Born Again Orchid

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Jasmine

On this first day of Spring, I was waken up to the most beautiful surprise. My orchid baby bloomed!

This is significant to me in so many ways:

I love plant life, and so does my entire family. This was yet another plant that brought me even closer to my family, and of course I got instantly homesick.
This orchid was given to me as a housewarming gift by my current housemate a year before we even had a discussion about us living together.
This orchid took nearly two years for the second generation to bloom since I pruned her. Just because the one stem turns brown, the leaves and roots continue to hold the life. It helps me stay grounded, literally.
Although I wasn’t there when she was first born, I was there when she was born again. This is a symbol of all of the new starts I have done this year after pruning out so many extra activities and people. I know my life is moving in the right direction.

God continues to lead me, and continues to give me confirmation along the way!

10 by 30 – The Good Life

Posted on December 19, 2016 by Jasmine

My first 30 years have been amazing, but the good life is just beginning. I’ve had some years of building and transition, but this year has been better than I ever imagined. I did not have a 30 by 30 list of goals, but even if I did, I would have had much lower expectations. Lucky for me, that’s right in line with my favorite scripture, Ephesians 3:20. I often recite the affirmations below and I truly recognize Favor aint Fair!

www.facebook.com/q88photography

I finished my first MBA semester with a 4.0 and debt free at the perfect school.
I lead women in worship and ministry.
I have my dream job as a Senior Quality Engineer, and an office (haaay).
I was gifted affordable housing in America’s Finest City.
I have a boyfriend that shows love more than he says it.
I stopped my daily allergy medicine and weekly chiropractic care for scoliosis.
I have a healthy family, pup, and Thee best of friends.
I am an entrepreneur that successfully launched the LLC’s first Soiree.
I am a Six Sigma Black Belt.
I donate, tithe, and seek ways to be giving to others.

The last time I wrote about happiness was 5 years ago before going into 25, and little did I know there was so much room for growth. It hasn’t always been easy, and there were plenty of time conflicts, delays, and burdens along the way. It is my prayer that the coming years are even better, with more sleep & less stress!

This is 30!

How do you do ALL that you do?

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Jasmine

This is my visual response to people who asks me this question including the end.

Quick rundown of the things I have going on right now:

Full-time Turbine Test Engineering Career
S.T.E.A.M. Education business owner and entrepreneur
Women’s Church Ministry Leader Ages 18-35
Middle school girls robotics coach
Applying to M.B.A. programs (and GMAT Prep)
Meetup Social group organizer
Planning our first family reunion
Liturgical dancer
Styling my hair
Traveling Often
Dating for Marriage
Artsy fun with painting and theater
Re-gaining beach body fitness
20s Living with my girls

Starting this summer, I’m actively going to do better with free time. I will be on travel most of July, so that will help me transition quite nicely. One major time management and stress reduction technique that I use is to make a checklist everyday. I list 2 things that I want to complete for work, and 2 things that I want to complete outside of work. For major things that may roll over, I list them at the top of my planner page as 2 goals for the week. Also, I can only commit to one after-work event per day, reserving one weekday as a chill day at home.

For lifestyle items, I cook 1-2 meals per week with leftovers, I clean 1-2 load of laundry per weekend start to finish, and I clean one area of my place (bathroom, bedroom/linen, living area, dining area) every Sunday.

I seem to manage everything pretty good, but I know stress is on the horizon when I double-book events on the same day, don’t wash any laundry that week, stop exercising/ dancing, or stop writing. These are my warning signs before the physical ailments of sleep-deprivation, vocal cord dysfunction, or a sinus infection.

Pray for me yall! While I love being busy, it’s not good for my health, and I’ve learned that it distracts me from my purpose. We are all here “just enough time to do God’s Will”. I never want to be too over-worked and over-stressed to be winning at this thing called life.

Now This is Love

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Jasmine

Most people don’t know this, but I have kept a journal since middle school. Only about 5 percent of my thoughts and journals make it to social media. I currently have a business journal and a Christian journal. Unexpectedly sometimes, the two overlap. This is what happened today while documenting some business scope clarity. At a high level: I kept wanting to pilot some of my business concepts with a group where I hold some influence. However, God keeps showing me that since I am not leading that group, I must continue to be submissive to my leadership. This past weekend, it was made clear that I should stop trying to pilot the concepts with that group and continue following God’s vision of doing the activity with a completely separate (and currently unknown, yikes) group of people. While writing this, I wanted to make a distinction that my company will be other-person centered and just stammered out the Mission Statement. Then I paused and thought, “Wow! That’s Good.”

