making truth my priority

a bit more than a year ago, I saw something happen.

I was quite pregnant + spent my days at home watching more Criminal Minds than is healthy for any one person. I rarely left our apartment, and the vast majority of my social interaction took place on twitter.

looking on from my comfortable, undisturbed spot on the couch, I witnessed two women make plans to follow a reading plan on the youversion app, together. I watched on as a few other women asked which plan, as a few more decided to join in. and so I made my way to the app, opened up the soul detox plan, and clicked start on the most transformative year of my life thus far.

I tend to be rather good at forgetting. or flat-out not doing. when life overwhelms, my priorities really shine through. my bible becomes expendable. my day becomes a mere schedule to execute, tasks left unfinished become stumbling blocks.

it didn't take long to find that having a plan set out for me helped to make reading my bible non-negotiable. I got to check off the sections I'd finished, and keep up with the rest of the quickly-growing community. soon, those checkmarks + the accountability weren't the things keeping me going in my reading. wanting that time with God was my motivation.

soon I was finishing up the first plan, the second, and the third. I was cheering with the She Reads Truth girls as they published their first plan, and listening as they took turns pouring out their hearts.

for the first time in years, I found myself captivated by the words in front of me. [this from the girl whose undergraduate major was biblical studies + who taught herself biblical greek.] never would I have guessed that I would wake a mere three hours after giving birth to my daughter, pull out my bible + journal, and scribble fevered notes while my husband + new baby slept through the sunrise.

but that's what this community has fostered. it's not about waking up to catch the morning sunlight shining on bible pages + fresh coffee + perfectly journaled typography, trying to gain as many little instagram hearts as possible. it's about digging in, poring over pages, desperate for more of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

it's about making Him a priority.
it's about clinging to His truth.

 if this is your first time hearing about She Reads Truth, be sure to check out their website. 

God is moving in the hearts of women all over the world + you don't want to miss out!

faces of an influential woman

I have been so blessed to take part in the influence network for a bit more than two months now. I signed up as soon as the new year had been rung in, and it's a good thing the subscription is recurring, because the months have flown by quickly + I would have been so upset to miss even a moment of the action. if you know me in real life, you won't be surprised to learn that I'm more of a reader, a listener, a  taker-inner on the influence forums. at first I wondered whether it was really worth paying for a membership if I was just going to read through the forums + only participate sparingly, but the words I've read, the few times I have decided to open my mouth and share [because we introverts really just save up the best words to speak out!], they're worth it to me. this online community, these women, they're worth it to me.

today, along with other members of the influence network, I'm sharing a few things about myself as well as something I've learned through the network. now I could ramble on about all this for days, but I'll try to be succinct because there are a lot of blogs to get to!

I'm Courtney.
this is my face:

I didn't have a photo that I loved. well, not of myself. I could have pulled out hundreds of my seven-month-old. but the more recent photos are of pregnant-courtney, or worse, post-partum-courtney. instead of grabbing a go-to, nearly-three-year-old wedding photo, I snapped a few silly ones on sunday afternoon.

• I currently live in rural Nova Scotia, in one of the most incredible examples of community I could ever imagine existing. and it's made up of university students. no joke. I'm blessed every day by eighteen-to-twenty-two year olds. it's phenomenal to see the Lord moving among His youth. 
• I've recently realized I have a bit of an eye for design. and because of the encouragement + strategy I've gleaned from the influence network, I'm actually honing my craft + doing something with it. I would never have done it on my own, because putting myself out there is something I just never did.
• I'm a huge introvert and always thought myself so insignificant, especially to the Kingdom. but lately, in getting to know so many other strong women of God [many of them introverts!], I'm realizing I do have influence. I do have a voice. I can -- and must -- use it well for His glory.

I've learned much already in 2013, in this space + through Jesus in these women. [I mean, two of the three facts above would have been a whole lot more boring minus the influence network's impact.] but I think my favourite thing to have recovered through the network is something I've known most of my life but need desperately, like breath, each day:

today, I'm writing as part of the influential women link-up hosted by the Influence Network. if you have no idea what the Influence Network is, you should probably go check that out first thing. // but here's the short version: