Our Annual Family Trip to Orlando

Hello everyone! We hope that you are having an amazing summer. Last month we had the opportunity to travel to Orlando, FL to celebrate Cree Victoria's 2nd birthday! Since I am pregnant with baby number 2, I just wasn't up to hosting a birthday party with a slew of children. So we decided as a family that we will do yearly vacations to celebrate the kids birthdays instead of having a party. Well, at least until they are old enough to say we want a party. So we took our parents, our daughter Brelyn, my best friend and Cree's Godmother Keri, her husband, and 7 year old son with us. We found a super deal on Spirit.com for $72 round trip! Now I know what you are thinking, Spirit Airlines is one of those budget airlines that charges you for everything. We've flown Spirit before so we knew what to expect. I told my Bestie Keri who never flew Spirit that when she gets on the plane "to sit down and don't ask for nothin" LOL!! I was joking but serious at the same time because they charge for drinks and snacks and there is no wifi. The flight from Atlanta to Orlando is a very short flight anyway so we already had breakfast at the airport. We made sure that we packed light and right so that our baggage fees would be at a minimum.

We stayed at the

Contentment

As far back as I can remember, I've always had a love for nice things. I don't know if it was the stories my father told us about his hot rod 55 Chevy he had in high school, dreaming about my uncle who lived in LA, or maybe the people my parents worked for that had big beautiful homes that we often visited. My parents worked hard to make sure my brother and I had nice things and a loving home. If there was something that my father wanted us to have that was really expensive, he would figure out a way to get it for a cheap price. My brother and I had nice motorcycles, cars, clothes and many other things. What people didn’t realize was there was a story behind the glory. Some of the fancy cars we had, we bought with a bad motor and my father would spend endless amounts of time showing us how to repair it. There were countless other times where our parents found a way to bless us with nice things along with spending time with us.

Our Love Story

We finally got a chance to sit down and record our love story for our YouTube Channel. You can find our channel - Shawn and Jennifer Spears on YouTube.com. Make sure you give us a thumbs up and subscribe. 

Wait on the Lord

As a child, I was always persistent. I was going to make something work whether it was the right thing for me to do or the wrong thing. My mother and father called me "hard headed." As I was observing my baby girl Cree the other day, I told my wife "this isn't good." She replied, "what isn't good?" I said Cree is hard headed and wants to things the way she wants to even if it hurts her, just like me. My wife replied, well lets pray that the Lord uses that persistence for his glory. My wife has a special gift of optimism....she is able to look at any situation and find the positive. I began to ponder and meditate on this because that bothered me to watch Cree continuously do things that would endanger or hurt her after being told no. My oldest daughter Tiara is a lot like me too. We both are determined to use our own strength to make something work because we don't want to be patient enough to wait on anybody including God.  

My Top 5 Life Lessons

Today is my 35th birthday! I remember when I was in my early 20's and I thought that 35 was old. Well I definitely don't agree with that anymore...I'm just getting started! I've made so many mistakes in my life and if I can help my younger sisters not go through the same things, then what I've been through wasn't in vain. I've gained so much wisdom the past 35 years so I want to share with you a few of my top life lessons.

1.) Don't follow your heart, follow the Holy Spirit.

The world would like you to believe that you should let your heart be your guide and that if you follow it, it will lead you to true happiness. This is not biblical! In fact, the bible says in Jeremiah 17:9 that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick. As Christians, we should be led by the Holy Spirit. We should be using Him as our guide.

2.) Deliver yourself from people

You cannot please humans! Focus on pleasing God. If you are constantly worried about what people will say or think, then how can God effectively use you? You want to be in a position to say what the Lord leads you to say and move when the Lord tells you to move and not care about the opinions of people.

3.) Don't chase paper, chase purpose. 

When you go after opportunities only for the money, you lose sight of your purpose. I remember when I would have to decide between what job opportunity I wanted to go with and I would always select the job with the most money. Then when I got the job I would tag God's name to it claiming that he "blessed me with it" even though I didn't even consult Him on whether or not I should accept the job. Then months later, I'm miserable and out there looking for the next opportunity. I've learned that it's so important to understand your purpose and only accept opportunities that are aligned with your purpose. When we are chasing the things of God, everything that we need will be provided. Matthew 6:33 says, "seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you."

4.) Don't lower your standards out of fear

Before I met Shawn, I remember meeting a guy who appeared to be Isaac but turned out to be Ishmael. He told me that I was going to end up a lonely old lady if I continued to practice abstinence. He told me that if I was lucky enough to find a man that would honor my purity, he would not be attractive. I let his comment go in one ear and out of the other. I was not about to lower my standards out of fear of being alone. I would rather be alone than disobey God because a man won't line up with my standards that lines up with the Word of God.

5.) Obey God the first time 

So many times in my life I've gone around the same mountain over and over again because I wasn't passing the test. I think about how much time I've wasted by being disobedient. I would do it my way and not listen to the voice of God and end up in a mess over and over again only to end up doing it His way in the end. So pass the test the first time and obey God in the beginning. It will save you from going through unnecessary heart break and hard time. A lot of times we put ourselves through hardship that the Lord never intended for us to go through because of our disobedience.

