christian – The Coffey Break

15 Minute Guided Morning Meditation with Biko Gray

Hi guys!

Good morning! Today is a big day and not just because it is the first day of our annual fast.

So, here’s the deal, back in September, before my life turned into a real-life vacuum haha, I sat down with my dear friend, Biko Gray, to record a Meditation Series for The Coffey Break. Well, the time has finally come! Three mugs of tea, a few really unhealthy meals, and a bag of Sour Brite crawlers later and we have a 4 part guided meditation series that will roll out every Monday over the next 4 weeks!

A little background. I’ve spent the greater part of the past year and a half rotating four different meditation videos. Each video has had a unique influence on everything from my self-talk to my outlook on money to how I view my future self and the role I play in what that looks like, but I always felt like there was something I wished I could have added. So it finally occurred to me that it’s time to create my own. A tweak here and there, new music, new visuals, new voices, new messages, the whole nine.

My mind is always racing a million and one miles a minute, analyzing creating, dreaming haha the list goes on, and meditation is the one thing that actually allows me to slow down just long enough to find my center and more importantly quiet the distractions.

About two years ago, I think, I heard Biko do a breathing exercise in front of a large group at an event. Little did I know that we would go on to become friends, or that he would be on the board of my nonprofit Mia’s Closet. All I knew was that in that short time of breathing in the good and out the bad, I literally felt the stress melt away.

So, after a year and a half of listening to my bookmarked meditation videos, it was a no-brainer that it was not only the time for me to create something of my own but bring in someone who I greatly respected.

So! Without further ado! Please see below for the very first installment of The Coffey Break Guided Meditation Series. The footage in the videos is from my personal archive of my most favorite beaches around the country and a cameo, courtesy of my baby sister Madison, of the rock beaches in Nice.

I’ll be praying and standing in agreement with each and every one of you guys believing for God to do something incredible in their lives in 2017. Every time I fast, I jot down those specific requests on a sticky note and add it to my circular chalkboard. *If you haven’t read the Circle Maker, get it!) Please don’t hesitate to leave your prayer request below or DM me.

Please don’t hesitate to leave your prayer request below or DM me. It’s such a blessing to finally see this project coming to fruition!

Speaking of things coming to fruition, as tough as it is, I kind of love this time of year. It’s a great way to do a scan of the world around me, hit the reset in all areas and align my intentions for the year ahead. I always feel a closer connection to God when it’s over, and year after year, I’ve looked back and realized how He has simply blown me away with answered prayer after answered prayer.

Hope today’s a great one! Be blessed ❤

Peace, Love, & Sunshine ~Chels

New In Town || Week 7

Hey guys!

So, a while back, I made the declaration to my little sister, Madison, that I was going to do a blog challenge. I didn’t quite know how long I wanted to do it. I wasn’t sure of the theme. All I knew is that life will pass you by if you aren’t intentional about taking it by the reigns.

2016 has been a big year. A really big year. And I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all. That’s where this challenge comes in. This season -the last 4+years- has been such a rollercoaster. With that in mind, I knew I wanted to be intentional about capturing the last moments of this amazing year.

December has always been special to me, and my reason for loving it so much is simple. It’s an indisputable close of something. So much of my current life is influenced by all these different variables –subject to change. Not December. December 31st marks the close of a year. That it’s over. So whether you killed it all year long, are still holding out for a breakthrough, or a mix of both, its onset signifies that last ditch effort to make the play, hit that home run, set goals, dream big, you name it.

Speaking of big dreams, on October 8th, I packed up my suitcase (the silver bullet), carry-on, purse, and backpack, to job search here in New York City (still so weird seeing that haha). I could go on and on about the story behind that, but I think I’ll save the full version for a Coffey Break Chat.

4b4b9ef1-1ff7-474f-bb60-b6ccbf707a78 — NY or bust!

Long story short, the transition has not been glamorous haha I’m forever grateful to my wonderful family friends for adopting me, love you Bill + Debra! And my August people Warren, Christa, and Josias, for literally absorbing me into their lives in such a loving, genuine way.

Being broke is not fun. Living out of suitcase is not fun. Being unemployed is not fun. (dramatic face emoji) I had totally forgotten about the toll job searching takes on your emotions and self-esteem. Not to mention, that the irony of it all, is that you can’t just drop the search in pursuit other feel good alternatives. The goal is to get a job. You have to keep going until you get something, it’s just that simple.

I just don’t know how in the world I could have made through this time without you guys…

My confession is that I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I was hoping for the red-carpet experience. I knew it would be challenging, but it’s nearly impossible to anticipate the reality of moving away from everything you know and love without actually experiencing it.

That’s where faith and trusting the vision come in. During my second week, I made the commitment to myself that I would limit my focus to the day ahead of me. That I would make the most of that specific day. That I would be present, and fight the urge to consider anything beyond two weeks out –and that was only if it was absolutely necessary.

A default in my nature is that I have a tendency of being so forward thinking that I can’t ever be fully present. I’d argue however that that mindset welcomes the God moments. There’s something so freeing about surrendering, and saying Your will be done. Where do we go from here day in and day out?

