Keto Diary: Day 19

I have now completed over two and a half weeks on the Keto Diet. It has actually been a blast trying out different recipes. 

So, here is an update...

Week 1: I lost 3 pounds. I was drinking a gallon of water a day, eating a bunch of eggs and had even drank protein shakes when I could not get a meal in and intermittent fasting. I also worked out maybe 3 days out of the week.

Week 2: I lost 5 pounds. I calculated my macros this week using the Carb Manager app and realized I was taking in way too much protein so my body was burning that over fat the first week. I cut the protein and amped up my bacon intake. I also cut the water to half a gallon. I noticed my ankles swelling and the less water I drank, they stayed normal so I assume I retained water. I did not work out at all besides walking through the grocery store as I shopped for groceries for my job and I started taking Keto Drops that help with burning fat. I also continued with the intermittent fasting.

These few weeks have been good. Not always easy, as I craved some junk food but, I found alternatives that curved my cravings. I also had a couple yummy keto friendly meals that were so delicious and satisfying (fathead dough pizza and low carb pancakes). Photos below!

So after 2 weeks, I am down 8 pounds. I didn't measure inches at the beginning (which I should have) but I am taking weekly photos and can tell a difference). Now, to finish out week three and keep going!!

Keto Diary: Day 2

Today, I might be experiencing a little of what's called the Keto flu. Basically, my body is not used to the lack of carbs and it's going through withdrawals. It's not as bad as some experience though. I just had some slight stomach issues and a light headache. Nothing major. Still drinking my gallon (and some) of water. Eating plenty of bacon and yummy chicken breast. I even made Keto cheesecake clouds (pictured below) to help with my sweet tooth!  It's just cream cheese, vanilla extract, lemon juice, 3 packets of truvia and a little heavy whipping cream. So good! Pop them in the freezer and they're a nice little sweet treat when you need it!

I do need to add in leafy greens and keto friendly veggies. I'm going to get a few things tomorrow to help spice up my recipes! 

My food for today was;

Breakfast: 4 eggs and 5 slices of bacon and water. 

Lunch: 3 Turkey butter burger fat bombs and a side of guacamole. Of course more water. 

Dinner: bacon wrapped cheesy chicken breasts. (I didn't prep so I had no veggie sides 🤦🏾‍♀️).

Played outside with my girls and jumped rope for 10 minutes plus some light squats and jumping jacks for exercise. 

I'm getting sleepy a little earlier than normal and besides being awakened by tiny people in the middle of the night because they're climbing in my bed, my sleep is pretty okay. I know it's only the second night but I definitely feel some changes. 

I'll check back in on day seven with a progress report and any updates that occurred in between time. 

Until then, thanks for joining me on this journey back to me, but even better! 

#Day2Done!

#GreaterIsComing

Keto Diary: Day 1 (Join me on my journey)

6/1/2020

Today is the first day of the best of my life! Today I embarked on my second attempt of the Keto diet. The first time I tried the diet was in 2016, a few months after I gave birth to my first daughter. I loved the diet and lost 14 pounds in my first month! I was so excited. I wasn't sure how safe this way of eating was for my breastfeeding baby, and I also had some unusual things start to happen with my body, so I decided to stop after month 2. I really wish I hadn't. I decided to pick it up again 22 months after my second baby. After my second pregnancy, my body seemed to continue to get bigger and bigger and I have had enough. 

So many things have come into play with my excessive weight gain over the last few years. I married my husband in 2015. We just recently celebrated our 5th year anniversary and it was so beautiful, even with having to stay home and stay safe. Just to give a background of how life can happen so fast and stress can build up; after we married, we had our first daughter together exactly 9 months later (not quite in our plans but she is certainly a blessing to our union). During my entire pregnancy, my husband (who had left all he had in another state to come get me where I was, starting completely over from nothing) was working different jobs to bring in money. I already had a stable enough job to support us both until he was back in his rightful position but it was still nonetheless quite stressful. A few months after our first baby girl was born, he landed his career job with the U.S. Postal Service! An absolute blessing! The following year, we purchased our first home. That process in itself takes a lot out of you but we did it! The following year we gave birth to our second baby girl! 

Are you following?? In a span of 4 years, we got married (2015), had a baby (2016), new career, bought a house (2017), and had another baby (2018)! Although these are wonderful things, they still cause stress and they occured back to back! Not to mention we live 2 hours away from most of our family support, so work for me was becoming more stressful due to the fact that we didn't have help with childcare and we had to work to pay for daycare. Can anybody relate? With all of these things going on, on top of new mom lack of sleep, on top of post-partum anxiety, on top of emotional eating, on top of some other familial stresses, it's no wonder how I gained about 60 pounds since we exchanged vows! 

Then in 2019, I decided to leave my state government job of 10 years for a local government job, taking a very significant pay cut but doing a job I absolutely love. Still needing to pay for childcare, now for 2 children, and taking on a different level of stress as now I see clients, build relationships and empathize deeply. The stress of how we'd pay for childcare weekly weighed heavily on me, so much so, I'd privately cry and just beg God for help. He sustained us the entire year miraculously!

The beginning of 2020, my husband and I decided that it would be best for me to leave the workforce for a while to stay home with our girls, in an effort to keep from drowning with childcare bills. That decision has changed my life completely! Although scary at first, it was the best decision I could have made! I am able to work part-time doing grocery delivery (which I love). I can choose to work when I want and I set a goal amount of how much I want to make for the week to help with some of the household bills.

