It's hard to believe that November is almost over and 2018 with it. It has been quite a year, and the Lord has proven faithful through all of it, even if it has turned out far different from what I expected or planned. December is on the horizon with the longing and anticipation of the Christmas season. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. But the older I get the more the consumerism, hustle, and busyness of the season seeks to crowd out the peace and joy that so many Christmas songs celebrate. I'm learning more and more that peace, quiet, and joy isn't something that just happens to us, but rather something that we have to intentionally seek and guard space for in our lives. Peace and joy ultimately doesn't come from our circumstances or everything getting crossed off our to-dos or wish lists. Peace and joy are ultimately found through resting in the love and grace of Jesus Christ. I've been thinking about peace and joy as my to-do list grows and the plans with family and friends keep rolling in. I want to intentionally carve space for peace and joy in this season through carving space to spend time resting in Jesus. It's difficult to guard that time in this season and in regular life, but I know that it will make this season all the more enjoyable. One way that I've been preparing to spend time resting in Jesus in this season is by choosing a devotional to read for the Christmas season. This year I am reading Waiting Here for You: An Advent Journey of Hope with my mom, and it started a few days ago. It has been very helpful so far in preparing my heart for this season and intentionally setting aside time to rest in Jesus. It's just one of many different devotionals and tools to help prepare our hearts to remember from where true peace and joy comes. If you are looking for peace and joy in this season, might I recommend intentionally seeking it through guarding time to spend with Jesus. One way to do that is through reading passages of the Bible or even devotionals that help point our hearts towards peace and joy. Waiting Here for You is one such devotional, but there are many others. If this is something you are interested, I'll share a few other resources below. I pray that they bless you in this season. She Reads Truth Advent Study: Until the Son of God Appears Come, Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas The 25 Days of Christmas: A Family Devotional to Help You Celebrate Jesus Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and purchase a product, this blog will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping to support She Laughs Without Fear!
0 Comments
We were made to share about good things with others. We share about the things that matter to us, the things that we love, and the things that we think would benefit our neighbor. Here are a few things that I've been itching to share with you. The Power of One-on-One: Discovering the Joy and Satisfaction of Mentoring Others - excellent book about ministering to others. I devoured this book, and felt so encouraged in personally ministering to others. How to Ruin Your Life in Your Twenties - good stuff to think about. Loving Your Husband Before You Even Have One - I wish I would have read this book in my early twenties, but if you want to be married one day, this article is one to read. The Next Right Thing - I listen to this podcast every week and it is a simple pleasure during my week. Look Up Child - this whole album by Lauren Daigle is wonderful Jefferson Bethke's Instagram Post about home responsibilities for men and women. Let me know if you visit, read, or listen to any or all of these links! I hope they bless you on your journey. P.S. Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and purchase a product this blog will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping to support She Laughs Without Fear!
Today is Amazon Prime day! That means that if you are a member of Amazon Prime, there are a number of deals going on today that might be worth looking into. One of my favorite deals every year is their discount code for print book purchases. With the code PRIMEBOOKS18, you can get $5 off of a book purchase over $20. For book lovers like me, that's a good deal! If you want to buy a new book but are not sure where to start, I've curated a list of some current recommended reads. They are organized by category below: Spiritual Growth None Like Him by Jen Wilkin - she explores 10 ways God is different from us and why that's a good thing. I keep giving this book as a gift to friends. See a review here. In His Image by Jen Wilkin - she explores 10 ways that we are made to reflect God's Character. Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson - great book on humility and how humility brings peace into our lives. Made for More by Hannah Anderson - ever wonder why you were made and what your purpose in life is? Great book exploring this topic. Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin - helpful book on how to study the Bible with your heart and mind. See review. Side by Side by Ed Welch - loved reading this book with a friend on campus last semester. It gives encouragement and helpful ideas for relational ministry. A Praying Life by Paul Miller - read this book in college, and my prayer life has never been the same ever since. If you've ever wanted to grow in communing with the Lord in prayer, this book is for you. Love Walked Among Us by Paul Miller - it's all about how Jesus loved people and how we're called to love people as Jesus loved. If you want to feel refreshed by the amazing love of Christ, this here is your pick. Review of the book. 