We are meant for so much more than the day to day. God calls each and every one of us to live out His purpose. He wants us to be happy, healthy, and free of anxiety and fear. As I write this, I’m thinking how God wants to connect with us. Start writing down the vision God has for you. There is something powerful about seeing this vision written. I promise you are more than just an employee, mom, grandmother, sister, son, father, brother, student etc.

Take a moment and ask God, “What word do you have for me today, Lord?” Remember, everyone has the same amount of time in the day, so what will you spend your time doing?

I want you to say this prayer over yourself today…”Lord, I struggle with distractions in my life. I pray that you give me the strength to push aside the distractions to seek you. I want to know you more, Lord. Help me to align my life and mind to your Word. I know that I am called and that I am loved. Help me to see that I am those things, Lord. It’s easy to become consumed with the day to day, but I am meant for so much more. Lord, give me vision, wisdom, and peace today. Thank you Jesus. Amen.”

The post Pushing Aside the Distractions appeared first on Angela Van Winkle.

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. -1 Corinthians 13:11 NIV

It seems like just yesterday I was in school, living at home, working part-time, fighting with my siblings, and enjoying a somewhat care-free lifestyle. I used to think after I graduated college I would have more time on my hands for the things that I enjoy. However, it seems like I have been going full speed ahead since graduating. It’s crazy to think that I turned 30 years old this month because I still feel like my younger self, just a little wiser. Over the past 10 years I have experienced and gone through so much and I wanted to share some of my good memories from my 20s with everyone. 

One of my first memories from my 20s was traveling out of the country for the first time on a study abroad. It opened my eyes to a whole other world and would change my outlook on life forever. I was hesitant to go on the trip because the guy I was seeing at the time did not want me to go. My mom, however, encouraged me to go, reminding me that I may not get an opportunity like that again. I’m so glad that I went on that study abroad in 2009 because it gave me a new perspective about what I wanted out of life.

Some of my not so favorite memories include partying and drinking a lot, staying up until 4:00 a.m. and then waking up to attend classes the next day. Thinking back to it, I’m not really sure how I managed that and I often wonder why I was so driven. 

All and all, there were good and bad times in my 20s, but I like to focus and remember the positive things. One of my happiest moments was when Griffin proposed to me at the Pantheon in Italy. It was so surreal and a memory I will cherish forever. What you don’t know is that I never wanted to get married. I saw first hand what divorce does to families and I never wanted that. However, God had different plans for me and brought me the perfect person to do life with.

With all the things that happened over the past 10 years some of my favorite memories came from traveling the world with Griffin. We’ve seen some amazing places together and traveled to Italy, England, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland and Japan. We’ve also traveled around the U.S visiting Washington D.C., Savannah, Atlanta, Asheville, Charleston, Portland, Seattle, Las Vegas, Orlando, Tampa, Chicago, Austin, San Antonio, Beaufort, and Panama City.

Now here I am, sitting in our second home reflecting on how great God is. All of these experiences I had were because of God. He loves and cares for me so much that he gave me these amazing opportunities in life.  Over the years, God has shown me that I am loved and perfect just how I am. I’m excited for the future because Griffin and I have so much planned for the years to come. I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on something positive in your life. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

The post Another Year Goes By appeared first on Angela Van Winkle.

This month, I am starting a new chapter in my life – one that is filled with a lot of unknowns. I know in these times I have to trust God and just let Him direct my steps. No matter where we are in life, God is ready to meet us. When you start to fully trust in God, He will change your life! I can without a doubt say that God changed my life for the better. As I think back on my past, I realize the depression, anxiety, insecurities, sexual abuse, etc. do not define me.  The good and bad experiences I went through are all a part of my story.

When you are going through tough, stressful times it’s hard to understand what God is trying to do, but it’s in these times He wants us to seek and trust Him more! I am the person I am today because of my past and my life is truly testament to the grace of God. I give all the thanks and glory to Him! I am a completely different person because I’m learning to trust Him fully. I’m excited to see what the future has for Griffin and I and I can’t wait to share that with everyone.

As I end this post, I’ll leave you with this song that really spoke to me about letting the pain of the past go and trusting God. I pray that you continue to seek God more and trust Him more with your life and your decisions. I promise you that He will change your life… He’s just waiting for you.

If you could let the pain of the past go
Of your soul
None of this is in your control
If you could only let your guard down
You could learn to trust me somehow

The post Starting a New Chapter appeared first on Angela Van Winkle.

This past weekend I ventured out on my own and attended the Bethel Music Wild Love Event, in Jacksonville, Florida. I was so pleasantly overwhelmed by just how excited everyone was to be worshiping God. No one cared what everyone else thought of them and it was quite amazing. We were all there seeking the same thing…to have an encounter with God. I wanted to jump, shout and just worship God, but my mind was holding me back. I kept having thoughts like, “did I do that right, do I look silly dancing around, what do people think of me.” What’s even funnier is how quick people are to jump and shout at concerts while listening to their favorite band. I’m guilty of this too. Yet, when it comes to worshipping our creator, we just stand there at church.

“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.”
Galatians 1:10 NLT

It was an eye opening experience for me. The second night of the event, I too was jumping, shouting and raising my hands. That night, I had so much fun and I experienced God’s presence more than ever. I declared that I would not care so much about what people think of me because I do not live to please people. That feels amazing to say!

Everyday I will strive to show my gratitude to God. My identity is no longer in what people think of me, but rather in who God says I am. It’s okay to honor and help people, but we need to stop caring so much about what the world thinks of us. I know without a shadow of doubt that those worldly labels will start to fade away as you start believing in the things God says about you.

I’ll end this post with one of my favorites from Bethel Music! It’s so good!

The post Who Cares What People Think appeared first on Angela Van Winkle.

Ultimately, I think I was trying to fill a void in my life with a man. As I got older my identity started to get wrapped up in how well I was performing in work and in school. If I didn’t get all A’s, I felt like a failure.  This mindset can be attributed somewhat to my mother, who always encouraged and pushed me to make something of myself. As a single mom of 5 kids at the time, she knew what it was like to struggle to make ends meet and she wanted more for her children.

I’m happy that she pushed and encouraged me because I wouldn’t be where I am without her. However, I did start this cycle of defining who I was by my performance and never realized that God wanted me to seek him for affirmation. So what exactly changed last year that made me start seeing my identity and self-worth in Christ?

Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.” – John 8:54

Well, I was sitting with a good friend one night just sharing my story. She encouraged me to read a section about identity in this leadership book called “Leadership that Builds People” by Dr. James B. Richards. What’s crazy is I didn’t even realize I had identity issues because it was so embedded in who I was. In the book, I read about anyone who does not have a Bible-based self worth will use others to build themselves up, which is exactly what I had been doing all these years. To feel like I had self-worth I sought the approval from people.

Finding my identity and self-worth in God has been a struggle, 28 years of my life has been wrapped up in a false identity. In 2017, I started reading and believing in the things God says about me in His Word. Some of these things include:

• I am His daughter
• I am perfectly and wonderfully made
• I have strength in Him
• God will never leave nor forsake me

So what can you do to start finding your identity? I would encourage you to start reading, praying and meditating on the Word of God. I started by downloading the bible app and reading and meditating on the daily verse. I also only listen to Christian radio stations. It’s really great in the mornings especially because 91.7 in Jacksonville has sermons playing and I always ask God to speak to me while listening to them! I hope this was encouraging and I can’t wait for what 2018 will bring!

The post Finding Your Identity in Christ appeared first on Angela Van Winkle.