Category: Blog

Blog, Faith

Normalize kindness

Kellye Marie

Let’s normalize being kind and expecting nothing in return.

There was a time when someone was kind to you when you had nothing to give. They shared a smile when all you had were tears, bitterness, and a broken heart.

Someone blessed you, randomly, financially… when you had absolutely nothing and didn’t know when or if you could ever repay them.

Someone forgave you after you wronged them.

Someone gave you the benefit of the doubt when you were acting mean and ugly when your life seemed to be falling apart.

Someone cared enough to call and check on you when you had checked out and darkness was creeping in.

Kindness is powerful. It has the ability to bring about change; to turn someone’s life around for the better.

Be kind because it’s the right thing to do. It feels good. It makes others feel good.

I think about how Jesus was kind to the woman at the well. I think about how His being kind changed her life. -John 4

I think of the woman caught in adultery and how Jesus’ kindness saved her from the crowd. -John 8

I think about how Joseph was kind to his bothers after they betrayed him. -Genesis 50

I think of how David was kind to Saul’s relative Mephibosheth even after everything Saul did to harm David. -2 Samuel 9

It may sound crazy to others, but it sounds beautiful to God.

Each of us holds the power to bring about change with a single act of kindness. Imagine what we could do if we were intentional with kindness. Whose life will you impact when you are kind to them? Whose life will be impacted by seeing you be kind to others, especially when you are well within your right to be angry or unpleasant because of how they treated you?

Let’s give it a try and be kind for kindness sake. Let’s smile, compliment, serve, encourage, forgive, protect, give, be compassionate, be considerate, extend grace… and on and on.

Kindness is powerful.

#bekind

Kellye Marie

Blog

Liaison Lash Bond – DOES IT WORK?

Kellye Marie

I recently saw a social media ad for a product designed to make your eyelashes fuller and longer- Liaison Lash Bond. I was instantly intrigued.

I am not one to wear false lashes, but I do love the look of full long lashes. And while I like to wear make-up, one of my goals this year was to focus on skincare and having an overall healthy, pretty, non make-up look. Of course, one of the things that I believe contribute to that is having full, long lashes (without mascara).

So, I purchased the deal from the ad and got 2 tubes of Liaison Lash Bond. As part of my nightly routine, I applied one swipe to my top lid as the final step of my nightly skincare routine.

I noticed a difference after 2 months. I was about to go to the grocery store and had just put on real clothes (getting dressed to leave the house is a big deal nowadays … especially when working from home in the pandemic). Anyway, I was looking in the mirror and noticed that it looked like I was wearing mascara or eyeliner on the top and bottom lashes. I blinked twice in disbelief and came in closer for a better look. It was working! I had taken a before picture so just to be sure I took another photo to compare. Sure enough… my lashes were much fuller and slightly longer.

It has now been 3 full months and I still have not come close to finishing the first tube. I’m pretty sure that this one tube will last another 3 months…or come close.

I cannot say that this will work for everyone. If you do try this, just know you will probably not see results in a week. Give it time and be consistent. And TAKE PICTURES! If you are sensitive to products… you may want to test it on a Friday night so you have the weekend if something goes wrong.

All in all…I am super happy that I tried this product and will continue to use it as part of my nightly routine. I’m looking forward to seeing how my lashes look in another 3 months!

Does Liaison Lash Bond work? Yes! Liaison Lash Bond totally works!

Blog

Untitled

Kellye Marie

I feel the most beautiful when I am raw, unfiltered, and uncensored. When I let the realness of my spirit shine through. No fleeked out eyebrows, no laid down edges, no made up face. Accepting the magnitude of God’s grace and mercy. Seeing myself through the eyes of the Father.

My grandmother once told me that I was like velvet. Soft, but strong. I see what she means now.

I love how God made me.

I chose to appreciate the silver lining of these last few months. Months that have changed the lives of many in so many different ways. Months that have allowed me the opportunity to breathe in the quiet stillness. The quiet stillness where God is.

I am currenlty becoming exactly who God intended despite my attempts to discredit myself after my missteps and mistakes. He allowed it. He knew I needed it.

I’m quirky. I’m smart and witty. I’m passionate and bold. Sometimes sassy and spicy at the same time. I have an extremely gentle heart. I love hard, I love deeply, and I love with all of me. I’m bold and opinionated. I see the very best of every person and I hold them to it. I’m full of courage and I’m full of faith. I’m an encourager. I will have you believing that you can slay any giant that stands in your way. There is so much more to say…so much more to show.

