Hey Girlfriend how's your pinball game?

Happy New Year friends! It is going to be a great year filled with a whole lot of great stuff!

I am so glad you are here today visiting with me. I have just been filled with a whole lotta love from my Jesus and I hope to just scatter it on you while you are here visiting. And if you lived close enough I would have you over for a warm cup of Oregon Chai tea and we would just scatter the love and joy back and forth.

Have you ever played pinball?

You know that big machine game that lights up and makes a whole lot of hoots and hollars, and bells are ringing and points are racking up as the pinball is just bouncing and flying off everything it can run into, and its going as fast as it can?!

Can you relate to the little pinball inside that game?

I know there are times in my life that I sure can.

How do things look in your life right now?

Are you bouncing from relationship to relationship?

Are you racking up points with God?

Are you going from church to church to see which one is more entertaining and exciting?

How are your emotions, on a roller coaster?

Are you committed to anything?

What are you doing with all the stuff, points and prizes you are earning?

Is your job your job, or where you are suppose to be on purpose?

Can you keep up with all the trends?

You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and His way. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "He's a fiercely jealous lover.” And what He gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble."
So let God work His will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and He'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet. James 4:6-10 (The Message) (emphasis mine)


What Happens When Women Say No

To playing games.

To being a pinball just bouncing around.

What if we stopped bouncing around long enough to seek peace?

Be still, and know that I am God; Psalm 46:10

May you know that He loves you. He loves you with a love that covers you in grace and peace. A grace and peace that will still you still you long enough to hear His voice and to be filled with all you need to go and be living life on purpose.

How did we get here from there?

Dear Jesus,

As I sit down to write this letter to You, not because You need a letter to know everything that is on my heart, but rather I give it as an offering of praise and thanks. Thanks to You my Lord for all that You have gracefully and lovingly went through and endured with me this last year. I know that truthfully You didn’t endure because You are bigger than that, but from my point of view I can imagine working with this prideful stubborn girl there were moments You felt Your temper rising and You endured.

I come at the end of this year to ask a question,

How did we get here from there?

This year has been a journey. A journey that I did NOT think I could endure. Stops that lasted too long for me. Visits that I was not mature enough to make. Times that I just knew my heart would break.

How did we get here from there?

I don’t know. I don’t know how I am sitting at Your precious feet right now in this moment.

Some might call it religion. Not me.

Some might call it obedience. Not me.

No rather my heart is whispering,

Nichole its grace and love. You don’t have to know understand it, just live in it my daughter.

How did we get here from there?

Your grace has brought me into this location.

Sitting here in a relationship with You.

Now that my Lord is one place I want to stay.

So when all of me wants to know where I am going this next year,

I can honestly say, I don’t know.

As I am here with You, I hear You ask,

Are you ready for this next year?

Ready? No most likely not.

But I do want to go there.

There with You Jesus.

I love you!

On Purpose,
Nichole

Bottled Water

Good Morning and welcome to the blog. We are in the middle of a series titled:

What Happens When Women Say No

Together we have visited quite a few things that we need to say no to in order to keep focused on our purpose for being here.

This morning as I was reading and spending time with Jesus. He so graciously and loving me led me to a place that I just have to share with you.

I was reading John 4. Jesus visits the woman at the well. A very thirsty woman. Very much like me! He goes on to share with her about how He has some water that will take care of her thirst.

This morning I revisited some of the ways that I have tried to quench my thirst.

I have tried to fill that thirst with so many things over the years, my parents approval, shoes, buying stuff, food, chocolate, friends, relationships, achievements, accomplishments, getting atta girls. The list goes on and on.

Friends will you join me on this Monday morning; this week that leads us into a New Year.

Will you join me in finding out

What Happens When Woman Say No

To bottled water.

The bottled water of this world.

Friends I know and believe that our God cannot be contained. No rather He is an out of the ‘bottle’ if you will God. Who wants to not only quench our thirst, He wants to over fill us so that we are overflowing on to those around us.


May we know in this moment on this Monday morning the truth of His word:

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14

Girlfriends have you thirsted this past year?

Do you need something more than what this world can give you?

Is the bottled water just not working?

Let’s go to Him. Let’s be serious about allowing him to fill us up, what better way to start a New Year!

I am praying friends, trusting and knowing He sees and is there to meet us at the well.

That Kinda Woman

Have you ever said something and wished within seconds you could snag the very words out of the air and box them right back up and go bury them out back?

Have you ever reacted impulsively and later wished you would have waited?

Have you ever spread the news of a story that wasn’t yours to share?

Have you ever pouted?

