Category: {Life}

{Faith}, {Life}, {Love}, {Worth}

{BIG Announcement} OBS! 

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We are so very thrilled to be now finally introducing a NEW Feature through our ministry and that is….Online Bible Studies!!!! It has been brewing in the works for quite awhile but, now we are able to officially give you a date that we will begin! Starting March 1st—31st, You’ll journey through the book of Proverbs with our brand-new, OBS Team who has been working so diligently to see this Bible study be a successful learning tool in your personal walk, with Jesus Christ. Sign up starts, TODAY!!! YAY! 

Follow the link below and “like” our UYM OBS Facebook page for fun updates, video blogs and encouraging words! We absolutely can’t wait to experience the Book Of Proverbs with you all 💙

Much Love and Prayers! Until Next Time,

~The UYM Team 

Joceline's Posts, Uncategorized, {Life}

{Life} Real Life. 

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Written By: Joceline Sweeney

Since January of 2009, I have taken one picture a day, totalling 2,555 photos on record, give or take a few for leap years!  That’s seven years of intentional photographs.  This may not be a lot compared to some, but this is different and you’ll see why.  This isn’t an original idea of mine; when I heard about it, I jumped in with both feet and haven’t stopped since.  I never realized that this would actually be perspective changing and truly something my heart had been missing.

Many families, mine included, have album after album of photos documenting the amazing things we have done so far in our lifetimes.  Wonderful vacations, extravagant parties, plays our kids and families have been in, the list of highlights could go on, but I didn’t even realize until I started these special albums that my heart had been longing for something more… real.  I would often tell my girls about our early days of married life and memories only I could describe with words as, unfortunately, many pictures had not been taken.  There are some shots of events that may have happened in our first home but none focusing on the details that made it our home.  Silly as this may sound, I wished I had gotten a photo of our first set of drinking glasses as they were something I had registered for and loved.  They were the prettiest glasses I had ever seen and it brought me such joy to place them on our little table, in our first home together as Mr. & Mrs.  The details, the ins and outs, are what I wished I had more memory of.

As we now look back through these intentional albums, they are of every season that our family has walked through thus far, since 2009.  Some of them are of joyful, abundant times, and some are so difficult they can still bring us to tears.

From a picture of the news cast that announced the company my husband works for had gone bankrupt…to a picture months later of his lunch box, because he was called back to work.

From a picture of beautiful flowers my husband had given me for a special occasion… to a picture of flowers at my grandmother’s funeral.

From a picture of my daughter Kerrington at her first speaking engagement… to a picture of her so sick yet again in the emergency room with no answers.

From a picture of my husband in his new uniform as a fire captain…to a picture of him wearing that same uniform to bury a “brother” of his.

Ecclesiastes 3:3-8

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;  

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Although we do enjoy the many, many albums of just the highlights, our favourites to look through are the real, sometimes raw, albums of our lives in every season.  These are the ones that remind us of God’s faithfulness day after day, season after season, year after year.

Perhaps you too need to start “taking a picture a day” of the details in your life, just as I did.  Noticing God’s faithfulness in the everyday, in every season and for the many years to come.

Until Next Time,
~Joceline

 

Kerrington's Posts, {Life}

{Life} Be. 

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Written By: Kerrington Sweeney
For the past 3 years, I have chosen a word of the year.  It has been such an incredible experience to watch each word truly come to life, as I have journeyed through each year.  For 2016, I was struggling in a sense of choosing my word.  As I was wrapping up, what was an emotionally messy year of 2015, I began praying and petitioning God, what my word was to be for 2016.

After much prayer, tears, and a ready heart to move forward, my word was birthed directly unto my very soul.  I felt ready now, to conquer a new year of battles, trials and circumstances with a new strength and greater faith.  My word for 2016 is….

Be. 

Now you may be thinking to yourself, “Why in the world would she pick the word ‘Be’?!?” It’s not inspirational, it’s not something that will push her forward with encouragement to press on, it’s not even that nice of a word.  I mean, it’s just a plain old verb.

Well readers, let me share with you…Why it is, that my word is “Be.”  The definition of Be, on the online dictionary is this — to exist. occur or take place.

Psalm 37:7 says…“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently.” 

This verse, reminds us to Be still.  And like this verse in 2016, my desire for the year is to simply stop and be.  Be happy.  Be focused.  Be present.  Be real.  Be ready.  Be.  To be in the moments, where the world says it’s hopeless, my desire is to be hope.  To be in the places, where everyone says she’s just unlovable, my desire is to be love.  To be with the people everyone would classify as ‘misfits’ and ostracize, my desire is to be a friend.

My desire is to….Be.

