Hello! Hi!
July has been All The Summer here. High, high heat. The forecast hangs hot and heavy with the same heat forecasted and not a sign of a drop of rain!
The sprinklers are running on our little patch of lawn by our basement patio and the irrigation systems churn water onto our beans.

I’m delighted to slip into a couple of posts over on Ann Voskamp’s blog beside so many lovely creators, beautiful works, and good words. I’m happy to link arms with fellow joy seekers and givers of gratitude.
I’m truly grateful for the opportunity this year of an internship with Ann and fellow interns.
If you’re interested, read this post
and here’s the other one. 🙂

My brother visited our parents in Ohio this month. He kept sending me pictures of old photos. It was so fun and brought me utmost delight. This one of me and my older sister made me laugh and laugh. It very much encapsulates who I am and reminds me a bit of my own three-year-old daughter.

“God sees into your soul – into the totality of who you are. Jesus looks at our worst and puts His arm around us and says, “Well, of course.” Jesus knows the truth of where we are and He does not condemn us for it. But He does have great expectancy for how much we can heal, for how free and alive we can be.”
~ Michael Cusick

Currently reading…
Deeply appreciating the insights, wisdom, and truth.
Life-giving, soul-breathing.
And these paragraphs below are powerful. Powerful.

“At its core, fear is not a lack of faith. It is a lack of perceived safety……”Faith over fear” is a mantra that peddles toxic half-truth. I’m willing to call this out, because the stakes are simply too high to tiptoe over our precious platitudes. Lives are at stake. Suicides happen because of this toxic theology. We stay in abusive relationships, churches, or jobs, dismissing our sense that it’s not safe because we should just “trust God.” Depression worsens. Disease proliferates. Shame spirals us into dark corners of separation and death, all because we think we are supposed to treat a normal function of our bodies like an enemy to fight and kill.
By buying into popular Instagram tropes and clutching uprooted Bible verses, we basically jump from “do not fear” to “do not be human.” What happens when you can’t overcome your fears? What are you left with if your anxiety disorder doesn’t go away or your feelings of depression or suicidal thoughts never fully lift? With a “faith over fear” theology, what happens is shame and separation. When we don’t allow ourselves to be human, we don’t create space to grow strong. We end up amplifying the very feelings we most wish to conquer. We end up corroding the “very part of us that believes we are capable of change.” ~ K.J. Ramsey, The Lord is My Courage pg 144

{affiliate links in this post ~ thank you, comrades}

Books:

The Lord is my Courage by K.J. Ramsey
The Creator in You by Jordan Raynor
The Wingfeather Series by Andrew Peterson
Leaving Church by Barbara Brown Taylor {a memoir ~ I love this genre}
Beauty Chasers by Timothy Willard
Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen by Scott Sauls

Believing is beautiful.
Believing is painful.
Believing requires intention.
Believing looks like letting go.
Believing is unexplainable.
Believing gives up control and outcomes.
Believing carries questions without answers.
Believing says, “I will live loved.”

Renae hosted a Kaya + Friends party one evening for our nieces. It was the loveliest of times because……….

sometimes summer evenings call for:
.
snacks and sprinkler spray….
Kaya + Friends party with rugs spread across the lawn….
selfies and smiles…
sweet cherries and raspberries and strawberries…
memory making and photo taking….
croquet in bright colors and find-the-bunny….
.
sometimes summer evenings look like:
.
slowing and savoring…
wandering and wondering….
munching popcorn and popping the top on tiny Pepsis….
pretend play and wildflowers to cut and arrange….
sparkly eyes and rosey cheeks….
.
grace in every season
gifts to embrace
the good to notice
.
Intentional giving of thanks grounds us.
Choosing life-giving play acts as a joy-booster.
Dwelling in delight combats the darkness.

Delightful Incidentals:

Excited to watch for this TV Series…..as they bring The Wingfeather Saga to life!

Linen overalls. Living in them. So happy. They’re cool and cute and comfy.
Win-win-win.
This style is super cute too.

All the heart eyes for these bowls.

I adore this retro look Bluetooth speaker.

I’m eyeing this eyeshadow pallette .{pun intended}

Isn’t this little guy so adorable? For a nursery, a birthday gift, a collection.

I was so thoroughly delighted and excited to win a Solo stove and a stack of books from Nicole Zasowski as she celebrated the launch of her new book, What If It’s Wonderful?
It’s been too hot to try the stove out yet. Goodness.
I held a giveaway on IG to share one of the books and I have a secret plan for the rest of them. {Email me if your curiosity has the best of you.} 🤣😄

A few of my happy places ~
.
• laughing with my dearie daughter
• my couch with a Bible study or book
• cozy coffeeshop, conversation, good friends
• riding beside my good man
• shopping with my mother and sister
• going to a play or movie
• HOME
• beach walking
• sitting by a campfire
• creating beauty
• Instagram
• listening to my son + his guitar
• bookshops
.
I’d love to hear yours!

Read:

• The Catastrophe of Success by Tennessee Williams
• A Marriage Story: Inside the making of the brilliant, moving first 10 minutes of Pixar’s ‘Up’

Listen:

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.” ~
Psalms 143:10

The Lord’s gracious spirit.
Grace itself.
When I read “May your gracious Spirit lead me” I felt my soul stirring, a deep longing.
Heartfelt graciousness poured over by my Jesus.
Goodness, I want this outpouring in me, on me, through me.
I want graciousness to show up in my life, making kindness and compassion shine.
Leading me in confidence in Christ alone, each step on His firm foundation.
.
For it is so truly in Him we live and move and have our being.
May we love the Lord our God with all our heart and our whole mind, in every depth of our soul, led by His gracious Spirit.