Claire Diaz-Ortiz
About the Author

Claire leads social innovation at Twitter, Inc. and is the author of Twitter for Good. Named one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company, she has a heart for speaking and coaching. Follow her journey of unexpected grace on Twitter via @Claire.

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things we love
& you will too!
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  1. The Lord has put our family in a position of losing a business and going from making an incredible salary to over half than less of what we made before. It’s been a super hard journey but God hasn’t once let us go without a roof over our heads, a bed to sleep in, & food to eat. God’s provisions in so many ways are beyond words miraculous <3. He's teaching our family many life lessons and allowing us to see miracles together. It's opened my eyes for the need of so many in our situation. I would love to start a food pantry. Simply Living By Faith – Stacey

  2. The story reminds me of (although not nearly as dramatic) of hiking up a mountain in Montana. We climbed over 8000 feet in just under 8 hours. I’ve never known fatigue like that, but I’ve never known a payoff quite like that either. I sat on a glacier and gazed at the intensely breathtaking mountains, valleys, and lakes and ate my PB and J and cried. The voice I kept hearing in my head kept saying…”See it IS all with it!” I think of that moment of clarity very often.

    In regards to serving God I feel that nudge is always there. When I ask for an opportunity He delivers without fail. It is one of the surest and most tangible forms of communication with Him that I’ve ever experienced.

  3. I had a similar moment when I was reading a book by Sally Clarkson. I realized while reading that book that I need to make sure my kids are my main priority right now. I can focus more on writing and other things when they are older, but for this season, I need to focus mainly on them.

  4. I quit a job I loved because God called me to stay at home with my daughter. It’s been the best decision possible, even though it wasn’t one I planned.

  5. Last year I was worried about paying for college. I had chosen the school I was planning on going to my freshman year of high school and visited more times than I care to count despite the long drive. I auditioned, wrote essays, and interviewed for scholarships there and was excited and hopeful about one particular scholarship that would cover a large portion of my expenses for my first four years (My program was a five-year program there.) Then I got notice that I didn’t get a single scholarship…and then I got a letter from a tiny school I had only applied to because it seemed like I should apply to a couple extra schools just in case. The students they were known to attract tended to be those who couldn’t get in elsewhere, they had a six year program, don’t really take outside credits, and had the most ridiculously slim financial aid of any school I’d seen, but out of nowhere they offered me six years of tuition. They charge so many fees (and of course I still need food, books, and a bed) that it isn’t cheap, but I started to think maybe God had a plan for this turn of events…After a year there I’ve come to see the school administration like a bit of a dysfunctional family, but I am trying to understand why God led me there.

  6. I wanted to serve as a foreign missionary but God told me to stay. I’m glad I obeyed. His plans are always so much better!

  7. I had to make a decision about this time last year as to whether the man I was currently dating would be my husband. The Lord revealed to me the heart of this guy, and I broke up with him. It certainly wasn’t easy, but He opened my blind eyes and led me in the most beautiful way.

  8. I love to see how God works, I can’t wait to read part two. In the last seven years God has brought us on an incredible journay from ashes [almost bankruptcy] to a new place, hope is back, beauty from ashes. Life is challenging but He is there in every moment. I am not the same person and that is what I am most grateful to Him for.

  9. WOW!
    I remember a time in my life when I asked God to close a door and open the next door. It was in the moment that God was preparing me to be a mentor, minister, sister, and friend. I can now connect all the dots. I and my 1 1/2 year old daughter left the comfort of Hartford, CT (parents living less than 10miles away) and we moved to spacious, beautiful, vast New Hampshire. 2 Black girls living in a town and a state and community that was anything but Black or Urban or familiar. But it was there that I met Dawn. She taught me sisterhood. She challenged me to preach the gospel the way God gave it to me in poetry and song. Dawn died June 3, 2012. But i know God lifted me from one space to another just for that challenge and encouragement!

    Can’t wait to hear Part II

  10. I found myself at a crossroads on my first mission trip… also to Kenya. I went with these grand ideas of what I was going to do and see and found myself broken, alone, humbled and realizing just how BIG my God is. It changed my life.

  11. less than ten years ago I moved with my family after living in the same city for more than thirty some years… It was difficult but somehow I knew it had to be GOD leading…. I had secured a transfer from my job’s company so I was not going to loose any seniority or benefits… we bought a new home all was just as planned…. till the housing market crashed and I lost my job and for almost two years I would have to change my whole world… before starting another job….. but it was at that turn of events that I went from leaning and trusting in me and my job and income to leaning and trusting and depending on GOD for my very existence…. Even now looking back… we plan and project and all is good… but only GOD who has written our story knows what exactly will happen next….

