The other day I wrote a post about the changes that God is taking me through. I talked about being my own brand and basically not being afraid to move forward. My reason for that long post was two-fold.

First I had to share my testimony on moving forward. Secondly I had to show myself that it was really time to just let go. There are too many things Ihave been holding to and I am missing out on the fullness of His blessings by not listening to Him!

I did that out of fear!

I was scared of not being accepted or being looking at strange because I am choosing not to follow the status quo! I was afraid of losing clients or income because I know all too well what poverty looks like. I was scared of stepping out on the faith that has been measured to me. All of these fears stemmed from not wanting to be alone!

There I said it! I did not want to be alone!

I was trapped by trying to fit in with the what the business world expected of me. That is where the problem started.

You see the business world does not focus on Biblical principles when it comes to doing business. I had no business trying to follow it without first seeking God. Not saying that there are not ethical practices in the business world because there is. However there are not many on the business world who follow the standards of God on purpose. Many follow some and have no idea that it have a Biblical foundation!

I was busy trying to be the social savvy va and missing out on being authentic even in business. My life was authentic but I failed to remember that my business is a part of my life. I was teetering the fence and God said it was time to stop!

I could no longer be trapped by the weight of a world that I was not a part of anyway. Remember we are in world and not of the world (John 17:11-19).

I had to step out on the faith that I had and know that with God all things are possible.

• So what if you lose friends. Jesus is a friend like no other!
• So what is they think you are crazy. They though Jesus was crazy too!
• So what is you get talked about. They will only harm themselves with their own cruel words!

It was time to put my total trust in the one who saved me from ME!

So I stepped out of the trap and I am not looking back!

I write this message to you my sister or my brother who feels trapped. Don’t allow them to trap you!

The enemy has been tricks up his sleeve and most of them he created to make things seem like they are ok. This is why you must study to show thyself approved so that you can rightly divide the word of truth from the word of the enemy!

Your freedom lies beyond the trap! Step into it today!

Devotional Excerpt taken from Ch. 15 of Who Speaks To Your Heart?

Hi, this is Stacy Hawkins Adams, author of Who Speaks To Your Heart?

Have you ever felt invisible or as if you weren’t valued?

At some point in your life, whether once or a hundred times, you’ve likely felt dismissed or nonexistent. Others may have unintentionally ignored you or purposely excluded you.

However the slight occurred, feeling invisible – in a professional setting, at a social event or even in a relationship – may have punctured your soul, or at the very least, left you wanting to really disappear. Feeling like you don’t matter opens you up for doubts about your worthiness – whether you’re smart enough, pretty enough, thin enough, educated enough or simply good enough to deserve acknowledgement.

But God declares in Jeremiah 23:23-24 that he is always near, and none of us is invisible to him. He reminds us that when we feel the most disregarded and isolated, we should instead be encouraged, because he values those that are considered the “least of these” by others. In Matthew 10:30 he says he knows every hair on our head, and Psalm 56:8 reminds us that he’s collecting every tear we shed in a bottle.

If we believe the truth of these promises, then the times during which we question our significance– or allow someone else to do so – should be exactly what they are: minor slights we must sometimes endure. This is easier said than done, because the childhood cliché is incorrect: words can and do hurt, as well as the absence of them when you need to hear them most. But learning how to turn to God when we’re confronted with this issue is critical to learning to listen better and to hearing him speak.

When you feel like you’ve been overlooked, disregarded, not taken seriously or misunderstood, talk to God about it. Study scriptures that remind you that you are God’s choice pearl and that your every thought and move matter to him.

© Stacy Hawkins Adams. Excerpted from Who Speaks To Your Heart? Do not reprint or publish this excerpt without full attribution to the author or without express permission from the author or publisher, Zondervan.

About the Book

With insight, inspiration, and practical ideas in her new book—Who Speaks to Your Heart?—, author Stacy Hawkins Adams shows you and all women—regardless of thelabels placed on you—that your best and most important title is the one given by God … chosen vessel.

