The Saturday Six

One.

 I was excited to stumble upon this article of places to eat around Indiana. (Places with spectacular patio dining!) We have actually been to the very last one on the list and loved the food AND the view. And now? We have more places to try!


Two.

 Love these words from Holley Gerth. If you're struggling to forgive yourself of your past, or if you wonder if Jesus meant that He loves you, read her words.

Three.

 Did anyone try the new Unicorn Frappe from Starbucks this week? I am not even REMOTELY tempted by this, and of my social media friends, I only saw one thumbs up. I will just go ahead and stick to my caramel delights, thankyouverymuch.

Four.

Since I'm not a parent, I do try to limit my parental advice on this blog. I know I am not a reliable source. But I happened upon this post through Twitter this week, and out of curiosity, I read it. AND I TOTALLY AGREE. I actually have a couple of friends (meaning one couple married to each other) who parent this way, and it actually works. Their kids are well-behaved, innovative, creative, and in my non-parental opinion, balanced and healthy. So I think there might just be something to this madness!  

Five.

This is kind of a throw-back to an old post, but I'll tell you why I'm reminding you of it! Last year, I shared this post of how I'd started making my own marinara sauce. (It was a by-product of the 21 Day Fix lifestyle and learning to eat less processed foods.) I've used this sauce many times in lasagna and other such dishes, but I made a new batch a few days ago and pulled some out for Ryan to use as dipping sauce for some bread he had. I clearly underestimated how much he would love it and had NOT reserved enough. He told me he was done with all pre-packaged sauces. This was it for him from now on. So in honor of that, here's a link to the recipe! 

Six.

THIS. IN EVERY WAY: THIS. (Pause: it is true that there is no book review this week. I read two books but neither has been released yet, so I can't review them. Believe me. It's killing my OCD as much as it's shocking you right now. I'll be back with a book next week. PROMISE.) Okay back to this point.

I have had so many conversations lately with friends, fellow-believers, fellow entrepreneurs and small business owners and my brain spins over this entire conundrum. As Beth says so much better than I can, we are living in a world where we are taught and encouraged to promote ourselves. If we have something to offer, we have to make graphics and videos and do blog tours and podcasts and push, push, push to get our name and offering out to every soul we've ever met. We beg for retweets and reposts and stalk our social media numbers to make sure they're growing.

I don't like any of it. It's not how I was raised, it wasn't what I saw modeled, and it's not how I want to live. I share what I have to offer, because I want you to know it's there. I want you to know if you need a laugh, you can listen to Spill the Beans and chances are good we'll make you giggle. I want you to know if you want to read about the randomness of our lives, you can come here every day and find something to munch on for a minute. I want you to know if you need a devo, I've written a couple, I believe in their message, and I hope they'd be an inspiration to you. So I let you know when something's here. I want you to know that I love to share the messages God has given me with groups of people, so if you need a speaker, holler, and we'll talk. But oh my word, I never want to be the girl that shoves any of it down your throat.

I don't want to be the girl who gets hidden from every Facebook feed because my every post, even if shrouded in some fun story about my life, is somehow going to turn into a desperate plea to hire me or buy something I've written. I agree with Beth 100% and I am in her camp. I don't want to be about the Bekah Shaffer brand. I want to be about Jesus and hope you see Him through these outlets I have the chance to offer.

Stepping off soapbox.