  12. Your post was amazing. I have always wanted to travel the world as a photo-journalist, capturing far away places and seeing different people through the lens of a camera. I am not in the financial shape or even in any good physical condition to do that. But my heart soared when I read of your adventures.
    Years ago I went on a weekend retreat with a church I was attending at that time. It was Pentecost weekend. The most amazing experience was when I woke up Sunday morning a changed person. It was suddenly realizing that my entire past had been washed away and I was a new person. It was like being reborn again on Pentecost.

  13. Reading a book about a missionary (Brother Andrew), I suddenly saw the great need in the whole world for the gospel. I was about to head to college – and immediately understood that God wanted me to prepare for full-time ministry, instead of medicine or music.

    Can’t wait for Part 2!

  14. A trip across the world to Thailand changed my life forever…in a place where internet and phone calls to the USA were not easily accessible and hearing English was rare…where nothing was familiar and everything new…God was the one constant in my life. In this place so foreign to me, my relationship with God grew and became the most important thing in my life.

  15. Can’t wait to read part 2!
    My most recent WOW moment with God has been when he showed me and about 4 other praying moms how powerful prayer is. I had a minor crisis in my daily routine. One that stops you from doing all that you have planned for your day, all the “have to” and the “hope to” get done before I picked up the kids from school. In my busyness, I locked myself out of my house and car, which was parked in my garage. My cell phone sat in the car with all my dear contacts that could come and help me. So I took the 1/2 mile walk to a friend’s house for help. I had stopped at 3 other neighbors’ houses for help, but they were not home. I am certain all these events were in His divine plan.
    Bottom line is God orchestrated a beautiful show for me and 4 other women where he showed us 1) He hears our prayers 2) He acts swiftly when we pray 3) He loves to show off so that we are blown away by the details.
    I have pondered on that chain of events now for a few weeks. I don’t think it was about a simple thing of being locked out. I think He was showing me something BIG. Something about the body of Christ, something about prayer – the need for it, and His timing. I think it is a nugget that He gave us to tuck away for another day 🙂 To God Be The Glory!
    Jan

  16. My moment was also involving Kenya! I went to work with a missionary family in 2010 and it changed my life forever. Im on my way back now as a single lady missionary to work with the same family. Im so excited to see what God will do. I can hardly wait!

  17. God continues to surprise me … it must be one of God’s delights, to surprise those of us who think that we know ourselves, God, and our relationship …. One of my crossroads moments came when I was working as a chaplain at a hospital. Among other places, I was the chaplain for the day therapy section of rehabilitation. My life was changed as I watched a teenager struggle to learn to walk again. She was determined to walk across the stage to receive her diploma. Her grandmother brought her to therapy, and while I no longer recall the circumstances of her injury, and I never did know about her mother, God allowed me to be present for a miracle. I had the privilege of walking behind her as she walked down a long hallway: down, around a corner, and back into the therapy room. It was one of the most joyful moments I have experienced. As she was nearing the end of her walk for the day, one of the aids asked me if I was her mother. “No,” I replied, “I am just her biggest cheerleader!” That young woman enriched my life through the power of God’s healing. It has recently occurred to me that God allowed me, a childless woman, to experience being a Mom in a new way in my life. I am Mother today, and get to be a Mom to kids of all ages. I am humbled and thankful.

  18. My most recent moment happened just a few weeks ago. We have an autistic son, he’s pretty high functioning but does have a few issues with socialization, but nothing too terrible. I have struggled off and on with God’s place in autism and our family dynamic being so different from most people around us, but I had not really gotten any comfort from God in that respect. As they say, sometimes you have to hit bottom before you can even look up! Two weeks ago my son had severe panic attacks at daycare almost every day of the week, forcing us to pick him up and leave work four out of five days. Frustrated and angry, my heart finally broke. I was able to be open and honest about how I was feeling – with God for the first time since Gavin’s Diagnosis. I finally feel focused and have started to find my voice, and a renewed faith!

  19. God has also used travel (mission trips to central Mexico, Nairobi & working with inner city kids in Canada) to shatter my idea of what “enough” is. It seems a shame He had to take me away from home to learn those lessons, but it worked and I found so many blessings along the way!

