God Reached Down…

Christ is my everything. He is my King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is my Redeemer. He guides my paths. When I stumble, He catches me.  When times get hard I meditate on my favorite Scripture.  

We focus on the unseen, because what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal. 

Some days are just plain hard. Some days the strength to just get out of bed is all isn’t there. Along with depression, I also suffer from hypothyroidism. If any of you are familiar with this, you know that weight gain, fatigue, joint pain, etc. are all side effects from hypothyroidism.  Somehow this amazing God of mine reaches down and gives me strength. His strength not mine. He holds me in the palm of His hand and says, we got this. 

Has God ever reached down and touched you? Being the Abba that He is. He gives His children the strength to go on. The strength to face another day and knowing that it’s not you, it’s Him? I would love to hear your stories of how God has touched you, done something that was absolutely possible on your own.  

He will guard you, He will guide you, He will sustain you! He is always first…



Blessings Upon Blessings today and always,

Emily Dibrell

Visit us online at Sprinklesoffaith 

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Happy Birthday Big!

Today is a sweet day in our family. Six years ago we were blessed with a bouncing baby boy. Kenan and I are blessed beyond measure by all of our children. The baby was just the icing on the cake! Our Ethan has finally come to terms with the fact that he also shares a birthday with his mother. Last year he was very upset that he didn’t have “his own” birthday. I told him, “You are a very special gift that God gave me on my birthday! Every year it’s a gift!” He wasn’t too happy. This year he was very excited and made sure that he picked me out a present! Be still my heart!

Please keep my family in your prayers. Seven years ago today our niece went to be with Jesus. January 28th is a day our whole family rejoices and remembers the little angel that is safe in Jesus’ arms.

Blessings upon Blessings,
Kenan and Emily Dibrell

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New Year – Prioritizing!

I am HIS!

Kenan and I spent the last year watching our business grow.  Like a seed planted beside streams of water, it has grown way beyond our dreams and expectations!  Of course we are human and I tend to be the more negative one in our family.  Kenan keeps telling me, we are doing fine honey.  I see the next promotion and get blinders on sometimes.  God and Kenan have a way of refocusing me on what my priorities should be.

One of my personal goals this year is to prioritize!  This mom here has an issue with kid induced A.D.D. Lol!  I sit down to write my blog or have a team meeting and I’m thinking about the laundry or did the cats get fed?  How am I supposed to prioritize when my brain is 90 to nothing all day!!??

A LIST!

My priorities are God first, my marriage, my children, others, and my business.  I tend to get these out of order and my relationship with God or my husband ends up on the back burner because my children need to be in 14 different activities and I need to be the best at my job… WHY?  Because these are things that look good on the outside.  I suffer from a syndrome called People Pleasing.. Anyone else with me?   I can hide the fact that my relationship with God is not where it should be. I go to church and sit in the pew most Sundays… who would know?  

2015 – I will be fierce and unstoppable.  God is first.  He created me, loves me, protects me, and so much more.  The least I can do is schedule a prayer time and talk to him throughout the day.  Commit to reading his word and learning more about what God wants for our lives including our business.

What are some goals you have for the New Year? Start putting God first and see what happens in your daily life.  Resist the urge to turn on that TV if you have yet to crack open your bible.  Put down your laptop if you haven’t at least praised Him for being and AMAZING AWESOME ROCKIN GOD!  Eventually your actions will become habits, your habits will change your life.  Choose to seek God and His heart. He will use you in ways you’ve never imagined!

God Bless,

Emily Dibrell

sprinklesoffaith.com

Think God can’t use you?

Lead the way!

Today I Will….

Have you ever come to this place of contentment.  This place where you forget where you came from because your are so focused on where you are going?  What’s worse is that you should be focusing on the now anyway!  What we do today shapes our future. Today’s actions become tomorrows success or failure.  

Here lately I’ve been looking a bit too much forward.  I know what I want. I know that if it is God’s Will for me, it WILL happen. I know that if it doesn’t happen, God has something better for me is store.  So why am I so worried about tomorrow, today?

When I think back about where I was a few years ago.. I’ve come a long way.  11 years ago, holy cow, that was a person I don’t even recognize now.  It was an empty shell for a lost soul. Empty until a Savior picked me up and filled me with His Spirit. Emily before Christ would shock most of you. 

