Christina Speaks

Good morning! I don’t have a specific message to share with you today. This morning I am headed to get a nuclear stress test done just to make sure that everything is working well with my heart. I am not worried, because God goes before me in every situation.  Just pray I don’t die on the treadmill!  You think I’m kidding… Going up the stairs feels like a marathon sometimes. I am just that out of shape. I will tell you this. Over the next year, I will be focusing on getting healthier. My main goal is to feel good and think clearly in order to do all that God has called me to do. Do you ever think about that? If you are not healthy in every way, then it is very difficult to complete your assignments.  I know that I have not been 100% for a while. I do not want to be disobedient, and that means it’s time to buckle down and get right physically.  I’ve got to get right. Anyone else? “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contami

As many of us take the last few days of the year to make plans for 2022, I would like to remind you—to remind us, that it’s important not to focus on the past, and not to worry about the future. You are not defined by your past mistakes. You are not defined by your failures. You have been created for a specific purpose. Stand in that knowledge and move forward, trusting that God will provide instructions for each next step. Sometimes we get so caught up in the past and worry about the future that we miss where God has placed us or where He has allowed us to be. Sometimes I get so worried I’m going to mess up just like I did before, and that I’m going to miss the blessings God would have given me if I had done everything right. Has anyone else thought like that? Well, He doesn’t work that way.  His mercies are new every morning. He has very specific plans for each one of us, and He will rearrange the universe to help us get where He wants us to be. Will you say something out loud with m

This can be a difficult time of year for many of us. It may be especially hard considering all that has occurred over the last two years. So much loss. So much confusion. So much disappointment. I think many of us as Christians often feel guilty when we struggle to deal with hardships in our lives. Has anyone ever told you that you shouldn’t be stressed or upset about something you are going through because you are a Christian? Have you ever been made to feel that you lack faith when you get emotional over something tough? Well, just because we believe God- just because we trust Him, doesn’t mean we are immune to the emotions that come along with hard things. It’s okay to be sad or upset.  Jesus wept (John 11:35).  So go ahead and cry, scream, stomp.  Then, dry your face, take a deep breath and remember that the Lord is with you on this journey. Trust that He goes before you each day. He is prepared and ready to fight your battles right beside you. He never promised it would always be

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” -Ephesians 3:20-21 There are things in life that I’ve struggled to pray for. I think sometimes it’s a fear of disappointment. I know God CAN, but not sure He WILL. Can you identify with that? We know that He is able, right? But will He really do it for us?  Well, if we truly trust Him, we should be okay with however He chooses to handle our situation. What we ask or imagine is very often nothing close to the perfect plan He has already laid out for us if we allow Him to work. I don’t know about you, but the thought of that is really exciting to me. God has the vision and power that we will never have, and He loves us more than anyone else possibly could. He is dying to give us incredible gifts. In fact, a part of Him did come to this place and die for us, in o

Something happened to me the other day for the first time since I started on this journey. I was having a conversation with two ladies who have never met my son Isaiah and one of Isaiah’s former football coaches. At some point, the coach began to explain to the ladies what an amazing athlete Isaiah was. He went on and on about Isaiah’s work ethic and skill. He then said he believes that if it hadn’t been for his brain injury he would’ve gone really far and would probably be playing football for a school like Clemson today. The more he talked about how great Isaiah “would have been,” the less I could say, as my heart crumbled into a million pieces.  Of course, he couldn’t know how this mama’s heart struggled with the reminder of what Isaiah had lost.  He also explained how gifted Isaiah is in so many different areas and how he will be successful in whatever he chooses to do. He spoke the truth. The Lord has plans for Isaiah we never could have seen coming. I held it together until he wa

  The other day I got mad. I don’t get mad much, so when I do it really throws me off. For me, it’s usually reserved for people I’m related to, and doesn’t last long. I’m able to work through it pretty quickly.  But yesterday it wasn’t my family, and it clung to me for hours. I think part of it was the realization, or a remembrance really, that not everyone is for us. Not everyone is for the people we love. Not everything that is important to us ranks the same for others. There are people who will whisper in another’s ear in order to change their view of who we are. Please understand that’s not really about me or you. The problem lies with the person or people. Often they try to change our view of ourselves to fit what they want it to be— to fit what makes them most comfortable. What I am working through is the fact that the only thing that truly matters—the only person who truly matters is our Creator. When He tells us who we are, it’s important that we believe Him. We must believe, b

