[image via Pinterest; originally from here]

About a month ago I embarked on a new journey:- life purpose coaching. Someone I know is currently studying it and needed to coach someone as part of an assignment; enter my involvement.

So far it’s been great. Actually, it’s been much more than great.

A few things it’s helping with are:

// clarity: seeing clearer – the future, my emotions, thoughts and motives

// myself: knowing myself better from inspirations, things I fear, values, motivations

// being challenged: each week something new gets pushed and prodded, nudging you a little further

// redefining and refining vision: helping to point the compass arrow of where I’m headed in life in the right direction

// purpose: puts the “why” behind the “what”

Each week there are also homework/exercises to do.

For one of the week’s I had to ask three friends to write a list of  what they believe my strengths to be. At first it was weird to ask, but it was necessary and possibly one of the greatest things I could have done – these life coaches are onto something! Receiving each list and reading it revealed and showed me a lot. The main being: qualities I didn’t see, qualities I thought were my weaknesses/didn’t really believe in, and qualities I thought only I could see but apparently shine in.

Why am I telling you this?

Because in life we need to take a step back and realise who we are. Sometimes we need to ask those around us what are our strengths. We can get so caught up in our insecurities, shame, hopes, desires, failures, successes, and thoughts that we can think we’re being a certain kind of person or shining in a particular area, when to others, they see us slightly differently.

This isn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, it’s great!

We all have strengths. But sometimes we just need someone to help affirm and call those strengths out, to show us another side of who we truly are.

It’s humbling. It’s encouraging. And it can be pretty life changing too.

// How about you ask some friends what your strengths are? You may be pleasantly surprised by what they say…

Hope you had a wonderful week!

I’ve been a bit MIA on the social, email, and blogging front this past due to a number of reasons, including assignment overload. But rest assured, new posts will be back next week!

In other (more important) news, realised earlier today that my first post for ExemplifyOnline.com is up, “Delight in the Little Things“. They’ve recently launched and if you’re a teenage girl, check it out – a great thing is being built there! The ladies who are part of the team are so generous and kind, and the Founder, Kristen Schiffman, is also going to be featured as a Difference Maker at By Bethany Jae very soon too.

I feel very honoured to part of the 2:21 Team because, well, I’m from Australia and this is based in America. Oh, the connections that would never be formed without social media, hey?

Here’s a little blurb snippet from the post. Feel free to sit down with a cup of tea and read:

You know when a phrase just keeps popping into your head, you begin seeing it in the shops written on journals, and then a friend buys you a bowl with those words on it and you know you have no choice but to fully embrace it?

Well, to delight in and enjoy the little things is something I’ve made a big, bolded, exclamation-marked decision to do this year.

To delight in something simply means to take a great amount of pleasure and enjoyment in.

And it’s often with the little things in life we forget to do this with……

- continue reading it here -

Enjoy your weekend, Bethany x

[image via Pinterest]

“On my best days,

I practice grace & patience with myself, knowing that

I can’t extend grace & patience if I haven’t tasted it.”

- Shauna Niequist, Bread&Wine -

[image via Pinterest]

The point of purpose is that it points you in a direction.

When you don’t have purpose your bearings are all wrong. You have no idea what is the right direction, the wrong direction, your north to your south or your east to your west. More than having no idea about where the directions are, you simply don’t even know where it is you want to go.

And when you don’t have purpose, you don’t have a need to discover and find out where it is that your life is going… Because there’s no point or purpose to.

See, hope seeks purpose, and purpose seeks motivation, and motivation seeks action.

When you have a hope for your future you have a purpose to do stuff. Hope gives you a vision, purpose points you in the right direction, motivation is the attitude to get going with the steps, and action is the hard work it takes for you actually get there. If you lose one of these, you become stuck.

That’s why hope is important and is a common theme on this space.

But hope is nothing without purpose.

The great thing about having hope is that it gets you looking forward and up.

The great thing about purpose is that it at least points you in a direction. Any direction is good because to get somewhere, anywhere, you at least need to be pointing a direction, rather than down at your feet. Once you get moving, it’s easier to make changes to your path and adapt along the way.

And when hope and purpose are united together, inseparable to the core, beautiful things are made of our lives.

Purpose is the backbone to your greatest dreams, desires, and hopes. It fuels your motivation and not only gives you that little shove you need to get moving.

In Greek, the word for purpose is telos; which means an end, purpose, or goal.

Purpose doesn’t just see the end or goal, but it sees the why behind the what. That’s what makes it so vital. It sees the impact it will have on people, the seeds of influence it will sow, the immediate responses, and the chain reactions you may never know about from people you’ll never meet. It sees beyond yourself and into the legacy created from it.