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You by Tony Reinke - just finished reading this pick, and it's probably one of the best books that I've read in 2017. Couldn't recommend it more highly. See a review here. Cinemagogue by James Harleman - this book shaped the way that I viewed filmmaking and watching movies and television in college - helpful book in thinking through how films shape how we view God and how God should shape our viewership. It's Not What You Think by Jefferson Bethke -addresses common misconceptions about Christianity and addresses things that most Christians do not think about, like what eternity will really be like. See review here. Biography/ Autobiography To the Golden Shore by Courtney Anderson- the biography of Adoniram Judson - the first missionary from the United States. I could not put this biography down. The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines - they story of how this couple started their lifestyle brand Magnolia which led to the HGTV show, Fixer-Upper Fiction Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers - historic romance novel based of the biblical story of Hosea. Circle Series by Ted Dekker - just finished reading this series. It's one of Brandon's favorites and it's excellent. I could recommend more books, but this is a good list to start. Don't forget to add the code PRIMEBOOKS18 at checkout to receive your discount. If you don't have Amazon Prime, you can try it for free with a 30 day trial and receive the discount. P. S. What I'm Buying In case you were wondering what books I'm buying on this Amazon Prime Day, I bought Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp (only $5.42 right now), The Memoir Project by Marion Smith, and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I'll keep you posted on how I like them. The links to the books above are affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing a book or other products She Laughs Without Fear receives a small commission. When you buy books, you allow me to buy more books for review. Thanks for helping to fund my reading habit and supporting She Laughs Without Fear at no additional cost to you!
November came and went faster than I anticipated. I can hardly believe that it is already almost half way through December. I remember a friend once sharing that the days are long but the months and years are short, and I keep finding that to be true. It's always a joy to share things that I've found in this little corner of the interwebs, so I thought I would share a few favorites from November and December so far. Enjoy. Nine Questions To Ask Yourself To Prepare For 2018 - I can hardly believe that it is almost 2018, but I've already started thinking and praying about goals for next year. This post was particularly helpful as I prepare. Did you know that Aaron Burr's grandfather was Jonathan Edwards, the preacher? I didn't either until Emily P. Freeman pointed it out on her What We Learned This Fall post. In her words: "I am sure everyone else knew this but I did not! And now that line in Wait for It make’s sense: “My grandfather was a fire and brimstone preacher (preach-a, preach-a, preach-a) . . . ” Thank you, Hamilton soundtrack, for teaching me so much about Aaron Burr, sir." I found out this month that I'm an Enneagram type 7, and it explains so much about how God made me. What type are you? If you don't know, you can take the free assessment at Your Enneagram Coach's website. Brandon and I watched/devoured the first season of Victoria abut the life of Queen Victorian of England. It was so good that I spent the morning of Black Friday researching about Queen Victoria and her descendants. The BBC and PBS' Masterpiece are doing an excellent job of creating beautiful television content. I'm almost done with the She Reads Truth Bible in a Year reading plan, and it has been a joy and a challenge to read and summarize the Bible in a year. I'm currently reading Daniel, and reading most of the Bible before reading this book has given more flesh to the bones of the context of this book. It makes me look forward to studying books like Daniel more in-depth in 2018. Refresh: Embracing a Grace-Paced Life in a World of Endless Demands - one of the few books that I read and finished in November, but a book that I needed all year. If you're looking for a practical book on rest and refreshment in the Lord, particularly for women, might I recommend this little book. It is very practical, more practical than I was expecting, and it gave me helpful ideas to think about implementing more rest and refreshment in my life in the midst of busyness. What are some of your favorites from the month of November and December? The links to the books above are affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing a book or other products She Laughs Without Fear receives a small commission. When you buy books, you allow me to buy more books for review. Thanks for helping to fund my reading habit and supporting She Laughs Without Fear at no additional cost to you! Today is known as Small Business Saturday, and in the spirit of