FireStorm Faith Ranch

01/15/2025

Tough times call for tough measures.

Lean on God MORE TODAY than you did yesterday. He is waiting for you to reach out.

Go on…..speak His name,”Jesus I Need You!”

Have a blessed Wednesday!

01/13/2025

Friendship!

How is the New Year beginning for you? Have you kept to your resolutions, or are you starting to make excuses by allowing life to take over your commitment? Are your friends in the same boat or are they holding strong?

Speaking of friends, have you reached out to check on them lately? Have you wondered how they’re doing as this new year is taking off? When we are down or feeling overwhelmed we tend to hide and put on a face to show our strength instead of our true weakness. Weakness makes us feel inferior, and defeated.
Have you ever had a gut feeling about a close friend and for an instant you had a desire to call or text them to check on them? But then something distracted you and you said,” I’m sure they’re fine. I’ll call them later.”

Why do we let inferior objections control our emotions and instinct? Many of us might say we have a decent amount of people we call friends, but would those “friends” truly drop what they’re doing and race to your aid if you called? Would you be that friend to help out your friends if they called? God is our ultimate perfect friend who has never left our side no matter the situation. He sticks with us through thick and thin and has experienced joy, blessings, miracles, sadness, depression, and ultimate defeat. Never stray far from your true friends as many of us would admit we don’t have that many dear true friends who wouldn’t ask questions when we called for help.

Next time you have a girls night, guys night, etc. check in on everyone. If something seems a slight bit off, speak up. If they say “I’m fine, really I am,” but your gut says otherwise pray for them. Right now!! Stop what you’re doing and pray for them right there. Don’t say “I’m praying for you,” meaning later because we all know life sneaks up and you will forget. Show them you are willing to be there for them whenever the call comes in. Tomorrow is not promised and life can be a crazy place to navigate alone.

True friends are very rare to find and put our trust and faith in. If your trust and faith are strong in God then share that with your friends. Your relationship with God doesn’t have to be complicated especially when you are sharing it with others. Show everyone love, and treat others how you want to be treated if you were in their situation. Friendship is a strong bond that many of us have lost due to the overwhelming addiction to technology and science. Put your phones, iPads, kindles, etc down and actually speak to your friends and get to know something new about them instead of comparing posts on Facebook, or highlights on instagram. Words and emotions are hard to speak today because we hide behind our screens and “accounts” online. Make an effort to schedule a girls/guys night with your friends 1-2x per month. Then make a rule:no technology. You will be surprised at how many memories you talk about and reminisce about as you enjoy quality time with people who truly love and care for each other.

God is the ultimate friend who gave us the gift of His son, Jesus Christ who laid down His life for us! That is true friendship!

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” -John 15:13

01/09/2025

Strong!

Tonight, in our Mom's Bible Study group, we discussed Isaiah 43:18-19. This verse focuses on not dwelling on the past but instead observing what new thing God is about to do in your life.

As moms we tend to be extremely hard on ourselves, and don't take enough time to relish in our own personal achievements. Many of us feel as though we are "not allowed" to celebrate our milestones, because we need to be strong for our family and children. Others of us who do take a short time to enjoy our achievements soon begin to question, what is going to go wrong now that this great thing has occurred. Both responses steal joy from you. Don't allow every ounce of your energy to be spread among everyone else, because then you will have nothing left to give. It is ok to be happy and joyful for your own personal achievements. You too are a child of God and growing in your faith journey.

When times are hard, and you continuously get knocked down, sometimes even before you can stand up again, NEVER give up. Stop and open your eyes to see ALL the blessings God has provided you. Maybe you go a short time without a job/income. You may have lost a promotion at work that you needed to pay your increasing rent. Communication may be a struggle between you and your spouse/family. Or maybe you temporarily lose your home, or car, with no replacement. Remember one thing......you are BLESSED! If you have clothes to wear you are blessed. If you have food in your home you are blessed. If you have a means of travel (car, bike, walk), you are blessed. We often allow fear to blind reality when times become tough. Everyone will go through difficult times, but when those times arise hit your knees and Thank God for all you have at that moment. Don't ever take for granted the small things that truly are necessities for you to survive. You are stronger than you think, and your mind can imagine. Your will to survive is never lost, just dumped in a corner to collect dust most of the time while our daily jobs and purchases of food to provide our family become mundane actions in our day-to-day lives.

