What is your purpose?

What is your purpose?

How many of us wonder what our purpose on this Earth is?  How many of us just wander around without purpose, just doing life without focus, going through the motions without a clear destiny?

Last week at Sisterhood, things started to come together for me.  I had been wandering around my life, not really focused, not living with purpose.  I was hoping that things would change but I didn't have a clear plan or path to where I was going.  It was like getting in your car and you know where you want to be but your GPS isn't working and your driving without a map, without a guidance system.  That is pretty much a waste of time and gas, to go somewhere without purpose and a plan!  Why would we live our lives like that?  Life is more than working to pay bills, getting through the school year just to start a new one, getting from one event to another.  We should have dreams, goals, plans, and purpose to guide us through life and to give life meaning.

The theme of Sisterhood Mornings this semester is called, Rhythms of Grace.  We are talking about doing life with a rhythm and setting the pace with the things that matter the most, the things that help us to fulfill our purpose.  Linda Riddle was the speaker last week and she talked about opportunity and purpose.  Different opportunities come our way, doors open, things happen and we have to decide whether to take on those opportunities or to pass on them.  If we don't know what our purpose in life is, how can we know what opportunities to take?  

What are you most passionate about?  What are the things that bring you joy?  What are the things that make your heart soar?  What brings fulfillment and contentment into your life?  

Read this passage from Proverbs 31:16:

"She considers a new field before she buys or accepts it, (expanding prudently and not courting neglect or her present duties by assuming other duties); with her savings of time and strength, she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard."

The Proverbs 31 woman uses wisdom in her planning and opportunities.  She takes the time to consider new opportunities before she agrees to them.  She has to make sure her current responsibilities aren't going to be neglected by taking on this new thing.  She has margin in her life and only takes on things that will be fruitful and further the fulfillment of her purpose.

My purpose in life is found in Proverbs 31 verses 8-9:

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.  Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless and see that they get justice." New Living Translation

My purpose is directly related to women and how women are objectified in society, treated as less than human and less than/not equal to men, and how those things affect how women perceive themselves.  

My focus is to help women to attain a healthy mind, body, and soul with emphasis on the body.  The most important things to me are healthy eating, positive body image, and combating objectification of women/children.  I believe that in changing societies view of women and shining a light on how objectification degrades females, that will help to break the cycles of abuse in domestic situations, human trafficking, and the sex trade.  If a woman, through taking care of herself produces a positive body image, she will be less likely to fall into the traps and snares set out to destroy her.

My goal is to bring God glory by being a godly woman that loves her body, the body that God gave me, to love the LORD with all my heart and with all my soul, and to champion women's strengths and successes.  God created women to partner with men, not to be tread upon and used for men's pleasure.  Together, men and women are meant to compliment each other's strengths in building family and community.  

With a clear purpose and goal, I can now set a plan in motion to fulfill my purpose!  Focusing on God and His plan for my life will help me to choose the opportunities that arise carefully and with godly wisdom.  

"Good planning and  hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty"  Proverbs 21:5

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting

Tomorrow kicks of a very important and transforming season at my church.  This season, we will participate in a corporate fast called Awakening.  The great thing about this, well, one of the great things is that individually, we choose what our fast is going to look like.  Corporately, we come together as a congregation to pray and worship.  The most common fast is called a Daniel Fast, which is basically a vegan diet.  It consists of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and beans.  There are many variations with juice/water only days mixed in.  The main idea is to give up the type of food that you cling to for emotional reasons and your favorite things.  In this way, you must lean on God and focus on Him.  We feed our spirits instead of our flesh by reading and studying the bible instead of finding solace in a candy bar or french fries.  My favorite things are; chocolate, french fries, bacon, chicken, and macaroni and cheese.



Pastor Stovall Weems has put together this ^ incredible book to help us during the fast.  My first time fasting was in 2008 and it was amazing!  The purpose of fasting and prayer is to put aside the things in the world that take time away from our time with God.  We purposefully focus all of our energy on getting closer to God by disconnecting from the world in whatever way we need to.  Some people give up facebook, video games, tv, etc.  It's how I quit smoking a few years ago.  We have the option to fast one day a week, up to every day for 3 weeks.  My husband and I usually do all 3 weeks, and we will do that again this time!  Our children also fast, not so much from food as from tv, video games, candy, desserts, etc.  Celebration Church puts together a calendar for the kids so they can experience the fast with their parents.

One of the awesome events during the fast is The Revival!  So many influential pastors will be speaking this year with great worship and fellowship should make this 5-day event phenomenal!

  "In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled."  Daniel 10:2-3 NKJV

 “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words."  Daniel 10:12 NKJV

Health and Justice...

