Saturday Suggestions: Inspirations for Your Weekend

 

                Good morning and happy Saturday.  I am hoping for a proper sleep-in this morning, because it has been one full week. Full of good, fun things, but full to overflowing. I rounded up a few things to share with you today, so I hope you enjoy!

I was scrolling through Lindsay Letters’ shop (you know I love her art!) and found THIS amazingly cool library-card-inspired bulletin board. Whoa. Could there be anything more perfect for an office than that? I love it! (Note: There is also a postcard version – and even a guest check – if library cards aren’t your style.)

I love hearing the stories of how people found and decorated their homes, and Katherine’s story of her 500 square foot attic apartment did not disappoint. This reminds me of a DARLING above-garage apartment my friend Christi had right after college. I visited often and loved the tiny perfection of it all. Katherine’s seems larger than Christi’s, but perhaps it just seems that way from the layout and amount of furniture inside. Small spaces fascinate me.

This post is not a new one, which means there is a distinct possibility I have run across it before – and maybe even shared it here. But if I did, I’m not even embarrassed about sharing it again because it is such a beautiful renovation. I think this is a well-done renovation of a very small space. They reimagined it well, used all the spaces creatively, and I love the end result!

A couple of years ago, Ryan sang this Brent Vernon song at our church. I see that it’s now been adapted for choir and orchestra, and here’s a video of a church sharing it. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. I really love the lyrics of this song.

Katie went on a cruise and wrote about everything she wore while she was gone. I would still pick my swim romper (because I just like more coverage) but I loved so many of her casual and dress options that she featured! She also offers a link to her previous year’s cruise wardrobe roundup, so if you want even more ideas, you can look at that!

I haven’t tried this recipe personally, but I love the idea of it! I love a peanut butter cookie. I love a chocolate chip cookie. Why have I not considered making a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie?? This one doesn’t require many ingredients, and I confess I’m kind of drooling just writing about it…

I finished a book this week! Let me tell you how I learned about it. A few weeks ago, I received a message from a college friend of mine. She is now the division chair for the Division of Modern Languages and Literature at IWU and is putting together some training for the professors in this department. Each division has some training days ahead of the each school year. She is focusing on prayer and asked if I’d be willing to come speak to them on this topic. I eagerly agreed, and she told me about the book they’re reading together. I ordered and read it immediately, and it sparked so much in my heart.

                Lead With Prayer is co-authored by Ryan Skoog, Peter Greer, and Cameron Doolittle, and while it’s written for leaders, I believe anyone can benefit from the ideas on its pages.

                I have long known that most Christians simply don’t pray as often or deeply/sincerely as we should. I include myself in this truth. Prayer feels abstract, and we add it if we have time. The truth is, we simply don’t have time to NOT include it. And for any of us who lead anything, prayer should come first, last, and multiple times in the middle. I’ve been challenged in this in a practical way recently. I enjoy watching and learning from various preachers, and one I’ve been watching regularly stops preaching – to pray – and then he resumes his sermon. Sometimes he does that multiple times in a sermon. I’ve never seen anyone do that, and it has made a mark on me.

                Lead With Prayer encourages leaders to become people of prayer so they can lead their people in prayer. Does it feel like a waste of time? It’s the best way to “waste” time. How do you pray? When do you pray? What does it look and sound like? The book offers so much on all these topics. The authors tell stories of leaders who purpose to pray regularly and how it has transformed them personally – and transformed their ministries or businesses. They offer practical tips, prayers to read and model, and Scripture to back it all.

                Even if you don’t consider yourself a leader, you can learn from the principles in this book. (I would add that even if you don’t consider yourself a leader, you probably are a leader to someone, somewhere, somehow, so this applies to you.)

                The book is easy to read, interesting, and compelling. I have underlined and made notes all over the place, not just for my time of speaking coming up, but for my own ministries and those with whom I serve.

                God has stirred something in my soul through the things I learned in this book. I have every confidence that if you read it, He’ll do the same for you!