THIS IS THE GREATEST NEWS EVER!

In every moment, we have God’s love, help, support, kindness, mercy, strategies, strength, personality, protection, charm, tact, grace, boldness, peace, approval, power, wisdom, calmness, and encouragement backing us up in this crazy world. BUT WE MUST TAKE THE TIME TO DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM WHERE WE LEARN HIS VOICE AND DIRECTION AS WELL HIS PRINCIPLES AND WAYS FOR MAKING WISER DECISIONS.

Like every day, I have a God morning routine! NO SHAME, I NEED GOD!!! I sit down to my alone times with Him reading from our family’s website, reading back old posts, my meditation books, and listening to Ceri, my God influencer. And God always finds some way of revealing His Presence with me. Like this morning, I woke up to a text message alert quoting these verses:

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts. – Isaiah 55:8-9

Fast forward to less than an hour later, I’m having my appointment with God at our dining room table. I opened up my huge Jesus Calling Devotional of over 700 pages and look what I opened directly to:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9_

No one can tell me this was just a coincidence for someone to wake me up and have me read those verses to me opening that huge devotional directly there to reread them less than an hour later. It was another one of my God winks where everything lines up enormously too perfectly, with Him sweetly revealing another glimpse of His invisible Presence with me.

And He is with you, too! My assignment from Him is to teach you how I experience His Presence with me so you begin to feel and experience Him with you. That verse showing up again was what I consider my high five from Him – Yes, Nik, I am with you! These high fives give me the courage, joy, and peace to take on my day knowing God Himself is with me!

And about His ways being higher than ours, I was freaking out with my brother, Kevin, who told me in an awful moment that I was like a boxer taking 10,000 punches, but that I should stay in the ring because eventually, I would become numb. Who advises such a thing!?! That advice to not give up on being the super glue holding my family together led me to cry happy tears at work with my husband and sons yesterday (us in the pic!). The boys are learning the family hustle, baby! Super proud wifey and mom! Let’s be great every day! Be hard – strong, tough, determined, steadfast, and courageous, but at the same time soft – loving, forgiving, gentle, faithful, and patient. None of us are perfect! And like Ceri has been teaching me, we should make room for each other’s faults, loving others unconditionally the way God loves us. So help us, God!

God is the best Boss ever, and His ways are far better than our human ways! He gives us more than we can ever ask or imagine! But don’t take my word for it; get to know God for yourself! Make today the day you commit to developing a stronger relationship with Him! Wak up every morning to your alone time with Him!

GOD, I’M WITH YOU! I’M WITH YOU! I’M WITH YOU!!!

That was me to God today after a low moment when I went running to Him feeling extremely overwhelmed by everything I’m tackling now! He beautifully showed up for me! Here’s how:

No shame! I replay this message from Ceri every morning for my alone time with God::

“Philippians 4:11-13 says:

“Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

What stood out in these verses was when Apostle Paul said, “I have learned the secret of living in every situation. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Like that’s the secret. That’s literally the secret!

Any person who is successful or has accomplished anything or who went through any battle and made it through the other end, that is the secret. You can do anything through Christ who strengthens you . Once you fix your mind on God and take your mind off everything else, that is just literally the secret. And remember that you can do anything through the strength of God, and the power of God.

Fast forward to me going at 54 minutes past the hour, I ran to page 54 of our family’s website to see what God had to say to me in that highly overwhelming moment, and look what incredibly showed up:

“Follow the Leader

Many of us try to be in charge. We want to make our own decisions…But there’s a better way. When we trust in the Lord, He gets to be in charge. And he always makes the best choices. The apostle Paul was at peace because he knew God was directing his life. Even when he was locked in a Roman prison, he could write, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12b). What’s the “secret” he learned? He depended on God’s strength. That’s called trust.

Paul had to learn to trust God. It didn’t come naturally to him. Once he did, he was content and peaceful. You too can learn to trust the Lord and allow him to guide you. The safest place to be is following God wherever he wants to take you.
Prayer: Lord, I want the amazing peace Paul had. Even when it is not easy to trust and depend on you alone, I know you are truly in control and will take care of me.” – A Purpose Driven Life Devotional For Kids by Rick Warren

That message showing up there for me in that crazy moment was all precisely orchestrated by God! No coincidence that I listen to Ceri’s message every day about the “secret” and relying on God’s strength and for me to go to this page for Rick Warren to talk about the same “secret.” God was having some fun with me, too – Nik, you’re forgetting the “secret” my girl! Relax! I got you!