    (Can’t wait to read more)

  20. I long to go on a mission trip, but it has not been time yet. I’m trying to look daily for what plans the Lord has for me. At 57 years old, I pray that God has a lot in store for me still!

  21. My most recent crossroads came when my husband and I were new youth workers at our Church. God had called us late (both being in our 50’s) to middle school ministry and we were loving it! But then I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and was suffering from severe back pain that prohibited me from even standing for 5 min. let alone playing games, etc. As I took a year off of most of the activities, He led me to a deeper walk with Him through a study I attended while the “fun” was happening. It was a much needed respite and great blessing. Especially after a proper diagnosis of my back and surgery repaired things (another crossroads that was so personal and very special) to be able to return and play with the kids again has been awesome!

  22. When I looked in the mirror and could not get the words out of my mouth – that I was the mother of a special needs child. My whole life changed and I realized at that moment God was telling me that is what he wanted me to do. Scared I answered that I would if he wanted me too and prayed that he would give me the strenght. It was the hardest acceptance but it was the most rewarding experience of my life. I realized how much I had to learn to become a loving person and realize you don’t have to be perfect to be perfect to God. God has been so good to me.

  23. My husband and I are currently at many crossroads including moving across the country and discovering that having children isn’t going to happen for us without assistance. However, I can’t imagine spending significant money to become pregnant when I could invest that money in the lives of children already in need. For me the major decision is this: foster parent or adopt. As a product of the NY foster care system, there is no hesistation is taking children that may not otherwise have a family.

    The Lord guides me each day and I know these crossroads will be no different.

  24. I was propelled into single parenting with a 3-year-old son and nine-month old son. For years, life was stressful with few moments to rest, think or even go to the bathroom! During those years my passion was studying the Hebrew names of God. I amassed over 200 names, along with their definition and biblical sources. For the last five or six years, I enjoyed the first peace I’d experienced in my adult life and thought, “Wow. Can life get any better?” My adult sons grew into wonderful, responsible adults. When I fell into bumps in the road, I’d turn to my list of Hebrew names and ask, “What part of You do I need today?”

    Then…BAM! Last October my firstborn was killed on his 14th deployment, shattering my ease and throwing my body back into the grief stress mode that had possessed my body for years. Needless to say, this is a crossroads I feared and never desired. However, I’m overwhelmed by the honor, comfort and care I’ve received from the Army and am amazed at the doors God is opening to share Who He says He is through this tragedy.

    Six years ago, I faced another crossroad and headed down a path I never thought I’d ever do: I care for two special needs adults in my home. I thank God for pre-arranging this new career for me. Our routine is a comfort. Without our daily routine, I’d be tempted to pull a blanket over my head and never come out again. And if I had to work outside the home with no control over each day, I’d be a crazy person. I’m so thankful God arranged so many details in advance to allow me to face this new crossroad, grieve, and meet so many other precious survivors.

  25. “God,” I said. “If you have put this place in my road to change me — please open my eyes so I can see.” Amen.

  26. I can’t wait to see what you’ll write in part two.

    It’s amazing to me, the many different ways God chooses to push us out of our comfort zones so we can fully see, with eyes wide open, the world and sounds around us.

    He is such am amazing God.

    Such was a way he lead me into the girls ministry.

  27. I can’t wait to hear your other half. The founder of Tumaini International and some of the board attend my church. Tumaini is an amazing organization and I sponsor one of the orphans named Mercy. I can only imagine how much they touched your lives and can’t wait to hear more!

  28. Haha…so excited about the book, I didn’t read the rules:
    Crossroad moment
    When we said yes to teaming up in sending our daughter to Mongolia for a summer internship…her first step into missions on another continent.
    That formed a great partnership with Team Expansion, which gave me a heart for missionary care… Something I’d never thought of getting in to. It’s put me halfway across the world, and brought me back, and makes me trust God in new ways…yes, those eyes of faith. That willingness. It’s taught me to walk a way new way with Him!

