Have you ever had one of those moments where you thought, "This is what I was meant to do.  This is me?"   I had that thought while at yoga school in California.  I was not a Christian, but I was on a spiritual journey.  I had witnessed a few close friends become Christians and was enraptured with their conversion of an unshakeable peace and joy.  I wanted that.  I was seeking it.  As I sat in lotus position during meditation, I thought, "I've finally found what I am created to do."  

I was raised a practicing Catholic, attending mass every Sunday.  My story reads like the majority, I was a good kid, rebellious in my teen-age years, and seeking my own "religion" during my college years.  I did my own thing, drank a lot of alcohol, smoked a lot of pot, climbed a lot of mountains, and travelled the world.  

I was first introduced to yoga at LSU.  I took an Eastern Religion class, because that's what you do when you're a hippie.  Yoga was a new term to me in 1996.  I found a place, took a class, and was sold!  College was stressful and to be able to stretch and rest in shivasana for 10 minutes was everything my body and mind needed!   The more stressful the semester, the more classes I took. 

What even is Yoga?

Siddhayattan.org explains "Yoga is an ancient system from India. This system includes asanas (postures) that help you to become healthier, balanced and can create the opportunity to enter deep states of meditation. The yogic system helps you become flexible, release tension, and burn toxins so that you can experience peace, calmness, relaxation, and clarity. On the surface, yoga can be merely perceived as exercise, though the philosophy and spirituality behind yoga goes much deeper. For thousands of years, the Yoga system was taught to help purify the body and mind, so that a practitioner can burn karma and awaken their soul. This included breathing techniques, concentration, meditation, practicing nonviolence, discipline of mind and body, fasting, truthfulness and non-attachment among others."  
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Yoga is rooted in Hinduism.  I won't get into details about the Hindu religion, but know that it is polytheistic, meaning that it acknowledges and worships many Gods.  Death does not end in heaven or hell, but the soul is recycled back to earth.  Depending on karma (basically, the good and bad things done in a lifetime), will determine your next life on earth.  

Fast forward to graduating from college to having a professional career and being in a sinful, unhealthy relationship.  I hadn't done yoga in a long time.  I went to one class, and it gave me time to sit and think.  It was the first time that I had talked to God from my iffy conversion experience a year earlier.  "God, I need you in my life.  I am not doing well."  The second I returned home, my boyfriend, whom I had needed to break up with, said he was moving out of state.  I knew at that point, God had heard me and I was on a spiritual path.  

My yoga practice became daily.  My lifestyle cleaned up physically.  I began meeting new, healthy friends.  I gave my two weeks notice to my Occupational Therapy job, and planned to move to California to live on an ashram and become a yoga teacher.  They sent me a huge binder with tons of homework to do before the teacher training.  It all seemed absolutely wonderful.  Until the first red flag popped into vision.  When I got to the chapter about astral bodies and chakras, something in me said, "This sounds wack."   Not really knowing what to do with red flags, I pushed it down and moved forward.  
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What are astral bodies and Chakras?

Good question.  One you should ask if you do yoga or are interested in yoga. 

​Hridaya-Yoga France states that  "The chakras are specific frequencies in the ocean of universal energy and are defined by specific energies, prana, and distinct psychological and mental activities. In other words, each chakra displays a certain power and a different level of individual consciousness. By using the system of the six chakras, we can discover through direct experience that the macrocosm (the Universe) exists within the microcosm of the human being. We can also see the chakras as “devices” that receive and emit energy and information on different frequencies." 

I was taught that after each posture, I was to channel that energy up my spine to my crown (or head).  So I did that and focused on enlightenment during my mediation time, which took place after each yoga session.  I never really fully grasped meditation.  For me, it involved sitting quietly for too long, trying to remove every thought that entered my mind.  I did not find myself to walk away enlightened or selfless or fully content with life, but boy, did I try!  

Life on the ashram was serene.  It was located in the Sierra Nevada foothills, gorgeous in nature.  Our diet was entirely vegetarian, with no speaking during breakfast. Everyone was friendly, with half of us on a spiritual journey, and the other half still partying and checking off their bucket list.  There were many permanent residents that had joined the spiritual community and lived on the land; a couple of them attended our teacher training class.  

