Sundi Jo Graham's Blog, page 23

Living Life One Word at a Time

My One Word for 2016

I’ve been wishing I could come up with another word for 2016. I’ve tried to persuade God multiple times but we keep ending up in the same spot we started.

So….. I guess I’ll quit arguing and snuggle up with one of the most uncomfortable words in the human vocabulary.

T.R.U.S.T.

Eeeekkk.. Typing it out gets me both excited and queasy.

This will be the sixth year in a row I’ve lived life one word at a time. Honestly, it’s been life-changing. Hard. Fun. Exciting. Scary. Eventful. Did I mention hard?

Add that to implementing goal-setting into my life, thanks to Michael Hyatt, and my life is more exciting than ever!

Last year I decided to say “No” more.

In 2014 I wanted to live a more productive life.

This was one of my favorites – living a more intentional life in 2013. It really changed my relationships.

2012 was a Radical year, thanks to David Platt and his thought-provoking book with the same name.

In 2011 I decided to speak, live, and breath truth.

Did you know when you shop through Amazon Smile, a portion of your sale will be donated back to Esther’s House of Redemption to help us offer hope to broken women? Click here to start shopping.

Why trust? Because I haven’t been doing that well at it, honestly. Trusting God to provide financially for Esther’s House. Trusting Him to provide a house. Trusting Him to take care of each woman I have to turn away because the doors aren’t open yet. Trusting Him with my health even when I don’t have answers. Trusting him with friends and family members struggling through life.

Yep… it’s going to be one crazy ride in 2016. I can feel it!

But this I know… God will never leave me nor forsake me, so why in the jack do I keep worrying about things I shouldn’t be? That’s what He’s teaching me and oh how my heart longs to be more obedient to His calling to simply be quiet and trust.

I encourage you to find your word. No more New Year’s Resolutions. It’s time to be prayerfully intentional about what God wants to do in your life. I can’t wait to watch Him work, my friend.

My friend Alece over at OneWord365 would love for you to share your word. Need some help figuring it out? Join her for some ideas.

Let’s rock 2016 together!

God will NEVER leave us, so why not trust?
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Question: What’s your One Word for 2016? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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How to Accomplish Your God Given Dreams

5 Secrets to Achieving Your Biggest Goals

I’ve been jotting down some ideas on what I want to accomplish in 2016 for the past few weeks. The day after Christmas myself and a couple friends are sitting down to map out our goals and dreams for the new year.

Here’s what I know I don’t want to happen. I don’t want a year of busyness without something tangible to show for it. Actually, that’s a trick statement. I believe if we live life so busy we don’t know which way we’re going, good fruit doesn’t come from that.

As you look back on 2015, how do you feel about the year overall? Did you see good fruit? Were you too busy? Did you get sidetracked on accomplishing your goals? Was life just way too much to keep up with?

Here’s a secret: Maybe you’re making it harder than it’s supposed to be.

Seriously.. think about that for just a second. Life isn’t easy by any means. Achieving our goals and dreams isn’t easy either. But… what if we make it harder than it’s supposed to be? The process of pursuing goals isn’t easy, but it’s simpler than you think.

My friend Michael Hyatt is hosting three free, live webinars tomorrow (Wednesday), where he’ll reveal five secrets for accomplishing your biggest goals in 2016.

The process of pursuing goals isn’t easy, but it’s simpler than you think.
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I’ve been talking a lot about goals lately, I know. It’s because I’m super passionate about not only achieving what God has desired for me, but for you to do the same. I love to see people be successful in living out their passions – the very gifts God has put in them.

Whatever you’ve got going on Wednesday, December 16 at 10 a.m., 2 p.m., or 8 p.m. Central, I encourage you to save a time slot and tune in.

I promise it will be worth your time, and if you don’t walk away inspired and encouraged to make 2016 your best year ever, you can dump me in a bathtub of freezing water, and I hate freezing water! All you have to do is register.

