Selah

I wake up, brush my teeth, make my coffee, get dressed, spend some time in the Word, and then I'm out the door by 7:40 most every morning and off to class or work until late in the afternoon before going to dinner, whatever event is for today, and then homework until early the next morning. And then repeat it all again.

I hustle and bustle from class to class and from work to meeting friends, and I forget to take the time to pause.

I say yes to it all, and I send myself running from one side of campus to the other, exhausting myself in the physical sense, but also in the emotional sense.

I have been at school for 2 months exactly today. 2 months of sweet memories, new experiences, mediocre food, and the best of friends (more on all of this later). 2 months of constant movement, chatter, noise, and presence, and I find myself craving alone time.

I'm an introvert at heart, for I get my energy from my alone time, but I am also a people person in every sense, and I love building relationships, which has led me to struggling more than I realized.

I wouldn't trade a single second of this crazy life I live, but it's been made abundantly clear to me that I need a break. Or as David has shown me time and time again, I just need a pause. A selah you could say.

All growing up, I was taught that "selah" meant to pause. It was a musical direction most commonly used by King David in the book of Psalms (all the heart eyes). But, it's also used in the book of Habakkuk very frequently, as is it's sister word "calah" from the original Hebrew text, which means "to measure or weigh in the balances."

And in that fashion that only the Lord could orchestrate, I was reading through Psalms and the book of Mark in the days leading up to fall break a few weeks ago. Each time David used the word "selah" and each time Mark talked about the Sabbath, I took note and it resonated with me a little differently than usual.

And I had figured that fall break would be the perfect time to take a break and reflect on all the ways the Lord has moved in this first chunk of time. (In my head, it was perfect--my bed + fuzzy socks + time with my people, literally what is better?). 

But as I came home, I realized the break would be anything but a break. More than anything, it was a shuffle here to see so-and-so and then here to catch up with so-and-so and write a speech somewhere in the midst of it all, and before I knew it, Wednesday had turned into Sunday, and I was back in Knoxville wondering when I was going to pause?

This culture we live in glorifies busy seasons and makes us wonder what we did wrong when we come back from vacation rested instead of more exhausted. The last time I had a good ole fashioned, slow moving Saturday was before graduation......in May. We make to do lists after to do lists and live our lives at 1000 miles per hour that unless we plan in time to stop and pause, we just forget.

The more I research the origin of the word "selah," the more I adore it. 

One author said "Selah was not a time for the music to completely stop, but a time for the performer to pause and catch their breath before singing the praises of God again."

Another said that "calah" and "selah" work together, for you need moments of pause so you may then regroup and rebalance your priorities and your next steps with the heart of the Lord.

And that is exactly where I find myself right now. I don't need to stop. While I do need to get better about taking a day of rest, I don't need to completely stop and come to a halt.

 I need a pause and a time to rest and reflect on the goodness of the Lord and the many ways He has been faithful and the many ways he has shown me His face each and every single day. 

And it's not selfish to set apart this time. It's what we a believers have to do out of a desire for intimacy with God. In that funny way only God can do, the sermon the Sunday I was at home for was about taking a Sabbath from Mark 6:31 and Matthew 12. And while it is not a law or a life or death situation, for Jesus says himself that "it is more lawful to do good on the Sabbath" in Matthew 12:12, the Sabbath and that time of pause to catch our breath and rest in the awe and wonder of the ways He is at work is completely necessary, 

We cannot make Him known without knowing Him, and we cannot proclaim His name and His works if we don't spend anytime realizing and recognizing the ways He has moved in our lives.

So this is my selah. This my pause and my reflection of the biggest ways He has moved in my life, and I can't wait to tell you all about them.

It's always funny to me how the Lord puts things on your heart and changes it. I got to the point in high school where I just didn't enjoy "blogging" anymore, so I quit. And I told myself I wouldn't do it again. 

But here I am. After almost 2 weeks of sitting on this idea of sharing, I figured this would be the best way to keep record and to share the ways that God is moving in my life. Not on a regular schedule or because my journal pages aren't adequate -- but because enjoy writing and sharing stories and just want everyone to know that God is on the move, and of all the ways He is working in and around me without blowing up your Facebook or Twitter feed more than I already do.

 So from the concert review and Sunday School craft resource it once was, Growing Up Nashville is going to turn into more of my airspace to process and keep all you loved ones informed on what's going on here in the 865 every once in a while.

xo,

Lauren

Choices.