Doing this has greatly decreased my stress level, I sleep better and I am enjoying my family so much more! What better time to finally get back to me!! I am much more motivated to be better, not only for myself, but for my family as well!

I have been so excited to start my keto journey once again! I can see where I want to be and I am confident I will be able to reach that goal! I prepared myself to begin strong and I plan to stay strong throughout my 3 month journey!

Here are some of the things I started today and plan to continue:

My breakfast was 4 scrambled eggs with cheese, a sliver of cream cheese and 5 slices of bacon. I had about a liter of water to wash it all down.

Lunch was a couple turkey butter burger fat bombs (pictured below) along with more water. Great thing about these little yummy balls of goodness is that I can store them and reheat them quickly either to go with a meal or as a quick snack!

For snack I had 3 turkey snack sticks that I dipped in a to-go container of Wholly Guacamole and a string cheese. Water was the drink of choice.

Dinner was tacos with 2 shells made out of melted and hardened cheese with more water of course!

I have not felt hungry at all but this could be from the excitement of day 1...or because I have basically drank over a gallon of water. 

I am also including intermittent fasting with my diet to help get my digestive system properly regulated, so I eat between the hours of 12:30pm and 8:30pm then I fast until the next day at 12:30pm.

I am starting out with very light exercise. 15 squats, 45 second planks, 15 crunches and 45 second jumping jacks along with running around outside with my babies for playtime. 

It's only day one but I am so excited to continue sharing with you my journey! I'll share with you my highs and lows, my victories and set backs then at the end, I'll share my before and after photos. All of this in hopes of encouraging and inspiring other mamas  like me who feel they've lost themselves. Its time to get our groove back ladies! Day 90 will be wonderfully mindblowing! Will you journey with me??

It's Been A Long Time: New Brand Alert!

Greetings!!

I hope you haven't forgotten me! I haven't forgotten you! I'd like to start this post off by saying thank you to my loyal followers and supporters.  Your stories of victory and encouragement keeps me so excited to continue to transparently share with you!

I know it has been a  loooong while since my last post so I will use this post to bring you up to speed!

You have followed me from heartbreak, to healing,  to marriage and starting my own family with the man that I truly believe God handpicked for me . He is definitely not like any other guy who was in my life before. He is the water that helps me grow.

We are coming up on 4 years of marriage and we have even added another sweet baby girl to our loving little family this past August 2018 🥰.

On top of giving birth a second time, I also birthed something else.... my very first children's book!! Along with the book, I started a business!!!!

My book is titled My New Big Family. It is a book showcasing the different feelings a child might experience as his family transitions into a blended family.

The purpose of the book is to be a conversation starter between parents/adults and children. So many times, families go through difficult situations and children are often the last thought of when it comes to allowing them to express how they feel about what's going on.

With my background in social work and interviewing children in tough family situations, I realize children often don't know how to identify how they're feeling and it is my hope that my book will give children (ages 6-11) the opportunity to connect with my main character,  Jrue (pronounced Drew), as he expresses his feelings in each scenario in Jrue Stories (the series). It's also my hope that parents/adults will use the book to help start the conversation because a lot of times it's hard for us as well.

I'm very excited about the book as well as my new business and brand, Kid Conversations LLC! My vision for this whole thing is to continue to author books in the Jrue Stories series and beyond!!

You can purchase my book at www.kidconversations.org as well as learn a little about my business!

I'm so happy to share this with you all! As I continue to believe Greater Is Coming, God continues to blow my mind!! I have so much more to share but I won't overload you in one post. I am happy to be back and plan to share more and more with you from now until eternity!!

All my love!!!

Keya <3

My New Big Family is also available on Amazon. 

#GreaterIsComing

But God, I Don't Want To

Am I the only one who's been here before? God will keep tugging and tugging, sending you little conviction notes and reminders of what He needs you to do but you just don't want to do it? Sometimes it just doesn't even seem fair. Maybe you weren't the one in the wrong; maybe you actually deserve the apology. Or maybe you made the wrong move/decision/choice and God told you to correct it and make the right one. Whatever it may be, it takes some humility to do it.

I sure know this feeling all too well. Because I have a constant desire to please God and I love Him with everything in me, I am often the one who is convicted sooner or should I say, broken down by His word sooner. I am sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and I am grateful for that. I don't always want to follow the instruction right away though. I fight and  fight. I try to justify why I shouldn't have to do it. When all in all, I am likely just prolonging the process for what God is trying to do next.

How often do you think we hold up blessings, promotions, or prayers all because pride won't let us complete the one (humbling) task God is pushing us toward? How much do you think we hinder our own spiritual growth and bring to a halt some of the plans/ideas God has placed in our hearts to bring to pass, all because we cannot get past "it's not fair, I shouldn't have to..."?

I am currently reading in the book of James. Take a look at James 1:2-3 (really, open your bible and read it. Then you will be able to say you read your bible today...you're welcome :P). I am reading out of a bible featuring notes and commentary by Joyce Meyer. In her Life Point (commentary) she says the following:

The bible talks about purification, sanctification, sacrifice, and suffering. These are not popular words; nevertheless, if we are to be Christlike in character, we must sometimes go through difficult circumstances to learn His ways. I struggled with this process for a long time, but I finally realized that God was not going to do things my way. He placed people and situations in my life that caused me to want to quit this whole process, and He did not want an argument from me. He only wanted to hear, "Yes, Lord. Your will be done."

