Hope yours is off to a good start! 1.5 cups of coffee later and I'm still waking up. Ughh...just call me lazybones today.
We have a brand new goodie in the wmBoutique just for you girls! This piece is my brand new fave. Our hope in making it was that it would serve as a fun reminder for us of our true value and worth. We hope you girls don't just like it, but LOVE it. Here's me sporting mine this morning - no make-up, hair-brushing or photoshopping was used in the making of this photo.
Our hand-stamped cuff is $19 and helps pay our bills to keep WM alive (hint, hint: another great reason you should get yo-friend, yo-mom, yo-self one)! Getch-yo-self some WM bling here.
I just wanted to tell you all about the upcoming HEAL (Healthy Eating & Abundant Living) Workshop I'll be hosting on Saturday, February 26thand invite any California girls to come on out. It will be held at Santa Ynez Valley Presbyterian Church in beautiful Solvang California (Santa Barbara County). Click HEREfor more details and to register. And here's the FB invite to pass on to your friends.
Here's a clip of the workshop we facilitated at Saddleback Church in Orange County last year. Unfortunately because Kayla, Natalie & Christie won't be at this one we won't be doing our ridiculous 80's jazzercise workout - but hopefully we can all bond of the pony and Cindy Lauper another time! xo
What: A faith-based workshop designed to help girls and women develop a healthier relationship with food, their bodies and life by making God the center of this area of their lives.
Why: Research shows that 3 out of 4 women struggle with disordered or chaotic eating and/or negative body image.
Who It's For: Girls & Women of All Ages (ages 13 and up). You. Your Daughter. Your Friend. Your Mom. Your Sister. Your Neighbor.
If you still don't have a copy of HEAL, you can grab one HERE. And contact us if you'd like to host your own HEAL Workshop for the beautiful gals of your church, school or community.
Happy Thursday girls! I am just budding with excitement with fun news to share with you! So many of you know I have been totally smitten and admittedly obsessed with getting a vintage Shasta Airflyte trailer for Wonderfully Made this year! The gorgeous Shasta in these pics belongs to my friend Amber of Enjoy Cupcakes - (if you live in CA & are getting married her cupcakes are way better than cake!). The lovely Janelletook a few of our team photos in front of it before I connected with Amber.
If you're a dreamer like me, you can probably relate to the feeling of wondering if your ideas are absolutely brilliant or completely insane. More than half the time mine are the latter. So my prayer with this big idea was that if God had his hand on it He would make it abundantly clear and would pave the way and provide. Well, I just got wind that a very sweet, dynamic and generous young woman who loves WM didn't think the idea was too crazy and gave us a gift in the amount of the budget for our Shasta Airflyte. God has blessed her with a phenomenal job and she has selflessly chosen to give back. I am blown away by her gratitude and the way God provides for His kingdom work.
With continued prayer and surrender of this dream, the Shasta hunt is officially beginning and here's how we hope to put our beauty to use once we find her!!!
Restore it as needed and decorate like crazy till it's' Anthropologie-styled out!
Paint it teal and white (if needed) and place a big WM decal on the front
Take it to colleges and high schools throughout California (and maybe even beyond!) and have it serve as a mobile resource and merchandise table. We'll pass out new testaments and copies of the "Father's Love Letter" and engage in meaningful conversation with the women we encounter.
Get an expresso and coffee maker and bless God's girls with hot drinks!
Take it to our WM Conferences and events!
Have it serve as a backdrop for our WM Photo-booth!
Take it on surf trips and one day even film a Christian girls surf movie with it!!
Do you ever think your dreams are crazy? How do you think we can know if our dreams are of our own making or are God-breathed?
I just can't stop listening to Mumford & Sons' Awake My Soul. The tune is catchy and the beautiful lyrics keeps running over and over in my head. The repetition of the words "awake my soul" is like an uplifted prayer for renewal. My favorite line is, "where you invest your love, you invest your life."
The way I see it, investing our love into something (or someone) leads to two outcomes: finding your worth and giving your worship. When you love something deeply--such as a relationship, your job, a sport you play, your appearance--don't you often associate your worth with the value it adds to your life?
If my relationship is successful, I'm worth more. If I perform well at work, I'm worth more. If I'm the best runner out there, I'm worth more. If I'm beautiful, I'm worth more.
And on the same note, we can so easily begin to worship those things that we allow to give us our worth. How many of you have ever put your boyfriend, your family, your beauty, or your pursuit of success above God? If you've never done that, please give me your secret! I think it's fair to say that at some point in our lives, we've put other things--we've invested our love in other things--before God.
I can't help but ask myself, where am I investing my love? My fiance Brian, my girlfriends, my family, work, ministry, writing, Jesus? I think often times, much of my love is invested in myself. Of course, I like to imagine myself being a girl who expends all of the love she has onto other people, but that's not quite true yet. It's important to remember that what we pour our life into is what we worship. We are created for worship, it's just a matter of deciding what or whom we will put that energy (or love) toward.
Watch the video, take a listen, read the lyrics, and soak it all in...
