Mortgage Thoughts With a Twist

In the far away places of our minds, we have two worlds...one that actually is and the one that our mind has created.

The concocted one...oh we give it so much power over us. It controls how we go about our lives. We blame it for our happiness, joy, sorrow, anxiety, sadness, bitterness, anger, shame, surprise, pride, embarrassment, boredom, satisfaction and loneliness.
As time passes in our lives, we become more and more aware of these feelings that we have created. The days go by and some of us wake up and realize that we do indeed have control over the world that our mind has generated.
We learn that the only thing that we can control in our lives is our reactions. If we want to be happy and joyful and compassionate, we have to consciously look for those little things in every moment. Seek them out. Look for the good in every situation.
The opposite is also true. If you constantly find yourself in a state of aggravation, boredom, bitterness and aggression, it is your fault.
You have…

It is in solitude that you will realize that you are really never alone.

We have this soul within us that shines bright and is different and unique...so very distinct from all others. We have a destiny to fulfill that is beautiful, good an eternal.

We should learn to look at ourselves with the same delight, joy and satisfaction with which God sees us in every moment. That would be amazing, wouldn’t it? Imagine how great the world would be if we all did this.

Because He is within us. So we are never alone, you see.

Nothing, including the brightest days to the darkest days, can separate us from His love.

Wouldn’t it be great if we all looked at ourselves with such love and went through each day looking for our blessings in each moment? If we responded to everything that happens to us with gratitude and acceptance?

The dark times wouldn’t seem so dark. We would realize that they are temporary and that there is good happening, even when we can’t readily see it.

The light times would be s…

I think that each of us have these turning points in our lives...these forks in the road that propels us in such a wildly different direction from where we would have gone with our manner of living had we made a different decision. I believe that we have many of these occurrences in our lifetime.  Perhaps when they happened we didn’t know how profound each decision was. It may have seemed so simple and mundane at the time. Or conceivably, it was a monumental decision to complexly change who we are because we had become so far away from the authentic self that God had created us to be.

We have so many “forks” within our journeys along the way of our soul paths. It is really interesting sometimes to look back and see just how far one single decision took you.

A decision to...

Change your health...how you eat and how you exercise.
Stop drinking.
Stop smoking.
To love someone.
To take a class.
Turn left versus right.
Have the affair or do something that is wrong when you know it is wrong.
…

I have heard that the greatest prayer unanswered is the prayer never prayed. I disagree.

I think the greatest prayer unanswered is one that was; but I wasn’t ready.

This is what I have learned, when you pray, you HAVE to believe in God’s great power to make it happen. If you pray for rain, you had better prepare your fields.

Trust His will. If it IS His will, then it’s gonna happen. End of story.

BUT you have to also believe that it will happen. We have to make are we are ready for it to happen. After all, we can’t be asking God to do something in our lives and then not believe enough in Him to follow through.

You want to be healed? Prepare yourself to be healed. Change your mindset. Change your attitude. Be open-minded. Prepare.

You want to find love? Get your home in order. Get your shit together and make yourself ready so that when the prayer is answered for you, you are totally equipped for this person to love you back.

Do you want to heal from hurt? Then get your heart right. For…

That is my new measurement for my dating standards...I think that it’s catchy and quite wise, actually. You can use it if you want to.

When I tell people that I am single, they look at me like I have 3 eyes and I know that they think that there is something totally wrong with me. There isn’t. I am going to keep on breaking up with men until I find the one that I am supposed to be with. Then I won’t. It is that simple.

Most girls know how to dress, where to go and what to say to meet the men we want to meet. That is the easy part. The part that most of us mess up on is actually sitting down and thinking about what is actually important to us for the most IMPORTANT “position” out there...our life partners. The one with whom we could totally quarantine with. Forever.

