Let's Get Simple

My friend Megan is the queen of discovering new trends and pulls them off quite well. Megs is one of my favorite people to spend time with - refreshing, easy and just simple. She recently discovered and showed me a blog with a concept called "The Capsule Wardrobe".

The basic definition of this idea is "a set of clothing, normally within 20-40 items, which can be mixed and matched to create a wide variety of outfits that can be considered essential." 

This idea seemed to fit into the theme of my season - simple, slow, basic. I started looking through my closet and realized I could benefit from some simplifying. After transitioning to a new full time job in a new city, the rhythm of my life is different, which means my wardrobe needs have shifted. And honestly, so have my preferences.

So here's to simplifying. Here's to re-defining needs and styles and preferences. Here's to consolidating and learn to mix and match, letting my creative side invent new varieties and combinations. And here's to celebrating the simple, which happens to be alongside one of my favorite friends.

The goal: slim down our closets to 37 ish staple items (including shoes, but discluding accessories).

The inspiration: Caroline from Un-Fancy & this Capsule Wardrobe guide.

The process:

1. Identify my lifestyle - What percentage of my time is spent doing what? How do I spend my time? What do I need in order to spend my time accordingly? 
2. Select my colors - What are my major, minor and accent colors? 
3. Choose my go-to pieces and then my go-to outfits - What pieces in my closet can I use? What items go together? 
4. Create a shopping list AND a budget
5. Finalize my Capsule Wardrobe

I hope this inspires you to simplify life and to take time to define your style, your personal mission and why you do what you do. I'm excited to give it a go and hope to post about the final result!

Slow is Good

I've had to repeat this phrase out loud to myself several times over the past few months. Slow is good. It's actually really good. But to a fast-paced, run till you drop or faint, go getter like me (or so I liked to think), sometimes you have to learn that the hard way. And now I'm not sure I could run any faster even if I wanted to.

Prior to my move to Waco, I knew I was beginning to feel burnt out, yet wasn't sure how to slow down, or if I wanted to. And now my life feels painfully slower than it ever has before. It's almost as if God put on the breaks and now I've settled into a slow and steady rhythm. A rhythm that from the outside looking in looks insignificant. But a rhythm that is doing so much more than what I can see with my eyes.

And it's in this slow rhythm that I'm learning to run long rather than to run fast. 

And now that life is slow, it's opened so much space I didn't know I was missing. It's allowed me to find out what actually refreshes me, to discover rest, to pace myself, and to just be still. For a do-er like myself, it's a discipline to learn to be. To learn to stop thinking. Stop planning what's next and how I'll get there. Stop trying to move forward. Stop moving. And just be.

With summer peaking it's head from around the corner, it's easy to try to fill our calendars with things to do, places to see and people to meet. I do enjoy those things, but this summer I'm going to enjoy being, anticipating the breakthrough that's coming, learning to savor each moment, and celebrate life, even when it's slow. Because slow is good.

One Word that Changed My Year & Why I Spend Time with God with a Dictionary

One of my favorite things to have close by in my time with God is a dictionary. During my senior year of high school I was given a dictionary for some sort of academic award. At the time I thought it was lame, but now I actually use it quite frequently. What that says about me, I'm not sure. But whenever God speaks something to me, I like to let the meaning of the words really sink in. If you think about it, it's really fascinating to me that God chooses language to communicate with us. 

There's one word in particular whose meaning has really gone deep in me this year: jealousy. 

Merriam Webster defines "jealousy" as the "state of being jealous; intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness; vigilant in maintaing or guarding something". 

Seems easy to understand, right? But this one word has absolutely wrecked me, broken me, and brought me deeper into the presence of God all year long. It seems especially relevant to me in light of tomorrow being Easter.

One morning as I was spending time with God (with dictionary close by of course), I started reading the 10 Commandments in Exodus 34. At the time, I was angry and probably bitter, because it seemed as though most things I loved or wanted were being removed one by one slowly and painfully. As I started reading, I noticed verse 14 which says "you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." He then proceeds with the first commandment, which says "you shall have no other gods before me."

This God, His name is Jealous... what does that mean, I wondered? Then I started thinking about the meaning of jealousy. If God's name is Jealous, then He must be intolerant of any rivalry or unfaithfulness in me and He must be vigilant in maintaining or guarding relationship with me. I paused. And then something powerful rose up in me, as though someone flipped the breaker on in a dark, empty basement. 

If God is Jealous, then He must be unrelenting in pursuing relationship with me, in gaining my affection, and making sure no one or thing can rival Him in my life. It grieves His heart when I start to pursue other things or other people in place of Him. Yet He's kind enough to re-direct me. 

So, on this Easter eve, instead of choosing anger, bitterness or sadness when plans change, loss happens, or things just get taken away, I choose thankfulness. Thankfulness because there's a God who decided to step into my world. Not just once, but over and over and over again. 

Celebrate: Lawrence

Two years ago this last week I first moved to Lawrence. I remember pulling up to my new house for the first time. The moment felt pregnant - not knowing what was coming, but knowing whatever was coming was significant. As the months started turning, I realized that God was doing a deep work in me and in the people around me. He had wildly exciting, and at times painfully hard, dreams and purposes for me here. Dreams to experience intimacy with Him like I never had before. To depend on Him more than I ever thought I needed to. To fight to see God like my life depended on it. He knew the best place for me to know Him more. And it was here. 

Over the past few weeks I've been overwhelmed with thankfulness for the time I've spent in Lawrence. I love this city! As I get ready to transition yet again, I wanted to post about my first sweet season in this cutie house. Some of my favorite and deepest encounters with God happened in this house. It truly was a rich season in which I learned how to press into God like I never had before, especially without the presence of community or a local church. I met with God in my cutie little bedroom upstairs as I experienced a little taste of Heaven coming to earth. And that was just the beginning.