So, if you feel lost, defeated, failed, then hit your knees, and pray to God. Don't allow the world to break you, because as an individual, mother, girlfriend, wife, fiancé, daughter, sister, etc. your internal desire to succeed and take care of others is part of who God made you to be. The enemy can only win if you allow yourself to accept defeat. Let God in and show you how strong you truly are!

STRONG!

Send a message to learn more

01/08/2025

Happy New Year!!!

We hope you all had a wonderful and memorable time with your family and friends over the holiday season. 2025 is going to be a new adventure and we are so excited to experience each day with an open mind and heart.

We had a new visitor this morning at our bird feeder! First, I’m so blessed with the large number of cardinals (male and female) that visit us daily. When we first moved in, we had 1 male and 2 females. Now we have more than 3 males and 4 females. They truly are a blessing to see everyday.
Our new visitor is a red bellied woodpecker! He has a beautiful, bright red cap and was truly a sight to see. California chickadees, Tufted Titmouse, Blue jays, Bluebirds, and doves are just a few that visit our birdfeeders daily. Our family enjoys the variety of nature God provides us with daily from sunrise to sunset. I will never forget granted the beauty is His artwork.

My word for this new year is Hope. Hope has many meanings and representations. However for me, Hope describes my spiritual growth with God as I learn more about how to write and share Gods word with others. My goal is to focus on praying for hope over new beginnings for our family, hope for showing strength when I’m faced with a strenuous battle, and hope to progress on my faith journey and learn more about who I truly am and what God has planned for my life.

As you navigate this new season, what will your word be for 2025? Will it be Strength, Patience, Love, Giving? Let us know how you plan to experience this new year. Maybe consider keeping a journal this year and jot down all your thoughts, experiences, and prayers centered around your word for 2025. You don’t have to write pages about your day, but focus on a couple easy sentence starters for each day when reflecting on your word. Here are a few examples:

“Today, I experienced _________(your word) by…..”

“________(your word) helped me _______(something you acheived/accomplished) by ____________.

“Over the next day/week/month, I plan to integrate __________(your word) into my daily routine by ___________.”

I pray many blessings over you and your families as 2025 will unveil new paths, new adventures, and new beginnings. Enjoy each day and don’t forget to take in the beauty around you!

12/27/2024

Lost?

Stressed? Confused? Down on yourself? Feeling unworthy?

When these feelings arise, what do you do first? Do you analyze and try to fix the problem? Do you run from your fears and suppress them with distractions? Do you embrace these emotions and allow them to take over your mind, heart, and soul?

Whichever example you typically engage in, where does it lead you? Do you dig further into self destruction? Do you impress on others your stress, worry, depression, causing them to reevaluate their life and situation possibly causing harm to their hope and joy?

We’ve all been down, lost and feeling as though we aren’t good enough for our spouse, friends, etc. But where is your hope? We all “say” we put our faith and love in Jesus in good times and bad, but the bad times ALWAYS challenge our minds and heart when the world throws negative experiences and feelings into our bodies. Jesus Loves YOU no matter the good or bad you’ve done. He doesn’t keep a tally of the good and love you more on those days. And He definitely doesn’t love you part of the way when you’ve done wrong giving more love to others that are doing good deeds. Jesus Loves you the same day in and day out. That right there should cause your hope to strengthen and soar off the charts. That kind of Love is unconditional and so very pure!

God NEVER sees any of us as unworthy or unsuccessful. Remember we are unique and specifically created in His image with our own perfect make up. As a child of God, your actions do not dictate how God loves you and cares for you. Feeling unworthy for your spouse or children is simply a decrease in our hope in Jesus that allows our faith to shine through the darkness. Don’t ever feel as though you aren’t good enough for someone or something. Your talents shine through to others the strongest when you aren’t aware others are watching.

