life

Well I Never: Unexpected Things I Thought Would Never Apply to Me

/ Toni Williams / Leave a comment

I love youth. I love the assurance and clarity of the future that it brings. I love the “I’m invincible” nature that has not been corrupted by the trials and pitfalls of life. I love the fact that I hear that incurable hope for the future from my three kids every day.

Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it), the nature of my overprotective Mama Bear mentality eventually kicks in to warn them about the unexpected things in life. Those things that can and probably will happen at some point in their lives that will rock their worlds. Some are good, and some are bad.

I used to be one of those young people. I can remember thinking on the day that I graduated from college, “I’m 22 years old, a college graduate, and I start a cool job in 3 weeks. There’s nothing that can stop, deter, or change my life for the worse now.”

Until the unexpected happened.

Continue reading →

Seven Habits for An Outstanding Life

/ Toni Williams / Leave a comment

Let’s talk about habits, shall we? There are good ones, there are bad ones, there are fun ones, and there are the ones that produce shameless guilt. As I’ve gotten older, though, I have found a few habits that are now crucial to my functioning as a productive member of society.

So that we are clear, the term “productive member of society” means that I can function with a smile on my face, not feel so overwhelmed by life that I want to give up, relatively anxiety free, and know – without a doubt – that no matter what happens during the day, I am covered in God’s love, grace, and mercy.

Oh trust me, friends, I know the list is above is a tall order. But if we shoot for the moon, we’ll land among the stars, right? Continue reading →

Social Media is My Life (And I Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way)

/ Toni Williams / 3 Comments

In my 45 years of living on this earth, there is one subject that is absolutely taboo in a discussion with my parents…and it’s probably not what you think. We can talk about sex (even though I’d really prefer not to), we can talk about my dating life, we can even talk about my kids’ dating lives, but the one thing we will not address is social media.

Social media has been a strain on our relationship. They can’t seem to understand why I love it. And they definitely, without a doubt, have huge disdain at the fact that some of their peers on active on social media.

In the words of my father, “Twitter is the devil.” Continue reading →

These Books Will Jumpstart Your Year!

/ Toni Williams / Leave a comment

I am a Lifeway/B&H blogger and may have enclosed affiliate links and/or received a free copy of the some of the books I discuss here in exchange for my honest review. Rest assured, all opinions are my own and would not be listed if I didn’t think they were awesome!

I.LOVE.READING. It is one of my absolute favorite hobbies. Of all the books in the world to read, though, I love faith-based non-fiction. I’ve written before about my favorite authors and reviewed some of their books…and I think I may have even written about the time I met one of those authors at a local coffee shop here in Dallas.

One of the best books I read last fall was The Power of Purpose: Breaking Through to Intentional Living. Living a more intentional life has been a standing goal of mine. Some days I can do it, and some days I fall short. Last year, I analyzed the numbers in my life in order to gain a greater perspective on intentional living and to say the least, I realized that I had some work to do. I did a lot of things that weren’t aligned with my purpose, my calling, and I wasn’t passionate about. I said yes when I should have said no, and as a result I was miserable. Continue reading →