Have you ever competed with the girl next to you when she wasn’t competing with you?

Have you ever been so caught up in your own life that the world around you was falling apart and you didn’t even notice?



Oh friends I wish I could come here today and say that those questions above are just that ‘questions’ I created with some creative thinking on my part. But rather they are all things I have lived out in my life.


There is a place He wants to take us. It’s somewhere we only get to, because He takes us there.

He comes and meets us right where we are at. The common ordinary everyday moment and ushers us into an extraordinary living life on purpose moment.

What Happens When Women Say No

To being common?

Girls we can’t there on our own. But the first step to getting there is saying no to being the common woman. And saying yes to God. Saying yes to Him creating us to be the uncommon woman, the extraordinary woman He has created us to be.

How would this change the world?

Oh girls just imagine with me.

What if our words were all ran through the filter He has given us?

Is it true? Necessary? Kind?

Just what if we truly trusted in Him to provide everything we need. And not trying to accomplish, accumulate and acquire everything our way and in our timeline.

What if we refrained from conversations that involved someone else’s story to share? Refrained from listening and taking part.

What if we refused to waste His kingdom building time pouting, sulking and complaining, and got to work for Him!

And what if we truly started living for Him and only being concerned about what He had for us, and not her.

Just what if we got so enthralled in what He was doing that we had the time of our lives?

You see I wanna be that kinda of woman.

Uncommon.

Extraordinary.

Not because of who I am. Not because of what I am doing. But because of who He is.

Mary, a young Jewish virgin girl, most likely poor, all characteristics that would make her seem completely unusable by God, especially in her day, but God chose Mary for the most important acts of obedience. Everything about God choosing Mary was purposeful. Mary was not qualified. It was God who saw her heart and knew Mary was willing to be used in His story.

Until Gabriel visited Mary her everyday life was pretty ordinary, comfortable, and safe.

Because of Mary’s obedience and submission, God was able to restore a relationship with His people.


He is.

He is able to take a young Jewish virgin girl and change the world in an instant with a baby being born on a dark night in a smelly dirty stable.

You see it’s not about the who, or the where or the what, it’s all about who He is.

He is able to take this 5’4” blonde, left-handed, girl who is ordinary and make her the extraordinary He needs her to be.

He is.

I have been blessed by the book, the Uncommon Woman by Susie Larson. I highly recommend this most amazing book. Susie helps usher you into our most amazing Creators presence for a very personal and intimate look at the extraordinary place He has for you.

He is not able to do this just with Mary, or me, He is able, more than able to make it happen in your life too.

What do you have to do?

Say no to the common, grab hold of His hand and allow Him to lead you to the uncommon and extraordinary place!

Thank you friends for joining me on this series. I am more than blessed by your presence. A presence that assures me, we journey together on purpose, He meets us each where we are not because of who we are, but because of who He is.

Merry Christmas! Enjoy your time this week knowing He is with you, on purpose!

Hey Girlfriends is that your spot?

Hello friends! How are you today? I hope from Monday’s blog we all have taken some time to slow down and truly think about what we are doing and why. I would like to ‘piggy back’ onto the blog post from Monday and ask,

Hey Girlfriend is that your spot?

Think about all the different things you are doing?

Seriously make a list if you need to.


Your job, (now for some of us its not something we can submit a resignation to…that whole mom/wife thing isn’t up for quitting, sorry Girlfriends!)

President of the PTO.

Sunday School Teacher.

Water Aerobics Teacher.

Book Club Leader.

Small Group Facilitator.

Women’s Ministries Leader.

Soccer Coach.

Speaker/Writer.

Girl Scout Leader.

Classroom Aid.

Volunteer of Everything!



Now look back over the list you just made. Make some notes right next to what you listed and answer the questions below. Please know friends I am doing this right along with you!

Why are you doing what you are doing?

How is your attitude when doing said task/job/position?

Do you enjoy it?

Now please don’t get me wrong, we all have things we need to do, or sometimes have to do because we are supposed to be “mature” girls, but I really want us to think about this. I am asking these same questions of myself,


Are you spot filling?

Are you doing it ‘because no one else is doing it, and it won’t get done if I don’t do it’?

Am I taking someone else’s spot?

Have you been guilted into filling that spot?

Are you a people pleaser?

Is it on your good girl Christian checklist?

Are you trying to earn yourself some extra credit Jesus points?


Girlfriends just what if some of the things, or maybe all of the things on our list are keeping us from something?

What Happens When Women Say No

To spot filling?

I have recently read Cure for the Common Life: Living in your Sweet Spot by Max Lucado, this is a terrific book. I highly recommend it…it will help to cure you of spot filling and direct you right to the purpose He has for you!