Here’s what Michael will teach you:

The one skill you must develop to achieve big goals. It is ten times more important than your experience, your intelligence, or your resources.
The number one attribute your goals must possess if you hope to achieve them. Get this right and everything else becomes much


The proven three-step process high achievers use to keep from getting overwhelmed by big goals.
A simple but powerful principle that will enable you to defeat procrastination once and for all.
The secret to making it through the “messy middle,” when you have too much invested to quit but are not sure you have the resources to finish.
Why detailed action plans often work against you and a simple alternative that will make you wonder why you haven’t thought of it before now.
Three “negative” emotions that are actually positive indicators you are on the right path.
Four ways high achievers process failure, so it doesn’t cripple future performance and actually creates even more momentum.
Clarity on the next steps you need to take to start accomplishing what matters—and the courage to take action.

My friend, I believe now is the time to become the best version of you – the person God created you to be – full of purpose and passion and dreams. It’s time to do the things that matter.

Here’s what Michael says: “When you master the process of achieving your goals, you can transform virtually any aspect of your life—your family’s legacy, your waistline, your financial situation, your marriage, or anything else you’re not satisfied with.”

Let’s use our time well together. Let’s achieve our dreams together. Let’s rock our goals like never before. This new webinar will show you how.

Register for the free webinar.

 

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The ONE Question You Must Ask Yourself This Year

How to Get to the Bottom of What's Holding You Back

Here’s something for you to ponder. (Does that word sound weird?) Anyway… that’s not what I want you to think about. It’s this…

Are you tired of falling through the cracks in life?

The other day I mentioned I wasn’t using my “no” muscle very well. I didn’t like having to admit that to you, so I’m doing something about it. You have permission to call me out if you don’t see me following through. The point is when I don’t set boundaries with my time and try to say “yes” to everything, other things fall through the cracks. That’s not okay.

So what is falling through the cracks with you? 

Are you tired of dieting only to gain the weight back?

Are you tired of being too tired to be present in your marriage or relationships?

Are you tired of making New Year’s Resolutions that fall apart within the first week or so?

Tired of working in the same job you despise day after day?

Tired of never having the money to do what you want to do?

I’ve answered yes to everyone of those questions in the past. Every. Single. One.

I got tired of those things, too and had to ask myself an important question.A question that changed the trajectory of my life. A question that you too must ask yourself if you’re tired of being stuck where you are.

Am I really ready for a new normal? 

There’s more power in that question than you even realize. I know it was life changing for me.

In order to find true change, we have to ask ourselves an important question.
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It’s a question I ask each woman I mentor through Esther’s House. They often look at me like I have three heads when I first ask it, but when they start realizing they actually have the option to create a new normal in their live, everything changes.

So I encourage you today to take some time and ask yourself the question, too.

Am I really ready for a new normal? 

If you’re looking for help in achieving your goals or creating new and healthy habits in 2016, my friend Michael Hyatt just opened registration for his goal-setting course, 5 Days to Your Best Year Ever . It’s only open once a year, and if you sign up in the next 48 hours, you’ll get a free guide from health expert, Dr. Josh Axe, 7 Steps to Extraordinary Health in 2016.

Click Here for more information.

Question: What will life look like for you when you find your new normal? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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My Year End Confession (I’m Wasting My Time)

The Tool I'm Using to Change My Priorities

I’ve been struggling lately to balance my time – to fit everything in I think I need to make happen. That seems pretty crazy since my one word for 2015 is “No”.

I must be honest and admit I’m not ending this year the way I want to and it frustrates me. December feels too “busy”. My calendar is too full and I’m asking myself what I didn’t say no to that led me here.

As a matter of fact, life hasn’t gone according to plan in the last four months. I’ve been plagued by health issues causing annoying interruptions. A doctor here. An ER trip there. Tests on this day. Surgery on that day.

I was having lunch with an Esther’s House teammate the other day and heard myself say, “I think I’ve overcommitted.” I’d been thinking about it for a while, but hadn’t spoken it out loud. Now it’s real.

I have overcommitted. I’ve said yes too much. I haven’t managed my time well lately. This is usually the time of year where I spend reflecting on my goals from the last year and the accomplishments I want to achieve in the coming year. Instead of reflecting, I’ve found myself trying to find a spot on the calendar to get away for a few days so I can regroup.

