Life – The Coffey Break

10 Minute Guided Meditation || Your Best Self with Biko Gray

“Remember to breathe. It is after all, the secret of life.”
― Gregory Maguire

Hi guys!

Today marks our fourth and final installment of The Coffey Break Guided Meditation Series. This video is all about letting go of the past and tapping into our full potential to uncover our best selves.

Just like we need to clean and nourish our bodies every day, we also need to fill our minds and hearts with positive reinforcements of our best selves daily. There are several hindrances that try to keep us from living life to the fullest potential that God has for us: broken relationships, self-doubt, past pains and hurts, life’s challenges and circumstances, the list goes on…

What I really appreciate about having a time of prayer, meditation, and devotion is the intentional space it creates for daily renewal. Whether that time is first thing in the morning, before bed, or on a lunch break, taking the time to reset and remind ourselves of who we are, that our lives have a purpose, and that we have the potential to do great things is extremely necessary in a world that constantly bombards us with seemingly more bad than good at times.

I really hope you guys have enjoyed this series. It has been such a blessing to me, and before we close out, I’d like to send an extra special thank you to my dear friend Biko Gray for his role in this project. Your voice was such a gift to this series.

See below for the video to this week’s meditation.

Enjoy!

Peace, Love, & Sunshine,

Xoxo, Chels

10 Minute Abundance Guided Meditation With Biko Gray

Hey guys!

Happy Monday! It is time for the third installment of the Guided Meditation series. This week’s focus is on Abundance.

Join Biko as he guides us through a 10-minute set of breathing exercises and affirmations specially designed to assist with training your mind to extend a warm welcome to the abundance of all things beautiful into your life.

A few years ago, I came across a quote that’s stayed with me after all this time. “If you fill your head with good thoughts, there won’t be any room for bad thoughts.”

As obvious as this may sound, it’s the simple truth, and it also requires intentionality. Being positive takes work and discipline and faith.

Philippians 4:8 says:

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

I spent the greater part of last year meditating with a guided meditation on abundance, and case by case, there’s no doubt in my mind that that time I took to zone in and focus on what I wanted an abundance of made a huge difference in terms of how I viewed my circumstances and the world around me.

If nothing else, I want to leave you guys with this thought, the goal should be obtaining the feeling of abundance prior to any manifestation of abundance. Abundance in the way that we are defining it should not be confused with worldly possessions and desires. Simply the overflowing of all that is good. We can find the feeling of abundance in nature, time with family and friends, from the love of God, and helping others. These are the things that really matter. The other things will come, but the blessing lies in true gratitude for what we already have all around us.

Meditation below. Enjoy!

Peace, Love, & Sunshine,

Xoxo -Chels

The Moments That Freeze You In Time: Union Station

These train stations 💕 You know that feeling when you’re about to flip, and you catch yourself because you’re like, hold on wait, this is a trap. Something good is about to come of this 😅 Please, let something good come of this haha
The cherry on top of yesterday’s craziness was that I had not just one, but two, @uber drivers, cancel my rides. After a 5 hour ride from NYC, the last thing you want is to spend another hour in the side of the road, in an unfamiliar city, trying to explain your location to someone who doesn’t speak English well. I could feel myself getting more and more mad. Like I was maxing out. I had all these bags, and in that movement, I thanked God for Christopher Ballew.
A few weeks back, he planted a seed that has stayed with me through every step of this clumsy transition –Embrace The Detour. I remembered his advice about 20 seconds before entering into the main concourse… Guys, Union Station is beautiful, like amazingly beautiful, and in that moment, I could literally feel all the tension leave my shoulders. I was like this is it. This is why. I was so hellbent on getting into a car and making it to my destination that I would have missed out on this moment. I call them the moments that freeze you in time. Some are the feel good kind. Some hurt like crazy. But nonetheless, they slow you down just long enough to be fully present. Take it all in. And feel everything that’s happening in such a dreamy way.
I’ve been using The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson as my devotional for years now, and his stories of how God has opened door after door have been such an inspiration.

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset

For years now, I’ve created this mental image of what Union Station looked like, and in retrospect, if either of those first two rides had worked out picking me up from the parking garage, I would have missed out on that reminder of God’s awesome faithfulness to Mark, and the simple truth that He makes no mistakes. He’s in our corner working it out, even when if it doesn’t seem like it.

This move has not been an easy one. It’s been wonderful, but it hasn’t been easy. It has actually been a huge challenge and an even bigger test of my faith, resiliency, and ability to commit to believing in the vision I see for myself day in and day out.

Processed with VSCO with a4 preset

Sometimes, we’re moving too fast to have a chance to take it all in. Build a life you’ll love, yes, but the key is remembering to actually enjoy it. The funniest part about it all (not haha funny) was that I had the opportunity to pass on job search advice to my driver who was a recent grad and had just immigrated here from Cuba.

*I also told him that if he really is tired of the cold, is looking for warm and friendly people, and good food, Houston’s the move. You don’t have to be miserable and in despair. Control what you can. It’s so interesting how the feeling of being stuck can convince us that there aren’t any other options.

