How to Get Out of Your Own Way and Truly See...

It's Monday.
  I {heart} Mondays.

I know that is not the norm. But for me, Mondays come after a full week and weekend of pouring out and loving on people, of being in community with my tribe --in real life and online, and spending time with friends and family, and doing everyday life things like errands, cooking and cleaning (and sometimes writing) and grocery shopping, etc.

For some this sounds like an amazing, charmed life. (It is.  I am well aware, that it is.) However, as an Introvert who loves people, it costs me something. 

Some weeks, it costs me a lot.

So Mondays are set aside to simply sit, to embrace my speed of slow and silence, to reconnect with God, one on one, and to give myself room to breathe.

As sun spilled through the living room window this afternoon, I thought I'd lay in the sunny spot on the floor. (You know... like a cat!)

What We Learned This Winter...

I keep meaning to not be so quiet here, friends! But Life, man... it is busy full and (mostly) great and God is being pretty bossy with me in staying true to my OneWord this year.  More on that below.

It is time for Emily Freeman's quarterly link-up on What We Learned, and it's my favorite! It gives me opportunity to reflect back over a few months at a time and process more fully what God is teaching me! (I'd love for you to join in, too!)

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10 Random Things I Have Learned so far this year...

The Importance of Knowing How You Are Wired... Slow: A Five Minute Friday post

Well I made it to the party --at least for a few! It was nice to be back! Finding your tribe is so essential to living our full life! (We preached on that at Dad's House last Sunday, in fact!) 

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt for the day is: SLOW

{GO}

The Importance of Knowing How You Are Wired...
  You guys! This is so helpful!

This world will push and pull and it will take what it can get... it doesn't really matter what you bring to the table if it is not what is asked of you, right?

So knowing who you are and what is expected is tremendously helpful.

But here's the thing: If we pay no attention to how God wired us, we will be quick to keep pace and we will rush to fill in the gaps. The temptation to be and do things He is possibly not asking of us, in the end, will leave us tired and unsatisfied! If left unchecked and unsupervised, it can leave us burnt out and lost, dizzy with all the not knowing.

This is never His will for us.
(Like, ever.)

Weak - A Five Minute Friday Post

Oh my... it's been a long awhile again since I have been able to hang out with the Tribe and I am missin' y'all! I'm writing #fmfparty on my Bossy List of things to do next week!

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt for the day is: WEAK

{GO}

The first thing that comes to mind is "Cornerstone"... because, of course, right?

"Christ alone; cornerstone

Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love

Through the storm, He is Lord

Lord of all..."

This, in turn, draws our attention to the ever familiar verse by Paul, when the Lord told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2Cor12:9)

I love how this verse reads in The Message:

"My grace is enough; it’s all you need. 

My strength comes into its own in your weakness."

Wow... so, who doesn't want THAT, right? 

To have HIS strength come into its own in my weakness? Yes, please!

Really - the call to be weak is the call to be vulnerable. To be honest... to be authentic and not muster up fake strength or to do whatever 'needs to be done' to save face.  

Let's leave the saving to our Savior!

The IF:Gathering... a recap of All the Awesome!

YOU GUYS!!!

Y'all know how much I love the IF:Gathering, yes? 
  I mean, I have been on board since Day One!

I love everything about this event and the heart of it and the message that comes from it and through it and how it spreads and multiplies and how God is using this Gathering worldwide, for the King and His Kingdom!

(Prepare yourself for a feast of iphone snapshots!)

This is the second year that our little church plant has hosted an IF:Local event.  We like to do it 'live' because --well, the worship and also - the interwebs! We want to watch it as it is happening... or at least as close as we can make it work while in a different time zone!

This year: 42 women signed up.
Forty. Two.

(That's almost half of our church, y'all!)

Let Your Love Shine... a Valentine Friendship Dayspring Post

Hey friends!  I have been a bit absent around here lately because, well --IF:Gathering 2017!  I've been all in since day one (back in 2014) but it started with a handful of friends, super low key, gathered in my living room... and it has grown to a church event which requires a bit more. (#understatement!) It also brings forth more fruit! Still... I've missed you all and hanging out in this space with you!