Focus on your hope in Jesus and take a risk to push your faith to shine brighter in the darkness showing others there is nothing that can put out the light in your heart. God is ALWAYS with you and there is no possible way you can fail with Him by your side. Know you are loved by so many people and your worth is infinitely strong in passion and determination. Don’t give up praying and asking for strength when you are down. You my friend are strong, beautiful, and loved. 🥰

12/17/2024

Family and loved ones.

We spend time with them, we call, hug them, tell stories of past times. But what happens when tomorrow is different? Tomorrow their voice is silent.

Time is a scary element that no one holds the answers to. We often center our lives around a general “number” that we hope to experience many milestones from growing up, studying and securing a career, starting a family, loving our grandchildren, and finally checking off the last items on our bucket list. For some of us, we are fortunate enough to live through many if not all of these stages, while others lives are cut short.

Parents and grandparents hold deep, special places in our hearts. Sometimes we are unable to put into words our true feelings, because our minds can’t formulate words to describe the pure, deep love we have for these wonderful people in our lives. When the time comes that we are no longer able to hear their voice or see their face or hug them tight, we lose a delicate piece of our heart and soul. This sadness, loneliness, and emptiness never truly heal. But over time we grow love to nourish those missing pieces we were blessed to experience together. As the years pass, it never gets easier but remembering the funny times, the sentimental times, and the days were we blessed to share together bring tears of joy and happiness. To live in a place where there is no hurt, no worry or sorrow is a magical blessing that I pray we all may experience someday.

In times of grief, I pray that you may find comfort in God’s arms wrapped around you as He calls your family member, dear friend, spouse, etc home. We are not meant to know the reasons or ask why, but instead trust in Him that His timing has a true reason. May you and your family be warmed by Gods gentle hand and deep true love during this Christmas season. What once was a goodbye is soon to be a “see you again.”

Psalm 28:6-7

12/06/2024

Where are you?

Are you driving to work, dropping kids off at school, getting off a night shift? These are physical locations that inform someone of your immediate location. Have you stopped to deeply ponder where you truly are?

Are you lost? Are you drowning in your own anxiety, stress, or endless to do lists? Or are you confident in your next step along a journey that is routinely blocked by temptation and deceit? The first 2 options are most likely the common answer among many of you, your friends and family. We all tell ourselves we are fine, everything’s going well, but is it really?

If tomorrow you woke up jobless, would your faith be as strong as the day before? Would your confidence rise above all the fear in the previous question? Or would anxiety, confusion, fear, and sorrow set in? When we tell someone we are confident in something, others believe us to complete a task or meet a deadline with the required information. But if you look back at when you’ve told someone you’re confident in something do you really have zero concerns, fear, or doubts?

Yes, it is normal to feel slightly concerned or anxious when promising to complete a task, because we tend to focus on what will happen if we don’t finish on time, or if we experience setbacks or lose of time, money, product, etc. God NEVER has any fears about His confidence in You! After all He made every tiny part of you and all the billions of other people on this Earth.

So, if you feel lost, worry some, depressed, turn to God and ask Him to give you strength, courage, and confidence to overcome any obstacle and negative thoughts you may encounter. Don’t settle for feeling lost, and worry about what may happen next. Stand up proud for who you are, what you have and most importantly in what you believe in! Know that you are safe, loved, and supported by the absolute best, and strongest army you could ever dream of: God!

Where are you? You decide today is you WANT to be lost or if you will ALLOW God to find you and carry you through. Let your guard down, become vulnerable and trust in God to be there through good and bad and ALWAYS carry you through. It will always get better ❤️‍🩹 if you simply believe and trust God!

Where are you today…..?

12/05/2024

Be confident in yourself and know that you are worthy!

10/31/2024

Lost and busy.....

October has flown by, and life has truly taken on many different paths. Recently, I've been lost and unsure about where to go next and wondering why my spark has diminished. We all experience times when things don't line up the way we want, and then one bad moment leads to another causing us to be at a low point in life questioning what else could go wrong. Remember this......NEVER STOP PRAYING!

