A Christian and Travel Lifestyle Blog
Hey Breakfast BFF! I hope you had a great week and the start to your weekend is even greater! But guess what, if it isn’t that’s cool too. Why, because in today’s Fun Lunch Friday, I’m sharing with you how I spend my quiet time and providing some practical tips on how you can potentially improve your quite time with Christ. Sometimes, alone time with Christ is all that is needed to turn your day around. Check out the video below and have a blessed week.
Tiffani
Summa, summa, summa time!
And nothing says summer quite like a cute beach and a good book!
A lot of us are preparing for summer vacation and looking for good reading materials to take along with us. If you fall into that category, then look no further because I have a book for you. I was recently blessed by Scott LaPierre over at scottlapierre.org with his book, Marriage God’s Way. Last year, Scott shared with us a Breakfast Bite in the form of a bible study entitled, God Commanded Adam, But The Devil Tempted Eve. Where he discusses the consequence of the fall for husbands and wives.
Now, I know, I know, I’m not married…
YET!
However, I believe preparation is so important when it comes to perfecting the life I desire to live. So if marriage is something that I desire, the only way I know to do that successfully is to prepare for it.
Marriage God’s Way is definitely a book that will aid in that preparation process.
As a single person desiring to be married one day, sometimes we can get caught up in the fantasy of what we THINK marriage is. But in his book, Scott give us biblical truths of what marriage really is and how to have a healthy Christ- centered outlook on it.
Understanding Submission, Part V, is the part of the book that I enjoyed the most. Probably because this is an area that I know I can start practicing now. In this section, Scott starts by giving us biblical examples of submission outside of marriage.
Whether you are married or not, each one of the above examples is an area that we are commanded to submit as believers in Christ.
Additionally, I thoroughly enjoyed when Scott emphasized the importance of how we submit. Submitting in itself isn’t done right unless we submit with the right attitude. God cares just as much about what we do as He does, how we do it.
During this section, I was convicted to do some self-reflecting.
Submission, often times, is a difficult topic for some, especially in the area of marriage. Considering someone like myself, who has been single for some time now, I am often visited by the thoughts of how I would respond to certain situations if I were married desiring to honor God in the area of submission.
Let’s be honest, submission is not something that can be none existent today and easily practiced tomorrow. So it’s foolish to believe that when one gets married it is a practice that will be easily adopted. Scott has done an amazing job of explaining how the practice of submission can be implemented much easier if both the husband and the wife have developed a lifestyle of submission before entering into the union of marriage.
If you desire to be married one day, I highly recommend Marriage God’s Way. It will not only help you embrace submission now, but it will also equip you with the tools needed to have a healthy, joyful, Christ- centered relationship!
Not too long ago, I created a Gratitude Workbook and Resource Guide to help with initiating a heart of gratitude in your daily life. It is so easy to get stuck in the “woe is me, I don’t have…, so my life is awful” rut. In 2016, after making a conscience effort to incorporate gratitude into my daily life and looking for opportunities to be thankful, my perspective changed. I kept a daily journal to record everything and recognized a significate change in how I viewed life in general. Eventually, I found myself to be more joyful and didn’t compare myself to others as often. Because, let’s be honest, we all struggle with this sometimes. Occasionally, I would catch myself saying “Thank You, Lord” out loud for random things. Unquestionably, this started by having a spirit of gratitude and a heart for worship.
This resource guide is filled with verses, questions to consider, and worship songs to help with your daily gratitude exercises.
After the release of the guide, there were so many comments about the song selection that was included, I decided to comprise a list of worship songs that are sure to take you in. I know we all have our preferences in music genres. Some enjoy lit gospel songs, while others, lit Christian songs, and for the millennials, hip hop church songs. I personally listen to all types, and I have included both Gospel and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) in this post.
Note: These songs are not in any order of LITness, only grouped together by the artist.
As you can see, all of these songs are not necessarily popular church songs. Some of them you may not have even heard of, but trust me, they are amazing worship songs.
You can access some of these songs by checking out my Spotify playlist. If you don’t already have Spotify, you can download it for free.