At this point in my life, I had clocked in many hours of yoga practice, doing it daily.  I was well on my way towards God and had been attending church some.  I only brought the basics to CA, and the bible was the only book I brought.  I was simplifying and trying to weed out the noise of materialism, distractions, and chaos.  I think I wore the same 3 outfits the entire time I was there.  

The first thing that struck me as odd while I was there took place during the first few days of class.  On the wall in our practice room were pictures of 4-5 men, Jesus being one of them.  His picture was placed a little bit higher than the other yogi masters.  Of course, I had to raise my hand and ask why.  The response I got was that it was random.  He was just a prophet like the others.  Anyone could attain enlightenment and perform the miracles he did.  

I began reading books sitting on coffee tables in the commons room.  All of them downplayed Christianity, saying that Christianity was not the only way to heaven.  They interpreted scriptures from a universalist perspective.  In Matthew 6:22 it reads, ​“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light."

Yogis explained this 'eye' to be the Crown Chakra, which is the seat of divine consciousness and connects us to divine grace and intelligence.  It is also called the 'third eye'.  It is said to be a timeless place, where life and death meet.  

On many occassions, I would ask others what they thought about Jesus being the only way to heaven.  I was ready to debate and explore this idea, but I was met with almost venom.  One man turned on me like a snake ready to attack.  Every question or thought that I had to truth was shot down with exactly the opposite lie.  Jesus was just a prophet.  We can all attain his position.  Christianity is a cult for the feeble minded.  

​One time I was seated with a small group for evening yoga and meditation.  A very loud gong was hit nightly to announce dinner.  This sound is what alerted us out of the meditation time and was placed outside of the room.  On that particular night, we never heard the gong.  It was a very deep meditation and all of us agreed that it seemed very powerful.  As our fellow classmates, who hadn't attended practice that night, sat down with us at the dinner table, we made a comment that they forgot to hit the gong.  They responded with shock saying that it was the loudest gong sound that was made yet.  We were baffled that we didn't hear it.  

Another time, we had just heard news that there was a shooting in a nearby town, killing and wounding many.  We held hands in a very large circle and prayed, held space, collectively sent good thoughts and it began snowing the second we did that.  

I witnessed more instances like this.  I filed them as miracles, and they helped water down the validity of Jesus.  By the end of my stay, I had accepted their definitions and terms that I could attain the enlightenment of Christ.  I returned home and began teaching yoga.  I was on cloud nine and believed I had everything answered.  Except one thing.

My sin. 

Nothing in yoga dealt with my sin.  Despite all of my good works, I still had evil in me at the root of my being.  Yoga left me on a hamster wheel of maintaining good works.  It left me playing God.  My pride ultimately led me to the realization that I needed a savior and his name was/is Jesus.  I finally realized He was the one my heart belonged to, needed, and wanted.  I fully surrendered and my life has never been the same.  

Yoga teaching did continue for a while.  I taught but had a conviction that I was leading people in the wrong direction.  I had people coming to me who did not know Jesus and the truth of the gospel.  Despite me reading scriptures during class, I knew some of them were on a spiritual path and yoga was taking them in the wrong direction.  I finally quit teaching in 2003.

So the big question 'Is yoga bad?'

In my opinion, if you know the truth of Jesus and are solid in your theology, I think just the physical stretches of yoga are okay.  I continue yoga to this day.  For me, it is stretching and strengthening my body.  It does help with stress, flexibility, strength, posture, better breathing, and more.  I think everyone needs to be stretching, weight bearing, and deep breathing.  I also think that in the fast-paced western culture, yoga provides a gentle exercise that slows one down.  There are now Christian yoga classes, many that you can find online.  

It is not for everyone though.  If you are not solid in your walk with Christ, have a shaky theology, and are prone to naively try new things, yoga can lead down a deceptive path.  I've seen many a good Christian embark on the essential oil trend who are now into numerology, crystals, and more.  If this is your case, pilates or cardio followed by deep stretching will suffice in physical benefits.  Remember, anything that takes the place of God is idolatry.  Keep your proper perspective and keep things in there rightful place.  We are to worship the creator, not His creation.  

