Back in June I read a book by Emily Lex called “Freely & Lightly” (which, by the way, I highly recommend).  In the book she mentions that she was doing a Bible Study called Project 89 where she would read a chapter of the Gospel each day and journal about what the chapter meant to her and what she took away from it.  I thought it sounded like a great way to get closer to Jesus and to know Him, so I googled Project 89 to get more info on how to do it (click here to check out the instructions) and I got started.  I wanted to share a recap/review of the Project 89 Bible Study for you because it was really impactful for me.

To get started, I grabbed a cute new notebook at Target and I wrote the instructions into the beginning of my notebook so I could reference them but after the first couple of days I knew what to do.

So basically, each morning I would wake up a little early so I could have time to read and reflect and spending the time in the Word.  I like that Project 89 is just one chapter each day…each chapter is roughly only a page or two long usually, so it’s not too much to digest.  To assist me with breaking down context and what everything meant, I would first read that day’s chapter, and then I would read that chapter commentary on Enduring Word.  Enduring Word is basically like having a personal Bible study teacher guiding you and for me it really helped me more fully understand the complete meaning of each passage.  It gives historical and situational context that I think can sometimes be overlooked or misunderstood.  It basically breaks it down for you verse by verse.

To find the right passage on Enduring Word I would literally just type “[Insert Chapter Name Here, for example Luke 1] Enduring Word” into Google and the first result would be what I would need!

I’d write down and journal about the entire passage and then at the end, per the instructions, I would give that page a title, and then I’d put that title into my Table of Contents.

This feels like showing you the inside of my diary (lol – I guess it kind of is) but here is an example of a daily entry.

I am proud to say I didn’t miss a single day of my 89 days of Project 89, and it set me into the routine I have continued since starting in July.  Once I finished the Gospels I just kept going, reading Acts, Romans, and now into Corinthians.  In addition to my daily reading, I also read this daily devotional, am currently reading Embraced and so I read one chapter of that devotional as well, and then I also use the free Bible app and do the Verse of the Day and whatever other plan I choose.  They have hundreds of free Bible study plans in that app for whatever type of situation you may be going through…anxiety, loss, how to pray, etc.  So many options.  And that’s how I start my day!  All together that usually takes me between 30 minutes to an hour, just depending on how long the passages are and how much I write

If you’re wanting to learn more about who Jesus is and really get to know Him, there is no better way than through the Gospels.  They are Jesus’ word and life.  I feel very blessed to have been in the middle of this practice when we experienced our miscarriage; because I truly don’t know how I would have been able to get through without knowing what true hope is through Jesus.  And don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a Christian my entire life and I’d pray every night, but there’s something very transformative about allowing Jesus into your daily life and making Him a priority…and that just wasn’t something I used to do to this extent.  The past few years I’ve done devotionals each day but they take maybe 2-5 minutes?  I just felt like I had more to give and more I needed to give because I needed more of it.  I wake up each morning excited to spend time with God in His Word and I just wanted to share this with you, because it’s been a really great way for me to know Jesus on a deeper level.

I highly recommend you giving Project 89 a try.  It’s done amazing things for my heart and my mind…and I think that’s something we can all always use a little bit more of!  Let me know if you give it a go, and if you have any questions leave them in the comments!

xo,

Bess

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I think the big thing that changed was just the fact that Emma now gets a “real” breakfast so we are usually making her breakfast or playing with her and it’s just not as, well, quiet in the mornings anymore, lol.  So lately I have been trying to wake up early most days of the week and do it first thing, but I’m committing to myself that even if I have to do it right before bed, it will happen.  In 2021 I am going to make sure I get back on this being an every day thing and not so inconsistent as it has been lately.

You can read this previous post about the devotionals and Bible studies I’ve done for years…I continue to read She Reads Truth every day but felt like it was time for some new devotionals.  I wanted to share those with you today in case you were looking for some, too!