When I was younger, I think that I made the same mistake as so many others; I settled. A lot. I was so hungry for love that I stayed with anyone who loved me, or appeared to. I didn’t think about anything long term like actu…

What makes a house a home? The ago old question, right? Your home should be a haven for you that shelters you from the hectic world that we live in. It tells a story about you...who you are and what is important to you. 
Your home is a very accurate gauge of your life choices. Where have you been? What’s going on now? What is important? It shows what you value and who you are right now.
That’s a lot of pressure...I know. 
Now, I am not talking about how expensive the stuff is in your home. I am talking about the stuff that counts...what is on the inside. it doesn’t take a whole lot of money to make it “your” house.
Or maybe you never thought of it that way. In that case, it is time to open your eyes :) Take a look around you and tell me...what is your house saying about you? Is it a home? Does it represent who you are?
It is time to realize that your home represents the most authentic version of yourself. It is just like the clothes that you wear...they do the talkin’. What is your h…

Dear Younger Me,

Older me wants to give you some advice about your life, so I urge you to listen. You see, you are about to embark on a journey that will take you places you have haven't even dreamed of yet. Older me wants to give tell you some things that will make your passage more enjoyable and understandable.

So here goes:


You know that feeling that you get sometimes in the pit of your gut? You should totally listen to that. That is God talking to you.Who really cares about what anyone else thinks? It doesn’t matter. Do your own thang and don’t care about what “they” think.It is perfectly fine to fail. In fact, it is going to make us a better person.Having a good relationship with God is totally up to you. But, man-o-man, life is so much better when you are close to Him and spend time with Him every day. You should start this much earlier in life.Enjoy every second with your parents and your grandparents. They won’t be around forever.Never, ever let anyone speak limitations int…

This past week, I have been thinking a lot about why I love doing what I do so very much. What I have discovered is that it is not just because of my love of helping people as much as it is using my God-given talents to do things the way He wants me to.

You see, I have learned that it is truly better to do things the right way...not for the approval of others...but as if I am working for God. When I work, I work with all of my heart and I know that He is working through me. He has to be. I can feel it with every ounce of my soul.

Kahlil Gibran got it right in The Prophet when he said, “And all work is empty save when there is love; and when you work with love, you bind yourself to yourself, and to one another, and to God.” and, “Work is love made visible.”

When you work just for money, you are missing out on so so much. You see, there is great joy to be had when you shift your focus...your why. When you put Love into what you do - everything you do- things change. Things won’t seem li…

I have these cards that I carry with me a lot. I use them for inspiration when I can’t think and I bring them out in a group setting sometimes in order to get people out of their “normal” talk situations about work etc. that we tend to fall into. They are great ways to get people to open up, if that makes sense.

Anyway...today’s challenge for me was to name 10 things that make my day better.

So here are mine:


Actually getting enough sleepSpending time with God each morningWhen I pause and look around me and realize how much I have to be thankful forWhen I do things for or help other peopleWorking out and how good I feel afterwardsWhen I take things and complete my tasks one thing at a time versus constant multitaskingWhen I “take my hands off the wheel” and let God be in control...and then accept whatever outcome happensWhen I do things, I do them the right way the first time and I do them with loveSpending precious with those that I love and actually spending that time with them...no …

I know. I feel it too. Right now, you feel like your world is out of control. Any sense of routine that you had grown to love has gone. The world around you is volatile and that creates uncertainty...which creates some insecurity in your head. I know. I get it. You are not the only one. There are lots of us.

When we are shaken out of our comfort zones into a new world of unfamiliarity, our first reaction might be to be angry or resentful of our current circumstance. Now is the time to take God’s hand tightly and look for the positive ways that you can use this time to grow and change with the season you are in.

Instead of getting aggrieved with your situation, you have to change your mindset and look for the positive side of the environment of which you are now in. After all, you know that the ONLY thing that we can actually choose is our reactions to the things that happen to us. You are going to have to look at things a different way. Accept the change. Acknowledge it and welcome it…

I went to HEB yesterday morning and I got to wait in the “social distancing” line around the store. Most everyone had a mask on and gloves. Pretty much everyone that walked out of the store had a huge thing of toilet paper in their hands (which made me giggle to myself).

Everyone’s heads were down. Shuffling forward like a herd of cows. No one talked to anyone else. No one looked at each other in the eyes. Just shuffled forward. Obeying orders.

No smiles. No conversations.

It scared the shit out of me. Not because I am afraid of getting sick. Trust me, I was the person in line trying to make jokes and smile and talk to people and it was not very well received. It made me think...

So this is how it happens...this is what happens when people just “go along” and lose their hope.

Prior to all of this BS, we had already started to lose our humanity...just by virtue of technology. Hiding behind internet, text messaging, email...just cause it is easier to do those things versus actually havi…

It has been a little while since God has talked to me, but when I woke up this morning, the feeling was overwhelming. It was one of those "down on my knees” moments that were so powerful that I cried...with happiness, of course.