I love how God made me. I feel the most beautiful when I am raw, unfiltered, and uncensored. Seeing myself through the eyes of the Father.


#freeassociation #randomwritings #beautiful

Blog, Faith

It’s God’s way…not ours.

Kellye Marie

Have you ever had something “bad” happen and think, “Not today devil!”?

Most of us have, but what if I told you that the devil needs God’s permission? What if we have been giving him credit instead of looking at the bigger picture to see what God may be up to? So instead of talking to the devil…we should be seeking God.

So there have been some instances in the last 2 years that left me unsettled. People who were supposed to be supporting me spiritually started to rub me the wrong way with their actions. It became clear that something spiritually was affecting them…and thus, me. Mean words were being said, hurtful actions were being done and quite honestly I was really sad, and disappointed by their reactions as it was brought to their attention.

I wrestled with myself because I thought…is it something that I had done? Are they going through something? As I prayed through it, the feeling didn’t changed and neither did the situation really.  I was so upset. How could what began as a huge part of my spiritual growth now be causing me be pain?

The Holy Spirit gave me peace about it all and also direction. So, it was time to move on to a new place. No hard feelings, nothing bad to be said… just at peace with moving on. It was scary thinking about leaving a place that I had been for so long but, I knew that God had a reason for what was happening even if I really didn’t know. Honestly, I was still unsettled because I felt like the devil had tried coming for me, and that…well, I didn’t like thinking about.

As I transitioned to a new situation, I continued to seek God about what purpose He had for me in this new place. A place I had not myself chosen… but instead, was led to. A lot of new experiences and adjusting took place and is till taking place. But, I do believe change is good…not always comfortable, but good nonetheless. As I waited, I just trusted that God had a plan…He HAD to have some plan for this and I wanted to see what it was but I also knew that all things are according to God’s purpose, not mine. So, I waited.

Sorry that I am not going into too much detail but hopefully you are getting some of this and it is making sense. (I don’t need to name names to make a point.)

Well, today I was at an event and it dawned on me what God was doing. He was taking me into my purpose…not all of it…but some of it. I know long term what He has shown me, but not the steps to get there. Today, as I sat and listened to announcements being made…it became clear.

God allowed my previous situation to become unsettling. Wait what? Yeah…that’s right. It was not the devil just barging in and causing issues. God was up to something.

As I drove home I began to think about Saul and David. David had been anointed as a young man to be the king of Israel. But, before that…Saul was king. In 1 Samuel 16:14 it says, “Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.”
‭‭Saul then sends for David to come to play the harp to calm him. He becomes fond of David. After that, David slays the giant, develops a bond with Saul’s son Jonathan, and then Saul becomes jealous of David’s success.

Honestly, this is great stuff. So, if you have not read this…you have to check it out.

So, David is super successful at everything he did because God’s hand was on him. And the more successful David got, the more jealous and mad Saul got. David loved Saul and his son but still…was a bit unsettled that Saul would treat him poorly. But Saul, well…he kept disobeying the Lord…and kept letting his fleshly man to act up and try to hurt David. So, eventually the Lord just allowed some things to happen to Saul. And well, sin… leads to death and … well, he died. (And no, it was not some bedside peaceful death either.) So, while David was running for his life, because Saul was trying to kill him… God had a plan all long. That plan ultimately lead to Saul dying and David becoming king and fulfilling God’s purpose for his life.

I TOTALLY just made a long story short so, you’ll have to read 1 & 2 Samuel to get the rest of the juicy details 🙂

So, back to what I was saying before…

So yes, God allowed my previous situation to become unsettling because if it wasn’t…I would have never left. And I would not have been able to fulfill His purpose.

Even when it looks like things are falling apart…take a step back and see if maybe, just maybe things are falling into place.

 

I pray that this blesses you in some way! And when things are not quite making sense…get scary, sad, or even hurt…seek the Lord and He will show you what He’s up to …in due time. Because after all…

It’s God’s way…not ours.

 

I am SO excited for what God is going to do. I am honored to be his servant. Use me Lord that You may be glorified!

Blog, Faith

In the Midst

Kellye Marie

“Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:23

While many are familiar with the verse, very few realize what is happening while this is being said. Israel is experiencing the wrath of God and His rage. The Israelites have been disobedient over and over, and being punished, and are crying out in lament (a passionate expression of grief or sorrow). And in the midst of their worst suffering, they start to praise God, just for who He is. I love how the Word has stories to help us…even stories that help us in our darkest hours.

While God is a gracious, merciful, and forgiving God, He also will correct us when we keep being disobedient. God has emotions too; and when He is angry…we will know.