celebrating and supporting small businesses, my friend Amber Scott from Mt Nittany Creations answered a few questions about her local business. Amber started her business a year ago, and it is my pleasure to share with you more about this maker and dear friend. What lead to creating your business? Over the last several years I went through a period of struggling with depression. I had started going to counseling and learning about the person whom God had made me and learned that it is ok to embrace and love the person whom God made me to be. Part of that was reconnecting with the creative side of myself. So I started making again and at one point took a jewelry class with some friends and fell in love, so I started making jewelry for everyone. With my confidence and love for who God had made me to be growing I started toying with the idea of opening an online ETSY shop. After researching and seeking out advice I took the leap. What inspires your art and creativity? My love of creating beautiful things. I guess emmulating our Lord. Obviously I cannot create in the same way He does but there is such beauty in making patterns or ideas come together. It brings me lots of joy. I especially love custom orders. Making something for someone is challenging and exciting. How has being a Christian affected the way you view being an artist and a Maker? As I mentioned before watching a creation come together brings me such joy and makes me think of our Lord. Knowing that I am this way because God made me unique and will use these unique abilities to bring Him Praise. How has your art opened up doors to love people with your talents? There is a huge community of "makers" out there. Through Instagram and Facebook I have made all kinds of friendships where more than once I have had the opportunity to point people to the Lord, share godly wisdom and just loving on others. It is such a joy to be able to bless other makers and try and help them succeed as well. So I even started a second Instagram feed just so I can love on other makers more and not loose my jewelry business in the process. What would you share with someone that is a Christian and wants to invest time in their art and creativity? Go for it. God has made you unique, embrace that. God will open up so many fun and unique opportunities to express yourself and love for the Lord through your creativity. Its ok to be creative. There is also such a need for more believers in the "maker" community. Come join us. If you're looking for a small business to support this Saturday, I would highly recommend Mt. Nittany Creations. Amber has an Etsy shop and you can connect with her via Facebook and Instagram. I particularly enjoy seeing her work via her Instagram account. Mt. Nittany Creations Etsy Shop Are there any small businesses that you're supporting on this Small Business Saturday? Reading has fallen on hard times. Between the computer and the smartphone, people do not read as much as they once did. Or rather people don't read books or longer works as much as they once did. Despite the statistics, there are still people that make time for reading. I've had a number of friends ask me over the years how I find time to read so many books. On any given year I read an average of 15-30 books, and I often share about books that I've read here and via social media. I love sharing book recommendations and talking about books with others, which is why I often get asked about how I find time to read and how I can read as much as I do. To answer simply: reading is a discipline that I find valuable and enriching. Therefore, I prioritize time for it. We make time for things that we think are important. Take exercise for example. We carve out time for it in our days and try to keep a regime and routine. We feel guilty when we don't keep up with it. We feel more energized and less stressed when we do keep up with it. Just like exercise takes discipline, reading takes discipline as well. The way most people feel about exercise is how I feel about reading. (In fact, sometimes I do both at the same time. Hello treadmill!) Reading is something that I find to be valuable and important. Therefore, I make time for it. Just like 15 minutes of exercise is better than no exercise, 15 minutes of reading is better than not reading at all, which is why I aim to read at least 15 minutes or roughly 1 chapter of a book a day. I find that reading a chapter a day motivates me to read and depending on the book length, I can read a book in a week or every two weeks. Another thing that helps is reading multiple books at one time. I have a friend that reads one book that is a leisure read, one book that is spiritual growth related, and one that is job training related. I have since adopted this friend's method. Reading multiple books at one time creates variety and gives us different things to read at different points in the day. I am more apt to read a spiritual growth book in the morning and a leisure read at night time, because it is harder for me to concentrate later at night. Reading is a discipline. If we want to read more and we find value in reading, then we need to make time for it. I could write an entire post about the value of reading (which I might do). It is a very helpful discipline for growth, mentally and spiritually, and it's a discipline that we should make a regular part of our schedules. In the