There's that tag line again. YOUR WILL BE DONE. And I wasn't even searching for it! I know I can relate to the way she felt about struggling and wanting to quit. Especially when you feel like you're always the one getting the slap in the face and having to turn the other cheek. In all though, we have to stand on God's promise to give us hope in our final outcome (Jeremiah 29:11 AMP).

So, as I am encouraged by the Holy Spirit and I encourage myself, I encourage you to pull yourself together, push that pride, fear, shame, etc. aside then go ahead and do what God is telling you, even urging you to do. Do it, so that you can move forward in the promise because He is definitely a promise keeper!

#ThyWillBeDone
#GreaterIsComing

Functioning in Dysfunction

Is there such a thing as a functional family? It seems that all families, no matter how perfect they may look or try to look, have some form of dysfunction and each family members is taught by one another how to get along in the midst of the dysfunction.

I'm sure it's probably hard for the members to recognize the dysfunction because, in all actuality, it's been their normal way of life. So when someone else points it out (intentionally or unintentionally), what do you do??

At this stage of my life, I have come to understand more and more about myself as well as see things I may not have seen before. These things are revealed to me through different avenues but nonetheless, revealed. The challenge is taking these things to God and allowing Him to either guide me or work out what he needs to work out in me.

This whole week, the word GRACE has arisen on multiple occasions. God uses so much grace with His children and we are to mirror Him. Honestly, sometimes I just want to throw grace out of the window.. maybe I should say most times, and I want to move forward the way that I want to move forward. When I do it my way, I'm continuing in the dysfunction, whether it be within family, friendships, the work place, etc.

I am then, again, brought back to THY WILL BE DONE. As hard as it is to show grace, it's even more detrimental to recognize the dysfunction and continue to function in it because of my own fleshy desire. It may take some prayer, some fasting and maybe even a little time to get out of the flesh and just be obedient to His word but we must press on.

Remembering that it's all for God and removing either the actual person or situation can make the obedience a little easier. Overall, we desire to please God and want His will to be done.

Thy Will Be Done

Here I am, once again, starting over. As long as I never give up on the blogging, I will continually begin again!

I am at a very different stage in my life since the initial post in this blog series. And in this stage, my constant tag line is "Thy Will Be Done". I have to seek God more on behalf of my family, my friends, and myself and all I ever want is for God's will to come to pass.

These last few days have brought about such eye opening clarity. All things happen for a reason in my belief and boy do I see clearly! God recently placed something in my heart and I definitely received the confirmation that I need to make a move on it!

Sometimes, we have situations or confrontations that occur in our lives that the enemy tries to use as a weapon against us but guess what?! No weapon FORMED against you shall prosper! There will absolutely be weapons with your name on it but it WILL NOT do what it was intended to do.  I am just even more excited to be obedient and follow God's voice!

Look for God in all things. I am more than grateful for His love that reigns supreme in mine and my family's life and I pray that I can share that same love with others!

My encouragement to you:

Hang in there! Don't let the meaningless attacks of the enemy knock you off course. Keep your eye on the prize and maintain Thy Will Be Done.

Greater is still coming!!

Remember Where You Were When...

Have you ever been going about you normal day when all of a sudden, something happens to remind you of a place you were emotionally, mentally and maybe even physically in the past? I know sometimes, I can hear an old song on the radio and can recall where I was and who I was around when I would listen to that certain song (most of the time it would be a secular song). Recently though, I came across a very special song that immediately brought me to tears.

The Song Greater Is Coming -Jekalyn Carr was a song that marked a significant moment for me. I heard it for the very first time the day after the most devastating heartbreak I had ever experienced. I was hurt by the person but I also knew that I would not always feel that hurt. I heard this song by Jekayln Carr and it really ministered to me in my pain at that time. I listened to it over and over, sang it out of a heart of expectation while trusting that, just like any other heartbreak I had gone through, God was going to bring me out of this one as well but in a much greater way with way more than I could ever imagine waiting for me on the other side of my breakthrough.

As I was driving home on the freeway a couple of days ago, coming from picking my sweet little one year old baby girl up after spending the weekend with her grandma, the song came across my playlist on Spotify. Tears instantly swelled in my eyes and I could not help but began to worship and thank God right then and there! He showed me, in that moment, that He has been faithful to me and that my expectation came to pass far beyond what I could have put together in my own little mind.

My healing came about a year after the breakup but so much more came as time went on. I was catapulted to another level of worship and I had the opportunity to share in that new level of worship with my, then church family, as I was asked to lead worship. I worshipped out of a broken place. where a lot of people are, which gave God the opportunity and space to get inside of my heart and do what He needed to do. My worship was able to help others worship!

I started this blog and you wouldn't believe the comments and/or personal messages I have gotten, telling me how encouraging my posts have been, how I have helped someone else know that God will do the same for them that He has done for me! This blog was never ever about me. It was never ever to bash the people who hurt, it was all a way for me to be completely transparent and hopefully allow others to follow me to my victory and to give hope to those who are on their journey to victory as well.

