Kara

But are you FREE?

June 13, 2016 By Kara Leave a Comment

Hey, friends.

The past two weeks have been busy. I’m sure yours have, too.

I’ve been in a place of not really taking care of myself through choosing foods that bring energy, not getting in enough exercise, not resting enough, not drinking enough water, etc.

The Lord has shown me that I need to operate from a place of freedom, which for me means:
No over obsessing or restricting food, no over-exercising, no focusing on the scale
AND
No neglecting, no binging, no treating my body as a trashcan

The past two weeks I’ve swung too far into the place of freedom and have not been stewarding my health well.

And it matters. It does.
It affects everything else in my life.
When I’m eating poorly, I’m moody, short-tempered with my kids, I’m tired, I’m sometimes achy, have an upset stomach, and I don’t have the energy to get up and do anything.

Today, I’m asking you the same question the Lord has been asking me, “But are you FREE?”

Watch this short video and then ask yourself the same question: BUT ARE YOU FREE?

(if viewing this post in your email browser, click HERE to see the video)

We’re in this thing together. There IS a place of freedom where we can operate from, but it will take time, practice, patience, and prayer. It’s worth pursuing.

Will you join me??

Ladies, if you’re looking for some support and accountability in your own journey, the At-Home TRIBE can be a great resource for you. Click HERE to get all the details.

Love y’all. Have a great day!

Kara

Saying Goodbye…

June 6, 2016 By Kara Leave a Comment

A week ago our sweet dog Josie started getting sick.

We took her to the Emergency Vet and they said it was pancreatitis and they gave us some medicines to use.
She still wasn’t better several days later so we took her to our regular vet for more medicines, tests, and fluids.

They said sometimes it just takes a while to get better and to keep trying what we had been.
We took her back each day last week for more fluids.

She would come home each afternoon and have a few good hours, but by the evening, she would be lethargic again, not eating, not drinking and just sleeping a lot.

Thursday afternoon she seemed a little better so my little girl and I tried to give her a haircut and then bathed her in our kitchen sink as gently as we could.

We fully believed that she was going to be healed and healthy and so that night we decided to celebrate my husband’s upcoming birthday and Josie’s Get Well Soon party.
I fixed my kid’s favorite meal and we ate it on our fine china at our dining room table.

My daughter made decorations and a large sign and hung it up behind the table.

There was a storm that night which always scared Josie, so she spent the entire dinner right by my feet. We had the best time talking and laughing and never thinking that she wouldn’t be with us again.

That night we let her sleep in our room and she spent the night tucked up again my legs. Marcus and I both had trouble sleeping as we were worried about her and when I would look over during the night I could see him sitting up petting her. She was always his girl and he took such good care of her.

The next morning I took her back for another round of fluids. I didn’t have time to go home and get her after I taught class, so I took her with me.
She LOVED riding in the car and I took her with me every chance I got.
Here are some pictures I snapped that morning:

I took her in on Friday and they decided to re-check her blood tests.

They came back showing that things were not good, and it was from something far more aggressive than pancreatitis.

We had to make some tough decisions and as a family decided that it was best to help end her pain.

I spent Friday grieving.
Then I had to go tell my husband and our kids. Talk about heartbreaking.

My son didn’t think he could go to see her again but my daughter was determined that she wanted to be with her to say good-bye and until the very end.

We drove over and got to spend a few minutes with our sweet girl again. She gave each of us kisses, ate every single bite of the treats that we took for her (Ham, Pepperoni, a Reeses Cup, and a few M &Ms), and then she was gone.

I truly think it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, if not the hardest.
She was such a good gift.
She was our baby before we ever had babies.
She was fun and funny, well behaved, smart, and loving.

She was our best friend in every sense of the word.
While I worked from home she laid on the floor and kept me company. When we walked through the door, she greeted us with her tail wagging. She was with my every single afternoon when I picked up the kids with her head hanging out the window enjoying life to the fullest. When I would cry, she would come and snuggle. When my kids weren’t feeling well, she would lay with them on the couch.
I loved the jingle of her collar, the tapping of her feet coming down the hallway, and her soft ears.

She was a gift and we aren’t ready to let her go. She was healthy, in fact, two weeks ago she had a full physical and all seemed great.
Whatever happened to her happened quick and it’s just turned our world upside down.

I never knew that losing a pet could hurt so deeply.

I’ve lost a dog when I was a child, and then we lost another when I was in college, and it was sad. We missed them and thought about them often. But losing Josie has left a void so big that it’s felt every second that I’m in this house.

It took all that I had today to come home after teaching class to this empty place. I’m sitting and typing looking at where she always laid beside me and wishing more than anything she was there.

We are struggling and yet, we are at peace. We trust the Lord and we know that He is the GIVER of all good things, not the taker.

And because He’s good, I can trust Him.

Even in this.

We grieve. We cry. We hurt.
But we trust.