New Devotionals for 2021

My Quiet Time Devotional

I got this one because it’s a similar lay out to the “Jesus Calling” one that I love, and that it’s pretty to look at I decided on the leather bound version because you know I appreciate an aesthetically pleasing book/notebook/journal.  It also has the gold edging of the paper…okay you get it, it’s pretty.  It also has some space for notes if you want to write some.  Another thing is that the days are not by date like they are in Jesus Calling, it just says “Day 1”, “Day 2”, etc.  so you can start anytime…but 1/1 seems as good a time as any!  The devotions are just one pagers so they are short and it’s a great place to start if you’re wanting to incorporate devotionals and time with God into your day!

Grace for Today Mini Devotions

I got this one to be my little travel companion…I know we didn’t go much of anywhere in 2020 but here’s hoping having a pocket devotional will come in handy in 2021.  I’ve actually started on this one and I’m enjoying it.  Again it’s short, one page devotions…even shorter than the “My Quiet Time” one.  It’s under $5 so I think it’s a must regardless because you can easily tack it on to your other readings for the day!

Trustworthy: Overcoming Our Greatest Struggles to Trust God

So this one is more of a true Bible Study than just a devotional.  I’ve read a couple of Lysa Terkeurst’s other books and have enjoyed them, and I’ve heard good things about this study.  If you struggle with trusting God, which I’m sure we all do at one time or another, this might be a great option for you!  I feel like I am always open to strengthening my faithfulness and trust because I know I can always do better.  “When hard times come and it seems God is deviating from the plan we assume our life should follow, we’re more likely to want to tame God, not trust Him. It’s then that we begin to press into our ways and our own timing. No human can carry the weight of being their own god, but so many of us try.”   It’s a 6-session study of 1 & 2 Kings where you “join Lysa TerKeurst in Israel as she honestly reveals the places of distrust in her own heart while exploring the deeply applicable Scriptures that will teach us how to truly trust God.”

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So those are the ones I’m starting with! I will likely stick with the Quiet Time devotional each day as well as the daily She Reads Truth passage…then I will do the “Trustworthy” study as well.  It seems like it’s a 6 week study, so that might be like a once a week type of thing.  We will see once it gets here, it hasn’t been delivered yet   Let me know if you’re going to get any of these or if you have a good devotionals recommendation!

xo,

Bess

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If you’re a Strong is She podcast listener, then you likely heard most of this message about How to Build Self Love last week on the show in episode 10.  But since not everyone listens to podcasts, I wanted to share it in full blog post form too.  I’m essentially sharing the podcast transcript, so my apologies if it’s kind of long, but I think the message is important and the tips are hopefully helpful!

I think especially in today’s day and age of seeing nothing but shiny highlight reels on Instagram, it’s easy to feel like maybe other people have it better than you or have it figured out.  Well, I think we all know that’s not actually the case but even still, it can have an impression on us.  And of course that’s just one piece of the puzzle so this won’t all be just about the impact of social media…in fact that will be a small part of today’s show but a relevant one nonetheless.  I’m going to share ways to find, build, and nurture self love, which I believe then leads to more self esteem and self confidence.  I think those two things are a by-product of loving yourself.   I think this world is such a more beautiful place when we all embrace who we are and share our differences.  We were all made to be different people and give our unique perspectives and influences onto the world…doing anything else is selling yourself and our world short!

I of course want to say I’m in no way an expert on this topic.  I have my moments of struggling with self-confidence just like anyone else.  We all have our days. I just want to share what I think works and just daily tips and practices we can implement to continue to work to being our best selves.

So like I mentioned earlier, I think true self-confidence is a by-product of self love.  But how do you build or find self love??  I think it starts with the belief of deeply knowing one thing:  YOU ARE WORTHY.  And your worth is not defined by the opinions of others.  Working to separate those things can be difficult but something worth practicing because at the root, those are truths.

Then beyond that, I have some tips that I either personally put into practice as much as possible or that I’ve researched that help to build self love.  I think you can take all of them or just the ones that speak to you!  Practice incorporating them into your day and I think you’ll really start to see a mental shift about how you treat and view yourself.