My most greatest gift of all, as I listened to the song and cried out and thanked God, is my beautiful family! I know I have mentioned them before but hearing that song, going all the way back to that bedroom in my parent's house where I sat on my knees alone, with my head buried in the mattress, screaming crying at the top of my lungs from a place so hurt I didn't want to smile because I thought that would be so fake of me since I was not happy. To now realize how God healed me completely and gave me way more than what I thought I lost! I could shout right now but it's 3:40am here and everyone in the house is asleep.

A quick run down of God's faithfulness to restore. In 2015, my wonderfully, loving, God-fearing, FAITHFUL husband and I were married in the most intimately perfect setting I could have ever dreamed of. In 2016. God blessed our marriage when He gave us our gorgeous, animated, genius of a baby girl. In 2017, we purchased our first home! We never thought we'd be here so quickly but the blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Proverbs 10:22. 

Listen when I tell you that you can trust God because His word does not return to Him void and it will prosper the thing where to He sent it (Isaiah 55:11). No matter where you are in your journey, YOU HAVE THE VICTORY. Look to God and constantly confess this: I WILL NOT be in this same place next year. MY GREATER IS COMING!

I am so grateful God reminded me of where I was when I first heard Greater is Coming. It was some of the best worship I have had in a long time!

Happy

Have you ever just felt unlike yourself and you just don't know why? I mean, the feeling just lingers and you try not to allow it to take over but it does. You're more irritable than you have ever been, your attitude is not as pleasant as normal. It's all abnormal but you just can't seem to shake it.

That was me this week. I am sure, that has been at least one of you before also. Sometimes, we take on so much in this world that we fail to recharge ourselves, both physically and most of all, spiritually.When our spirit is not properly cared for and nurtured, it can tend to get out of wack, making our everyday life do the same. At least I know this to be true of those whose spirits are connected to the Most High God anyway. We have to replenish and refresh ourselves in Him or we are no good. We are made in his image and His likeness. If all we are doing is worrying about and going about taking care of things that don't have much to do with Him, we can sometimes tend to lose touch, losing touch with who we truly are.

One of the ways I get back to a place of peace, calm, happiness, joy, and just me again is by worship. Worship puts back in order my unbalanced life! We have to remember what it is that brings us back to that place. The place where we can feel a sense of relief and truly be ourselves again. For you it could be reading your bible or a spiritual book. It could be listening to a sermon by your pastor or favorite preacher. It could be going into the church building and sitting under the word being spoken. It could be praying. Everyone is different and you have to know what draws you back in.

My heart was created to worship. I know for a fact that my life is nothing without worship. I cannot function properly if my worship life is lacking. Personally, I sometimes can get so caught up in everything else going on in my world that I fail to realize that I have neglect worship time with my first love, my Lord and Savior, my Jesus! Yes, corporate worship is wonderful and a good way to get into worship. For me, personal worship, right in the comfort of my own home, is even more powerful. There is nothing like an encounter with God in the place where you lay your head at night. It fills your home with a supernatural peace and a fragrance of praise.

I was reminded of that this week and what a wonderful reminder it was! My heart was able to rejoice in who He is to me and that's it. Nothing else. Not what He's done for me naturally, what he can do, or what I know Him to do but the simple fact that He loves me and His life saved my life! There is a complete joy in  knowing how much God loves you and that He will never ever stop! I am grateful for the opportunity to enter into worship on a personal level and be recharged in my spirit as well as brought back to who and who's I truly am.

Worship makes me happy. What is it that makes you happy? I pray that God reveals to you what it is you need to do to get back to that place of peace and security in Him and when He does, I pray you never forget how to get there again and again. Many well wishes to you, reader. Continue to look forward to your Greater!

From Faith to Fruition

Happy 2017!!!

I am little over a month late but, better late than never, right? What a great year it has started out to be! So far, for me, it has not only been a year of major blessings but also a year of reflection.

I started this blog approximately four years ago in 2013. At the time, I was broken, in pain, and holding on to my faith that the way I was feeling at that time would not be the way I would feel a year later. I trusted God through my process of healing and restoration and I shared my journey publicly in hopes of helping someone else who may have been going through something similar.

If I had to say, I would call my devastation of 2013 the lowest I had ever been in my entire 31 years of life (at the time, 27 years). I was determined to make it out victoriously and I just knew God had much greater plans in store for me. My daily blog submissions gave my readers a clear look into my real life emotions, struggles, revelations and victories. I held on to my faith that although I had just experienced such a crushing blow, God had so much greater in store for me!

I just want to encourage somebody, anybody, that is currently going through a healing process. It is not easy. You will have some bad days and that's okay. Those are the days you can really demand God to show up for you and He will! Stick with the process. If it helps, write down what emotions you are experiencing, what you are doing to help yourself, and where you see yourself a year from today!

Keep believing that your greater is coming! Hold on to God's promise to give you a future and a hope. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is going to work together for your good as long as you don't grow weary and give up the fight, Trust God in all that you do! He will never ever fail you! I am a witness!! Soon you will see the fruit of your faith. You will see the evidence of the positive things you spoke over your life in your darkest moments. Keep claiming your greater because soon you and everyone around you will begin to see your life go from faith to fruition!! Press on!

As a living testimony, I want to share with you how God has stayed true to his promise to me and how my very own faith has transferred over into fruition. Below is a photo of my family. My faithful, God-fearing, hardworking, loving husband and my sweet angel of a baby girl. God has definitely been faithful and has blessed me with much greater than I had even expected! If He did it for me, He will surely do it for you! Keep the faith!