The best kind of purpose is a selfish-selfless purpose. One that knows they’re the exact person created for the job and that it’s benefit and purpose has nothing to do with them, but everything to do with what it will bring to others.

And it all starts when you point yourself in a direction. Start walking and you’ll find the right path.

[image via Google, Donald Miller (author of Searching For God Knows What)]

Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about my faith. Growing up in church, being in Sunday school, knowing all the Bible stories, currently studying theology, + being an active contributor in my local church… Faith is a big chunk of what I do. And there comes a time, for everyone, where you have to discover what it is you truly believe + why you believe it.

Studying theology is messing with my beliefs + redefining everything I ever believed. But it’s the kind of mess you want + need to have at some stage in your life. On top of that, I just finished reading Donald Miller’s book Searching For God Knows What.

Donald Miller is an author I greatly admire – in fact, his book Blue Like Jazz was the first book I wrote about in this series. His books take the hard + messy when it comes to faith, spirituality, + theology, and delivers it in a relevant, simplistic, + thought-provoking way.

This book is no different.

And it completely made me see the Bible, God, + Jesus in an entire new light.

Without giving too much away, here are two examples that stuck out to me:

// Adam + Eve in the Garden of Eden: Adam’s loneliness, Eve’s introduction, the Fall, the shame of being naked. The part that got me? His thoughts on Genesis chapter 3 – God told them not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good + Evil, but He didn’t tell them about Satan, deception or lies. Which brings up the question of: why did He let the snake freely roam without telling or warning them? Donald’s whole storytelling + thought process of this is told so beautifully, intricately, + with such reverence, purity + love.

[note: spoke to mum about the above + she gave a great illustration: as a parent you don't tell or warn your child about every bad thing... I'm not a parent so I don't fully understand this, but it gives another level to Genesis 3. And Donald's right when he says this passage totally raises many questions for God that we will probably never have answers too while here on earth. And that's okay.]

// Lifeboat Theory he heard in school: there’s a lifeboat adrift in the sea with a male lawyer, female doctor, crippled child, stay-at-home mother, + a garbage man, + one person had to be thrown overboard to save the others – who would you choose? When everyone is created equal + with the same worth, it’s interesting who pops into your head first, hey?

Above all, the pages of this book weave together Donald’s own faith journey with an ancient + eternal text. His honesty, questions, + humility is fresh. Rather than shoving his thoughts into your face or telling you ‘your theology is wrong!’, his books serves as a navigation where you’re enlightened, challenged, + encouraged to really think about what it is you believe.

The introduction to this book is the essence of such thoughts:

“…and through a dark night of the soul, I came to realize salvation happens through a mysterious, indefinable, relational interaction with Jesus in which we become one with him. I realized Christian conversion worked more like falling in love than understanding a series of concepts or ideas. This is not to say there are no true ideas, it is only to say there is something else, something beyond. There are true ideas involved in marriage and sex, but marriage and sex also involve something else, and that something else is mysterious.

If we have a controlling personality, in which we like to check things off of lists, this is going to be extremely hard for us to understand and embrace. God give us no control, really, over this “system” of relationship. Introducing somebody to Jesus is not about presenting ideas, then, as much as it is introducing a person to a Deity who lives and interacts. Evangelism, then, looks like setting somebody up on a blind date: God does the work, we just tell them about him and where they can find him.

You might be getting upset by this. You might think I am saying truth should be thrown out, that theology doesn’t matter. But this is not what I’m saying at all. What I’m intending to illustrate is our drive to define God with a mathematical theology has become a false God rather than an arrow that points to the real God. Theology can become an idol, but it is more useful as guardrails on a road to the true God. Theology is very important, but it is not God, and knowing facts about God is not the same as knowing God.“

And above theology + all that jazz, he really taps into the foundation, purpose, + reason behind it all: relationship

“The Bible is a relational document, + theology is basically the charts + lists we have made out of the document.” (p71)

:: the rundown ::

First Sentence: “Some time ago I attended a seminar for Christian writers. It was in a big hotel down South + hotels always make me uncomfortable because the bedding is so fluffy + the television swivels, + who makes coffee in the bathroom?”

Favourite Quote: “And there is nothing wrong with being beautiful or being athletic or being smart, but those are some of the pleasures of life, not life’s redemption.”

Highlight: The use of Shakespeare’s Romeo&Juliet as the base of the final chapter. This was unexpected + smartly done – how he pulled it apart, looked at it historically, + related it to back to the essence of the book. Despite being a book discussing theology, it is grounded, human, + real.

Who should read it? Is the perfect read for late-teens + twenty-somethings. No matter your religion or stance, it will broaden your thinking, a lot.

// You can purchase Searching for God Knows What here.