And He got you, too! Let’s remember the secret that we can do all things with God by our side! God, help us to stop doubting you knowing you are taking care of all that concerns us in the spiritual realm on our behalf. Wink! Wink!

THIS IS THE GREATEST NEWS EVER!

In every moment, we have God’s love, help, support, kindness, mercy, strategies, strength, personality, protection, charm, tact, grace, boldness, peace, approval, power, wisdom, calmness, and encouragement backing us up in this crazy world. BUT WE MUST TAKE THE TIME TO DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM WHERE WE LEARN HIS VOICE AND DIRECTION AS WELL HIS PRINCIPLES AND WAYS FOR MAKING WISER DECISIONS.

Like every day, I have a God morning routine! NO SHAME, I NEED GOD!!! I sit down to my alone times with Him reading from our family’s website, reading back old posts, my meditation books, and listening to Ceri, my God influencer. And God always finds some way of revealing His Presence with me. Like this morning, I woke up to a text message alert quoting these verses:

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts. – Isaiah 55:8-9

Fast forward to less than an hour later, I’m having my appointment with God at our dining room table. I opened up my huge Jesus Calling Devotional of over 700 pages and look what I opened directly to:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
_ neither are your ways my ways,”
_ declares the Lord.
_ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
_ so are my ways higher than your ways
_ and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9_

No one can tell me this was just a coincidence for someone to wake me up and have me read those verses to me opening that huge devotional directly there to reread them less than an hour later. It was another one of my God winks where everything lines up enormously too perfectly, with Him sweetly revealing another glimpse of His invisible Presence with me.

And He is with you, too! My assignment from Him is to teach you how I experience His Presence with me so you begin to feel and experience Him with you. That verse showing up again was what I consider my high five from Him – Yes, Nik, I am with you! These high fives give me the courage, joy, and peace to take on my day knowing God Himself is with me!

And about His ways being higher than ours, I was freaking out with my brother, Kevin, who told me in an awful moment that I was like a boxer taking 10,000 punches, but that I should stay in the ring because eventually, I would become numb. Who advises such a thing!?! That advice to not give up on being the super glue holding my family together led me to cry happy tears at work with my husband and sons yesterday (us in the pic!). The boys are learning the family hustle, baby! Super proud wifey and mom! Let’s be great every day! Be hard – strong, tough, determined, steadfast, and courageous, but at the same time soft – loving, forgiving, gentle, faithful, and patient. None of us are perfect! And like Ceri has been teaching me, we should make room for each other’s faults, loving others unconditionally the way God loves us. So help us, God!

God is the best Boss ever, and His ways are far better than our human ways! He gives us more than we can ever ask or imagine! But don’t take my word for it; get to know God for yourself! Make today the day you commit to developing a stronger relationship with Him! Wak up every morning to your alone time with Him!

“I KNOW YOU GUYS BE THINKING I’M CRAZY SAYING GOD SPEAKS TO ME THROUGH CERI!
But He does! He does! Like God talks to me a lot through numbers. Our business in the US is on pause for a minute while we recalibrate and figure out the next steps. And all week, I’ve been praying and asking God for His direction. So, the number “411” means specifically from God that He will help us with this business. And a few days ago, I had to make a call, and the phone number ended in 411. Two hours later or so, I’m driving home, and God takes my attention to a sign on the highway with “411” printed big and bold on it (you learn when He is directing you within your spirit).

Fast forward to the next day, Ceri, records a message through the Breakfast and the Bible app where I go and stalk him every day (no shame! His explanations of Bible principles are our food for living a healthy and happy life!). Of all verses, he reads from Philippians 4:11 (Wink! Wink!)

And if that’s not enough for you, hubby woke me up this morning asking to switch bedsides. I touched my phone to see the time, and of all times for him to wake me up, it was precisely 4:11. See how talkative God is once you have ears to hear him?!?