TIPS TO BUILD SELF LOVE

1. Be aware of the effects that your surroundings have on your self-esteem.  Whether that be interactions in real life or virtual ones on social media…even books and magazines that we read.  What messages are those platforms sending to you?  The comparison trap is so real but actively working to identify when something is having a negative effect on how you feel about yourself will help you similarly identify when you need to separate yourself or possibly cut it out of your life completely.  I know I find my self struggling with the comparison trap on social media a lot, seeing other bloggers doing this or that and perceiving it as them doing better than me, which can make me question if I’m good enough.  I know that sounds silly in perspective to real world issues but it is a real thing I know I personally have struggled with at times so I want to be open about that and share it.  And I really should KNOW better because I know people are just mainly showing the highly edited highly curated best of the best type photos and moments on their feed, and even still, sometimes it’s hard to separate. So for me when I notice maybe someone in particular is sending me messages that make me feel bad or down about myself, I generally unfollow them.  And usually these people aren’t doing that intentionally, but that’s just the dynamic of social media.  We see only what others want us to see and none of the stuff that really makes us understand we probably ALL struggle with similar issues.  So just take note of that and guard your heart against things that make you feel down.  There’s nothing wrong with taking yourself out of a situation that isn’t serving you.  That goes for real life interactions as well.  Relationships or friendships or anything that doesn’t lift you up in one way or another likely isn’t worthy of your time, especially if it’s bringing you down.  Ultimately, you have to know that YOU are the one in control of your self esteem.  What messages you allow to infiltrate your headspace and heart are, for the most part, within your control and how you REACT to those things is 100% within your control.
2. Get to know who you really are.  How will you be able to fully love yourself if you aren’t totally sure of who you are?  Do you know what makes your soul happy?  Where does your mind go when it wanders?  What are your big scary dreams you wouldn’t dare tell anyone about??  Those are the things that should be guiding lights in your life. Make it a daily practice to do MORE of what makes you feel good.  Even if it’s just something small…do at least one thing a day that makes you feel good just for the sake of you feeling good.  For example, sometimes back when I was working my corporate job I would take a quick break during the day maybe on my lunch or something and run to the store to grab a kombucha, because I love a kombucha and it made me happy!  And it was just something SMALL but it brought something special to my day and reminded me that I am worth the time and energy to make myself happy even if it’s something totally unimportant to anyone else.  But don’t be afraid to spend some time alone to get to know yourself.  Your relationship with yourself is the most important one you’ll ever have, so don’t neglect getting to know your own heart.  It will really make everything else like who and what you allow into your life so much easier!
3. What are things about yourself or your life that you’d like to change?  This point is kind of the flip side of #2.  What are things about yourself you want to change because YOU WANT to change them (not because society or social media tells you that you should)?  By this I mean things that you’d actually like to work on to become a better person or to get to know yourself better.  Maybe it’s something as small as changing a bad habit…say you bite your nails and you want to quit.  Once you take the steps to accomplish a change that you want to achieve, you’ll feel a strength and liberation to know you can create this life to be what you envision.  Then work to change or improve something else you want to see be different.  You are really the artist of your life and you are in charge of the person that you become.  Also, you have to be honest with yourself.  Don’t make excuses.  This goes both with learning more about who you are and working to make any personal changes.  For example you might not do something and then you’re really hard on yourself and give excuses for why it didn’t happen.  And sometimes those things are legitimate…in those cases, learn from it and try again…but don’t quit.  Making excuses just perpetuates negative belief systems and negative self talk.  Which leads me to my next point….
4. How are you speaking to yourself?  What is your self-talk like??  Have you ever really listened to how to are speaking to yourself?  You may be surprised that you are actually the one sending yourself the most negativity out of everyone and everything in your life simply by not being kind to yourself.  So I challenge you to be mindful and pay attention to the words you think about yourself and what you tell yourself.  Work on talking to yourself the way you would another person.  Show grace and show love.  When you notice that you’ve spoken or thought something negative about yourself — or maybe even just something not positive or kind — apologize to yourself and reframe that messaging.  Fix it as it happens.  And to continue with that idea…how do you let others speak to you whether it be positive or negative?  If someone is rude or mean to you…do you let those words cut you deep?  