Well...it has been quite some time since I last blogged here.  I wanted to give an update to what my business looks like now and what is upcoming for me.

I've have transferred my business from a Sole Proprietorship to an LLC.  The official name is Health and Justice Enterprises, LLC.  We will continue to do business as The Cooking Activist Company and under that name we will be a cottage food operation, offer personal chef services, farmers market vendor, and event vendor.  We will be selling our baked goods at the St. Johns River Farmers Market in St Augustine, Florida this weekend.  Our products for this weekend will be whole grain cookies and muffins made with fair trade and organic ingredients.  We'll also be giving out free samples of sweet potato and pumpkin pie and we'll also do pre-orders of pie for the holidays.  It's very exciting!!!

I wanted to talk a little about Health and Justice Enterprises.  Our tagline is: fighting for justice by promoting healthy lifestyles.  We want to encompass all the goals that we have into a broad net.  The way we fight for justice is by telling people about the need to purchase fairly traded products.  There is slavery still around today in American agriculture and numerous other industries.  We use fair trade ingredients in our baked goods and we attend trafficking awareness events to educate communities about this atrocity!  We do this part of our business usually without payment but with the end goal of teaching others about agricultural slavery around the world.  This is what I've focused on since 2010 and 2011.  This year, 2012, I've begun to use my skills and passion for cooking to be a personal chef and expand my business.  Now that I am an LLC and I have a business partner, together we are going to take this to the next level!  First, we will start selling baked goods at a farmers market and in 2013 we have plans to have our own commercial kitchen!

When I decided to start my own business, I really didn't think it would take this long to get going but I realize now, that it takes time to develop ideas and raise money to accomplish goals.  I've written down goals and desires over the last 2 years and I've whittled down, cut out, and changed a lot of ideas.  The one thing that has remained over all this time is the desire to educate the world about the atrocities around us and to do that using wholesome baked goods and from scratch cooking!  I've stuck to my main goal and theme and over time my passion and desire has grown instead of diminished!  I'm going to stay the course and follow my dreams!  This is only the beginning and I'm reaching for the stars!  There is so much more to do and I love my line of work and I can't wait to see what happens next!!

Please support me by liking my page on facebook, following me on twitter, and sharing both with your friends and family!!

Whatever Makes You Happy…

The pursuit of  happiness has been the justification for so many destructive behaviors and habits in today’s culture.  I’ve heard and used the excuse, “As long as I’m not hurting anyone, I can do whatever makes me happy.”  Through all of the things that I’ve learned over the years, all of the pain I’ve experienced, the trials and tribulations that I’ve walked through; the pursuit of happiness doesn’t always make us happy and we almost always effect the people around us by our behaviors and attitudes, whether they be positive or negative.


As a parent, I can see why we need boundaries, accountability, and restraint in our lives.  My kids want everything that they see, they want it now, and they want what others have.  They think that if they get what they want, then they will be happy.  It's my job to say no to the things that they want, especially if it will cause problems, cost too much money, and have negative consequences. Will instant gratification keep us happy?  What will keep us fulfilled and content?  One of the things that most of us think is, “If I just had this one thing, then I would be content.”  Most times, we get that one thing and then we focus on something else that we can’t live without, and this cycle is perpetual and never satisfied.  Money and material things can’t make us happy, and often times the pursuit of wealth causes us to compromise our values and morals.  We can become dishonest, disloyal, and self-serving in our pursuit of money and material things.


The pursuit of happiness can look different for different people.  We naturally want to avoid feeling bad, experiencing pain whether physical or emotional.  We don’t want  to ever be uncomfortable and out of our comfort zone and there are many different ways to numb pain or to avoid pain altogether.  But, one of the most amazing things about pain is that it changes us by adding wisdom to our lives.  Have you ever refused to take someone’s advice that has experienced pain because you thought you knew better?  When things turn out exactly liked you’d been warned, only then can you see the wisdom in the advice.  Pain through trials and tribulations help us to grow emotionally, building wisdom and widening our eyes to the pain of those around us.


Sometimes to get to where God needs us to be, a place where His blessings flow, we need to walk through the fire to get there.  Trials, pain, suffering, and tribulation are necessary to shape our hearts and change us into who God knows we can be.  Without those seasons in our lives we won’t grow, learn, or change direction.  Oftentimes, we can’t see where He is taking us until we are already there and we can’t know the impact that our faithfulness and integrity will have on the world and the people around us.