I don’t understand how I so easily forget all the amazing things God has done for me in the past.  He delivered me from my worst nightmares, carried me through pain and loss even before I knew Him, and He is still holding on just as strong as I type this.  When I do look back through my eyes I see pain.  I don’t see the good, just the bad.  When I look back in a positive light, I see the blessings far outweigh the bad.  I just can’t shake the bad sometimes.

Today I plan of just being thankful for the here and now.  Thankful for a family who loves me, thankful for my crazy messy house, thankful for the children who are already covered in dirt by 10am. I’m going to be thankful for all of that and more!  No looking forward to tomorrow, no looking back at the past.  I’m simply going to be thankful for each minute of today and find the blessings in the small things.

Isaiah 43:18-19, NIV Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past….

Praying you find your pearls in the desert.

Emily Dibrell

Changing Lives – Autumn Blessings!

Sprinkles! Who would have thought?

Soy wax Sprinkles that you melt in a warmer or make your own candle with…. it’s changing our lives!

What an exciting month October is already turning out to be.  Our team is on track to break last month’s record! Our team has been blessed beyond words. It’s all I can do to keep from crying as I type this.  We have come such a long way in just a years time! What other type of business can you do that in?  Kenan and I will always be a part of Direct Sales unless the good Lord leads us elsewhere.  We are so excited to see the numbers growing, lives changing, dreams coming true. It all seems so surreal!  Every day we are one step closer to our goal of retiring Kenan from his full time job.  The kids and I love having Dad home and what a blessing it will be when he can spend more time with us.  That is the important stuff in life.  Family time is priceless. After my mom’s death this became all the more real to me. Life is short, enjoy it.  The material items are not going to matter when God calls you home.  The relationships and lives changed is what will last forever.  I cling to the memories of my mother and am continuing the legacy she left behind.  God has surely answered this prayer for our family.

We are working on my next promotion which will be a huge step towards that retirement Kenan and I are looking for.  The numbers and team members are looking amazing.  I know the timing is in God’s hands but I can’t help but go a little O.C.D. on the situation.  It’s such an exciting, emotional roller coaster.  For me it’s like your favorite team made it to the Super Bowl and your at half time.  Everything is looking good but you know that your team cannot win unless they are all working together.  Each new promotion my team members make is like a touchdown! I want to bust out the Super Bowl winning shirts already!! I might be on the brink on insanity by the end of the fourth quarter!

Crap, here come the tears.  I wish I could let each one of you feel the excitement and passion that Pink Zebra has brought to our lives and the lives of so many others.  We are growing fast and lives are changing everyday.  Single moms are getting help with daycare.  Depression stricken men and women are getting out of their comfort zone and finding hope.  God is using Pink Zebra to grow so many of us and touch lives. Pink Zebra has given so many of us dealing with grief an avenue for us to direct our emotions.  We have taken that hurt, hopelessness, pain and used it to help others cope with unspeakable losses.

My mother was my best friend. Losing my dad at age 5 was difficult so I clung to her. I was that kid that didn’t go spend the night at friend’s houses for fear of something bad happening to my mom while I was gone.  That nightmare continued until the day she died, then that nightmare became a reality.  I know where she is. I know I will see her again.  It’s the time in between that hurts the most.  Those times when you pick up the phone to call to share some exciting news and realize she’s dead.  That’s when the feeling of grief overwhelms you.  The feeling that you just may die where you are standing.  But we all keep moving forward.  God is not finished with me.  There is work to be done on this earth for His Kingdom.  I praise Him in the storms of life.  He is our Rock.  Kenan and I have made it through some difficult times in life.  We are currently going through a storm right now.  The waves are crashing our boat. The world tells me to abandon hope, but the voice of Truth tells us that we know in whom we have believed.  He is willing and able.  Jesus doesn’t stop the storms of life, but He holds our hand and weathers them with us.

Are you ready for a life change?  Are you ready to step out of the boat?  Are you ready to work for yourself and for a company that will help you achieve the goals you have in life? Pink Zebra just may be what you are looking for. Who would have thought that I could honor my mother with a business?! I am a stay at home mom for crying out loud! Who would have thought I could own my own business AND be successful too!?  He always amazes me!

Thank you so much for stopping by.  We would love for you to pray about joining our team. If there is something in your life that needs prayer, please email us. sprinklesoffaithpz@gmail.com  We would be honored to pray for you.

Blessings,

Kenan and Emily

Visit us online at sprinklesoffaith.com

      Click on the picture to join our team!