Life is all about choices.

What you wear, what you eat, where you work, etc. It's all about choices.

And as I'm going into this next phase of life and getting ready to live on my own, I'm making a lot of choices: what color bed spread, what professors to take, where to store my socks, what kind of parking pass I need, etc. 

And there are a lot of choices that I don't feel like I'm ready to make. Not because I don't want to go to college or I don't know where I'm going to store my socks--I don't feel ready because I don't know what I'm walking into.

I don't know how deep the drawers are, I don't know how to secure my bedpost to the cinderblock, I don't know how I'm going to set up my laundry "system"

I just don't know what life is going to look like in 2 months, and that's my problem. 

Because when I just don't know, I shut down, and I make the choice to shut down and let my fears take over. When I think about being away from my family on my birthday, I cry. When I think about not knowing where I'm going to store my toiletries, I cry. When I think about game days not in section C with Pop on one side of me and Nicholas on the other, I cry.

Every time I realize that I don't know how life will look, I make a decision to stop fighting to just be consumed, and right now, I'm making a decision to put an end to that. 

Very fittingly (after walking out of Bed Bath & Beyond yesterday empty handed after browsing for an hour), my quiet time in James 1 this morning contained this encouragement:

"2Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

College is proving to be one of the biggest trials of my life. Not for academic reasons (yet) but for the unknown factor that it holds, and I'm so discouraged by that. But I'm so encouraged by these verses that I am making a choice. I am making a choice from here on out to not be consumed. Not only to rest in knowing that He works it all out just as it should be, but making a choice to just relax a bit.

It's okay that I don't know everything. I don't have to. That's what makes me human, and that's what makes me in such great need of Jesus, who knows everything. 

Imperfect Worship

When I was little, I wanted to be a singer.

Between watching Hannah Montana every day and being in every school show, I thought I totally had the skills and the vocal range to be a musical prodigy.

Then, I turned about 10 and realized that was not the case, and I abandoned that dream all together.

I still absolutely love music though. I taught myself how to read sheet music. I learned to play guitar, so I could sing a long to my favorite songs without the real singer's voice overpowering mine. I taught myself the basics of playing piano because "A Thousand Miles" was all the rage in 5th grade, and I've maintained those skills through the years.

So when there was no one else to do worship on Friday mornings at FCA (and I was volunteered by my cousin), it lead to this:

After leading worship at FCA this morning, I'm humbled to say the least. I better understand just how inadequate we are and find awe and total unworthiness in the endless love and grace the Lord gives us despite that. Also, there's no better way to start the morning than hearing voices sing of the goodness of Jesus. Come to FCA on Fridays at 6:45 in the aux gym to hear what it sounds like! (We have food)

A photo posted by Lauren Reed (@_laurenreed_) on Aug 19, 2016 at 8:07am PDT

And from that, I learned it's in the moments where our imperfect lives are on display that we realize how unworthy we are of the love we get from God. You can practice all you want and you can tell yourself things to make yourself feel better, but we don't deserve His love. At all.

So often, we hide our imperfections because we live in a society that tells us we can't be broken. We have to know everything about our lives and have them all together, but what if embrace our imperfections and glorify him with them?

I can't count how many times I messed up. Either a chord was late or I strummed too many times, but it was still worship, and He loves that.

He was receiving praise from my misplayed guitar.

So despite the ways you fail Him (and that's a lot of ways because we all fall short), use it for His name and story to be shared, and for He doesn't care how we aren't enough.

He loves us anyway.

And that is a reason to sing about Him, all day long.

"We're As Safe As God Wants Us To Be"

"We're as safe as God wants us to be."

I hate that saying. 

Deep down, that saying just irks me. 

Not because I don't trust His plan (though sometimes it is hard).

Not because I don't want to follow Him where He calls (though sometimes I feel like Jonah).

I hate it because not being "safe" is one of my fears, and this saying is so common that it makes my fear seem pitiful.

I love security. I love familiarity, and I hate risk, I hate danger. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. That's just one characteristic God gave me that makes me me.

But when people are constantly saying "we're only as safe as God wants us to be," it makes me feel invalid. It makes me feel like I'm not as faithful to the Lord as others are because the unknown and the dangerous unnerves me.

And that brings a whole new struggle in itself.

I am exactly who God made me to be.