It can be hard not to let something that someone says hurt, especially if it’s someone that we care about.  But that goes back to my first point about being aware of the effects that your surrounding have on your self-esteem, including relationships and friendships.  It may come to a point where you need to have a conversation with someone to tell them they cannot speak to you or treat you a certain way….or perhaps it’s time to get that effect out of your life entirely and just cut it out.  What is most appropriate is up to you but don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself.  It doesn’t have to be combative, but allowing yourself to be walked all over will only make you and other people think that you don’t care enough about yourself to not allow yourself to be a doormat.  Remember that your worth is not defined by the opinions or words of others.  Similarly…how do you let people talk to you in a NICE way??  Do you take compliments and thank people or do you shut them down and say “oh no no that’s not me” or something like that??  If someone is trying to give you a compliment, they have clearly recognized something in you and want to tell you.  Don’t discredit their perceptions of the person you’ve shown them that you are by saying no or not taking the compliment because you don’t feel worthy of it.  Thank them!  And if you see something in another person that you appreciate, tell them!! A little compliment can really go a long way and mean so much more to someone than you may realize.
5. Exercise.  Alright…y’all knew I’d be throwing this one in here somewhere didn’t you??  Haha.  Well it sort of could have gone under point #2 when I said to do more of what makes you happy, but this point has had truly such a positive impact on my life I wanted to give it its own space!!  Because really, it’s what helps me the most on a daily basis to feel good both physically and mentally.  I always feel so empowered and good about myself after a workout…or even just after MOVEMENT.  If I’m feeling “blah” I’ll try to take a walk to shake it off and it usually always works.  Sweat is like a reset button to me and I feel like I’m literally sweating out negativity.  The impact that exercise has on my mental and emotional state is the biggest reason I keep up the 6 days a week schedule that I have…far beyond anything physical.  So if you are trying to get more into a workout routine, I encourage you to keep it up and try to also focus on mental impacts that exercise has on you and not just physical ones.  I really believe that can help you keep something up and implement it into your lifestyle for good more so than just noticing any physical changes.  Those are really just a cherry on top!  I think it really helps with building a well rounded self confidence…because if you are feeling strong both mentally and physically then you will not be shaken!
6. Take moments for yourself and don’t feel BAD about it.  Often times we push ourselves and our needs to the bottom of every to-do list but in reality, we can’t be our best selves if we are depriving ourselves of things we need.  Maybe it’s taking a quiet bubble bath or maybe it’s your exercise time.  Maybe it’s just going out to dinner with your friends or going on a trip.  We can’t be our best selves and fully give love to others if we aren’t giving it to ourselves.
7. Practice daily affirmations.  This is another thing that can really help you strengthen that mental and emotional side AND they help with working on positive self talk.  So these are things you would repeat to yourself maybe in the morning before your start your day, or even throughout the day!  You could have one go-to affirmation or a few that really speak to your heart.  For example: “I have enough.  I do enough.  I am enough.”  Or “I am a strong and capable woman”.  Find whatever rings true to you.  It can be anything.  Then write it down and stick it on your bathroom mirror or just keep it in your head to repeat whenever you need it.
8. Practice daily devotions.  Depending on your belief system this might not be something that speaks to you, but something that has really helped me learn to love myself is by spending time with God each morning in the form of daily devotions.  I like to read the She Reads Truth daily reading and bible study (you can find these online at shereadstruth.com or on the app) and then also in my daily devotion book called Jesus Calling.  I will link these in the show notes if you are interested in checking them out!  But it reminds me each day that God created me and all of my individual qualities and characteristics to be just as I am…not to be someone else.  They encourage me to be a better person and to work to improve on things I might not love about myself (which goes by to point #3) and they also help clear my head to know that whatever challenges the day may face, God is leading the way.  I pray throughout the day just as I would speak positive affirmations to myself.  You could do both or one or the other but I think both are great options!  One book I read last year that really spoke to me on this topic was a book by Lysa Terkeurst called “Uninvited: Living Loved when you feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely.”  If you struggle to find self confidence I encourage you to give this book a read!  It’s a quick read and I love that it also gives prayer guidance on how to restore self confidence.  It’s so real and so many of the instances she shares in her book are things readers can instantly relate to.  So if you are looking for something like that I found that book a great read.