In conclusion for today, let’s pray:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I thank you for the opportunity of seeing words truly come to life in our busy everyday lives.  Thank you, for being the creator of good things in us.  I come to you, with a full, grateful heart…seeing your creativity flow through me and friends is a wonderful sight to see.  I pray that each reader of this post would be reminded that even in this crazy fast-paced culture we abide in, to simply stop and just be.  I pray this all in your precious name, Jesus! Amen!!!

So readers, friends and family…take up the challenge.  Pick a word of the year and see it truly come to life, right before your very eyes.  Bless you!

Until Next Time,

~Kerrington

Kerrington's Posts, {Beauty}, {Faith}, {Life}, {Love}, {Worth}

The Authentic Community 

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Hey UYM Friends!! Lots of fun and sweet fellowship happening over at The Authentic Community Face-book group! We’d love to have you join us! UYM Authentic Community was born to provide a beacon of hope for women who are desiring to live an Authentic Life dedicated to Jesus Christ. A place online where women, world-wide can receive support, prayer and encouragement on a daily basis. Come and stay awhile! 💙

  
See you there –> 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/423542331188838/
Until Next Time, 

~The Authentic Community Leadership Team  

Kerrington's Posts, Uncategorized, {Life}

{Life} When the going, gets tough…

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Written By: Kerrington Sweeney

Have you ever experienced a moment in your life where you wonder, “What in the great world, is the Lord trying to teach me through this awful and tough situation?”

  

Well ladies, I am here to share with you that I have experienced one too many of those situations in my life time, but I am reminded that these are situations that I can now look back on and reflect.  I am able to see how God has taught me some very valuable life lessons through these tough seasons.

Isaiah 55:8-9 says…
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

As I read and re-read this Scripture, I was left baffled every time.  My thoughts nor my ways are not like the Lord’s?  Well, that does make sense because I am a sinner saved by grace.  But then I read the line “…my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

This gave me such an incredible amount of reassurance within my heart.  God is higher than every thought, situation, season or battle that I am walking through.  God has higher thoughts than I do.  He has a plan for those moments where I question, “What in the world am I supposed to be learning through this God??”  He is in the Heavens which is higher than the Earth, and through these times I question Him, truly He is to be praised.  He is to be bowed down to because I can’t see the life-lesson He’s teaching me, but He has wonderful plans.

Ladies, let’s pray:

Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank You for today and for You uncovering this message from underneath some ‘stuff’ in my heart.  I ask that these words would be sealed within the lives of these readers; that they would be able to understand that You are a BIG God and You’re higher than any season, situation, circumstance, or battle that they are facing.  I pray that through these scriptures and encouragement, they would be reminded that YOU have unique plans for each and every one of them specifically.  We pray this in Your precious and holy name, Jesus. Amen!

Until Next Time,
~Kerrington

{Beauty}, {Faith}, {Life}, {Love}

That Christmas. 

UYM

  
Written By: Marnie Pouget 

Christmas is by far my favorite holiday. I love decorating the house and the festive spirit that permeates the atmosphere. I love to sit in the peaceful quiet circle of light surrounded by deep inky darkness.Maybe 1500 lights are too many for a Christmas Tree but my tree is larger than life in my cozy living room and it deserves to be dressed well. The effort is well worth the effect and every year I eagerly anticipate those quiet Christmas evenings.  

Every year but last year.

Last year I was confounded by stress and overwhelmed with a deep sadness. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact source of either and the thought of putting up a Christmas Tree paralyzed me. As we became more and more immersed in the season, I became more and more helpless and I felt a growing hopelessness.

Though, we often have three trees gracing our home for the holidays, I had somehow managed to get my family to agree that we didn’t need a tree at all this year. I was beyond thankful for their understanding. (I later learned that they were disappointed at the prospect of a treeless holiday however, didn’t want to put additional pressure on me so they kept their disappointment to themselves.)

A friend encouraged me to put up a tree. Even if it wasn’t perfect. Even if it didn’t have all the decorations on it. No matter what I was feeling, the celebration was necessary for my family……and for me.

My husband brought down the boxes for one of our smaller trees and some of our ornaments. It was still too much. I sat, hedged in by boxes, unsure where to start. My sweet 12 year old daughter asked if it would be okay if she put the tree together and started and I could just sit and watch.

I sat.

I watched and as I did, my spirits were lifted by the way she served and the grace she showed

She decorated the whole tree with the help of her little brothers. It was beautiful…..

…….and just what I needed.

In my evenings that followed, sitting in the circle of grace-filled light, I embraced peace even in the midst of the chaos of my times.

It was a Christmas like none other and one that I won’t likely forget.