I know that the Lord is going to use this to help us minister to others in the future. I know that He is using it even now for our good and for His glory. I know that it won’t be wasted.

But right now, in this moment, it’s heavy.

Run free, Josie girl.

We love you and we’re so grateful for you.

Bold in the Soul and #workoutwednesday

June 1, 2016 By Kara Leave a Comment

Hey, friends!

Hope that your week is going well. It’s the
FIRST DAY OF JUNE!

Can you believe that?!?! Crazy!

My kids are finishing up their last couple weeks of school and then we are blasting into summer break. We can’t wait.

Wanted to share with you my #530amtribe and their super fun Kickboxing song from class this morning. When I watched it today I was overcome with joy. These women are learning to get COMFORTABLE being UNCOMFORTABLE and are willing to trade their comfort zones for new places of freedom. I love it. Watch it and share with someone who needs some new joy today.

If you can’t see the video above, click HERE.

Also, Today is the beginning of a challenge that I’m helping host called #boldinthesoul . If you have been with us since last year then you probably remember this super fun challenge.

I’m partnering with Revelation Wellness, Interactive FitClub, RevWell Anderson, and RevWell Florida Station for the month of June to encourage you to find some new freedom and boldness in who God made you to be.

We’re also giving away some seriously fun prizes, so the more you participate, the better your chances are to win. (Disclaimer: think quality vs. quantity also. Posting 14 different times a day probably won’t help you to win if you’re not posting quality content.).

There is a grand prize being given away by Revelation Wellness valued at $1,200 and then I get to give away another prize pack to someone from the Wellness Witness Community (online or locally).

Here are all the details you need to know:

Stir up your courage and share with us what makes YOU bold in the soul! This can be anything from a physical character trait that you love about yourself, a soul trait that God has given you like integrity, generosity, optimism, OR you can simply share God’s truth. Get as creative as you like! We want to see you shine brightly in June! Get BOLD and let the world know what makes you, wonderfully YOU.
A question I use when trying to determine what my word should be for that day is this: “What am I because of Jesus?”

How to participate in the CHALLENGE:

Take a picture of yourself using your WARPAINT (a.k.a. sharpie marker, or whiteboard marker) to write, either on yourself or a piece of paper that you’re holding up, your word(s) that share your #boldinthesoul statement for that day
Post the picture on your PUBLIC Facebook and/or Instagram wall (it can NOT be a private account on Insta or in a group page on FB)
Posts must be tagged @revelationwellness and @wellnesswitness and use #boldinthesoul
Follow all my fellow hosts below on their FB & IG accounts:

inneractive FITCLUB FB and IG
Revelation Wellness – Anderson, Indiana FB and IG
Revelation Wellness – Florida Station Church of God Anderson, In. FB and IG
Wellness Witness FB and IG
Revelation Wellness FB and IG

How to win the CHALLENGE:

Follow the participation steps listed above
Post well & as often as it matters to you!
Be BOLD & Be authentically YOU!

At the end of June, a winner will be chosen & announced. They will win an amazing PRIZE worth over $1200! To include: 50% off the full cost of Revelation Wellness Instructor Training (valid for one year), 1-Year of RevWell TV®, RevWell Apparel swag, the book Finally Free by Kara Osborne, 1-Month of RevWell Anderson’s At Home Program, a $50 VISA gift card from RevWell Florida Station, a ‘Grace Mode’ tank from inneractive FITCLUB!

BONUS: As an official host community, one winner will be picked from our Wellness Witness community to win a mini-shopping spree in the Revelation Wellness Apparel store, one month of RevWell-TV®, one month of RevWell Anderson’s At Home Program, the book Finally Free from Kara Osborne, and a ‘Grace Mode; tank from inneractive FITCLUB. Let’s get ready to rumble with our lies, let the truth out and set us free!

Here are some fun pictures from last year:

The Summertime Manifesto for Mommas

May 26, 2016 By Kara 1 Comment

With Memorial Day coming up soon, I felt led to write the 2016 SUMMER MANIFESTO FOR MOMMAS.

I want you to read it, to share it, and to declare it over your own life.

It’s time for things to change, friends. We will no longer be those who are so consumed with the way that we look that we miss the moments with our families. NO MORE. NO LONGER.

The 2016 SUMMER MANIFESTO FOR MOMMAS:

I will refuse to be more concerned over the way I look in a bathing suit than the fun I can have with my family.

I will celebrate the gift of working legs instead of worrying about the amount of cellulite they may hold.

I will GET IN THE POOL when my kids ask instead of hiding beneath my cover-up.

I will show my daughter that a FREE woman isn’t valued based on her physical appearance.

I will show my son that his Momma is BRAVE enough to be AUTHENTICALLY HERSELF in a world that keeps screaming at her to be more, do more, have more, and to shrink smaller and smaller.

I will celebrate the moments I am given FREELY and FULLY instead of being worried over what may be bulging, jiggling, or hanging over my waistband.

