Monday encouragement! 10% off Discounts! Cake! My creepy obsession! And so much more!

Ya'll ever feel down right discouraged?

And no, I am not Southern. I just love a lot of people who are.

Last week, I gotta admit...my heart was heavy and weighed down by discouragement. Seriously? Every single aspect of my life was feeling challenged, and all sorts of emotions erupted as a result. I felt angered, betrayed, afraid, confused, annoyed, let down, sorrowful. And all the while, I kept reminding myself, "Laura, you know where discouragement comes from, don't you?" (in case you don't know...it is the devil. Remember that.)

But God is so faithful. Because He showered me with His grace and poured in and filled up those cracks in my heart that were so easily willing to push Him and His encouragement aside, and invite the enemy and his lies in. We do this, you know. And all too easily. And He not only showed up, but He woke me up to His presence. His grace gave me the wisdom to see where the discouragement was coming from, and the encouragement that was all around me, just waiting for me to notice.

So...it is MONDAY...and no other day (except maybe Thursday, or Sunday night, or Tuesday, and maybe Wednesday or Saturday...ok...so everyday) requires more strength, more courage, more faith, more perseverance to run the race before us. Are you ready for the week ahead? Is something weighing you down already? Do you start Monday off on fire for the Lord and determined to be His light to the world, and find that by noon you are already discouraged by life and wish it were 5Pm so you could get back in your pajamas, pour a glass of wine and call it a night? If so, I thought I would share with you the encouraging love that I was blessed with last week, and I pray that it will inspire you to see the encouragement that God provides you in your own time of distress and weariness. Because I promise you, He IS there with you....sometimes we are just so wrapped up in ourselves, we miss Him.

So here ya have it, on this beautiful Monday morning, that is filled with so much possibility, so much goodness, so much coffee...my list of encouraging things!

1. CAKE

For those who are new to me, you may not know that back in the day, I illegally sold cakes out of my Los Angeles kitchen. I was a cake criminal. Sshhhh...don't tell anyone. But seriously, I created my own little cake business that did quite well. It also caused me enormous anxiety, as I put out about five custom cakes a week and hundreds of cupcakes, with four small children underfoot, in a kitchen the size of a port-o-potty with an easy bake oven. And it was an inner struggle, because everyone told me it was a gift, and I know we are supposed to use our gifts...but honestly, the stress was through the roof and so not worth it, so I packed my cake pans away. But every once in a while I dust them off, and last Friday, I enjoyed making a cake for my daughter's birthday. I love this because there is no pressure for the cake to be perfect, and I know I am blessing someone I love with my the work of my own hands. We all have gifts...and they really do need to be used...just for fun. We don't need to be the best at it. We don't need to make a profit off of it. We don't even need to be praised for it. We just need to do it. Uncover your gift, and enjoy it. Jesus delights in you when you use what He has blessed you with! And you will feel encouraged by His goodness, and the little things that you can do, that not only bring you joy, but joy to others.

2. GREATNESS IN OTHERS

When I saw my friend Jaimee's post about her new business, it made my heart leap for joy. THIS is what we need to stay focused on...the GOOD news of Christ, and the mission He has given us, which is to bring this good news to the WORLD. To EVANGELIZE. To ENCOUNTER. Jaimee and her family are doing just that, through their frameable faith prints, and NOW...with their new Catholic car magnets!

"This is our little way to pump some light into the country through its veins -- the roadways. We want to spread the beauty, truth and goodness of God and Catholic Car Magnets are a very simple, tangible way to do that.... AND it forces you to re-think cutting off that person on the highway;-)"

Jaimee is offering 10% off with the code WILDFLOWER10 at www.catholicmagnets.com !!!

She is also offering a free Lexus with any purchase!

No she's not.

That's a joke.

But the 10% of is no joke. So get on it. Because honestly, people put really stupid things on their cars....let's help this world out by putting something beautiful on ours.

3. ABIDING TOGETHER PODCAST

If you have not yet listened to the Abiding Together Podcast, well then, no wonder you are feeling discouraged! Ok, so I am ever so slightly obsessed with Sister Miriam, Heather Khym and Michelle Benzinger. I nearly photoshopped myself in this picture to look like we are all best friends. Which I admit, is pathetic and creepy. But THAT is how you will feel when you listen to them. (Like they are your best friends, not that you are pathetic and creepy!) I fold laundry, do dishes, and iron while listening to these three amazing women. (The ironing part is a total and unnecessary lie. I don't ever iron. But for some reason, I felt like I should pretend that I do.) Their second season just began and I am SO EXCITED. I was lonely without them this summer....check them out NOW. Listening to these three is often the best part of my entire day! Unless So You Think You Can Dance is on, then I have TWO best parts of my day.