“I wrestled with whether a God that I couldn’t see or touch would be willing to single me out from the millions of other people who wanted love, attention and help.”

To women all over the country, from all walks of life, this uncomfortable uncertainty is all too familiar. Now—for inspiration, for affirmation, for a divine connection—you have a new place to turn … to this authentic look at what it takes to pursue God with abandon, by acclaimed author Stacy Hawkins Adams.

Offering insight, inspiration, and practical ideas on how to connect more often and more deeply with God, Adams helps give you and women the world over the courage to go deeper and grow deeper in God’s word to hear Him more clearly. Women young and old will be empowered and renewed by Adams’ reminder that—regardless of the labels placed on you by society, your family, your friends, and even yourself—your best and most important title is the one given by God … chosen vessel.
About the Author
Stacy Hawkins Adams is a nationally-published, award-winning author and speaker. Her contemporary women’s fiction novels are filled with social themes and spiritual quests that take readers on journeys into their own souls.

She holds a degree in journalism and served as a newspaper reporter for more than a decade before turning her full attention to penning books, speaking professionally and writing freelance articles.

Stacy lives in a suburb of Richmond, Virginia with her husband and two young children. Visit Stacy online at stacyhawkinsadams.com.

View the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/WhoSpeaksToYourHeart.

Many people have asked me why I am so God focused lately. I tell them, it was time!

You see for many years now I have been so lasered focused on developing and maintaining my business, that I missed pointing the laser where it should really be focused….On CHRIST. Yes, my business is imporant, however my life in Christ is much more important. When you place Him as the focal point, you soon find that God directs your path a bit differently.

I watched where He was leading and told myself that it was time to stop hiding under the rock of Being LASER FOCUSED.

I was scared that I would miss out on clients, income, and the brand I developed over the last two years. But then God showed me what my true brand was through wonderful women who emailed me, IM’d me, and even called me when something I said or did encouraged them. Every time I went on a new venture with my business or my life, these same women (even some men) would follow me with excitement about what God was going to do.

I did not get it then!

When I would share my life experiences with them, they would not be concerned about my business brand  but really more about my personal brand.

I still did not get it. I tried to stay laser focused because I had been so unsure before.

Finally one day day I was led to do an exercise where I sat down and wrote all of the things I enjoy doing, my skills, talents, and gifts. I was working on my branding story. How my brand came to be. What I learned was that the brand I was building was not the person God was molding before my very eyes. It was almost as is He were telling me to shut out the noise and listen to what He is saying.

If you read the bible then you know that God’s ways seem very strange.

• Abraham and Sarah having a baby at 100 and 99. Unheard of yet true!
• A donkey speaking. Unheard of yet true!
• Moses parting the Red Sea. Unheard of but true!
• David killing a giant with a stone! WOW! Unheard of but true!
• A virgin giving birth! Unheard of but true!
• Jesus raising from the dead! Unheard of but true!

So here I was faced with the same unheard of truths!

• Actually integrate my talents, skills, and spiritual gifts to create a more effective business. But that is unheard of!
• Use my life experience and passions to create a business that actually fits LaTara, serves others and glorifies God. Folks will think I have lost my mind. Surely business and faith do not mix.
• Be real with my approach to business. WOW!!! Get outta here God!
• Turn Life and Business Integration into a profitable business! But what about Social Savvy Online Solutions!
• Integrate and it will work the way God desires and I will be blessed! But GOD…..What’s in it for me?
• Remember this ain’t about LaTara but about God! Now that is an unheard of concept in this society!

What does all this mean?

First it means that I am my brand and I represent Christ in all I do. I am a very resourceful woman and God has been leading people to me who need what I have to offer and it is not about just one type of service or business. However, it is about the intertwining of my personality, passions, and purpose!

