Stay Present Summer (Part 6: Noticing)

Posted on

o be honest, I am quick to notice the exciting camping trip my friend is posting about online (swipe), the romantic anniversary my sister enjoyed with her husband (swipe), and the glamorous private pool another friend gets to lounge beside. And by notice, I mean envy. 

I am so quick to notice the negative or to compare my life, my body, my yard, my kids, my activities, and even my relationship with God to someone else’s.

Maybe you can relate? Like me, maybe you are already an expert at staying present, you just live in the moment for all the wrong things!

Sadly, we’ve lost the art of noticing what actually brings us joy. It’s time to shift the narrative. It’s time for a Stay Present Summer.

Stay Present Summer (Part 3: Expectations)

Posted on

Does every summer feel like a let down? You build it up in your mind, and then it flies by. You regret what you missed out on, and vow next summer will be different.  Perhaps you thought Stay Present Summer would be your fail-safe from ever feeling fear of missing out again. And with that,…

Stay Present Summer (Part 2: Stay Roomy)

Posted on

It requires intentionality to plan a lake day with friends. You must reject your phone and the couch, drive to the water, and do the work to blow up the paddle board you rented. 

It takes some mental muscle to say no to one more camp and make room for rest, picnics, trail walks, and sleeping under the stars in your backyard with your kids.

You know you’ve got that stay present gumption when you turn off re-runs to fall asleep on time, enabling you to rise refreshed and eager to meet with the Lord for your morning prayer walk.

Only you know what gifts you have accidentally stiff-armed instead of embraced. Only you can shift the process, making room for healthy food, wholesome thoughts, time with family, an active body, a run-through-the-sprinklers spontaneity, and a deep connection with the Lord this summer.

Stay Present Summer (Part 1: Prayer)

Posted on

God’s Word calls us to persist in prayer (Ephesians 6:18). Jesus set the example by regularly slipping away to solitary places to pray (Mark 1:35). My prayer for you is that this summer, you would be noticeably filled in your time with Christ. 

A Week in the Life of My Dining Table:

Posted on

This is our dining room table. My weekly planner shares space with Titus’s dump truck. Crumbs grace the floor even though one perk of owning a dog should be no crumbs on the floor. Real life happens here all the time, despite my efforts for ideal meals and clean floors. Here is what a week…