So that’s about it!  Those are the tips I think are great starting places to work on building and nurturing self love and self confidence.  I hope you’ve enjoyed these tips on How to Build Self Love.  If you have any others, please leave them below!

xo,

Bess

The post How to Build Self Love appeared first on Bess Harrington Carter.

Devotionals I Use Each Day

Jesus Calling

If you’re new to incorporating prayer and devotion time into your daily routine, I highly recommend starting with this Jesus Calling book. It is where I started my daily devotion practice and I love it and continue to use it each day. It’s amazing how it’s always so relevant to whatever you may be facing in your life.

She Reads Truth

She Reads Truth isn’t a book, but rather a web-based Bible study (but they also have an app!). I use the website, because it is free. The app does charge a small amount, and I’ve been thinking about getting it just because that way it’s easier to keep up my study while I’m traveling or away from home. It’s also a nice way to give back to all the really nice free content they give to support them. I truly love these readings each day. They come with a few prescribed scriptures to read, followed by a virtual Bible study where the author relates the scripture readings to daily life.

I also love that you can be an active participant by leaving comments on each study and reading other people’s comments as well. It definitely has a community aspect that is so nice. They also have study books you can purchase and daily emails. You can read about all the options here! I also really love their Pinterest page for beautiful graphics and lock screens for my iPhone background. There is also a He Reads Truth for the men and a Kids Read Truth!

The Bible

Okay this might have been obvious but of course I use a Bible for my daily devotions as well! I use this Beautiful Word Bible that Craig & I got as a gift from his parents at our wedding rehearsal dinner. I love it. It has really beautiful drawings of scripture inside so it feels youthful, if that makes sense It’s very easy to read.

Write the Word Cultivate Prayer Journal

This Write the Word Cultivate Prayer Journal is a new addition to my daily practice and I think it has taken it to a new level. It’s not all me just reading now but I actually put pen to paper and journal my readings and my thoughts. It has a place to share the date, things you are grateful for that day, things on your heart that day, and a word of the day. And each day it gives you a Bible verse to read and then write back down into the journal. They have others besides the prayer one, like faith, joy, hope, gratitude, renewal, and forgiveness. You can find them all here!

Waiting in Wonder

Since becoming pregnant, I wanted to incorporate something that would be a little more specific geared towards my pregnancy and praying for my child each day. It is easy to become caught up in the anxiety and fear around things that can go wrong during pregnancy, so I wanted to have a specific place I could go for those things to find comfort and spiritual growth. I have really enjoyed Waiting in Wonder: Growing in Faith While You’re Expecting.

It goes week by week in your pregnancy (starting at week 5) and has five different readings per week plus a space to journal. It partially serves as a little baby book in a way, because some of the journal prompts ask you to share this or that with your child once they are here, and I think it would serve as a really great memory too! You get to pray for them through each week of being pregnant and I think it helps to have that specific guidance on what part of development you should be praying for that day/week, etc!

There you have it! That is my current routine of the devotionals I use each day to grow in faith. I hope you found this helpful and I definitely encourage you to pick up at least one of these things each day! It has helped me tremendously in so many ways. If you have any questions feel free to drop them below!

Shop the Books:

xo,

Bess

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(Drinking a glass of wine while reading is encouraged but not required.)

About the Book:

What happens when we give away love like we’re made of it?

In his entertaining and inspiring follow-up to the New York Times bestselling phenomenon Love Does, Bob Goff takes readers on a journey into the secret of living without fear, constraint, or worry. The path toward the liberated existence we all long for is found in a truth as simple to say as it is hard to do: love people, even the difficult ones, without distinction and without limits.

Driven by Bob’s trademark storytelling, Everybody, Always reveals the lessons Bob learned–often the hard way–about what it means to love without inhibition, insecurity, or restriction. From finding the right friends to discovering the upside of failure, Everybody, Always points the way to embodying love by doing the unexpected, the intimidating, the seemingly impossible. Whether losing his shoes while skydiving solo or befriending a Ugandan witch doctor, Bob steps into life with a no-limits embrace of others that is as infectious as it is extraordinarily ordinary. Everybody, Always reveals how we can do the same.