Second it means that God has some specific things that He has been wanting me to do for quite some time now that I have been avoiding:

• Write that book about moving beyond forgiveness because someone needs it. Otherwise why would God give me the thought and it never went away?
• Become a lifestyle coach who works with the work at home woman so that she creates a whole existence for a better business. Ok God but what about certification? Your life certifies you beyond what you would ever imagine!
• Help the Christian entrepreneur to stand strong on the Kingdom principles for a better business. HUH!!! Trust me my child, you have got the stuff!
• Use your passions to create an existence where you will joyously thrive!

I had been trapped in a box of being LASER FOCUSED that I was sitting on my true blessings!

So which way do I go? I will share with you what God has shown me so me thus far!

• I started Today is a Good Day with God: 365 Days of Biblical Affirmations back in March! God is weary of all the new age affirmations floating around the world so I am using my skills, talents, and gifts to bring an encouraging word from the Bible everyday for a year to the subscribers!
• I am working on a literary site (it is not ready but you can have a sneak peek) that will focus on books reviews, blog tours, information for aspiring writers and more. Why? I am a writer and I have ran from it for far too long. Plus I love reading and sharing information about good books!
• Life and Business Integration is growing. There are many work at home women entrepreneurs who need to understand the whole living approach from a Biblical perspective for a better business. I learned it and so can they!
• I have some niche site ideas where I will be using a psuedo name. I keep being pulled towards the direction of affiliate marketing and I am soaking up all sorts of information on the subject!
• I already have a good little amount of the book on moving beyond forgiveness written! Actually I wrote the content in 2007.
• I have been tightening up what I will offer as far as services over at Social Savvy Online Solutions. I don’t market it much but God has been bringing me clients which helps me to have a steady income!

In order to keep up with this new journey I have released some things. One of those things will be Mom Unplugged. Ok, well it is not going anywhere but I will not posting as often. I am sure my regular readers have noticed my lack of communicating here on the blog; but what I realized is that I started this blog as a way to heal, and I have healed in those areas. However God showed me that there are other women who need it too but not in the Mom Unplugged capacity because my niche goes beyond the mom. Not that moms are not important but I connect with many types of women; especially the Christian work at home woman!

Ok so this post is going to be rather long if I don’t stop. I will post a few more thoughts about these changes before God releases me from here but trust me when I say it is coming! The blog will always be here; and who knows maybe God will show me something different in the future as to what He wants done with Mom Unplugged but for now with tears in my eyes I say… it is almost time to say goodbye!

C. M. Jones is well on her way to becoming a household name. She has just completed her second publication, Nothing Is Too Hard for God, and launched a publishing company with her family, HortonJonesInc., that also mentors young writers. In addition she has begun to offer writing seminars and motivational speaking services. When asked about her endeavors, C. M. Jones has said that writing and mentoring is her ministry and she does it all to the glory of God.

Her debut novella, I Still Do, which was published through Author House but is now apart of the HortonJones, Inc. portfolio, sold thousands of copies in the United States and abroad. This Christian ficton writer indeed is no stranger to writing creative and inspiring stories. She began writing at the young age of eight years old while acting in her elementary school drama club. C. M. Jones has written countless poems, musicals and short stories that include themes of redemption, forgiveness and a real picture of the things that can happen in life, when you have faith in Jesus Christ.

Visit her online at http://www.cmjonestheauthor.com.

About the Book

Nothing Is Too Hard for God is the sequel to the novella I Still Do. These three best friends are back to take you on a journey through their past and into their future. This book is full of truth, faith and testaments to what God can do when we submit our lives to Him. Do you want to know how God brought Deborah through her haunted past and into His saving grace? Would you like to know why Damien was disloyal to Karen and if their marriage can really survive after his affair? Last, but not least, if you want to know how Leslie’s heart went from being as cold as stone to being full of love, then you must read Nothing is too hard for God. Just when you think you have it all figured out, this novel will take another turn.

