Standing on the sidelines has always come across to me with a negative connotation. You are not participating in whatever is happening on the playing field. You are an onlooker merely watching events unfold before your eyes.

My husband, brother in laws and  friends recently participated in their first half marathon and I had the opportunity to be on the sidelines watching. Watching others running to the finish line. Watching as the runners heard the applause and encouragement from their loved ones on the sidelines. Claps and praises. And how their faces were instantly filled with smiles and appreciation and motivation to keep going.

So often we watch others as they achieve their goals and instead of encouraging, we try to tear them down - half heartily believing they can achieve the goal and in our hardest of hearts, even hope they fail.

Paul tells us in first Thessalonians to encourage one another and build each other up (5:11). To cheer each other on from the sidelines, building each other closer to God through words of encouragement.

It's about being the encourager in your marriage to your spouse. It's encouraging your children and friends and coworkers and pastors and baristas and gym buddies. It's witnessing what God is doing in their life by pointing it out and continuing to give God praises for working through them and pushing them closer to him because of it all.

It is encouraging each other in our faith daily from the minute to the grandiose things. From praying for each other to texting verses that God puts on your heart. From writing a simple note to a phone call. It is reflecting Jesus and listening to the truth of the Holy Spirit, who is constantly cheering us on for God's glory until we make it to Glory.

Praying that your words would give life to others as they run the race with perseverance. That your words would keep those around you running to the things of God. Praying that you would be the encourager that others need, always building up.

Praying that as you run the race that God would provide those around you to be the encourager that you need to keep pressing on and fulfilling the callings he has so intricately made you for. Praying that you would run with perseverance and when you find yourself on the sidelines that you would encourage those around you. That you would strengthen one another and be in unity.

Here's to sidelines and cheers and building up. 

Children's bibles  are a great way to dive in to the story aspect of scripture and understand it in a simple manner. God uses them to speak not only to children - I have learned bunches as I have read them, as well. Penny received her first children's bible as a baby shower gift. Once she was old enough to sit long enough to look at pictures we read it to her. She accumulated a handful of favorite stories and we read them over and over and over. And the bible became well loved and warn and taped from reading it so much.

I love reading the bible with her but it gets a little old reading the same thing again and again and again, so we started looking for more options. I thought I would share some of our bible stash, if you will, just in case you need some options, too. We received some as gifts and found others second hand.

The Rhyme Bible: Growing up, I loved Roald Dalh and this has a Roald Dalh feeling to it. Fun and catchy phrases with intriguing sketched / water colored illustrations.

Alice in bibleland: Parallels the Through the Looking Glass concept of Alice in Wonderland but with bible stories and captivating rhymes. Each book is a difference story. 

The Beginner's Bible: Easily understandable bible stories with clear concepts and basic illustrations.

The Jesus Story Book Bible: More descriptive stories with entertaining illustrations. The artwork is more interactive (i.e. full page horizontal pictures) and great for discussing and interpreting.

Tiny Bears Bible: Charming, simple poems about bible stories for the little ones with adorable illustrations to represent them.

Praying that this gets you thinking about your child's spiritual formation, no matter the age. Praying that you would lead your child in studying the bible and that it would be a fun and memorable experience for you both. Praying that you would find materials suitable for your child that keeps questions coming and learning abounding. Praying that you would not dismiss the messages as you read, no matter how small or simple they appear; God's word is always there to teach.

Praying that you would make time to read and teach your child more about God's word if you have do not have routines set already. Praying that you and your child would see glimpses of God's glory as you learn and grow together in this adventure. Praying that the concepts learned would overflow in to your daily life and be engrained in the heart of your little disciple, God's masterpiece.

Here's to discipleship and reading and learning and growing with your child.  