It’s so crazy to look back and see that somehow I’ve actually hit all these little milestones in this short period of time. I know it couldn’t have happened without His divine intervention in my life, and I’ve got stories to tell! haha

Join me over the next few weeks, as I roll out a smorgasbord of reflections, favorite finds, vlogs, and archived content (my cute way of saying content I should have published a long time ago haha)

Highlights from the last 7 weeks below. Enjoy!

instagram.com/thecoffeybreak

Peace + Love + Sunshine -Chels

Take My Hand || Daily Devotional 6.24.16

Hi guys!

I love that today’s Jesus Calling started off the way it did. Holding hands is the most classic form of security to me. Whether it was my dad holding my hand when I was little (and now haha), prayer, holding hands with your love, or reaching out for a child’s hand as you cross the street, there’s a closeness that is immediately transferred once it rests in the palm of another.
Correlating that sense of intimacy and security with our Heavenly Father is such a special way to remind us that depending on Him in each and every situation does not make us weak or immature. It’s simply the most natural reflection of connection and trust.
Being an adult is HARD some days, really hard haha Just remember we’re not in this thing alone. I hope this is useful for someone. Have a great day you guys! Xoxo -Chels 💋

#JesusCalling #DailyDevotional #Meditation

#RooftopDiaries #PathMinded #TheCoffeyBreak

Think Big, This Time With God

One day I looked around and decided that treating God like and option was no longer an option. I dream big, but I don’t always think big and there’s a difference. Thinking big attributes to creating applications and strategies to make those dreams a reality, but it’s crucial to know that even the best plan or strategy can fall short if its not on His path for us. I know from personal experience that apprehension and lack of clarity can trick you into trying to find contentment in the safe zone.
My goals in this season are simple: Seek Him first, trust wholeheartedly in my dreams and vision, and expand my horizon so that I can actually know, identify, and claim what bigger looks like. ✨🙏🏾❤️

May the good become the great for each and everyone one of us 💫 Xoxo -Chels #dreambigger2016

#PathMinded #TheCoffeyBreak

Twenty-Nine

So, yesterday I had a mini-melty. Life is funny. About six months ago, I made a mental note that I had 6 months until my 29th birthday. I failed to continue to add an additional month as time progressed. So essentially, I’ve been walking around thinking to myself that I have 6 months until my 29th birthday. Right up until yesterday, when it actually hit me.

I don’t have six months. I’m right right inside of one month. And I’ve spent the last 24hrs. trying to figure out how I feel about that. On the one hand, it will be a blessing to see another year. On the other hand, 29 is a totally loaded year for me.

To say the least, I spent the earlier part of my twenties assuming that I would be married by 28, so my vision of the time period was built around my future family (even if that was just me and my husband) in a very abstract way. See the theme here?

So there’s this whole idea that people don’t plan to fail, it’s that they fail to plan, and I guess my retort for that is where does God fit into all that?

See in theory, yes, I could have had a plan. A freaking air tight, knock their socks off kind of plan, professionally, personally, spiritually and so on. But, there’s still the reality of God’s good and perfect plan. A plan that may not add up to the timeline you or I have preset. So I ask, how does it all work? lol

I’d love for this to be a post that was the reflection of some incredible breakthrough, but the truth is that I’m literally going along for God’s ride at this point, and if nothing else, I can honestly say that that has been the most beneficial change in mindset I’ve had up until now.

That’s not to say that I don’t still have a vision of what a happy life looks like or that I haven’t set goals for myself. It’s just that it’s exhausting trying to figure out the answers to questions that maybe aren’t meant to be answered yet.

Picture your season of whatever it is you’re waiting for as a college course. You go to class two times a week. You receive a lecture, projects, etc. from the professor and then midway or at the end of the semester you have exams.

The only thing that matters more than showing up for the exam, is the preparation that goes into, right? If you never read the syllabus, never went to class, never exchanged ideas with fellow classmates, showing up for the exam would almost be a waste of time –short of luck and favor, and trust me, I’ve been the beneficiary of both on many occasions haha

Nonetheless, that concept of the course is the root behind my overall outlook these days. The professor does not consult with the students about the syllabus prior to putting it together. They just do it, and if they decide to make a change to the curriculum there’s a high probability that once again the class will be informed of the change and expected to abide accordingly.

People always say be careful what you ask for, and I think it’s for good reason. What if you got that awesome opportunity, or met that once in a lifetime person prematurely? It creates a bit of a pipe dream, but there might be something to be said about trusting that everything is working together for the good of God’s timing, even if the reality of it may frecken’ suck.

That job, significant other, breakthrough, or whatever, may be the equivalent of the professor standing up in front of everyone the second week of class to announce that you all would be taking the final exam that day. (God forbid. GOD FAHBID! *northeastern mom accent haha)

Anyway, the trigger behind this was my melty, but this post has been brewing for quite sometime. I just wasn’t really ready to talk about it, openly haha The best is yet to come. If you can relate, I’m sending my love your way! Hang in there!

Peace, Love & Sunshine ~Chels