Happy Friday!! Matt and I are hitting the road to Philly this afternoon to meet with a 2014 DSE Bride! We’ll be talking about decorations, visiting the venue & grabbing an authentic Philly Cheesesteak (or two!). What are you up to this weekend??

 

Since yesterday’s post didn’t reflect my usual Thursday Contentment Challenge update, I thought I’d give you a bit of encouragement today!

For me, one of the biggest struggles with this challenge is that our society is so opposite. Our society is constantly want-want-want instead of satisfied-satisfied-satisfied. There’s ALWAYS the next & the best, the latest & the greatest… it’s kind of exhausting!!! As soon as we get what we THINK is the “newest thing”, something ELSE comes out to replace it. Ah! How annoying!!

With the Contentment Challenge, I really tried to IMMERSE myself in Jesus. Really reminding myself WHY I’m doing this challenge, and focusing on the fulfillment I have in Him when I feel the urge to have the latest & greatest. The verse “pray without ceasing” always comes back to me. And while I’ll be the first to admit I’m a horrible prayer, I’ve tried to find practical ways to fit Jesus into my every day life… really trying to immerse myself in who He is. Here are three ways I’ve been trying to stay more focused on Him, and less focused on me & what I THINK I need:

1. List to Christian Pandora. I listen to music all day, 5 days a week. Mon-Fri when I’m sitting in the office, Pandora is on. And while I LOVE Lady A & Colbie Caillat, they don’t fill my head with Him. I’ve started listening to Britt Nicole Radio, Kari Jobe Radio & Hillsong Radio. It’s been really, really great to hear amazing Truth while I’m typing away!

2. Weekly Truths by Elle & Co. Lauren is one of those women that I would LOVE to meet in person!! Her blog is so uplifting & I read it just about every day. Every Tuesday she provides a Weekly Truth … a free (yes, free!) iPhone background that contains a Bible Verse. I’ve been using it every single week and, friends, I love it!!! Every time I click on my phone, there’s a voice of Truth for me to read. It’s also helped me in my memorization! Plus, she creates them in beautiful colors & a simplistic format that is easy to read & modern. You have to download it!

3. Read Jesus Calling. This book. I LOVE this book!!! A sweet friend gave my a copy for Christmas & I’ve been going through the yearly devotion. There’s a short, less-than-a-page devotion for every day of the year… and it’s full of so much Biblical wisdom!!! It never fails that I end up reading EXACTLY what I needed to hear that day!!! To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at first… I’ve never been a big fan of reading books that sound like Jesus is talking directly to me. Does that make sense? For example, here’s an expert from March 8th: “Seek me first and foremost; then the rest of your life will fall into place, piece by piece.” Jesus is talking DIRECTLY to me. The entire devotional is written like a love story from God to me… it’s given me a whole new perspective on the Bible. The Bible in itself is a love story TO me… beautiful, right? Get this book. You won’t regret it. (Or I hear there’s an app, too!)

 

I hope these sweet reminders help you whether your going through this challenge or not! Have a Happy Friday, friends!!

xo! kat

(( Pandora & Jesus Calling Images from Google Images. Weekly Truth Image from Elle & Co. ))