We often find ourselves offering smiles and good lucks to everyone when our lives are at a high point and things seem easy. When our lows show up, our stress soars off the charts, we panic, wonder if we can pay the bills each month, will there be enough money for food and gas, etc. You can't let your panic and fear shade you from God and His hand at work in your life. Fear should drive you closer to God, and not the enemy or questions about conquering this hurdle that is straining your comfort zone. If your panic and fear is due to losing your job, know that God is opening a more prosperous door for you; but patience is the key. If your fear is due to relationship turmoil, pray about it and seek guidance. If emotions are causing you to question your worth or purpose, listen to God's word. You are not alone, and this will not be the last hardest time in your life causing you to grow in your faith. How you handle today, tomorrow, and the days to come will determine the success in your journey.

Being lost and uncertain is ok. Feeling overwhelmed is normal as we are human after all. Life throws many challenges and hurdles throughout our paths, and we have to decide how to achieve success without losing ourselves. There is only one answer to all of life's successes and dreams: God! My heart resonates through songs and music as I connect with God. One song that has changed my thinking recently, and sparked my flame is "The Truth," by Megan Woods. If you haven't had the opportunity to hear this song, please listen to the words that she sings. This song will remind you of Who YOU ARE! All your imperfections are perfect to God. The lies you "hear" are convictions of a false life of happiness or brokenness that only evil can shape.

Deep down you KNOW who you truly are. We've heard the lies on repeat over and over again. When you hear a lie for so long you will believe what you're told. Why lose yourself in a life that defines insecurity, hate, and manipulation? You have the strongest army at your side IF you choose to empower them. However, you can't fight for something you don't want. So, before you wallow in your setbacks, think about how powerful prayer is, and how much God Loves You just as you are in your failures, successes, grief, joy, kindness, and dreams. Seek out your purpose, keep your head held high, and listen for God's answer to your prayer. Stay faithful to Him, and you will receive eternal Love!

The truth is:
I am my Father's child
I make Him proud and I make Him smile
I was made in the image of a perfect King
He looks at me and wouldn't change a thing

The truth is:
I am truly loved
By a God whose good when I'm not good enough
I don't belong to the lies, I belong to You
And that's the truth!

-"The Truth" by Megan Woods (an excerpt)

https://youtu.be/5fSVWVYkh2A?si=MbllVct8vXrK0uAg

Look in the mirror and know who you are! You are perfect in God's eyes. Don't live in the lies but live for Him. Find your passion and reignite it. Tomorrow is a new day, and a day that you will conquer whatever you experience. Share a smile with a stranger and laugh when things go wrong. Because you have a purpose! And that's the TRUTH!!

Send a message to learn more

09/24/2024

Carry the burdens of others, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. -Galatians 6:2

We all go through hard times, setbacks, and question when will life turn around? When will things get better? ❤️‍🩹 Not every answer is a sigh of relief or a weight lifted. Sometimes the answer will challenge our hope for a better outcome and cause us to question our faith. Neither path removes God from the situation. Whether we receive good news today, or news that will affect our lives moving forward, God is carrying you through each emotion.

Never let someone carry a burden by themselves. We are social creatures, and God created us to Love one another (including our enemies), with every ounce of our heart 💜 and soul! There is power in prayer and strength in numbers. When you share your Love and support with those in need, you’re sharing Gods love and words so they can be healed.

Prayer is a powerful tool. However, we often lose sight of the meaning of prayer when God doesn’t answer our cry’s or leads us down a path we feel is far beyond where we are headed. Often times we ask “Why,” too much! “Why God did you not heal my brother/sister?” “Why God did you allow our family to become homeless after my husband lost his job?” “Why God……”

Your faith in God has to be stronger than anything on this Earth, to allow your whole heart and soul to trust Him and know that His timing is right no matter the outcome. He holds the answers to all the “Why’s” we bombard Him with daily. But there’s a saying,” we are not meant to know the reasons why.” Don’t focus on blaming God for “Why” things happened in your life or “Why” situations didn’t go as planned. Your faith journey should be centered around following Him daily and putting your entire trust in Him! Emotions are real and happiness, sadness, anger, and depression are not imagined. It’s ok to hurt, to laugh, to cherish every moment with our loved ones, but remember God gave His Son so you and I could have eternal life. That is the ultimate sacrifice!