I try not to be legalistic.  If God called me to teach yoga again, I would.  He was a Jew who walked through Samaria and spoke with a Gentile woman.  Where God sends me to reach the lost, I will go.  In my rational mind, I realize I could send people in a bad direction since the exercise is rooted in a different religion.  But God transcends my reasoning, and I trust His leading.  

And this is where I leave you.  God leads and we are called to follow His way.  If you are a Christian, seek His guidance, as well as a couple of spiritual mentors.  He desires that none of us perish, and that we remain in his green pastures.  Do not be naive, check and balance everything you do with the word of God.  If He convicts you to not do yoga, obey.   If you receive a green light, remember we are always called to stand on a watch tower, wary to observe the things that are not of God.  Above all, do not get caught in legalism.  Before you point the finger at your yoga practicing Christian friends, remove the plank in your own eye.  Then, approach them from a sincere heart of love and concern if you see them being led astray. 

Many blessings to you!  

The flashes of lightening woke me up in the middle of the night.  The condo that we were staying in had floor to ceiling windows without curtains. The space intermittently filled with light as if we were turning every switch in the place off and on.  The raging winds almost made me wonder if a hurricane was nearby.  I was no stranger to hurricanes, but I was not used to being so close to the ocean during a storm, so I wasn't sure if this was normal or not.  We were in a different country without weather forecasts.  We didn't even have the means to check the weather other than standing outside.  Did everyone know about an impending huge storm except us? 

I walked out onto the balcony to see palm trees whipping around.  Our condo was only yards away from the shore.  I assumed that there would be tons of debris and broken trees the next day.  I somehow managed to fall back asleep, praying that a tsunami wouldn't wash us away.  

The next morning as I walked outside, I was completely amazed.  The sun shone brilliantly on the calm water.  People strolled the shore while workers set up beach chairs as if nothing had happened the night before.  Was it a dream? I assumed everyone slept through the storm and had no idea about it. But the thing that astounded me the most was that the palm trees stood upright and proud, with their leaves gently swaying in the breeze.  Not one leaf had fallen to the ground.  Every tree stood unfazed.  How in the world did they endure that storm? 

Fast forward months ahead and I had forgotten all about that storm. Then one evening, while praying for someone going through a long trial, a picture of a palm tree flashed in my mind.  I knew it was from God because it was just too bizarre an image for me to conjure up.  "God, I'm praying for this person and you're showing me a palm tree?  How in the world is that supposed to speak to them or help them?"  That's when I began my research about the physical make up of a palm tree and how it relates to our spiritual lives.  

Beginning in the ground, the palm tree has rambling roots.  There are a large number of short roots that spread across the upper levels of soil, about 36".  They extend for yards away from the trunk of the tree.  This creates a strong, heavy anchor into a large area of soil.

Did you know that palm trees are not made out of wood that grows in rings, such as an oak tree?  They are actually made up of many small bundles of woody tissue, much like the wires inside a telephone cable.  Some of their cells are malleable and can easily flex.  The lack of conventional structure is what gives the palm its flexibility.  They are designed to weather storms, bending 45 to 50 degrees without snapping.  In fact, after a bad storm, they are actually stronger!

Finally, the palm is made with clever leaves.  In regular trees, the canopy acts as a sail and can pull a tree over during strong winds.  Branches also fall and break.  The palm has huge leaves, like feathers.  During nice weather, they stand out and make a shaded umbrella for sun bathers.  During windy storms, they fold up so they are less resistant to the elements.  Therefore, they are more likely to make it through intact.  Also, it takes much less time for the leaves of a palm tree to grow compared to a regular tree.  
 
As I said earlier, the image of the palm tree that God showed me while praying for my friend made me very curious.  So after I dug into the anatomy of the tree, I searched the bible to see how palm trees apply to us.  In Psalm 92:12, the NKJV Bible reads "The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree."  Sounds great to me!  But does it really when you add the equation: 
Palm Tree + Storm = Us flourishing? 