C.M. Jones Shares an Excerpt from
Nothing is Too Hard For God

“When a man’s ways please the LORD, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7)

Vanessa Richardson is an author, poet, and playwright. Vanessa has written several stage productions and have been blessed to perform them at various venues. Her stage productions includes: Someone To Love Me, Why Do Bad Things Happens To Good People?, Lord, I Don’t Understand, and The Fullness Of Time.

Vanessa wrote her freshman nonfiction inspirational novel titled, The Certain Ones. A spiritual impacting novel that inspires her readers to know that not everyone are called into greatness. Fact: Many can not handle the process that goes along with becoming great. Only the certain ones, who endures; can obtain destined greatness. She is currently working on the second installment of her, Inspirational Suspense Love Series titled, Love Lifted Me. Visit Vanessa online at vanessarichardson.net.

About the Book

Mike Montgomery once lived the American dream. Gainfully employed, beautiful home, and a wonderful loving wife. Growing up in a loving family whose faith was unbreakable was his source of strength. Mike’s faith would one day be shaken after losing the love of his life in an unexpected tragedy. Mike thought he would never love again until he meets Sheila Lawson. Everything about Sheila made him want to love again. Could he risk his heart again?

Sheila Lawson, a woman’s health advocate was strong and independent, yet something was missing in her life. Immersing herself in her work, she vowed off any relationships. Sheila would find her self-made decree shaken when she meets tall, dark, and handsome Mike Montgomery. There is an evil lurking in the shadows. Mike and Sheila will have to unite to overcome evil forces trying to keep them apart. Will their love be enough to see them through the testing of their faith?

Vanessa Shares an Excerpt

Donna Michele Watford, RN was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has degrees in Sociology and Health Studies; and currently attends Drexel University Graduate School. She’s married and resides in the Metro Atlanta area.

Donna realized a void in her life after the loss of her mother; it was then she asked God’s permission to share her experiences to offer others encouragement. Embarking on a new journey involving a closer walk with Jesus the Christ, she now shares her journey with Him through writing poems, songs and books. Donna’s goal is to first and foremost give God glory, provide hope in the face of despair, and be encouraging.

About the Book

Amazing Grace: A Tribute to You, The Story of Us is the author’s memoir. It’s a spiritual journey of a mother and daughter; the conclusion is peace, be still. Ajourneyanointed with the potential to revolutionize the thoughts of mankind. This inspirational book focuses on social challenges including senseless killings and substance abuse. It has a subtle political twist that considers the sacrifices of Martin Luther King; unforgettable change. Their time together echoes the sentiments of President Barack Obama by depicting the effects from helping; circumstances change. A story offering the only love capable to change lives: John 3:16.

Donna Shares an Excerpt

CREDIT: “Amazing Grace” is sung by Hazel Miller.

Sherri Lewis’ writing was put on hold while she attended Howard University as an undergraduate, then medical school at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. After working almost fifteen years in the medical field, Sherri left her position as a staff physician at a Georgia Department of Corrections’ Women’s prison to pursue writing and ministry full time.

Sherri is co-founder of the Faith-Based Black Fiction Writers of Atlanta with Essence Best-Selling author Tia McCollors. Selling My Soul is the anticipated sequel to Sherri’s debut novel, My Soul Cries Out. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Visit Sherri online at www.sherrilewis.com.

About the Book

When Trina Michaels steps off the plane after her two-year missions trip in Africa, she realizes that other than longing to see her mother and her best friend, her heart aches to fly back to the place that now feels more like home than anywhere she’s… ever lived. And to the man who’s stolen her heart.

Her dream of a quick return to Mozambique fades within hours when Trina discovers that her mother has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Trina is forced to go back to her job as a publicist to cover her mother’s health costs.

She’s assigned a damage control client, Bishop Walker, a megachurch pastor accused of covering up a church sex scandal within his church involving the molestation of young boys. Representing him could cost Trina her most valued friendship, the love of her life, and her soul.

Every now and then you read a book that surprises you. That is what reading Knockout Entrepreneur by George Foreman did to me. It surprised me!