Today, tomorrow, and all the days to come, don’t let someone bear the weight of their burdens alone. Show Love, and be there for them, for one day you will seek support and wisdom for others too. Troubled times are never easy, but I Thank God every day that my hope, faith, and Love are the strongest I can give to others.

Thank you God for Loving me and helping keep my Hope alive through all life’s journeys.

09/23/2024

Happy Monday!!!

We’ve been a little quiet lately, because we’ve been hard at work making improvements to the ranch!

This last weekend we opened up two main spaces to allow for family time as the weather cools off as well as peaceful spots to sit, listen, and reflect on nature. These new areas will receive a couple of wooden benches, a fire pit, and a remembrance spot for our family and friends to sit in silence to reminisce on the times we were blessed with some of the lost souls encountered at the ranch.

The horses ❤️ the new “track” they can run through and Batman enjoys jumping the creek.
Kimber is growing up so fast, and Salem (barn cat) is loving all the attention he receives daily.
We are so blessed with our ranch family!

Stay tuned for more updates as we put the finishing touches on our little ranch. God is good!

09/17/2024

What is tomorrow?
Tomorrow is Tuesday, September 17, 2024.

What will happen tomorrow?
You will wake up, go to school or work, come home have dinner, maybe watch tv and go to bed. This is a “typical” day for most of us as we prepare tonight, and lay our heads down.

Some of you may be focusing on project deadlines, presentations to present, curriculum to teach, or daily errands to take care of yourself and those in your home. But what if I told you there’s a whole world you don’t see? What if every minute there’s a step, or a miracle waiting for you to uncover. Would you be searching for it? Would you ask for hints or inquire about where it may lead you?

Aside from “daily routines” that society is blinded to each and every day, God has a plan and a step for you to achieve at the beginning of each new day. We say we know what tomorrow holds or have feelings throughout the day of good or bad things to come, but only God knows what lies in your path.

God has an amazing plan for each and everyone of you that is unique to you and no one else in the entire world. When we stop following the line leader and blinding ourselves to only seeing the persons head in front of us as we monotonously copy step for step unsure of where this line is leading us, we will see Gods plan. Knowing that God has a plan for your future and has instilled love and hope for you, should light a 🔥 in your soul to seek out your purpose. If you think you know where the line is going, you’re wrong. The line you’re sure you know the end destination isn’t a line at all, it’s an unending circle. Don’t believe me, keep your blinders on and let me know how far you get without testing your faith and stepping outside the circle to follow Gods real plan for you.

Don’t be shaded by the enemy’s power to persuade false hope and have you believe the little wins are where you are to follow. Stop and get out of line. Search for the ☀️ and challenge your faith to ask God to put you in your next step. Get out of your comfort zone and LIVE!!! Read that line one more time OUTLOUD! That’s right, you’re not living right now. You’re existing, but you aren’t feeling the love God has for you. You are convinced that the path that seems “scary” is too risky to follow, but it may be the answer you’ve been searching for on the other side of the 🚪. Take a risk, get out of line and live!

God holds your future; no one else! Where do you see your next step as you navigate your day tomorrow and step out of line? Let the others continue in the unending circle and you focus your heart on God so you can start living.

Where does your path lead? Let me know. 😊

09/11/2024

09/06/2024

What was your joy today?

My joy was spending time with my family and watching our children light up with smiles and happiness.

Although my joy was great to capture, what most don’t know is my joy only lasted about 10 minutes out of the whole day. Today was rough for our youngest as he is navigating through emotions, behavior, and communication. Parenting is hard!! Your patience will be tested farther than the depths of the Earth. Overstimulation will seem like part of your daily routine and another meal to sit down and swallow whole. Tears will dry up, because honestly there is nothing left to cry when the well is dry.

Joy is a glorious thing when you’re able to experience it with a light heart, stillness, and love. But we often lose sight of joy when the tantrums explode, the anxiety snowballs, and chaos paints our home a masterpiece. Joy is still present through the ugly, the defeat, and the overwhelming entrapment of exhaustion.

