Who is Brenda Curtiss

Written by Brenda Curtiss

Not so long ago I lived a life that appeared wonderful on the surface. People made comments that my (now ex) husband and I were the perfect couple... made for each other. Little did they know that behind closed doors the relationship was far from what it appeared on the surface. I lived a very unhealthy and depleting personal life that I am convinced would have eventually taken my life physically as well as spiritually. There are only a very few people that knew the inside truth of what was happening and they were concerned for my well being and thankful for my "deliverance" into life again. In my community I was on TV regularly, known and well liked by many, even stopped regularly with recognition for the weekly TV spots and commercials. I also owned and managed one of the two businesses with my (now ex) husband (he ran the other). We were very involved with the Chamber of Commerce and had (have) quite a few plaques and various awards for our volunteer work in various capacities. I sang for various benefits and events in the community and had lots of friends, including all the movers and shakers and anyone with any kind of title in town. And yet... I was miserable; absolutely empty and sad and often felt like a walking dead woman. During the day at our shop, or on TV, or with friends, at times I would feel like "me", but most of the time I felt like I was watching myself from a corner somewhere as I performed through life. I felt like a walking zombie at home and many times while at work. I laughed and pretended everything was OK... but it wasn't OK... not nearly OK... I was getting sucked into a (dangerous) life without God... a life full of darkness and obsessions that left me deplete, and at the door of not caring if I went to heaven or hell or what happened to me anymore. I was full of shame and regret and felt unworthy of God's forgiveness and love. But God in His love and mercy rescued me and delivered me and restored me into life again... real life in HIM. When I think about how I feel now, so full of life and hope and purpose, knowing who I am in HIM, it fills me with so much joy that it is impossible to describe adequately in words. But God, The Lord Jesus Christ, has literally loved me back to life.

Your life may be a genuinely good life, or it may be like mine was: a mess. Either way, without God at the center of your life, there is a void, an emptiness that only HE can fill. I pray you ask HIM to make HIMSELF known to you in a personal way. You will be amazed at the fullness and purpose you will come to know in HIM. HE is life, HE is love and HE loves you personally.

Our outward appearance is a reflection of many things and important to take care of. The body is precious and also worthy of caring for well. But the spirit, your spirit... it is the most important part of you... as it is also of me. I found that only God could breathe life into me. I searched in all the wrong ways and places for the love and purpose I so strongly ached for and I nearly allowed myself to be destroyed in the process. I am so thankful for HIS love and care, not only for the restoration HE has done in my own life, but also for the hope and purpose HE has instilled within me. And something I am not sure anyone could have explained to me well enough for me to understand the impact of: the unimaginable gift of the active place HE has taken in my life. I am God's girl now and very thankful and proud to be so. I invite you to ask HIM to show HIMSELF to you and breathe HIS life into you. HE is amazing... beyond description.... Here is a very cool flash type link that will speak to this very thing: LIFE: http://www.gotlife.org/intro.html

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Doesn't that feel good?

Written by Brenda Curtiss

Jesus... He is the son of God. He is the soon coming King. He is our Groom to whom we are now betrothed and will one day marry with great celebration. That will usher us into an eternity with Jesus and The Father there in heaven, our home to be. The thoughts of that day to come there in heaven, with no more struggles, pain or limitations of any kind. We will have perfect provision there... But far beyond that, we will have our desires. I was thinking about that... Our desires... I have to sadly admit that in the past, I had some desires that would not have even be appropriate for heaven. Yet my desires today are very much desires that can be celebrated there without the shame and guilt of the desires that are born of this world and not of Him.

That life that is centered upon this world and the desires (that sometimes become concentrated into obsessions) flees quickly and ultimately drain the spirit instead of giving life to it. And conversely the desires that are born in Him feed the spirit and uplift us even when we glimpse into the beauty of those things that matter now and will matter on into eternity. Like eating food that looks and tastes "good" but in actuality is loaded with preservatives and health robbing chemicals. It masquerades as something good, maybe even awesome and yet in the long term it takes our energy and life's health and wholeness bit by bit as we smile and enjoy each life taking taste. Compare that to the benefits of whole, organic food, seasoned with herbs and enjoyed more and more by those who chose to shake off the false tastes and desires to come to acquire a craving for the "real" instead of the "counterfeit".

Counterfeits most often look and taste good, sometimes great. If they didn't, they wouldn't work so well. Counterfeits are also usually much cheaper and easier to acquire than the real or genuine. And finally, if one immerses themselves into the counterfeits, it will rob them from the life giving rewards & benefits of the genuine. Our world is inundated with counterfeits!!! Counterfeits and distractions constantly divert our attention from the genuine and the truth.

Recently I realized that my desires and my ideas and wants are far different now than they were a few years ago... Even a year ago. Why? Because I began to fall in love with God... With the Lord Jesus Christ, the Father God and the Holy Spirit. The more thankful and grateful I became for His love, the more I began to find myself in love with Him. In that love I have found my identity. In the past my identity has been attached to many things including my success (or not), if I had money (or not), my weight and looks, if I was married or in a relationship (or not), and a myriad of other superficial things. I am amazed at how much free-ER I am now. That freedom and dependance on God and not circumstances has changed me from the inside out. As a result my desires and many things about my life has changed. The emotional and spiritual components of me have grown much in the last couple years, but my physical body and health has suffered. I have finally consistently begun to take better care of myself and know that as a result I will be in a much improved place in body and health within this next year also. I believe that when we love the Lord, truly begin to love Him more than ourselves that something miraculously begins to happen inside of us. In His love we grow and become more of who He has designed us to be. All I know is I am determined to keep moving toward Him. It's the only way to love. The counterfeits, in whatever form they take (relationships, things, whatever...) will eventually rob us... Kill, steal and destroy.... Because the counterfeits are designed by the enemy to keep us from the truth, the genuine blessings God has for us. I am determined to keep my eyes and heart open to Him, so that I don't throw away time, energy and life on counterfeits in this life He has so graciously given me.

