From “You’re Stupid” to “I’m Enough”: Reclaiming Your God-Given Worth
Peals of laughter ran throughout the classroom. To my sensitive ears and heart, they sounded mean. This was not the approval that the desert of my heart needed to water it. The laughter ran on one broken track record, “You are an idiot. You are not enough.” The sounds demolished the satisfaction I’d felt moments […]
“Well Done!”
Recently, the Lord reminded me of one of my biggest addictions and idols: Hearing “Well done!” from others.
I walked away from the church and God.
This morning, the Lord reminded me of a critical part of my burnout and people-pleasing story. He reminded me of when I left the church and checked out on Him for almost a year and a half. I am not ashamed of this experience. I thought it was necessary at the time. I just never […]
One mile can be harder to walk than twenty.
On a night when I would rather have been out and about in Tilaran town in Costa Rica, the Lord prompted me to rewatch one of my favorite movies Redeeming Love. “Pay close attention to the marriage scenes,” the Lord whispered. After tears upon tears, I finished the movie with a new understanding of marriage and […]
Marriage at 25 Would Have Been The Worst Thing for Me. How Ready Are You?
One of the most frequent questions I get is “When are you getting married?” For many years that question made me uncomfortable because my dream was to be married by my 25th birthday. But you know what? I’m really glad that I didn’t get married at 25 like I planned and others expected. Growing up, […]
The Nicest Person Ever. But A Horrible Friend.
I was said to be one of the nicest person ever but I was a horrible friend for years. And I had no clue. Let me share the back story. A few years ago, when my corporate and church career were just taking off, my friends from other spheres of my life often invited me […]
Giving it all away to charity…
“Chañel, give it all away to charity…” 🤔 The first time I heard the Holy Spirit whisper to me about the book’s proceeds. I ignored Him. I must have heard wrong. He raised it multiple times over the next year. At some point, I began to bargain. “God, how about 10%? I mean that’s a […]
The weird place I wrote my book + the surprising benefit
I’m about to burst a big myth about the best place to write a book. I wrote most of “In Search of the Pink Flamingo” in a steel panyard as I spent time with my friend, Sunshine, in Canada. My laptop and I had the time of our lives (cue the Dirty Dancing reference) as […]
I wore a mask for 25 years.
I wore a mask for 25 years and thought it was normal. None of those things are normal. They are not what God intended for us… not by a long shot. My book, In Search of the Pink Flamingo, is a love letter to you and my former self. I share real-life anecdotes, insightful reflections, […]
Are You a Cheap Date?
I recently had a memory that left me doubled over with laughter. During my corporate days, my boss and I would often walk down to a nearby food court to grab coffee or a snack as we caught up on the work I was doing and how he could assist me. Each time we reached […]