  29. I was surfing the internet going through my usual list of blogs to read when I happened upon a Help Wanted sign. It was yellow so it stood out from the page and the little girl who was holding it was weathered, an old soul in such a little body so I clicked on the button. I ,_______ , pledge to help end child slavery! Your name can save her life now! Make my name count. Another button to click! The first step to ending child slavery is to pledge your name to the cause. Tell the world that you want to end child slavery now!
    The face stuck in my mind and I read on. World Vision is collecting the names of people so we can encourage or should that say “in”courage, our government to make a plan to end child slavery. We need 85,000 pledges by March 2013. It doesn’t cost anything; just a commitment to look at your life and change how you shop. Make sure what you are buying has not been made at the cost of a little life somewhere for next to nothing. Children forced to carry burdens to heavy for their little shoulders.
    I signed. I already do those things. I went to my Facebook page and posted the Help Wanted and nothing. Not a comment. Not a share. Nothing. And yet the turtle who was wrapped up in the plastic wrapping that holds 6 pack cans together had 69,000 shares.
    My heart broke in two. Somehow the turtle mattered more than the child. What has happened to our world. It wasn’t like looking into a mirror and wondering if God was trying to speak to me. It was like God was crying out of the Facebook page, asking a world of Christians to stand up and be counted. So today I am starting a list of every church in my city, and then my province and then my country. I am going to send a picture of this wee girl with her help wanted sign and plead with those who love Jesus to pledge their support. This morning God led me here! Praise the Lord! I wonder how many of these churches twitter. I wonder how many Christians have a twitter account. I wonder how many of them would change the way they shop to save a child. I wonder how twitter could make a difference in this little girl’s life? Has God put this place in my road today ?

    • Ev,

      If you are willing to share your llink to this little girl’s “Help Wanted” ad, I will share it on my Facebook and help you spread the word. Please send the link to my email:

      deecf63@yahoo.com

      Whenever I see the horror of children’s situations like this, I see the faces of my own kids, and it changes things for me: What if MY kids had to endure this horrific kind of life? I’m with you! And yes, I want to keep our oceans clean too, but hello everyone (!) — Humans are more important!

      Keep up the good work!

      -Diane

  30. My crossroads: God showing me that He can use anyone and anything for His good and His glory. Even a jar of buttons.

  31. I guess you could say I have experienced several. Some I call “Aha! Moments” whether small, medium, or large…when He just blows me away completely!!! One of those times was when I was reading a blog and decided to first sponsor a child through World Vision. I had wanted to do something before, but money was tight and I just couldn’t. Then, one day, I decided that money was tight and in this day and age, it was just going to be anyway. If I could make a way for my “selfish” wants, then I could make a way for this. You know? So, I sponsored a child and chose a beautiful “older” girl. I wanted a child who was older (because usually the younger ones are chosen first). I am thankful and now sponsor two through WV. The second on a whim, and am grateful to help out where and however I can!!!

  32. God has recently cut away almost everything I have loved, except for my small family–my husband and six-year-old son. We’re o.k. in so many ways, but emotionally, I am (heart) broken. I lost a dream. Holding onto a plan and a purpose that I can never get back. I jumped into life–gave it all I had and more, and everything fell apart. I am at a point where I am grasping at straws–trying to move forward in spite of the pain. Everywhere I turn in a desperate attempt to uncover a new path, I run into another dead end. Only God can put purpose back into this life. God must have a plan; I hope I see how everything works for good even this side of heaven.

    • Karen, if you don’t mind, I would be honoured and humbled if you would allow me to pray for you. It wasn’t that long ago that our life was stripped bare and we also are on the mend one step at a time. God has a plan for your life, a good plan. I hang on to this!
      Jeremiah 29 :11-13 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
      I pray that God would supply all of your needs daily and that he would bless your life in ways that you never would have imagined. God loves you so much. Ev

  33. Between me spending 3 weeks at an orphanage in Uganda, and my husband spending 3 weeks in Cambodia raising awareness against human -trafficking, our resolve was deepened to do whatever we can to elevate our influence from home to support the huge needs worldwide. Social media is such a timely way to speak into the lives of others in such a way that breathes hope to people locally that our small efforts can add up to big changes in many lives!

  34. Love to win this copy, but I will go out and buy several copies to give away…
    Twitter and Facebook and other media can be use to lift and encourage and I get so tired of seeing the hurt and pain people can cause through it…
    Looking forward to part 2 and the book =)

  35. I found your post very moving! It is amazing how God sends us in an unexpected direction at a certain point in our lives that creates an opening for Him to work powerfully in us!

  36. Two years ago, I went through a very rough & stressful year at my job. Through many tears, and opening my heart to hear God’s voice, I made the decision to quit. And he has taken me on a wonderful journey of trust.

  37. The day I said, “Yes,” and moved 1000 mikes from everything i knew to follow God’s plan for my life.

  38. “OK, I wouldn’t have done it this way (really don’t like it even), but Your ways are better.. and so I trust You.”