One of the most important steps in reaching your goals is judging your time. Watch the second video in this free new series,  Design Your Life: A Proven System to Stop Drifting and Finally Achieve Your Best Year Ever , and get a powerful tool that will help you see exactly how much your time is really worth.

Click Here to Watch

What does our time really cost us?

We often talk about the importance of our time and how we never have enough of it. But what if we really evaluated the cost?

What is it costing you to be away from your family when you say yes to the wrong things?

What are the financial consequences caused by poor time management?

What do you need to say no to so you can say yes to something better?

These are the questions I’ve been asking myself lately. But I decided to take it one step further and actually put those questions on paper. I decide to ask myself what my lack of boundaries is really costing me.

My friend Michael Hyatt has created a simple but powerful free tool designed to literally assign a dollar amount on every day of the year. It’s called Spend Your Days on Paper.

Here’s another confession: I have a deficit. I’m out of balance.

But I’m not mad about it. Instead I’m excited. Empowered. Enthusiastic about what the future brings because I now have more clarity on how to make it better. I’m reminded once again what I need to say no to so I can say yes to other things.

It was a great reminder to see the numbers in front of me and realize I need to reprioritize my focus.

I’d love to see you do the same, my friend. You can. You can get Spend Your Days on Paper for yourself for free.

Watch the latest video in Michael’s new series, Design Your Life: A Proven System to Stop Drifting and Finally Achieve Your Best Year Ever and he’ll give you exclusive access to the tool. It may be eye opening for you, but I have no doubt you can use it as motivation to redefine your priorities and redesign your life.

Here’s what you’ll discover:

Why the first step in achieving your biggest goals is getting clear about how much your time is really worth.
How you can finally make room in your life for the things that matter most—and feel confident about the decision.
How spending your days on paper will help you tell your true opportunities from calendar-killing obligations.
One easy trick for creating efficiencies that will allow you to maximize your time.

Don’t let yourself stay stuck in the busyness of life one more day. Let’s get out together, what do you say?

Let’s make today the day we break the cycle. Check out the new tool and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear.

One of the most important steps in reaching your goals is judging your time. Watch the second video in this free new series,  Design Your Life: A Proven System to Stop Drifting and Finally Achieve Your Best Year Ever , and get a powerful tool that will help you see exactly how much your time is really worth.

Click Here to Watch

Question: What do you need to say no to in life so you can say yes to something better? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

 

The post My Year End Confession (I’m Wasting My Time) appeared first on Sundi Jo.

Will You Reach Your Goals in 2016?

3 Powerful Questions That Can Change Your Life Starting Today

We are all designed for a bigger purpose, certain things individually unique to us. God has a plan for each of us, but sometimes we tune them out, don’t we?

I bet you’ve already had a lot of accomplishments in your life, even if you don’t think so. But maybe you’re at a point in your life where you feel stuck. Maybe busyness is distracting you. Maybe you’re believing a lie that’s keeping you held back. Maybe it’s fear.

Those last two are big ones for me.

Here is some good news, though. What if getting unstuck was easier than you thought? It is, my friend. But first, you need to ask yourself three powerful questions.

Watch this free new video series, Design Your Life: A Proven System to Stop Drifting and Finally Achieve Your Best Year Ever , and discover three powerful questions that will set you up for your best year ever.

Click Here to Watch

Today is the Day to Dream Big

This year is reaching an end. That means we get to spend some time reflecting and dreaming about the possibilities for next year.

Is this the year your marriage is going to be more solid than ever before? Is this the year you’re going to finally lose those unwanted pounds and take control of your health? Finally go back to school and finish the degree you started?

Maybe this is the year you reconnect with old friends and build new relationships. Will you finally write that book that’s been stirring inside of you? Chase after the dream job you’ve always wanted? Perhaps this is the year you’ll pay off those nagging debts lingering over your head.

Whatever the case, I believe without a doubt, this can be your year. A year full of victories.

But…. these things won’t happen if you simply write up a New Year’s Resolution and hope for the best.