The Brink of Destruction…

Yesterday #80 enrolled on our Pink Zebra team. I am having to wipe back tears of joy as I type this.  Our goals and dreams are slowly coming true. Kenan and I are learning so much through the journey.  It has not been easy but it sure is worth it. When I think that just 19 months ago my life changed forever.  My mother let out her last breath and her spirit went to the Lord, not only did I collapse physically, I collapsed on the inside far worse. Only God knows how bad it was.

I was on the brink of destruction. I would walk out into the woods surrounding our home and weep, cry, beg, plead, and sometimes scream at God.  The pain inside was to heavy to bear. I needed Him. He was the only one who could help. God used my husband, family, and friends to comfort me. Only God could start healing my pain, the hidden pain no one else could see. I remember one time laying under a beautiful oak tree. Nice blue sky. Early Spring. My prayer started with, “Oh God, what do I do? I’m lost. I NEED my mom. I can’t make it without her in this life. I need to see her one more time. I need to hear her voice just once more. I don’t know what I am supposed to do now. I never imagined life without my mother in it. God take me and use me. I am broken, show me your Will and take this pain!”  It was a hard season in my life and the life of my family. It was one of my defining moments in this life.  The images of my mother’s body kept replaying in my head. The images on placing her urn into the soil on top of my father’s grave and throwing the first pile of dirt on what remained of my parents.  My mother was reduced to a pretty vase. My father, 6 feet below her. I had nightmares for months and months.  Same theme different setting. It was always the funeral.  Always trying to make the arrangements.  I longed to see my mother again in my dreams if only for a little while but I still have yet to see her.  Just the images of after she died.  I have had a hard life. I have faced trials of many kinds that most people probably wouldn’t believe if I told them.  Losing her was the worst pain I have ever felt and still feel to this day.

God has graciously picked me up, dusted me off, and bandaged me back together through His Word and His children.

When Pink Zebra came along, through lots of prayer, Kenan and I knew that this was God’s Will for our family. The many months of crying in God’s arms about what do I do now were answered.  His answer was a simple one. God has a way of doing that.  Taking our most complicated, messiest, most desperate situations and giving us a simple solution. What’s funny is He knew the answer before I was ever born.  Before the world began He knew I would be down on my knees in pain with the worst broken mess I had ever been.  His answer to my pleading?

“Trust Me.”

I have always loved music. I heal through music. I can relate to so many different lyrics to so many different songs. Planning the music line up for my mother’s funeral was a challenge for me. Too many songs, not enough time. I wanted every person in that room to feel the passion and pain in each song. There is one song that stands out after my mother passed away. I put this song on repeat and cried like a baby over and over. Check out “Need You Now” by Plumb. These were my desperate pleas with God.

Sunday will be my mother’s birthday.  It feels weird not planning a celebration, picking out a gift, and the perfect card. She loved her birthdays and loved to be showered with attention and gifts. So, my gift to you is this blog post for my mother’s birthday.  I hope and pray that whatever you are going through, whatever your darkness is, something in this post will give you a glimmer of hope. A spark of purpose. A feeling of knowing, you are not alone.  You’re never alone.

I have been blessed with the gift of pain. The gift of caring more deeply and loving more intensely than I ever did before. This gift of pain I bear has helped me to help others. To encourage others, cry with others, and praise with others.  This my friends is biblical. This is God’s Will for us in Christ Jesus.  He answers our prayers always.  His Will for my life is using my pain. The path He chooses to work out those details is always different.  Who would have thought He would be using Pink Zebra to bring people into my life for me to cry with and love on? I never would have guessed it. His ways our higher than our ways.  God can and will bless you in your pain. Cry out to Him!

God is bringing our craziest dreams into reality. We see His hand in our daily lives and feel so unworthy.  Who would have thought those trivial prayers I have prayed would become something that He is doing in our lives. Greater than ever expected. Who would have thought that our dreams and passion could align with God’s Will for our lives. Hmm.  He never ceases to amaze me. He alone brought me back from the brink of destruction.

If you are hurting today, take the time to cry out to Jesus. He will hear you. You are not alone. Things will happen and mountains will move. Stay faithful, TRUST HIM!

God Bless,

Emily Dibrell

Visit me online at sprinklesoffaith.com

One Year Later…

Today marks the one the anniversary of my mom’s death.

One year ago, I said goodbye. One year ago, I watched you die. One year ago, my heart was ripped in two. One year ago, I said, “I love you!”.