Let me hear it. What are some songs that take you in? Comment them below.
Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with the gorgeous Ms. Summer Pearson, a Contemporary Christian singer/songwriter from the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area. She recently completed her first project, Love Letters by Summer.
Let me tell you, this interview was unquestionably ordained by God. The way the both of us were able to pour into each other’s lives was straight up MINISTRY! My spirit was so uplifted and encouraged after our chat. It was clear to me that Summer knows something about Him, let the church say Amen!
Summer shared with us all about her project and the inspiration behind it, the opposition she faced while producing Love Letters and what she hopes her listeners will leave with after experiencing Love Letters.
Breakfast With Tiffani: Tell us a little bit about Summer and who you are.
Summer: I am the proud mother of two amazing little boys! I’m a worshipper at the core of my being. I started singing solos when I was about 7 years old and I haven’t stopped since then. I am a praise and worship leader and I simply love leading people into the presence of God.
BWT: How did Love Letters come about? What was your inspiration for the project?
Summer: These are all my love letters to God. My songwriting journey began when I was in graduate school, but I rarely shared the songs I wrote. They were just my personal writings, or love letters if you will. But just a few years ago, God led me to stop singing the songs He gave me in secret, and to be bold enough to share what I had written with others. I began to understand that the healing and encouragement I felt from my songs was a huge part of the ministry God was breathing into me. It was hard to be so vulnerable and transparent, but it was necessary. Therefore, I would write whatever God gave me at the time, and did not know that an album would come from it.
It’s amazing because all I shared with my producer, Vincent “V.Rich” Richardson, were the words and melodies I heard in my head, and then he was able to grasp the vision and put it to music. And here we are now.
BWT: With every anointing and assignment comes opposition. What have you experienced while going through the process of writing as well as producing Love Letters?
Summer: Oh my, there’s been a lot. 3 years ago, God led me to leave my government career as a lawyer to pursue ministry full time. When I left, I knew it was God. I knew that’s what I was supposed to do. It is amazing how God has provided, made ways and just led me to where He wanted me to be. It was scary at times but God has continued to plant my feet.
Early on I experienced great opposition in my already tumultuous marriage that ultimately resulted in our marriage ending. In the marriage, I endured a lot of hardship, and my now ex-husband vehemently opposed the ministry God was building in me. I prayed and fasted for years, we even went to counseling, but things just got worse. In no way am I suggesting divorce is the answer to all marital hardships, but I knew what I needed to do for the well-being of myself as well as my boys. I couldn’t believe that I was having to confront a very rough separation and divorce at the same time that I was finally courageous enough to embrace God’s vision for my life, but I can say that God never left me.
I’ve had to push through a lot. I remember one day while I was pleading with God and just spending time with Him, He placed on my heart the words, “You are good, You always have been…” This was ironic because during that time my current situation was not representative of something that was good. Those words are now lyrics to my song “You Are Good.”
Starting out, I didn’t have a ministry budget or any real resources for this project, but God has provided. People were willing to work with me. Recently Denton Adams of Heartfelt Pictures contacted me and said, “I want us to do a music video.” I have just completed that music video for my song “Promised (Never Alone),” and know it was part of God’s plan. God has been amazing and the story is still being written.
BWT: What is your favorite song on the project?
Summer: Now that’s a hard one! I really don’t know. They all have such special meaning to me. If I had to choose, just one, right now I have been listening to “Promised (Never Alone)” a lot. It always reminds me of how close God is to us… closer than anyone! The whole album is amazing though; those who have heard it understand immediately that each song is part of the journey.
BWT: What do you want your listeners to leave with after experiencing this project?
Summer: I want them to have experienced the presence of God, and be uplifted. I want them to say “God is here.”
BWT: Thank you for your time Summer! How can we stay connected with you?
Summer: My website is Summer’s Official Page and I can be found on social media at:
Facebook: Summer’s Official Page
Instagram: Summer’s Official Page
Twitter: Summer Time Sings
I had such a nice time with Summer! I would like to invite you to experience Summer for yourself at her Love Letters CD Release Party, this Saturday, September 17th at 6:00pm at Washington Brazilian SDA Church.
