Love Whatever is Lovely and Excellent

Oh my goodness, when you open this post we will be headed into the third week of July. Things are going fast for sure.

One of the focal points for me this month has been about enjoying my favorite people and holding dear what is most sacred to me. I have deliberately taken some much needed time away from my day job to recharge, spend time with family and friends, and do some writing for a future e-book for this ministry. By the way, I don’t consider that real work because I enjoy it so much.

God’s word reminds me in Philippians 4:8, ‘to stay focused on only excellent things.’ That’s what I’m trying to do. He doesn’t want me to worry or sweat the small stuff. He wants me to see the good in all things. And while that’s sometimes hard to do, I have a perfect God who loves me and who blesses me beyond belief. 

God’s word reminds me in Philippians 4:8, ‘to stay focused on only excellent things.’

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“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

I believe the ‘excellent things’ include celebrating with friends as they start their new life together, hosting ‘Camp Nana’ for the older grandgirls (where we added to their cooking skills), and enjoying playtime and adventure with the youngest granddaughter. None of this is perfect, but I love the wonderful, excellent, and forever memories. I’m also thankful for my sweet man and the support, encouragement, and love he provides–particularly when I get these ideas that sometimes require me to pull out my superwoman, supermom or supernana capes. 

But as I prepare to finish up my break, there’s one more thing on my list for the month. In fact, I’m almost giddy with excitement as I think about the friends I get to see again, and all the new friendships that are ready to be made. In just a few days I’ll be in North Carolina for my second ‘She Speaks’ Conference hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministries. I am so excited about what God has in store.

I am reminded how precious it will be to gather with godly women who share a deep love for Christ and who want to encourage and meet women where they are. I believe our meeting of the minds will be inspiring and I can’t wait to see what comes from our time together. There will be new ideas shared and they will be clarified, refined, and shaped in ways we never thought possible. Please pray for the almost 850 women as we worship together, learn together, and fellowship together.

 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

I hope you enjoy your week! Make the most of your time with your favorite people. I’ll be praying for you.

And one more thing, don’t forget to check out the new books below for your summer reading list. Just click on the image to order from Amazon. 

Samantha Moore has always hidden behind the words of others—namely, her favorite characters in literature. Now, she will learn to write her own story—by giving that story to a complete stranger. Sam is, to say the least, bookish. An English major of the highest order, her diet has always been Austen, Dickens, and Shakespeare. The problem is, both her prose and conversation tend to be more Elizabeth Bennet than Samantha Moore.

But life for the twenty-three-year-old orphan is about to get stranger than fiction. An anonymous, Dickensian benefactor (calling himself Mr. Knightley) offers to put Sam through Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism. There is only one catch: Sam must write frequent letters to the mysterious donor, detailing her progress. Check out Reay’s debut novel as it follows one young woman’s journey as she sheds her protective persona and embraces the person she was meant to become.

Many people believe that doing great things for God is going to be a big moment. We need to be inspired by someone who lived out something crazy or unexpected for God with no lights, cameras or academy awards.
Perseverance is one of the greatest skills but also the hardest lessons we will learn in our lifetime. We are living in a day where we are encouraged to do life based on how we feel. But the problem is most days we don’t feel like doing much of anything hard.
Then there is Ruth. She is much more than a Bible story and through her life we uncover five life-giving habits that help us to persevere when things get hard, complicated, and messy. But these habits do more than just motivate, they help us to fight when resistance arises. They teach us to pursue discipline and the desire to determine our daily direction. These habits show how success is not achieved by pursuing temporary desires. The direction of our lives needs to be far less about to-do lists and accomplishments. And instead focus on becoming the people God can count on.

*I only recommend products that I love and believe will bring you value. If you click on the images of the books and purchase through the affiliate link I will earn a small percentage to go towards creating the free content I offer to my readers and continue this ministry. Thank you for your support.