Dreaming is Only Half the Work

Making progress toward goals that matter in your life requires two things: the right intention and a proven plan. Trusting in what we simply want to accomplish doesn’t work. Without a plan, the busyness of life gets in the way and we’re right back where we started – disappointed and defeated.

My virtual mentor, Michael Hyatt, goal-setting expert, New York Times bestselling author, and leadership guru, just released his free new video series, Design Your Life: A Proven System to Stop Drifting and Finally Achieve Your Best Year Ever, and it’s rocking my world. I’ve watched it twice already!

I used to dream of being healthy. I desperately wanted to be like everyone else – to fit in, literally. At 25 years old I weighed 330 lbs. I couldn’t even buy my pants online. They were size 30 by the way.

My health was declining. My relationships were struggling. My job. My faith. Everything around me was falling apart.

The problem? I was trying to fix everything myself without a plan. Instead, everything around me was falling apart, including me. I literally wound up in the hospital.

Can you relate? Have you ever realized the life you’re living isn’t actually the one you were designed to live? The life God has planned for you?

I was settling in life. Settling for a life of second best. My dreams were dying. Until… I started focusing on taking the next right step.

You know what it started with? A walk around the apartment complex. One day my friend Jennifer recommended I take a walk. I had nothing to lose. I was already at the bottom. So I did. Then the next day I went again. Then again.

That walk around the apartment complex turned into walking a mile a day, then two, then running my first 5k. Learning to take the next right step in my journey resulted in a 145 lb. weight loss.

Today every area of my life has improved. I believe taking that first step that day around the apartment complex was a pivotal moment in landing me where I am today. Why? For the first time in my life, I had achieved something. I had pushed through, set goals, and found the determination I’d been lacking for so long.

Today my life is more exciting than it’s ever been. I’m accomplishing more than I ever could have imagined possible.

You Get to Redesign Your Life

In this new, three-part series by Michael, he’s going to equip you to take hold of the life God has designed for you and make this next year your best year ever.

You can watch the first video here. In the video, he shares three powerful questions to ask yourself, which will set you up for one of the most exiting years of your life.

Here’s what else you’ll discover:

Three different approaches to life, and why only one will actually get you where you want to go.
Why traditional New Year’s resolutions and the old way of goal-setting will set you up for failure.
Why the old ways of doing things isn’t your fault.
The one life we often tell ourselves to get us through the busyness of life instead of focusing on what really matters.
How to overcome the failure of our past.
Why it’s important to have clarity – plus a simple exercise to help us find it.
How to overcome those overwhelming feelings, accomplish what is really important to us, and realize the true potential God has given us.

Here’s some encouragement, my friend. You don’t have to spend one more year doing the same things over and over again without different results. That’s the definition of insanity.

You were made for more and now is the time to start living out God’s best for you. This is your chance to enter a new year with courage, commitment, and the clarity you need to redesign your life, reach your full potential, and make this your best year ever.

It starts right here – with this first video – and answering those three powerful questions for yourself.

Watch this free new video series, Design Your Life: A Proven System to Stop Drifting and Finally Achieve Your Best Year Ever , and discover three powerful questions that will set you up for your best year ever.

Click Here to Watch

Question: What would your life look like if you could turn your dreams into reality? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

The post Will You Reach Your Goals in 2016? appeared first on Sundi Jo.

If Your Life is a Game, What is Your Score?

Take This Free 10-Minute LifeScore™ Assessment and Find Out

Here’s a simple, yet powerful question. What if you could improve your life in EVERY area?

What if you could measure yourself in the areas of life which matter most?

What if you could create the life you truly want? Your BEST LIFE EVER.

Well, now you can. I recently assessed my own LifeScore with the LifeScore™ Assessment from one of the greatest leaders I know, Michael Hyatt. He just introduced this awesome tool for a limited time and I’m super excited to introduce you to it. (My score was 90. I’d love to hear what yours is.)

Get Your LifeScore™ Today!

Here’s how it works. The tool is built using five major life principles:

Life Principle #1: Real Life Is Multifaceted

Your life is more than your work. It’s even more than your family. Your life consists of ten Life Domains:

Spiritual
Intellectual
Emotional
Physical
Marital
Parental
Social
Vocational
Avocational
Financial

Principle #2: Each Domain Has Importance

Here’s a great example of this. The emotional condition of our lives impact our social life. This means if you are depressed or angry, it’s pretty difficult to build healthy friendships.

