Kookie Cut-Outs by Rachel Britz

Delivering cookies and good news.

October Baby: A Lesson in Life

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Life is precious. But you already knew that. Do you remember the day it clicked, the day you figured it out? 

Perhaps it was scary. One moment you were driving through life. Smack. The next, your laying broken in a hospital bed. 
Maybe it was inconceivable. A slight nudge, the pain, or perplexity bringing you into the doctor’s office. I’m sorry. Those words ringing in your ears.
Or was it joyus. The living babe, seed-like in your womb. It tickled. It was alive. Then, the delivery. You’d do it again, again, again, and again just for that one moment. The face, the babe, the breath. Shalom. 
Life is precious. 



I’m thirty-six. Not too old, but definitely creeping. As the span from birth widens, I draw from my memory moments that have changed me for the better. I discover that the elements of loss, letting go, and living have become my catalyst for growth and change.

A few months ago I watched the movie October Baby. Have you seen it? You should. Netflix it.

October Baby is a story about a young girl with a confusing medical condition. The journey she embarks on centers around her discovery that she has been adopted…a failed abortion. She takes off on a road trip to find hope in her unknown future but what she learns is that life can sometimes be much more than you had ever planned.

The movie inspired me. It reminded me of my past and brushed up against a 16 year time warp. A moment in my life when my October baby came into this world. Her name is Lily. I wrote about it once for Relevant Magazine. If you don’t already know my story you can read it here.    

So yeah, October has become an ultra sacred month for me. Life is beautiful.

Every life is beautiful.  

No matter who you are, where you’ve been, what you’ve done…you need to know that YOU have a purpose. Your life has meaning. There is an infinite plan in place for you!

“You saw me before I was born…” Psalm 139:16



Shades of Grace: Book Club for Women

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I’m the girl who passes by someone reading a book and does a double take. Books are attractive and I can’t help but take notice.

I love books!

If you’ve been with me a while you’ll remember I started a book club last year called Shades of Grace. We meet monthly during the school year and read all sorts of delicious books.

Tonight is the kick off event of another great season. If you live in the area…

YOU ARE ALL INVITED TO COME!

Details {time and location} can be found on our Facebook page here. If you’re not local but want to be a part of club, reading {mostly} Christian fiction, then feel free to follow along by adding to the discussion on my Good Reads page here. 

**Bear with me as my Good Reads page is currently a work in progress**

I hope to see you tonight. As always, I’ve got a few surprises in store!

Intoxicated- Discovering Your Core Lies

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I woke up around midnight on Saturday sicker than a dog. Vertigo. The room had turned itself upside down by the wild spinning in my head. Thus, for a good hour or so produced some nauseating porcelain prayers.

My first bout with the dreaded vertigo came 6 years ago. Again in the middle of the night. That time however; I ended up in the ER with hurried nurses scrambling to diagnose my condition. After a CAT scan, MRI, and full battery of tests they concluded nothing. I was released in perfect form the following day. Still, the jolting affect of that violent episode left me wondering why that happened to me? After I thoroughly analyzed the events from the previous day I was able to self-diagnose the root cause of my sickness.

I had been poisoned.

The said event was stupid, really. I was simply mowing our lawn when it suddenly quit working. Out of gas. So, I filled up the tank and pulled, pulled, pulled on that rip cord thing. Nothing. Hmm. Next, I checked the oil level {well, first I called my husband and thats what he told me to do. Since I’m a fair person I must give credit where due}. Yep, that was the problem! I glugged a quart of oil into the spout, spilling a little {okay, a lot}. Pulled, pulled, pulled and walla I was back in the mowing business.

Except, now, due to the excess oil spillage I had a crazy amount of burn off. You know, black rolling plumes of smoke. I’m not talking a little bit here folks. I’m talking Hiroshima. But a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do and I had to finish mowing the lawn. So thats what I did. Inhaled, ingested, consumed, and digested all those toxic fumes so I could get the job done. In the process I poisoned myself. Later that night, still trapped within the cells of my body, they fought their way to expulsion. Bam, vertigo!

A few weeks ago I began diving into a study written by Sarah Mae aimed at discovering and dealing with lies. Core lies. Those other toxins imbedded into the fiber of our being. Lies that we believe are true about ourself. Lies we don’t even know that we believe.

“Below the flesh, creeping behind bone, in secret places of the spirit,               lie wounds.” – Sarah Mae 
We all have wounds. Taking an in depth look at my own has brought about this radical realization that the way I respond to situations, the manner of how I speak, and how I behave has often times been an overflow of the lies hidden within.  
What’s the big deal anyways? They don’t really have that big of an effect. I’ll just push {mow} through it.
The truth. It’s about living a cleaner, more authentic life. Cleared of debri from the past. Cleaning up the toxic waste and throwing out messy lies. 
Why? To fulfill the ultimate commandment. 
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”             – Matthew 22: 37-39
When we confront those lies and see them as the poison they really are we can be empowered to choose to see and believe the truth. This will make us free. Freedom from lies will give us a greater capacity to love God and love others more fully.

Sometimes it takes a dark night to fully realize that we are indeed sick. Just like my trip to the ER caused me to look back at past events, so can discovering the root of our lies help to diagnose a sin sick condition or ways the enemy has been slithering in and around our wounds whispering tales of deception. 
The Core Lies guide is a free, download that you can obtain here. 
Press on. The truth will set you free.


