Life

Marriage, Motherhood, and Career can be found here.

FEATURED LIFE ARTICLES

July 25, 2022

3 Ways the Pandemic Changed My Life

Allow me a moment of truth; there are times when I feel these last two years didn’t give what they were supposed to have given. As if God had taken my best laid plans and put them through a shredder. After all, it’s been over two years since my last blog post. So much has […]

June 17, 2019

How to move forward when you’re stuck!

In case you haven’t noticed, we are halfway through the year. Seems like yesterday we were making vision boards and writing goals. Our adrenaline fueled the first quarter but many lost steam in second, only to come to a hault by summer. Right now you may be asking yourself “Where did the time go” or […]

July 25, 2022

3 Ways the Pandemic Changed My Life

January 10, 2020

Reflections: Life Lessons from the last Decade

Happy New Year!! This is my first official blog post of the new year and the new decade. I pray that you enjoyed your holiday season and were able to spend time with those you love. I’ve spent lots of time reflecting on life these last two months. As a result, I’ve decided to compile […]

November 26, 2019

5 Ways to Protect Your Peace During the Holidays

Ever since I can remember I’ve looked forward to this time of year. Overall the holiday season brings good cheer and the opportunity for families to come together. The older I get, and more specifically these last two years, I’ve become acutely aware of what disturbs me during this season. Underneath the excitement is often […]

November 11, 2019

5 Benefits of Keeping a Gratitude Journal

Ever since I was a pre-teen I’ve kept a journal. My mother purchased my first one in middle school. In her spare time, she was a writer. Poetry and songs written in beautiful penmanship tucked away in stacks of dusty notebooks. She encouraged me to write as a way to be creative. I don’t think […]

June 17, 2019

How to move forward when you’re stuck!

February 12, 2019

3 Ways to Guard Your Heart on Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day like many holidays, is one that you either love or hate. Whether you are single, taken, or married this season may stir up some not so pleasant feelings. Knowing this, I’ve decided this year to forsake outfit ideas and give you a three ways to guard your heart this Valentine’s Day. Love on […]

January 23, 2019

What am I influencing?

Monday was the Martin Luther King Jr. day of service here in the United States and many of us were off from work. I would love to say I took to the streets to volunteer at a local shelter but I didn’t. I was actually sleep til noon and eating leftovers with my husband. We’ve […]

January 7, 2019

5 Ways to Guarantee an Epic New Year

After the Christmas trees are gone, the lights are taken down, and you’ve used all your gift cards it hits you. Two thousand eighteen is OVER. Congratulations dear, you’ve lived to see another year! This is the first Monday of many and it’s time to hit the ground running. We’re one week into the new […]

January 31, 2018

Money Matters: What to Know about Cryptocurrency?

Let me start by saying this is a very sensitive subject, due to the fact that many people don’t understand this “investment” and have a very skewed view of Cryptocurrency as a whole. So I may speak in bullet points and, at times, repeat a point to destroy any possibility of misunderstanding. My goal is […]

January 26, 2018

Money Matters: The Truth About Credit Cards

Chances are you or someone you know has owned a credit card. It seems that over years, credit cards have gotten a bad reputation. However, if used properly, a credit card can be a great financial tool. Here are few things you need to know should you decide to use one for yourself: 1. […]

January 17, 2018

Money Matters: Assets vs. Liabilities

Welcome back young world, I appreciate you taking time away from your busy schedule to so let’s jump right into this week’s topic “Assets vs. Liabilities: Income producing vs. Bill Pay”. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s tax season – a time when you get to see a snapshot of your past year’s income. Are […]

January 10, 2018

Money Matters: What you think you know about money.

Hi there! My name is Jay Johnson and for the next four weeks we’ll be discussing something you hold very dear – your money. January is financial wellness month and as a banking professional it has become clear to me that money (the need, usage, amount, acquiring and maintaining of it) has become somewhat of […]

May 18, 2017

Mental Health Awareness: Depression

Live long enough and we all will experience times where life knocks us down. Something we experience, be it a loss or trauma, a failed relationship or business venture, could cause us to slip into depression. Depression is defined as a) feelings of severe despondency & dejection; b) a mental condition characterized by feelings of severe despondency […]

May 10, 2017

Mental Health Awarness: Anxiety

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month I’ll be devoting the remaining Wednesday’s of this month to the shedding light on four distinct disorders with Anxiety being this week’s focus. Anxiety is defined as: 1. a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome; 2. (Psych) a […]

