2 minute read: Four things you didn’t know you needed, until now.
Well, hello there!
Welcome to Want, Need, Wear, Read, where every week I share four things I can’t stop talking about—an encouragement that spoke to me, a Scripture teaching moment that stuck in my heart, a favorite fashion find, and a book worth the shelf space. It’s a quick, warm, happy 2-minute read; think of it as your weekly Add-to-Cart + Add-to-Heart. You’re gonna be glad you opened this one.
Something You Want A (Helpful-Hopeful-Fun) pep for your step.
Since we are friends now, I need you to know that I listen to the Moana soundtrack more than your average 40-something. To be clear: I’m ok with this. Something about Moana gets me every time…
Moana was grateful for what she had on the island, but she knew something was calling her out to new horizons and into the unknown. The lyrics are pretty genius thanks to Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda and the delightful Dwayne Johnson. I don’t know, guys; all I’m saying is give it a go. You’ll be bopping to the South-Pacific-Folk sounds before you know it while you’re in your blazer about to walk into your V.F.C.J. (Very Fancy Corporate Job). You’re Welcome. 😉
Something You Need A compact but powerful teaching moment
I’m sitting in 1 John this week. Well, the last several weeks, tbh, and the simplicity of his wording creates the most powerful imagery. Scripture stirs my heart every time!
1 John 1:1 The Incarnation of the Word of Life
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.”
John doesn’t open his letter with convoluted theology. He opens with faith-filled, tangible pictures his readers/listeners can hold on to.
Heard. Seen. Looked at. Touched. Four ordinary verbs, stacked on top of each other like someone trying to convince you they were really there. Because he was. John isn’t writing as a theologian constructing an argument; he’s writing as an old man who walked next to Jesus, ate with him, and watched him sleep in the bottom of a boat.
That physicality matters more than we usually give it credit for. Before John gets to anything doctrinal, he plants his feet in the senses. I heard this. I saw this. I touched this. He’s not asking you to take a leap of faith into the abstract. He’s handing you eyewitness testimony.
Martin Luther seemed to understand this, too, when he wrote:
“It is not Christ walking on the sea, but his ordinary walk, that we are called on here to imitate.” Martin Luther, 16th-century reformer
We love the miracle. The storm-stilling, water-walking, dead-raising Christ. But John didn’t open his gospel-shaped letter with a miracle. He opened it with presence. With the everyday nearness of a man, he heard and saw and touched. Maybe that’s the invitation here, too? Not to chase the spectacular version of faith, but to notice the ordinary one. The one lived in proximity, in hearing, in showing up, hands and all.
A question to ask yourself: What's one quiet, unremarkable moment where you sensed Christ was simply... present?
Something to Wear My mostest favoritest item of the week. You can thank me later.
My name is LB and I (apparently) like bleach.
{This outfit post is a little different. I've linked what I can! I recently went to Nashville with some girlfriends, and everywhere we went, something was distressed, bleached, or both. Like the deal hunter I am, I declared to my girlfriends that I could make that for way less! And I did. Sort of.
The denim shirt I've had for a long time is super dark denim and slightly cropped. I’ve only worn it once because it just felt blah. I took my bleach spray from under the sink like a real woman and got to work in my front yard. Spraying and spraying, with a focus on the bottom 25% to add visual weight at the waist. Same thing with the plaid- a thrift store find. Here’s the trick with the plaid….Go bigger than you think you need and look for a thin cotton fabric. I’d stay away from flannel- too scratchy.
The shirts turned out so fun, and I’m currently looking to see what else I can bleach in my house other than bathrooms, of course, bc that’s so boring. BRB.
Something to Read Fresh takes on all the books I’m loving. No genre loyalty here.
Ok, friends. This is a good one. I’ve been holding this one for a while, mostly because I wanted to finish all the books before I recommended it. You know, research and whatnot. But I’m ready now. Drumroll….*ahem* I give you The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion.
I know what you’re thinking….you would never have picked that up at B&N based on the cover art. Honestly, same. It kept coming up as a recommendation through Kindle. I finally took the bait, and I’m so glad I did. There are eight, yes, EIGHT books in the series. And I’ve read them all. That’s how good it is. If you like the following 3 things, you’ll probably like Emma M. Lion and want to be her friend as much as I do.
It is undeniably British in every way. From the language to the prose, the rhythm, and the word phrasing. Not to mention, set in the 1880s. Downright dreamy.
Funny, clever, and witty. The characters are just delightful. Once you get through the first book, much like Episode 1 of a new series, you’ll need to get your bearings. It’s worth it, though.
Lastly, there is a friendship (love?) triangle. Is it love? Or is it just really true friends? You be the judge. Emma makes friends with 3 gentlemen, and the antics that ensue are worth the price of admission. Oh, and did I mention her admirers… 10 college guys- affectionally known as The Reprobates Ten? Yeah, you know you wanna know more.
