The Friday Five

Each Friday I will be posting five of my current favorites.  This week I have some really awesome things I am loving right now.

First, is my Simplified Planner by Emily Ley.  I have the academic planner in the weekly format.  There is a daily format broken out by hour.  I use this planner for my personal schedule, so I don’t have a ton of hourly appointments I need to keep track of during the day.  I have tried several other planners, but I keep coming back to this one.  It’s basic set up allows me the freedom to customize it to fit my needs for that week.  You can click here to check out all of the Emily Ley products.

Next, is a makeup bag I found on Amazon called the Relavel.  It has multiple compartments and is deep enough to store multiple eye shadow palettes, blush, bronzer, or whatever you have in your beauty product arsenal. The dividers are adjustable and it even has several pouches to store your brushes. If you travel quite a bit or like to keep all of your items in one place, then it’s definitely worth checking out.

I found this fantastic devotional book on Angela Cottrell’s Instagram.  If you don’t follow her, then you need to start immediately.  She has some wonderful suggestions and sweet IG stories.

The Daily Discipler is broken down into 4 quarters with 52 topics.  Each day provides a devotional with corresponding scripture, and a reflective portion at the end.  It usually takes me about 15 minutes to read through each day. It’s perfect if you don’t have much time in the morning.  However, you can always take a deeper dive into the scripture readings, which  I try to do each day – but, as we all know mornings with kids can be hectic!

I found my book on Amazon under their used book section at a fantastic price.  Thriftbooks is also another used book website that never disappoints. Even if I had to pay full price, I would buy this devotional anyway.

My Chromebook really should be a the top of this list.  It has all the bells and whistles at a fantastic price point.  Since I am not a very "techy" person, I won't try to explain all of the features. So, click here to read more about it.

Lastly, is my Women’s Study Bible.  If you are in the market for a new sword, then I recommend checking this out.  (By the way,  my Bible tabs came from The Cultivate What Matters Shop – to check those and other awesome products click here)

That’s it for today!  Hope ya’ll have a fabulous weekend!!!

House of Cards

I live in a house of cards.

Have you ever felt the same way? If one thing shifts in your schedule,  it will all come crumbling down? I feel that way most days; the never-ending carpools, to the full-time work commitments, the practices, homework, church events. The list really could go on and on. But, who wants to hear about my to-do list when you have your own tasks to check off.

God’s Word says,

“We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭39:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

What wealth are we trying to store up in all our busyness? A full calendar has become a badge of honor; something many of us wear proudly as we post it, Instagram it, or tweet it. We are over-scheduled, overloaded, and we are overlooking what matters most. I’m afraid in all our busyness, we are neglecting our spouse, children, aging parents, and friends. Weeks are ticking by like minutes and days like seconds as we run from one commitment to the next.

There are some of us who want off this hamster wheel, but how?  We have sliced our schedule, given our “best yes”, but still have full calendars and unrealistic demands. We are tired of breaking fellowship with our family and friends over things that don’t really matter. I truly want to be present in everything I do with my family and friends, and I think you do too. I want to approach each commitment with an “ I get to do this” mentality – not an “I have to…”. I want to see each moment as an opportunity God has carefully orchestrated to be an eternal deposit I get to make in the life of one of His beautiful creations.

“One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him,”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Friends, Jesus took the time to break away from all the demands and to go up the mountain with those closest to him. He took the time to minister, teach, and encourage. Jesus saw the value in being present and giving of himself that would make an eternal difference.

He also knew the importance of taking time to be alone, to pray, and allow God to minister to him (Mark 1:35).  It’s vital and necessary that we allow Him to fill our cup so that we have something to pour out for others.

You see, Jesus was intentional with his time and we should be too. He always had a Kingdom return on his investment; nothing was done without thought, intent, and guidance from the Holy Spirit. So, in all our busyness are we making an eternal difference in the lives that matter most? By fostering community, mentoring those around us, and simply taking the time to enjoy a laugh and a good cup of coffee with a girlfriend? Most importantly, are we giving God the opportunity to fill our well with His goodness by slowing down and being still in His presence?