Winsome

While I let my "Winsome Wednesday" posts trail off several months ago, I thought these two videos needed a place on my blog. I hope they give you the warm fuzzies as they did me!

God woos artist with the beauty of his craft 

 The Forrest Gump of the Owl world  

 Can I just say this video made me want to become an ornithologist?

Winsome Wednesday "What Things are True"

Can I confide in you, Internet? Can I insert my truth into your gaping silence and before a million robotic eyes? In the hours after I clicked "publish" on my last "Winsome Wednesday," I regretted and fretted. I felt ashamed. The atmosphere in my heart was the polar opposite of what I've intended to create with my weekly campaign to follow Paul's advice in Philippians 4:8 to fill my thoughts with things lovely, true and winsome-- all around me and even in me.

Winsome Wednesday: 10 Things I Do (Almost Daily) to Spark Joy in My Life

I'm taking a slightly different approach to this week's list of lovely. Instead of linking out, I thought I'd dig around in my own life. I'm not a naturally joyful, sunny kind of person... I have to make it a spiritual discipline to follow Paul's advice in Philippians 4:8, from which my "Winsome Wednesday" post springs. These are 10 simple house-keeping and soul-keeping habits I've created in my daily life that help create an atmosphere of joy in my heart and in my home. They are written in chronological order rather than ranked order.

#1: Rising Early
I'm an early riser born to early risers. I won't say this is for everyone, but getting up before the rest of the house allows me the space to get my head on straight and spend some time reading or writing or praying before the day starts bustling. The corollary to this, as you might have guessed, is that I rarely stay up past 10 p.m. Actually, I'd love to crawl into bed around 9.

#2: Keeping a Journal
I've used a journal since 1992. That was junior high, ya'll. Thankfully, how I've used a journal has evolved quite a bit since the days of my fickle crushes and tween angst. Journaling is now my number one place for quiet reflection, prayer and communion with God. I treasure my current journal because it's a like a secret garden I can go to plant spiritual seeds and record sightings of new life forms. I treasure past journals, and even past entries because in them I can meet my former self... for better or for worse.

#3: A Very Brief Workout
I've never been an athlete. My body is just asymmetrical enough that I'm uncoordinated and prone to feel like an old lady any time I attempt high impact exercise. And I think I'm fine with that, because I discovered the joys of yoga about a year and a half ago. I turn my personal morning yoga session into a soul-centering, God-worshiping time with a 19-minute, 3-song playlist. Maybe someday I'll get up the guts to make a little yoga video to share with you.

#4: Create Visual Calm
This is a fancy way of saying that I like my bed to be made every morning because it's the biggest thing in my bedroom, and the simple act of straightening out the quilt makes the spot where I journal look clean and tidy. This also means I send my three boys' dirty clothes down the laundry chute, close my shower curtain, plump the couch cushions and maybe if I'm especially ambitious, clear away the dishes from the table and counter. I also make the boys participate-- no toys are allowed on the main level. They have their room on the second floor and their toys in the basement. It's not a perfect system, but it keeps the level of crazy down. Oliver, my 2-year-old, breaks this rule routinely. As I type, he's playing with some contraband Legos on my desk.

Winsome Wednesday 1.13.16

Philippians 4:8 (NLT)
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 

Baby Sloths

So, my husband and I like to make fun of adult sloths, big scruffy animals that take about 10 minutes to shift positions in a tree. Baby sloths appear to be 10 times more energetic and 100 times more adorable than adults. As you can tell, there's absolutely no rhyme or reason to my list of winsome on the web. These are just the little happy distractions I need to break up the cold winter days.

Worthy of praise


Charley Harper is one of my favorite artists because he combined great design with depictions of the natural world rich with personality. Here's a little video about what made him so special.


Our Favorite Kid's Bible

Whenever Ollie says, "I wanna read God!" he's referring to The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm and illustrated by Gail Schoonmaker. And I'm so glad this is the one that best holds his interest because it is also the easiest for me to read in large swaths because of its big full-bleed art and poetic but minimal text on each page. What this Bible excels at is creating an overall picture of the thread running through the entire bible: A God who loves His people so much that He steadfastly pursues them and cares for them even though they are continually doubting His goodness and disobeying Him.


Jesus You're My Super Hero brick movie

Ok, so this video made the winsome list not because I agree with the theological trajectory of this song, but because it made my boys go crazy on Sunday after we finished creating our Lego Duplo garden of Eden scene. And because I think worship should be fun. Stephen and Rockam got into it by coming up with other superheros and toys to insert in the Jesus is "better than ___________" segment of the song.

Winsome Wednesday 1.6.16

"It's Taco Tuesday! Except... on a Wednesday!!! But still called Taco Tuesday!!!" If you don't have Lego-obsessed children who have watched the Lego Movie a million times, just ignore that quote and enjoy my Winsome Wednesday (except on a Thursday.)

Philippians 4:8 Amplified
Brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

Lovely and Lovable Owls

Owls: Our Most Charming Bird by Matt Sewell has won me over with cute meets witty in the forest. I highly recommend it for nature and bird lovers. You can read my review here.

Is It OK to Ask?
Considering my #oneword is "Ask" I thought this was an interesting post by Teresa Blythe, in which she expounds on an episode of King of Queens (which I've never watched) to explore how God handles our most frivolous prayers. Her response is freeing to those who can't shake seemingly shallow longings.

Prayer of the Imagination
Woodland Hills Pastor Greg Boyd's sermon on Wonder was part of his pre-Christmas sermon series. So I'm a little behind on everything, but don't let that put you off. He supplies an antidote to our human tendency to lose our sense of wonder as we age. Listen to his suggestions for tapping into the sehnsucht in your heart. And... learn what this German word means!

You Are My One Thing



Asking might be my "one word" but Jesus is always my "one thing." So maybe it's a little weird to refer to Jesus as a "thing" even if He's the one and only... but this video and song from Bethel music gives me all the feels. And what a location for a worship gathering! Enjoy!

Winsome Wednesday 12.30.15

From where I'm typing (Chicago) the weather outside is frightful and I tend toward gloomy moods on dreary days. Here's a little truth, beauty and authenticity this week to fuel prayers and action:

Philippians 4:8 MSG
"Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse."  

The Brilliance performs "Brother" 

This video just moved me to tears when I first listened to it. I've already shared it on Facebook, but it's so lovely and timely I'm gonna share it again. I heard Jesus in these lyrics.

Itty Bitty Beauty
Beautiful and tiny painted lockets, dubbed "daydreams in a nutshell" by artist Khara Ledonne. View her Etsy Shop or this little video about her process. After being deluged over the holidays, she's temporarily closed the shop to restock. When she reopens, I'm thinking a custom locket with a meaningful scene might be an interesting way to focus prayer. 

Helping Homeless Help Others
"We don't need coats, we need jobs!" Hearing these desperate, angry words inspired college student Veronika Scott to create a business that hires the homeless to sew innovative coats that turn into sleeping bags. I saw this inspiring story on my cousin's FB feed and am moved by the good things happening in Detroit at The Empowerment Plan. 100 bucks covers the cost of materials and the seamstress's wages for one coat.

Picture Books to read in January
I was thinking about goal-setting and resolutions for the new year, and how to encourage my kids to try something new this year. Google landed me on a NYC SAHM's witty and wise blog, "What We Do All Day." I love her crisp writing style and have already placed library holds on half her list "Childrens Books About Trying New Things."