However, when we allow ourselves to have those deep, meaningful friendships, our emotional well-being is even better.

Another example? Our physical condition often affects our jobs. We don’t come up with the most productive and creative ideas in our jobs if we’re stressed out. Negativity affects our health. Stress affects our health.

I’m living proof of that. Six years ago I was at such a stressful point in my life I literally had to have my gallbladder removed. It was not a fun time in my life.

We have to give the appropriate amount of attention to each domain in our lives.

Principle #3: Progress Begins When We Gain Clarity

Do you ever feel as though you aren’t where you want to be in life?

Perhaps you aren’t where you want to be in your faith, but you just aren’t sure where you’re stuck. Maybe you aren’t where you desire to be financially or in your career.

We’ve all been there in life. The problem usually means we don’t have the proper clarity. We don’t really know where we’re going in life. We don’t have the proper direction.

Principle #4: We Can Improve in Any Area

Here’s some good news, my friend. You don’t have to stay stuck and settle for where you are. You can grow. You can get better.

At the age of 25 years old I weighed 330 lbs. Yep, you read that right. I had to order my jeans online because there wasn’t a store that carried a size 30. I was miserable. I was slowly killing myself.

Every area of my life was affected due to my health struggles. My relationships. My job. My faith. I was stuck and wasn’t sure how to get out of it. I honestly wasn’t sure if I wanted to live anymore.

I had to make a decision on whether I was going to take my health seriously or not. Would I keep going down the path I was on or do something different? It started with a walk around the apartment complex.

It took clarity about my currently reality and just how bad things really were. Then it took the intention to finally do something about it – to make the change. Then I had to make some serious effort to get back on track.

Principle #5: Happiness Is a Byproduct of Growth

Have you found yourself thinking you’ll finally be happy when you achieve a specific goal? I’ve been there.

I’ll finally be happy when I get married.

I’ll finally be happy when that promotion comes.

I’ll finally be happy when my gets go to college.

I’ll finally be happy when I’m out of debt.

You fill in the blank……

But we have to be careful with that allusion – this temptation that happiness will be found once we reach a certain point.

LifeScore™ creator Michael Hyatt says, “Happiness doesn’t come in obtaining the prize. It comes in the pursuit. That’s why it is imperative that we constantly be pursuing new goals.”

And that’s exactly why he created the LifeScore™ Assessment – to help you and me determine exactly where we are so we can get life back on track and start taking the appropriate actions to live out our best lives – the life God has designed for us.

How LifeScore™ Works

This assessment is self-administered. You’ll be provided with the opportunity to rate yourself on a scale of 1-12 in each of life’s ten domains that you read about earlier.  You then read a series of statements that describe specific situations and pick the one that most closely aligns with where you perceive yourself to be. Then you give yourself a numeric score.

The tool then calculates your score in each domain, adds them together, and gives you an overall LifeScore.™ The whole process takes less than ten minutes. It will give you the clarity you need to create the life you want.

I scored a 90. Come back and tell me what you scored and let’s celebrate how far we’ve come and spur each other on in the areas we need more growth. I’m confident this assessment will help you stay motivated toward what matters most to you in life!

Best of all, the LifeScore™ Assessment is FREE—for a limited time.

Michael Hyatt is offering it as part of his promotion for his life-changing 5 Days to Your Best Year Ever course, which launches in December. I can’t wait to tell you about that course and how it’s completely changed the way I live my life. After Best Year Ever goes on sale, the assessment will only be available inside the course.

I hope you’ll take 10 minutes and discover your LifeScore.™ It’s fun. It’s free. And I have no doubt you’ll walk away with more clarity in areas of your life than you had before.

Don’t forget to share your score with me. I’ll be here, waiting patiently.

Get Your LifeScore™ Today!

 

 

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The Power of “If”

Why You're in Control of Your Story

There are 1,784 ifs in the Bible. If you stack all those tiny little words up, they’ll stretch as long as the Berlin Wall.

