ashes to beauty | Nana Campana

I Failed… Again!

admin — Tue, 26 May 2015 01:23:04 +0000

For years I have hidden- hidden from my past- from my mistakes- from the things that I am incapable of doing. One by one I have failed the people I love the most- the friends that have proven to be true, the family that has been entrusted to me… Instead of making things right – I run.

There is this sick side of me that believes that eventually I will get it just right- that I will not have to admit that I was unable to do the task I said I would do. The fear of being known as the one that failed- the one that did not get to do this or that- the one that never finishes what she starts haunts me, so I catch myself in a cycle of perpetual failing.

I fail = I hide because I failed which in turns leads to more failure … and so the cycle goes on.

I have let many people down.

I overcommit and then shut down.

I am unable to produce what is expected of me.

I don’t have the courage it takes to actually say no or to admit my failures.

I take time looking at myself and my inabilities and I spend countless hours doing one of three things:

reinventing a way to be able to make “the task at hand” happen
“soothing” my guilty conscious with mindless tasks that keep me occupied
thinking I have other important things to do other than simply fulfill what has been asked of me

And so I wonder… Am I the only one that goes through this?

I am tired of living life carrying a load I was not meant to carry once in Christ- trying to act my way through life as though I did not need anyone or anything. The reality is that if I did not need anything- if indeed I am capable of doing anything out of my own accord- then I would have had no need for the Savior that gives meaning to my entire existence.

The more I try to hold on to my life- the more I lose it (Luke 17:33)… The more I try to act like I am fine- the more lonely I feel. The more I tell myself I can do it- the least I am able to function. Who am I kidding? God is not fooled! (Galatians 6:7)

It was the broken that wept at His feet and found healing- the ones who dared to look past the dirty looks of those around them – it was these who saw His gaze and were transformed. So like the woman who bled for 14 years (Matthew 9: 18-25), or the Samaritan woman (John 4:1-45) that chose to draw water alone, or perhaps like the woman that wept at His feet and washed His feet with her tears (Luke 7: 36-50)– I stand in front of you and say – I am not well under the masks and the facade.

God did not save me so that I would act my Christianity- or simply know about Him- He saved me so that He could live through me. The God that created the entire universe- The ONE whose voice holds the earth in its axis lives inside of me- so even when a failure – I am His daughter… and so are you!

Women all over the world are faking it.. Acting their way through their Christian life as though that would make the doubts and the pain go away. When did it become ok to simply fit in to the mold the world laid out for us? When did we stop taking God at His Word? When did we stop believing that His power and love is meant to transform even our lives?

Hosea 4:6 showcases a plea the Lord makes to His people. In it He states that His people are destroyed because of their lack of knowledge. I am tired of being defeated and destroyed simply because I do not know Him and who I am in Him. I am tired of seeing other women struggle in the same way.

I invite you to my broken journey.

I choose to let go of the 10,000 things I hold on to, and choose to simply let the Lord’s 300 be enough….

Would you walk this journey with me – in full transparency and frailty… ? It is time!

Love in Christ,

Nana

PS: If you are willing to start walking this journey with me, please leave a comment. I would like to know how I can pray for you..

Name Your Own Price!

admin — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:14:11 +0000

Hello Beautiful!

(image found here)

So, I have received many e-mails from women about their REAL interest in the Ashes to Beauty Program with the problem of not being able to afford it. Really, finances is NOT why I do this! So after praying I decided to open up some spots and make them “NAME YOUR OWN PRICE” Spots!

Artwork by Iris Babao Uy

Here is how this will work:1. Pray about what you can pay to be in the Ashes to Beauty program.

2. Once you come up with a price that will cause you to commit to the journey, leave me a comment with an offer and an e-mail address I can contact you. (The offer can be left in a c

omment here, through a private e-mail, or on my Facebook Page)

3. Along with the offer, leave the reason why I should accept this offer. In other words, tell me your why. 🙂 (This is optional, but will be helpful in my choosing process.)

4. Wait for my response. I promise to respond either way… 🙂

If you have not yet read about the program you can do so here: http://www.nanacampana.com/ashestobeauty

I know you will think that I have gone BANANAS, but I promise you that I have not! With the things I have experienced in the past week, so much about my purpose has been made clear. I have confirmed that my biggest passion in life is that of teaching women to become who they were created to be! I want to push the curtain aside and give room for women to see Christ and the design He placed within them. I want to teach women to leave a Legacy of what He has done so that other generations can know that He indeed is good. I want to equip women with ALL the tools they need in order to fulfill their purpose- and I feel the Lord has prepared me for this!