How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes I struggle to find any truth in your lies And now my heart stumbles on things I don't know This weakness I feel I must finally show
Lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all But lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall Lend me your eyes I can change what you see But your soul you must keep, totally free
In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die Where you invest your love, you invest your life In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die Where you invest your love, you invest your life
Awake my soul, awake my soul Awake my soul You were made to meet your maker Awake my soul, awake my soul Awake my soul You were made to meet your maker You were made to meet your maker
Do you feel like your soul needs an awakening? Where are you investing your love?
The grass is always greener, isn't it? We always want what we don't have--that is, until we have it and we decide that we want something different. We are fickle beings living in a fickle culture.
Oh, but I need those shoes! If only my apartment were prettier. When I lose 5lbs, then I'll have nothing to complain about.
As if anyone would think us more worthy or more interesting if we had a fancy pair of shoes, a swanky apartment, or lost a miniscule amount of weight. Why are we never content with what we have? Sheryl Crow had it right when she said,
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
This isn't a new concept--this idea of true joy coming from contentment. In fact, Paul talked about this in the book of Philippians:
...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Simply said, but not always simply done, Christ is the way we learn to be content in our current circumstances. It's through His strength that we learn (and yes, I think we need to learn this) not to want, but rather to see the value in all things we have and in who we are.
What in your life are you dissatisfied with? Would you consider asking Christ to help you learn contentment?
In my first insatiable hunger post, I referred to dieting as a bandaid--an impermanent cover for deeper, unresolved worth issues. But if dieting is so wrong, what do we do with food? If we don't have a good relationship with it, do we stay in the same unhealthy one we've been in for so long--bingeing, restricting, eating too much of one thing and not enough of another--or do we start off the new year with a breakup and find a better relationship?
If you've had an unhealthy perspective on eating for a while, this is a very scary idea. But, I can promise that there's hope on the other side of it. I can joyfully say that while dieting brought no satisfaction, eating with grace according to my God-given hunger and fullness signals has redeemed and restored food to what it should be--a pleasurable nourishment for my body.
Nothing tastes as good as freedom feels. Tempting as it is to restrict and control, or even to abandon hunger signals and indulge in whatever we want, that is not God's intention for our bodies. One of the best resources I've found in my own journey toward a healthy food relationship has been Judy Halliday's book called Thin Within. Judy is also the co-author of HEAL: Healthy Eating & Abundant Living. Her grace-oriented approach to eating is rooted in discovering the hunger and fullness cues that God created us with using the following principles (taken from Thin Within):
Eat only when my body is hungry.
Reduce distractions and eat in a calm environment.
Eat when sitting down.
Eat when my body and mind are relaxed.
Eat and drink what my body enjoys.
Pay attention to my food while eating.
Eat slowly and savor each bite.
Stop before my body is full.
It's important to remember that these are guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules. One of the key tools described in the book is called "observation and correction," and it's all about objectively looking at how we eat, and making the necessary changes without judgment or guilt. I know on tough days when I've slipped back into emotional eating or restriction, this has been the best way to deal with it. I reflect on what happened--How was I feeling? Stressed? Tired? Upset?--and then I think about how I could have acted differently through the lense of the Thin Within principles.
What do you think of these principles? Are they something you would try, or do they seem unrealistic?
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
Proverbs 31:17
A woman of strength is secure and is secure because she knows who she is and who she belongs to.
A woman of strength is a woman of vision, who fights for justice and lives for an audience of One.
A woman of strength dispels the lies and listens to voice of truth.
A woman of strength is strong because God dwells within her.
A woman of strength will not fall at the break of day.
I feel blessed to live my life in the company of strong women. I picked this picture of my friend Nicole Bromley & I because she is one of the strongest girls I know. Yes, I know her biceps are impressive, but she lives out Proverbs 31:17. The task of breaking the silence, which God has appointed her is not an easy one. But she does not relent. Every time I hear Nicole share her story of surviving sexual abuse I am compelled and moved to action. Moved to not keep silent; moved to share my story even though it frightens me I sometimes feel like I might drown in my own fears.
We who believe are women of strength. You. Me. Nicole. The power of God lives within you. Live the beauty of being a woman of strength.
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." -Isaiah 41:10
Tell us about a woman of strength who you are blessed to do life with. Why do you call her a woman of strength?
"A woman is like a teabag; you cannot tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water." -Nancy Reagan
How do you define the strength and character of a woman?
I thought you girls would like this poem I stumbled across yesterday through Cultivate Her, a leadership environment where women are inspired, challenged and encouraged.
A strong woman works out every day
to keep her body in shape
but a woman of strength looks deep inside
to keep her soul in shape
A strong woman isn’t afraid
of anything
but a woman of strength shows courage
in the midst of her fear
A strong woman won’t let anyone
get the best of her
but a woman of strength gives the best
of her to everyone
A strong woman makes mistakes
and avoids the same in the future
but a woman of strength realizes life’s mistakes
can also be blessings and capitalizes on them
A strong woman walks
sure footedly
but a woman of strength knows
when to ask for help
A strong woman wears the look
of confidence on her face
but a woman of strength
wears grace
A strong woman has faith
that she is strong enough for the journey
but a woman of strength has faith
that it is in the journey that she will become strong
~unknown author
Questions: How do you measure the strength of a woman?