(source)

I want to give a quick overview of the book so you get an idea about what it’s like, why I think you should read it, and then (as you may have guess by the title of this post) I’m going to be doing a giveaway!  Because I loved this book so much I am going to give two copies away, so stay tuned til the end to get all the deets about how to enter.

Everybody, Always | My Review

What I loved so much about this book was how simple yet powerful it was in delivering its message.  Also, I enjoyed how extremely easy it was to read.  Bob Goff is an extremely talented writer & tells a story in such a relatable, humorous, raw, and real way that I had a hard time putting the book down.  I was so torn over wanting to make it last and wanting to consume it all as quickly as possible.

It is a Christian-based book and all of the chapters are essentially little stories about Bob’s life that are so perfectly tied back into how Jesus loves us and how He calls us to love one another in that same way.   That makes it sound cookie-cutter, but it’s not.  Far from it.  I lost count of the times I was actually laughing out loud while reading and a handful of other times was brought to tears.  It really is a hilarious book.  Side note–I took the book with me to an appointment I had at the Apple Store to get my laptop fixed, ya know in case I had to sit there for a while.  I had not one, but two episodes of having to hold myself back from crying in the middle of the Apple Store because I was reading this book.  If you’re not someone that enjoys feeling things that make you cry, fear not, Bob is able to deliver the story that may make you cry but he will very quickly turn it around and make you laugh. It’s like he knows what he’s saying is sad or difficult, and he instantly lightens the mood without lessening the gravity of the story.  And sometimes you’ll be crying happy tears simply because some of the stories of the people he’s met in his life are so touching, they have their own pain of course but at the root of the story there is goodness, hope, and love.

I actually lost it when I got to the Be. Not. Afraid. chapter.  I almost want to get that tattooed on my arm or something.  You’ll know when you get there in the book.  You’ll get it.

Throughout history, God has spoken three words more often than any others when the people He loved were scared or confused, lost or lonely, paralyzed or stuck.  In those times, He usually didn’t make a big speech.  He just said to His people, Be. Not. Afraid.

-Bob Goff, Everybody, Always

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” -Isaiah 41:10

Everybody, Always gives such good perspective and thought into how we can be better Christians and better human beings by becoming love and sharing that love unconditionally with our fellow humans.  And not just those close to us, but rather our “enemies”.  Jesus said to love our enemies.  Bob Goff explains he interprets this that Jesus “meant we should love the people we don’t understand.  The ones we disagree with.  The ones who are flat wrong about more than a couple things.” While we are in a time in our world with so much discord, anger, disagreements, and even hate…I wish I could give this book away to everyone because I truly think that it, and the lessons it shares, would be able to help us all change this world.  We need more compassion.  More understanding.  More love.

So that being said, I don’t want to give TOO much away and ruin you just reading the book for yourself.  So let’s get going with this giveaway

Giveaway Info

To enter the giveaway, you must:

1. Leave me a comment below telling me why you’d like to win the book!
2. Follow me on Instagram (and leave me a separate comment saying that you did!)

For additional, optional entries (leave me a comment for each that you do so I can count you!):

1. Like my blog page on Facebook
2. Subscribe to my emails
3. Repost my Instagram picture & caption about the giveaway on your Instagram and tag me!

That’s it! Winners will be announced on Monday, August 20th! Good Luck <3

xo,

Bess

The post Everybody, Always | Book Review & Giveaway! appeared first on Bess Harrington Carter.

“There’s no shadow You won’t light up Mountain You won’t climb up Coming after me There’s no wall You won’t kick down Lie You won’t tear down Coming after me” If you haven’t heard this song “Reckless Love” by Cory Asbury, I highly recommend. Such a strong reminder that God is always there for us, and I’m always reminded of God’s amazing creation and love standing at the top of a mountain There is no limit on what He will do to seek you out In a world full of nonstop comparison and competition, this is the most powerful reassurance of feeling secure in being myself that I could imagine. I hope this also reassures you, in case you need the reminder. . . On the blog now: my Weekend Recap in the mountains, plus the hikes @cartercr1 and I adventured uponOne more thing: Would y’all like a playlist of my favorite Christian music? Let me know #asheville #hiking #getoutside #outdoorvoices #mountainmonday #simplyadventure #wnc #lifeoutside #staywild #hislove

A post shared by bess carter (@besshcarter) on Jul 23, 2018 at 3:06pm PDT

Fun fact, the Christian radio station I listen to in my car is “His Radio 96.5” and their little tag line jingle is “uplifting & encouraging” so I’d have to agree I find these songs just that.

