• Mondays can be rough. Even when you love what you do, Monday's can be hard. ... This morning my daughter asked, mom, why does the school week go so slow but Saturday & Sunday go by so fast? ... Whatever is on your to-do list today, I'm cheering for you. You've got this. And tomorrow is another day and God's mercies are fresh every morning. ... The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to and end, they are new every morning - Lamentations 3:22, ESV ... #makewavesmonday
    Mondays can be rough. Even when you love what you do, Monday's can be hard. ... This morning my daughter asked, mom, why does the school week go so slow but Saturday & Sunday go by so fast? ... Whatever is on your to-do list today, I'm cheering for you. You've got this. And tomorrow is another day and God's mercies are fresh every morning. ... The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to and end, they are new every morning - Lamentations 3:22, ESV ... #makewavesmonday
  • Anyone else find it ironic that as our world has become so connected electronically that we're less and less connected physically? ... We have Skype dates, Voxer messages and texts interrupting us all day long - but we struggle to meet in person, gather together and sometimes even make eye contact. ... And that simply isn't God's plan for us. We are made for community and we're designed to lift each other up, not tear each other down. ... If you're a Christian creative woman and you're hungry for a community of women who will encourage you in your small business, celebrate your successes, understand your failures and most importantly continually point you back to Jesus... then you should join me next November in the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina for the @pursuitcommunity Outer Banks Retreat. ... Imagine four days in a gorgeous and peaceful location surrounded by women who get you. Women who know what it's like to juggle a small business with marriage, with motherhood, with #allthethings. ... We have planned a fantastic time of learning, growing and resting. ... We see you. We know what you're going through and we're excited to come alongside you and encourage you. ... For all the details visit pursuitcommunity.com. Right now, until April 15th we're offering Early Bird pricing that can save you as much as $600 off the regular price!! And what creative small business owner doesn't love saving money??!! ... And feel free to tag a friend below you think should join you at the retreat! ... not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. - Hebrews, 10:25 NIV
    Anyone else find it ironic that as our world has become so connected electronically that we're less and less connected physically? ... We have Skype dates, Voxer messages and texts interrupting us all day long - but we struggle to meet in person, gather together and sometimes even make eye contact. ... And that simply isn't God's plan for us. We are made for community and we're designed to lift each other up, not tear each other down. ... If you're a Christian creative woman and you're hungry for a community of women who will encourage you in your small business, celebrate your successes, understand your failures and most importantly continually point you back to Jesus... then you should join me next November in the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina for the @pursuitcommunity Outer Banks Retreat. ... Imagine four days in a gorgeous and peaceful location surrounded by women who get you. Women who know what it's like to juggle a small business with marriage, with motherhood, with #allthethings. ... We have planned a fantastic time of learning, growing and resting. ... We see you. We know what you're going through and we're excited to come alongside you and encourage you. ... For all the details visit pursuitcommunity.com. Right now, until April 15th we're offering Early Bird pricing that can save you as much as $600 off the regular price!! And what creative small business owner doesn't love saving money??!! ... And feel free to tag a friend below you think should join you at the retreat! ... not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. - Hebrews, 10:25 NIV
  • Anyone else feel like the pressure to appear perfect on social media is just WAY TOO MUCH? ... We spend a whole lot of time trying to make what shows up in these little squares look just right... and it's exhausting. ... It's exhausting and it's not reality. Chasing perfection will wear you out, down and ragged. And for what? To try to impress people you've never met and who wouldn't know you if they saw you in the grocery store on a dirty hair, didn't wear makeup today day? ... The world will tell you perfection is the goal... but the God who made you and me, He isn't seeking perfection in either one of us. He's seeking relationship with us. ... The One who made you, He wants to know you. He wants you to seek Him first and give far less attention to the pursuit of perfection. ... Rest today in that. Rest today knowing that God knows you and He sees Himself in you - because He made you in His perfect and beautiful image.
