 Woohoo! It's Friday, and the first day of May! It's the little things that I'm celebrating in this season we find ourselves in. There is much in this season to mourn and grieve, but there are also things worth enjoying and celebrating. As always, here are some fun and formative finds for your Friday. 1. She Laughs Without Fear's New InstagramYou heard that right! This blog now has its own Instagram account! I'm excited to have a social media space as an extension of this blog. So feel free to go follow that account. It will be a great way to receive updates about new posts. 2. The ChosenI've been talking about this new tv series all week with friends! It's a television series that is focused on the life of Jesus through the lens of those that come in contact with him. It is a different way of retelling the stories of Jesus' interactions, miracles, and relationships, but I'm here for it! While some dialogue and scenes have been added, it seeks to stick very closely to the Scriptures while also giving a full picture of the impact Jesus had on people relationally. I cannot recommend this tv series more highly! 3. Easy Eats by AmyA woman that I follow on Instagram just started a food blog, and I can't tell you how excited I am to try some of her recipes - particularly her BBQ meatball recipe. Her meatball recipe will likely be one or two of our dinners this week! 4. Disney's "Magic Happens" ParadeDisney will likely be closed for several months or more, but that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy their parades! I'm really enjoying these fun videos that Disney has been sharing lately and it's something fun in the midst of this pandemic. 5. Habakkuk 3:17-19These verses have been giving my heart comfort this week as we face yet another week of isolation. While I'm hopeful PA will start to move into a "yellow" phase in two weeks, there is no guarantee. I'm sure Habakkuk felt the similar uncertainty of things as he was watching the loss of so much around him. I hope these verses comfort you as well. You can even read them in the quote below and feel free to save the image for your own keeping. 
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 It is my pleasure to share fun and formative things with you all in the midst of this pandemic that we find ourselves in. Here are some of my favorite finds from this week, and feel free to comment below your favorites from the week. 1. Holmes & DaughtersThis delightful Instagram account following the recipes and cooking adventures of Jonathan Holmes and his daughters is more than worth sharing. Holmes is a Christian writer and counselor that I have been following for a few years after reading the book that he wrote on friendship: The Company We Keep: In Search of Biblical Friendship. He just started this new account featuring his four adorable daughters, and the recipes and cooking tips that they share are worth the follow on Instagram, and you get to see a sweet family cooking together. 2. "Sunrise" | At Home With OlafI've been enjoying these short animation clips of Olaf in a series fittingly named "At Home With Olaf". This one is particularly fun and restful as Olaf enjoys a sunrise. 3. Call to the Wild (from Zombies 2)I was playing some music for Thea this week, when this song popped up on the shuffle play. If you know me, you know that I love a good dance beat and dance number, and this song has both! I'll be honest: after hearing this song and watching the music video, I watched its corresponding Disney Channel movies: Zombies and Zombies 2. I was delightfully surprised by these tv movies, and I confess that I loved them! I guess you're never too old to enjoy a Disney Channel movie. Also, this song has been stuck in my head repeatedly. You have been warned! (But it's gooooood). 4. The Daily Grace CoAre you looking for help as you grow in your relationship with Christ? Do you find it helpful to have a guided study as you read God's word? The Daily Grace Co is a small business that offers beautifully crafted and biblically faithful resources. They have a sale going on right now for their Bible studies and other resources like prayer cards. Check them out! 5. From the Archives: Lay It All on ChristHave you ever gone back and read something that you wrote several years ago, and you were like, "Woah, I wrote that?" That's how I feel when I go back and read some of the posts on this blog. One thing I love about blogging is that everything I write is like a little time capsule, and what impacted me several years ago might impact someone else years from now. So here's a little gem from the archives: how the song "Lay It All On Me" by Ed Sheeran points to the gospel.