February 23, 2017

The Love Letters: Dear Groom to Be

First, I want to thank you. Thank you for taking a moment to have this conversation with me. SO you have made the decision, beyond all doubts and emotions, you have made the decision… CONGRATS. No matter what the price of the ring or how insignificant YOU try to make it (because of course you […]

February 12, 2017

The Love Letters: Dear Bride to Be

Phillipians 4:6 says “Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.” Whether you have 8 weeks or 18 months until you say “I Do” you may currently find yourself getting overwhelmed. If so, […]

February 3, 2017

The Love Letters: Dear God

1 John 4:7-9 says: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only […]

January 2, 2017

It is Well… Making peace with 2016

If you’re reading this congratulations, you are among the extremely blessed individuals to physically cross over into 2017. You are alive. No, it’s not a churchy old head cliche thing to say my G, I’m dead serious (pun intended). So again, let me remind you: YOU ARE ALIVE! If I stop this blog post right […]

December 6, 2016

One Month to Love: Letting Go

“Love does not dominate; it cultivates.” – Johann Wolfgang Goethe In the final segment of our study on loving our circle, we explore the art of letting go. Of what you ask? Simply the need to control our lives and the lives of others. Now I know what you’re thinking: I’m not some control freak, […]

October 13, 2016

One Month to Love: Risking Awkwardness

Are your close relationships in the danger zone of “Just Okay” ? In each of our close relationships there is a serious need for awkwardness. The kind brought about by diving benaeath the surface and getting real. There is a tendency in long term friendships or romantic relationships to reach a place where we feel […]

October 7, 2016

One Month to Love: Acting Intentionally

Previously in our devotional study we learned how to give those in our circle the undivided attention they deserve by being present in every moment and actively listening to what’s being said. In week two, we now focus on the intentional actions needed to foster deep connections. This inquiry raises one question in particular… Is […]

September 27, 2016

One Month To Love: Being All There

“Right now, there are three relationships in your life that trouble you.” This was the bold statement that greeted us in the opening chapter of our 30 day devotional “One Month To Love” by Pastor Kerry & Chris Shook. I’ll be honest, this statement caught me off guard, however as I seriously considered it, I […]

July 13, 2016

My Prayer for America

It’s been over a week since my last post and to be honest, I’m forcing myself to get back to business. I tried to blog last week, but it felt disrespectful to post my latest outfit when my fellow Black Americans are being slaughtered like animals by police. It felt selfish to promote my latest […]

July 1, 2016

Pass it On: A Beautiful Legacy

Are you truly beautiful or just a pretty corpse? Will you leave behind a collection of possessions or a legacy of love? As we come to the close of our Beauty Begins study these are the hard hitting questions posed to us by Chris & Megan Shook. Psalm 145:4 tells us that “Generation after generation stands […]

June 24, 2016

Squad Goals: A Beautiful Team

What about your friends? Will they stand their ground? Will they let you down again? What about your friends? Are they gonna be low down? Will they ever be around… Way back in 1992 prophetic psalmists T-Boz, Left Eye, & Chilli released a song to remind us all to evaluate one of the most influential relationships […]

June 21, 2016

Total Surrender: The Beauty of Brokenness

Can you recall times in your life where you felt completely alone? Perhaps there was a situation that left you overwhelmed? Sucks right? It’s never easy to go thru seasons of intense pain such as heartache, depression, mourning, or even illness. Our natural response is to run and hide or curl up and die. However, […]

June 6, 2016

Pretty Hurts: The Distorted Reflection

Would you rather be described as beautiful or pretty? (Ask yourself and answer honestly) Now ask yourself, Is there a difference between the two? This is one of the initial questions we are asked to ponder in Beauty Begins: Making Peace with Your Reflection by mother/daughter team Chris Shook & Megan Shook Alpha. Chapter One entitled The Distorted Reflection invites us […]

April 4, 2016

Love as a Way of Life

In this last chapter Sally Clarkson shared with us how her son Nathan left home for film school in New York, a city full of temptation and was confronted with his own commitment to the Lord. How would Nathan live his life? How would he use his time on campus to make an impact in […]

March 30, 2016

Loving is Our Kingdom Work

Love is God’s universal language. We are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves and in doing such, we become more like Christ. Many times people can’t understand God’s love and forgiveness for them because they haven’t felt such love from the humans around them. Here are some facts about real love: Love is an obedient choice […]

March 21, 2016

You’re Invited

Ask any farmer and they’ll tell you that one small seed is capable of producing a very big harvest. In this same way each of us have the power to plant seeds of faith, hope, and love to the people God has placed in our lives. Our job is to plant, the Lord will send […]