Trust the timing of your life. I’m seeing more and more that so much of what happens “to us” is more about how God is going to use us. The journey is just as beautiful as the destination. Happy Saturday guys ✌🏿️😋 Xoxo -Chels

Hello November

Hello November 🍃💕🍁✨🍂

Hi guys, I simply can’t believe the year is almost over… After a month of getting settled (I have the most amazing adoptive families 😪) It’s time refocus and get back on track.

There’s no way to anticipate the curveballs coming for us from day to day. Some come at you so unexpectedly that time completely slows down until you realize you’re standing or sitting there, frozen, trying to process whatever just happened. Others require a lightning fast response to handle the situation without time to think or even process anything.

Regardless of the type of curveball; prayer, my devotional, and time of meditation have been such an essential part of setting the tone going into each day. There’s no question whether or not it serves as an anchor when a full-blown storm rolls in, and I notice a distinct difference when I don’t have time or make time to find my center at the beginning of the day.

I always jokingly say this, but being a grown up is hard, really hard and we have protect our minds and hearts as best as we can from the things that come to knock us off our feet. Never underestimate how much of a difference it can make mentallly, emotionally, and spiritually to start each day with intention.

*And be on the lookout to encourage someone else? We never know what other people are going through and you just might be the very person someone needs to make it through the day.

Sending so much love y’all’s way. Hope it’s a great one ❤️ Xoxo -Chels

#pray

#meditate

#payitforward

#PathMinded

#TheCoffeyBreak

Why are you stressing? Making the most of Malta

Everyday we come across people. Some we simply pass by. Others we feel drawn to and greet with a smile and a hello. And then there are those that we say to ourselves, “I wonder what they’re like. I’m going to get to know them. *Smirk face + painting my nails emoji”

The first time I remember seeing my dear friend, Christopher Ballew, he was running up on stage at Hope City with the most perfect 70’s style wing bangs bouncing majestically (I kid you not) with his every move. The next time I saw him he just so happened to be at a team meeting for church. I walked in, and in my mind I was like, “Ohhhmygash! The guy with the fab hair is here!”

My cornerstone indicator for any potential friendship is whether or not I catch myself with a little smirk on my face from laughing at what the person said. By the time we had our first fall-out laughing sesh I knew it was a done deal. Humor wins me over every. single. time.

The only thing more beautiful than a funny friend who totally vibes with you, is a friend who encourages you to trust God and helps you grow spiritually. Fun times aside, this awesome friend of mine has been such a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness during this time of transition. I recently moved to New York to job search, and boi I tell ya –Let’s save that for later… That’s a whole other post for another time haha

Anyway, yesterday, he gave me one heck of a pep talk about detours and embracing the journey. One that was so good, I had to share it with you guys. Thank you again Chris for being such a ray of sunshine ❤️

See below! Enjoy!

Peace, Love, & Sunshine ~ Chels

Why are you stressing? The Lord has already promised to take care of all of your needs. It’s just a matter of being patient, continuing to trust in him, until you walk into that “fullness of time” moment.

For sure! If we have nothing else, we have his promise!

I was reading in Acts this week about Paul’s ship wreck on the island of Malta while he was headed to Rome. They ended up stuck on this island for three months. I know that would cost me a great deal of frustration if that was not a planned stop on my journey.

But through this detour, God use Paul to miraculously heal one of the leaders of those people. Which totally impacted that region. By the end of the three months God has provided for them a boat to continue their journey and all the supplies they would need to finish out their trip to Rome

What if that shipwreck wasn’t a detour? What if that was part of gods plan? What if God’s vision was bigger than on arriving safely around? What if his vision involved impacting the island of Malta for his kingdom?

More than ever before, I’m receiving revelation that it’s not about the destination but about the journey. That’s a cliché we use all the time but it’s becoming more and more real to me.

When we have a destination mentality, we continue to live our lives and disappointment because with every change, shift and schedule, detour, we see it as an interruption to what we feel is our destination, whether we feel we have arrived there or not.

But, if we truly have a journeyman mentality and look in every situation in search of Jesus and how he wants to use us in that moment to impact his kingdom, then what we used to see as detours actually become exciting opportunities for adventure and encounters with the Lord.

We end up in places, whether because the Lord has led us there or because he has used an attack of the enemy to bring beauty from ashes, that we never dreamed we would be! And we get to do things and be a part of things, miracles! That we never would have imagined or even thought to pray for.

Because the experience on the island of Malta was not just about impacting those people. But because the guards who were holding all the prisoners on that ship Sompong in action and being used by the Lord, it completely altered and changed his experience in Rome. Where he may have been tortured and his prison experience made worse he was allowed to live alone and enjoy some comforts.

One thing is for sure! God has a handle on all of this way better than we ever could! So, take your hands off of it, release it to the Lord, and just trust that he will get you to Rome. 😃

… And enjoy the journey. LOL

-Christopher Ballew