One of the things that got me thinking about this topic is the obesity epidemic in our society today.   Eating is the easiest thing to do that can take our mind off of pain and suffering.  Certain foods can become addictive and we can feel that we don’t have the strength to stop eating.  Even though you may think that eating doesn’t hurt anyone around you, think again.  We set an example to those around us, people are watching what we do whether we care or not.  We teach our bad habits to our children, families, friends, and acquaintances.  People learn by example and through experience.  On the same track, we can show others positive examples by being responsible to take care of ourselves and those around us.  


I’ve learned that as humans, we try to fill the empty parts of our heart and soul with things, be it money, food, drugs, alcohol, and meaningless/shallow relationships.  There is great joy to be found in healthy relationships with others, our connectivity to people, and our pursuit of God.  One of the things that the bible teaches us, is to surround ourselves with people that are for us, people that will lift us up when we are sad, lonely, in pain, and depressed and people that will hold us accountable for our actions and motives.  We need to purposefully avoid those that only hurt us and lead us to hurt ourselves and others.  Pruning those connections in our lives will make us stronger and more able to bear the things that life brings to us.  Without pain, rainy days, and hard times we can’t appreciate the good things in our lives or realize which people are most important to us.  So stand strong wherever you are and have faith that what God brings you to, He will bring you through.




Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy;
    no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
    He saved me from all my troubles.
For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
    He surrounds and defends all who fear Him. 
Psalm 34:5-7 NLT

I Can Do All Things...

A lot has changed over the years. When I think about the person I used to be and the things that I used to do, it is a miracle that I am doing the things that I am doing now. When I got married, I had reached a milestone in my life and I thought all that was left to do was to have children. So that's what I did...I had 4 kids and I thought that my life would be about raising them and then becoming a grandmother, and then I would die and go be with Jesus. Now, that doesn't seem so bad but that is just the status quo, I suppose. I thought that once I became a Christian, I would live my life, try to be good, do the right things and let life happen around me while protecting my kids, praying for others, and paying bills. By the time I reached 30, I had been a teacher for almost a decade, I had 3 kids and I was doing okay. I didn't have any career goals worth mentioning, I didn't have any life goals other than losing weight, and I didn't have any relationship goals other than being nice to everyone! My whole world was turned upside down when I joined Celebration Church and I found out that God wants more for my life than what I was doing, that there are people out there without hope that need to hear about who God is and what He can do. What I learned about God's character and power and love just burned in my heart and spurred me on to seek out my purpose. I've learned that the Christian life can be anything but safe and boring!

I had a very hard season right around the time that we moved to St. Augustine. I hit rock bottom during that time and I remember thinking, “Is this all there is to life?” I had become discontent with the status quo and I begun to want more from life but couldn't fathom how I could possibly do more when I had 4 kids to raise, isn't that enough? I joined a small group where I read Christine Caine's book, Can I have and do it all, please? That is exactly what I wanted to know! This book had a section of questions in it that helps women discover their purpose, and it was these questions that set me in the direction that I have been going in ever since! It's hard to believe how far I've come and where I am headed. I loved being a preschool teacher and loving on the kids and their families, but God has something more for me and I intend on giving everything I've got to follow Him!

There have been so many things going on to avert me from my mission and goals! We are totally broke, so trying to start a business is not easy but only the impossible can happen with God! I've had so many health set backs since 2009, it would take another blog just to go through them all! God has been right by my side, though, and my new motto is, “Nothing is going to hold me down, I've got to keep on moving!” As an example, just yesterday while I waited for my kids at the bus stop, a piece of mulch went through my shoe and punctured my foot! Talk about crazy, blood was dripping and my toes and shoe were red and instead of sitting down and panicking, I pulled off the shoe(which took the wood out of my foot), looked at the blood, put my shoe back on and walked home! The reason why I walked is because I didn't have my van yesterday since my husband's car battery had died. Lately, I've been just pushing past the pain and through the uncertainty and the results have always been better than if I had just stayed still. I'm not taking no for an answer anymore. I'm not going to just be content and be silent. My heart and my mission have to do with people. There are a lot of people out there that have no one thinking about them, praying for them, helping them through the rough patches, caring for their safety and well-being. God has given me a purpose and I intend on accomplishing that purpose with honor and integrity.

Today, I am standing at the precipice, the start of something that could be just more than I'd ever imagined or hoped for, but that is the kind of God that I serve. He does amazing things through those who have nothing without Him. This may mean that I won't be a stay-at-home mom anymore but this new venture may help me be there for my kids and provide things for them that I can't right now. Nothing in this life comes easy and that is something that I am learning, and nothing comes easy that is worth having. I'm not doing this for just my family, I'm doing this for families and children within my sphere of influence.  We'll see just how far God takes me, because I am willing to go there with Him!

So keep your eyes and ears open for what is to come. I pray that God moves mountains and makes the impossible possible because I've got big God-sized dreams that require faith the size of a mustard seed and a God that is big enough and strong enough to make my dreams come true!