I am exactly who God made me to be.

I am exactly who God made me to be.

I am exactly who God made me to be.
Psalm 139

There is not a thing wrong with me because danger scares me. I don't need to try to change myself because I'm not attracted to the unpredictable.

But I don't need to let my fears consume me, and I don't need to let my dislike for risk control where I follow His calling.

And I lived that out this past week, and honestly, I'm pretty proud of myself.

I'm not proud in the sense of "look at me, I went on a mission trip."

I'm proud of myself in the sense that I went into my uncomfortable zone and I did what I was supposed to do.

I had hard moments. I had break downs, but I never stopped or got frozen by my fear. And all glory to God for that.

In moments on the L when the smell of alcohol was prevalent or in the parks when large groups walked by, I cried out to God for strength and reassurance, and He granted it to me.

"I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies."

-Psalm 18:3 

So yes, "we are as safe as God wants us to be," but we are also exactly who He wants us to be, and when we realize what that means, He gets the glory.

Not in our state of safety.

Lifeway Submerged VBS 2016

Submerged...it's an interesting theme to say the least, but do what you gotta do to reach thousands of families with the good news of Christ.

VBS is a must do at many churches. It's a week full of fun, music, and memories. 

As a lfie long church goer, I can still sing the theme songs of Rickshaw Rally (2004) and Artic Edge (2006) thanks to many summers spent in Brentwood Baptist and Triune Baptist.

It's effective. I don't care how you look at it, VBS works. There's just something about motions, themed crafts, and extreme decorations that prepare hearts for the Lord's work to be done. 

I don't know what it is, but it works, so I join in every year as a teacher. This year, I taught 3 year olds...It was an adventure but worth every second, when sweet Jake sang "Jesus Loves Me" and recited the week's theme bible verse without being prompted. Every frustration, dicut cut, paper folded, all worth it for a new heart to begin to understand the amazing love of Jesus.

I failed being an artsy and efficient blogger, meaning I did not take pictures of our crafts and how they turned out, but I did keep track of every craft we did. And we did a lot.

• Pipecleaner Fish- just a pipe cleaner with beads, twisted into the shape of an isthmus fish.
• Fishnet Painting- similar to the link, except we glued dicut fish to black paper and used white paint to create the "net". Our kids were too little do do in big groups, so we had to do it two at a time
• Bean Bag Fish- this required some prep from a volunteer in our room, as it involves sewing, but it is basic sewing that practically anyone could do. See the curriculum book for more instructions!
• Necklace- an elastic string with straw pieces and beads. Make sure to use elastic though, as not all kiddos heads will fit one size (we learned the hard way)
• Ocean Bottle- most use full sized 16.9 oz water bottles, but for younger kids, the snack size 8 oz ones work great! We gave each child 2 rubber fish, some sparkles, and shells.
• Fish Measuring- Lifway supplied the kit with a strand of one inch fish to place upon a yardstick, but considering most kids are taller than 36 inches, we had some difficulty. If I were to do this again, I would simply cover the wall in butcher paper, mark their heads with a marker, and let them fill up the space between their mark and the ground with dicut fish.
• Jelly Fish Sun Catcher- the contact paper was sort of tricky to peel off, but easy peasy, and the kids loved feeling how sticky it was.
• Celery Fish- This was another hit, though many used the celery as a brush, rather than a dotter.
• Blindman Puppet- we used this in our story time. As they followed along listening, they flipped their man from blind to seeing.
• Blindfold Coloring- so simple, but so entertaining. Blindfold each child and give them each a roasting pan with paper inside, to create boundaries. Help them predetermine an object to draw: dog, house, self portrait, etc. So cute to see how things turn out!
• Handprint Fish- I loved this one. It was so precious. We used cricut cut out hearts for the lips and dot paints to create scales.
• Paper Doll Chains- Glue the cut out dolls onto black paper, so they stick out sight wise. The kids loved creating outfits and personalities for the dolls.
• Snack Mix- We made assortments of goldfish, juju fish, gummy worms, pretzels, oyster crackers, and M&Ms as a special snack on Friday. You could tie to to "these are children's favorite snacks to eat." ;)
• Sticker Octopus- use circle colored stickers or fruit loops to create suction cups for the octopus. We used stickers.

Here are some of our decorations from the week, too!

 

My VBS board on Pinterest has tons of resources, too. Granted, we didn't use them all, and everything we did do isn't on there, but it is a good place to look through.