Do you know your strengths? Weaknesses? What do you like to do? What has always been your passion?

Are you living in your sweet spot?

The very place God created you to live.

My sweet spot doesn’t look like yours, and that’s okay. This right here girlfriends would help us all quit playing the comparison game!

Friends will you join me today in trusting that He doesn’t just have a spot for you, no rather He has a very purposeful hand picked sweet spot with your name on it.

May we grab His hand and know He will lead us to it!

It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. Ephesians 1:11 (The Message)

Before you write it in your day planner

Hello and welcome to the blog. Today is one of those self convicting I need to do something about this kinda of days for me! You know where something has been on your mind for many days and it keeps trying to push its way to the front, but with all your skill and might you keep it suppressed…well at least I have tried! Now just so you know, I don’t post anything on this blog about me arriving or thinking I have it all figured out, because the truth of the matter my friends is that I am just a girl on a journey with a Jesus who loves me and has more grace than I will ever be able to comprehend. And it’s not because of who I am, but rather because of who He is!

As I sit here on this Monday morning I am overwhelmed, tired and feeling way too busy.

What to do about this?

What do I want to do about this?

I know from past experience that when I don’t do something, something will be done for me.

What does God want my day planner to look like?

Does He truly want me ‘cramming’ so much into each and every day that my priorities are no longer in sync with my purpose?


What I am doing this morning is looking at day planner, and if you want to join me here are some of the questions we can ask ourselves,

Look at your calendar-too full? No free time? What about spontaneous events, is there room for them?

Is your family-spending time together? Eating together? Supporting each other? Communication? Time to relax and play?

Look at yourself- tired? Sick? Healthy?

“We can’t do 1000 things to the glory of God” We can do a few. (Beth Moore; Esther video)


Maybe we do have too much going on!

Are we always saying yes?

No quality time spent with our families.

Always tired, stressed, and un-healthy.

Life is chaotic.

Are we truly sensing be peace in our lives?

Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. Joshua 3:9

Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

…the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things. But only one thing is needed… Luke 10:41-42 (emphasis mine)

What do you think that one thing is?

Friends I am praying this morning and truly seeking that one thing. My Jesus the very one who took time in His schedule to make a relationship with me possible.


What Happens When Women Say No

To over scheduling.


May we be so bold this day to say NO to the things that are not on His agenda.

May we be willing to abandon our agendas, our schedules, our day planners and become apart of His agenda, living in His schedule, and His daily plan!

Quit Trying

Happy Friday! It has been a week packed full of life. I am praying that you have truly sensed His presence with you this week.

Would you agree with me that we live in a society that encourages us to earn our way?

Have you ever thought about what you are currently trying to earn?

As I sit and type this in the comfort of my little home, I have just kissed the Engineer goodbye as he is off to ‘earn’ a living.

Over my years, not that I have been around real long or anything…HA! But long enough to see people ‘earning’.

Earning grades, earning applause, earning awards and recognition, earning consequences.

The one thing that makes my heart sad is when I see us trying to earn salvation.

I have personally seen it in my own life.


Kay Arthur asks in her book Giving God Our Obedience:

“Do you realize how much God loves you? He loves you so much that His Son left heaven, came down and confined Himself to the womb of a woman. He was born a human being; God in the flesh.”

His birth story is packed full of purposeful details that led Him to live out His story in such a way that led Him to a cross, for a very purposeful moment.

I choose to believe that if salvation could be earned, we wouldn’t need Jesus.

And I just somehow can’t seem to make that ‘write’ into the story He has already written.

I have seen what it looks like for me to try and ‘earn’ my salvation.

There where times in my life where it looked more like a good Christian girls check list,

Bible time check!
Prayer, and prayer for all those on ‘my list’ check!
Prayer before each meal check!
Listen to Christian music check!
Went to church check!
Was a good wife, mom, and friend check!

Now girls don’t get me wrong, these are great things, and when done out of the right heart, they are meaningful, and beautiful. But it all goes back to how I see God. Do I truly treat Him as a ‘something’ to do? Or do I live in relationship with Him because I truly believe and know He is with me. He is with me in every minute of my day. Am I acknowledging His presence? Am I standing in awe of the reality that He has chosen to be a part of my everyday?

There are times in my life where I was focused on pleasing God, instead of living in relationship with Him.

As I sit here this morning I am reminded and encouraged to quit trying!

What Happens When Women Say No,

To trying to earn salvation?

Just maybe it looks like a most beautiful grace and loved filled relationship with their Jesus!