I cannot over emphasize that we will go through trials during our lifetime.  Small or big, they are inevitable.  Jesus even says in John 16:33, "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  But what happens through those trials and the result it produces are the essence of the palm tree scripture and the sanctification process.  

Just as the palm tree has roots that extend for yards away from the trunk of the tree, our anchor must be rooted in an authentic, close relationship with Jesus.  If you look at the picture above of the roots of the palm tree, you'll see that there are several roots.  Our walk with Christ is a constant abiding in Him.  He wants relationship with us, and that's what we are created for.  The main scripture that I think of when discussing being rooted in Him is Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."  It all starts there, friends!  The metaphorical storms and earthquakes will come and everything will crumble to reveal what our foundation is built upon.  Stay rooted!!
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“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock."  Matthew 7:24-27
 
The malleableness of the trunk whipping around in the wind, growing stronger after each storm, reminds me of Psalm 84:5-7,  "Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.  As they pass through the valley of Baca, They make it a spring;  The rain also covers it with pools.  They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion." 

The word baca means "to weep".  The psalmist uses the Valley of Baca to illustrate a sorrowful, hard path in life. Sometimes are hardships last months and years.  These are the types of trials that I am discussing here in this text.  They are like standing in the ocean when a wave pounds you to the sand, but just as you try to regain your stance, another one comes and pounds you again.  Over and over.  They feel relentless, heavy, and paralyzing at times. 

A heart that breaks, surrenders and calls out to God repeatedly through these hardships experiences something very rich in the end.  The strengths translated in Psalm 84 means that we go from our strength to His strength. It is in our weakness that He is strong, and that's how God gets the glory.  In The Cry of the Soul, Longman and Allender state, "God meets you in your weakness, not in your strength.  He comforts those who mourn, not those who live above desperation.  He reveals Himself more often in darkness than in the happy moments of life." 

A beautiful transformation happens in the soul.  We become more Christ-like and empathetic.  We know Him more and have the compassion to share Him with others, especially others who are going through what we went through. 2 Corinthians 1:4 says  "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 

If we are rooted in Jesus, how does He help us in the midst of the storm?  Just as the palm leaves curl up in a storm for less resistance in order to remain intact, God has a safe place for us, too.  I love Corrie Ten Boom's book The Hiding Place.  During her hardship of living in a concentration camp during WWII, she relates to the psalmist in the 32nd chapter verse 7, "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."  Psalm 119:114 states "You are my refuge and shield; I have put my hope in your word."  Finally, Psalm 17:8 says "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings."  The palm leaves remind me of feathers.  There is no safer place to be than abiding in Jesus.  His promises are real, even when our faith is weak and our burden is heavy. 

Being close to God, sensing His presence, understanding Him and His will for my life means more to me than anything else in this world.  I am never more dependent on God than when I am going through a storm.   Just as a palm tree becomes stronger after the storm, so we become more like Him, if we surrender and allow Him to work in us.    

Lord, I pray that we are rooted in you.  Help us to abide in you constantly.  When the storms of life come, give us grace to stand in your hiding place.  Thank you for brothers and sisters that encourage and pray for us during hard times, for they are your hands and feet.  We thank you for the sanctification that you are doing in us, to be more like you.  You are our rock!!!
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   "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
    they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
   planted in the house of the Lord,
    they will flourish in the courts of our God.
   They will still bear fruit in old age,
    they will stay fresh and green,
   proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
    he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
                Pslam 92: 12-15


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Super crazy for this mama to have teenagers who weren't really interested in the beach.  We always go to the beach!  My kids have always had a blast in the ocean.  I recall my parents letting me bring a friend to the beach when we were teens.  I guess I should've tried for that, but our condo was kind of small to do it.  They did enjoy riding waves on the boogie board, fishing, eating out, playing cards, and getting custard.  Overall, they preferred staying inside, where as Chap, Grace, and I could've remained in the water from dawn to dusk!  

Overall, we had a great time at Orange Beach!  We relaxed and enjoyed beautiful weather.  Gracie collected tons of shells and floated between the ocean and swimming pool.  Her favorite parts were: "collecting shells, being with the family (heart melt), and going to the Hang Out".  
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Mom's favorite part was the white sand, pretty sunsets, walking the shore, eating Wild Cherry Italian Ice, being with the family (of course), and reading an awesome book, Kisses from Katie.  The story is about a girl that moves to serve kids in Uganda and adopts over 10 girls.  

