When it comes to blessings, for those who have accepted Christ, your only competition is you. What God has set aside for you is yours to gain (notice I didn't say, or lose). He wants to bless you. The question is when and how. Those are usually determined by when is best for you, i.e., when can you handle the blessing that is coming your way; when will it be most beneficial to you. And, how likely are you to give God the glory, rather than take the glory for yourself or give it to someone else other than God.

I have learned that when I am expecting a promise of God and a trial presents or repeats itself, God is giving me another opportunity to pass a test. How can one pass these tests? Second Chronicles 7:14 gives us some insight. Humble yourself, pray, seek God's face, and turn from wicked ways. Humble yourself and recognize that we are not Sovereign or in control. Yes, we have free will, but we must not use that free will as a license to put our own agendas at the forefront, while forsaking the life that God has called us to live.

Pray and seek God’s face. It took me a long time to realize that this really is a simple task. It means we need to talk to God about everything; every joy, heartache, dilemma and triumph. Listening to God and seeking His face are much simpler than we make them out to be as well. All we need to do is read His Word, understand how it applies to our lives and spend dedicated time with God. This is not a few minutes in the nooks and crannies of our day, but real, intimate, set aside, private time to just meditate on Him.

Turn from your wicked ways means turning from attitudes and behaviors that you know do not represent God well. It also means seeking God’s will for your life, so that you can make an intelligent choice between right and good. Not everything that is good is right within God’s plan for your life. It is somewhat easy to tell what the wrong behaviors and attitudes are, but you have to have real communion with God to know when actions that are considered good will delay God in working things out for your good.

Your blessings are between you and God. No person or demon can steal them. If you look through the Bible, there are so many examples that God always keeps His promises, regardless of what any enemy or competitor of the promise does. I bet if you look in the mirror, you will see evidence of God keeping His promises, too. So, recognize God for what He is doing and has done in your life, not what you perceive He is not doing. Trust that the list of trials He has kept you from is much longer than the list of tribulations you have and will go through. All you have to do is watch the news or peruse social media to see the evil from which God has protected you and is protecting you.

Every circumstance that happens in your life can be a testing, a lesson, a blessing or some combination of the three. It is up to you, and no one else, to maximize the potential in your circumstance. Ask God how to use what He allows in your life to bring you closer to Him and thank Him for desiring closeness with you. Ms. EV

It has been over a year since I last posted to this blog. I prayed about it last year when i rant out of things to say and I believe God was instructing me to use this format from that point forward for REALLY IMPORTANT life lessons that NEEDED to be shared; lessons that would take a larger format than a Facebook post, tweet or meme. So, you know this MUST have been a super important one for Ms. EV to make a comeback!

About three months ago, my garbage disposal quit working. I used the plumber's wrench thingy to see if anything was stuck. And yes, New Friendship, I hit the reset button! (Inside Joke). None of that worked, so I googled the issue, tried a few things (some that I found out later I should not have) and realized that, after nearly seven years of loyal service, it was time to lay my garbage disposal to rest. In the midst of my attempts to get the ting to work, I became frustrated. But, I was not frustrated about the disposal not working; I was mad that I did not have a boyfriend or husband to fix it!

The next day, I asked my dad if he knew a handyman to fix it. He volunteered to do it. I just had to buy the new garbage disposal. So, that weekend, I bought a garbage disposal and put it under my sink to await a time when my daddy (my hero) could fix it. My dad is an insanely busy man, so I told him it was no rush. I just used the working side of the sink and went on about my life. 

Last weekend, dad said he would come fix the disposal this week. He had just installed at new one that his and my mom's house, so he was freshly familiar with the procedure. My sister also knew how to install this device, having done it in her home. I thought to myself, "You know, I probably could do this myself, BUT I DON'T WANT TO!!!" After all, things like this and taking out the garbage are man's work! Nevertheless, I do take out my garbage (click here) because I don't want my house to smell like a landfill and, at some point, I would have to use my garbage disposal. I did not want my dad to feel like I did not need him, though, so I didn't ask my sister to show me how to do it.

This morning, I woke up at 5AM. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't. I had already read my devotions for the day earlier in the morning before I went to bed. So, I did what I do when I cannot sleep. I prayed. Surely, there must have been something that God wanted me to know at that dark and early hour. I asked Him to speak to my heart what He needed from me. Do you know what He said? "Go fix the garbage disposal." I was like, "Come again, Lord?" And, I am pretty sure He responded, "Read the instructions and look for a video on YouTube."