Emotions of God:

• Anger – Psalm 7:11; Deuteronomy 9:22; Romans 1:18
• Laughter – Psalm 37:13; Psalm 2:4; Proverbs 1:26
• Compassion – Psalm 135:14; Judges 2:18; Deuteronomy 32:36
• Grief – Genesis 6:6; Psalm 78:40
• Love – 1 John 4:8; John 3:16; Jeremiah 31:3
• Hate – Proverbs 6:16; Psalm 5:5; Psalm 11:5
• Jealousy – Exodus 20:5; Exodus 34:14; Joshua 24:19
• Joy – Zephaniah 3:17; Isaiah 62:5; Jeremiah 32:41

So, like I was saying, the people of Israel are being punished severely for their disobedience. And God loves us, but part of love…is correction. You know all of those timeouts, weeks of being grounded, and spankings you got as a kid…well, you were loved. Your parents were trying to save you from making bad choices in the future that could possibly hurt you by correcting you with a form of discipline. And if you didn’t learn the first time…your consequences got worse…right? Right. Well, God is our Father…and He disciplines us too.

(And if you were abused, that is not what I’m talking about and I am sorry that happened to you. All parents, unfortunately, don’t always do what is right… just felt the need to throw that in there…because there is a difference between abuse and discipline.)

As you read through the bible you can see this struggle with the Israelites and God. One minute Israel loves God, then they are complaining about what they have been blessed with and end up mad. Then, begin worshipping idols because he didn’t give them what they wanted. Then they get what they want but something bad happens to them because they put whatever it was before God…so they beg for help, get corrected, they repent, then they love him and live to please him, then forget the Lord’s goodness and start complaining… all over again. It really is a vicious cycle. (hmmm…kinda sounds like…us? Can you see how we are Israel? That’s for another day.)

Anyway, the Lord gets angry and just releases His wrath. Like terrible, horrible, devastating, gut-wrenching, wrath. Lamentations is even hard to read. I mean… they had no food, no water, starving, they were too weak to run from their enemies so they lost wars, tons of people died, their women were raped, their children were taken to far away places, their enemies laughed at them and mocked them. Generations wipes out. Women ate their children to survive.<<AH! Crying and sadness… and no comfort. So, like, yeah. Um, most horribleness ever. Just like when we keep acting up and the discipline intensifies to the extreme. Like, how did it come to this! I’m sure we all know that person who just keeps messing up and seems to never learn…and their punishment/situation keeps getting worse.

But even in the midst of the worst time ever… the Israelites begin to praise God and declare His goodness. ‘Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.’ They were not praising Him because they were blessed with some ‘thing’. Not because He had delivered them from their suffering. NO. They praised Him simply because of WHO HE IS.

In the midst of their suffering, they praise Him.

I cry out, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!” The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” Lamentations 3:18‭-‬24 NLT

There is something special about seeing someone’s devotion to God when they are at their worst moments. Whether those situations are self-inflicted (due to disobedience) or just a test of our faith, like Job, where we see that no matter how bad it got… prayer and praise was still happening. Hope in the Lord was still there. Expectation of change was still there. At the worst moments, when they lose everything, they still hope in the Lord. It takes a big amount of strength to, in the midst the worst times, to stop and focus on the Lord, and who He is.

We get so consumed in our mess, that we forget to focus on who God is. That may have been the problem in the first place. How does that even happen, right? Well, work, family, trying to get through the day…busyness. Busyness leads to tiredness and then the next thing you know you aren’t praying like you used to. And you are now focusing on all of the things, the problems, instead of the One who is in control of it all.

Just like Israel, we get distracted….and the cycle starts. Seriously, we need to stop it. Just for a moment, before we lose it, just stop. Stop with the phone, the emails, the networking, the streaming, the music, the job, the house, the kids, the sickness, stop worrying about the bills, thinking about the hurt of the past, the __________. And start speaking the Word of God, out loud. Right there in the midst of your WORST…start to exalt the Lord. Praise Him, raise Him up, honor Him! Just for who He is.

Right now, in the midst of your trials…and anything you may be facing… Just read this out loud and your focus will begin to change as you focus on Him:

Lord, your love is faithful and it never ends! Your mercies never cease! Great is Your faithfulness, Oh God! Your mercies are new each and every morning! Lord, You are my inheritance; so, I will put all hope in You!” (Lamentations 3:18‭-‬24)

Lord you are my refuge and strength! You are always ready to help in times of trouble.’ (Psalms 46:1)

Thank you, Lord! You are SO good! Your love never fails! It goes on forever! You are faithful to all generations! Psalms 100:5

You are Yahweh Yireh — “The Lord our provider” (Genesis 22:13-14) You are so full of love and compassion! Just like you did for Isaac, you provided a sacrifice in my place! Thank you for your Son, Jesus!