Have you ever experienced a lonely season? Have you ever struggled to find hope? I’ve been thinking about how sometimes, even when we are surrounded by people, we can often feel lonely. Maybe we don’t feel like we fit in, or like no one really “gets” us. Sometimes we feel like so much has gone wrong that God must have walked away from us. During this particular season, we talk a lot about the birth of Christ. As early as Isaiah 7:14 we learn about this special human who would one day make an appearance.  “ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Immanuel means “God with us.”  God sent His Son to be with us in the flesh. What a gift! Most of us know what the importance of presence is. We need each other. We need the Lord.  Even when we feel like we are alone, we can know that the Lord is always with us. He will never leave us, though sometimes we pull away from Him.  In Genesis 28:15 we learn that th

The other day I really didn’t know what to bring to you. But as I was getting up I came across a clip of a video from a celebrity who just lost his 5 month old son to a brain tumor. Of course it was very emotional and extremely sad, but I want to share something with you in hopes it will give you a life changing perspective. There are many of you out there literally fighting for your lives. There are many of you out there watching someone you love fight for their lives. Recently, I reminded you that God is the God of miracles. Though he is a God of miracles, he is also an omniscient God, holding each of us in His hands along with the perfect plan for lives. Oh how difficult it can be for so many to believe He wants the best for us, when He allows our hearts to break. It’s hard to accept the Lord's will when it’s the opposite of what we want for ourselves. But He tells us: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are

  Anyone struggling with anxiety? I have struggled with it quite a bit. Then, I realize that forgetting to bring all of my anxiety-inducing problems to God, is a big part of the problem. Yesterday I talked about living in endurance mode. Part of that is taking all of the difficult things, and trying to wait them out.  If I really think about it, I may have subconsciously believed that struggling is just part of the journey and that I need to suck it up, because Jesus went through way more than I ever will.    But, “ Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28)  He never intended for us to hold onto them. Sometimes we don’t bother saying anything to God because, well, He knows what’s happening. He can change it if He wants to. So we sit paralyzed—enduring! Is that familiar to anyone? Though He could whisk our struggles away at any time, part of the journey, part of our relationship with the Creator is rooted in commu

  In our school district, we have two more weeks before Christmas break. Over the last few weeks, I have found myself telling people that I will be in endurance mode for the remainder of those two weeks. Yesterday, as I looked ahead to a brand new Monday, I found myself thinking about the meaning of the word endurance: the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity. Does a situation in your life come to mind when you read that definition?  Most of us have had to endure some kind of difficulty in our lives. Sometimes there’s an end in sight, and often we have no clue if it will ever end. I usually feel pretty good about the fact I can endure a great deal, but I thought about it a little deeper. We really shouldn’t be living in constant endurance mode. Though we must be able to endure at times, we must be careful it doesn’t keep us in a place where we are stagnant. That’s often what it does to me. Sometimes in order for me to endure, I go numb. I go through the motions o

In exactly one week, it will be my birthday. It’s not a monumental year number-wise, but I believe my 48th year is an important one. In my 48th year, I will have a book published. . . maybe even two. I will step out of my comfort zone more than once. I will call on the Lord to do the impossible in my life, and I will do lots of things scared.  For my birthday this year, I am asking for support for my ministry. I have some financial needs coming up in the next few months, and I’m asking for the Lord to do the impossible through anyone who feels called.  I’ll just tell you that $4000 would be the biggest help right now. That sounds and feels like a lot, especially to me, but realistically it’s what I need. I would like to raise that by selling my “I Have a Story” t-shirts, offering mini photo sessions, or going to speak to groups. A friend told me that sometimes people just want to send money, so you can do that too. 😊 Do I want or feel comfortable asking for financial help? Nope! But d

  I realized something just the other day. I commented that it’s often hard to know whether or not something we are walking into, is God’s desire for our lives, or our own. I expressed the importance of praying for His desires to become our own. It then occurred to me that I hadn’t prayed that prayer in a while.  So this is my confession. I never wanted to be a speaker or a writer. I’m not that person who regularly wrote in a journal, dreaming of authoring a book one day. I never dreamt of being on stage speaking to other humans. In fact, the moment God called my heart to be a speaker, I literally and out loud told Him, “No thank you.” My desire has always been to honor and please the Lord, so, most of what I do has been out of obedience. Contrary to what some may think, I do not love to be the center of attention and I get embarrassed when eyes turn my way.  So, the other day I said, “If He told me it was time to walk away from all this, that would be fine.” The fact that those words