Hannah Hogner! She’s Living Her Dreams

I am beyond blessed to be a part of today’s blog. Huge thank you to Cassie for allowing me to share today. One of the biggest things I know about Cassie is her desire to Dream Big! Dreaming Big is contagious and I want to share my Dream Big story. A little over 3 years ago I headed out on a dream of mine. I have had this love of fashion since I was in high school, I think when I began getting the fashion itch. I wanted a Roxy top, Lucky Jeans and Dr Martins because that’s what the cool kids wore and had. Here is where I insert a huge thank you to my parents because that Christmas that’s what I got. It might have been all I got. I don’t remember but I was so happy. I also desired to model but I lacked the confidence to try and it was always that secret desire stuck in the back of my mind. So now fast forward to January 2015. 2015 found my love for fashion growing and my desire to help and inspire others mixed in with my confidence in who I am and (more importantly) who I am in Christ. I set out on my blogging dreams and started Living In Grace & Style with Hannah Leigh.

It is a little bit of a leap of faith to put yourself out there for the world to see and for them to read your pieces. More like a little scary, but I told myself if I can help one person then it was worth it. Over the past 3 years God truly has blessed me with meeting some incredible people and given me some amazing opportunities. You see when you finally decide to go for your goals and dreams there are a few key elements to help you along the way.

1. Believe in the dream God put in your heart and strive for it each day.

2. Knowing who you are in Christ (this will only continue to grow)

3. Never ever give up.

Some paths are harder than others and things and doubt will try to come up against you. But you have to keep pushing towards your goals and what God put on your heart. Let me show you a little how it worked for me. I did my own blogging thing for about a year and tried to stay consistent and learned as I went. As the NFR came around that year I then began to struggle a little with my confidence. The western fashion blogging/ influencing was really starting to take off and I struggled trying to be me and be different. I didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes or have them think I was copying them even if we might have had the same idea. They just acted on it before me. About 3 days in I finally took a chill pill and took it to God instead of trying to fix it myself or continue to feel the poor pitiful me’s. I took a turn for the better and kept doing my thing. About a year and half later I saw a dear friends post about wanting to start a group of bloggers and influencers called The Bleacher Babe Squad. I sent in my request and was elated to be selected along with some pretty amazing other women. I was beyond grateful for the opportunity that Brianna gave all of us. It helped me get out of my shell some and begin to talk to other brands and people. I was then given a huge opportunity to work with Wrangler and Cowgirl magazine on a fun shopping style commercial by the next NFR. I can not even begin to tell you how amazingly fun and what a cool opportunity God blessed me with. See, instead of having the poor pitiful me’s and giving up at the first NFR, I sucked it up and prayed. I gave it to God and continued on the path He laid on my heart. Not only did it bless me, it blessed so many other people as well. They saw a plus size, curvy girl, real size whatever you want to call it girl rocking what she’s got and it inspired them that they can do it too!

See, our dream big goals are not only to bless us but to bless others as well. Our journeys may all be different but, in the end, inspiring others and helping others in my opinion is what it is all about. I am now up to 2 years in and year two was another growth year for me and another huge blessing. I saw another opportunity to be a part of a Style Team that was part of the Boutique Hub. This team got to write blogs and style outfits and collaborate with an amazing amount of boutiques and brands. I was blessed to be selected and a part of this team put together by Ashley Alderson and Jessie Jarvis. It helped me in so many ways by growing and learning more about being a great fashion blogger and influencer. Along the way in year 2 a dear friend of mine along with her best friend started up a marketing and design business. Well this awesome business need models of course and guess who finally got the call to be a paid model! Yes this girl right here!!! I was completely elated as it had been a secret dream of mine since I was probably a sophomore/junior in high school. I remember my first shoot like it was yesterday! This again opened up another door of opportunity and by the NFR last year I was completely blessed to model in my very first fashion show!

I know this little blog has gotten lengthy but I wanted you to see what God did and is doing in my life, that He can do in yours too. If you see an opportunity and have peace. follow it! You don’t have dreams and desires on your heart just because God put them there so run with them. He said He will never leave or forsake you so even if you feel alone on your journey just know you are not. He loves you and believes in you and so do I! So keep dreaming big and never give up, for your journey will inspire not only you, but many!

xo

Hannah

Wisdom and Knowledge are God’s to Give

WOW I can not believe it is March of 2018 already.  I have been back in Oklahoma for a year this month.

I have learned a lot about myself in a year. Wisdom and Knowledge are God’s to Give and boy has He given it!

I have learned that it was okay to forgive myself for shortcomings as a mom, daughter, wife, and as God’s kid.  This is something I have to remind myself of often but such a freeing place to be.

I learned that my inability to SEE GODS LOVE for me aborted the ability to truly LOVE others the way God designed.

I have learned that nothing here on this earth really matters outside of God’s LOVE and the people He gave us to love.  The things that we make into a big deal in relationships are nothing compared to loving each other right here in the moment.

I have learned that once you speak words into existence you can never take them back.  God says life and death are in the tongue.  God also tells us I set before you life and death, NOW CHOOSE LIFE!

I have learned that I cared way too much what others think.  I allowed my circle to be way too wide and listened to voices that may have had good intentions but bottom line they are not God.

I have learned that each thought, each circumstances I find myself in God has faced it through His Son!  He gives me strength, mercy and grace to face it as well.