Praying out loud was always awkward for me, even with my husband, and I did not want to budge at first. I was quite content praying by myself. What if I said the wrong thing or it sounded weird? What exactly should I pray for? In-my-head-prayers were easier and I liked it that way but my husband did not. And I had to give in and try it. And then I had to pray out loud each Thursday as an Awana director. The more I prayed out loud, the easier it got and I was able to trust God to guide my prayers. You can semi-prepare for what you think you are going to say but I find when you are praying for someone specifically, the holy spirit takes over and your words are not yours but you have to be willing to speak to be used.

Praying for others is a huge blessing for both parties involved. I am still working on praying for someone the moment they ask for prayer, as opposed to the I will be praying for you this week. Praying in the moment is powerful. I do not know of a place in the bible where Jesus says, "sure, I will pray for you this week." He prayed in the moment. He prayed with power and authority. His prayers were answered.

When you get over yourself and your own insecurities and pray in the moment for someone, you allow God to take control and pour blessings over others who are hurting or need help and over yourself. You allow God to use you to comfort and speak peace and truth and life in to his child. Prayer goes beyond our own infinite minds to the God of the universe. 

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5: 13-16

Scripture tells us to pray for each other and that God will be there among us (Matt 18:20).  Prayer heals. Prayer changes lives. Rejoice with one another when prayers have been answered and pray for needs to be met. When you are praying for someone you do not need to be afraid of whether or not the prayer will be answered. That is not up to you to decide. Yes, you are to have faith (mark 11:24) but God is the one who knows what is best for the situation and works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).

I pray that you would be bold in your spirit and listen to God's leading this week as you go about your day. I pray that he would give you opportunity to pray for someone and that you would not worry about words to say or awkwardness but that you would be confident in the Lord and his power, not your own.

I pray that you would witness a renewing of your mind and revival of your prayer life. That you would not be worried about words to speak or the offering to pray but that you would seek out opportunities to intercede for others who are not expecting it. That it would be commonplace to pray for those around you.

Here's to praying and interceding for others. And here's to lives being changed through them.

As I wrote recently about seeing beauty in yourself, it made me think about a Women of Faith conference event I attended several years ago. Sheila Walsh spoke of witnessing her mom speaking badly of herself. She put herself down and was not happy with her own appearance and yet would compliment Sheila. The impact it made on her as a child seeing her mom so unhappy with her appearance was immense. I cannot recall all the details of it but the message is clear.

Putting yourself down in front of your child takes away from her seeing the beauty in herself, as she looks up to you for guidance.

Life happens in the moments, the little ones that you just about miss, with two little eyes watching you closely. The things you say and do become ingrained in to their memory and a part of who they are: the way you pronounce words, the way you comb your hair, the way you eat your food and the silly way you move your hands when you talk. All of your mannerisms, for better or worse, get compiled in these little people. Your own disciples. 

With my affinity for singing, bath time commemorates with my own version of the chorus from "I Feel Pretty," with Penny in my arms, gazing at ourselves in the mirror. I know, cheesy. It is one of those things that just happened and now simply cannot be missed, her in my arms and all, even though she is more than half my height. The fact that her baby bath was on the bathroom sink, with her mirror right there probably had something to do with it.

I think it is in these moments that children feel loved and know that they are valued. As a mama it is crucial to instill worth on your child, especially in a society that degrades women and is forced to compare themselves to fake, photoshoped ladies. The power of words play an important role. What you do not say may have more impact than what you. No mama wants to hear how her daughter cannot stand her shoulders or her hips are too big. It was God who blessed her with the practically webbed toe and strategically placed mole when he knit her together so carefully, so be sure to remind her.

You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.  Song of Solomon 4:7

God says you are beautiful. Your daughter is beautiful. The lady next to you on the bus is beautiful. The woman across the coffee shop counter is beautiful. And the one in the cubical next to you. Perhaps God wants you to tell one of his daughters how beautiful she is today. 