Happy VBSing!

Lauren

Side note: being with 3 year olds, rather than elementary schoolers, we used different music. Rather than using crafty writing styles and sly theme related puns, Lifeway presents the simple truths encompassed in our week in our music, and singing a long to the basic versions of these fundamental beliefs reminded me of the goodness of God. 

"God, you know everything about me. Help me do what is right."

"Do you know that Jesus loves you? Do you know that?"

"He made me special, just the way he planned."

They are so elementary, but so important. I was moved to tears singing "Do You Know That." VBS moves in many ways, y'all."

CMA Fest

You can't live in Nashville and not know about CMA fest. But at the same time, you can't live in Nashville and want to go downtown filled with tourists.

But I do love country music enough to brave it, and let me tell you, it was SO worth it. 100%.

Side note: Kelsea had her own
Snapchat filter for the show,

I started off with seeing Kels at the Cannery Ballroom, and that was a blast. Being that the Cannery Ballroom is a 21+ venue, I had to be "X"ed and those sharpie Xs did not come off for 3 days...I got some weird looks at church for those. 

Seeing her live her dream, and be surrounded with a room full of her supporters was amazing. Not to mention, she had Hunter Hayes and Hillary Scott come out as guests, which was insane. My middle school me DIED inside when Hunt came out. I straight d i e d. I tell people that I don't like him anymore, but when he came out, my heart blew up into 1000 pieces. I would post my videos I took, but my singing is so bad that I'm actually saving you if I don't share them. You can see it here though!

Before Kelsea came out, newbie Levi Hummon and veteran Jon Pardi took the stage.

Levi was so cute. He wasn't always there vocally, but where he lacked vocals, he made up for in adorableness. I'm interested in what he'll bring in the next few years!

Jon Pardi on the other hand brought straight party. He got the crowd alive with his hits like Up All Night and Head Over Boots, but also with new songs from his latest album, California Sunrise. I saw him once before at the 2015 N.R.A. Convention and was not impressed in the least, but Jon rocked this baby venue. His guitarist looked like a poorly kept version of Billy Ray Cyrus and was so entertaining. While not strong in large venues, Jon is great in small ones, and most importantly, he stays true to country's roots. No pop remixes but steel guitars and fiddles. I loved it.

I also loved meeting Sadie Robertson on our way to Ascend Amphitheater. Like nbd. I just almost idolize you. It's casual.

At Ascend, we saw Chris Young and Old Dominion. Chris Young "kicked off CMA Fest" and conducted the ceremonial duties before singing. As always, Chris was phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal. He could sing the phone book for his entire set and I'd be so content.

Old Dominion though....(I'm getting excited even just thinking about Old Dominion) Old Dominion was the real show stopper. I've been a fan of OD since my middle school days, and I have been digging Meat & Candy ever since it came out. I just had never had a chance to see them live, and they met and exceeded all expectations. They sounded good, they looked good, they were just so good. They also got their award for Meat & Candy going platinum, which was really cool to see their reactions to their records. I just love Old Dominion. Love. Love. Love.

Also during CMA Fest, I got a chance to be an extra for the CMT Awards.

It was an absolute BLAST. I saw all the big names in country up front and personal. Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton, Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, Cam, Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, the list goes on. It was absolutely incredible. I really hope I get to do it again next year. Not only for the "be on TV" thing but more for the "free concert!" thing.

 I've put some of the pictures I took below for you to see just how close I was. (Update: I published some others on my VSCO from the homepage.) It was an absolutely awesome experience.

 Sometimes, it's worth braving the tourists...at least I think so.

xoxo,

Lauren

Dancing with the Stars: Nyle Dimarco

My boy did it.

He won Dancing with the Stars.

I first met (saw) Nyle on Switched at Birth last season in a supporting role. Somehow, my mom had known of him and pointed him out to me when he made his appearance. 

Then, he took America by storm on Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model, bringing tons of awareness to the Deaf community.

And then, he won season 22 of Dancing with the Stars and captured all of America's hearts.

(I mean, look at him. It's hard not to)

Though Nyle's appearances are great in their own right, they serve a bigger purpose, intentionally or not. 

While they boost his career, all of his appearances bring attention to and defy all stereotypes of the Deaf.

They're deaf. They can't be an actor.

They're deaf. They can't model.