From my family to yours...GREATER IS COMING!!

You Are Not A Failure!

Listen!!

YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE!

Your marriage may have ended but YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE!

You didn't graduate from school but YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE!

That business didn't get off of the ground but YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE!

You are great! You have something great to offer the world! God has so much more planned for your future!

God's favor covers you! He knows exactly where you are! He knew exactly where you would be at this very moment. Trust Him! Trust that you are in His will! Be confident in the fact that YOU WIN! YOU ARE VICTORIOUS! Look forward to the fact that even though you went through whatever you went through, GREATER IS COMING!

YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE! YOU ARE PREDESTINED FOR GREATNESS! Walk in your greatness NOW!!!

Because Someone Needs To Hear This!

To whomever may need this:

What's been hurting you will not be able to hinder you -Pastor Jermone Glenn, year 2014.

Whatever it is that has broken your heart and is making you cry in this very moment will not be able to stop what God has predestined for you. Take comfort in this...by this time next year you will be 10 times better than you are today! The hurt won't last forever! It is okay to grieve a loss, a heartbreak, a let down, etc. but once the grieving process has ended, you will be healed, delivered and set free! Grieve to God about it now so that you can give God glory for bringing you out later!  Trust me, He CAN and WILL do it for you! I know by personal experience!

If you ever need a little encouragement, go back and take a look at my earlier posts from May 2013 and let my real life story of heartbreak, healing and blessing give you hope!!

Love you!

Begin Again and Again

Hello Readers!

Recently, I have been attempting to get back into my blogging. It will go well a couple of weeks and then I will kind of fall of from the task. A friend of mine helped me to remember how relevant and important my words are to others and I have decided to begin again.

With that being said, I want to encourage you to do the same with whatever it is you may have placed on hold or let fall to the wayside. It is okay to begin again, and again, and again! Just don't give up! Someone needs what you have! Remember, the things we go through in life are never just for the sake of going through it; it's for the next person whom you will encounter who needs help getting through the exact same thing!

So, I encourage you, whatever it is begin again! Whether it be establishing a better way of eating, starting a new work out regimen, reconstructing a business plan, or learning a new skill. Never stop beginning again because once you stop, the world may never get to partake in what you have to offer!

All my love,

Keya
#GreaterIsComing

Remember Your Glory

Have you ever looked back at some of your photos from a couple years back and realize you're pretty darn dope?! Not in a conceited, braggadocious kind of way, but you recognize the royalty on yourself, on your life?

For a long while, with all the challenges in life and different transitions, I lost sight of how awesome I am. How beautiful I am, how successful I am, and how I am ABOVE average. I've never accepted nor have I ever been mediocre and I never will be. I can remember, a long time ago, one of my friends looked at me and said, "you just look rich!". That's the way I should and will try to always look! I grasped, back on 2012, the fact that I can look like now, what I know God is taking me to later. Another thing that reminded me of my heavenly royal appearance was that once, I worked at McDonald's for a summer. When some of my friends and even family members found out, they could not believe it and literally had to come lay their eyes on me in action in order to believe it. They said, "that's not the type of job I see Keya working". Not that there is anything wrong with fast food. I actually learned a great deal about how to work under pressure while at McDonald's. It's just that when God places a glory on your life, even those around you will be able to recognize it without even really knowing what they see!

Call me bougie, sadiddy, stuck up, whatever you want but I know that's not who I am. I am a child of the King which means I'm a princess. I walk with my head high and know without a doubt I'm well taken care of. I have the best, my family has the best and we will live gratefully and confidently in what God has already prepared for us. You should too!!

You Are Blessed!

#SweetReminder

Today, as my husband, our daughter and I were leaving a restaurant after having family dinner, an older Caucasian male (maybe in his mid 70s) stopped us. We had been sitting directly across from their table and Cadence (our baby) was making a lot of noise, laughing and playing. I had no idea what the older gentleman was waving me over for. I thought maybe I dropped something of hers and he was trying to let me know (as that happens so often).

When I went to his table where he and his wife were having dinner, he said to me, "You are so blessed!" She is such a blessing. We have four beautiful girls and they were a blessing to us and I can tell she's such s blessing". I agreed and told him she is a blessing. She's the best baby. He then asked, "How's mom doing?" I told him I was doing great! Which is so true! I was so appreciative of him and his wife for their kind words.

I was also reminded of how God blesses us beyond what we deserve! If I had to be honest, when I first found out I was pregnant, I did not have a most excited reaction. I had planned to wait a year two after marriage before trying for children. Cadence is a honeymoon baby. I prayed that God forgive for that because a friend later said to me, "That's awesome, God blessed your union with a baby!". I hadn't seen it that way at first!

Anyhow, I have to say, this little baby has been a complete joy. God could have made things different to match my initial reaction of ungratefulness. I know that many women try and try and have the hardest time conceiving and my selfish tail behaved in such a self-centered manner.

Cadence is everything I prayed for. She brings joy to our home and everyone she comes in contact with. She is full of energy, extremely intelligent, and just as cute as can be (Mommy is biased, I know lol). We are blessed beyond measure with such an angel who has been just that. Being her parents has been a breeze and I am so grateful God saw past my insensitive selfish attitude and still blessed us with such an amazing baby. He could have taken her away before we got a chance to meet her.