I have seen a number of people lose a lot recently (just as I myself had in the past) due to giving in to counterfeits instead of seeking what is real. It is heartbreaking... God is life giving and has designed so much for us, His children, His creation, and for those who have received Him: His bride. All of us He loves... All of us. The picture above makes me think of Jesus thinking, "I have given them everything, even my own life, and yet they choose to run after counterfeits and all that is false and bad for them instead of running to a love beyond compare... My Love...."

Written by Brenda Curtiss

I have heard it said that life on earth is a rehearsal of sorts for the eternal life we are to enter one day there in God's presence. I believe that the Bible (HIS Word) speaks very clearly to that end. That we are not going to be just sitting on a cloud somewhere but actively involved in a purposfull full life according to HIS will and ways. HE is a GOD full of purpose and plans and I can't imagine HE won't have much purpose there as well. I believe HE is calling me and you to live well... live our best... make the choices HE desires for us. HE desires for us to move into fullness in HIM. HE is truly amazing to me. As I wrote a series of modules for our inside sales team where I work, I was stunned sometimes at what flowed out as I typed and how they did indeed build upon each other. I am reminded over and over that it is not I who is orchestrating so many things in my life... but HIM. And I am grateful and blessed... so blessed to be HIS.

I am thankful to walk out each day as HE leads... And here is the amazingly mind stunning thing: HE does lead.. so well & so specifically. Who am I that HE would order my steps and yet HE does. I hope this challenge below moves you as it has me... I pray Blessings & All God has for You, Brenda
"I plan to give you a future of peace and not disaster... Filled with hope. ~GOD (Jeremiah 29:11)"

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Success Is A Choice

Do you feel like life drags you along day to day? You get up in the morning, go through your routines and pretty much do the same things day in and day out. You race off to work each day, do what you do and try to do what you can to focus enough to stay on track and productive so you can at least keep your job secure and cover your bills. I mean isn't that what you're supposed to do? At 5:00 you race out either to hit the traffic, or race for the metro or bus for the hour or two it takes to actually get home to either flop down in your easy chair in front of a televised game or sitcom. Or, you may be the one who keeps on going for a few more hours until you fall into bed literally exhausted after taking care of your family's needs for much of the evening. And for some, life is often made up of time periods that are somewhat like showing up to a movie 45 minutes late... just trying to figure out what's actually going on! One day runs into the next, you pretty much "react" to life as it continues to meet you head on with it's ups and downs.

Reacting Vs. Responding ~ Making A Definitive Choice

If I had a way to throw in a "sound effect" here, I would make it one of those heart stopping rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr zipppppppppp rewind sounds. But wait! There are those even here among us that have chosen to say NO! to going through the routines and reactions to life and instead, respond to life by taking on challenges above and beyond all the requirements of the "stuff of life". They may take educational or spiritual enrichment courses in the evening (one of our Inside Professionals is working towards his Masters in the evenings). Some choose to do volunteer work or get involved in various ways at their church or community outreach on the weekends or do a number of other things to make a positive impact within their "sphere of influence" all above and beyond their day to day routine.

What gives some people the drive, desire and determination to respond to life in such ways; to go above and beyond merely reacting to the requirements and routines of life? Will they be rewarded ultimately for choosing to better themselves and/or impact others in positive ways? Of course they will! Often you hear about those people that go above and beyond. You respect them. Do you want to be one of them? You can if you choose to.

Actually you can choose to make your life larger and more fulfilling, but it will cost you some things. It will cost you time to learn how to first break out of your comfort zones, and then it will definitely cost you discomfort, and some moments of failure as you learn to walk and operate in new and better ways. And THAT is where the choices come in to play. Every success in whatever form it takes comes with a single moment of decision and then many many moments of being true to that decision. And further, paying the costs and moving forward when it is uncomfortable and even painful to do so.
Whether scholar or athlete, missionary, one who mentors and/or cares for others, how one operates at "work", is ultimately an indicator of who they are.

We can choose to step outside of our comfort zones and take on the challenges to be all we can be. We all have that opportunity to affect not only our own lives but many around us just by choosing to go the extra mile; choosing to do what it takes to succeed, instead of continuing to rush through life; remaining in our repeated routines and comfort zones.

Here is my challenge each and every one of us: Live well. Live beyond mediocrity.

Live your best. Go the extra mile and choose to make an impact. Be the best you, that you can be. You matter, your life matters and the world needs you to be all you can be. All that stands between you and I and becoming our best us to achieve the level of success, or more important; purpose and significance that awaits us, is one thing: Making the choice! (And then choosing to fuel ourselves so we can continue to move forward into that choice.

Choose to be your best: each day, each hour, each moment.) Here's the deal: If you don't make the choice to move forward you will become stagnate. It's time. Your time. Will you take the challenge?

"The choices we make dictate the life we lead. To thine own self be true. ~ William Shakespeare