They're deaf. They can't dance. 

They're deaf. They can't insert verb here.

You are so wrong. SO wrong. Just because they're deaf, it doesn't mean they are incapacitated and incapable. They are able bodied. They are intelligent. They are kind. They are still people.

Go you, Nyle, for defying all stereotypes and proving that the Deaf are just as capable as anyone else.

-Lauren

Prom

This is much long overdue, but prom!! Finally being a "big kid" and getting to go to prom was almost surreal. You look forward to this for most of your life, and within the span of a few hours, it's over. Lucky for me though, I have one more night to dress up and feel like a modern day Cinderella.

shoes // hair 

Though prom is a whole ordeal the day of, there's a lot that goes into play much before hand. Here are few tips I learned from this year..

• Book your limo early!! It doesn't matter if it's January and your prom is in April. Go ahead and book that sucker, otherwise you'll be stuck with your parentals driving you to prom. Wouldn't that just be fun?

• Make reservations about 6-8 weeks out. This is a must. Odds are, prom is on a Saturday night, and no nice restaurant is going to have open seating for a group of 12. Pick a good restaurant (J. Alexanders, Brick Tops, Cheesecake Factory, Amerigos, the options are endless!) and make a reservation. If you're not exactly sure how many will be in your party, tell them more than you have confirmed. You can always call back and downsize your group, rather than trying to find new accommodations for a large group.

• Don't forget about after prom, either. After dancing the night away, you might be hungry and tired, so have an idea of where you're going and when you'll be getting there (for your parents' sake). My group went out for ice cream and then back to one of our houses to watch movies, aka sleep. If you choose the limo route, make sure your limo driver knows where to go. Our driver was quite clueless and we ended up having to find an alternate location to get ice cream at :/ 

• Get your dress and shoes early. By March, most stores are wearing thin on their formal wear options. Go early, and you'll have more dresses to choose from. This also gives you lots of time to get your dress fitted and hemmed, which it probably will need.

• Order a corsage! If you have a date, gently remind him the color of your dress and one or two accent colors that would complement it. If you don't have a date, order the  corsage yourself. Most girls forget this since it is traditionally the guy's role. As far as presenting it, ask a key male figure in your life (dad, brother, grandfather, etc.) to present it to you. My dad did mine. 

• Designate a photographer. This is one of the most overlooked ones, since the parents are all naturally going to have their shaky smart phones and digital cameras. While that's great and fine, make sure with each pose that it is clear what camera to look at. We got several pictures with wandering eyes since there was a mob of photographers in front of us.

• Book your hair and makeup appointment early on! The same idea as the limo, if you wait, they'll be all booked. 

• Coordinate with the other girls in your group! It can be pretty tough to organize pictures with two girls wearing the same dress-- been there. done that. 

• Bring a portable phone charger, if you have one. Between the snaps and the selfies, your poor phone battery is going to be draining all too quickly. I used mine when we got back in the limo after actual prom, and it was a life saver.

• Schedule a "practice session" with your hair and makeup stylist(s)! Go in and talk to them about what style you're looking for. Chances are, they'll conduct a "trial run" with you to customize themselves with your hair/skin, and in this time, take notes of what you like and don't like and how you'd like it to be altered for the real go around.

Prom's a night to remember!! Go have fun!! Make good choices and don't do anything stupid. 

Through pictures and memories, it'll be hard to forget your prom night.

If you want to see my pictures and get some ideas, feel free to check out ours. There are quite a few candids in here, if you know what I mean ;)

Set 1

Set 2

Set 3

xox,

Lauren

As Family We Go Tour

I love a good country concert. I love the excitement in the audience, I love the tipsy dance moves, I love the sundresses and cowboy boots. I love it all, but I really love Christian concerts, especially when it's less of a concert and more of a night of worship.

Obviously, there are some names that come to mind when I'm thinking about nights of worship: Jesus Culture, all the Hillsongs, Phil Wickham, etc. But one I think often gets overlooked is Rend Collective.** As a "Christian experimental, folk rock, worship band," they're not quite Chris Tomlin or Amy Grant, but that doesn't mean they're not just as wonderful.

I saw them on Sunday night with one of my best friends, and they blew me away. 

Their hearts and their talent is almost indescribable. 

Check out their website for for more information!

