A Choice for More

I have been a Christian for as long I can remember, but over the last couple of years, my life has taken on many big changes. It all really started with a choice - my choice - a choice that not only changed my life, but the way I live. This choice is one that is chosen by few. But I wanted more in my life; I didn’t just want okay or mediocre! 

The choice I am talking about is choosing to run after my purpose and destiny.  In 2010, God called me and a friend to start something called Awakening. We invited our friends to come and pray with us, going after God's heart together. What I didn’t know then, was that my life would soon never be the same. Down the road, God started releasing purpose and destiny into my life, and showed me that He calls me not to just live a normal life, but an extraordinary life. Realizing that I had a purpose led me to start asking deep questions. I began to ask God questions like: God, who do you call me? What am I called to do? What should I do?
When we realize that God has a purpose and a plan for our lives, everything changes!

God called me to youth; He called me to equip and love people like He does. So after discovering that God had a plan, purpose, and destiny for my life, it was time to take action! I began wondering how to walk out the plans that God had for my life. It started with me. In order for me to help others, I first had to figure out my self. I began to study the Bible, and look at my life. I asked questions like, “Who in my life do I look up too?, Who are the people that influence me the most?, Do those people help and support where I’m going?, Do they up lift me up and encourage me?

I had to change who I let influence me!

“Above all else guard your heart for everything you do flows from it"
--Proverbs 4:23, NIV 

I began to realize the importance of what I let into my heart and life, what I watched, what I say, what I listen to. It is SO vital, because what you let in you life is what comes out.

As I started changing these things, my whole life changed. I started noticing how alive I felt, how free I was. One of the things that changed me the most was when I really started to be intentional with my thoughts. By thinking about positive things and being thankful, it brought life into me. So I began to be intentional with my life and went after a relationship with God. God longs to have a relationship with us. When Jesus died on the Cross, He died for our sins, but that wasn’t the only reason. Jesus also died so God could have relationship with us, thru Jesus. Realizing that and going after relationship with God, I started trying to figure out how I can be who God calls me to be, and how to Fulfill the plan, purpose, and destiny God has for me.

I believe God has called me to love, equip and help people, young and old into their destinies. I have begun to run in who God calls me, by sharing what God would show me to my friends and the people that came to Awakening. As I prayed for them, I watched God move in them and through them with his love and power! Watching God encounter people and seeing their lives change was one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced. 

God Moves! NIV 1 Corinthians 4:20 says: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power."  In 2013, I got to witness Jesus move first hand during an Awakening Encountering God Service (EGS). After the service I gave an altar invitation for prayer, asking those wanting prayer to come up and stand on the red line in our altar area. A girl came up that I knew, but not very well. I asked her how I could pray with her, and she told me about how she had scoliosis.  I began to pray that God would just come and heal her, and that her spine would line up, and to my amazement, Jesus touched her and she was healed by the love and power of Jesus! Growing up in ministry I knew God, but it wasn’t until I made the choice to pursue Him myself, that my life really changed.

YOU ARE IMPORTANT AND SO VALUABLE! God has an incredible plan for your life! Don’t let anyone tell you different. So if you’re tired of normal and want more in your life, I Triple Dog Dare you to go after your identity and the plan, purpose and destiny God had for your life. You may be wondering “How?” Well, you start by asking God what He thinks about you, ask what He calls you, and ask what His plan, purpose and destiny is for your life. HE SPEAKS TO US!

Start there and see what happens.
Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Guest Blog Writer:  Tyler Lumbard

Administrative Artist

Administration is an art form. We are creators with our words and deeds.  Armed with our detail-oriented checklists, we paint on the behind-the-scenes canvases and sing the harmonies that aren't heard as much as felt. We sculpt and fashion dreams into reality by crafting documents, blogs, content, and visuals, so that the message is communicated clearly & effectively. We number-crunch and fuss over commas. We meet deadlines and make goals, so that ideas and concepts become reality. We are craftsman, sculptors, creators, conductors and artisans.

 

I have had the honor and privilege of working with Travis and Normal to Destiny since its earliest beginnings.

I have been given a platform for my voice to be used and heard, allowing my voice to matter and make a powerful difference. Creating content allows me to use my creative skills, along with my analytical skills, to bring the dreams & plans of the business into tangible realities that can be communicated and walked out. This brings awareness, activating others to see their potential and gain traction, to be great wherever they are, doing whatever they do.

