emotions

"My feelings are not God. God is God. My feelings do not define what is true. God’s word defines what is true. My feelings are echoes and responses of what I perceive to be the case, and they are regularly lousy, inadequate, half-baked, no-count, misguided feelings. And when that happens, I gotta get on my face, lift my heart and my hands, and say, ‘God, this is in the Bible. Bring my affections into line with it…’ I don’t know any other way to live the Christian life than to get in the face of my feelings and say, ‘Wrong! Shape up! Get fixed according to this Word!’" - J. Piper

songs of deliverance

But each day the Lord pours His unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing His songs, praying to God who gives me life. Psalm 42:8

gentleman's agreement

1. You should be the best that you can be.
2. Gentlemen should work.
3. Manners are very important such as opening doors for women.
4. Don’t be pretentious or racist or judgmental.
5. Men should not wear shorts in the city.

*Tom Ford about being a gentleman via Jefferson Hack for AnOther Man

mixing neutrals

Expanding my color palette. Richness, depth, warmth. Black and white still foundational.

gracefully

Aged to perfection.

the moon

"Don't shoot for the moon and expect to land among the stars. Shoot for the moon and be ready for the shininess of those stars. Those distracters. Those almost-there promisers that will keep you from achieving your biggest dreams. Shoot for the moon and don't settle. Keep going. Know that the closer you get the more distractions there will be - they'll be shinier and bigger than expected. They'll look good and tempt you to slow down. There's only one moon and many stars. Be the person who demands excellence and keeps moving. Chase your dreams. Don't be swayed. Be steadfast. Keep going. And land on your number one, your top choice, your plan A. Be the person you know you're meant to be. The moon is waiting for more visitors. The stars will always be named."

business is pleasure

{five favourite pieces of advice for running a business}

1. dedication is key: know that if you're going to go for something, it should envelope your whole life; you're married to your business in a way, and you should know that going into it

2. have a business plan: you don't need a big business plan -- it can even be written on the back of a bar napkin -- you just need to write down your goals and visualize them happening

3. do what you love: if you're doing what you love, it is that much easier; it cuts all the work in half when it is your passion

4. read your client: cater to your client's unique taste; listen to them, their budget, their likes and dislikes -- don't give [your] clients “package a” or “package b”, but really sit with them and figure out exactly what they want and do [your] best to give them exactly that

5. don’t sweat the small stuff: this is much easier said than done; when you're a perfectionist and you're doing this sort of work, it's hard not to sweat the small stuff, but you have to keep perspective and remember the big picture

There's so much on my mind when I think of how these principles apply to my own life. And I see how I'm being groomed to be the kind of businesswoman set out before me. Completely unconventional. The antithesis of what we think a "businesswoman" to be. Think Kris Jenner. {I'm already married to my business and already "do" what I love.} Ah, God's design. This business advice applies to all aspects of life. I could go on and on...

exactly!

"I feel like i'm deep in the river right now... a stone underneath the waters being smoothed over and crafted to His design... and while my edges rough and ragged must be washed over by His strong currents the result is so worth the wearing down." Jill M.

hope's anthem

He's awakening the hope in me

By calling forth my destiny

He's breathing life into my soul

I will thirst for Him and Him alone

He has come like the rain

That showers on the barren plain

So my heart and tongue confess

Jesus Christ, the Hope of man

My hope is in You, God

I am steadfast, I will not be moved

I'm anchored, never shaken

All my hope is in You

He's bringing hope to the hopeless

And giving His heart to the broken

And sharing His home with the orphan

He is the joy, He is my joy

He is the hope of the nations

The Father's heart we're embracing

He is the song we're declaring

He is the joy, He is my joy

Why so downcast oh, oh my soul

Put your hope in God alone

Bethel Live - Hope's Anthem

affluence

We are going to see a revival in this country, and it's going to be led by rich people. I realize that sounds odd, but it really isn't. The Bible tells us that man cannot live by bread alone. But you have to have bread to realize that. Rich people are finding that wealth by itself does not bring meaning and fulfillment, and they are starting to search for answers. In the past people came to God because they were suffering, because they were broken. But increasingly, in the West, it's going to be affluence that leads people to God. {Michael Novak}

cupbearer

Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man. I was cupbearer to the king. Nehemiah 1:11

I'm refusing to panic. I'm choosing to rest and stay in perfect peace. Nothing is too difficult. My Father will not give me a stone when I ask for bread. These are moments of intimate belonging. I am cared for beyond my wildest expectations. He is using these days to cement in me Peace. Beautiful, awesome, amazing Peace. He never wastes a moment to rid me of some serious nonsense. I have nothing to fear. The plethora of promises He has given me are endless. I can't contain them. And the insight and intercession of people around me has solidified this process. My endurance will not be shaken. The Promised Land was Promised, but it had to be fought for every step of the way.

hedge

Your love melts me; makes me dance in comfort and peace. It is my great reward and my complete rest.

alternate route

I like it complicated. {Complication for a comlex being.} I don't necessarily go for the easiest route or enjoy conventional, linear movement. I like the backdoor, the sidedoor or being lowered down through the roof. I believe in God's rhythm - that His acts are wonderous because He isn't obvious. His way must be sought in unexpected, complicated opportunities. So I believe Him when He asks me to trust when His opened door appears where it looks quite the opposite. Who says you can't get to your dreams from the wrong way? If He ordains it, it's perfection.

paradox

"Paradoxically, we attain self-awareness, not by self-analysis, but by the leap of commitment. According to Viktor Frankl, a person finds identity only to the extent that 'he commits himself to something beyond himself, to a cause greater than himself.' The meaning of our lives emerges in the surrender of ourselves to an adventure of becoming who we are not yet."

Frida.