Following their opener, Urban Rescue (another personal favorite of mine), Gareth took the stage and talked about Compassion International, a sponsorship program with third world countries, and shared his personal testimony with the organization. As I learned throughout the night, Rend Collective is one of the most selfless bands out there, and their feature for it just supported that.

After a quick change from regular attire to  "Irish" clothing of vests and hats, Rend Collective took the stage.

Immediately, Chris prefaced the night to be a night of fun, worship, disclaiming that song is only one way worship is demonstrated, and then kicking off the band.

As the set progressed, the band members rotated around the stage in a circle from drums to guitar to piano. If that's not talent, I don't have any idea what is. 

Their personalities filled the stage in their worship styles, as well as their voices and music.

I originally bought these tickets to see their opener, Urban Rescue, and was indifferent towards Rend Collective. Though my boys in UR rocked it and put on a great set, Rend Collective was the better show, without a doubt.

Between their fun music and contagious passion, Rend Collective was an awesome show to go see. But really, their performance reminded me what my heart should always be doing: praising the Lord with all that I am. 

xo,

Lauren

bff :)

**I have a theory as to why Rend Collective isn't extremely popular: Christian radio is dominated by songs of trial and difficulty, and Rend Collective's music is abundantly praising. The average listener, is more than likely in a trial and questioning God and their situation. Because of this, songs of praise about the constant goodness of God are not as popular, thus do not market as well, though we are called to praise even in the hardships.

Looking For Lovely by Annie F. Downs

I’m pretty good at finding the bad in situations. It’s obvious to me what may go wrong and who may fail me. The negative outlook just comes naturally to me, so when I found out Annie F. Downs had written a book about finding the good, I was a little skeptical of it-not gonna lie (ironic, right?).

But, Annie is a friend of mine and a phenomenal author, so I figured I’d give it a try.

And I’m glad I did.

Looking For Lovely is a memoir style book with tales, lessons, and examples from Annie's life.

Each chapter holds a theme and a take away that help you look for lovely in your everyday life. The chapters are based off a season or event in Annie’s life, whether it is health issues or a trip to Israel, and she reflects on those seasons that were hard (or easy) for her, how she got through them, and gives insight to us on how to get through similar situations without feeling defeated.

For example, Annie uses eating watermelon with a friend's daughter. Yes, watermelon. Instead of being a juicy summertime fruit, Annie compares its seeds and fruit to weeping and joy.

“Just like a watermelon’s seeds are dwarfed in size by the watermelon itself, I see that my weeping and my tears will be minimal with my joy.”

I love that. Watermelon is something so regular--I eat almost everyday in the summer-- but Annie turns it into a little symbolism of joy and a reminder of a bigger plan.

And that is what she does throughout the entire book. She takes little, ordinary things: nail polish, the Ryman, sunrises, Shakira, and she turns them into little sources of joy and displays of God's hand that you can find everyday. She not only shares hers, but she encourages you to find your own, too.

In my own life, I’ve found my own sources of lovely: purple nail polish, moccasins, and BIC pens, to name a few.

Purple nail polish as an expression of the originality God has given me, when I was struggling with my identity.

Moccasins as a reminder of His comforting presence in hard times (He just encompasses us like the fuzz on cold mornings ;) ).

And even though I make BIC pens smear, they're easy to write with and make beautiful writing, reminding me that there is beauty even in the chaos.

But finding joy in items like these has lead me to find joy in the little things of life, too: a cup of coffee in the morning, singing in the shower, close parking spots, new Pinterest recipes. Everywhere I turn now, I find something beautiful, despite whatever season I’m in. I still get down and still have my "seed" moments in life, but as a whole, I find myself being more optimistic and embracing the eternal joy Jesus gives through the little things, even in the hard times.

If you're like me and struggle with finding good in all situations and seasons, I recommend reading Looking for Lovely. It can change your heart. It's being sold at Lifeway, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Books-A-Million. You can find out more about the book here and more information on Annie's website (anniefdowns.com).

Looking for Lovely was a challenge for me at first. I found it hard to look at such regular things with more meaning than at the surface, but thankfully, the Lord changed my heart, and I now look for lovely in everything. I don't always find it on the first try, but I at least know it's there, when I'm doubting.

Thank you, God, for this change of heart, and thank you, Annie, for being His vessel and teaching me to always look for lovely.

(fun fact: the shirt Annie has on in this picture is the same one she's wearing today for the book's release)

xoxo,

lauren

#lookingforlovely