I don't know about you, but my days look the same lately. This week it was hard to remember what my top five finds were from the week, but then I thought of some of these things. As always, I hope you find them fun and formative. 1. New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel DevotionalNow more than ever I need simple and daily encouragement from the Bible as I connect with the Lord during the day. This devotional is a favorite and has been once again helpful in this season of life. 2. "Birthday" | At Home With OlafCan you tell that I'm an Olaf fan? I will gladly watch all of these clips from Disney Animation of the Olaf at Home series. This birthday one is cute, and you might also enjoy Pumpkin. 3. The Discipline of Spiritual DiscernmentI've been reading this book by Tim Challies, and I want to underline everything! I'm a regular reader of Tim Challies blog and appreciate how he writes and explains biblical truths. I'm not quite finished, but this book has offered valuable nuggets on the topic of discernment. If you want to learn more about discernment, this would be a helpful primer. 4. The Bible Explained: PsalmsSpoken Gospel is one of my household's favorite Youtube channels, and over the past year they have been working on creating introductory videos to books of the Bible. Marrying spoken word and performance, Spoken Gospel does an excellent job explaining the central themes of different books of the Bible and how they connect to Jesus. The video linked above is an introductory to Psalms, and it's wonderful! We also love the video for Daniel and Mark. 5. Epic: IndiaTim Challies is releasing a new book and connected mini series called Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History. Each episode and chapter focuses on artifacts connected to Christian history in specific areas around the world. Challies released this episode focused on India and artifacts connected to Amy Carmichael and William Carey. I'm excited for the full mini series to release to watch the other episodes and to read the related book after they are released.  (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!)
 Well, it's April 2020, and the month ahead stands to look like the majority of March: we're all primarily at home, self-isolated. We are living in a pandemic, and as of today almost 1.7 million people have been infected and over one hundred thousand people have died globally from the Coronavirus. And we wait.
We wait to see if it will come into our household. If the random coughs we have are the signs of our bodies fighting the infection already. We wait for the spread to slow. We wait for the curve to flatten, for life to return to "normal," to once again be able to see friends face to face and hug them. We wait to see family and hold them close. We wait to sit in restaurants, to peruse stores, to not have to disinfect everything. We wait. But in this household, we wait with hope, knowing that we will celebrate Easter apart from family and the church body for the first time in this life. We wait with hope and expectation, even though we will be self-isolated for the next month and perhaps indefinitely. We wait with hope as this virus brings us together in ways it could not keep us apart. We wait with hope knowing that this world is passing away, but our spirits are being renewed day by day. We wait with hope knowing that this world is not our home, and there are far greater things ahead than any we would leave behind. We wait with hope knowing that Jesus is with us, and as sure as he defeated death and the grave, he will defeat this virus one day. We wait with hope knowing that our heavenly Father has the whole world in his hands. We wait with hope knowing that we are secure in his hands. And so we wait... but we wait as those with great hope. What a week it has been! And what a Friday it is. Here are some links for a little levity for your week. Let me know about your favorite finds from this week. 1. Graves Into GardensThis worship song has been on repeat in our household lately. It's also very timely for this Holy Week leading up to Easter. 2. Animal Crossing: Pocket CampConfession time: Animal Crossing was my favorite digital game to play growing up. I remember playing it with my sister and our neighbors during our middle school years, and we loved it! So when I found out that Nintendo was releasing a new Animal Crossing game, I felt the urge to play again! But I don't own a Nintendo Switch, so the next best thing has been Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, which is a phone app. It has been a fun little game to play as I find myself with small pockets of free time in this season. 3. Hogwarts Digital Escape RoomIf you're looking for something to do as a family, a librarian from Peters Township Library created a digital escape room for Harry Potter fans! 4. Sight and Sound's Performance of JesusThis weekend only, Sight and Sound's Performance of Jesus will be available to watch on TV and stream online. Brandon and I are huge fans of Sight and Sound and their musical retelling of Bible stories. We didn't get a chance to see this show live, but we're excited to watch it tomorrow! 5. Disney Magic MomentsDisney created some new videos, crafts, and various things for families missing a little Disney in their lives with parks closing and being at home. I'm enjoying a new mini series they are starting with Olaf.