I pray that if you are a mama or not, that you would build up those around you. That you would instill a positive message of beauty on others. That you would not give in to putting yourself down as others around you may so easily do. I pray that you would stand your ground and hold tight to the beauty God has lavished on you. That you would build others up and reveal to them the beauty in themselves.

Here's to making sure she knows how beautiful she is and how God made her flawless. To more compliments and less put downs.

Personal bible study. It can be a daunting thing when you first dive in. Which book to read? Where to start? What does THAT mean? How does this apply to me?! So much can start to bubble about from one simple action that you may be overwhelmed at where to start. And of course you are reading your bible daily, right? There can be a lot of pressure to read your bible and do this and that when you start following Christ and get deeper in to the relationship. Just remind yourself that there is no competition. No comparison. Everyone is blazing their own journey with Christ and if you let Him take the lead and guide you, it will be your greatest adventure yet.

So back to bible study, I was in a lull in my personal studies a few years back and came across this method, referred to as SOAP. It really changed the way I read and studied the scriptures and left me with little notes from God, if you will, written in my own hand. Each morning I read a chapter or two in whatever book of the bible I am studying, depending on how much time I had, and then filled out each part of the SOAP acronym. It is truly awesome how much God will reveal from his word if you just take the time to study and listen.

What does SOAP stand for, you ask?

Scripture: Which scripture stuck out to you most? Write it down. 

Observation: What you think about the verse? What does God seem to be revealing through it?

Application: How do you apply this little truth to your life?

Prayer: Write a prayer asking how to implement this verse in to your life.

I have a notebook I use each day to keep it all in one place. I have heard of using binder paper and a file folder with each book of the bible on its own tab so you can keep all of the studies you have personally done for that particular book in one place. That seems super handy and eventually I will do that, too but for now it is all bound together in a notebook.

After the chapter is read, the verse or verses that I had stopped at during the reading or jumped off the page at me are written down. Then I underline or highlight or add brackets, whatever my little heart so desires, to the parts that are most important to me. This is the observation. I write a bit about what I think about the verse, what God seems to be revealing through it. Next, is how to apply this little truth to my life. Perhaps I do not know what it means and that is why the verse stuck out to me, so I look it up in the application part of my bible - life application bibles are awesome when you are new to studying the bible or have been for awhile. If there is nothing in it for that particular verse I will ask someone about it and start a little google search to see what others have said about it. God will reveal tidbits about it that way, too. I finish it all up with a little prayer. Prayers about implementing this verse in to my life and for forgiveness for doing otherwise. Yes, these verses may be used to convict you and for God to change your heart. Prayers of thankfulness and praise.

There is so much that God does during this time. All of this usually happens within thirty minutes or less but it makes a HUGE impact on my day. For me, trying to get up before the kiddos do seems to works best but not all days work that way. Naptimes or after breakfast during play time works occasionally, too. After awhile, looking back at what God has shown you through each of your entries is really rewarding. Scattering your pages are little incites and wisdom from the creator of heaven and earth. Wow. That is a gift you can give yourself daily, just take a few minutes.

I love to give this method to friends, so I thought I would leave you with a printable to post in your own personal notebook or one for a friend. There is nothing better than sharing a great way to get to know Jesus better. And a side note, washi tape is perfect for adhering it  to the inside of a notebook. Cute and fun.

Here's to losing yourself and knowing Jesus more. More studying and less scrolling and more peace than you know. Click image to download. 

It seems that April was the month to get married this year. I have not had so many weddings going on in just one month! Anywho, just in case you end up with less than two weeks to plan a bridal shower, which I do not recommend – especially if you have a teething baby at home and decide to cook and bake everything but the cupcakes, which the bride's sister makes – here are a few printables I designed for the impromptu shower I threw a few weeks ago for one of my besties. I had a hard time finding a decent design for bride bingo and good questions, so hope this helps you, too.

Here is a little peek at the bridal shower sweets table:




yummy desserts

more desserts!

and more =)

me and the bride to be





Happy planning =)