Remember that if you have any questions, you can e-mail me at mypapertreehouse @ gmail.com

Limited spaces available, so make sure that you take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity! 🙂
Love in Christ,

Nana

Here is what the ladies are saying about the program:

Nana, I want you to know that the past three weeks have been amazing! I totally did not expect the Lord to move in such a powerful way in my life! I did not expect the things that have happened, to happen! I did NOT expect to not be in art school and I did NOT expect to re-enroll in Bible college…I cannot tell you how blessed I am to have had the blinders removed from my eyes, to be awakened to the truth in such a powerful way, and to GET TO combine the two things I’m most passionate about…living a creative life AND teaching the Word of God! I have no idea how all this will come about, but I’m trusting in my Lord and God to open the doors of opportunity! – Anita Van Hal

I felt God calling me, and He wanted me to be a part of this. After losing my father and father in law this year, I was lost and felt that I couldn’t hear Him; I felt abandoned. But during a chat with a friend, I just felt as though this program was something I truly needed to lift me up from despair. This was completely new for me! I’ve never done anything like this…. I’ve hardly even take Bible studies in person. When I first began the journey I felt Lost. Broken. Confused.

Nana… you truly allowed God to work through you, to find the innermost troubled parts of me, and pull them out and start a healing process. Your insight allowed me to understand the FULL scale of what my journey (my LIFE) is all about. I am connecting more with the Lord, daily. I am finding a peace within myself that had eluded me for many, many months. And my outlook on my future has become one of joy, curiosity, and renewed spirit. Thank you, lovely lady, for giving me this chance!! – Dana Weseman

Before starting the Ashes to Beauty program, I felt overwhelmed. I had many dreams and passions and I didn’t know where to start. I also needed some extra encouragement to believe that my dreams could come true. I was frustrated, doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. I was not succeeding.

Since I started the Ashes to Beauty Program, I have learned concrete steps to identify what is important in my life and ways to implement them. I’ve realized that being overwhelmed was of my own doing and that if I plan and prioritize my tasks; I do have enough time in a day to do everything the Lord would have me do. I didn’t know where to start and now after only two weeks, I’ve accomplished many short-term goals. I have also been able to pin-point my gifts and passions which sets me free to let go of the things that take up my time but won’t help me accomplish my ultimate goals.

Marjolaine Walker

Hiding Sin Behind A Cushion… (a confession)

admin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:00:55 +0000

Hello Beautiful! I have a confession to make and I chose to actually “tell” you about it, so take a second and look at the short video I have prepared for you:

I long to be very real and transparent with God and with the world. The Bible teaches that in my weakness He is strong! I finally realized that by hiding my weaknesses I am not allowing God to show Himself strong in my life. So… I decided to make a choice and become intentional about being who I was created to be.. In turn the world will get to see

HIS BEAUTY!

What confessions do you have to make that will allow God to finally show strong in your life? What areas of your life do you hide “behind a cushion” but are now willing to show? Leave me a comment with your thoughts, prayer requests, or your own confessions… (I want to know that I am not the only one willing to step out and BE REAL!) 🙂

Love in Christ,

Nana

from ashes to beauty

admin — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

You have probably noticed that I have been changing things around both in my site and on my blog. The changes are not fully finished and I promise that the moment everything is ready, I will explain a bit more. In the meantime I wanted to share with you something that I feel ready to share…

After praying about what I want to accomplish through the blog and the site I realized that my biggest passion is to serve the Lord by helping women discover the beauty they can possess. The Lord promises that if you take the ashes of your life to His throne of Grace, in turn He will give you beauty! and so the “from the ashes to beauty” ministry was born…

It is my prayer that you would join me as I answer tough questions, study the Scriptures, and look at the Truth of what God has to say about our lives.

The very first topic I would like to discuss is Biblical Womanhood. In order to do so I will be using the Scriptures along with the book “Radical Womanhood” by Carolyn McCulley.

Starting next week, I will dissect one chapter a week. I will do it in such a way that even if you do not own the book, you too can participate and learn about what God’s design for women. It is my prayer that at the end of this study, you would be able to look at yourself with the ability to admire the beauty the Lord will be polishing in and through you. 🙂 I hope to see you participate and share what the Lord shows you through the study, and of course the pics of the projects you will be creating to add to your faithbooks. 🙂

Have a blessed week!

Love in Christ,

Nana