I then proceeded to figure out if it actually was the Vision, Mission, Values or Purpose and used the Harvard Business Review to help me through it. For extra credit, I studied on a Credo too. I was in LOVE! This was so exciting for me and just took my breath away. Now I know all of business school won’t be like this. Yet, I saw this as a good time for me to announce that I am so excited to start my MBA pursuit Fall 2016!!

I hope to one day have a man that makes me this happy… Until then, I guess my degrees will keep me warm!

What it be like? Summer’13

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Jasmine

Boy, how the summer has flown by. Some new things, some old thangs.

1. I moved into a new apartment! I love it even more than my first one. It’s a 2 bedroom… any visitors?!

2. I’ve passed the 1 year mark of living in San Diego. Now all of the things are repeating themselves from when I first moved here. Such as: FOOTBALL, church anniversary, pumpkin spice latte.

3. I’ve been to over 5 doctors in the past couple of months. Ever since I had the flu in January, there have been a couple lingering things. Nothing contagious, finished antibiotics, just some pain and stuff going on a daily basis.

4. I did a org-purge. Like just went cold turkey on all of my organizations I was in. God is still working with me on over-commitments.

5. Dating a Navy Man! I’m learning something new everyday, which is awesome.

6. Had a 1 year luncheon with my team and my performance appraisal with my boss, both went great. I still love my job! And they love me, about 15 people came to my lunch 🙂

7. I’ve gone to the beach a lot less, but been going to the pool a lot more due to pool parties and summer activities.

8. I am getting so bored with my hair and decided to loc it up during the first part of next year.

9. I’ve done the 5K’s that I mentioned in the Spring’13 post. I have at least 2 more to do this year. I think this will just be a 5K year. Maybe next year for the 10K and dare I say half marathon?!

10. I am on the cover of a book!! Beat that.

That’s my life updates for those who care and I just haven’t spoken to in a while. Also, it’s there for those don’t care… cuz you read to the bottom, so actually you do care! Smooches.

What it be like? – Spring’13

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Jasmine

I didn’t make any New Year’s Resolutions, but this is a list of pursuits I am currently tackling. Thus, this is a list of “What it be like” if you were me.

1. One quiet night per week. Yoga nights are applicable as well as reading or writing.

2. One wildcard night per week. Includes ladies night, movie night, or downtown stroll.

3. Completing my church school lesson, or doing a study on the preached word BEFORE I attend.

4. Three 5K runs in 2 months, hopefully a total of five 5K runs before the end of the year. The first NSBE Run, Run or Dye, Coronado Bridge Run. My training goal is to be able to run the entire distance, even if I choose not to.

5. Using more applicable and creative nouns, adjectives, and adverbs. I’ve greatly reduced saying: Things, and Stuff <– except right then 😉 I’ve also minimized extreme words: Love, Awesome, Bad.

6. One math tutoring experience, or engineering discussion with kiddos per month. Volunteer, or otherwise (because I love it that much).

7. “Life is a journey back to ourselves.” A behavior that I choose to commit or omit, is it because I’m trying to be like another individual, or does it promote getting back to my true self?

updates, starting Now!

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Jasmine

Among a couple 2013 New Year’s Resolutions — that are neither defined, documented nor by any way am I held accountable — is to “do better” with this bloggy. So I plan on giving quick update snippets until I find something really interesting to talk about.

Biggest News: I live in California and I love it! Great job, abode, friends, church, and beach. All in all, Great God.

Tithing and the Material Conditional

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Jasmine

**PSA: Nerd Alert**

Hopefully, you can follow this really advanced Math that I had to understand for my math minor on the material conditional. If you still have questions about tithing, check out my previous post on Tithing and leave me comments 🙂

p: you Tithe

q: God will bless you

p. q. “If p, then q”.

1. If you tithe, then God will bless you. True.

2. If you tithe, then God will not bless you. False.

3. If you do not tithe, then God will bless you. True. (and undeserved)

4. If you do not tithe, then God will not bless you. TRUE. (not trying to be there)

Note: there is only one False combination. There is no way that tithing will not bless you. If this was easy, try to learn the whole chaper. Please note, this is only the first chapter on Analysis (crazy huh?)

