Beauty from Ashes

Can I encourage you today? Or maybe blow your mind a little?

My God.. He's a good God.

He brings what was dead to LIFE.

He extends HOPE to that which was lost.

He FORGIVES those condemned.

He turns sorrow to JOY.

He creates beauty from ASHES.

He turns our mess into a MESSAGE.

He turns our pain into PURPOSE.

He allows our tests of life to be a TESTIMONY.

Rejoice, my friends <3 span=""> 

Our little Ghoens family has been working through some trials, testing & hurts the past couple of months. While it's been an incredibly hard season of life, it's been a time in life that I've felt so incredibly close to the Lord.

Those days I feel alone or broken, it's like He continually pulls me into His lap of comfort & whispers His promises to me.

You see.

Even though we feel alone sometimes..

It's because we aren't looking to acknowledge His presence - we only look to place blame or focus on what we cannot understand.

He never left us. He never stopped caring. He wrote our story so long ago. Our "shocking" life moments don't surprise Him. He's equipped perfectly to love, guide & teach us though it -- if we ACCEPT it.

One day, probably soon, I'll share publicly about this journey. Although I'm AMAZED at how God is already working to allow me to minister to other women & families by laying it on THEIR hearts to reach out.

In the mean time, dears - take some time to recognize His incredible attributes & what they could mean for your life.

I am a child of the King.. a King who is a good GOOD Father!

Are you?

#GracefullyBalanced #GracefullyREDEEMED

He Equips the CALLED

Want to hear or be reminded of a promise that could really give you some peace??

God doesn't always call the equipped.. but He does equip those who He calls.

Feeling a pull towards doing something?

But maybe you're worried that you're not ready, qualified or prepared?

God will equip you!

I've faced this several times in life. In missions, relationships & work.

Even when I started coaching, I had no clue how I was going to make things happen or figure out what I was doing.

But God put that opportunity before me & when I accepted it then surrendered it to Him as ministry + how I was choosing to support my family.. He's provided so many outlets for me to GROW.

Reason #9,351 why God is faithful.

He equips.

Follow His call, ready or not.

He'll open doors for you to grow.

Wellness, A Matter of the Heart: Another Throwback Thursday

This girl sure looks a lot different now.

Her priorities, attitude & even body.

Time is always a factor when it comes to these kinds of transformations, but my relationship with food/alcohol, my spouse & the Lord have been the biggest game changers for me as a person. 

A few years ago, I was living for the moment...Doing what "felt" good.Living with the wrong priorities.Not treating my husband like the spiritual leader I trusted he'd become one day.Coasting thru my job at work because it was familiar.Sinning because I knew God's grace was abundant.Was I a great gal? Sure!Was I my personal best as a woman & honoring Jesus daily? No.

Today..I try to live & make decisions in light of eternity.. aiming to please Jesus before myself.Making God a priority first, then my family.Honoring who I know Nate can be no matter his short-comings.Pursuing personal growth even when it's uncomfortable.Praying to be broken over my sin the way God is.Giving myself grace as an imperfect woman, but striving to be more like Jesus.

I tried off and on for YEARS to become "healthy".. aka be "skinny" (which wasn't actually a healthy goal at all) at whatever the cost. And the reason I was never successful was because I wasn't doing it for the right reasons. Failed attempt after failed attempt - it came down to a matter of the heart.

When I decided to begin this journey of wellness 2 years ago to become healthier - mind, body & spirit - I was coming to the realization that I needed to make changes because my health was bigger than just me. I needed to do it to be a better wife & woman of God. Of course, I still has physical goals that I wanted to achieve, but I was starting to understand the responsibility that my health truly was & what all I was lacking.As I've been chipping away at my goals & renewing my mindset the past several months.. theres a set of verses that keep presenting themselves to me.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Wellness is a sign of obedience to God.It's also a sign of respect because the Holy Spirit dwells within us.And when we take care of ourselves, we are better equipped to love & serve those around us.
Transformations are so much more than just our bodies.. but even that aspect of our wellness is IMPORTANT.

Take some time to evaluate your heart & make the mental shifts you need to, in order to change your motives. I bet you'll even begin to stick with your daily disciplines more because there's a greater purpose behind it.

#ThrowBackThursday is looking a bit different this week. But I pray that it's going to meet someone at a time of need.

I never imagined that being a wellness coach would give me this opportunity for ministry, but it has. And I'm SO incredibly grateful.

Thank you, Jesus.. for allowing me to turn my mess into a message of your faithfulness, love, forgiveness & promises!

#GracefullyBalanced

April FAVORITE Things!

Time to share a few more of my favorite things!!

1. precious prints:

Printstagram AKA "Print Studio"

OH MY LANTA, these prints are adorable. I recently received a sweet little card from a friend with a portrait of her pup on the front and HAD to know where she had ordered them through.. this is how I found printstagram! I checked out a few other websites, including instaprints, but this is by FAR the best value and look!!

I ended up ordering a bunch of the small square cards using multiple photos from my instagram! I was able to pick exactly how many of each photo I wanted- SO easy to use. Oh, these little cards come with baby sized brown envelopes too.. yes, stinking CUTE!

The insides of these little guys are blank so they can be used for basically ANY occasion!

2. furball treats:

Bark Box

Treats to your door for your favorite furry friends! PLEASE go to the site and read up on this amazing subscription service.. What's the best part??? 10% of the proceeds go to rescue groups!!!!!!!!

Moose and Tannyn get SO excited when their box comes in each month.. gotta give the credit here to Nate for this find!

|| Okay, so skip the crazy pet store and get treats, toys and goodies straight to your door || All of the treats are 100% natural.. tasty for the pups and good for their tummies || every month is something different with  a new theme (february: mardi gras// march: movie night) || pay a couple extra bucks to get more "resilient" toys for those moderate chewers || Give back to shelters || 

We are anxiously awaiting box #3 as I type.. can't wait to see what the girls think this month :)

3. colorful blossoms:

 The Bouqs

Fresh-cut, long-lasting blooms from eco-friendly farms. Flat rate, LOVELY arrangements with shipping included!

The Bouqs offers a concierge service that allows you to set up an auto-ship of these lovely blossoms how ever often you'd like them. The more often you have a shipment delivered to your door, the better discount you get each time. Also, each time a friend or family member signs up using your referral code (every 2 referrals), they send you a free bouq! SO fun!!!

My conseriege service is set up to send me an automatic shipment every 3 weeks. The first time I received my bouq, I hand selected the arrangement. The second order, I actually set up my service so they would surprise me! In a couple weeks, I alternated again and picked my own. There's just something about bringing nature inside..

If you decide to give this a whirl and brighten your home with some colorful flowers, I'd love you to use my referral link here.

4. daily devotions:

#SheReadsTruth

((visit online OR download the free app!)

Need a daily devotional, but not sure where to start? Been meaning to download a bible app so you can read the whole thing in a year? Try out one of the free bible studies from #shereadstruth or purchase one for a few bucks that you can access from any of your devices! You can even follow the 365 plan and read the bible in a year by following the daily reading list!

This adorable apps also offers scripture based lock screens for your phone!

What makes these studies so special? WELL, they are hand-written devotionals by a few different ladies that love the Lord and wanted to provide a convenient and accessible option for women of all walks of life to read truth!  

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I have SO enjoyed sharing with you and can't wait to hear what you think about these goodies.

love && smooches,

LINDSEY