I bet before you got out of bed this morning, you used the word “if” more times than you even know. Maybe you mumbled it. Maybe you whispered it. Maybe you thought it.

“If those kids didn’t pick up after themselves last night. If I had finished day one of the Bible study yesterday, I wouldn’t have to rush to get caught up today. If I would’ve told my husband I was proud of him when he walked through the door instead of ranting about my day, I wouldn’t feel like I’m getting the ‘Worst wife in the world’ award.”

If. If. If. If. 

I’m in the midst of learning just how powerful that tiny little word is. Tiny when written down, perhaps, but ginormous when put into the perspective of my life. Your life. Our lives.

Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., and author of the new book, If: Trading Your If Only Regrets for God’s What If Possibilities, says, “Your ifs don’t just change the trajectory of your life; they change the course of history.”

Fast Forward to the End of Your Life

Seriously, go there with me for a second. What will be your “what if” at the end of this gift called life God has given us?

Will it be the things you wish you had done, but didn’t?

Batterson says, “At the end of your life, your greatest regret won’t be the things you did but wish you hadn’t. Your greatest regret will be the things you didn’t do but wish you had. It’s the what if dreams that we never act upon that turn into if only regrets.”

Sit in that for a second. Go back and read those words again.

It’s the what if dreams that we never act upon that turn into if only regrets. 

Ouch!

Did you know when you shop through Amazon Smile, a portion of your sale will be donated back to Esther’s House of Redemption to help us offer hope to broken women? Click here to start shopping.
Defining History

You’re in control of your story. But, wait… Maybe you’re thinking, “You’ve got that wrong, Sundi Jo. God is in charge of my story. He’s the one who ordains my steps. He leads and I’m supposed to follow.”

You’re right. Kind of.

God does ordain our days. He orders our steps. But… if we’re not “students of our own history,” as Batterson writes, we’ll live with if only regrets.

We’ll get off track in the story God has written for us. Those steps He’s ordered for us – there will be days we choose to take the slide versus the steps. There will be moments we run from the hard stuff. We’ll make mistakes. We’ll have regrets.

It’s up to us to figure out what we’ll do with those regrets. 

Will we turn them into If only I had done this, life wouldn’t be that way? 

It’s up to us to figure out what we’ll do with our regrets.
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Or we can turn them into What if I decide to change history today, take control of my story, and start living out the purposes God has called me to? 

I prefer the latter. God does too.

No matter how many regrets you have, God is the God of second chances. No matter how deep-seated those regrets are, He can turn your if only regrets into what if possibilities.

God is calling you to something great, my friend. Something big. A history-changing life. Are you letting “if” get in the way?

Let me remind you of the most powerful “if” of the 1,784 in the Bible.

If God is for us, who can ever be against us? – Romans 8:31

God is for us. He is for YOU. He is for me.

Let’s live like we know God is for us and get rid of the if only and what if regrets keeping us from defining the history God created us for.

You are one if away from changing everything, my friend.

God is for you!

Question: What is an ‘if only’ regret you can turn into a second chance today? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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SJ’s Weekend Favorites

What She Learned From Being a Vegas Call Girl

Each morning I peruse through a variety of blogs on many different topics, including faith, fitness, and leadership. I’m also constantly reading a thought-provoking book that I’d love to sit over coffee with you and chat about.

Usually I share a few different pieces, but today I just want to focus on one, because…… it’s powerful!

Oh how I wish we could sit down over coffee and chat about how awesome our God is!

Happy reading, my friend.

If you’re in need of some inspiring weekend reading, start here.
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What I Learned From Being a Vegas Call Girl

by Annie Lobert

“This is all very painful for me to write about. It’s not fun to share with you how naïve, stupid, and brainwashed I was. It’s heartbreaking to actually have to write down that, yes, I really did sell myself to gain love. But I know I’m not the only one, and I know this is not the only way we sell ourselves. How many of us have sold ourselves in a different way without realizing it?”

These are the words from former Vegas call girl and founder of Hookers for Jesus, Annie Lobert. She’s a survivor of more than a decade of sex trafficking, working as an exotic dancer and high-class escort.