twenty minutes that we might spend on social media in the morning, we could spend that time reading a book which will actually be more encouraging and valuable than mindlessly scrolling through content. One way that you can make reading a discipline in your life is by replacing your time on social media in the morning with reading for ten minutes. If you've been wanting to read more, the first step is deciding if reading is something that you view as valuable and important and then making the time for it, even if it's just 15 minutes a day to start. Ultimately, my hope is that you would find reading as something that is profitable and would make it a regular discipline. If you want to make reading a regular discipline, but you're looking for good books to read, here are a few recommendations: Leisure Reads:
Circle Series 4-in-1 (The Circle Series) To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson The Magnolia Story Spiritual Growth: Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different from Us (and Why That's a Good Thing) Humble Roots: How Humility Grounds and Nourishes Your Soul A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World The links to the books above are affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing a book or other products She Laughs Without Fear receives a small commission. When you buy books, you allow me to buy more books for review. Thanks for helping to fund my reading habit and supporting She Laughs Without Fear at no additional cost to you! Over the past year I've been learning a lot about myself and the way that God has so intricately made me. One thing that I've been learning recently is that God made me with a gift for gathering and inviting. I should have known this about myself, but sometimes it takes a friend pointing out your giftings to know how you're gifted. And so I'm learning and seeing how the Lord has made me to be an inviter by nature, and I want to share and invite you to read some articles and posts that have ministered to my soul.
Harry Potter, Jesus, and Me from the Rabbit Room // Stories can point us towards a greater story. Andrew Peterson shares how Harry Potter pointed him towards Jesus. Beware (and Embrace) the Power of Story from Tim Challies // Stories and experiences have more power than we realize, and we often use stories to persuade others. Tim Challies discusses that power that stories have over our lives for good and for bad. To Rest is to Leave Unfinished from Lore Wilbert // Sometimes resting means that we cannot finish things. Sometimes resting means that we disappoint people or even disappoint ourselves, but resting is essential for our souls. Lore Wilbert shares reflections upon learning how to rest well. The Day I Was Supposed to Move from Sophie McDonald // How do we respond when God does things differently than we expect or when He changes plans or callings? Sophie McDonald shares how the Lord changed her plans, but is using them for her good. Eat Real Food from Faith Thomas // I don't know about you but I often feel surrounded by different ideas on what foods that we should or shouldn't eat, but what I keep coming back to is the idea that God made food and he said it was good and gave us everything we need in real and whole food to be nourished. Faith share's a similar sentiment: when it comes down to what to eat, eat real food. Are there particular articles that have been ministering to your soul lately? There are times when a song comes across our path at an intersection in life. The song Hills & Valleys by Tauren Wells came into my life on a Sunday morning when I was feeling particularly discouraged by the valleys that I was facing: adjusting to a new town, a new community, and a new season and place in life. These same valleys have also lead to hills and mountains with the Lord. In all of it, God is in control of the physical valleys and hills, but also the spiritual valleys and hills in my life and in your life. We might sing God's praises when we're on the mountaintop whether it's his provision financially, in a new job, a new relationship, a new friend, or a sign of his particular love and care. And we often struggle to praise Him and see his particular loving hand in the valleys: illness, broken relationships and friendships, loss of a job or a loved one, or even just struggling emotionally. But God is the God of the hills and valleys, and He loves and is caring for us in the valleys as well as on the hills. If whether you're walking through a valley or standing on the mountaintop, I hope that this song by Tauren Wells ministers to your soul, and reminds you of the God of the hills and valleys. Listen here: Hills and Valleys by Tauren Wells. The links to the song above is an affiliate links. By clicking on it and purchasing the song or other products She Laughs Without Fear receives a small commission. When you buy music, you allow me to more music to write about for. Thanks for helping to fund my music listening habit and supporting She Laughs Without Fear at no additional cost to you! If you're a regular around here, you know that I often share about books that I'm reading and what books have impacted my life. But what I have never shared are the ways that I get books free/for a discount. There are a number of resources that I would love to share about in a future post, but today I came across an Amazon Prime deal that might encourage you to buy a new book or two. Today only, Amazon is offering a discount of $5 off of a purchase of $15 for books and many of their books are discounted today. To secure the deal, you just need to put in the code PRIMEBOOKS17 at checkout. The coupon code is valid until tomorrow July 12. You can learn more about the coupon code here. But I also wanted to share a few books that I would recommend buying with this sweet deal! So here are some top picks to pick up: None Like Him by Jen Wilkin - she explores 10 ways God is different from us and why that's a good thing. I keep giving this book as a gift to friends. See a review here. Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson - great book on humility and how humility brings peace into our lives. Made for More by Hannah Anderson - ever wonder why you were made and what your purpose in life is? Great book exploring this topic. Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin - helpful book on how to study the Bible with your heart and mind. See review. Side by Side by Ed Welch - loved reading this book with a friend on campus last semester. It gives encouragement and helpful ideas for relational ministry. A Praying Life by Paul Miller - read this book in college, and my prayer life has never been the same ever since. If you've ever wanted to grow in communing with the Lord in prayer, this book is for you. Love Walked Among Us by Paul Miller - it's all about how Jesus loved people and how we're called to love people as Jesus loved. If you want to feel refreshed by the amazing love of Christ, this here is your pick. Review of the book. 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You by Tony Reinke - just finished reading this pick, and it's probably one of the best books that I've read in 2017. Couldn't recommend it more highly. See a review here. Cinemagogue by James Harleman - this book shaped the way that I viewed filmmaking and watching movies and television in college - helpful book in thinking through how films shape how we view God and how God should shape our viewership. It's Not What You Think by Jefferson Bethke -addresses common misconceptions about being a Christian, and addresses things that most Christians do not think about, like what eternity will really be like. See review here. My husband's recommendations: Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley - helpful book for those that want to learn more about church history. Circle Series by Ted Dekker - just finished reading this after Brandon's request and OH MY! Such a great book series. Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin - In the words of Brandon, this is a book that everyone should read. He has found it particularly helpful as he thinks through leading musical worship and why worshipping God matters. Hope that you find a new summer read that you'll enjoy and expand your mind. Don't forget to put PRIMEBOOKS17 at the check out to receive the deal. The links to the books above are affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing a book or other products She Laughs Without Fear receives a small commission. When you buy books, you allow me to buy more books for review. Thanks for helping to fund my reading habit and supporting She Laughs Without Fear at no additional cost to you! Growing up, my father would always encourage my sister and I that work was good for the soul. He modeled for us what it looked like to work diligently in all areas of life. While I learned a lot from my father in terms of working hard, I really struggled with viewing work as good and good for the soul. The fact is that my father was not far from a biblical truth that begins in Genesis. Work is good for the soul, because God made mankind with the purpose of doing fruitful work and labor in his garden, but man's sin made our work toilsome and difficult, and now we're longing for the redemption of all things, including work. James M. Hamilton explores this idea of work in his book Work and Our Labor in the Lord. A short but helpful book, Hamilton explores four aspects of our work: creation, work after the fall, redemption, and restoration. I've been thinking a lot about work and calling over the past few months and have read several books that focus on why we were made and how we should live out our calling and be good stewards of our callings (Made for More, You Are Free, and What's Best Next). However, this book gives a great introduction to why God made work, why work is good for us, why work is so hard, and how work can and will be redeemed or restored through Jesus. Here are some standout quotes: “Work is neither punishment nor cursed drudgery but an exalted, Godlike activity” If you're looking for a book with a helpful biblical perspective on work and how work will be redeemed, Work and Our Labor in the Lord should be on your list. Related Posts The Work of God's Fingers Confessions of A Creative Christian Shadows of Heavenly Things The Amazon links to the books mentioned above are affiliate links. If you click on the links and purchase any of the books, this blog is supported at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting She Laughs Without Fear!
I received a free copy of Work and Our Labor in the Lord in exchange for an honest review from Crossway. |
Archives
March 2023
Copyright © 2014 - 2023
She Laughs Without Fear |