5 On Friday

What a week! We’ve had Kids Kamp (VBS) at our church this past week which has kept the boys and I busy each day—it’s always my favorite week of the summer because it is just so much fun! Our church’s kid’s pastor does an incredible job putting together a program that kids, teenage helpers and adults alike all adore. In 2020 when we had to cancel Kids Kamp due to covid, it was the only time my oldest cried during the entire pandemic. He was fine with everything else being cancelled or moved on line but Kids Kamp? That was just too much for him. He’s delighted to be back in person this year (as are the other 500 people involved this week!). We take off today for our 2 week vacation so trying to pack and get organized in the midst of a busy week was a little stressful but I wouldn’t trade Kids Kamp for anything! I thought since our regular posts didn’t happen this week I’d do a quick 5 on Friday style post like I used to do weekly and share 5 things I’m loving right now. So without further ado, here are your 5 for this Friday!

**1**

The Bible Recap reading plan and podcast—I shared in my post from Monday that for the first time in years I have found a Bible reading plan that I have actually stuck to for months and I really really love it. The Bible Recap is a chronological reading plan of scripture put together and published by Tara Leigh Cobble. Instead of reading straight through as the bible is published it’s a chronological reading of the story. So for instance, Job is considered one of the oldest pieces of writing ever recorded, which means in this particular plan you read the first 11 chapters of Genesis and then jump to Job, read the whole book, and return to Genesis 12 where we pick up the story of God’s covenant with Abraham. It’s about 3 chapters a day and there are 2 things that have made all the difference in the world in keeping me going (as opposed to quitting around Leviticus as I usually do in Bible reading plans…) First, alongside each daily reading there is about a 7 minute podcast that accompanies it. So you read your 3 chapters and then listen as Tara explains what you just read, what were key things to pick up on, why this genealogy matters, what certain words mean etc. That has been a huge help, to keep me going even during tougher sections because there’s some help along the way. And the second thing that has made a huge difference for me is that I gave myself permission to get behind and not quit. I am such a rule follower and recovering perfectionist that often in reading plans I’ll get behind for some reason and then decide to just quit because there’s no way I can ever catch up. I told myself this time around that even if I get 2 full weeks behind I’m just going to keep going with the next daily reading. And I have. I even ended up taking a full week off when we had company in town and my whole routine was thrown off and I just kept going when I picked it up again, one day at a time. It’s going to take me more than a year to finish but that isn’t the point, finishing is. That tiny mental shift has made all the difference and since February I’ve read all of Genesis, Job, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy and most of Joshua now and I’m still really loving it. It’s the first time I can say I’ve loved being in scripture on my own (not prepping for a class or a sermon which I always love). So if anyone needs a way to get into God’s word, perhaps give it a try, I promise, no time spent in God’s word is wasted time!

**2**

What is God Like by Rachel Held Evans and Matthew Paul Turner—If you’ve been reading my work for any amount of time now, you probably know Rachel Held Evans has been a huge influence in how I approach scripture and the church. I read her blog for a decade and have read all her books now more than once and I love the work she did here in the world. When she died in 2019, far too young, she was in the middle of writing a children’s book called What is God Like? After she died her husband asked their good friend and children’s book author Matthew Paul Turner to help finish it and it was just released this week. Y’all. This book is gorgeous. It’s full of beautiful metaphors of what God is like for our kids (and ourselves!) to reflect on. The illustrations are stunning and so inclusive which I adore—kids of all color skin, kids in wheel chairs, of all different abilities grace these pages. “God is like a mother, strong and safe. You can crawl up into her lap whenever you want to and she will hold you until you fall asleep…God is like a father, gentle and safe. He will put you on top of his shoulders to give you a birds-eye view of all creation…God is like a fort, strong and secure with walls that are mighty and safe. Inside there are hidden places to hold you when you’re scared or need a quiet place to rest…” It’s truly wonderful and made me tear up more than once reading through it. (Also, I adore all of Matthew Paul Turner’s children’s books. We own them all and I think the way he talks about God for children is spectacular.)

**3**

From the spiritual to the kitchen (well feeding people is a spiritual act, I believe that with my whole heart, so I guess the leap makes sense!) I have a recipe for you. It’s one my 9 year loved so much he cleaned his whole plate and said “you ARE making this again next week right?” I give you, floating tacos by Mel’s Kitchen Cafe! (side note, all of her recipes are good, I just haven’t found a bad one yet). Why are they called floating tacos? I have no idea. Maybe because the taco ingredients “float” on top of a bed of fritos? I don’t know but what I do know is that it’s a crock pot recipe that was so dang good I couldn’t believe it. It’s the dressing really. I know it looks like a lot of ingredients, but I had most of them on hand already except the buttermilk (and I know you can make buttermilk with lemon juice and regular milk). I threw all the dressing ingredients into my blender and then after blending it I let it sit in the fridge to get the flavors to meld a bit and man it was good. I followed her crock pot instructions and it worked perfectly and everyone in my house ate this without complaining so I would highly recommend this one for any busy evening—throw it all in one morning and dinner will be ready that night!

**4**

Now that my kids are home, I haven’t been able to listen to nearly the number of podcasts I generally consume, which is fine (although my backed up podcast feed is starting to stress me out!). The other night though the kids were outside with the neighbors and I was working on a puzzle alone so I turned on an episode that was so good I had to share it. On her podcast For the Love, Jen Hatmaker interviewed a woman named Amy Downs and I was so captivated by her story. Who is Amy Downs? I didn’t know either. She was the last living survivor pulled out of the rubble during the Oklahoma City bombing. She shares her story in this episode about how that day changed everything for her and was the catalyst for her making some major changes in her life. She was so inspiring and her story was so compelling, I absolutely recommend this episode!

**5**

Two quick products to share with you all this week, two summer favorites this year! First, my Simple Modern water bottle. Guys it’s ridiculously hot here already and I desperately need my water to stay ice cold for hours at a time. The water bottles from Simple Modern are fantastic and now our entire family has them and has used them for a year. I bought the boys theirs over a year ago and they’ve held up through school, hikes, beach trips, and car trips without needing anything to be replaced. The water stays cold, and while Aidan’s now has some dents in his due to dropping it many times, it works great. The boys have two each—they have 17 oz ones that they used for school this year until it got really hot towards the end of spring and Aidan started taking his larger one for more water. They also each have a 22 oz bottle for day trips, hikes, beach days etc. Charles has a 22 oz one and I just got a 32 oz one for this summer. They come in so many different designs and colors and sizes, everyone can get what style they prefer but I can’t recommend them enough. Also, I was hesitant at first to invest in water bottles that were a bit pricier for the kids but honestly I think the fact that they are nicer and a unique design for each of them makes them more aware of bringing them home—we haven’t lost one yet!

My other favorite thing this summer is the nail polish color Bold and Unshaken from Olive and June. It’s the most delightful purple that is perfect for pool dates and beach days. I’ve used Olive and June nail polish pretty exclusively since last fall and I have to say it’s a fantastic product that has been really gentle on my nails and comes in amazing colors. I recommend them highly!

There you have it, from bible podcasts to nail polish, I contain multitudes! Have a wonderful weekend my friends!