I love being her mom! I love waking up to her sweet little gorgeous smile every morning. I even love the way she thinks all of my limbs are her pacifier as she is currently using my leg as her pacifier right now lol. I so don't deserve her but God is way better than me and decided to bless me anyway! I'm glad that older gentleman reminded me of that today!

What is it that you have taken for granted and lost sight of the fact that you truly are blessed? Don't lose sight! Remember God's promises to you! You Are Blessed! GREATER IS COMING!

New Chapter, Same Book: Prelude

Hello Readers,

It seems every time I start a blog, I am apologizing for the lapse in between blogs. I must say, I have been a pretty busy lady over the last year. I know some of you have been keeping up with my posts since I first began this journey of public journaling. I have given you all a real live glimpse into my devastating heartbreak, to God's everlasting love and complete healing of my heart, to my now received promise! From the first blog post to the last, I exclaimed to you that GREATER IS COMING. I believed that with all of my heart no matter how sad, depressed, hurt, angry or upset I was feeling at the moment. My faith superseded my situation and that faith got me to where I am today! I am so grateful for God's faithfulness to me, His grace that kept me and His strength that brought me this far!

To give a quick recap to catch some of the new readers up (you can always go back and read from the beginning); when I started this blog I was completely heartbroken. My engagement had just been ended due to infidelity of my then significant other and an illegitimate child he had on the way. It was the worst pain I had ever felt and although, at the time, I couldn't stop my tears I knew that God had a much greater plan for my life. Looking back on it, the break up was a major blessing!

Skipping past a few pages to now, I am married to the man of my dreams who knows how to protect my heart, we have a gorgeous baby girl who is so full of joy that I can't even imagine how I was even happy before her lol. We are living in a beautiful city, creating wonderful, long-lasting, godly and productive relationships and God has definitely been blessing us in our careers! His love never fails! He knows what is best for us and I am so glad I put my trust in Him and allowed Him to direct my path! I am truly experiencing my Greater and some! And it is not going to stop here!

So, the chapter has changed from heartbreak to a real live, true love story. I am in a different place, with majorly different roles and I am learning soooo much. I invite you to come along with me on this new journey of wifedom/motherhood as I allow the Lord to guide and use me to tackle, bring light to, and just support some of the new things new mothers and wives may face. We are still looking towards Greater and I am personally going to volunteer to be your partner in getting there!!

GREATER IS COMING my friends! I am a living testimony. Stay with me!

INVITE:
If you are in the Grand Rapids, MI. area (or if you're not) I invite you to come visit the place where a lot of my healing took place and God really proved Himself to me. My wonderful church home: The Revolution Culture Movement at 5301 28th St. Ct. Grand Rapids, MI. 49546. It would be negligent of me not to invite you to partake in the spirit-filled word of God from my amazing Pastors Jermone Glenn and Lady Erica Glenn. They, being led by God, have been of such great help to me over the past two years. Let them bless you too! BE MY GUEST!

Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself

Good evening/morning/afternoon!




I would like to take this time to make a re-introduction, as time has passed and so much has changed since my initial post, including my last name!!!




Let me just tell you, when you truly trust God's plan for your life and hold on to the fact that Greater really is coming, God will remain true to his word. From heartbreak to complete restoration, God has definitely been faithful!




I have made a few post giving small glimpses of the blessings God has allowed in my life but let me catch you all the way up to speed in one post.




God brought me in front of the TRUE man of God He had selected for me and that man took no time in making me his wife. I married my best friend on 05/25/15 and God has been opening door after door and pouring out blessing after blessing since! We have also had some faith testing but He never ever failed us. We have been married for one year now and it has been the total opposite of what I had grown used to in relationships. It is so liberating to be able to truly trust the words of the man you are in a relationship with or married to. He has never once given me a reason to feel as though there may be another woman capturing his attention nor has he brought any type of drama into my life. I had not ever had this type of experience before him. When a man truly loves you as Christ loves the church, there is no reason to be skeptical or fearful of him doing anything to hurt your heart.




1 John 4:18 reads: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. I have never understood this scripture the way I understand it now! Perfect love casts out fear! There is no need to fear he is going to leave me, there is no fear of him cheating or disrespecting me. Fearing those things on a constant is truly tormenting. I have been made perfect not only in my Father's love but also in the love of my husband, whose instruction for how to love me comes directly from the Father and he takes heed!




When I started this blog, I was in a place of hurt, confusion, embarrassment, depression, etc. I am now reintroducing myself in a place of pure love, joy, peace, comfort, healing, blessing and much more! God has given me way better than what I thought I even wanted. He was so pleased with my husband and I's union that He blessed us with the most beautiful, sweet, baby girl who was born exactly nine months after our wedding day!




So, my name is Nikeya C., my friends call me Keya. I am 30 years old. I am the wife of the most amazing husband and a new mommy to the greatest baby alive! I knew that God had something much greater for my life as soon as I started this blog and I never gave up hope or faith that Greater was coming! I want to encourage you, wherever you are, to keep looking forward to that which is Greater! You shall soon see what you envision!!! My hope, from this day forward, is to continue to encourage you to keep your eyes focused forward and to help you get excited about your future because if God did it for me, He will surely do it for you!!

To All My Single Ladies: He's Not Man Enough Because You're Not Woman Enough.

Hello! I pray that this post finds you in peace today, and if not, I pray it helps give you some peace.