    Anyone else feel like the pressure to appear perfect on social media is just WAY TOO MUCH? ... We spend a whole lot of time trying to make what shows up in these little squares look just right... and it's exhausting. ... It's exhausting and it's not reality. Chasing perfection will wear you out, down and ragged. And for what? To try to impress people you've never met and who wouldn't know you if they saw you in the grocery store on a dirty hair, didn't wear makeup today day? ... The world will tell you perfection is the goal... but the God who made you and me, He isn't seeking perfection in either one of us. He's seeking relationship with us. ... The One who made you, He wants to know you. He wants you to seek Him first and give far less attention to the pursuit of perfection. ... Rest today in that. Rest today knowing that God knows you and He sees Himself in you - because He made you in His perfect and beautiful image.
  • Spent a beautiful day in sunny San Diego yesterday with my dear friend @llouie.stats and her fiancé @robbyoscott... and I photographed their engagement images! ... When I retired from photography I joked there was only one more wedding I wanted to photograph.... Laura's!! Our families have been close for almost 40 years and I remember when Laura was born. Being able to watch her grow into a beautiful, smart and compassionate young woman has been a joy; and getting to document her love story is such a treat. ... I'm headed home on an early flight back to the Pacific Northwest, but I'm so grateful for the beautiful weather God blessed us with yesterday and for the lifelong friendship our families share.
    Spent a beautiful day in sunny San Diego yesterday with my dear friend @llouie.stats and her fiancé @robbyoscott... and I photographed their engagement images! ... When I retired from photography I joked there was only one more wedding I wanted to photograph.... Laura's!! Our families have been close for almost 40 years and I remember when Laura was born. Being able to watch her grow into a beautiful, smart and compassionate young woman has been a joy; and getting to document her love story is such a treat. ... I'm headed home on an early flight back to the Pacific Northwest, but I'm so grateful for the beautiful weather God blessed us with yesterday and for the lifelong friendship our families share.
  • When we gave away 75% of our personal possessions last summer it was hard at first. It felt like a stripping away of things we'd gathered and worked for. But about halfway through the process it began to feel good. By the end, it felt great. We found tremendous freedom in owning less. We had less to maintain, less to move, and less to store. ... So I'm curious. Do you believe there is freedom in less? A year ago I don't think I would have said yes. Today, my answer would be absolutely. ... Imagine your life with less > Stuff > Debt > Stress > Clothes > Work Travel > Time away from family > Business ... What could you live with less of?
    When we gave away 75% of our personal possessions last summer it was hard at first. It felt like a stripping away of things we'd gathered and worked for. But about halfway through the process it began to feel good. By the end, it felt great. We found tremendous freedom in owning less. We had less to maintain, less to move, and less to store. ... So I'm curious. Do you believe there is freedom in less? A year ago I don't think I would have said yes. Today, my answer would be absolutely. ... Imagine your life with less > Stuff > Debt > Stress > Clothes > Work Travel > Time away from family > Business ... What could you live with less of?
