With summer fading and hopes of autumn just around the corner, I thought it would be the perfect time to share about my new book, Pauses for the Vacationing Soul: A Sensory-Based Devotional Guide for the Mountains, set to release Tuesday, September 19.
When the idea for writing vacation devotional guides emerged, I admit the beach is where it all started, but the mountains quickly followed.
There has always been some type of draw to the mountains way down deep in this old soul of mine. Maybe it’s because my mom’s parents loved the mountains and took us there for roadside picnics by the river. Or maybe it’s because we had a five-acre parcel of land that sat at the foot of a mountain that we visited most weekends while growing up that makes me love them like I do.
All I know is that the draw to be closer to the mountains was so strong that the creature of habit within me took a giant step back and allowed a sometimes-friend, adventure, to step forward and move us away from all we’d known for the past twenty plus years⎯friends, church, our century-old home, comforting backroads, and the Ice Cream Station. Don’t judge.
There is just something about being near to the mountains that make us feel closer to God.
The sheer height reminds us of the mightiness of our God while the pristine nature surrounding us woos our heart to Him like a first love. Breathing in the sweet crisp air invigorates our senses, giving us clarity of mind, a sometimes difficult commodity in our busy culture.
Pauses for the Vacationing Soul // Mountains is designed for a one week vacation but it can also be used for weekends or even a single day trip, with all seasons represented. Each day invites you to draw closer to God through a brief personal story, a scripture verse, devotion, and a sensory exercise. And did I mention Edie Melson is writing the foreword? Pauses is a prayed-over, Spirit-led, and a beloved little book I trust God will use for His glory in beautiful and unexpected ways.
I would LOVE for you to be a part of the God-Lovin’ Mountain-Goin’ Launch Team! (It doesn’t require as much time as you might think.)
Read: Because the book consists of seven days you could choose to read a devotion every day if you like. The sensory exercises could be set aside for your own vacation in the future, which helps to cut your time significantly. You would have three weeks to read it.
Review: I’m learning just how priceless reviews are for any book on Amazon. Your agreeing to leave a review on the launch day is THE most vital part of your commitment. I will keep you updated along the way.
Share: On launch day and for a few weeks afterward, I ask that you share the book on your social media platforms. If you only do Facebook, that’s fine! No pressure here — share where you feel comfortable. If you have a blog, I would welcome the opportunity to guest post (just another way to share). I’ll have pre-made tweets and Facebook postings on my site. You need only click to share! I’m all about saving you time.
In return, I will joyfully do the following:
Send you a FREE PDF copy of the book.
Mention your name in the book.
Mention your name on my site’s book page, along with a hyper-link to your site (I reserve the right to decline this offer, if necessary)
If you would like to be a part of a project that inspires and refreshes while drawing readers closer to God as a result, here’s an opportunity! Thanks to those of you who have already contacted me saying you would love to join the team. Your support and encouragement mean the world to me!
Want to be on the God-lovin’ Mountain-Goin’ Launch Team? Please email me via the button in the sidebar or leave a comment. I’ll be in touch — thank you!
Above all, I welcome prayer from you, my friend. Self-pubbing is not for wimps and although I’ve never considered myself to be the bravest, I feel I’ve wratched up the ol’ survival skills scale this year but I still have a ways to go.
You’re the best and I thank God for you⎯often.
“One day’s exposure to mountains is better than a cartload of books.” -John Muir
1. It’s not exactly a snippet.
2. It is, however, something I sense God wants me to share.
3. His promptings trump my plans.
H-E-A-L-T-H-Y
Before I jump in, you need to know that in 2012 I was enrolled in Weight Watchers, as I am now, but the results were much different. It took me six months to lose ten pounds. Here’s the difference:
My motivation. After gall bladder surgery in March my awesome hubby waited on me hand and foot. While a blessing, his willingness to care for me awakened me to the fact that if I kept going in the same direction on the scale, he would one day be taking care of me on a whole other level due to poor health. Another reason? I don’t want to “burden” my children in the future simply because I refuse to take better care of myself today.
Some things we have no control over
but the choices we can make today will determine the choices made for us in the future.
With that, here are some simple strategies that have evolved — and continue to evolve — as a Weight Watchers member. Even if you’re not enrolled in WW, I hope something will spark your interest. Remember, these are choices I’ve made based on my preferences. You’ll have your own. 🙂 And by the way, I have a long way to go. I’ve not arrived. I will fail at times but I’m in it for the long haul and these tips would’ve helped me stay on track in 2012, so here goes.
1. Count every single point. This also holds true if you’re counting carbs or calories. In 2012, I didn’t count the strawberry jam on my toast because, well, jam naturally goes with toast! #Fail.
2. Using my bonus points, I choose one special thing to eat/drink on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I try to leave at least 15 bonus points available for the week. This way, I’m able to work in my favorite Panera breakfast sandwich (replacing the egg with egg whites), my fancy froo-froo frappucino (I ask them to hold the whip cream but to put on a dome lid so that when I get home, I can fill it with my fat free whip) and last but not least, pumpkin bread from Starbucks on Sunday. There’s no deprivation here, my friends.
3. I make sure everything I use to cook breakfast (egg whites, grits, coffee) are clean the night before. This way, I’m not tempted to eat anything else. You’d be surprised how a dirty spatula can leave you aching for a gravy biscuit.