Normally my blog posts stem from my very own experiences or personal revelations that I so desperately want to share with the world! Today, I feel as though it is coming from a different place and I feel a mandate to address one of the things that has really been bothering me over the past couple of months. That thing is single women going on rants about men. Rants that point out how there are more "boys" than "men" around; about how if the woman is in a relationship with the man and he doesn't call her for 24 hours, she's moving on; etc., etc., etc. He ain't gotta call you! LOL. If you two are not engaged/married, neither of you are obligated to one another but you don't have to tell the world you're going to drop him because he didn't call you for a day either. At the end of the day, you both are still single and doing your own thing unless otherwise agreed upon by the two of you.

Let me tell you how annoying that is to see posted on Facebook, talked about in videos, or posted about on Instagram and Twitter. And what's most appalling to me is that it is coming from GROWN women, women who are over 25 years old. Ladies, let me stand you in front of a mirror for a second. All of those posts about how men aren't nothing, they are all the same, how if they were a man they would do this, that or the other, really reflects back on you. They are really telling the world the type of men YOU choose to keep company with, then complain about. They really show YOUR OWN immaturity.

If you have not learned by now, a man or any person, will treat you the way you allow them to. They will behave with you in a way that they know will be tolerated by you. In my personal opinion, an adult, male or female, is not concerned with how the opposite sex is not doing what they need them to do but rather focused on greater things at hand. If the man or woman is not meeting the standard of he adult counterpart, then that adult counterpart makes the executive decision to move forward with their lives without saying a word about it, displaying it to the world, or being a crybaby and "sneak dissing" or insulting the other person.

So think about this ladies: If you are looking for, waiting on, or praying for a man; shouldn't you first exhibit the behaviors of a woman? Be woman enough to uphold your standards and just walk away if they are not being met. Be woman enough to communicate your needs to that man in private if you feel like you don't want to give up just yet, don't be childish and post "subliminal" messages all over your Facebook page, liking and sharing other bitter, broken women's posts hoping he will see. Be woman enough to walk in your purpose, as the woman God has called you to be and trust that God will allow your path to cross with the man He has created for you. Stop allowing people to treat you in unsatisfactory ways and most of all, STOP POSTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA ABOUT IT!

It's time to grow up ladies and be the woman that a man is searching for. Proverbs 18:22 reads, HE who finds a wife, finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord. He's searching for a woman to be his wife, not a childish female who is posting all of these bad images of men. Proverbs 31: 11-12 talks about the virtuous woman and reads, The heart of her husband safely trusts her, so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil ALL the days of her life. "All the days of her life" means even before she physically meets him. How can any man safely trust in a woman who man bashes on social media or anywhere else whenever she seems to get upset? Think about it. You want your Boaz but you're not acting anything like a Ruth to draw him to you.

In summary, evaluate and reevaluate your male/female relationships, what you are allowing in your life and what you will or will not tolerate. Be woman enough to move forward and trust God to bring you to the place where the true man of God is waiting for you, and learn to be a trustworthy woman by doing your husband good and not evil ALL the days of your life from this day forward! Your GREATER IS COMING but you have to show to be ready for it!

All my love,

Keya

One Day At A Time

Happy February 1st, 2016!! We have already completed one month of the new year! Best of all for my household, this is the month our little sweet baby girl is due! She could be making her appearance within the next couple of weeks! It's bitter sweet for me. On the one hand I am excited to see her, touch her, smell her, kiss her, hug her, and just love her to life! On the other hand, I am going to miss her being so literally attached to me, taking her everywhere I go, protecting her on the inside of me, and feeling her little lovely movements all through the day and night. The miracle of conception, growth, and birth is absolutely baffling. To know a seed grew inside of me into a human being is astonishing. There was once nothing in my womb then God placed His hand on it and created life! How amazing is that?! It has been the most wonderful experience. Even with the heart burn and achy back and hips. I am honored that God chose me to go through this experience and birth his creation into earth!

With all of that being said, I wanted to share with you today what has been in my heart. Having a baby or going through any major life change can be exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time. You begin to think of all of the things that will need to be taken care of, how you will be able to take care of it all, the time you have to take care of it all, if you have the resources to do what you need to do, etc. It can become extremely overwhelming and cause you to begin to worry. I can say for myself, I have not been doing a good job of keeping my worry at a minimum. I have even questioned God about His decision to give us this assignment when things have not been adding up enough to give me the confidence that we will be able to carry it out. Yep, I questioned God on His decision. Like He doesn't have a plan already set in place. It can be hard to just simply trust, follow, and obey Him when you have absolutely no idea, no clue, not even a hint of where things might be headed.

I can say for myself, that I do a lot of thinking about the future. I have thought about things that are so far away such as, giving my daughter the best childhood, taking her on trips and allowing her to see things I did not. I have even thought about how we will pay for her college tuition. The child has not even seen the light of day yet and I am already trying to figure out how much money we will need to save for her college expenses! Crazy, right? I have gotten myself all worked up on all of these future things, I almost lost sight of what is happening today. I had allowed so much worry and anxiety to overtake me, it almost took away the joy of the current moment.