  • I'm probably committing a big Instagram faux pas 🙃by reposting this photo - but what the heck! Today is a big day for my dear friend @nataliefranke and I love this pic from last Fall. I'm so excited to 🎉celebrate the launch 🚀 of her brand new website TODAY - designed by the incomparable @jenolmstead. ... Natalie is an incredible woman with a heart for community, passion for entrepreneurship and drive to raise others up. ... She's a co-founder of the @risingtidesociety and recently moved to the City by the Bay (yay for San Francisco!) to join the team at @honeybook. ... But more important than her resume is her down-to-earth, girl nerd 🤓, heart of gold spirit. She's the kind of friend you always want in your corner and someone you never get tired of talking to. ... Congratulations Nat on your new site!! I can't wait to see how God continues to use you to encourage creativity and spark joy in the lives of so many. I'm so grateful for you and inspired by you! ... Visit Natalie's new site, built with Showit 5 #showit5 (Showit.co), at nataliefranke.com. There you'll find lots of free resources, downloads and other nerdy goodies! #nataliefranke
    I'm probably committing a big Instagram faux pas 🙃by reposting this photo - but what the heck! Today is a big day for my dear friend @nataliefranke and I love this pic from last Fall. I'm so excited to 🎉celebrate the launch 🚀 of her brand new website TODAY - designed by the incomparable @jenolmstead. ... Natalie is an incredible woman with a heart for community, passion for entrepreneurship and drive to raise others up. ... She's a co-founder of the @risingtidesociety and recently moved to the City by the Bay (yay for San Francisco!) to join the team at @honeybook. ... But more important than her resume is her down-to-earth, girl nerd 🤓, heart of gold spirit. She's the kind of friend you always want in your corner and someone you never get tired of talking to. ... Congratulations Nat on your new site!! I can't wait to see how God continues to use you to encourage creativity and spark joy in the lives of so many. I'm so grateful for you and inspired by you! ... Visit Natalie's new site, built with Showit 5 #showit5 (Showit.co), at nataliefranke.com. There you'll find lots of free resources, downloads and other nerdy goodies! #nataliefranke
  • I know a lot of women (and men) who are struggling right now. A lot who are suffering, grieving, trudging through disappointment and heartache. Surviving the day-to-day. ... If this is you, if this sounds familiar, there's something I want you to know: God gets no pleasure out of your suffering. ... Somewhere along the way our idea of God, our theology, our beliefs, can come off the tracks. They can become un-hooked from the truth. ... The truth is God knows you are suffering. He sees it. He feels it. He's in it with you. His character is one of goodness, of compassion, of love. ... In the valley, He is with you. On the mountaintop, He is with you. And on the very long, rugged and trying climb from the floor to the peak, He is with you. ... You are not alone and your suffering brings him no pleasure. Do not let that liar, that punk of a devil tell you otherwise. ... Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
    I know a lot of women (and men) who are struggling right now. A lot who are suffering, grieving, trudging through disappointment and heartache. Surviving the day-to-day. ... If this is you, if this sounds familiar, there's something I want you to know: God gets no pleasure out of your suffering. ... Somewhere along the way our idea of God, our theology, our beliefs, can come off the tracks. They can become un-hooked from the truth. ... The truth is God knows you are suffering. He sees it. He feels it. He's in it with you. His character is one of goodness, of compassion, of love. ... In the valley, He is with you. On the mountaintop, He is with you. And on the very long, rugged and trying climb from the floor to the peak, He is with you. ... You are not alone and your suffering brings him no pleasure. Do not let that liar, that punk of a devil tell you otherwise. ... Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
  • During my talk at the #pursuitcommunityretreat earlier this month, I joked about being the spokesperson for P.A.D.D. [Prayer Attention Deficit Disorder]. We all had a good laugh as I shared how my prayers often end with me writing a grocery list. LOL. (And speaking of distraction... how cute are these paper clips from @emilyley that were in the amazing swag bags at the @pursuitcommunity Florida retreat?!!) ... But I really wasn't joking. I have struggled, and continue to struggle with making prayer a regular part of my daily routine. I talk to God a lot when I'm in the car alone, or in the shower. But as I've matured in my faith and our relationship, I'm realizing I don't often make time for Him to get a word in. ... I'm easily distracted by my to-do list, the laundry that needs to be folded and the latest episode of When Calls the Heart. ... But I want to be better at prayer. I want to make it a regular practice, and an ongoing conversation with the Big Guy upstairs... not just a bulletin board where I pin my problems, wants and needs. ... So I'm doing the 40-Day Prayer Challenge, called Draw the Circle, from pastor and author Mark Batterson. #drawthecircle ... I wanted to start yesterday but didn't. And I was tempted today to do two-days, but I didn't. I'm taking the advice from Day One and I'm being patient, and focused. I can't wait to see what happens when I devote daily time to giving God my full attention and not just the spaces in between #allthethings. ... How about you? Do you struggle with P.A.D.D.? Or have you found a way to make focused daily time with God? I'd love to know!
