being as vulnerable as I know how to be to share that I did not know the significance of “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?”

Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter Sunday. It is the day that Jesus rode a donkey into the city of Jerusalem. The people gathered in crowds and fanned Him with palm fronds. They would lay the palms, robes, and other plants down on the road to help the ease the steps for the donkey. The road being incredibly steep and uneven. They celebrated His arrival and less than a week later they will condemn Him to the cross.

One of my favorite places in all of Israel was the Garden of Gethsemane. I love how I could feel the presence of my God so powerfully. This was where Jesus wept over what was to come for him. This was where Jesus begged his father to save him and find away for this to happen differently. However, when his father didn’t have that option He accepted the plan with grace. I pray that I stay like this for Christ. I pray that the decisions that I make and the life I live whether it involves health problems or not. I remember praying for answers on whether I should have my surgery and I remember Christ telling me that he wasn’t done with me. It was a hard and painful decision and there are days that i feel like I made the wrong call but I listened to my God so I know I am doing what I was called to do.

Packing for any trip when you are chronically ill can be a daunting task in it of itself. However, packing for a trip that is across an ocean and a 13-14 hour flight is a whole other level of difficulty. My goal in this post is to help you understand what to pack and how to successfully pack so that you don’t over pack but you have what you need. Packing for Israel was difficult but together we can achieve anything. This is a post that should help explain all that and be honest about it all. I hope this helps and look forward to hearing your thoughts.

I like to share the things I learn in therapy and one of the most recent things is “Expect & Accept”. I struggle when it comes with doing all I can to please those around me. I try to please them to a point where my own well being is no longer important. I focus so heavily on the other person whether or not their reaction or action was acceptable. This is something that I struggle with so much but we cant control people. We have to remember when people react we can prepare ourselves for this by excepting the possibilities and accepting that it is not our fault.

What are your life mottos? What statements do you come back to when life is not going right? DON’T WORRY! I am sharing all of my tips and tricks for getting through life as someone who is chronically ill. These blog posts are for everyone though because whether you have a chronic illness or not you have had to face adversity at times. It is hard and it can be awful but hopefully with these tips it cane make life just a little more manageable. Assess, Adapt, Move on or in Michael’s case Overcome!

The story of the friendship of Bailey & Willow. This is a 12+ year story in the making. We have been through things that people grow old without experiencing. We decided to open up and be as honest as we can with you all to help you understand who we are and how we relate to each other. Also, to remind you, you are never to far gone for God. I love you B!

Goals. We all have them. Some of us may not have taken the time to sit down and realize what they are but if they did they would realize they do. This is all about the goals on the about page that I wanted to be a group experience. It is hard to complete things but working as a team can change the situation entirely. I want to achieve these goals together so leave your thoughts in the comments

There are people out there who struggle with how they present christianity. I think that a lot of the times it is because they are scared that they have to keep everyone doing the right thing and they take it too far. This is much like the pharisees back in Jesus’ day. It causes more hurt than it does help. My point is that all of us must trust God enough to let Him be in control of others and not us trying to make sure we keep people in the box of safety.