Ceri’s message was spot on, too! It was the perfect advice to boost my confidence in tackling that business and every aspect of our lives (Wink! Wink!). Here’s Ceri:

“Philippians 4:11-13 says:

“Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

I missed coming in here and starting my day this way. I’ll worship other ways, but this way had brought me out of a dark place and into a good place (me, too!!!). In the same way this room helped me, it has the opportunity to help other people, too.

What stood out in these verses was when Apostle Paul said, “I have learned the secret of living in every situation. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Like that’s the secret. That’s literally the secret!

Any person who is successful or has accomplished anything or who went through any battle and made it through the other end, that is the secret. You can do anything through Christ who strengthens you (I can tackle that business!). Once you fix your mind on God and take your mind off everything else, that is just literally the secret. And remember that you can do anything through the strength of God, and the power of God.

I feel overwhelmingly grateful to God today and to all the people in my life. I want to speak a blessing over each one of your lives, and I pray that God takes you into higher places and that you continuously keep your heart and mind focused on God, and that you keep him in all your ways.”

For me, that means praying without stopping and lots of hard work! All day ask God’s spirit to be with you and guide you, tapping into His strength (love, power, capabilities, favor, wisdom, tact, character, strategies, support, and help.) This is how He directs us on the path that exceeds anything we can ask or imagine! Like Ceri said, we must focus on God and keep Him in all our ways by obeying His instructions. So help us, God!

“PRAY TO GOD FOR STRENGTH”

That’s excellent advice to all of us today from my hubby! “Where do you get all this strength from?” I ask him all the time. His reply is always, “God.” Like last night, after coming home from working hard all day, he still cooked us the best curry. I snuck out of the kitchen to rest for a little bit. That’s when he suggested that I pray to God for strength, but I’m not ashamed of my weakness (I’m not him!) because that keeps me looking to and relying on God. No shame in my game! I love this old post:

“ARE YOU TAKING NOTES?!?” (REPOST)

That was me to my son, Emmie, today, as we spent some time with his dad getting ready to leave for work. I’ll never forget a day at the office when I felt utterly overwhelmed by everything my husband had to take on, and a close family friend said, “Nikki, don’t even try to understand the pressures on a man. We were built to handle this; you were not.”

So, this post today is for everyone doing complex things on God’s and their family’s behalf to remind you that our God is a living God who is with us in every moment, supporting us, helping us, and giving us the strength and courage to keep going. Our support system is the Almighty God, and the joy of the Lord is our strength to take on HARD THINGS. It’s just for us to focus on Him in every moment, tapping into His strength, guidance, wisdom, favor, protection, tact, personality, joy, and help that is incredibly available to us in every moment. But enough from me today, our friend, Ceri, shared this recently:

“From the book of Haggai 2:4-5 that says:

“But now the Lord says: Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.’”

Today I’m just grateful for the spirit of God. I am grateful for our strength, something that I continuously pray for and I’m grateful for, like this verse says, God’s spirit lives amongst us. It’s so important for us to remember that the God that we serve is a living God…

Our faith is in alignment with our God. Our God lives amongst us. He’s a living God, and it’s just so refreshing to know that He’s here at all times. Even though we can’t see Him, our faith shows and tells us He is here. When it’s time when we need Him, and we call on Him, He shows up. Even though we don’t see him, but we know that he shows up because He shows up inside people, or He shows up through things, or like He still shows up. It’s hard for us to explain, but we know that He is here.

One of the things that stood out to me in this particular verse again was how Haggai was in this particular book in the Bible. They’re speaking about rebuilding the temple. He was speaking to some of the old Jews and just basically telling them to like be strong, keep pushing, we have a job to do.

And God was telling them that like even though it seemed like such a hard task, that He was there with them. God told them in this particular verse, ‘For I am with you. Be strong for I Am With You.’ And that’s something that always replays in my mind, and every day and every moment that I pray, that’s one of the first things that always comes out on my lips is that I pray for strength. I know that God is with me, but I also know that I can’t do it alone, but I need the strength so that I can keep pushing forward. I can keep doing my best. I could keep growing. I could keep being strong for other people who are close to me. A lot of times, my strength isn’t just for me. A lot of times, I pray for my strength; it honestly isn’t for me. It is to hold up the house so the roof doesn’t collapse around everyone else.