I learned that all I have to do is ask God!  One day recently He said to me; You have never asked me what I think and what I have to say about this.  It was an area that I had many thoughts on, others had many thoughts on but GOD HAD A WORD ON!  God’s word always trumps!

I learned that I in myself am not capable of any of this!!!  I am not capable of surviving life, loving myself, loving others or even loving God.

I learned that I can love beyond hurt, pain, and disappointment in myself and others.  How can a person do this?  God!  The word says GOD is LOVE! I am in God and He is in me so therefore I can love and I am LOVE.

I learned that I do not have to be angry to protect myself from being vulnerable.  God protects me with His loving arms.

I learned that I can love so much more than I thought possible even if it is never returned by human love.  God fills up what He gives me to pour out so I am never bankrupt!

I am sure there is much more that I have learned but these are the most significant areas in my life.

I wished I could take the knowledge I have learned this year and go back in time to some significant places, before specific people and have a redo.  I can not do this but what I can do is live in the now and love in the now!  I can say I am sorry and love beyond the past!

Dream Catcher 3:20

Cassie Nations

KICKN IT JAVA STYLE WITH CASSIE AUDIO PODCAST~DROPPED BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

First heard on http://Gospelhourradio.com

Each week you can hear the Kickn It Java Style with Cassie audio programming on GHR Radio at http://gospelhourradio.com or on the Live365 app.  Programming times are 8am and 3pm Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays

Dream Catcher 3:20

Cassie Nations

To KNOW What Love Is

In 2003 I was sitting in my living room watching a tv program, listening to Wynonna Judd singing I wanna know what love is and my heart was being filled with a desire to KNOW what LOVE is.  This has been a very long journey for me.  One that I am still on and will continue to be on for the rest of my life.

For me I have looked for love in all the wrong places.  I have looked for love inward at my own self for love, I have looked in relationships that only became dysfunctional because I had no clue what LOVE was. Looking in all the wrong places for LOVE has caused me to give love out of all the wrong places.  That type of love is not solid, it wavers, it judges, it is conditional and it never last past my own emotions.

Over the last few years God has been trying to speak to me about these things but I was just not getting past CASSIE to hear HIM!  I was measuring HIS LOVE by my experiences with mankind and not the God-kind.

Through the circumstances of the journey God has me on, I have been back in my home town.  The Lord has taken me down memory lane.  I have literally driven to locations and sat there while He spoke to me about where He was at during certain times in my life.  HE was ALWAYS with me!  HE was ALWAYS LOVING ME!  I have written many notes in my journal to help me discover HIS LOVE.

The journey I have been on the last few weeks is now moving from SEEING how much God LOVES me to how I am to LOVE others.  I could beat myself up for all those I have hurt in my lifetime OR I can just start with LOVING!!!

I speak about and teach on God having BIG plans and dreams for our lives.  I teach out of Eph 3:20, but God showed me that with out verse 17-19 there is no verse 20.  If we can learn how deep, how wide and how long HIS LOVE truly is nothing at all can stop what God has for us.  We will be loving out of HIS SUPPLY OF LOVE!! We will change not only our own lives but those around us with an overwhelming and unexplained love.

17 And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love; 18-19 and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. And so at last you will be filled up with God himself.

20 Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.

This morning I woke up feeling irritated and frustrated because I wanted this journey to be sped up so I could see the end results…lol  This is a forever, life long journey!!!

I have been in some kind of ministry since I was in junior high.  I have seen some results through out my life but not the ones that with LOVE that I know I will SEE.  You can preach, teach, facebook post…. all day long but without GOD’S LOVE you are just making a lot of noise!

BOY HAVE I BEEN NOISY….

1 Corinthians 13Living Bible (TLB)

13 If I had the gift of being able to speak in other languages without learning them and could speak in every language there is in all of heaven and earth, but didn’t love others, I would only be making noise. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy and knew all about what is going to happen in the future, knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would it do? Even if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, I would still be worth nothing at all without love. 3 If I gave everything I have to poor people, and if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, it would be of no value whatever.

4 Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, 5 never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. 6 It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. 7 If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.

8 All the special gifts and powers from God will someday come to an end, but love goes on forever. Someday prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge—these gifts will disappear. 9 Now we know so little, even with our special gifts, and the preaching of those most gifted is still so poor. 10 But when we have been made perfect and complete, then the need for these inadequate special gifts will come to an end, and they will disappear.

11 It’s like this: when I was a child I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I became a man my thoughts grew far beyond those of my childhood, and now I have put away the childish things. 12 In the same way, we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were peering at his reflection in a poor mirror; but someday we are going to see him in his completeness, face-to-face. Now all that I know is hazy and blurred, but then I will see everything clearly, just as clearly as God sees into my heart right now.

13 There are three things that remain—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Sometimes we stop at the end of Chapter 13.  We wonder how are we going to do these things, love this way, and act this way?  Chapter 14 tells us how!

“Pursue [this] love [with eagerness, make it your goal], yet earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual gifts [to be used by believers for the benefit of the church], but especially that you may prophesy [to foretell the future, to speak a

new message from God to the people].”

‭‭1 CORINTHIANS‬ ‭14:1‬ ‭AMP‬‬

I am on a journey to purse LOVE with ALL MY HEART, MIND, EMOTIONS, AND FOLLOW THROUGH WITH ACTIONS!

Who will join me in this LOVING JOURNEY?

Dream Catcher 3:20

Cassie Nations