Living this past year without my mom is not something easily put into words.  It’s not something that I can describe in a blog or in tear filled eyes to my friends and loved ones.  This past year was painful.  The most painful year of my life.  Grief does something to a person.  They will never be the same.  I will never be the same.

When my mom took her final breaths, I curled up in her arms, hugged her neck and said, “Go to Jesus.”  I have no doubt that my Savior came and took her home. I have no doubt that she is in the presence of the Almighty King, laughing with angels and dancing with my daddy.  I am blessed to know she has no more pain, that her suffering is over.  Our time on this earth is just a fleeting glimpse.  But when you are stuck in this time, it feels like forever.  It feels like forever since I saw her face, heard her voice or touched her hand.  It’s the little everyday things that you miss the most. 

My family is coming in to town today for our traditional balloon release. 

Here are some pictures from our balloon releases over this past year.

I send up a prayer today for all the families all over the world that are suffering through grief.  To the wives, mothers, sons, etc. that are saying goodbye to their loved ones as I type.  And to all the ones who were not able to say goodbye before their loves ones passed. 

Love you Mom!!!

My mom back in October of 2000 waiting the arrival of my oldest daughter, Hailee.

My mom and girls in 2005, shortly after the birth of my second child.

Sprinkles of Faith is dedicated in loving memory to Cecilia Rice…. Click HERE to visit my site and find out how Pink Zebra is changing lives!!   

A Gift to Heaven

The butterflies have flown.  A part of me went to Heaven with my mother the day she died.  Releasing the butterflies, I sent another piece of me to her.  

 

To: Mom
Love: Your Daughter

My mother had a hard life.  It was filled with emptiness, sadness, and joy.  She took such pride in her children and grandchildren.  Her face would light up when one of us kids would open a gift from her on Christmas or our birthdays.  That is one way she showered her love on us was through gifts.  My mother was not a rich woman by monetary means.  She gave all she had to make others happy, which wasn’t much.  She loved to receive presents just as much as she loved to give them.  Every Christmas, Mother’s Day, and birthday she would anxiously await her gifts.  Even if it was just a card, it meant a lot to her.  She knew you were thinking about her and it made her feel loved. 

Last Sunday night our family filled up those balloons with the butterfly cut outs from all of my Pink Zebra business cards. This was in celebration to my recent promotion to Manager.   We released them in her honor and sent her a gift to Heaven.  Did they make it there.  I believe so.  I know how much she loved gifts.  Even though she is not here with me, she is not gone.  My mother is with Jesus, dancing, laughing, and that is the best gift of all.  Eternal life through Jesus Christ.  I miss my mother more than words can say. I know one day I will see her again because of that free gift that was given to me back in 2004 of Eternal Life. 

Christmas will be hard this year.  Holding back the tears has been nearly impossible.  My wonderful husband and children understand the loss and pain.  They miss her too.  I pray for those of you who have someone special in Heaven who you will be missing with all of your heart this Christmas. 

BUTTERFLY RELEASE

 

What are some ways you remember your loved ones during this Holiday season?  I would love to hear from you and pray for you.

10 Years

The lounge chair on Emily’s wooden porch was just the right comfort that she needed this night.  In the background hummed the sound of the hot tub. She smiled at the thought of the hot tub.  It was the one she always dreamed of but never imagine or believed that one day this would be HER hot tub.  The air was the perfect and the sound of the horses shuffling in the background gave her even more peace.  It had been a long flight back from The Virgin Islands.  Well worth it but long none the less.  Her bones were a little achy so a nice dip in the colorful spa was just what she needed. That and a nice glass of her favorite wine.

I have to ask.  Where do you see yourself in 10 years?  I bet you can’t guess where I imagine myself.  Is this reality, no. In 10 years I could be a grandmother who opted for the nicer pool for her children and grandchildren to play.  Heck, I may not even have a body of water around me besides the old pond.  The only future we have that is secure is our faith in Jesus Christ.  Because HE holds that promise. Not us.  We as humans will always mess things up, sin will always get in the way. Until we are with Him, all the everyday struggles and chores will have to be dealt with.  Fear, grief, jealousy just to name a few will be around. 