  39. My husband and I have been using the word ‘crossroad’ a lot lately… in our ministry… in our location… in our infertility… in our church… in our jobs. In these cases it is not always good versus bad – just simply needing God’s direction – “Show me where to walk, for I give myself to You.” Ps 143.8b

  40. I have been on a self-discovery journey my whole life. First I was born with punctured ear drums, did not know it for many years. When discovered I went through 3 tympanoplasties (punctured ear drum surgeries).
    Add to that I had older parents–40 when I came along and my older sisters were basically out of the house living in different states, getting marred/having children.

    It has taken me about 47 years to discover who I really am and who God wants me to be. During this journey God has opened some doors and closed others. Throughout all this I have learned to trust God for all my provisions and ask for forgiveness when I mess up His perfect plans for my life!

  41. About 6 months ago, my crossroads moment came when God challenged me to pick up and move cross country to a new state on faith. In the process, he’s been ridding me of the sense that my identity is wrapped up in what I do. It’s been a bumpy road, but it’s taught me to ground my identity solely in him and to trust him even when I’m scared. Lessons I’m sure I’ll carry with me forever!

  42. I feel so overwhelmed and lost over the last few years, I guess I have lost my faith or maybe I didn’t really have one. I keep searching …

  43. One crossroads moment for me came after I prayed for God to show me the truth about Jesus since I had to choose whether to marry a Jewish young man or not. I would have to convert to Judiasm (and renounce Jesus). Well, I met a young Jewish woman shortly after and she told me it was Jewish to believe in Jesus – He is the promised Messiah!! No coincidence and I knew it. I too gave Him my heart, and I told the young man but he wanted no part of it. We did not marry, but I never looked back after finding the Lord – who ever could!!?

  44. I can’t find the question below your post.
    So, I will make a comment to enter the contest.

    God’s plans can never be thwarted. And His best can sometimes take a long time and many turns, but God can use them all for His glory.

  45. Haiti. Mongolia. Kosovo. Uganda. Ivory Coast. Nigeria. Benin. Kenya. Bosnia. Mexico. Palestine. There are children everywhere that have changed my heart. And my soul. And Christ has changed my life though them, with them, remembering them.

  46. We are at a sort of crossroads right now. My husband lost his job, and we have 4 children. I homeschool, so getting a job that contributes significantly would be difficult. We can either trust God, like we are trying to, and really seek what He wants of us right now, believing in His providence and promises, or we can become anxious, bitter that we can’t seems to discern what He wants and that things seem bleak.

  47. So intrigued to hear the rest of your story! I don’t have one amazing story to tell; I have never been to another continent, but I love it when I know I am living my faith…when I am at a crossroad/decision point or when something is out of my control and I don’t know if or in what way I should move…and I am EXCITED to see what the Lord is going to do with the situation, because I know His hand is in all things – to bless me, even if it grows me so much it hurts – I alway look back and know he was with me, working in me and through me for His glory.

  48. Zambia, Africa with my 15 year son, and 19 & 17 year old friends last June with http://www.familylegacy.com. Serving orphaned and vulnerable brown eyed children, who stole our hearts. Returning tomorrow, 6/19, with my younger 13 yr old son, to visit our sponsor children and serve more brown eyed orphans. Priceless!

  49. the first time i visited the dominican republic i wanted to stay or return immediately. it took me about 3 years, but was worth the wait!

  50. We went from the “safety” of an established church with my husband as youth pastor, doing exactly what he loved doing and had been doing for years to true sacrifice. We walked away. No paycheck, no answers, just a nagging feeling that God had other plans. We started a church and that was a huge leap of faith for us. It is still a journey God is teaching us through, but early on I prayed something very similar to yours and just asked that I be faithful and open to whatever God had. I still pray that prayer!

  51. I have two kids. When I was pregnant of my first baby, the project where I worked finished, by that moment it looked good to me because I thought I’ll have the time to take care of my little girl and then look for a job, but I didn’t know God had other plans for me. I’d not find a job, I sent a lot of data sheets, and I used to ask God: what is going on? Two years later, I understood that God was calling me and my family to serve in ministry fulltime. Since last year we start a small group at our house and we have seen His care for us, He has helped us in all of our needs!

  52. I can’t think of a dramatic moment, but I went through a phase a few years ago where I was mad at God. I even knew at the time that shutting Him out was only hurting me, but I didn’t stop. Finally, slowly, I asked God back into my life and was amazed at the blessing he then offered – the one I was mad for him not providing before.