Foreman does and excellent job of making the reader feel as though he is sitting with you sharing his views, experiences, and knowledge about what it really takes to be a successful entrepreneur. From sharing his story about the George Foreman Grill to the ideas to stimulate your success, Mr. Foreman does an excellent job of keeping it real for the intended reader.

The bottom line is that there is a lot of junk out there that offers no real value of what it really means to become a success. People are money hungry these days and will feed you anything to make a buck. In the end you are left scratching your head and wondering what the next step really is.  I can honestly say that I could not put down the book. Every page of Knockout Entrepreneur has something of value. Whether is a good story, a good laugh, some stern truth or a practical tip, there is some value.

Knockout Entrepreneur is a great read for any one looking to become a successful entrepreneur by using practical techniques for business growth. Don’t let the fact that George Foreman is a former heavy weight champion of the world fool you. Boxers are no dummies and Foreman is proof of that.

I have been a very bad girl. You see back in 2002 I married a great man but at the time we were both in a tailspin that not even we got. Sure we know that God led us to one another but it was for a healing purpose even through marriage. WOW!

Didn’t you know that marriage is work and not a trip to Disneyland?

I discovered that this man was not my knight in shining armor and that the house on the hill with two dogs, a white picket fence and us frolicking through the flowers singing that about our love for one another. No sorry it just did not work like that. Once we got married we realized that were so many parts of one another’s traits that we did not like. Yet, as many times as we asked God for a way out…He said no again and again.

However, last April God gently told me that I had to get away for a while because I was in His way. Even though my husband was changing as so was I, there were still some things that we both needed to see and it took time apart for God to reveal it.

WHAT?

Yep, He told me that my husband was so busy trying to fix me that he could not see he needed to fix himself too. So I obeyed and moved down here to Oklahoma.

All of this is a round about way of telling you that the move was the start of the point I am at today. Follow me and you will see where I am going.

When I moved to Oklahoma,  eating habits got seriously out of control and all I knew about natural health just went out the window. I still did some things like only use all natural products on my body like my Sacred Glo products and my own little all over miracle cream that I make with a base of shea butter and coconut oil. But eating well started to float away as my eyes became inundated with ribs, steak, restaurants, and my momma’s fat is fat meals. In a month I became the person I strived to hard to leave behind when I got married….unhealthy all over again.

In May I started exercising and eating a little better but there was always something there to tempt me. My family did not make it easy to resist carrot cake, greens with ham hocks, macaroni and cheese….ok ok I will shut up now!

So while I was exercising and that summer the inches came off big time I was not being totally committed to the eating part. I justified a lot of the eating habits by saying that I would do double the workout the next day.

Fast forward to March 2010…yep this month. I am in the doctor’s office talking about the tons of symptoms I have been having and they do EKGs and some blood work. The EKGs were fine and the blood work I am still waiting on. However they were concerned with my blood pressure level. Also when I stepped on the scale I realized that I had lost inches but not weight…WHAT!!!!!

I was disappointed because you can look at me and see the weight is dropping but somewhere something is not working.

That is when it hit me….I left behind the knowledge I had gained the first 7 years of my marriage. I really rebelled from it. I forgot that dream I had of me speaking to a crowd of believers and I told them that 77% of God’s people are overweight and unhealthy. I forgot what I had learned.

I turned away from the good part of the marriage because I was so discouraged by the bad part; and the mental and spiritual abuse suffered. Oh he was not the only one with the mental abuse…I can cut a person with my words…trust me. Thank God that I saw the light on that one.

Here I am with all of these darn symptoms and the doctors wanting to put me on blood pressure meds without assessing my lifestyle ( I think it is because of the no insurance thing…hello  HEALTHCARE REFORM).

I have been living a lie. Well not really because those who know have not heard me talk about the benefits of eating the right foods and using the proper supplements. Many have asked why I stopped. To that I say….I was not really being true to myself.