I pray for strength over anyone that needs it. And I want to remind anyone who needs to hear it that they close this verse by saying, “Do not be afraid.” Fear is of the devil, and it’s easy for it to encapsulate us and for us to get worried and anxious about things. And you must be reminded that God we serve is a living God, and He’s amongst us and lives with us. He told us not to be afraid. I’m gonna listen to him.”

Let’s keep it pushing! God Himself is with and for us!!! Heehaw!!!

LIFE GETS HARD, MAN!

And that’s where a relationship with God comes sweetly in! I’m getting closer and closer to Him every day, and I want you here with me, feeling God’s deep and intimate involvement in every aspect of your life. This morning I was walking past our bathroom door, and I felt God saying that I should stop and read this comforting prayer I have posted there:

“O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life.

O God! Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord.” – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Bahai Prayers)

A few hours later, I was at work and asked Vera, a staff member, for us to continue reading my book for our daily appointments with God. It was our third day of doing this, and look what showed up in my book for Day 3:

“O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life.

O God! Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord.” – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Bahai Prayers)

God went as far as to confirm that prayer for me! See the sweetness of God! This was another one of my God winks where everything lines up too perfectly to be considered a random coincidence. It was all God orchestrated to reveal another glimmer of His invisible Presence with me to brighten my day and remind all of us that His spirit is ALWAYS with us. WE ARE NEVER ALONE; WE HAVE GOD! We can be happy and joyful beings!

Vera has also influenced me a lot! She said one day that she prays to God for help dealing with me! LOL! But honestly, now I am praying all day, too! For every little concern, ‘God, help me!’ And that’s my advice to you guys, PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!!! Our Heavenly Father hears our prayers, and He is at work in the spiritual realm on our behalf! We’re not going by the ordinary rules; GOD CAN DO ANYTHING!!! PRAY!!! Then, listen to what He would have you do and BE OBEDIENT TO HIM (like him telling me to stop and read that prayer this morning!), going the extra mile in love, mercy, kindness, excellence, and reflecting God’s character to a watching world. So help us, God!

ARE YOU LEARNING GOD’S VOICE?

In my appointment with Him this morning, there was an old picture of me with the caption, “COME CLOSER TO GOD.” I got a nudge from God to save it. I started asking Him why and questioning whether it was really Him asking me to do that. The feeling again was, ‘Nik, save the picture!’ I immediately obeyed and added the picture to my camera roll. Fast forward about an hour later, I’m doing my morning run with God, where I allow Him to be my DJ. In my little time today, William Singe’s version of Closer played with the lyrics saying, “COME CLOSER!” Believe it or not, this is God asking us all of us to come closer to Him. He even confirmed it!

Fast forward another hour or so, I’m reading my book with a staff in my attempt to teach her to have appointments with God, and look what showed up:

“ARISE, MY DARLING, MY BEAUTIFUL ONE, COME WITH ME” (Song of Songs 2:10, NIV)

That’s our great invitation from God to live these extraordinary lives with Him as our Guide, Partner, Helper, Counselor, Friend, Teacher, Provider, and Father. And absolutely everyone is invited to the party! No matter how badly you think you’ve made a mess of things, GOD WANTS YOU CLOSE TO HIM (WINK! WINK!). In fact, He has used all my weaknesses and wounds to show all of us a better way of living and thinking.”

In another one of my sacred conversations with my brother, Kevin, He says to me (I paraphrase here!):

“You would be a fool not to have God in your life! He knows everything. He owns everything. You’ll miss out on His favor, strength, approval, love, wisdom, help, strategies, and guidance!”

It’s a no-brainer, dude! WE NEED GOD! Here’s the rest of that post:

I love how He doesn’t force us to come; it’s like He patiently waits in the background for us to remember Him. And unfortunately, that seems to be mostly when we get ourselves in trouble and ask Him to help us get out. Then once we’re out, we place Him in the background again until the next big problem comes up.
This year, I want you to accept His invitation to follow Him in every aspect of your life, with Him taking the lead and not the background role. Like a great friend said to me, “I want to remember God every moment.” This is where I want us, remembering God every second and collaborating with Him as to what He would have us to do, where He would have us to go, and even what to say.

