It was such an amazing long weekend for my family as we went out of town on a successful leadership conference for an organization I'm with. I got a chance to hear people in high places, show their tender underbellies and truly inspire… Including former President George W. Bush, NFL player Drew Brees, Sam Bradford, who of course is no stranger around here, Christian artist and Grammy winner Michael W. Smith and so many more… I walked away filled with the feeling I can achieve whatever I put my mind to!  Then we get back and hear the news of country singer Mindy McCready's apparent suicide, it was such a contrast in hope, I just knew we needed to hash this out here today!

Here's my hubby with Mindy during what's seemingly an easier time in life.

She was such a bright shooting star back in the day, but sadly has become more known recently with various tangled webs all connected to drugs & alcohol and having a tough time with family and even the men in her life. She just seemed to stumble and never regain the same hope she had in her early success! So sad for so many reasons... She was seriously talented and had all the hope in the world! But consider her two baby boys now and what their future will consist of..  Definitely worth praying for them!  Mindy had some recent notoriety as she became one of the cast members of the Dr. Drew "Celebrity Rehab" show which revealed a whole lot about her alleged addiction! Of course she had some news stories of late, that included a scuffle with her mom and more recently losing her children and then her boyfriend (the father of the second son who was only like 9mo's old) who allegedly committed suicide on the very same front porch Mindy was found.

After our weekend of inspiration in a success school atmosphere, where people explained how they achieved success, I decided on a common them only highlighted more with the singer's tragedy.  We are all bread for greatness, but we take our eye of the truth when we believe false fear, which steals our joy and hope! Think about the last time you listened to the negative messages you've gotten from someone in your life or from work, when you've been made to feel you're not enough or even from family, who may be well-meaning, but for whatever reason like to be the buzz kill!   I've been there… You knew how painful my divorce was several years ago it may be amazing to know the same person that drove me to feeling I couldn't go on anymore, is often now a person that my husband and I exchange scripture with and hopeful stories of inspiration! Every situation that I hear of someone his or her own life, I think I myself, they just got so hopeless they couldn't see tomorrow! If I would have continued to be focused on what was before me in my earlier circumstances, it would have been near impossible to believe what my life would be today, some 11 years later! I was fortunate to hear and believe one truth I clung to and still do today...  "God loves me as much as He loves His very Son!”  Sure maybe He doesn't love all that I do or say in my day, but He promises to be my Strength, My Guide and He Will Never Leave Me! Now that's unconditional love! My deal is that I  often run out before God, even though I pray and say I'm waiting on Him, cuz I'm afraid I'm going to miss something!  Yet He tells us not to be anxious about ANYTHING! He's Got This!

There are certain principles in life... Biblical Truths that DON'T CHANGE, even if we do or the world does!  So when that false fear that tells us things about us or our circumstances, like they just won't change or will only get worse, don't believe it!  When we hear we're not good enough.. DON'T BELIEVE IT!  We WILL become what we decide!  So decide to stay with the truth and don't believe fear that is fake!

And then get ready... we will win!