The day that we celebrate Easter is coming upon us...a day that is so significant in the Christian faith.

It is the day

that changed

EVERYTHING.

You see, inside of us, innate to our existence is a thirst and a hunger that can only be satisfied by having a relationship with Jesus.

Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is He who came by water and blood - Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood.

You will never be thirsty again. Seek Me. Find Me. When you are far from Me, whisper My name. Take time to be with Me.

When you are uncertain and you don’t know where to go or what to do, reach your hand up and hold God’s hand. He’s been waiting for you...arm out and hand open...always.

Once you take …

Right now, it is easy to think about all of the hundreds- if not thousands- of things that are missing from your life. You know, those things that you used to do just a month ago that you completely took for granted. You have now settled in to your “new normal”. Some of you have let the darkness enter your soul and have found yourselves concentrating and pining for the things you used to have or do. You have become focused on your current situation’s negativity and it is stirring a deep, dark seed of discontent within you. You might be bitter and angry and you may even refuse let any joy into your life “until this is all fixed.”

I will bet you, though, if you change your mindset to one of gratitude and thanksgiving, this time that we are all in can have a greater meaning...a greater outcome than your mind has ever imagined. Like my mom used to say, “Jen, you just have to make the best of it.”

We might not be able to change our situation, but we CAN change our minds and attitudes - no …

By now, I would guess that most home projects and “honey-do” lists have been completed. You have watched all you would ever want to watch on Netflix (ever!) and you have thought about all of the million things that you are going to do when this is all over. You are sick and tired of watching the news, the political blaming, the finger pointing, the clamor... and you wish that they would just shut up and put something positive on. You have called all of your friends and even some that maybe were not (before this) and have trolled Facebook for countless hours looking for funny memes to make you smile. Anything to make the numbness go away.

By now, you have made lists of ways you want to change and things that you will do “when the quarantine is up” that may have seemed so silly just a few weeks earlier.

You feel guilt, sorrow, grief because you are seeing so many people hurt all around you. Or maybe you are one of the ones who are really hurting.

By now, you know someone personally who …

Amidst everything that is going on all around us, we have the ability to find Peace. Peace amongst the chaos and the clammer all around us. You will have to look for the good that comes through pain and trouble and realize that understanding just isn’t going to work right now...trust and faith will.

Having Peace calms the whirlwind that is rotating around you like your own personal tornado. I know you know what I am talking about...you are probably feeling it right now, right? All of these events, the news, your worries, your fears, anxiety...all going 1000 mph around you much like a tornado...you take a step and it follows you...rotating so quickly that you can’t even keep up...too many things. Yeah, having Peace turns that whirlwind into a comfortable breeze and a sunny day that warms you and brings a smile to your face despite the shit show going on all around you. Your anxieties are calmed and your mind gets cleared. Peace.

Right now, it is hard to look for good that is coming out…

The times that we are in right now are unlike any other time. I pray that everyone stays safe and that this pandemic comes to an end quickly. I pray for the successful recovery of those who are ill. I bet by now every one of you knows someone who has been affected by this virus – either physically or financially. The uncertainty in the world has caused some major volatility in the markets. Unemployment is now in the millions and it will impact every aspect of our country.
We are about to walk into a tsunami that is going to make 2008 look like a small wave and I am here to explain why.
In the end, I do believe, like we always do…we WILL come out of this stronger and better…but it is the in-between time that is going to be very difficult.
For the sake of simplicity, I am going to stick with the basics so that you understandwhat is going on and the implications that follow.
I am going to cover parts of the mortgage industry that most of you have little knowledge of, but are hugely important.
…

Satan has been probably whispering in your ear lately. Telling you that there isn’t hope. You aren’t strong enough to get through this chaos. You aren’t going to make it. Go ahead and act badly, it’s ok. Live on the dark side. Give up. The world has gone to shit. It is never going to get better. You are in this for yourself only. Who cares what you do? Don’t help anyone, only help yourself. Take that drink. Turn your head away from that person. Be selfish, you deserve it. Where is God in all of this? He abandoned you. Why even try? You won’t make it. Join me.

Sound familiar? If you have found yourself getting discouraged, sad, anxious, worried, or if you have heard the whispers above...I want you to read this passage that is coming along with what I write after it.

The Armor of God10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but ag…