We’ve been hanging out and I really like him. He said he likes me too. So what is taking him so long?
Note: At 13:35 I meant to say, “guys have an advantage.” not “disadvantage.” I apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
But the fruit if the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
I have partnered with a few of my Blogging Besties to host a 21 Day Fruit of the Spirit Challenge. This challenge requires you to focus on one of the nine fruits of the spirit mentioned above for 21 day. Pray and ask God to give you opportunities to exemplify that fruit, on your job with your coworkers, at home with your family, in the community with your neighbors, etc.
The challenge officially begins on Sunday, April 24 and will end on Saturday, May 14th.
I’m positive God would be pleased, if we were intentional about impacting the world by actually living the Word. Imagine how much more of an impact we could make for the Kingdom, if we came together for one common goal, to exemplify fruit. This challenge is only for 21 day but my prayer is that we will be more intentional in exemplifying all the fruit, not just the one focused on during the challenge.
Do you want to see God work through you? Would you like to make an impact in the lives of those around you? Do you want to be a doer of The Word? Yes? Then, join me for a 21 Day Fruit of the Spirit Challenge!
Click the following link, random.org. Once at the website, enter “1” as the “min” number and “9” as the “max” number. Hit “generate” and the number that you get, come back to this post and see what fruit correlates with that number. And that’s the fruit that you will focus on for the next 21 days.
8 love
1 joy
9 peace
7 patience
3 kindness
5 goodness
6 faithfulness
2 gentleness
4 self control
During this time we will be holding each other accountable as well as testifying on how God gave us the opportunity to exercise that fruit and the outcome. Join me in this fun challenge to bear some good fruit! Comment below which fruit you receive and don’t forget to invite others!
Lots of Love,
Tiffani
With today’s society promoting movements like “True Loves Wait”, “No Ring No Ting”, “Pinky Promise”, etc. more and more people are making the decision to wait until marriage to have sex, and that is absolutely amazing!
However, I have also noticed lately, we as Christians, have put far too much emphasis on the rule, no sex before marriage, while totally disregarding the reasoning behind the motivation to wait.
A few months ago, I read an article where the author, a Christian, waited to have sex until her wedding night and regretted it. As I read the article, my heart ached for her, because it was clear that what she had been taught about sex, was all rules without reasoning and relationship, and quite honestly, falsehood.
Because of this, I started to ask myself, “have we gotten so caught up in the hype and idea of no sex before marriage, that we have begun to idolize it? Have we put those who have chosen this route and their decision on a pedal, high above all else?”
Once I had decided to rededicate my life to Christ and wait to have sex before marriage, one of the first questions people would ask me, if they hadn’t seen me in a while was, “are you still waiting?” Or, “I am so proud of you for waiting!” Although I was grateful for the encouragement, after a while it got mad annoying. Was that the only spiritual thing in my life of importance?
My goal has always been to live pure, not sex-free. Purity is the goal and waiting to have sex before marriage is the byproduct of that goal.
Living a life of purity goes far beyond avoiding sexual immorality. Although this is VERY important, a healthy pure life also includes being mindful of the conversations you entertain, Matthew 15:18; the music you listen to, the novels you indulge in, Romans 4:23; and the television shows you expose yourself to, Luke 11:34-36. All these actions weight heavily on your ability to remain pure.
If I’m waiting until marriage, but I still listen to music with sexually suggestive lyrics, continue to watch TV shows with foul language, entertain lewd conversations, and read novels that totally contradict the lifestyle I’m trying to live, am I honestly living pure?
With this mindset, one is subject to fall into the trap of rules vs relationship. Rules say, “no sex before marriage because I said so!” Relationship says, “strive to lead a pure life and through our relationship, you will be guided to what pleases Me.”
Don’t misunderstand me, I am not bashing “wait to have sex before marriage” programs, I am challenging us to be mindful of living a pure life instead of a rules life!
What are your thoughts? How do you feel about waiting to have sex before marriage? Are you for it or against it? All thoughts are welcomed!