 What a week we have had globally. I'm thankful that even as things in our world change daily, our God remains the same everyday. I keep reminding myself that he is in control of the world, and that he is not surprised by this virus. What has been amazing though is seeing how God is already using this virus to bring people together and to unify others. I hope that he also uses it to draw many people to himself. Here is a look at some things I discovered this week for your personal enjoyment while you're socially distant this weekend. 1. Josh Gad Reads StoriesJosh Gad, the voice of Olaf from Frozen, has been reading bedtime stories for those isolated at home, and his reading of Olivia Goes to Venice cracked me up! 2. Gatorade Thirst Quencher PowderI try to keep Gatorade in the house in case Brandon or I end up sick or when one of us might not drink enough water one day and wake up dehydrated the next. However, I was finding that it was difficult to keep the prepared bottles in the house, because one of us would drink them in the times when we didn't need them. But then I remembered that Gatorade makes a powder mix, so I bought one. One powder mix is cheaper than 12+ bottles and makes a lot more than that too! And it means less plastic bottles are coming into my home to either store or recycle. It's a win-win in my book, and the powder mix tastes the same as the prepared bottles anyway. 3. Defining DiscernmentI've been learning a lot about the spiritual gift of discernment lately, and this article by Tim Challies was helpful in understanding more about this spiritual gift and how God uses it in an individual to care for his church. Great resource if you like learning about spiritual gifts or if you think that God might have given you discernment as a spiritual gift. 4. The Lazy Genius Feeds a CrowdI'm a big fan of Kendra Adachi's podcast The Lazy Genius and the hacks that she gives for "being a genius about the things that matter, but lazy about the things that don't." In this episode, she offers advice on how to think about feeding a crowd. Since I tend to feed crowds often, I can tell you that I plan on using a number of the ideas she suggested to love others better and for my own sanity. 5. Try the Bakewell Tart, and other rules I'm living byThis one is from Anne Bogel at the Modern Mrs. Darcy. She shares about how a Bakewell tart (you know, that treat they make on the Great British Baking Show) during her time in Scotland taught her a lesson she's continuing to live by.  (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!)
The flu hit our household last week, which is why I wan't able to send out last week's Friday Five. Oh, and we closed on a house last Friday too. A lot of life has happened around here. So... now I have a bunch of good things to share, but I want to stick to the usual five. 1. Burn the Ships Music VideoThea and I usually listen to music throughout the day, and this song popped up during one of our music listening times. Afterwards, I looked up the music video and the song's meaning and was blown AWAY! This music video is perfect and you should listen to the story behind the song. 2. One Line A Day: A Five-Year Memory JournalI've been using this journal for well over a year now, recording a line or significant memories from each and every day. Now that I'm over a year in, it's lovely to get to read what I wrote on each day a year ago and compare what life looks like now verses a year ago. I can't wait for five years from now to have five years worth of memories to look back on. 3. Pecan Pie BarsThis recipe is one of my favorite sweet treats to bake! I've been wanting to make them recently, and I finally got around to making them this week. If you like pecan pie, let me highly recommend these. 4. Babies DocumentaryBrandon and I watched this documentary series over the past week and enjoyed it. The documentary follows the lives of several babies and the research of different scientists as they focus on areas of baby development: sleep, walking, crawling, eating, etc. It's a fascinating documentary and makes me eager to continue watching Thea develop. 5. Start SmallEmily P. Freeman shared in her podcast, The Next Right Thing, this week about the importance of starting small when it comes to beginning something again or for the first time. This is something I've been thinking a lot about when it comes to good habits. If you want to start a habit, you should start small. One small step at a time.  (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!)  This weeks' Friday Five links are all unintentionally food related. One of my goals for 2020 is to simplify my family's meal planning, and so some of these links have been helpful to that end. Others were either fun or thought provoking. Enjoy! 1. Walmart Grocery Pick UpI just started using Walmart Grocery Pick Up after realizing how much time I spend at the store just roaming around to find things that I need only to realize that Walmart does not carry those things. Instead, I started checkin on the Grocery app to see if the Walmart in my area carries certain ingredients and then I realized, "Why don't I just save myself time and order most of our groceries." Friends, I am sold! It saves me time and money because I only get the things on my list. If you're interested in trying it for yourself, follow the link in the title above, and you'll get $10 off of your first order. 2. How to Use Google Calendar for Meal PlanningI've been making some changes when it comes to how I plan meals. I was using a note taking app and then realized that I needed a calendar to help plan further out. But I don't like the idea of writing on a paper calendar and then needing to move meals around (I know it's complicated), but I realized that Google Calendar lets me put meals in for each day and then delete them if plans change. And this great article explains how to do that. It's simplifying my life a little bit more. 3. Death of the Dinner Party?Thought provoking, and makes me want to host more people at our home regularly. Have you noticed this to be true? 4. Lent's Faux-FastingConvicting article, and I have been guilty of faux-fasting over the years, which is why I am not intentionally "fasting from something" this year for Lent. If you are fasting from something, then I hope the Lord uses it to draw you closer to Him. 5. A Gaines Family TraditionBrandon and I did something similar for Valentine's Day this year, but watching this video of Chip and Joanna Gaines celebrate Valentine's Day by having a special family dinner makes me want to try this with my family in the future.