: image :

[image via Pinterest] 

[image via Pinterest]

: tunes :

Goodbye by Paul McDonald + Nikki Reed

PS: grab the EP as a free download off Noisetrade

Tree to Grow by The Lone Bellow

: blog posts + articles :

25 Best Blog Practises That Will Rock Your Blog by Mary DeMuth

Become a Highly Paid Writer: Avoid These 7 Habits on Write To Done

Finding the Zone + Punching Fear in the Face by Donald Miller

Inviting Mentors Into Our Lives on Darling Magazine

: motion :

Blaine Hogan’s Q&A with author, Shauna Niequist on her new book ‘Bread&Wine’

: quotes :

“Authenticity matters as much online as it does offline. Be real. Be you.” – Tim Schraeder

“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“No man was ever wise by chance.” – Seneca

: fun fact :

go to Google Maps + search the following: 44 14’39.77″N 7°46’10.71″E. start zooming in + you will be amazed :)

// happy Friday + enjoy your weekend, bethany x

[image via personal Instagram account, @bethjae, snapped on an evening walk]

// “See everyday as a bonus.

Each day,

without exception,

is a gift from God,

entrusted to you.

Enjoy it 

+ spread it wisely.” //

- Nicky Gumbel -

[image via personal Instagram account, @bethjae]

Last night I was up until an ungodly hour of the night/day doing assignments. As my eyes were closing + brain slowly stopped working, I was in need of something baked + comforting; coffee + tea was not cutting it anymore.

It was then I knew a mugcake was in order.

A mugcake you say? Yes. A mugcake. Aka, a cake in a mug.

I have a massive sweet tooth. Anything to do with cakes, chocolate, + sweet delicious things get me a little excited.

Being a Pinterest-addict, I’ve seen a gazillion mugcake recipes + have tried a gazillion mugcake recipes. After experimenting + hoping to find the perfect chocolate one, I was always left disappointed + never liked including an egg in the recipe.

So, I went looking for an egg-less mugcake recipe.

And I found one. A good one. Many, many months ago.

Since then, I’ve adapted the recipe + have used it as my total go-to when I need that quick yummy baked goodness without baking a whole cake. This is the recipe I whipped up last night for myself + one of my other brother’s who was up doing assignments as well. He’s never liked mugcakes, but thought this was one tasted delicious – good sign hey!

S0, here’s a treat for you to bookmark for later, or just whip up + shovel into your mouth in less than 5-minutes right now…

: images :

[image via @cubbygraham on Instagram - he's the guy in the video near the end of this post!]

[image: by Sean Wes - incredible hand lettering artist. follow him on Instagram @seanwes]

: posts/articles :

Elora Nicole‘s honest + interesting series on publishing : intro / industry / beta readers / discipline / agents / you aren’t crazy

‘You Are Here: Changing the World Around Us‘ on DarlingMagazine.org

‘Thoughts on Depression + Suicide: Sometimes You Just Want to Go Home‘ on StorylineBlog.com

‘The Courage to Collaborate‘ by Blaine Hogan

 ’8 Killer Online Marketing Campaigns‘ on Inc.com

: motion :

Dove Beauty Campaign

What It’s Like To Be A National Geographic Photographer

An Instagram Generation

charity: water Save it or Shave it Campaign Grand Finale (on Cubby Graham)

: words :

tweet of the week // “Every “overnight success” I’ve ever met had a thousand nights of hustle & hard work no one else saw.” – @JonAcuff

“I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.” – Vincent van Gogh

“Be brave. No one remembers a coward.” – Christopher M. Hurley

: and just ‘cos it’s cute :

[image via Pinterest]

When you’re not inspired, getting work done can feel like an absolute bore.

The words are just lines holding no emotion or story. And each step can feel as though you’re pulling a freight train.

When you’re not inspired, you spend countless hours trying to find where inspiration is hiding.

You hope that if you click on one more page link, get out + about, read others words + more, that you’ll be a little closer to finding the hidden gem. But all you end up doing is procrastinating + finding interesting irrelevant pieces to store away hoping you can use them them in the future.

Inspiration isn’t what gets work done.  It isn’t even what marks something you do as spectacular.

Inspiration isn’t what makes your piece of work sparkle or pop;  it’s your skill, handiwork, + talent.

Inspiration can give you a surge of thought + a push to begin, but it’s what you’ve done leading up to the surge that defines it’s presentation + impact; it’s your disciple + what you’ve been doing to steward + develop your skill well.

Because in the end, inspiration without work is nothing.

And when you’ve mastered your talent you won’t need inspiration to make it great.

Work without inspiration + inspiration will find you.

Work because what you produce is captured by people’s hearts because of it’s delivery, not the beginning thought.

Harbor your talent.

Grow it + grow it.

And don’t let the lie that inspiration is what makes it ruin your opportunity to produce something great.

If it’s between work + inspiration, pick work every time.