I don’t know about you but I struggle everyday.  Sometimes my life is the greatest ever! Other times, not so much.  My children walking in the room with pictures they crafted just for me, the greatest!! Holding my mother’s hand as she took her final breath, not the greatest.  Whatever your struggles are, trust God.  I’ve tried so many times to just hand my tribulations over to Him.  It seems like I always end up with them again.  I’m sure I can do it better than Him. It’s just God, right? JUST GOD!? I don’t put my faith in myself, I put my faith in the One who CREATED me!  If He can create this earth and us, why would we not take Him at His word that He is faithful? Why can’t we as humans understand this?  Hello, the creator of the UNIVERSE said I’ve got this.  And we go, well, umm, maybe I’ll try one more thing.  I’ll pray to you that things go the way I want them to go.  After praying do you sometimes, stop, wait a few, look around, and wonder if everything instantly changed because I just prayed for what I wanted?  Funny thing is, I know that I really don’t want what I think I do.  I really don’t “want” that hot tub.  What I need is a closer relationship with my Savior and total trust that HE knows what I NEED.   Now wouldn’t you rather have what you need than what you want?  Would you trade that brand new SUV for a sandwich if you haven’t eaten in a week?  Wants vs Needs.  I think SO many of our wants end up in our need catagory. I need peace and quiet from my children. I need the rest.  Is this a want or a need?  For me too often it’s a want.  I need a bigger paycheck so I can ______. You fill in the blank. Maybe God has you right where He wants you. Maybe that 3 bedroom house is all you need.  Maybe He knows that by you staying in that 3 bedroom home, 2 years from now some people are going to move in next door and need you.  That relationship with these new neighbors could be just what you need and could imagine your life without.  But what if you would have moved into that huge 5 bedroom house that you could have had if only you had that raise you deserved! 

These situations happen all too often in our everyday lives.  So many Christians are just lacking. For lack of a better term.  Myself included. We need more TRUST! All the things that I wanted that I “never” got are what makes me the person I am today.  I needed my mom to stay on this earth with me.  But that is only what I wanted.  What she needed is to be in heaven with her Lord.  Trust God.  In times of sorrow, in times of want, in times of need.  Trust that HE will do the right thing.  He is God.  He knows better.  He knows our 10 year from now and our 50 year from now.  He knew that before he ever said, “Let there be light.” 

¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4

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Visit me online at sprinklesoffaith.com

 I was promoted to an Executive Consultant this month.  I am on the path to be promoted to manager in the next couple month. Very exciting stuff going on with my Pink Zebra business.  I’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t had time to blog. 

I do have to say, check out this new green crackle shade! These are a while supplies last, so don’t miss out.  Our beautiful blue liner sold out yesterday.!

Don’t forget to take advantage of this months AMAZING enrollment offer! With $340 with a products, and 100 Pink Dollars to purchase whatever you want for Christmas!! If you are looking for a full blown career like I am, a part time supplement the income kind of thing, or just want the items and the discounts, this months special is for you!!

Restoring Life

Yesterday was a day that I will never forget.  Besides the fact that it was my first real vendor event with Pink Zebra, the day turned into something truly amazing.   Pink Zebra was blessed to be a part of a fundraising event for Restoration House Ministries.

Restoration House helps restore broken lives by taking in young women and teaching them the tools they need to succeed in life.  Many brave women got on the stage and shared their testimonies.  With tears in their eyes, they bared it all.  So many stories about drug addiction, prostitution, abuse, hopelessness, prison, and despair.  These women should be honored!  The stories all started different, broken homes, abusive parents, etc. But they all had the same ending.  The game changer.   These beautiful women all told the same story about a Savior, coming into their lives and changing them forever from the inside out.  Through Christ’s strength they were able to stand up in front of a crowded room, air their “dirty laundry” and give others hope of a better life.  And remind those of us (myself included) who have struggled with past evils of the hope that is within us and not to take it for granted.

Our event went really well.  A lot of new people were introduced to Pink Zebra and fell in love with it.

This is why I love my job.  While working I was so encouraged and so blessed to be part of such a wonderful cause.  I am looking forward to next year!

Here’s a few snapshots of our booth.  My husband thinks it’s a little TOO pink,  Might have to work on that one for him. Ok babe?

I have the best team!  This is Jacy, Mallory, and myself.

We would love to have you on our team.  It is so much fun. I love my job.

To become a team member click here.

To learn more about me and Pink Zebra click here.

You can also follow me on Facebook to learn more about Pink Zebra and keep up to date with our latest specials.

Thanks for stopping by and God Bless!