I Only Did It 3 Times This Summer

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I’m so ashamed of myself. I’ve only read 3 books this summer! Compared to last year at this time my tally was nearly in the double digits. Before I share with you what I read I should tell you first, that today has been a sad day.

It always happens to me. You’d think I might be expecting it by now but it always sneaks up from behind, until suddenly I’m standing in my kitchen wading through a puddle of tears. Summer is all about my kids. We’re so busy doing a whole lot of sun soaking, staying up late, eating whenever the pang strikes, and basically throwing the whole regime out the window. I know, I know some of you are wincing. I don’t care. We’ve had fun!

And that’s why I’m sad. Summer is over. Today I sat down to review my 10th grader’s (that’s a sophomore in high school people) syllabus for AP U.S. History. Somewhere between the words ‘college credit’ and ‘freshman level course’ and BLAM!

I assure you tomorrow will be better. My kids are happy and healthy. I’m one grateful momma! As for me, I am looking forward to getting back on schedule. Back to work. Back to writing and finishing the glorious (#shitty) first draft of my first novel. Hallelujah!

Now, onto my summer reads! But first, STOP. I’ll only share my reads with you if you promise to share yours with me. Leave me a comment with your favorite summer book!

#1 The Tutor’s Daughter – Julie Klassen. 

About: Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father when his boarding school fails, accompanies him to the cliff-top manor of a baronet and his four sons. But soon after they arrive and begin teaching the two younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte at night, only to find the music room empty? And who begins sneaking into her bedchamber, leaving behind strange mementoes? 

The baronet’s older sons, Phillip and Henry Weston, wrestle with problems–and secrets–of their own. They both remember the studious Miss Smallwood from their days at her father’s academy. But now one of them finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her…

When suspicious acts escalate, can Emma figure out which brother to blame and which to trust with her heart?


*Side Note* Julie is my friend. Love her work. I’m bringing her to Mankato in November so get reading folks. More details to come!

#2 Bird by Bird – Anne Lamott

About: This is not a how-to book. This is not necessarily a writers manual for freeing your creativity in ethereal ways. This is Anne Lamott, for heaven’s sake…and that means it’s funny! As in, laugh- till-you-can’t-read-the-words-through-the-tears-in-your-eyes funny. (Some call this therapy, and I’m inclined to agree.)

Though aimed at writers, this book is full of sage advice and razor-edged honesty for the average joe. If you’re a writer–and I claim to be one–it’s more than a few anecdotes and good advice; it’s a lifeline in the thrashing seas of rough-draftdom. Anne makes it clear that writing must be pursued for something other than mere publication. 

Writing is about letting go, growing, facing truths, and holding on. My favorite was chapter 2 titled, Shitty First Drafts! 

#3 Heiress – Susan May Warren

About: Book One in the Daughters of Fortune series. The beautiful heiress daughters of newspaper magnate August Price have been given everything their hearts desire. But what if they want only to be loved–without an enormous price tag attached? When one daughter pursues a desirable marriage, she secures for herself a comfortable and glamorous life. But among the duties of privilege, will she also find the happily-ever-after she seeks? Her sister rejects the trappings of wealth, choosing instead to build a new life on the still-untamed frontier. Will she find happiness in independence or discover that she’s left her heart behind in New York’s glittering society? Set in the opulent world of the Gilded Age, each woman discovers that being an heiress just might cost her everything–including the chance for true love.




Now, tell me, what was your favorite summer read?

Once Bitten: The Power of Our Tongue

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Have you ever walked into a room to discover others had been talking about you? A few years ago this happened to me. The incident left me feeling sliced up from the inside. It hurt and stung deeply. 
It seems teachable life lessons come to us in repetition, repeating themselves in various patterns, calling attention for us to wake up and smell the coffee. The incident above was a culmination of things God had already been trying to teach me.      
My words. The very bane of my passion is to edify others and write with artful expression. Unfortunately, I have also used them to tear others down. Usually behind their back in secret places.  
Photo courtesy istockphoto.com/salez
In the months leading up that hurtful encounter I felt nudged to watch my mouth. Slowly, it was being revealed to me that I needed to watch my words. Guard them with my life!

 “Set a guard over my mouth, O’ Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3

It wasn’t until I felt the guttural pain, inflicted by those overheard destructive words, that my eyes fully opened. I needed to experience the heartache for myself to become fully aware.
I think we have this tendency to believe that talking about others doesn’t really hurt them. Although it may not directly affect the person at large; the bite, sting, and the poison is still present. Our words have the power to bring life or deliver death.
This week leadership expert Michael Hyatt discussed how our words impact others. You can find his podcast on the subject here. 
So how do we overcome our tendency to talk about others? 
Pay attention. How do you speak of others when they are not around? Are you bringing life or death to the conversation?
Listen. Your Spirit is talking to you…are you listening?  
Learn. Practice makes perfect or something like that. Overcoming a habit such as talking ill about others takes time. It takes a commitment to change. The ability to re-create new, healthy ways for using our words. Learning is like muscle, the more you practice, the stronger you become. 
What’s at stake? It might seem silly to consider but the truth is that the power of our words is a contributing factor to our legacy. You are being watched and you are being mimicked. Your children, friends, relatives, co-workers, and even your enemies are listening. They are collecting, tasting, and digesting. 
Consider for a moment the foundation you are laying. Is it wholesome and life giving? The power and potential is yours. Let’s make it purposeful!