I will SEIZE THE DAY knowing that eating ice cream cones with my kids may not be the “healthiest” choice, but it may very well be the RIGHT one in certain moments.

I will LIVE as the LOVED daughter that I am and will cling to the truth that I am fully known and fully loved and that it’s not dependent on anything I could ever do on my own, anyway.

I will CALL OUT THE GOOD in the women around me.

I WILL BUILD UP.

I WILL CELEBRATE.

I will CHEER ON THOSE who are also bravely pursuing freedom even while baring all of their self-perceived flaws to others.

I will REFUSE to let the way I THINK I look in a bathing suit or a pair of shorts to keep me from fully enjoying the gift of time with my family.

I will DECLARE that I am ALREADY ACCEPTED, ALREADY LOVED, and ALREADY ENOUGH because of JESUS.

I will BELIEVE (and repeat to myself!) that my kids care far more about a Momma that is willing to play with them having fun than if I have six-pack abs.

I will stop staring at my phone so much and will look UP at the beauty right in front of my face.

I will stop striving and hustling to earn my worth.

I will let myself off of the hook.

I will remove my mask and live FREE. Flawed but FREE.

I WILL ENJOY these days and these fleeting moments.

——–

Mommas-
DECLARE IT. SHARE IT. OWN IT. LIVE IT.

If you’d like a PDF file so that you can print this truth and post it around your home, you can do so by clicking HERE .

To watch the video, click HERE.

Some Important Updates!

May 25, 2016 By Kara Leave a Comment

Hey, friends!

I’ve been absent for the most part over the last several months. I’ve popped in from time to time to share things with you, but I have not been regularly writing or sharing here in this space.

I’m sorry.

I know that your lives have still been wonderfully full and it’s doubtful that many of you even noticed, but I wanted to let you know that I’m getting back on track, and that the Lord is stirring some big dreams in my heart.

I am so very grateful for the past year of doing this thing “full-time” and I cannot wait to see where He takes us moving forward.

With that said, I wanted to let you know about some changes I’m making.

Currently, I utilize a feed burner account that many of you have signed up for. It is going to be going away as I move to a more stable and more functional email provider. Instead of you getting an email each time that I post, you will instead get a once-a-week newsletter that will include not just any fun website posts, but also highlights from social media and YouTube. Many of you have emailed to tell me that you don’t have an active Facebook, Instagram or YouTube account so this will be a great option for you.

I’m going to be offering a pretty sweet opt-in giveaway for those that sign up for the new list, so keep your eyes peeled over the next few days as I’m finishing it up now.

We’re getting ready to enter into the summer months which means my kids will be home and out of school (both a huge celebration and a bit overwhelming!) so I’m going to have to find my balance again between work-from-home Mama and fun-and-playing-with-the-kids Mama. Bear with me as I figure it all out.

I’m hoping to have a pretty regular posting schedule that you can count on. Every Monday I’ll write up a post with my Monday Morning Motivation video and content. I plan to start a new series called TRUTH BOMB Tuesdays where I plan to spend the next 10 weeks sharing some Gospel-centered, freedom filled TRUTHS with you. I hope to keep giving you Workout Wednesday videos when I can and to also keep sharing encouragement as the Lord leads me to do so.

Thank you so much for joining me here in this space! I’m so very grateful for you. I think the Lord is going to do some super amazing things in the future and this change in email delivery is the first step towards making it possible.

As a side note, if you didn’t see yesterday on our social media posts, the WELLNESS WITNESS SHIRT STORE is open but only until NEXT TUESDAY evening.

There is a new shirt design that I LOVE plus I brought back three of our most popular ones to date: “Fear Less Love More”, “Made for More”, and “Burpees, Squats, and a Whole Lot of Jesus”.

This is the last time the store will be open between now and July and some of these designs may not be run again. If there’s one you’ve had your eye on, or if you want to check out our newest design, head over to: www.teespring.com/stores/wellnesswitness .

Thanks, y’all! TALK SOON!

WIN A FREE YEAR MEMBERSHIP!!!!

May 20, 2016 By Kara Leave a Comment

Just a reminder: YOU’VE ONLY GOT TWO DAYS LEFT TO ENTER THE RAFFLE FOR A FREE YEAR MEMBERSHIP to the At-Home TRIBE!!!!!

For every $5 that you donate towards THIS amazing cause, you can gain an entry into the raffle that is taking place on Sunday, May 22nd at 8 a.m. EST.

To find out all of the details, go HERE.

You can also just send the money through paypal if you can’t get the link to work on the post by sending it to wellnesswitness AT yahoo DOT com. <I’m typing it this way to avoid spammers- please use the @ symbol and the . when typing it in to the paypal box! 🙂 >
Thanks again, friends.

I can’t tell you how much we appreciate you!!!!

I look forward to sharing the amazing progress with you soon. I’m grateful for you, friends.