Lobert’s story started rough, but it will end well. Here’s why:

“I don’t know where I would be right now had I not surren­dered my life to God. I’d probably be lying somewhere in a sleazy motel room, shooting up and turning tricks while my body fell apart, or in a hospital bed dying of a disease, or lying in an alley somewhere dead. What I do know is that today I am truly alive. I am finally home. I am set free.”

Those words give me goosebumps. Read the full article here.

Want to watch her testimony? Check out the I Am Second video. 

Question: Do you have any recommended reading you’d like to share? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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Why You Need to Periscope with Me

I’ve been fighting the urge, but I’ve decided to climb on the Periscope train. Why?

One word: vulnerability

Before I dive more into the why, let’s talk about the what

What is Periscope?

It’s the easiest way to broadcast video — live, from your phone.

That means no editing. No polishing myself up to make everything sound perfect. No redos. Ouch.

There’s no filtering like Instagram. No perfect verbage for Facebook. No character limit for Twitter.

With Periscope, you actually have to be you. The real you. 

Why Periscope? 

I love to talk, that’s no secret. But the thought of talking to others completely unedited makes me nervous. It’s too vulnerable. Too scary. Too risky.

And that’s exactly why I’m doing it.

I want to welcome you into my world – the real one. And I want to be welcomed into yours as well.

I won’t clean my house for you. I won’t put on my Sunday best (maybe sometimes). I won’t prepare a fancy speech.

But I will give you me, the real, raw, honest, me. 

I should probably come with a warning label. Oh… my username is @sundijo.

I’m going to do my best to fine tune a schedule and show up regularly. What works best for you? Wednesday afternoons? Friday mornings? You tell me and we’ll make it work.

Because Periscope is about you too. 

I want to answer your questions – talk about what you want to talk about. Because you matter and we’re going to brighten up the world together.

Let’s get real and vulnerable on Periscope together.
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Let’s talk about the hard stuff. The fun stuff. Tell a joke here and there. Maybe cry together. Laugh some more.

Are you in?

Join Me on Periscope

Bring the real you and join me. Let’s hang out. Find me @sundijo.

Here’s how you join:

1. Download the Periscope App from the iTunes App Store or the Google Play store.

2. Follow the directions to sign up with either your Twitter handle or your phone number.

3. Then, create your Periscope profile.

Use the information found at https://help.periscope.tv to learn more.

The post Why You Need to Periscope with Me appeared first on Sundi Jo.

SJ’s Weekend Favorites

Being Present, Overcoming Rejection, and Learning from Life's Pain

Each morning I peruse through a variety of blogs on many different topics, including faith, fitness, and leadership. I’m also constantly reading a thought-provoking book that I’d love to sit over coffee with you and chat about.

Since I can’t have coffee with you every day, I thought I’d share some of my favorite blogs, books, and other cool things I find, right here.

Happy reading, my friend.

If you’re in need of some inspiring weekend reading, start here.
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How to Be Present Where You Are

via Jennifer Rothschild

Are you so distracted with the busyness of life that you’re missing out on important relationships? How about checking your email, text messages, tweets, and Facebook posts while over dinner with a friend?

Ya, I’m guilty, too. Jennifer speaks some great, gentle truth regarding being fully present in our lives and relationships.

She says, “Being present where we are means focusing on the people, place, and purpose right here and now.”

When Rejection Steals the Best of Who I Am

via Lysa Terkeurst

Have you walked away feeling rejected, even thought that may not have been the case?

Lysa shares three perspectives she learned regarding rejection, or the feeling of being rejected: interpretation, believing the best, and clarity.

Here’s What I Learned When My Life Didn’t Pan Out

via Jenny Simmons

Perhaps your life didn’t turn out the way you planned. You’ve hit road bumps, had trials and temptations beyond your wildest nightmares, and been derailed more times than you care to talk about.

Jenny, former lead singer for the Christian band Addison Road, has been there, and she candidly tells her story in this blog.

She gives you permission to not be okay.

“When your life plan doesn’t go the way you thought it would, don’t dismiss the holy seasons of lostness, grieving and re-dreaming.”

 

 

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