    During my talk at the #pursuitcommunityretreat earlier this month, I joked about being the spokesperson for P.A.D.D. [Prayer Attention Deficit Disorder]. We all had a good laugh as I shared how my prayers often end with me writing a grocery list. LOL. (And speaking of distraction... how cute are these paper clips from @emilyley that were in the amazing swag bags at the @pursuitcommunity Florida retreat?!!) ... But I really wasn't joking. I have struggled, and continue to struggle with making prayer a regular part of my daily routine. I talk to God a lot when I'm in the car alone, or in the shower. But as I've matured in my faith and our relationship, I'm realizing I don't often make time for Him to get a word in. ... I'm easily distracted by my to-do list, the laundry that needs to be folded and the latest episode of When Calls the Heart. ... But I want to be better at prayer. I want to make it a regular practice, and an ongoing conversation with the Big Guy upstairs... not just a bulletin board where I pin my problems, wants and needs. ... So I'm doing the 40-Day Prayer Challenge, called Draw the Circle, from pastor and author Mark Batterson. #drawthecircle ... I wanted to start yesterday but didn't. And I was tempted today to do two-days, but I didn't. I'm taking the advice from Day One and I'm being patient, and focused. I can't wait to see what happens when I devote daily time to giving God my full attention and not just the spaces in between #allthethings. ... How about you? Do you struggle with P.A.D.D.? Or have you found a way to make focused daily time with God? I'd love to know!
  • Our world puts a lot of stock in how many social media followers a person has. But don't believe the lie that your worth, your value as a person, is in the number of followers you have. Nothing could be further from the truth. ... You are precious beyond measure to the One who gave His life to redeem yours. ... Jesus doesn't care how many followers you have. He cares about whether or not you're following Him.
    Our world puts a lot of stock in how many social media followers a person has. But don't believe the lie that your worth, your value as a person, is in the number of followers you have. Nothing could be further from the truth. ... You are precious beyond measure to the One who gave His life to redeem yours. ... Jesus doesn't care how many followers you have. He cares about whether or not you're following Him.
  • Time for Friday Evening Introductions! I'm Elizabeth. I'm a writer and speaker. I'm passionate about encouraging Christian women to grow lives that grow God's Kingdom. I'm an accidental minimalist and my husband, daughter and I live on my family's cattle ranch in far Northern California. ... A little behind the scenes truth: I recently let my pride get the better of me and I injured myself while coaching the local high school cheerleaders. Let's just say I should have left the toe touches to the younger generation. I've been dealing with a pinched nerve in my neck for a couple of weeks and the pain has been pretty intense. I've been doing my best to rest and have been spending a lot of time flat on my back... which has left me with plenty of time to listen to podcasts. Right now I'm loving The Happy Hour with @jamieivey and The Goal Digger podcast with @jennakutcher. I've also been rewatching @whencallstheheartt in preparation for the season premiere on Sunday night! ... So help a girl out! Give me your recommendations for podcasts and TV shows!! ... #fridayintroductions
    Time for Friday Evening Introductions! I'm Elizabeth. I'm a writer and speaker. I'm passionate about encouraging Christian women to grow lives that grow God's Kingdom. I'm an accidental minimalist and my husband, daughter and I live on my family's cattle ranch in far Northern California. ... A little behind the scenes truth: I recently let my pride get the better of me and I injured myself while coaching the local high school cheerleaders. Let's just say I should have left the toe touches to the younger generation. I've been dealing with a pinched nerve in my neck for a couple of weeks and the pain has been pretty intense. I've been doing my best to rest and have been spending a lot of time flat on my back... which has left me with plenty of time to listen to podcasts. Right now I'm loving The Happy Hour with @jamieivey and The Goal Digger podcast with @jennakutcher. I've also been rewatching @whencallstheheartt in preparation for the season premiere on Sunday night! ... So help a girl out! Give me your recommendations for podcasts and TV shows!! ... #fridayintroductions