I used to have this stereotype in my head that Christian music was really cheesy and gimmicky or something if that makes sense, and while perhaps I do still hear a song like that every now and then, typically I must say the music sounds more “mainstream” and I really like it!  And truthfully, they do provide me a sense of peace when I listen to them.  It makes God feel even more present in my daily life.  It’s not the only music I listen to, but it’s certainly one of my main presets and I encourage you to give them a listen!!

I created a playlist on Spotify here.  It currently has about 30 songs I really enjoy, and I will continue to add to it! You can follow the playlist to listen anytime by clicking the green “follow” button. You’ll need a Spotify account but you can get a free one, that’s what I have

If you have any songs that I should add to the list, drop them in the comments below!!

xo,

Bess

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Monday on my Instagram stories I shared the day’s devotional (I read this one!) because it just felt like it was something that really resonated with me and something that I felt like a lot of other people could probably use, especially on a Monday morning.  So I’m going to put it here to share it again with you:

And then I’ll be honest with you…I completely failed at following this devotional, despite how much I loved it and it spoke to me.  I took it to heart and believed it, and then something less worthy than thoughts about God’s unfailing love (the thing that REALLY matters) came into my head and started to take over.  This is going to sound pretty silly to some of you, but I am just going to be real about it.  I put up an Instagram picture on Monday morning that I just *loved*.  I thought it was a gorgeous sweater, the background was pretty, and the lighting was great!  And then…it got hardly any likes.  This isn’t the first time this has happened of course, I’m constantly battling the ever-changing Instagram algorithm hoping that my content is seen by my audience.  But this time it just hit me harder than normal emotionally.  Again if you don’t have a blog this particular example might not be something you can relate to, but think of it this way:  I spend hours upon hours styling my looks, getting the pictures taken, editing said photos, and finally picking the one I think is just right.  So it’s hard sometimes to put something up on social media that you work so hard on, and rely on the validation of your hard work through how many times someone double-taps your photo.

Sometimes the lines get blurry when you start placing your worth in how many likes you get, and associating it with you actually being liked as a person.  Instagram has so many great qualities and I love connecting with people on there, but it can also have some downsides that can bring you down pretty easily.  At least that has been my experience.

So then I wasn’t feeling great about that and then I started feeling WORSE that I wasn’t listening to my devotional and remembering what is true and real and important.  It says to look at times of anxiety as a growth opportunity so I tried not to dwell on that picture, which by the way I took down even though I never do that, and I moved on by finding and planning new content that excites me.  I had another photoshoot with Deanna on Monday evening so it was a great outlet to go ahead and work on getting that new content and I have more planned in the coming weeks.  So in the end, it sparked some new creativity and drive to do better, and maybe that’s what the goal was of it all playing out that way.

This might be a weak example, but it was the true example of what happened to me that day, and it was an example of how we are all constantly works in progress and just how difficult it truly can be to keep your mind, heart, & thoughts on God, especially in those times we should the most!  Hopefully next time I will do a little better to focus on that and not let the negativity win over.