We’re not going by the ordinary rules of man, and some things He asks will take supernatural strength—like being mentally tough (fearless, focused, determined, and refusing to worry) while also being loving and forgiving towards someone you want to choke.

But trust me, when you’re able to let go and surrender everything to God, handing over all disappointments and outcomes to Him, you begin to experience this miraculous life where He not only repays you for any wrongs, He helps you with any problem or challenge you may have and even comforts you when you’re hurt.

Quiet confidence will be your strength when you leave
situations and circumstances in His hands. I’m talking about unthinkable lives already planned for us, which include fabulous adventures, the best people, and off-the-chart levels of wisdom, peace, happiness, and joy.
Start asking, God, what would You have me do here? This takes calming down, slowing down, and listening to His quiet whispers in your spirit. When you do, a whole new world awaits you.

Dear God, thank You for Your love and constant guidance. Pardon our sins and give us the courage to live the lives You have planned for us. Amen.

WE ROLL WITH GOD

“LET ME TELL THE WORLD WHY I AM SO HAPPY TODAY”


That was me to my sweetie, Shula, a few moments ago! I’ve been telling everyone who would listen, “My daughter, Ember, is working at Nike in New York!” Knowing that I have two fierce daughters who are capable of going to New York City, of all places, and excel, makes me extremely happy. Julie is working, too! Only God and I know the sacrifice it took to get them there, and I’m just praising and thanking God for His guidance. God Himself orchestrated everything for my girls!!!

“The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. – Psalm 126:3

That’s why I preach to you guys, “Don’t play around with your relationship with God!” It’s like what I told a staff yesterday who stubbornly refused to work with our new manager. The work she has been producing has not been good, making her look bad. I said we hired this manager because of his extensive knowledge, so her arrogantly not asking for his help hurts her. Same thing with God, He is an expert in everything. He knows everything. So, not getting Him involved in your life is hurting you! You’re missing out on His infinite wisdom, favor, help, support, love, and guidance for every aspect of your life!

I honestly can’t stop thanking Ceri for his recordings in his Bible and Breakfast Clubhouse group, where I go and stalk him. The other morning he sent me a message that he recorded another one; I quickly replied, “I’ve already shared it with the world!” I don’t joke around with these messages from Him because I hear clearly from God through Him. Yesterday, I, the staff who I just mentioned, was honestly upset with her because she was hurting her reputation and my company’s as well. So of all the messages for me to pick from Ceri yesterday, he asked us to forgive anyone who has done us wrong, and we should do our best to make amends if we can. After listening, I met with her and told her why I was upset. We hugged, and today, she humbly went and met with the manager to ask for his assistance.

No way that was a coincidence when I’ve been walking around upset at her for the last two days that, of all things for Ceri to say, was all God telling me to forgive her. See God’s love for us! I played the message for her, telling her that God was the reason why I MUST keep forgiving her. Now I pass the torch on to you! Is there anyone you need to make amends with? As Ceri says, this forgiveness thing is for us. So we can have a clean slate with God. God, I did the right thing! And it gives us peace!

My daughters in New York flourishing is all God working behind the scenes of my life and why I constantly ask, “God, how can I glorify you in all my actions!” This is the way to the best life with Him! Amen! Even when we go through difficult paths! (Wink! Wink!)

“I LOVE YOUR DAD MORE THAN EVER!”

“Is that a miracle or what?” That was me to my sweetie pie daughter, Julie, yesterday. I told her we were working late the night before, and as I watched my husband huddle around a car for repairs with our mechanics, I thought to myself, “Nikki, where will you find a husband like this?’ God has opened my eyes to all his angelic qualities and how he goes overboard in his responsibilities for his family. Fast forward an hour later, we’re having dinner, and my spiritual guy/son, Joshie, incredibly comes to eat with us and says, “Mom, where will you find a husband like this?” My very thought! I asked Joshie the following day where those words came from, and he responded, “It wasn’t me. It was God’s spirit speaking through me!” Like my God influencer, Ceri, taught me, God can speak to us through anyone, even a child.