From the blog to the photographs, from the back office of the website to the creation of a system that gets your purchase delivered to your door, I have been able to merge the admin and the artist within me, balancing out the right hues of correct punctuation with pleasing visuals.  It has been a wild ride, and one that is just getting started. I cannot wait to see, hear, meet, and capture all the stories of Normal to Destiny's impact on the world all around us!

I am an administrator, and an artist.  I am blessed to impact the world by impacting the one in front of me each and every day. 

 Guest Blog Writer:  Amber John 

Nudged to Greatness

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness,
and some have greatness thrust upon them."
                                          --William Shakespeare

And then there are those that are all three. Greatness should be Anna Lydon's middle name. She is as sweet as she is caring, kind as she is compassionate, and amazing as she is awesome. She was born with greatness deep within her, and with a little nudging by a good friend, is well on her way to achieving her dreams, all while being thrust into everyday life experiences that cause greatness to exude out of her.  Among many other artistic talents and giftings, Anna is a singer, songwriter, and certified in Equine Assisted Therapy, and is using them to fulfill her purpose and life calling of being a world changer of great influence. Here's her story, in her own words. 

"Travis Arment is probably one of my biggest cheerleaders. Ever since I met him three years ago, he has helped me discover who I am and what I'm about. I had never encountered anyone who took the time to stop to ask me what my dream was, and take the time to truly listen. I told him about my dream of "Promise Reigns", using equine therapy to restore human lives, and he was in full agreement of the dream & encouraged me to go after it! From there it was like I had found a long-lost big brother and best friend! 

Travis got me excited again about my childhood dream of restoring victims out of human trafficking using horses. Since then I have gone through trainings to be certified in Equine Assisted Therapy, and am now going to school for my degree in Human Services. My dream is becoming a reality,  one step at a time, and it is very exciting! 

I could go on and on about different occasions where Travis has fueled my passion or pulled me out of a rut, but I want to mainly tell you this: Travis Arment expresses Jesus' heart. He has shown a trust in Jesus that provokes me to do the same. Travis has made a big impact in my life by just agreeing with Jesus' plans for me." 

Anna strives every day to impact the people around her, simply by being aware of the way she acts and talks. She just wants to love like Jesus does, because she says that is what people see and remember. Whether on stage leading worship, in the corral teaching others how to ride horses, or working her job waitressing, Anna's desire is to impact others with that love. And we believe this is the truest form of greatness, no matter its origin.  

Guest Blog Writer: Anna Lydon

Creative Impact

"It all started one chilly winter morning, when I was a little girl.  Home sick from school, I was bored and miserable in my bedroom.  In an attempt to cheer me up, my mother brought me some colored paper, a pair of scissors and a bottle of glue.  Little did she know, the next few hours would light the creative flame in me that has never stopped burning. 

From that day on, I have never stopped craving new ways to make art. Over the next several years, I learned how to use pencils, charcoal, and chalk pastels for drawing; watercolor, acrylic, and oils for painting, and many other fine art tools. As an adult, I began experimenting with clay, paper, wire, photography and digital media. In 2011 I received my degree in Graphic Art from KCC.

I know my art adventure is far from over, and I believe finding new ways to create and inspire will always be a driving passion in my life.

                                                               --Aubree N. Pinckney

Our first amazing artist we are choosing to feature for Artist April is as freelance as she is free spirited, Aubree Pinckney. We have had the honor and privilege of working with her personally, to design and create our original NtoD logos and graphics. She is fantastic, animated, and focused on producing the highest quality work that reflects her clients' individuality and personality. She did just that with our logos – even creating them from a dream our founder had! Talent is an understatement.

Aubree's heart is grounded in the prophetic imprint she has with and through her art and graphic design. She prays over each of her pieces, through the entire creation process, to see the Lord’s heart for the commissioner and to fulfill the Lord’s vision or purpose for the piece. From the small beginnings of colored paper and glue to graphic and photography design, Aubree is leaving her impact in this world through her creativity, sensitivity, and artistic insight.

This world is a more beautiful place because Aubree chooses to create it that way

You may contact Aubree via www.tickledpinckney.com or on Facebook under Tickled Pinckney Designs www.facebook.com/TickledPinckneyDesigns

The photos and excerpt are used with permission from Aubree Pinckney and Tickled Pinckney Designs.

Guest Blog Writer: Zona Garrett