hope

When God Moves

Good Morning☀️

Over the past month, I have watched God move in ways I have never witnessed or experienced before. Last night, when I shared that my spirit was having its own praise and worship moment, I was still in awe of how God had shown up hours earlier. Even as I write, I can’t help but praise God.

Short story…

Almost a year ago, I received a direct message from someone asking me if I would share an event on my Mississippi Thriving Facebook page, and I shared it. About a month later, I attended a luncheon for women veterans, and the person who asked me to share her event was the guest speaker. Towards the end of the event, I introduced myself to her, and she invited me to have coffee (hot chocolate for me) the following week. She was looking for volunteers to sit on the planning committee for the event I had shared for her. Well, what was supposed to be a quick meeting turned into a two-hour conversation. During our conversation, she shared her vision of providing resources, services, and assistance to unhoused communities in Central and South Mississippi.

When I tell you our meeting was divinely orchestrated! I had asked God for a mentor to help me with my nonprofit, which had been sitting idle for three years, and He sent her. After a couple of conversations with her, I finally launched my nonprofit.

Since meeting my mentor, who is now my newest friend (as you can see, I’m not ready to share her name yet), I have made more connections with the community than I made while doing community-based research—nearly 20 years. I have also participated in more community events (participating in another in a few hours) in less than a year than I have in my entire career. When I tell you I am so in awe of God! I asked, and He moved.

Yesterday, I attended my first public hearing to support my friend. If you didn’t know, providing assistance to the unhoused community isn’t very popular with cities. Over the last several months, my friend has had to jump through hoops to renovate an abandoned hotel that she and her husband have planned to turn into a day/resource center for the unhoused. Yesterday was another hoop… BUT GOD!!! When I tell you I watched God work! Yesterday, when I shared “God has the final say,” I was sitting there watching Him in action. At first, things appeared to be going downhill, but at the last minute, it all worked out in their favor.

Listen, you can’t tell me what God can’t do! When He gives you a vision or dream, hold on to it. It may take years to come to fruition, but it will happen. Also, timing is everything. We both talk about this all the time. Them acquiring the hotel, which had been sitting abandoned for years, was all about timing. Even our connection was about timing, and my obedience. You see, I almost didn’t go to the women veterans event. Kept making excuses all that morning, all while hearing I needed to go. Talk about an opportunity that could’ve been missed!

I can’t say it enough—God is so good! I just love the way He loves me. I asked for this side of 50 to be different, and lo and behold, He’s making it happen. I am so very blessed.


This is all I have for now. I pray that you have a beautiful day. You deserve it!♥️

I love you always,

Shaun

hope

Grateful For Second Chances

Full circle.

Singing—

“You gave me
A second chance
You forgave me
like only You can 
You gave me 
A second chance.

For You’re the God of a second chance.”


Yesterday, while I was trying to figure out what God was doing with my life—because I had not remembered asking to go the route my life seems to be going at the moment—I had one of my “aha” moments. On several occasions in my life, I missed what God was doing because I was so focused on things not going the way I planned or looking like what I envisioned. The opportunities to have what I always dreamed of were there, but I kept missing them because I was so focused on my circumstances rather than the opportunities.

For those who haven’t been following me long, as a child, I dreamed of “world peace.” President Jimmy Carter and Sally Struthers were my inspiration. In my eyes, they were both doing things to save the world, and I wanted to help.

In middle school (junior high back then), I started taking French and Spanish classes. Then, I met a group from Switzerland who was visiting our school and decided I wanted to live in Switzerland—hence the reason I’m so set on the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. By the time I reached the 11th grade, I already knew I would be living abroad doing some kind of work to make this world better. I had a French, student teacher who had just returned from a mission in Sri Lanka. She had a nose ring and wore saris and sandals, and I thought she was one of the coolest people in the world. She told some of the best stories. Then, I had another student teacher, a UN Peace Keeper, who did mission trips around South Asia. Y’all, I just knew I would eventually be like them until I had a dream and saw myself at the UN speaking to leaders from so many nations. That’s when I decided I should go more of the corporate route and become a translator or interpreter.

Long story short, NONE of it happened!

Instead, I went to college for a semester and decided college wasn’t for me, so I joined the Air Force. Now, here’s where the opportunities came and kept coming, but I missed them because they didn’t look like what I spent my entire childhood planning for. When I was in Basic Training, I was asked if I wanted to take a foreign language test for either French or Spanish or both, and I declined. I was too afraid I wouldn’t pass them. Get this, they asked me TWICE! I declined both times. The next opportunity came when I received orders to Germany. I didn’t want to go to Germany, so I never took advantage of the opportunities I had there. Opportunities like learning the German language or traveling to France. I was stationed near the border and about a 4-5 hour drive from Paris—we even had tours going there all the time—and I didn’t go. Was waiting on my boyfriend to go with me (that’s a whole-nother story🙃). I also wanted to go to Greece and didn’t go. Y’all, I was even stationed in Turkey and didn’t go to Greece. Now, don’t get me wrong, I did travel within both countries but never did the things I said I wanted to do because I couldn’t see past what I envisioned. Talk about a word!!!

So, yesterday, while I was trying to figure out where God was going with all this (a few more things happened yesterday that had my mind spinning, too—this has been some week!), He dropped in and reminded me of those missed opportunities. He told me that even though what was happening didn’t look like what I saw, this was it! This is part of the process. If I want to get where I saw myself all those years ago, I must go through this first.

Ha! Then, this morning, I saw the Facebook memory above.

Full circle.

A second chance.

Last June, I started my term as president-elect, and on June 1st, I begin my term as president.

My life.

My journey.

I know God is with me.🙏🏽♥️

Shaun

hope

The Process, Obedience, and Timing

The posts I’ve shared over the last three years on this date are all true and interdependent. Trusting the process—God’s process—requires both our obedience and our trust in His timing. All three!♥️

Love you,

Shaun



Trust God♥

hope

The Countdown

ONLY speaking blessings over my life.🌸🌿

Good Morning☀️

The countdown to my 52nd birthday has officially begun. Yay!!!🎉 Although it’s two months away, I’m already excited like it’s happening next week or in a few days. For those who don’t know, I love celebrating my birthdays. No matter the age, I still feel like a little kid turning a year older. I’m not entirely sure what I’ll do this year. However, whatever I decide to do will be wonderful because I will make it so.🥰 I’m thinking a floral theme this year—something light and summery.😊🌸

Yessss… Year52 is loading!!!🙌🏽🎉🤩


Wishing you a glorious day!♥️

I love you,

Shaun