Happy Sunday, dear friends!
I hope you are having a wonderful weekend and are ready for the week ahead! This week we are talking about dreams, sharing awesome Facebook posts about fear and true friendships and getting real about asking for prayer. It’s all the great stuff of life and I hope you are as encouraged by these posts/podcasts as I am.
The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey #72: Rachel Hollis
Y’all know I love me a good podcast. I’ve mentioned the Brain Candy Podcast and The Simple Show on previous Sunday Shares and I’ve got another great one for you this week. The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey is a new discovery that I’m loving and I think you will adore too. I actually can’t remember how I discovered this one, but I think it was when Rachel Hollis, owner of the Chic Site, mentioned being on Jamie’s recent live podcast. Anyway, I’m really enjoying this podcast – it’s basically like listening in on two friends chat over a fun beverage at happy hour (thus the name). I’ve been playing catch up and was listening to episode 72 with Rachel Hollis earlier this week and was struck by something she said – “Nobody gets to tell you how big your dreams are.” (If you follow me on Instagram this is old news) That quote stayed with me all week and I wanted to share it with you. Sometimes we let the opinions of others shrink our dreams, or keep us from pursuing the desires of our heart. This quote really reminded me that these desires and dreams were given to us for a reason and we should trust ourselves more.
Fear Chair with Elizabeth Gilbert and Charlotte Murphy
Art teachers are amazing. They teach us to embrace the creative process, trust our instincts and encourage us to open our minds and listen to the whispers of inspiration. I truly believe everyone on this planet is instinctively creative and it’s the art teachers that have so much of the power to unlock that in each of us. This week on Facebook, Elizabeth Gilbert shared this amazing idea that fifth-grade students of art teacher and Big Magic (affiliate link) reader came up with, based on concepts in the book. Y’all, her fifth-grade students already understand how fear inhibits creativity and came up with a way to respect the fear, but not let it control them. These kids are brilliant – we all need a Fear Chair. You won’t want to miss the wisdom that comes from these kiddos. (I have no idea how the post embedded, but click through below or click on the title of this section to go directly to the post. I promise to learn more code so I can understand these things better.)
True friendship with This is My Story
How many times have we apologized for our homes when we had friends over? How many times have we shoved toys and clothes and goodness knows what into our closets or bedrooms and quickly closed the doors, hiding the clutter that shows that life is being lived in our homes? This Facebook post encourages us to stop all that madness and welcome friends in with joy, messy counters and all. I love, love, love this encouragement to be vulnerable with our friends and see relationships deepen as a result. Let’s stop worrying about being perfect and focus on connecting deeply.
Why we don’t ask for prayer, even when we should by Jennifer Dukes Lee
Maybe it is because we are thick in a season of upheaval, but Jennifer Dukes Lee’s post about asking for prayer struck a chord with me this week. We don’t hesitate to pray for others, or ask how we can pray for a friend, but how often do we ask for prayer when we need it? This post beautifully reminds us that if it matters to you, it matters to God. And that’s a reminder we could all use.
why we don’t ask for prayer, even when we should – #TellHisStory
I hope these things resonate with you as they did for me.
Speaking of things resonating, I have to say that I’m so touched by your reaction to Thursday’s post, Run your own race. I’ve had conversations with friends and colleagues about this before but didn’t realize how popular it would be. I’m writing this Saturday night, so the post has been up three days, and it is already the most read post on the entire blog. That’s bananas. Absolutely bananas.
I started Outrageously Wonderful to be a place where we could be real with each other and share our stories to encourage one another. I hope that it is that for you.
So what are you loving this week? And are there any topics you would like to see tackled on the blog?
Have a fantastic week, friends!
*The Big Magic link above is an Amazon Affiliate link. When you make a purchase after having clicked an affiliate link, I may receive a small percentage of the sale with no additional cost to you. Your prices remain the same and you’ll help financially support Outrageously Wonderful.
March 20, 2016 at 3:09 pm
True Friendship with This Is My Story was by far one of my favorites I read this week!! I even reposted it!! I’ve never been the “Martha Stewart” type and Iet that hold me back from having folks over. Going to work on that!!
March 20, 2016 at 3:14 pm
Your repost is how I discovered it. It was such an encouragement to me – thank you for sharing it!
March 21, 2016 at 9:46 pm
I’ve enjoyed reading while I workout and look forward to more of that. I tend to read articles, listen to Sirius or watch shows/movies while I’m on the treadmill, but I noticed I wasn’t reading books. I’ve committed my cardio time to reading a book and find it relaxing to get something off my to-do list while I’m walking to nowhere.
March 21, 2016 at 9:49 pm
Reading while walking to nowhere sounds wonderful! It’s hard to find time to fit in all the things we want to accomplish in a day and you know I love a good multitasking opportunity! Keep walking, friend!