Canaan, Ruth, and Chap's favorite part of the trip was deep sea fishing.  Actually, the guys did not tell me that, but I'm guessing!   

​This child loves to be on the move!  She's tenacious, talkative, and has THE biggest case of FOMO I've ever witnessed!  In case you are unaware of what that acronym means, it is FEAR OF MISSING OUT!  

Mom's who have FOMO kids are always on the run or are constantly having to say NO.  I try to balance the two, because she is constantly asking to do things!!!  

The week the rest of the family was on their mission trip, I let FOMO rule.  We ran and had fun!

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We ate out a lot.  I even used the Waitr app for the first time ever and got sushi after spending the entire day at Red's with our friends.  She had friends sleep over.  I stayed up late watching Netflix (RARE) and slept in late every morning.  Dreamy!

Our favorite day was going to the Audubon zoo with cousin Sarah.  We arrived when they opened and stayed until they closed.  Seven hours.  And it rained for a couple of hours. That's long for me.  But we rode the train all day and saw EVERYTHING there. 

The Orangutans were their favorite.  My favorite was the beauty of the older part of the zoo.  It opened in the 20s and the above fountain was built in the 30s.  I could just sit under those Live Oaks and stare at that fountain for hours.  No one was on that side, so it was very peaceful.  

I was mesmerized by the beautiful, large pelicans swimming near us while Grace was freaking out over all of the Red Ear Slider turtles everywhere....turtles that we see daily in our ditches.

I am not a snake person, but I was mesmerized by the reptiles on this trip!  One of my favorite parts was going inside the reptile house.  Okay, maybe the AC inside was a perk, but I stared at each snake for the longest time.  Something about being so close to something that is normally dangerous and only having a glass pane separating us just astounded me.  

The above picture was captured when we were leaving the zoo.  The workers took the 6 foot Boa out of an ice chest and placed him on the lawn for exercise.  We talked to the keepers for a long time about the snake.  Towards the end of his 30 minute recess, he finally began moving and was heading to the plants pictured above which was an apparent No No because they were treated with chemicals.  The worker had to keep picking it up and moving it around.  Interesting to observe something so big and not behind bars.  It was found after Hurricane Katrina on the street and donated to the zoo.

Next time we go and it's as hot as it was, we'll be sure to do the splash pad and lazy river.  Those beach chairs sure looked inviting!

I found all of our vacation pictures from last summer.  I can't believe I had never seen them.  Seeing the pics of my girls and I walking on the beach stirred up some emotions.

Seriously.  I LOVE having daughters!  I love my sons, but I honestly don't know what to do with boys.  I can handle coming up with girlie things.  I know how to do that.  Nails, decorating, visiting the elderly, cooking at the soup kitchen, cleaning the house, shopping, reading together, swimming, dancing.  Those are the things we do.

My heart melts when I think about these two.  They really are amazing kids!  

We placed Ruth in school this year for the first time ever at the age of 13.  She excelled and made straight A's on her last report card.  She is very responsible and cares about giving her all.  She always makes sure we are okay and have what we need.  I'm sending her to Mexico with the boys next week, and I know she'll take care of them more than they will tend to her.  I will miss her so much.  This will be the longest we've been apart...an entire week!  I don't know what I'll do without her.  She helps me so much, plus I enjoy having her around.  

At the age of 10, Grace is finishing up fourth grade.  It's July and we've never homeschooled into summer.  I'm planning on schooling her one more year and then sending her with the twins.  Grace is FULL OF LIFE!  She has FOMO (fear of missing out) like I've never seen.  She constantly asks to be with her cousins.  She still falls asleep in bed with me every night.  Being that she's our baby, I'll let her do this until she doesn't want to.  (I've seen how the older ones eventually weaned from cuddling and wanting to be near.  I never thought the day would come!)  She'll remain with me while the others go on the mission trip to Chiapas, Mexico.  Guess we'll come up with some more girlie things to do!!