Believe it or not, this was God again revealing His invisible Presence with me when everything once again lined up too perfectly to say it was some ordinary coincidence. I call them my God winks! Are you feeling God’s deep and intimate Presence with you? God is quite talkative, and He was using Joshie to confirm His constant message to me that my husband truly is our gift from Him. Nobody’s perfect, y’all! Let’s keep forgiving and being God’s people by being loving, committed, loyal, dependable, and faithful. So help us, God!

But these God winks genuinely give me the faith (trusting God with all my heart), joy, peace, and courage to take on my life, KNOWING God Himself is always by my side no matter the troubling situations that come my way. I depend on God in every aspect of my life, walking by faith and not sight. I want the entire world here with me, trusting God and walking with Him as He guides us on the best paths for our lives.

That means we must take our relationship with Him seriously! I wake up every day to have appointments with Him, asking what He has to say to me, and He always finds some way to reveal a glimpse of His Presence. Like yesterday, I was telling Julie how she didn’t like when she came to work with me, and I stressed to her constantly about having personality and charm, but that charm was what got her hired over an experienced candidate for her new job in New York. And in the appointment with God today, reading an old post, I had written about how I introduced Julie to a bank rep with great excitement, positivity, and personality and how I wanted her to be like him when she got to New York. It was God again letting me know that there is never a moment He is not with me. He is all aware of every thought I think, every word I say, everywhere I go! And He is with you too!!

Tell God that today is the day you want to walk even closer with Him! Take time to have alone times with Him to pray and read or listen to anything spiritual that brings you closer to Him. Then, start listening to Him all day about what He would have you do, where He would have you go, and what He would have you say. I promise you the best life is close to God, where He whispers His secrets to you. Wink! Wink!

DON’T MESS AROUND WITH THIS GOD!!!

I’ve been the happiest person ever since my daughter started working at Nike in New York. I have no doubt that God Himself arranged this!!! It has been a huge and excruciating sacrifice we made for our daughters (splitting our family in half y’all!) to attend university there, and even this is a huge God lesson for us all!!! He spoke to me today through my fav meditation book, Jesus Calling:

“IT IS NATURAL that you want to minimize pain. However, in My Word I continually call you to transcendent living, to go beyond what is natural to what is supernatural. Though my ways may entail sacrifice and pain, I accomplish through them not just what is good for you—but what is best.”

That’s why I can’t get over my brother, Kevin. In one of my painful moments, I called him one day, and he incredibly said, “Neeks, you’re like a boxer right now. You will take 10,000 punches, but eventually, you will become numb. Keep fighting!” God Himself spoke to me through my brother to keep going and not give up! Who tells someone to stay in the ring and take 10,000 punches? This was not only what was good for me, it was indeed best for me! God was teaching me these crucial values in the process:

▪To love others the way He loves us: unconditionally! To keep forgiving and keep forgiving and keep forgiving until we increase our capacity to forgive. And this forgiveness thing is for us! It brings us peace and joy! I try to wipe the slate clean for everyone every day, the way God does for us. Thanks, Ceri, my God influencer!
▪To think less of self and more of others: “Don’t forget to do good and to help one another, because these are the sacrifices that please God.”
▪My family is a team, and I must make decisions that are best for the team! My personal happiness goes to the back seat!
▪To wisely, calmly, kindly, skillfully, and lovingly handle problems!
▪Don’t repay evil with evil; LOVE EVEN HARDER!
▪When others go low, you go high because, at the end of the day, everything is between us and God. God more than makes up for any disappointments! (Wink! Wink!)
▪To obey and trust God! No matter how difficult what He is asking – He will be our strength to do difficult things!
▪Stay committed! Don't give up when things get hard. Sometimes we must go through difficult paths to get to the best ones. Loyalty all the way, baby! All for the glory of God!
▪Do not judge! Loving others for both their strengths and weaknesses! NO ONE GETS IT RIGHT ALL THE TIME!

A special thanks to Kevin and Ceri! Thanks for putting up with me!