Sweet Tea Social

Hey y'all!

(or should I say ladies, but this is for Texas women so y'all seemed more appropriate)

I am excited to join this new community of bloggers!! Bloggers have to be one of my favorite groups of people, not only because I am one of them but because they are usually creative, fabulous and jacked up on coffee, or in our case...sweet tea.

Should I also reveal that my older sister is Brandi of "Realities With Brandi"? Because she is.

I am excited about our tea party, mainly because I am not a coffee drinker and I am excited to see another blog embracing the idea of drinking tea!

If we were sitting on a porch, rocking our chairs out in the Texas sun, these are a few things I would reveal to you about this past week:

1. I am training for a 5K! I am not a runner, and living in Austin where every one and their mom runs races makes me a tad embarrased to say I have to train for a 5K. But I am and I'm owning it!

2. I'm going to start doing yoga. Mainly so people can call me "Yogi Barrera". Kidding. But this recent yoga kick is brought to you by my (totally hipster) neighborhood grocery store offering free yoga classes on Monday nights! Are any of you ladies yogis?

3. I'm reading an awesome new book by my pastor Matt Carter and former UT football player- Colt McCoy. It is a book on Biblical manhood but as a single woman it is teaching me a lot about the man I should be looking for.

4. I would also ask you if you have any tips for getting your dog to take his flea medicine. Mine has learned that those huge, yet delicious, peanut butter sandwiches have a nice, big chopped up pill hiden in them. You can only imagine what me on the floor wrestling with a 60 lb. pit bull-mix would look like. This is what I have resulted to, people!

5.  Lastly, I would ask you about your week. Something to know about me is that I love coffee dates (the ones I drink tea on but you get the point). I love investing in friendships with women and being an encouragement to them in their daily lives.

So how are you new friend?

Hope we get to chat soon, and maybe next time it won't be so dang hot outside.

Adios. :)

Single For A Reason



Photo Cred: twitter.com/TheSingleWoman

Hello single ladies,

Our time today is going to get a little more real. I really want to talk about what it means to be content in your singleness. It is so frustrating that at this age we let our singleness define our accomplishments and our happiness. I think it stems from the fact so many of us are discontent with our relationship status. In all the years (months or days) of your singleness, have you ever stopped to wonder the reason why you are single? And I mean the real reason, not the "pity party" answer like "I'm not good enough". What is it in your life that Jesus wants you to focus on more than dating? If Jesus is the reason for the Season; why is it any different that He is the reason for this season in your life?

I'll share with you how I discovered the reason for my singleness in hopes that it gets you to find the reason for this season in your life.

I have been an aspiring writer for the past couple of months, and I have really prayed that God would lead me through this time to create something glorifying to Him. And while God has shown me that He is at work in my life, it still takes time and discipline to use my free time as writing time. Even though I know God is faithful to deliver, I still have to be obedient to produce. My writing will not form itself. Trust me, I tried that route and nothing came of it. Several months ago I "casually" dated someone for a couple of months and my writing took a back seat. I neglected spending time perfecting my craft. God began giving me so many opportunities to write for different sites but I still neglected it. Among other reasons, that is one of the main reasons why I ended things with Boy, because I was neglecting the area in my life that God blessed me in. That's when I discovered the reason for my singleness. It's not because I'm not good enough, smart enough, attractive enough (or any of the other lies the devil will tell you), it's because God was blessing me; it just wasn't in the area I was expecting.

What is your reason for your singleness? What are the areas in your life that God is wanting you to grow in but you're missing it because you're so focused on dating? Maybe God wants you to grow in your faith, or maybe he wants to use you for something bigger that will be time consuming. God is not keeping a relationship from you to punish you; He might be keeping you from a relationship to bless you abundantly.

Don't get me wrong, the single life is hard and a lot of this is easier said than done but it's not impossible. Living a life of contentment will get you through those moments of doubt and frustration....or when you have to dance to All the Single Ladies for the 50th time at a wedding. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't get so wrapped up in the reasons why you're not married because you may miss out on all the other opportunities God may be trying to give you. Trust in our God that is faithful and know that He is the reason for this season.