Until Next Time, 

~Marnie 

Guest-Writers, Kerrington's Posts, {Beauty}, {Faith}, {Life}, {Love}

The Brutally Honest Christmas Card.

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Written By: Kerrington Sweeney 
This has been one of the hardest years of my life. I am still on a road of recovery from it. This past year:

In the early spring of this year, I was physically attacked by an unknown sickness. I was emotionally drained and spiritually on a desperate searching quest. In search for something to quench my never-ending thirst of strength in my physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Resulting in, me spending a few horrific nights in the Emergency Room…waiting hours and hours in search of answers. That season was absolutely lifeless. No growth took place, rather the roots of a health filled life-style, were ripped out from underneath me. 

I felt weary, defeated, and ragged. My soul was in pieces, scattered around, limp with no life left within me. Failure. Defeated. Worthless. These were the words so often spoken in my mind, on a vicious cycle that seemed to never end. I felt like I was drowning in a sea of mystical voices. I was numb to the Lord’s presence. I had no emotional balance. I was knee-deep in a place of utter chaos and complete confusion. A season of wandering, searching, and questioning. A choice was placed in front of me. Would I begin to take up the quest in hope of finding my authentic purpose once again, or would I continue to lay limp, life-less in a state of exhaustion?

My weary soul felt no reason to pray. No reason to read my Bible and not even an ounce of reason to attend a church service. I was tired. Weak. Ready to, in all honesty, give up. “What was the point anymore?”, I thought. This soul was mine. I, Kerrington, had to take ownership of it. No longer was I being a slave to the fears, raging inside of me. This was not my portion and I knew that I knew, something had to give. 
It was the year full of hardship. Harsh words, temptations, and faithless defeat. Anxiety, unsettledness, sleepless nights, and never-ending tears. Oh, and change. Lots of it.

The year of goodbye to the old and hello to the new. A year of questioning what truly defined me. The year crammed with medical tests and procedures. Ugly moments and real jealousy. It was the year, I truly fell in love and then, got my heart recklessly broken. The year of frequently changing seasons. The year of learning to love and somewhat trust once again. Full of high mountain tops and low valleys of deep feelings and insecure emotions. The year of pursuing, a true balance for my life. 

It was a year of realignment and of a complete shift that took place. A brand new purpose and an intimate calling was being birthed directly into my weary heart, into my very spirit. I would either embrace it with open arms, wholly surrendered or I would resist it, and be shaken to the very core of my being and be tested on my every move. God was calling my heart deeper through this year and I honestly was struggling to trust Him through it all.  

But then friends, Jesus. He came…like a winter snow. He was quiet, soft and slow. Falling from the sky to the earth below. 
I think at times I often forget, especially in the fast-paced culture we abide in, that God is a personal God. We forget that He deserves our undivided attention first and foremost. We just need to Stop. Seek. Pray. Reach and Regenerate. Because, He’s there. 

He’s there in those moments when you could just break down and cry. He’s there celebrating with you in your greatest achievements. He’s there in the stormy crashing waves of life, and He’s there in those moments of sweet peace and stillness. He’s with you in hardship and in worship. In agony and in freedom. He’s always there. 

Dear Readers, Friends and Family, 

Whatever your year may have looked like…just know and believe that God has a purpose for it. The seasons, the circumstances and the situations you walked through have a greater purpose than you can even possibly begin to understand. Whether it was a battle year or a victory year, He was there. The battles you may be fighting or have fought, the hurts you are clenching on to, the bitterness that is building up within you, the struggles that are constantly bombarding your mind…Give them up. 

Hand the keys over to God, let Him begin to lock those things out of your life. Let Him cleanse your weary heart. I know for a fact that He has prosperous plans for you. Hopefully this post has shown you that, I don’t have it all together. I live a real life, just like you. I am fighting battles, and am always learning to give more to God. I am just like you, walking on a journey to a Heavenly Place, our eternal home. I pray with all of my heart, that this vulnerably written post, has empowered you this Christmas Season. 

God bless you and Merry Christmas!

Until Next Time…

President & Founder,

~Kerrington Sweeney

Uncategorized, {Faith}, {Life}, {Love}

Welcome!!! 

UYM

We are beyond excited about this BIG day for Uniquely Yours Ministries…

We are growing in the area of our Writing Team!!!

  
Ladies, let me introduce you to…

  
Cheyenne Ranta from Lacona, New York.

Cheyenne Ranta is an 18 year old girl who is living in rural upstate New York. She is finishing her last year of high school as a home school student which has enabled her to have a part time job as a Nanny and to be able to pursue her love for writing and photography.Cheyenne is a follower of Jesus who has blessed her immensely which in turn has helped her become the person she is today. She is excited to see what the Lord has ahead for her life. 