I am still processing all that I got out of IF... that post will come soon!  But today I wanted to come and talk a little bit about Love (and Friendship and Valentine's Day and Dayspring, sure... but mostly Love!)

I partner with Dayspring and that is because I am so passionate about not only their amazing products from jewelry and coffee cups (hello, pretty!) to cards and gifts and home decor, but I am also passionate about the heart behind the company and the community that they have built.

When We Forget Who is Really In Control... A Five Minute Friday post

So... I think we have all forgotten this one at some point (like... in the last few weeks or more, right?)  You know the drill...

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt for the day is: CONTROL

{GO}

This world, man... 

It feels like it's spinning out of control, right?

I mean... people all around the world seem to have lost their ever lovin' minds and maybe it's just me, but I don't think it takes a TON of discernment to see (and feel and give in to) the Spirit of Fear that is wreaking havoc in the earth today.

It's almost as if someone -thing has been unleashed!

Things are getting hot up in here and it's cray cray how Hate and Anger and Woundedness are coming up alongside Fear and having their way with our hearts and minds.

So in an attempt to remember how to breathe... and to remind myself who is really in charge around here anyway...

How to Refine What You Dwell On... A Five Minute Friday post

So remember the last time I wrote (--neither do I!) and I mentioned finding a rhythm in writing... yeah. That. Except exactly the opposite!  You guys... I just haven't had a lot of words and the ones I've been mulling over, well --they are just not for now.  But I miss you... and this discipline of writing out my hopes and thoughts and processing my feelings as I type. (You know, like free therapy! You're welcome to come along for the ride as I preach to myself here!)

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt for the day is: REFINE

{GO}

Refine...

I see the word and oh how I know I need it!
I need to be refined...

I've been pacing in my heart, and having conversations with myself in my mind, and I've been trying to make room for my whole authentic self to rise up... to show up.. to dwell. 

Ah yes... 
Dwell... 
  my #oneword365 for the year!

I am longing to dwell this year --to find this one beautiful word and invite it in to abide with me.  And in allowing His Spirit to guide me... His, and not my own-- I am learning how to create space for dwelling.

This is a vital first step...

The Welcome Return of Five Minute Fridays: CONNECT

It feels like it has been forever... For whatever reason, #Write31Days seemed to take a LOT out of me this year, and I needed more time to bounce back... and then there was the heaviness and hard of the last two months of 2016... and also the holidays... so I vowed to step back and regroup and reconnect to my joy and my hope and my purpose --in my real life first, and then here in this space as well!

So - it HAS been like forever... or at least a couple of months, since I have felt the rhythm of writing here in this space.  But I am feeling a bit back to my true self --and (Insert all the praise and jazz hands here!) I'm feeling a bit RESTED, as well! So it turns out the little breaky was needed, but it's so great to be back with the tribe!

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt for the day is: CONNECT

{GO}

Of course, with this word!  

Connect... or more specifically, RE-connect.

This is what I have been doing... what I needed that I hadn't really been paying attention to for a couple of months!

I see the word prompt and immediately I think of this quote by Eugene Peterson:

“We stop, whether by choice or through circumstance, so that we can be alert and attentive and receptive to what God is doing in and for us, in and for others, on the way. We wait for our souls to catch up with our bodies.” -Eugene Peterson, The Jesus Way

Happy New Year 2017 - Our Annual Prophetic Post

HAPPY NEW YEAR, sweet readers!

2016, man!  It was rough.  From politics and elections, to violence and injustice, to finances and miscommunication... 
But God!

If you have been hanging around this little corner of the interwebs for very long then todays' post will come as no surprise! 





















It's the very beginning of a very brand new year! Blank Calendars, Day Planners, and Hope-filled Goals stare at us, full of anticipation and fresh starts!

No matter what 2016 held, here we stand with a clean slate, a new chapter, a brand new year...

New Years Day, for me, always starts out the same...