So, I got up, got out my toolbox, and commenced working on my garbage disposal. I read the instructions and found a video, so I could have a visual. It did not seem like a hard task. And, I never really thought it would be difficult. I just thought it was unfair that I did not have a significant other to do it, so I guess I kind of put off the fixing in protest. As I started the task, I hit a roadblock when I realized that I have no clue as to the location of my screwdriver. Still, I had a hammer, pliers, needle nose pliers, a wrench, the heads to my screwdriver (Phillips and flat), and sheer determination. I also had God on my side. So, my inner McGyver came out swinging. 

I never knew how many things could substitute for a screwdriver, pliers, wrenches, knives. And, I did not even let my inferior upper body strength cause me to quit. I dealt with plumbing and wiring, and, on the third attempt, my new disposal passed the leak test. It took me three hours or so, but I did it. So what was God trying to show me? When I share this post, I am going to break the record for hashtags, but here are the lessons:

1) Listen to God when He tells to you do something because there is a purpose.
2) You are stronger and more resourceful that you think.
3) When your husband does find you, you want to desire him because you long to be in a loving and Godly relationship; rather than need him because you have a long list of chores for him to do.
4) Your husband will still be responsible for taking out the trash, car maintenance, and household fixes; not because you nag him to, but because he understands that you could do it, you just have no desire to do so and he loves you enough to do it for you (just remember, there are some things you are going to have to love him enough to do, as well, i.e. cooking, laundry, etc)
5) Until then, know that there is nothing you and your toolbox and prayer cannot get you through.
6) Your dad (or dad equivalent) may be a humble, gracious man with a servant's heart, but he has taken care of you for the amount of time to which he was appointed to take care you (and then some). Now, it is your turn to make his life easier.
7) You can replace a girl's garbage disposal and make her happy until the next thing breaks, or you can force a girl to learn how to fix her own garbage disposal and give her the confidence she needs to feel invincible in times of household breakdowns.


My dad can go play golf today. I get to feel accomplished. I am very independent, yet so dependent on God. I pray this post helps somebody. The wait is NOT easy, but the wisdom IS worth it! Ms. EV

For those who are not in the education profession, the amount of vacation time educators are afforded is incomprehensible. However, for those of us in the classrooms 180 days a year, we know that the breaks are a necessity for the sake of students and our sanity. Many people do different things with the eight weeks or so of summer break. For my first six summers, I always had something work or work-adjacent to do, like summer job, cheer camp, summer teaching training. As this summer approached though, I realized that I had nothing to do.

I had already participated in One Spark and gone to Nashville. I have spent wisely enough during the school year to not need to get an extra job to fill in the gap this summer. The program that I worked the last two years was canceled due to budget cuts. I had eight weeks with absolutely nothing to do. Well, I take that back, the first week was a family vacation/trip to take my oldest nephew to college, but other than that, I was staring down the barrel of weeks and weeks with no planned agenda.

The main thing the summer gives me is the opportunity to sleep in later in the morning than I can during the school year. And, the extra few hours of morning sleep was really the only thing about which I was excited. Spending seven or more weeks at home, with just my cat, my television, my guitar and my thoughts to keep me company was a really scary proposition. Furthermore, I just found it to be outright lazy to sit around all summer and not do anything.

I have come a long way from the young woman who could not be alone. Still, I have managed to be sure that my life is filled with activity and people I love, so that the times when I feel lonely are few and far between. So, I challenged myself to do little to nothing this summer. I challenged myself to relax, get rest, be free and, well, be lazy. Not lazy in the sense of slothfulness, but lazy in the sense of not tying myself to a bunch of commitments just for the sake of having something to do.

For the first couple of weeks, I started to sense that I would become one with my couch and be imprisoned by my thoughts (a very scary place to be at times). Then, I started dedicating more time to stillness and quietness. I started communing more with God instead of running to everyone else in my life with my every thought or idea. And, slowly, but surely, I started to feel comfortable with me. I am not a hermit (though, I thought that might be where this was going). I do leave the house. I go to church. I hang out with my family. Nonetheless, a beautiful thing has happened.