3. AUTHENTIC AND HONEST FRIENDS WHO SHARE AUTHENTIC AND HONEST STORIES

Friends, I can not believe the garbage people post on social media.... and WE look at. We need to work real hard at protecting our eyes, minds and hearts from what we expose ourselves to day after day. So much of what we look at is discouraging. What a pleasant surprise, and HUGE source of encouragement, when I came across, and actually took the time to slowly read this post, from a dear Sister in Christ, Jodi. IT WAS JUST WHAT I NEEDED. This picture is from the one and only time I have been with Jodi face to face. Amazing how connected we are...through the love of God...His Word truly is the strongest bond between us. It was also the first time I realized how tall, blonde and beautiful she is...so maybe only seeing her once every few years is not a bad thing, for a hobbit, like myself. If you have a lot of junk in your feed that leads your heart to envy, jealousy, bitterness and discouragement, check out Jodi's blog! She will remind you of your worth, purpose, and eternal value!

4. GROUP TEXTING WITH WOMEN WHO SPEAK TRUTH AND LIGHT AND LIFE INTO MY HEART AND FLOOD MY SOUL WITH ENCOURAGEMENT.

So, ya'll know that I am a Regional Area Coordinator with Walking With Purpose. What you might not know is that there are seven of us, across the US. We work remotely, and we only get the opportunity to be together, in the flesh, about once or twice a year. These ladies? They are encouragement on fire! And however it started, I do not even recall, but we managed to strike up a group text conversation that began at 6:22 AM and continued until after lunch time! We shared crazy videos (Ok, so I shared crazy videos) of my messy kitchen and laundry room, because girlfriends, that will encourage anyone to feel better about themselves, and there might have been some adorable baby video sharing as well, and we simply laughed, and cheered each each other on in our work, and connected our hearts in a beautiful, real, spontaneous way. We need to be connected. REAL CONNECTION. To each other. To God. Simply for the fun of it. And ideally, we will surround ourselves with the kind of people who connect us to God in a joyful way. These ladies lifted a cloud, and allowed the sunlight to pour in! Make these kinds of friends, and stay connected...we all must have at least one person we can reach out to when we need to hear the TRUTH. We all need friends who can look at the garbage in our laundry room and think nothing of it. (WWP by the way, is a great place to meet this kind of friend, in case you are wondering.)

5. WORDS. SPECIFICALLY, "THE" WORD

I love words. I just do. I can rest with a single word or phrase for hours. And I always find my favorite in well, the Bible of course....but John Bartunek's The Better Part is teh perfect companion to making the Gospels personal. It is a must have book. (I will warn you though, it needs to be sold with a magnifying glass, because the size of the text is teeny tiny. But I am pretty sure I am legally blind.) Last Saturday, in particular, was a words jumping off of the page and straight into my heart kind of read! Do you read scripture? Have you read a spiritual book? You need to. Read for ten minutes, and find one word or phrase that sticks in your mind...let it take root...write it on a post it note...keep it close.

6. WALKING WITH PURPOSE

Well, good grief, what can I say? There are currently well over 200 WWP parish programs, and the way this ministry continues to bless us and journey us closer to Christ is out of this world amazing. I have met so many women who think that I am encouraging them...when the truth is, they are encouraging me! This Monday, September 25, at 8 Pm EST, Lisa Brenninkmeyer and Father Dave awesome Pivonka, will be hosting a conference call that we are ALL invited to be on, and we will be praying the rosary for REVIVAL....storming heaven with our collective prayers, all in the name of our children who are WALKING AWAY FROM THE CHURCH.

Dial 641-715-3580, access code 978013 and join me and hundreds of others as we pray together for revival!

7. MY HUSBAND'S FAITH

Nothing encourages me in my mission and journey, more than my husband. His faith, and how he is letting God use him to lead other men to Christ, is above and beyond what I could ever ask for in a husband. Men are TOUGH. It is so much easier to invite women in...all we have to do is say "free child care and coffee" and they are IN! They don't even need to know where they are going, so long as they hear childcare and coffee. I know we do not all have husbands...and if we do, they might very well not be on the same journey to Jesus that we are...maybe they are on a journey to football...or the local bar...or yard work...anything, but Jesus. And my heart goes out to you...because you have a BIG mission and job you have been called to. Let the Saints be your encouragement...Saint Monica, for sure, and know that I am praying for you. And let's all make the effort to not leave the men out...to encourage our fathers, brothers, uncles, sons, friends, and husbands....to lead them to the ULTIMATE source of encouragement. A holy man is a sexy man. There I said it. And it is so true.

8. MUSIC

No words needed here. Just pour yourself another cup of coffee, close your eyes, and listen...

Happy encouraging Monday everyone! And feel free to share the things that encourage you...we are all in this together (and yes, High School Musical will now be in my head all day).

Stay connected...to each other...and to the vine...and keep that coffee pot full.