  53. Going on a mission trip to Russia just after the war in Iraq started. Scary time to leave the country. Served at orphanage. We had some trouble getting the VBS program up and running effectively. Language barrier was difficult. Watching to see why God had me there. Crossroads moment came when I walked into a room and saw a young man in a room by himself teaching himself to play the guitar. He seemed to glow. We developed a deep connection bonded through similar pain. An interpreter told me, “Even if Roma is the only reason God brought you here, it is worth it. You are kindred spirits.” She was right. We stayed in touch for 7 years. I got to watch God change his life.

  54. I’ve stood at many crossroads in my life, hearing invitations to leap when I’d rather have been lazy. One was in letting go of a “traditional” life to live an available life to God. My days and weeks are not my own, but are the Lord’s.

    When I retired from teaching, I moved across country, not knowing what God had in store. In the last eight years, I have attended seminary, been a full time caregiver for my aging parents, become a spiritual director, married my high school sweetheart whom I hadn’t seen in 34 years, and now have my first published book coming out in 2013.

    We are prayerful and available to what God has for two old sweethearts on a new adventure with God.

    Joyfully,
    Lane

  55. When my husband and I experienced infertility for the last 5 years, we were lost and damaged. God put a new, better dream into our hearts, and that is to adopt siblings from Ethiopia!! We so thrilled for His plan.

    We are learning to advocate for orphans and those living in poverty. God has truly changed our hearts!

  56. College was definitely a crossroads for me. Where to go? etc. But now I can say God placed me in the most perfect place that I now call “home.”

  57. i was sitting outside my church listening to a terrible station on the radio . bored depressed and really upset with myself. i remember telling God there was more to this life than this. As i pulled out of the parking lot i decided to change the station, secular was better than what i was listening to. i found a station i was never able to get before, uplifting christian music and teaching. the next week i found a bible study i could join, following that i was invited to the Great Banquet. He heard me is blessing me with great Spiritual Blessings.

  58. I’ve been blessed to have several crossroads in my life. My most recent one was leaving my job last year to help Freeset, who helps free women from human trafficking in Calcutta, India. It has been the second hardest thing (parenting being the first!), but SO rewarding!!

  59. My husband and I had been praying that God would change our lives so that we could do something of value with our time. We had really wanted to serve the Lord together and were unable to see a way to do that with the finances we had and the living circumstance we were in. Then God presented an opportunity for us to move closer to his family and for us both to get better jobs. We decided to jump. Little did we know that we’d end up living with his family (and still are) and that we’d struggle to find work after our jobs fell through, even by going without work for 2 1/2 months (nearly 6 for me).

    But I can tell you this! These have been some of the best months of our lives since the Lord has been teaching us to trust Him and to rely on Him to provide all our needs (not necessarily our wants). We’ve grown closer to the Lord and deepened our own relationship. We’re back to living within our means and we’ve gotten to know his family better (I couldn’t ask for better in-laws). We’re dreaming again – and we’re dreaming together. The Lord has brought us to a crossroads again providing us with the opportunity to obtain financial freedom and to really make a difference in people’s lives, and it’s in a totally unexpected way. But 6 months ago we were just living on faith, holding out hope that God was still there and He still cared. Now we’re living on the blessings from that faith and a faith that has grown and continues growing!

  60. I was looking for a job to to that would not sacrifice time with my family. I joined Arbonne and not only have I been receiving a nice income each month, I’ve gained so much more. God even repaired a fractured relationship with a friend who also joined the company in another state around the time I did. Amazing how he used this company to repair our friendship.

  61. I think traveling is a great place to experience change, because we are somehow feeling more adventuresome, more open to seeing what is going on around us, more willing to make big decisions. I had a few crossroads moments during my summer in Australia in 2005. In the end, I came to realize how important community is – having close friends and family around me. 🙂

  62. Beautifully written. I want to read Part II, for sure.

    How on earth did you train for a marathon on a cruise? That deserves a stand-alone post. 😉

    Also: I’m going to click over to read about your 100 books. I’m an avid reader also and am always looking for recommendations.

  63. My work is disappearing. What I do for a living is going away. I am mildly not afraid. I keep praying and know that God will put something in front of me. I accept invitations and do things I normally don’t do because I know that I will meet someone that will lead me to a different direction. I am ready and open for change. I am 51 and closer to God now than I have ever been.