I became okay with just God and me. I did not feel as alone as I once feared I would in quietness and solitude. It is still a work in progress, but no longer do I feel obligated to stay busy to avoid the fact that I do not have the life I envisioned. Instead, I can rest in my Father and allow Him to show me His vision for my life. Make no mistake, there are some rough days, but I have survived being by myself with nothing to do. I have more than survived; I have thrived. I have learned to enjoy this place of solace. Now, it might make it hard to go back to work in a few weeks, or maybe, I just will not feel so pressured to stay busy for the sake of being busy. Time will tell, but for now, I am enjoying the time that God has given me. Ms. EV

I love this country! As a the daughter of two Navy veterans and a government teacher, though I know we have out flaws, I cannot think of a better place to live on this side of Heaven than the land of the free and the home of the brave. I am grateful for everyone who has ever fought for the freedom that we have here in America. However, on this day when we celebrate independence, freedom and liberty, I am reminded that true freedom comes from knowing and loving God. The Bible says, that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty!” So, enjoy this Independence Day! I pray that you are surrounded by family, friends and love, but don’t forget from whence true freedom comes. Ms. EV

I loved the movie Despicable Me; I especially love the Minions! I am so excited for the second one. I hope it is as good as the first, but this is not a movie review. This is a letter of thanks to the one and only God, my Savior. You see, I was in Sunday school a few weeks ago and we were talking about our favorite hymns. Some said, "Blessed Assurance." I said, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Our teacher said, "Amazing Grace." I have a lot of favorite hymns, but when the teacher broke down Amazing Grace, I thought, "How can that not be every Christians battle cry?"

You need only look at the first line to be in awe of God, "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!" Grace is unmerited favor and many people can recognize that we do not and did not deserve the sacrifice of God's only Son, Jesus Christ as our substitute. There is nothing we did or ever will do that can repay such an awesome, and well, AMAZING sacrifice. The part I think I, and possibly others gloss over is the "wretch like me" part.

I have sung this verse countless times in my life and I never stopped to think what wretch even means. But, our teacher broke it down, and the meaning that stuck out to me was "despicable." We don't like to look in the mirror and see the parts of our lives that are despicable to God. We love to compare ourselves to other people because they make us look fantastic! We pray more than they do. We give more than they do. We serve more than they do. But, what happens when we actually hold ourselves up to God's standard of human living; the way Christ lived on Earth? Then, we look pretty despicable.

And yet, in spite of our messy, mistake-ridden lives, God offers His amazing grace. What makes it so amazing? The fact that someone as despicable as me (and you) has the ability to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ and made whole and live forever, and not because of who we are or what we have done, but because of the love of God through Christ Jesus. I cannot speak for anyone else's life, but knowing what I know about me, I cannot understand why He loves me; I am just forever grateful that He does! Ms. EV

I recorded another song yesterday. This song is part of my testimony. Each day, I have to remind myself that nothing in this life or on this earth will be more satisfying than my relationship with Christ. This song is called, Soul Satisfaction and it uses a play on words in the chorus, "sole," as in the only and "soul," as in your entire being. I pray that this song blesses you and honors God. I would love to hear your feedback. For more of my lyrics and music, check out Toni LaShaun Music. Enjoy! Ms. EV

So, in my last blog, How Do you Like Your Eggs, I discussed how sometimes God gives us something and we think that because He gave it to us, there is no room for growth or improvement. One of the comment for that post said that what I was describing was "flexibility."

On December 31, 2011, I was wallowing in self-pity on my living room floor. I was lamenting my loneliness and loathing my life's failures. I had one foot in the ppol of depression and I was ready to dive into it. But, thank God for God. As I cried and prayed and prayed a cried. He said, "Okay, that's enough. Now that you got that out of your system, what are you going to do about it?" I really wanted to keep crying and praying, but instead, I started writing down what was hurting and how I, with God's help could fix it.

Pretty soon, I got on a roll, and at that point I wrote down everything in life that God have given me the talent to do and I wanted to share them all with the world! But, I needed a name that fit as an umbrella covering everything. And, that is how Elevated Values Consulting and Coordinating was born! My law degree gives me just enough knowledge to be dangerous, so I got my website, Facebook, Twitter, fictitious name, and I was off an running. I thought this could be a great outlet. It could maybe even grow into a side business, so i could make a little money. It was exciting. I felt like I had found a purpose.

I was told several times that I was offereing too much under one umbrella. At first, I did not listen. I felt this is what God gave me and this is how I am going to do it. Eventually, I separted the music, but kept everything else intact. I was eating the whole egg, shell and all. Now, after realizing what truly brings me joy and what God really wanted me to do, Elevated Values Consulting and Coordinating, is just Elevated Values. No more consulting (with the exception of the articles, blog, and devotions, if you want to consider them consulting) and no more coordinating or catering. I used to love baking as therapy, but when it became a business, it became a chore; there was no more joy in it.