I Am So Done With Change... a OneWord365 Wrap Up Post

I found this movement way back in 2012.  Since then, I have joined with the growing community where we pick one little word... or actually, we allow one little word come and pick us! It feels a little more long-lasting than those resolutions I make and forget about within a few weeks time. 

What I love about OneWord365 is how by simply inviting one simple word into your life... it opens you up to find it all year long. 

As the OneWord365 website says, "Forget New Year's Resolutions.  Scrap that long list of goals you won't remember three weeks from now anyway.  Choose just one word.  One word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live.  One word that you can focus on every day, all year long."

My OneWord365 for 2016 was "Change" and if you remember, I was not so fond of that idea! I felt like I had already DONE that! #pleaseandthankyou #movealongnow

I wrote a bit about Change here and here and here --but really, a lot of the Change that I encountered was deep and quiet... and it hasn't really fully surfaced yet.

In reflecting over 2016, I realized that Change was super bossy this year. I think he sensed my initial hesitation, even though he'd been courting me for years. 

Ermagherd... Berks! An Annual What I Read post for 2016

Hey y'all... Here we are near the end of 2016 and, well, you know how I love me some books... (or 'berks!')

So now is the time to reflect back over the year and revisit some of my favorite reads! I'm linking up with Kate Motaung for a special Five Minute Friday link up on BERKS!!! 

Here is a random list of books I read and loved this year! I feel like I slowed down a bit in all the reading this year... growing a (church) family took priority over both blogging and reading a bit more in 2016 but there were still some amazing words that were devoured!

***
Here are just some of my favorites, in no particular order because you all KNOW how I can not pick a favorite!

We will start, however, with my TOP FIVE READS:

Fear Fighting: Do you Live Fear or Faith? - A Guest Post by Kelly Balarie

Listen,  if you have not yet 'met' my friend Kelly Balarie --well then, you are in for a real treat! If you have... then you already know!  Kelly has a new book coming out on January 3rd (pre-order now!) and I am honored to be on her Book Launch Team. I started reading it this morning and you guys--the timing is precious with a New Year and all the thoughts of Freedom and Fresh Starts and Do Overs and oh my goodness, if when we get Fear off our backs... we fly!

So, today, Kelly is sharing a bit about what Fear Fighting means to her. Enjoy!

***
Just yesterday, my friend told me her daughter has lice. 
I hugged that girl yesterday!

Would lice go from her hair to mine? Would I be cleaning the entire house, washing every sheet and stuffed animal, and pulling a thin comb through every inch of hair on my family’s heads from now until eternity? I can't handle this thought. 

Next time, fist bumps will trump hugs.

Fear is the plumbing of discontentment.

It is the spillage of hesitation and loneliness.

It is the brakes to love.

It is the bulldozer to close relationships.

It is the boundary holding you back from God’s unlimited plan for you. 

A Look Back... Our Top 16 Posts in 2016 and a little review...

We are linking up our Top 16 posts from this year over at Kate Motaung's place this week... 

I started doing this Year in Review about three or four years ago and I love it because it makes me gives me the chance to look back through the blog and see which posts got the most traffic and which ones stirred up the most conversations in the Comment section! However, last year got out of hand in the review... it was a mini ebook.

We're not doing that again... ain't nobody got time for that!

So this year, I am just picking the post with the most conversation and at the end, I will list the TOP 16 posts with the most traffic (which will mostly be from my 31 Days series this year!)

So... here is 2016 in Review:

Now is the Time... A Five Minute Friday Post

I missed out on the last #fmfparty of the year last Thursday, but our Seahawks were playing Thursday Night Football so... #GoHawks  (Still - you know I missed y'all!) ...and then, well - you know how it goes with the bossy lists, full schedules, and Christmas right around the corner... but I'm here now! (Ya see what I did there? Well... you will!)

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt is: NOW

{GO}

Now. 
  ...it's such a bossy word, right?  At least it can be! 

It's very decisive... maybe that is more like it.  

It sets a timer and hits start before you have a moment to settle in and prepare.  