March 16, 2016

You Can Trust Him

What is trust? Webster’s dictionary defines trust (n) as: “assured reliance on the character, strength, truth of someone or something.” Trust is said to be hard to earn but easily lost. However, when it comes to our relationship with the Lord, we must remember that He is not like man. He is faithful and merciful, even when […]

March 8, 2016

God Loves You

Can you believe we’re now half way through our devotional series for this quarter? It feels like just yesterday we were screaming “Happy New Year!” I pray this series has been a blessing thus far. In last week’s lesson “God Loves You” , author Angela Perritt used the development of her relationship with her husband Dirk […]

March 1, 2016

The Rival

Happy Tuesday loves! Forgive me for this late post, Monday was cray cray and I’m overdue on my reflections from last week’s lesson. Week three we read about Sally Clarkson’s introduction to her eternal enemy, Satan, and his desire to devour all of us who are Christians. A newly converted young woman in college, Sally’s […]

February 23, 2016

Knowing God

Happy Monday loves! We’ve finished “Knowing God”, week two of our You Are Loved eight week devotional series as of Friday. In this chapter Angela Perritt used the development of her relationship with Dirk, her husband, as an example of building a relationship with God. Angela does a beautiful job of reminding us that getting […]

February 17, 2016

He calls Us Beloved

Last week those of you who have subscribed to the blog and become Kira’s Krew joined me for week one of #Love16 , our year long exploration of love. For this first quarter we’re spending eight weeks (February & March) learning about God’s love for Us. Our devotional of choice, You Are Loved: Embracing God’s love for You by Sally Clarkson and […]

February 8, 2016

You are Loved: Week One

Happy Monday loves! If you subscribe to the blog (of course you do) you received an email today all about our study this quarter as apart of our 2016 theme of love. I mentioned the reading material to purchase, “You are Loved: Bible Study” by Sally Clarkson & Angela Perritt and how we will go about studying […]

January 15, 2016

My Goals for 2016

Happy Friday everyone! We are currently halfway through the first month of this new year and to be honest, I started the year with no clue of what I wanted. All I could think about was recovering from last year. That was my one goal. It’s taken me a little longer than I’d hoped but […]

January 7, 2016

What I left in 2015

December 31, 2014 I stood in watch night service at church with my family earnestly making declarations for the coming year. 2015 was to be the year I got married, the year I released a short EP, and my year of debt cancellation. Not one of these actually happened. In many ways 2015 absolutely sucked…but […]

December 18, 2015

Today’s Life Quote

The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion. – Paulo Coelho

December 1, 2015

Today’s Life Quote

Every year on your Birthday, you get the chance to start anew. -Sammy Hagar

December 1, 2015

Who Is Kira Keys?

Thirty-two years into this thing called life and I ask myself this question continually. Will I ever truly know? Are you ever truly finished becoming who you are? If so, how would you know? What does a finished person look like? If I get definitive answers to these questions I’ll be sure to let you […]

Life

Marriage, Motherhood, and Career can be found here.

FEATURED LIFE ARTICLES

3 Ways the Pandemic Changed My Life

How to move forward when you’re stuck!

ALL LIFE ARTICLES

3 Ways the Pandemic Changed My Life

Reflections: Life Lessons from the last Decade

5 Ways to Protect Your Peace During the Holidays

5 Benefits of Keeping a Gratitude Journal

How to move forward when you’re stuck!

3 Ways to Guard Your Heart on Valentine’s Day

What am I influencing?

5 Ways to Guarantee an Epic New Year

Money Matters: What to Know about Cryptocurrency?

Money Matters: The Truth About Credit Cards

Money Matters: Assets vs. Liabilities

Money Matters: What you think you know about money.

Mental Health Awareness: Depression

Mental Health Awarness: Anxiety

The Love Letters: Dear Groom to Be

The Love Letters: Dear Bride to Be

The Love Letters: Dear God

It is Well… Making peace with 2016

One Month to Love: Letting Go

One Month to Love: Risking Awkwardness

One Month to Love: Acting Intentionally

One Month To Love: Being All There

My Prayer for America

Pass it On: A Beautiful Legacy

Squad Goals: A Beautiful Team

Total Surrender: The Beauty of Brokenness

Pretty Hurts: The Distorted Reflection

Love as a Way of Life

Loving is Our Kingdom Work

You’re Invited

You Can Trust Him

God Loves You

The Rival

Knowing God

He calls Us Beloved

You are Loved: Week One

My Goals for 2016

What I left in 2015

Today’s Life Quote

Today’s Life Quote

Who Is Kira Keys?

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