Sunshine in My Nest

This is the last challenge of the summer, and it may be one of my favorites. Along with it comes an encouragement to carry this challenge into the fall.
We are commanded in the New Testament to meet with other believers because of the way it strengthens and encourages us. My favorite verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, tells us to “Encourage one another and build each other up.”
My family has done this well through books. You can probably tell I love them a lot, but I love them even more when I get to read them with other Christians, especially mom friends. A few years ago I invited friends and strangers into my home to spend 18 months going through the book “Lifegiving Home.”
Sometimes we discussed the book; other times we just shared what we were struggling with and prayed for each other. That year was one of the most spiritually formative and lifegiving phases of my life. I’ve done that again this summer for my son byinviting his friends who enjoy reading to join him at a coffee shop to read the Junior version of “Unbroken.”
I hope this episode about books and reading encourages you. I’ll also link below both Whitney’s book and my book. Both would be amazing places to create if you want to do one of these groups for yourself!

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My summer has looked nothing like what I expected. I had 5 days of middle school, two days at home, then 5 days at a conference. That was the expected part, what I didn’t expect was to be trusting God into buying a new home on land and nestled in the trees.
 
All the things being placed in my hands are good things, but it’s also forced me to say, “no” to some things too. In our family we have a rule, “You can’t pick up anything, unless you put something down.” If not, then our kids end up paying the price.
 
In this season I need the challenge of “simplicity.” It can be easy to run away with my plans. To try to buy furniture to make it cozy, or plan ahead for what I can’t know about. Just knowing this episode with Jodi was coming has been enough to slow me down and encourage me to snuggle on longer empty days, andwait to buy things after I need them not in anticipation of “maybe” needed them.
 
God keeps replaying to my mind and heart Matthew 6:19-21 “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
 
I hope this week if you’re feeling overwhelmed by having picked up too much, you’ll find a thing or two to lay down. Trusting that he’s working in those moments too.

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Original Music written and recorded by Jonathan Camenisch
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My experience with getting later into summer is that the quiet, laziness of the days has finally sunk in. The frantic activity of May has passed and the first of the summer trips are over. Our Summer Faith Challenge is a fun one this week. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure. Either invite someone over for a meal orMake cookie dough and freeze balls of it to have on hand in the freezer.
 
Discipleship is done so well over food. As soon as I start baking my kids gather around to see what’s happening, or as soon as they smell cookies going into the oven, the smell lures them out to talk.
 
We are called to “Go make disciples.” Jesus famously discipled in combination with food. It’s a good recipe for discipleship success! We hear stories of the feeding of five thousand, wedding feasts, and the last supper.
The early church copied that, and we see in Acts 2:42&46 that “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer… Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.”
 
I think this interview with Sally Clarkson will inspire you in your discipleship goals! Enjoy!

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Our Summer Faith Challenge this week is to examine the way we think about our bodies and aging. 1 Samuel 16: 7b tells us that “... the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
 
Summer is a time when it is easy to be fixated on how we look and be overly aware of our bodies. There are a lot of ads talking to us about being swimsuit-ready and wanting to maintain our youthful look. I was laughing to my sister-in-law this pastweekend that after my first son was born, I convinced my husband to let me buy my forever swimsuit. It was a little more expensive, but it was a one-piece with boy short legs, so that I could chase our future kids while not showing the whole world my assets.
I didn’t really swim again until our third son was born, because trying to keep all the toddlers from drowning felt impossible, but when I put on that suit, I couldn’t believe how much my body had changed. In an effort to embrace this new size, I once again convinced my husband to let me buy my new “forever suit.” SoI could confidently go to the pool.
But now, ironically, I’m somewhere between those two sizes. I tend to pendulum swing between pretending my body doesn’t matter at all, and overanalyzing every shift that each year brings.
What if our faith changed our focus? What if the way we see life allowed our soul to become more beautiful and our faith an anchor of security as we step out into the pool with our kids or grandkids this summer?
Enjoy this episode with Jen aging with grace.

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Our second Summer Faith Challenge is to use words that are kind, or to ask forgiveness and repair when they aren’t. I could probably use this challenge every week of the year, but I want to focus specifically on encouraging words with a kind tone this week.
My mom had a verse from Eph 4:29 she would quote tous likely every day “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building othersup according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Our challenge this week is to print that verse (I’ll providea printable verse card for you in the show notes) and pin it somewhere where we will see it. Challenge your Summer Challenge Besties to use kind words this week and ask for forgiveness when your words or tone move away from that.

The more we are with someone the easier it is to harm them with our words, and when we travel with people and have them with us 24/7 in cramped quarters, it becomes harder to choose to speak words of kindness over them every day. Jesus knowsthat. He knows our weakness, but promised to send his Holy Spirit to empower us, and to hear our prayers when we ask him for strength or forgiveness.

I think this conversation with Abbey will remind us that while we can challenge ourselves to speak kindly, that often comes with the need to learn to ask for forgiveness and also remember that Christ loves us and is our righteousness even when we fail.