Jeremiah 29:11 (a scripture I have used many times through this blog) clearly shows us that God plans to give us welfare and peace and He does not have any evil plans for us, This is what He spoke to Jeremiah and we know that God is not a respecter of persons, so if He promised this to Jeremiah, we can hold to the same promise for ourselves even though the scripture was not speaking directly to us. His thoughts and plans are to give us hope in our final outcome. That means, we should look forward to God's plans for our lives. The decisions He makes for us will always have a positive outcome because it's in his plan! As long as we stay within His will, we will be okay. There is no reason to worry. His plans are way better than our own plans for our lives.

I am also constantly taken back to another set of scriptures at this time in my life as well; Matthew 6:25-34. In all my worrying about what's going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, in 18 years; I am reminded of this passage. I have been reminded by the Holy Spirit Himself, my wonderful husband, and again through God's divine word spoken through our pastor. The first two times, I was encouraged and kind of gave it an, "Okay God, I see what you're saying. I shouldn't worry. You will take care of us as long as we seek you first, I get it". The third time, I believe the light came on. What stuck out the most was the SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD. Seek His way of doing things. Follow His leadership. It is a cause and effect situation. Follow God's way then all the things will be added to you. I do my part and God does His part. The question arose, "Have I been seeking Him first? Am I cooperating with God so that He can do what He has promised?"

A lot of times, I speak for myself again, when things don't look too good worry comes first. I attempt to come up with a plan on my own to make sure things are taken care of. I begin to seek earthly ways of getting what I need when I need it. After all of my attempts fail, then I start asking God for help. I start crying out and wondering why He seems not to be there for me. Anxiety begins to take over and I wonder if God is even listening or seeing what I am going through. Clearly, that does not qualify as cooperation with God and what He instructs me to do in His word. Matthew 6:34 tells us not to worry or be anxious about tomorrow because tomorrow will have it's own worries. God gives us enough grace for one day at a time (summarized). Hence, the title of this post.

Being confident in the fact that  God's plan for us is something we should look forward to and knowing that if we cooperate with His word, stay in His will, and follow His lead He is going to give us every single thing that we need; we can relax and live in the current moment. Focusing on one day at a time is sure to bring your stress and anxiety levels way down. Use the grace supplied to you for the day and enjoy peace in knowing that God's got you. If you accepted the gift of salvation and are living your life for Him, He is responsible for taking care of you, You have been adopted into His family, His Kingdom (Ephesians 1 and 1 Peter 2:9-10). As His son/daughter, we represent Him. I know as an earthly mother, I don't want my child begging other people for food, looking like she has no one home taking care of her. That would make me look like an unfit mother. Just imagine how it would make God look if we are calling Him our father and living in His royal household but we don't appear to be taken care of as a King's kid would. That's would bring Him no glory and God takes pride in His children.

Hopefully, today's post will encourage you to stop worrying about tomorrow, next week, next month, or 18 years from now and give you the strength to focus only on the day at hand. You have grace for today. Meditate on Matt. 6:25-34  (Message Version). Cooperate with God, trust his plan, and hold him to his word. He keeps His promises and He has to deliver! Take it one day at a time. Enjoy peace. Enjoy the privilege of knowing that you can relax because there is nothing new under the sun and God's got you covered!  Don' miss out on a great moment because you are too far ahead in a future you have no grace for yet. Let the sunshine bless you, or the beautiful snowfall, or even the refreshing rain. Thank God that your current needs are met. You might not have all of the glitz and glam, you may not be able to do much more with your money but you will never be seen begging bread because you are a Kings Kid! According to Jeremiah 29:11, your GREATER IS COMING! Stay the course and keep your eye on the One who leads you. One day at a time.

All my love,

Keya

Daily Expectation

Happy New Year!!

It's the fifth day of the year and I am so excited about what is in store for you this year! It's always so nice to know you get to start off the new year with a fresh slate. Everything that happened in 2015 can stay there and you can set the tone of the new year by declaring what you will have and what you are going to expect as the year progresses on! I pray you take full advantage of your fresh start!

Coming in to this new year, I decided to create a blessing jar. My husband and I write down anything that we feel is a blessing each day and place it in the jar. At the end of this year, we will go back through our blessing jar to take a look at how good God has been to us all year long! I was so excited to start. This is only the fifth day of the month and I have gotten to place something in the jar everyday!

Yesterday, as I was talking with God, I realized that my excitement level was high and I said, "God, I can't wait to see in what way you bless me today!" At that moment, I realized my expectation had been set. After only three days of paying attention to the ways God blesses me, whether it be something big or something small, I have built such expectation. Everyday now, I am expecting God to make His presence known in my life and I can expect to be able to write something down and place it in the jar before my day is over.

Do you have daily expectation? When we have a daily expectation from God, it puts a demand on Him to show up. He knows we are expecting to see Him and our God is a God who does not disappoint. God loves us so much, He will make sure we obtain the desires of our heart and if He is the desire, He will all the more want to give us more of Him!!

Setting your expectations on Him and recognizing Him in the small and large details helps us to grow more confident in the fact that He is with us, that He hears us. It builds our trust in Him. My daily expectation has alleviated so much worry and stress. I know every day, God is going to allow me to have something to place in that jar. I wake up with such joy and excitement each day, almost like a kid on Christmas morning!

I challenge you to expect God, daily! Look for Him in all that you do. Deuteronomy 4:29 reads: "But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul". If you seek the Lord, you will find Him!! Search for Him today. Expect Him in you heart. God is with you and He's waiting for you to recognize His presence and expect it daily!

Set your expectations high because GREATER IS COMING!!

All my love,

Keya