You are Yahweh Rapha — “The Lord who heals” (Exodus 15:26) You healed the lepers, gave sight to blinded eyes, the lame walk, demons are cast out, the dead rise, the woman with the issue of blood touched of the edge of your clothing and was healed. You healed the Centurion’s Servant but just saying the word! You are so powerful that Your Words can heal. Hallelujah!

You are Yahweh Nissi — “The Lord our Banner” (Exodus 17:8-15) It is in Your power that my enemies are defeated! When I lift you up, you cause me to be victorious!

You are Yahweh Shalom — “The Lord our Peace” (Judges 6:24) Lord, you are in control of everything! Even the wind and the waves obey you Oh Lord!

You are Yahweh Ra-ah — “The Lord my Shepherd” (Psalm 23:1) You watch over me like a shepherd does his sheep! You keep me safe from predators seen and unseen, you guide me through my life. And when I wander astray, you leave the 99 and pursue me until I’m found! Thank you, Lord! Oh, how marvelous you are!

You are Yahweh Tsidkenu — “The Lord our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6) Hallelujah, you are so merciful! And we thank you Father God for your Son Jesus! It is through our faith in Him that we can be made righteous.

You are Yahweh Shammah — “The Lord is present” (Ezekiel 48:35) Lord you are always there! We thank you for your promise! You will never leave us or forsake us! Your Spirit dwells in us Oh Lord!

Lord, you are the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”’ Revelation 22:13

I will praise you in the midst, because You are good!

No matter what you are going through, no matter what it looks like, God is still good! He still loves you. And His promises still stands.

‘For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.’ Psalms 30:5

Blog, South Carolina

Burger Tavern 77

Kellye Marie

Address: 2631 Devine St, Columbia, SC 29205 | Instagram & Twitter: @btav77

I couldn’t decide…so I ordered the Burger Trio. 3 nicely sized sliders: Classic 77, Charleston, and the Memphis.

I started with the Classic. Immediately I noticed the quality of the beef. These burgers are cooked with high quality Angus beef. There is a good char on the meat that lends to the magnificent flavor of the burger itself.

But… then I bit into the Charleston!

BABYYY!

I started dancing! Humming and moving my hands as if I was directing an Orchestra. I don’t know where that came from, but I couldn’t stop. The Charlestown was literally a FLAVOR EXPLOSION! The pimento cheese and pecan bacon literally made edible music in my mouth! The pimento cheese was super flavorful and offered a slight spiciness that all good pimento cheeses have. That cheese met perfect pecan bacon on the dance floor and the magic happened! 2 bold flavors atop high quality Angus beef…. this is the perfect burger!

And the Memphis. Perfect beef slathered with sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, Crispy fried onions and bacon. It is a great ‘barbecue’ burger.

I am always hesitant about ordering french fries because I just want crispy fries…and sometimes I am disappointed. But the JoJo fries, however, came out super crispy in a cute little metal bucket with a paper crossword puzzle. Food AND fun! Ha!

So, I actually started with the fried pickels. You know how sometimes you order fried pickles and they’re all soggy and nasty? Well, these were actually crispy! The whole entire wooden cutting board was served crispy and hot! And they were served with 77 sauce. To my surprise it is a very bold mustard-based sauce, super tangy. It is a great pairing with the pickles and tickles the taste buds!

MY ORDER INCLUDED:

The Burger Trio:

The Classic 77

Perfectly Grilled Burger topped with Yellow American Cheese & Finished with Tavern 77 Sauce

The Charleston

This delicious Burger is topped with Smoked Pimento Cheese, Pecan Bacon, with a Dill Pickle Slices.

The Memphis

On top of this Burger Comes Smoky Flavored Bourbon BBQ Sauce, Aged Cheddar Cheese, Crispy Onion Tangles & Two Strips of Bacon.

Appetizer: Fried pickles with 77 sauce

Overall, Burger Tavern 77 is a big YES! And if you want to try more than one…the Burger Trio is a great choice!

The Charleston Burger and crispy JoJo Fries are my fave!

No matter if you want beef, turkey, veggie, bun or no bun…there is something for everyone. And it is soooooo good!

Shout out to Hannah, the best server ever!