Please pray for me! I'm going to need it!

Libby Mahoney

The Cooking Activist and Warrior for Christ

All About Wisdom

"For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord" Proverbs 8:35 NKJV 
Seeking wisdom brings life and favor. Wisdom is prudence, an understanding heart, truth, righteousness, knowledge, discretion, strength, and justice. Wisdom brings riches, honor, and wealth.
"But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me love death." Proverbs 8:36 NKJV
Contrary to wisdom is wickedness, crooked and perverse things, evil, pride, arrogance, ignorance, and death. Wisdom is better than silver, gold, rubies, and the things that we desire. 
 I'm learning how to seek after God's heart and seek after wisdom instead of pursuing comfort and security. The things this world says are important are meaningless. I want to desire the things that God has for me. I want to put aside my selfish ambition and live for Christ. My heavenly Father has remained faithful and true to His word. I find strength, compassion, love, and favor with the Lord. His ways are better than my ways because He knows the beginning from the end and He promised never to forsake me. I'm standing firm on His word because it never returns void!  
Our heavenly Father has us in the palm of His hand, close to His heart. His economy is greater than this country's economy. He has all of the resources to make our dreams come true, to provide for our families, and to guide us down the right paths. I trust in Him more than the world. He has so much more to offer us than society. Put aside worldly desires and clothe yourself in godly wisdom and righteousness. We can boldly approach the throne of grace because we are washed clean by the blood of Christ. We have been redeemed, not because we do the right things all the time, but because He loves us. Remember He loved us first, while we were yet sinners. We are saved by faith, empowered by grace, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. I pray the fire of Holy Spirit fill you and encourage you to step out in faith today. Honor Jesus' sacrifice for you by helping someone who doesn't deserve it. I pray for discernment so you can see how far someone has come instead of seeing where they are. I pray for strength so you can stand up for Jesus and be witness of His love for humanity. I pray that your purpose in Christ is revealed, that you may glorify Him with your life and find contentment.
 
"What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself." Luke 12:29-31 The Message

My Cookbook and Ministry

When I first started writing a cookbook, I was just going to do an organic cookbook. Over time, this project has developed into part of my ministry. I've become very passionate about several things; health, organics, gmo's, fair trade, and God. When I was talking about my ministry with my mentor, who is awesome by the way, I was explaining what was on my heart. I want to reach out to others and teach them about eating to support the body that God gave them, which will strengthen their bodies so that they can have the best possible impact on the kingdom. We can take care of the bodies that God gave us in such a way that brings Him glory and enables us to take the gospel to the lost and hurting in the world.


 I posed this question to my mentor, “How do I start a ministry like that?” She replied, “You are already doing something about it, just keep doing what you are doing and God will open the doors for you when the time is right.” The more I thought about what she said, the more I began to understand what that meant for me. That got me thinking about my cookbook and then inspiration hit! I was going to use my cookbook as my platform for reaching others! I started to rethink the format from being “just” a cookbook, to a book that can inspire others to live a life dedicated to God. Most Christian books focus on the spirit and on certain behaviors or sins. There aren't many books that focus on health and wellness from a God perspective; that the way we take care of our bodies is a testimony, good or bad, to others about how we feel about ourselves and God.


 I desire to teach others not just how to love God, but to love themselves and to see themselves as God sees them - perfect creations worthy of love. It is my opinion that people use food as medication, eating emotionally, and thinking that they aren't worth the trouble to take the time to be careful about food choices. It's so easy to focus on others and neglect ourselves. When we don't love ourselves or see ourselves through God's eyes, we are diminishing the capacity for the effectiveness of our ministry. I had to learn how to love me and how to see me the way God does. That perspective really changed me and my outlook on life and how I see others as well. See, eating healthy doesn't have to be motivated by vanity, eating healthy should be motivated by love for self, others and for God. It's okay to love yourself, vanity comes when you exalt yourself above everyone else. 


 We were all created to be unique. Instead of focusing on our imperfections as negative, we should rejoice in our differences and love the fact that we are different. Each of us has something to offer the kingdom of God, God made us different so we can bring our uniqueness to the table and make the body of Christ whole. If we were all bringing something to a potluck dinner and everyone brought dessert, what would we eat for dinner? If everyone's strength was evangelism, who would be there to pastor, to teach, to lead, to serve, to minister, etc. We each have a role in the church, we each have a gifting, and we have strengths and weaknesses that are used for God's glory not our own.

I am writing an organic cookbook with a focus on God and I want to teach others about issues that surround food; slavery, genetically modified organisms, and society's impact on women.