When the doctors called and said they called in meds for me I just cried! This is not supposed to be. I know better. God has shown me better and I am supposed to be an example to others of how to maintain health the natural way.

I think considered all the mess I have put in my body and how I have defiled the temple with foods that are not good for it. I dishonored God with my body and now I am paying for it.

Don’t feel sorry for me because it does not have to be this way and it won’t be that way.  I chose to put things in my body that are not good for it and I am paying for it.

No I am not dying but I will die prematurely if I don’t gain control right away.

You see people always say when someone dies that it was their time. Yes, God knows when we will go. However we often kill ourselves because of the lifestyle we live. God knocks and knocks and knocks; giving us hints and clues to what needs to be changed and it is up to us to accept it and work on it or die because we did not listen. Sorry to be so blunt … but, hey so goes life.

I for one do not want to be the person who dies before my time.

Watch for my progress right here on Mom Unplugged as I bring you the rawness of change for the better!

This is an exhilerating post and one that I am elated to write.

As I discussed in an earlier post, I have been seeking God’s direction for this new level of living I am on. That direction from Him has been simply to SERVE!

“How do I serve others God?”

“Use what I have already given you.”

So I took an assessment of my skills, talents and spiritual gifts (yes, there is a difference) and then I looked at my passions and my personality. What I discovered was that my passions lay in direct correlation with helping others.

• I am passionate about helping others to heal from the pain of abuse in any form. Being a survivor of molestation, physical and mental abuse I know the pain that comes with it. It is more than the actions that others do to you during their acts of evil. The pain goes deeper and causes one to perceive a reality that is not really there but may be all they know.
• I am passionate about teaching others the value of transformation for a life that determines their business and not the other way around. I see too many work at home entrepreneurs living for their business and not living to live a purposeful life filled with true abundance.
• I am passionate about helping young girls believe in their worth and see that they are not someone’s “shawty”, “ho”, or “b****”. They are more than the sexy clothes, tattoos, and drop it like it’s hot dancing.
• I am passionate about helping new wives get that their husbands are not their Gods and their life does not stop at “I do”. Hope I am not stepping on toes but too many times women lose themselves in their families and miss living out loud for God. I am passionate about showing women how to set healthy boundaries so that they are able to truly live life outside of the box.
• I am passionate about seeing new business owners emerge from people who never thought they could.
• I am passionate about seeing the new business owner find their place in the online world of business without being taken advantage of and with a road map for success.

These are a few but for me a great start. They are the core of where I am right now in my proper place of service. You see we all have a proper place of service. As I often tell my husband who has a million ideas, everything you think of is not for you to do. Find what fit for you and work it.

I see my passions working in my business ministry (I call it this because all I do I try to do as if unto the Lord).

• Life and Business Integration is a whole life mentoring business where I minister to the whole person – mind, body, and spirit; helping them to see how to integrate life components for a better business.
• Social Savvy Online Solutions is where I help the new online business owner find and maintain their online platform. It is my goal to help my clients get in where they fit in for a stronger online presence.
• Beyond the Point of Forgiveness, Synergized Woman are both about healing and seeing the reality that exist in Christ.
• This year I am developing offline workshops and opportunities for business growth that will allow me to help others bring their business online and gain a strong community presence.

My passions are becoming my business and my business is taking on a whole new meaning.  I used to be afraid to use my passions to create a business.  According to some experts, it is impossible to do. However I have learned that my expert is God and with Him all things are possible!

You see God is the author and finisher of my race and if I look to Him for direction, I will see that YES my personality, my passion, and the purpose to glorify Him all work in conjunction to help me find my business path. I am not saying I will never listen to an expert ….I am an expert. What I am saying is that I will seek first the Kingdom of God so that all things can be added unto me.

Whoever is reading this thinking that your passions have no place in business because you were misinformed about the truth…don’t believe the hype! With God YES you can follow your passions and if God says yes, you will earn an income.

It is happening for me! It can happen for you!