“I am always loved and accepted by God, no matter what I experience or who may reject me.” – Romans 8:35

So to that end I hope you can relate to some portion of those feelings of anxiety, worry, or inadequacy and I hope that this reading and the verse above will give you peace.  It seriously brings me so much comfort and I just read it over and over.  Maybe you are working hard at something and no one is noticing, or maybe something is going on in your life that you feel is out of your control.  Or maybe something else entirely keeps you up at night, weighs down your thoughts, or makes your heart heavy.  If so, I encourage you to work on embracing the challenges that life may be presenting you and to seek to find the blessings in the difficulties, just as the devotional says.  We can work on it together

outfit deets: sweater | shorts | t-shirt | sunglasses | booties | clutch (similar)

Now on to the less serious part of the post, this sweater!  I posted it on my Instagram over the weekend because I wore it as my comfy travel outfit on the way home from our getaway to Old Edwards Inn.  It is so soft and actually I have it in another color, too!  So once I saw this pink color, I knew I had to have it.  It’s so perfect for transitioning into spring, but really it’s a great color year round!! And it’s the perfect medium weight so you can definitely wear it in the cooler weather and layer it, or wear it just with a t-shirt or tank top with cutoff shorts, like I did here, for warmer weather!  I’m wearing a size small.

Also, these shorts are new and they are under $45!! I love that they are high waisted and slightly distressed, but that they are a darker denim. They’re super stretchy and comfy too.  I’m in a medium for size reference.

Do you ever struggle with anxiety or worry? What ways help you cope with those feelings?

xo,

Bess

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The Day Designer has all of these other wonderful features beyond just being a planner.  One thing in particular that really stood out to me was that on the first page, it has a little box at the bottom that says “my word for the year is: ______.

I thought that this was so cool and different and it really stood out to me and got me thinking about choosing one word to define my year.  Since then I’ve done a little bit of research about choosing a “Word of the Year”  (it’s a thing!) and it’s not so much about things you want to happen or make happen, but how you want to live your life.  I thought about it all weekend and prayed over it because I did want to choose something that I felt really matched my heart and my expectations for myself in 2018.

Honestly, a word almost immediately came to mind, but I felt like it wasn’t “special” enough, so I kept thinking.  That same word kept popping back into my head and resonating with me.  Here’s a tip when choosing your word: It doesn’t have to break the vocabulary banks or set a record for the most original word.  Just choose something that is meaningful to you and aligns with you.

So with that said, I decided my word of the year for 2018 is “grace”.  And I’m going to tell you a little bit about why that word continued to call to me and why I’m excited for it to lead me this year.

Grace

As I thought about the word grace the more I began to really connect with it.  To me it has more than one meaning.  In Christian studies “Grace can be defined as the love and mercy given to us by God because God wants us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it. We read in the Letter to the Ephesians: ‘For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God — not the result of works, so that no one may boast’ (Ephesians 2:8-9).

We all experience days that are trying, stressful, and sometimes even just downright bad.  Things happen that discourage you, deflate your confidence, test your patience, etc.  You know those days.  It’s easy for me to sit here and say simply a change of attitude would make all of those scenarios a little more tolerable and not so devastating, but some days that is easier said than done.  So by keeping both the word and practice of “grace” close to my heart & mind, I am going to hopefully approach those days and those situations with more forgiveness, allowing me to learn from mistakes, but not to let those bad days or moments bring out the worst in me.

Grace is also the same mercy, love, or leniency that we show other people or situations.  I can admit to not always showing grace to others or to myself even in situations where I should have.  So I look forward to the practice of this in 2018 and hopefully becoming closer to Christ in the process, working to more embody the word He calls for us to share.  That was really the final reason I decided upon grace as my word.  Because if you read that same post about New Years Goals that mentioned my Day Designer, you also noticed that one of my goals was to spend more time with the Bible and strengthening my relationship with God. (It can always be improved!!)  And then unbeknownst to me when I wrote that post, the Day Designer would unintentionally end up calling me right back to my other goal of becoming a better Christian.  I like to believe in signs, y’all.  And I think that was one

outfit deets: sweater (similar here) | jeans | bag | scarf | sunnies | booties (similar here) | lipstick

So how do you choose your own Word of the year?  Here are some tips:

• Ask yourself how you would like to live this year.  What words come to mind?
• What improvements or changes do you want to make in your life?
• What kind of person do you want to be?
• Keep it simple!! See what words sort of come to mind first and feel those out.
• There’s no wrong answer here, so don’t feel pressured

What are your thoughts on the concept of a “word of the year”? I would love to know if you’ll be picking a word of the year, and if so, what it might be! 

xo,

Bess

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