There are more life lessons that I would love to share with you so I will do a part II later this week.

Love you guys!

- Jennifer Spears

My Journey to Motherhood

It's been so long since I've written anything on our bog. This is actually my first blog post this year. I've been trying to write this blog for 2 weeks now. Since this blog is about my journey to motherhood, I must confess that motherhood keeps me super busy. I have my schedule, Shawn's schedule and although Cree is only 8 months old, she has a schedule too. I've also started another business last November, Spears Accounting Solutions and I now have 8 small businesses that I work with as their virtual accountant. If you have any accounting, payroll, or bookkeeping needs, contact me (shameless plug :-))

When I was little girl, I often dreamed of being a mother as I cared for my dolls. My normal was a mother and father married and raising their children so when I would dream of being a mother, that is how I pictured it to be for me.

Letting Go of the Past

I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders after I posted the blog that I just recently wrote titled “Break Every Chains.” It was something that I have wanted to share for quite some time. Not only because I knew there would be people who could relate to it and it could help, but it was therapeutic for me to stand in my own truth. In order to stand in my own truth, I have to talk about situations that involve other people because they are/were attached to my life. In doing that, I received some backlash from some people. There were a lot of missing parts to the stories that were not included in the last blog because I didn’t want to dwell heavily on the story because the sole purpose of the blog was to highlight how my life got off track from the moment I decided to start having sex and that generational curses are real. I used pieces of my story to show that. The blog was Not to place blame on anyone or slander anyone. I have forgiven myself for the part that I played in the decisions that I made and I have forgiven others. The same way I want God to forgive me for my wrong doings, is the same way that I have to forgive people who have wronged me. So all is forgiven.

After writing my last blog,

Break Every Chain

This is the most personal blog that I have ever written. In an effort to be as transparent as possible, my hopes are that it will inspire others to free themselves from carrying secrets that are hindering them and bringing harm to others. When I came out of the bondage that I was in for many years, I began taking a closer look at generational curses. Exodus 34:7 says, “maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation." Lamentations 5:7 says, our ancestors sinned, but they have died--and we are suffering the punishment they deserved. Numbers 14:18 says, The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation. Deuteronomy 5:9 says, You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. If we took a census of 3 generations of an alcoholic’s family, the number of family members who are alcoholics would likely be high because alcoholism was deposited in the family’s bloodline and an unfortunate number of children and grandchildren received it. It became a lot harder to sin and participate in foolish behavior when I understood that my sin and my foolishness doesn’t only affect me, but it affects my children and their children’s children. If we go back to Genesis,

The Journey of Birthing Cree

Shawn and I were married on July 20, 2014. A few months before we got married I found out at my annual OBGYN visit that the number of fibroid's in my uterus may have grown. I found out a few years ago that I had fibroids and it could cause fertility issues but likely I would be fine and shouldn't have any reason to get them surgically removed. In case you don't know, fibroids are muscular tumors that grow in the wall of the uterus (womb). Fibroids are more common as women age, especially during their 30s and 40s. African-American women

Marriage Is Not The Cure To Unhappiness

If you believe that getting married will cure your unhappiness and fix all of life's issues, you are sadly mistaken. I often see posts on my Facebook timeline that says "I can't wait to get married, I'm tired of being single," or "I can't wait until God blesses me with a husband so I can travel".......I saw that one yesterday and almost fell out. Where in the bible does it say that life starts once you get married? And not to discourage you, but what if God never sends a husband? I understand all to well how women can fantasize about being married and about our wedding day. We grew up reading about Cinderella and other Disney fairy tales and watching "happily ever after" type of movies but we must realize that is fiction and not the reality of what being married really is. If you are miserable and unhappy with life while being single, you will be that same miserable and unhappy person in your marriage. To be happy is to be content with the portion that God has given you. In Philippians 4:11-12, the Apostle Paul explains that he has learned to be content no matter what the circumstance is. Happiness is a choice.

Tis The Season

So Christmas is a few days away, then there's New Year's and then Valentines Day. I remember there was a time when I was single that I would hate Nov-Feb because I felt like it was a constant reminder that I didn't have a relationship. This is also a time of year when a lot of marriage proposals happen so I would avoid Facebook because I didn't want to feel jealous of others happiness because at that time I was not happy being single. Real talk.....I hated being single

A Heart to Give

In my 20's I was a complete mess! I would do any and everything under the sun. I worked at a new car dealership selling cars and I made a lot of money to be as young as I was. I blew through the money as fast as I earned it. I would have $5000 one day and $0 two days later. It's funny when you have money you have a lot of "friends" but when you are down and out they are nowhere to be found. I remember a lot of Sundays being so sick out of my mind from drinking so much over the weekend. On Sunday morning I would be broke and hungry. I could have gone to my parents but I was too ashamed. There was a woman named Ms. Evelyn who sold soul food plates from her home with her son and daughters. If you spent anytime in East Knoxville, you probably ate some of her cooking. Her food was awesome! Ms. Evelyn was an awesome Woman of God. I would end up at Ms. Evelyn's house when I was down and out and even though she cooked dinners to make money, she would always feed me. I never heard of her telling anyone of what she did for me and she never had anything harsh to say to me. I would always feel God's presence when I was at her house. 