Celebrating Milestones: Tithing

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Jasmine

I have officially passed my 6 month mark of consistently tithing! Woohoo! The Lord dared me to test Him in the verse below, so I did. It works!

“Test me in this…and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe. Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land.” –Malachi 3:10-12

~~Many of us~~ I (not you, of course) tried to pull the opposition approach of:

1. Does my tithe have to be money? Can’t I just tithe my time or something else? Okay, honestly many of us aren’t still farmers and raising livestock for a living. We are instructed to give the “yield of your seed“. Back then, it was their grain, wine, oil, and livestock. Now, we earn paychecks! Basically, the way that you are surviving and living is the yield = money. Give your tithe with a pure heart and don’t differentiate between good or bad.

2. But, Tithing is only referenced in the Old Testament; I’m covered by the blood. “All Scriputre is breathed out by God and profitable.” Either you are a believer, or you aren’t.

3. Where did the “10% thing” come from? Every 10th animal… shall be holy to the Lord. Kings would take a 10th of people’s things to give to his staff. Abram gave God a 10th of everything when he was blessed. Jacob promised God a full 10thof all that is given to him.

4. Do I really have to do the whole 10%? Is that before or after taxes? Can I stop giving offering since I’m starting to tithe? *Nerd alert* The good thing about a percentage is that it affects us all the same. If you make $10 and have to give up $1, is that any easier that making $1,000 and giving up $100? Offerings, sacrifices, tithes, contributions, vow offerings, and freewill offerings are DIFFERENT things. Tithes are already the Lord’s, offerings are what you have chosen to give in addition.

5. The church misuses money. It’s not up to you to decide if it is misued, they are held accountable. The church leaders must also tithe the tithes that are given. Find a new place to tithe where you are learning and being fed the word of God.

6. When God gives me more money, then I’ll start tithing. You can’t wait for that. God says that when you tithe more, He will give you more, not the other way around. **Super Nerd Alert** This is called a Material Conditional. Check out this post on Tithing and the Material Conditional.

Enough of me trying to prove it’s the right thing, this is MY celebration!! I chose to obey the word of God and I’m happy that I did! Final thought from my bff “I’d rather obey God and be sitting with Him in heaven, than to disobey God and find out later that I should have.”

Testimony > Revelation

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Jasmine

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

-Matthew 6:33-34

Let me start by saying my LS is one of the beastingest people I know! Fortunately, I can personally point out characteristics that make many of my LS’s quite THE BEAST. But this one in particular was my first president in an organization that promotes sisterhood and service and was rebuilding a chapter from the BOTTOM! She led us all through a time when many of us didn’t even know how to make it successful. She is an alumna of University of Michigan and THE Georgetown Law and has passed the BAR exam!! Other than that, she’s caring, hilarious, gorgeous, and pretty fly!

After I read her latest blog post, at first I was hurt that she is all depressed. Then, I was really excited that I have the opportunity to witness and share my testimony with her. I was just going to comment back on her facebook wall, but thought it was getting a bit lengthy, so below is my ~~hip and shorthanded~~ candid response:

Girl, this chapter is the realest talk ever!! My first super testimony was my own experience struggling for a job. I prayed that His will be done! Similar to you, I had my own “revelation” moment. After months, I finally just got content that I was staying at home for a while, and even asked my parents (first time for everything) to get me these dream boots for Christmas! I used this time as an opportunity for me to get closer to my parents and closer to God. I had to find out what He wanted me to learn. Now, 2 years later, I realize that I wouldn’t have the close relationship with my parents that I have now had I not been home for those months. It finally got to a point where I stopped stressing. Soon after, I bought a flight that I couldn’t afford, and decided “I’d work it out”. But, Money got REAL funny. I thank God that a couple days before the credit card bill was due, I got my job, and they direct deposited my moving stipend in my account!

All of Matthew 6 is on point! Give to the Needy, Pray the right way and understand The Lord’s Prayer, study up on FASTING, Serve God not money, Don’t worry about tomorrow. Then, and only then can your testimony be greater than this “revelation” of depression. God Bless you LS, I’ve already sent a prayer up for ya!

When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.

-Psalms 34:17

Jasmine L. Sadler

Experiences ~ Growth ~ Thoughts

Category Archives: Religion