4. Keep healthy ingredients on hand as well as specific ingredients needed for your meals. I bake all my chicken for the week at once, weigh out 1.5 oz, and put that amount in individual freezer bags to pull out as needed for salads.
5. I’m learning to replace one high point food with a low one. I love sweets! I’ve found a WW candy that I find very satisfying for only 1 point. Sure beats a bag of 7 point M and M’s.
6. When recently meeting friends at a Mexican restaurant I decided ahead of time that if I left the restaurant without having eaten chips and salsa I would feel very deprived. I wouldn’t, however, feel deprived by leaving tacos in my wake so I ate a 3 point meal just before leaving the house and polished off my meal at the restaurant with a dozen chips and salsa for 4 points. Major score!
7. Combine breakfast and lunch points for something special. Eating a banana or other fruit earlier in the morning can make this a reality.
8. Before I go out to eat, I check the WW site to determine my options.
9. I bought a Fitbit with a heart-rate monitor and love it! Talk about motivation.
10. Going through several tests for my gall bladder issues in March helped me to realize that it was perfectly okay to go to bed with a growling tummy. Really, it is.
11. When we go to the movies (normally on a weekend) I plan to have my special treat (see #2) AFTER the movie. It gives me something to look forward to and I don’t succumb to the 30+ points the movie popcorn has to offer. #applydirectlytothehips
12. Accountability. I can’t stress this one enough. In all honesty, there were only two reasons why I re-joined Weight Watchers meetings: My best friend of 20+ years kept inviting me (at Summit Church we refer to this as being lovingly intrusive) and Michelin had a great deal to offer. But now as I look back I’m convinced the accountability has made all the difference.
13. Find an exercise that feels more like fun than torture. For me, it’s Jazzercise. I especially appreciate the fact there’s not an expansive glass wall putting me on display. #andsimpsonvilleheavesacollectivesighofrelief
Again, I’m not saying I’ve got it all under control — far from it — but for the first time in my life, I see the tremendous impact a handful of simple strategies can make in a person’s life. I want to encourage you as I encourage myself.
If you like the ideas above I can continue sharing them as I put them into practice but above all, I’d love to learn from YOU!
Please share any strategies you’ve learned along the way. To God be the glory.
While giving a book review on Twyla Tharp’s, The Creative Habit, at this month’s writers’ meeting, I pronounced creatively
as if it was a five syllable word: cre-a-tiv-e-ly. I caught it before
it left my tongue but by then it was too late. Let’s just say the review
quickly morphed into comic relief. I’m still getting emails from group
members saying how much they enjoyed it. As comedian Mark Lowery used
to say, “I just wanna be a blessing!”
Not so long ago, questions like, What kind of writer mispronounces such a common word? Will my peers think I’m stupid? would’ve pummeled by conscience for days. Truth
is, I’ve been creating “new” words, sharing Southernisms (common words
for Southerners, not so common to others), unintentionally reversing the
order of well-known phrases, and mispronouncing your favorite words for
years. (Brian has kept a running tab of my new,
funky and mispronounced word choices for the past twenty-five years, just for the fun of it.)
A number of touch-points in recent months, however, have given me a NEW way of approaching my silly blunders, and that is to ask myself the question: So what?
Do I care what others think? Of course I do, but it’s when I become overly concerned that the hissing of self-judgment slithers its way to my heart, leaving it vulnerable to the enemy of lies.
Bottom line, if God isn’t offended by my blunders, I shouldn’t be either. Oh the joy that comes in knowing that the Hard-Wirer of my soul loves me, my quirks, my endless blunders—and dare I say, my comic relief?
Your turn! When your words or actions fumble are you quick to recover? Please say you do these things. 🙂
For
we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which
God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
If your schedule allows, attend a Christmas Eve service in your area. Hearing God’s Word, singing hymns/carols, lighting candles, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with other Christ pursuers sets the tone for all Christmas should be: Worship, family, love, and community.
Merry Christmas, friends! May you sense God’s mighty presence among you and your family as you celebrate Jesus—no longer the Babe, but King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords. Revelation 19:16
**If you live here in Simpsonville SC, our church (Summit Upstate) will be hosting our Christmas Eve service in downtown Simpsonville at the Clock Tower beginning at 5:30 p.m. I’d love for you to join us!
It’s great to be sharing snippets from our Sunday’s service at Summit Upstate once again.
There is one dilemma, however. Jason’s sermon was so riveting that I forgot to take notes for a good part of the service. Yes, it was that good. My snippets-attempt doesn’t do the sermon justice, but here goes:
If you know Jesus, you have a grace story unfolding through your life—and each one is unique.
Ways to become more intentional in sharing our own story:
Pray. When’s the last time we prayed for someone lost without Christ?
Cultivate friendships with people who don’t know Jesus. Live intentionally. Watch to see who God will bring across your path today and be prepared to share.
Repeat. Don’t grow weary in well doing. Keep going. After all, God is the one drawing people, not you.
Embrace the uniqueness of your story. Stop wishing you had another person’s grace story!
A
lot of people say the Church is no longer relevant — that we need to
be hipper or trendier for people to want to come and camp out at the
Church’s door. It’s not about making God “cooler” — it’s about the
Church living intentionally.
It’s
arrogant of us to think God has become irrelevant and that it’s our job
to make Him relevant. -Jason Malone (I’d say this is tweet-worthy,
wouldn’t you?)
To hear the sermon in its entirety, please visit Summit’s site. Jason’s sermon should be posted by Tuesday/Wednesday.
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