Leading out of Abundance: Pursuing Relationship with the Servant Leader

April 04, 2019 in Nourished Leadership, Nourished Mind, Nourished Home, Nourished Soul

We're continuing our leadership series in this week's blog post (see post 1 and post 2) and we felt it was most appropriate following Easter to reflect on the greatest leader, Jesus.

Jesus did not come to earth as the type of leader everyone expected and hoped for. He did not come as a proud and triumphant warrior but as a meek, gentle baby. He did preach in beautiful and extravagant venues wooing people with emotion and whit but instead in homes, boats, and hillsides preaching and teaching relationships, truth about sin and forgiveness, God's grace and mercy. And he did not die gallantly destroying his enemies, but loving them instead and making a way for new life in him. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve, the life of Jesus can teach us many lessons about leadership.

Service First

Jesus came not to be served but to serve others. We witnessed examples of his servant heart when he provided wine for a wedding, fed thousands, visited sick and dying people, and washed his disciples’ feet. Service was central to Jesus’ ministry. He didn’t put his own agenda ahead of God’s; afterall in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed "not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 26:39b). He led by example through service and invites us to do the same.

3 Warning Signs Your Life is Out of Balance

September 09, 2018 in Nourished Home, Nourished Mind, Nourished Leadership, Nourished Soul

I used to think that achieving balance meant having a quiet (CLEAN) house, using a calm speaking voice all the time, and maintaining an empty schedule. . . And then I had kids!

Think about a day when you were running non-stop and then at the end of the day you ask yourself, “what did I even do today?” After a day like that, I wonder how I can be so busy, and at the same time, so unproductive!

I think achieving and maintaining balance begins with defining your priorities. Take a moment right now while you are reading and see if you can answer the following questions OUT LOUD.

What is important to you today?
What is important to you in this season?
What is going to be important to you at the end of your life?

15 Budget and Kid-Friendly Super Foods + FREE Printable

May 05, 2018 in Nourished Recipes, Nourished Home

I'm sitting beside Lake Geneva in MN watching the sunset as I finish this blog post. I actually sprinted from my guest room to get a glimpse of the space between light and dark, feeling the cool lake breeze on my cheeks. There really are some things money can't buy. God is the ultimate painter.

There were times and seasons in my life when I would get really upset about all of the things I couldn't buy because I didn't have the money. It wasn't until more recently that I realized my problem wasn't ever about not having enough money, it was about my attitude toward God. Anger and frustration about money wasn't the problem; it was about not having enough God. That was not a problem with God though...he is always enough. We need to check out heart to see who (or what) is on the throne. God has given me everything I need. He cares for me in every way. However, when I focus on my lack, God leaves the equation. When I focus on God's abundance and providence, God becomes the center of my life and I am content. I have enough.

The same is true about food. Whether you are on a budget, you have food allergies/sensitivities, or you're just a picky eater, it's easy to focus on all the things we CAN'T have. Have you ever done that? I have. It puts my heart in a bad place. My attitude of self-pity is usually taken out on those around me. However, as soon as I make the switch to looking at the abundance that God has provided for food, my heart is instantly grateful and calm.

Below is a list of budget and kid-friendly superfoods. Rather than taking an attitude of "Ugh, I'll never eat those or my little people will never eat those. . . " be still, my soul. My encouragement for you is to start with one pantry item at a time. Once you have mastered that one item (or meal), add another budget-friendly super food to your diet. Also, we have a fun new blog series called Veggies You Never Thought You'd Love that gives one family friendly healthy eating tip (focused on helping your kids be more accepting of new foods). Type this title into our search bar to see all of the blog posts and stay tuned! A new post is release each month and our next one is next week which features a veggie dessert!

We climb mountains one step at a time. We nourish our bodies one bite at a time. Blessings!

Eternity in Our Hearts: Longing for More

February 12, 2017 in Nourished Soul, Nourished Mind

I have a confession to make. I recently started listening to Christmas music again. I know, I know…it’s February! It has been seven weeks since Christmas. Forty-nine days. Not sure about you, but it feels like it has been forever. I began listening to Christmas music again when I began to feel this insistent sense of longing, longing for something more. In our Christmas post, I talked about this sense of longing. I challenged you to fill that sense of longing with the abundant life Jesus offered when he came as a baby lying in a manger.

As we move into mid-February, the snow is melting a bit revealing a brown and lifeless looking scenery. I find that this is a really tough season of the year for a lot of people, including myself. The Christmas parties are over, the Christmas cookies are gone, all of the excitement and hype of the season is done. And we’re left with an ache for something more.

Longing for More

December 25, 2016 in Nourished Mind, Nourished Soul

As a kid, the week between Christmas and New Year’s was always full of fun and excitement-- a whole week off school, new toys and clothes, staying up late or getting up early--but it also had this gnawing feeling, an ache, a longing for something more.

This longing feeling always started on Christmas Day. My parents have always been very generous at Christmas time. I think gift-giving is also one of their primary love languages, so that meant there was always quite the pile of wrapping paper to clean up on Christmas day. If a gift had multiple components that could easily be separated—say a pair of socks-- my parents would often wrap each part separately because my siblings and I loved the thrill of opening another gift. Okay, no they didn’t actually wrap socks individually, but you get the idea :)

Since I’m reminiscing about Christmas growing up, I also need to confess that I was “that kid” who was counting how many gifts everyone had under the tree, and I totally would scope out where all my presents were in the days leading up to Christmas.

So why am I telling you all of this? Well, after the last box was opened, after frantically searching through the pile of shredded wrapping paper to find your doll’s left shoe, after looking around at your new bounty of loot—it hits you: Is that it? Isn't there something else? The longing for something more sets in. It’s like now that the excitement is gone, the longing for something more begins the fill the void that excitement once filled.