The Holy Spirit reminded me of Ms. Evelyn and her giving heart the last few weeks.

Are You Really Living For Christ?

In the late 90’s I was in my late 20’s and with the help of my parents, I opened an auto dealership.  My business did very well and began to flourish. I felt like I was starting to get my life back on track. I stopped drinking alcohol, started going to church regularly, I became chairman of the board of trusties at my church, and lead the renovations of the church. Through all of these deeds, I thought I was so holy. It was a step in the right direction, but I was straddling the fence. There were still things in my life that did not line up with the word of God. It’s almost like some of the posts I see on social media. One day a person can be posting about how great God is and praising his name, quoting scriptures, posting about how God is blessing them, pictures of them going to church and how they are truly living for God and then the next post they’re cursing, talking about clubbing, gossiping, talking about sex and lust and everything that is against the word of God. It’s a double minded life (James 4:8) and the bible says that “a double minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8).” When you address these issues, the first thing that comes out of people’s mouths is “you can’t judge me.”

I'm Free

Sexual soul ties are real!! 1 Corinthians 6:18 says "Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body." While we are teaching our youth to use condoms and birth control to protect against sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies, no one is telling them the dangers of soul ties. As someone who lost her virginity at 17 and was bound by sexual soul ties for 13 years, I needed to hear about soul ties and the bondage that it puts you in a long time ago.

A soul tie is an emotional bond or connection that unites you with someone else. You can become bound to a person through your soul. An unholy soul tie is formed when when two individuals have sex outside of marriage. It is the forming of one flesh. 1 Corinthians 6:12-16 (NLT) says "You say, I am allowed to do anything - but not everything is good for you. And even though "I am allowed to do anything", I must not become a slave to anything. You say, Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food. But you can't say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead. Don't you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don't you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the scriptures say, the two are united into one (NLT)." So every time you have sex outside of marriage you become One with that person. The soul tie formed through pre-marital sex can be just as strong and binding as those formed through the marriage covenant. Ever wondered

Who Are You Listening To?

Every part of the bible is amazing! As Christians it's our tool for life. The more you expose yourself to the Word of God, the more it will expose itself to you. I enjoy studying it and I always find new scripture that I never seen before or God gives me new revelation as I read scriptures that I've read several times. We often read some of the scriptures that are quoted a lot without reading the back story and the scriptures that are shown right before. We have to make sure we are studying the word of God and allowing the holy spirit to reveal God's word to us so we can apply it to our own lives. 

A very powerful scripture that I often refer to is Psalms 1:1 "Bless is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of the sinner, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." Do you have that family member, friend, boy friend/girlfriend etc. that talks about God and quotes scriptures but their life shows something different or they have no relationship with God at all. Then they'll always want to offer you advice and tell you how you should live your life and everything that they are telling you contradicts with the Word of God.

He Called Me Back To Him

Picture taken in 2011

By the end of 2011 I was a complete mess! I was turning 30 and my life was all over the place. I never felt so far away from God during that period of time. I was living a sinful lifestyle with little to no conviction.....talk about a dangerous place to be! I could no longer hear from Him because sin had separated me from the Father. Isaiah 59:2 says, "It's your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore (NLT)"

Meet The Spears

We are so excited that the Holy Spirit led us to start this blog. When Essence Magazine featured our engagement pictures and a brief article on our story (Read Article Here) , we've received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback and so many people connected with our story. For those of you who aren't familiar with us, we just recently got married - July 20, 2014. We let God write our love story and courted for a year and 4 months and remained abstinent until our wedding night. Now neither one of us are virgins so we will definitely write about lust, fornication, and how we both were bound by soul ties from previous relationships. We are going to keep it all the way REAL and be as transparent with you as possible. We will write individual articles highlighting our individual stories and we will also co-write together on topics as the Lord leads us. Our story is a story of redemption and a testament to what can happen when you totally and fully surrender your life over to Christ and truly live for Him.

May the grace and peace of our Lord, and the love of God be with you now 

and forever more. 

- Shawn and Jennifer Spears

Prison Saved My Life

The last six years of my life have truly been an experience that has transformed me in ways I never imagined. In 2008, I felt like I wanted to die! I was a real estate investor and like most investors, I saw the real estate market starting to collapse in 2007. Even though I saw this and knew it was getting ready to happen, I didn't use wisdom and still continued to spend money and not prepare for it. In 2008, the house market crashed and my over $200,000 a year income dwindled down to nothing. The fear of losing it all overtook me  and I decided to take the wrong route and made a trip to Atlanta to buy drugs to sell. At the time, I felt this was the only way to keep up the lifestyle my family and I were living. I can remember 2 weeks before I took the trip to Atlanta, God told me not to go down that road, but I didn't listen. I got busted!! I made bond and was out for two and a half years. Going into court to be sentenced I thought my world was coming to an end. Little did I know, God had an amazing plan for my life and this period of time he needed to isolate me so he could restore me. While I was in prison, God started to do the work in me because there were no distractions and I needed God like never before.