I was tested today! I faced and achieved defeat! I was lost and confused. But I never gave up. My heart was broken for the reaction of my youngest toward me, but my love never failed. My energy, strength, and confidence were challenged and honestly didn’t succeed, but my love and fire in my soul never died.

What we experience in these type of situations seems so monumental compared to a “normal” day. When we tackle these days we are physically and mentally exhausted! We need a day to recharge and regroup. How do you think God feels? The crazy tantrums of a 2 year old, a heated fight/discussion with your spouse/significant other, failing a company on a huge project all seem like a catastrophe waiting to explode into a bigger explosion 💥 than we can handle. Once the explosion is complete, we now seek revenge or support from our friends and family to justify the reasoning behind our behavior/response.

What we see as monumental is merely a pin drop in the ocean to God. God doesn’t become flustered or angry when we react in these situations or follow the wrong path. God doesn’t put harm in your way to punish you for choosing the wrong door or following the enemy’s web of lies. God loves you unconditionally, and waits patiently for you to find your way back to Him. The cool thing about God is He never leave your side no matter what the circumstance.

Tomorrow focus on letting the “big” eruptions go, and enjoy the few minutes of joy. Some day you may not have any “joy” to share with others, and you don’t want your last day of joy to be focused on what you could’ve had instead of living in the present and embracing the chaos.

Love the joy of the chaos and you life will be complete!

08/21/2024

Who are you?

Do you know who you are? Deep down could you describe who you truly are as a person? I don’t mean a daughter, teacher, employee, husband, etc, but who you really are that makes up every cell of your body that God created?

Have you ever wished you had curly hair instead of straight hair? Or wished that you could lose 5 lbs in a week to pull off a slim outfit? Do you secretly watch commercials advertising products that will get rid of wrinkles, brown spots, etc, and are convinced you need that “miracle” cream?

WHY?????? What is so great about having something someone else has? Have you ever stopped to think about what an amazing individual YOU ARE? Did you realize that there’s someone out there wishing they could have what you have? What causes us to want what others have and convince ourselves we would be so much better if we just had……, or if we just ate…..etc.

God made YOU unique for who YOU ARE! There is NO ONE else like you and that’s the beauty of God’s wonderful artistic masterpiece! Be confident with who you are. “Beauty is only skin deep,” has a lot of truth behind it. Overweight people want to be skinny. Short people want to be tall. “Nerdy/smart” people want to be seen for who they are and not used for their intelligence. Everyone wants what someone else has. But what you have and who you are is so amazing, because there isn’t a soul on this planet who is exactly like you, has the same talents as you, or can do what you can do!

Love YOURSELF for who YOU ARE! God created you as a beautiful and unique individual. So dont get discouraged when someone makes fun of you, or society says you’re not the “right” body type. This has been a struggle for me personally as I’ve had to overcome deep emotional lies that have affected myself and my family. Regardless of how low you think you feel or that life can’t get any better so what’s the point? Remember YOU ARE LOVED! There is nothing or no one in this world who is better than you.

Dig deep and search for that flame that God planted when He personally created you, and show the world what an awesome person you are. Inspire others to love themselves and shy away from bullies. Bullies pick on others because deel down they are hurting. To hide/suppress the pain they take their emotions out on others thinking that it will make them seem stronger and more confident. However, this lack of confidence and strength only reveals their true weakness. Show these people love 💕 as well. They’re trying to figure out how to cope with their emotions too.

Be kind to everyone you meet. Quit trying to be someone you aren’t. And truly Love ❤️ yourself, because God made you perfect and that’s all that matters.

08/20/2024

Slow down, and breathe.

This time of year is stressful for many of us. Children are going back to school, jobs begin to push full speed ahead, sports/extracurricular activities begin, and let’s face it life gets jam packed with “things to do!”

Calm your mind, open your heart, and give yourself and others Grace!

Open your ears to listen to each other. Make time to have a couple of hours of true uninterrupted family time and support each other as you navigate this next season.

Slow down. Breathe. Calm your mind. Open your heart. Give yourself (and others) Grace!