There you have it! What is your Friday Five this week? P.S. The Walmart link above is a referral link, which means that if you use the link and get $10 off of your groceries, then I get $10 off of a future grocery purchase as well. Thank you for letting me throw future dinner parties hehe! This week's Friday Five is focused on books and Youtube videos. I've been doing a lot of reading lately and I started looking for some cooking videos to try new recipes. Here's two books I've been reading and three videos I watched this week. 1. To Hell with the HustleHustle. Overwhelm. Burnout. Our culture is so focused on productivity and getting things done, and it's leading to burnout in our lives. Jefferson Bethke tackles this subject in his new book and how Jesus shows us a better way. I've waited years for this book to release, and I'm thankful for it! I'm eager to implement a number of the ideas related to sabbath in this book. I'll share more thoughts and a review in the future. 2. 1 Peter: A Living Hope in ChristThis Bible Study has been sitting on my book shelf for several years, and I finally started it two weeks ago. I don't know about you, but sometimes it is really helpful having a guided Bible study for my time with Jesus in the morning, and this study has been so helpful! 3. Molly Yeh Makes Bacon, Egg, and Cheese TurnoverThis recipe is on my to make list. I've been trying to make different things for breakfast, and this recipe is on the top of my list! 4. I Tried to Make 5 Dinners For 2 For Only $20I stumbled upon this video after the breakfast turnover video, and it inspired me to try making 5 dinners for $20 for Brandon and I in the near future. 5. Hair LoveThis short film just recently won an oscar, and it's beautiful. I'm thankful that short films are readily available for viewing in comparison to feature length films.
There you have it. Let me know your top five. Happy Valentine's Day, friends! I love Valentine's Day. Growing up, my family celebrated it as a day to love the people in your life, not just a significant other. My husband and I don't celebrate the day with a big gestures, but rather with small out of the ordinary fun, like having a fancy dinner at home or writing love notes. Anyways, no matter how you feel about Valentine's Day, I hope that you know that you are deeply loved by the One who made you. Our top five for this week are not love related, but they're good ones nonetheless. Enjoy them and feel free to let me know what your top five are below. 1. "Into the Unknown" at Oscars 2020I didn't watch the Oscars this year, but heard about this performance. Idina Menzel performs "Into the Unknown" with the women that sing the song in international versions of Frozen II. 2. The Advance of the New LegalismThis idea has been coming up in my life a lot lately, and I was thankfully for the article's thoughtful consideration and warning of a new kind of legalism. 3. 21 Tiny Habits That Will Make Everything You Cook Taste BetterTricks and tips for cooking are some of my favorite things to learn about, and this post offers some great ones. 4. 17 (Legit Useful) Food Hacks That Actually WorkIt was a week learning about food hacks, I guess. 5. How to Get Started With Blogging in 2020If you want to start blogging, Tim Challies offers so helpful tips for beginning to blog.
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Welcome! I'm Madi, a laughter-loving, movie-going, spontaneous-dancing, follower of Christ. Join me as I seek glimpses of God's grace in the ordinary and everyday.
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