Except... I can't say for you --but for me? I can still manage to put 'Now' off for a little bit... to push him aside, or ask him for grace because 'Now' is so often just a little more than inconvenient. He sneaks up on us somehow while being in plain sight. 

NOW... it can be exciting and full of adventure and 'Finally!' and 'Why did it take so long to get here?' OR it can be dreaded and it can stir up feelings of inadequacy and 'I can't yet!' and 'How is it time already?'

JOY -- A Five Minute Friday Post

I finally made it back to the party and while I didn't write last night, it was so good to jump in and connect with the tribe! This morning, we woke up to a Winter Wonderland and sipped on coffee as Christmas music played softly in the background while sitting side by side silently doing our own reading routine... ah yes... and this brings us to our One Word Prompt today...

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt is: JOY

{GO}

Joy... I know it's all "Tis the Season" and Christmasy and all of that but sometimes, especially in this season, Joy can feel a bit elusive, right?

I mean... we can forget that Joy is available all year round and suddenly, here we are as another trip around the sun is winding down and we look back and we look ahead and we forget to choose Joy!  

We forget that we even have that choice in front of us. 

Instead we accidentally give in to the heaviness and the darkness surrounding and pressing in close and our thoughts wander to the edges of the unknown and convince us of the feelings of abandonment or at least of our own aloneness.

BUT God... But Joy... Unspeakable and full of glory...
We can choose this... 

When New Traditions Take Root... a Guest Post at Incourage

I have long been a fan of tradition and of celebrating the seasons. 

As much as I adore autumn, I love the changing of fall to winter… of pulling decorations to deck the halls on the outside, while realigning my heart to prepare Him room on the inside!

I’m fairly new to the practice of Advent and I love both the heritage of how it’s been done through the ages as well as the grace to make it work in modern times in a culture that is bent on busy.

My Honey and I, --we are empty nesters now and we’re finding the need to let go of some older customs as well as looking for new ways to make memories that last and that count...

I am honored to be sharing today over at Incourage.  To read the rest of the story, I'd love for you to join me HERE!

Also, I encourage you to Sign up here to receive free daily notes from (in)courage, sent right to your inbox! 

I'm also linking up with the lovely writer communities linked below:

Kelly Chripczuk  for #SmallWonders 

Holly Barrett for #TestimonyTuesday

KELLY BALARIE FOR #RARALINKUP

LORI SCHUMAKER FOR #MOMENTSOFHOPE

JENNIFER DUKES LEE FOR #TELLHISSTORY

Crave - A Five Minute Friday Post

I have missed my tribe... but Life, y'all! I am hoping to make it this week for sure! I'm even going to write it on my bossy day planner so I don't forget (theoretically!)

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt is: CRAVE

{GO}

Crave... If you hang around this little corner of the interwebs much at all, it will come as no real surprise to you that when I first saw the word prompt, I immediately thought of what my soul craves...

It seems, always, in this season --my soul craves wide open spaces and room to breathe!

Because, no matter where you are or what is on your bossy lists, who couldn't use a little more of that, right?

What I Learned... Fall of 2016

I didn't necessarily mean to take a little Thanksgiving break, but it turns out that is what happened!  I pray your holiday was blessed and filled with warmth and love...

I meant to come back and officially congratulate Amy for winning the Gilmore Girls Giveaway... (which -- you know, will be on it's way to you in a day or two... because: apparent Thanksgiving break!) And OF COURSE I wanted to talk all things Gilmore... but (a little) more on that later... 

Right now, it is time for Emily Freeman's quarterly(ish) link-up on What We Learned, and it's my favorite... so you know I had to make myself sit down and reflect back over this fall (and scroll through Instagram) to remind myself of what we've been learning over the past couple of months! A lot of lessons have been heavy, right? But we will keep these mostly light!

I am not only an internal processor... but a SLOW internal processor... so often what that means for me is that I don't fully process the lessons until I've intentionally slowed down a bit and focused on remembering what they were! 

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10 Random Things I Have Learned...