In Joanna Weaver's book, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha world, she describes a story about a woman whom God told to pull a wagon up a hill. This is a paraphrase of the story. On the way, people kept asking her to carry their rocks in her wagon. Soon, the wagon was too heavy to pull and she felt weighed down. She cried out to God, "Why would you give me a task I cannot complete?" God answered, "I told you to pull the wagon. I did NOT tell you to put all these extra rocks in it." That is how I have felt lately. I have felt burdened down, but not because God told me to do something because I decided that my life was meaningless unless I was doing all of these things and creating multiple streams of income. That is not how my eggs were meant to be cooked.

I am a Christian woman with heavenly-high standards, I love to write and share my experiences in articles, blogs, devotions. I like to bake or plan for my family and when I feel like it. So, there you have it. That is why the name has changed. I will continue to blog as God gives me what to write. There are three remaining weeks in the PWYP Devotion Series. My articles and any new articles will stay posted and you can always find music at www.tonilashaunmusic.com. I hope that these changes do not disappoint anyone because I believe I am acting in obedience to God. If you are feeling burdened down, ask yourself if you are working for the Lord or for validation. The former may be rough, but will be worth it. The latter will always leave you feeling empty. I pray you still find helpful insight on this website. Be blessed! Ms. EV

First, let me explain why the blogs have been so sporadic as of late. A few weeks ago, I was in the midst of a very busy time, and when I write, I like to write from the heart. Even when I repost a past blog, I want it to be relevant versus random. So, I took a break to prepare for the IMMERSE conference and get in the right frame of mind to receive what God had for me there. There were a couple of days during the conference when I felt led to share some thoughts, so I did.

It was my intention to get the blog back to its daily distribution this week; however, my oldest nephew graduated yesterday from the school where I teach, so no blog. My conclusion through all of this is that I want those who read this blog to have fresh perspectives, so I am only going to post when God lays something on my heart to share. That means posts will be more sporadic, but I pray that you will continue to read because I intend to write high quality content.

All of this leads to today's blog. While I was in a class at IMMERSE about songwriting and rewriting music, one of the panelists said something that really hit home with me. I cannot remember her name and, unfortunately, I did not write it down, but I will never for get her words. She said (paraphrased), "A lot of artists are reluctant to change their songs because they say, 'This is how God gave it to me and I cannot change it,' but God also gave us whole eggs and that's not how we eat them.  Now, I am not the biggest fan of eggs, so the thought of just biting into an eggs, shell and all, and having all of the yolk and everything spill into or on the sides of my mouth nearly made me gag. But, the point was that we should not be so rigid in receiving gifts from God that we are reluctant to make them the best they can be.

I started thinking about all of the ways people eat eggs. Some people do eat whole raw eggs, but not with the shell on them. I prefer mine in an omelet or mixed in with a bunch of other breakfast foods after being scrambled hard. Some people prefer sunny-side-up, runny, or fried eggs. Still others like hard-boiled eggs. But, this is not a blog about eggs. This is a message about taking God's gifts seriously enough that you are willing to change when He gives you wisdom to change the shape of the gift, whether it is directly or through someone else.

Because I started this blog as a daily blog, I thought, I would always post something everything, but instead, Now that it has been nearly a year and a half, I think it's time to listen to God and write when He gives me something new. I would be doing a disservice to anyone who read Ms. EV's blog if I did anything more of less. Thanks for hanging in there on this journey with me. I pray that you find ways to apply these lessons to your life. Ms. EV

I came to Nashville with the hope that someone would recognize my talent and sign me to a publishing deal or a recording deal. That is not what happened. But, what happened was so much more miraculous.After being rejected when my voice betrayed me, I felt lost. I did not understand why I was at the conference. I was wandering around wondering what I was supposed to learn or do. In my state of brokenness and confusion, I realized what the phrase "die to self" means. I have read it over and over, and heard it repeatedly, but these last few days, I realized what that truly means.I had to come to the end of me, so I could fall at Jesus' feet and surrender. If things had gone my way, I would have been happy, but I would not have been fulfilled for long. I had to become weak, so that He could be strong for me. I had to die to self, so that He could live in me.Once I got to the end of what I wanted, I was open to what God desires for me. And, what He has for me is so much better than anything I could do for myself. My desire is to follow God's plan for my life for the uplifting of His Kingdom. He will help me find true joy, peace and fulfillment, at the end of me. Ms. EV