  

Lanissa Reale from Fernandian Beach, Florida.

Lanissa Reale is a 20something based in the sunny state of Florida. She is thrilled to be new addition to the Uniquely You Team! A recent College Graduate, newly engaged and consistently growing and learning- she knows the struggles and uniqueness that come within this “young woman” stage of life. Throughout teaching and mentoring ladies for 8+ years, Lanissa is undoubtedly passionate about empowering the teen-20something young woman to get comfortable in their own skin and embrace the process that God has in store for their life! She went through the majority of her life trying to fit into the crowd around her, while deep down always having this dream of the actual woman she wanted to be. At14 years old she committed her life to the Lord, and after secretly longing for Him her entire life, this new life in Christ had instantly fulfilled all of her desires, except for the one to “become” all she was created to be. That she would learn, was indeed a process. A process full of beauty, messiness and never ending grace. Lanissa is the founder of the Becoming Ministries Blog which is centered around celebrating and empowering young women to learn how to lead themselves to the Lord and embrace their own process of life. Join in on the Becoming journey!

Lanissas’ Website 

 

Amie Comber from Belle Vista, Arkansas. 

Amie would tell you that her job here on this earth is twofold; to love God and to love others. Her name in French translates directly to “friend,” and she is the happiest when surrounded by people she can laugh, love, and do life with. She is always up for an adventure, whether she is climbing a mountain, kayaking all day, or stepping on a plane with her ukulele to a destination her blue eyes haven’t seen yet. Amie would say that the greatest adventure is living life in the center of God’s will; it’s scary, vulnerable, but the most exhilarating and fulfilling path you could choose. She is 19 years old, adores lemon candles, and would love the opportunity to meet one day over her favorite coffee. Until then!

Xoxo

Kerrington's Posts, {Life}

{Life} Choose JOY!

UYM

Life. Choose Joy

Written By: Kerrington Sweeney

Unguarded– Speaking carelessly without thinking about what you are saying. Very direct and honest especially when you should be cautious. Not protected or watched over. Vulnerable to attack, unprotected. Free from guile or wariness. Direct, incautious. 

 
Proverbs 15:1 
“A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Ladies, we all have those days where we are stuck in a tangled web and we are caught off-guard in that one moment of attack. Someone can say something just slightly negative (Terribly rude in our minds) and our first instinct is to snap back at them. I like to think of this situation kinda like a snapping turtle.

Like the Zoo-keeper always says, before entering into the Snapping Turtles exhibit: “She doesn’t snap, unless provoked or caught off guard, but when she is… Then watch out!!! Cause here she goes!”

Those are the moments where the Devil plots out a away to catch you off-guard and provoke your spirit man. One second you will be all cool, calm, and collected. Then the next, the Devil’s got you cornered and you begin to reply in a not very graceful manner at all. 

We then begin to get sucked into this whirlpool of bitterness and un-forgiveness. As we are struggling to keep swimming against the current & are trying to choose Joy and see the positive in this negative situation, the devil just continues to keep pulling down on us, until our heads go under and we drown into an off-guarded moment. 

In these moments it’s very easy, (speaking even for myself) To say things we will later regret. When we show bitterness or  un-forgiveness towards someone, Our hearts then lose the special protection covering that God has placed over them and we then take every slight negative comment, as huge ones. Because our hearts are not being protected we instantly feel provoked, and feel the need, to reply in not-so-graceful manners to prove a point. 

~Colossians 4:6 says 
“Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, 
that ye may know how ye ought 
to answer every man.

That is probably the absolute hardest scripture right there to live by. 

Speaking in every situation with grace and a calm tone… Definitely something, we ALL need to be working on!  My mom always reminds my sisters and I of this, often daily: 

“Are my words bringing peace to this situation or are they just fuelling a fire of anger??” 

Before you speak it, take a look at what you are about to say and ask yourself this quick questions: “Is this glorifying to God?”,” Is his speaking with a tone of grace?” , “Is this bringing joy into that person’s life?” If none of the above apply…then don’t say it. (Plain and Simple.) 

As I began to write this post, I started to examine my own heart, God kind of gave me this little review film of the things that I have said verbally or even online to people in the past and I began to weep. I felt so ashamed, dirty even. In that moment of shame, Bitterness, and un-forgiveness…I kneeled before God at 1:54am and I rededicated my ‘mouth’ to the Lord.

With tears rolling down my cheeks I said: “God whatever flows from my mouth, let it be glorifying to your name & let it always be with Grace. God help me to always choose Joy even in the ‘unguarded’ moments and Thank you for always loving me, even with my many mistakes.” 

I don’t know about you, but Today I am choosing JOY!

Until Next Time,

~Kerrington