by Kelli Garms | Dec 13, 2019 | Book Review
I have been reading a lot of business books lately that give me the steps to accomplish X, or tell me to “do the work,” or encourage me to “trust the process,” and I can tell you they have left me EXHAUSTED. So I was very curious to read what Jordan Lee Dooley had to say as she is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, and I have admired her for a long time.
Yes, I know her audience is younger women who might be stepping out in faith for the first time, women who are just graduating from college or finding love and a desire to start a family or a business. I took that into consideration as I hit the purchase button for the book. And yet I was pleasantly surprised to find that, though her examples are aimed at younger women, this 43-year-old mom of teens could relate to the struggles of comparison, procrastination, and impostor syndrome, among others.
The principles Dooley outlines in the book are universal struggles for women. She gives practical steps to overcome these struggles by encouraging the reader to “be” instead of “do.” This is a message that has been piercing my soul because what I do will overflow from who I am.
Though these topics may sound daunting, Dooley’s style is very easy to read. She weaves her faith in with her story without overwhelming the reader with Scripture analysis. Her step-by-step plans are manageable and actionable. And I walked away from the book feeling encouraged and empowered to live my life now!
I would love to know your thoughts on the book once you read it!
by Kelli Garms | Dec 6, 2019 | Bible Study
I recently finished reading through the Bible for the year. And, yes, I’m proud of it! I have read the Bible through four or five times in my lifetime, and one of those times was in 90 days! That was really fast!
Every time I read through the Bible I learn new things, and something different captures my attention. I make new connections and deepen my understanding. And God always shows me something I have missed before.
This time, for example, I fell in love with the book of Daniel. Daniel’s relationship with God, in spite of his surroundings and his circumstances, is incredibly inspiring. Daniel’s prayers are beautiful, and his faith is overwhelming.
There are so many benefits to reading through the Bible:
- You get an over-arching picture of the Word of God.
- You connect events, characters, and places that you have learned about before as separate stories.
- You discover passages that touch your soul in a way you never expected.
- You have a daily plan that keeps you showing up to your time with the Lord.
…just to name a few. Every believer should commit to reading through the Bible at least once in her life. You could do it very quickly, say in 90 days, or you could take three years or longer to get through it. It is a commitment you won’t regret keeping!
Though I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through the Bible this year, I won’t be doing it again next year. Here is why:
- I love lists, and I found myself battling my tendency to read the passages just to be able to check them off.
- I enjoy diving deeper into Scripture, and I found that, by the time I finished my passage for the day, my day and all of its tasks were pushing in on me.
- I had to continually check my motives. Why was I doing this? Was it just to be able to say I did it or was I really growing my relationship with God?
Whether I am reading through the Bible, studying a passage on my own, or doing a Bible study and gleaning from someone else’s wisdom, the goal is always to grow a deeper relationship with the Author of this love letter.
If you have not read through the Bible, I encourage you to commit in 2020. There are a plethora of reading plans out there. You can read from Genesis to Revelation. You can read it chronologically, or you can mix it up. Many Bibles come with a reading plan in the back.
If you need accountability, I’d love to provide it. Let me know if you’re making the commitment, and let me cheer you on!
by Kelli Garms | Nov 29, 2019 | Family, Women's Ministry
One of my goals for 2020 is to stop trying to multitask. The truth is true multitasking is a myth, and when we try to do it, we can cause brain damage. Let me explain.
Your mind can only focus on one thing at a time. You can only “multitask” when only one of the things you are doing requires focus. For example, it is possible to fold laundry while watching TV or listen to a podcast while applying your makeup. However, if you drop that eyeliner, you stop listening to the podcast and shift your focus to the makeup. If you can’t find the matching sock, you take your focus off of the TV show to look for it.
The problem occurs when I try to do too many things that actually require my focus, like watching a video while I play a computer game and text my group chat. Then I’m not actually multitasking, but instead, I am quickly shifting my focus from one thing to another and back again. This causes a loss of attention span and can ultimately damage your brain.
But it is difficult to step away from multitasking when there are so many things on my to-do list!
Here are a few things I have discovered as I have tried to cut multitasking out (and don’t think for a moment that I have been 100% successful):
✔️ I am actually more productive when I focus completely on one thing at a time. I’m faster at tasks that used to take me FOREVER to accomplish.
✔️ I notice more moments that are right in front of me. This allows for spontaneous memory building with my kids.
✔️ I even enjoy my meals more when I focus on what I’m eating instead of watching a video or listening to a book while I eat. This, in turn, keeps me from snacking so much throughout my afternoon. #nonscalevictory
✔️ Content that I consume, whether it’s a podcast, a book, a video, or a training, stays with me because I’m fully present. This allows me to make connections between the many different things I’m consuming on a weekly basis.
✔️ Even though I seem to be getting more done, I feel like my life is slowing down a bit, which is something I find myself longing for in this season of life.
So in 2020, I will strive to kiss multitasking good-bye! Will you join me? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
P.S. If you’d like to learn more about how the mind works and how to align it with Scripture, check out my course, Captive Thoughts. It might be just the thing you’ve been looking for!
by Kelli Garms | Nov 22, 2019 | Bible Study
We live in a time when every kind of knowledge is at our fingertips. We can order a book on kindle and have it in seconds. We can google any phrase and immediately know who said it. We can research a topic and come up with millions of “hits.” Before we know it, we can be down the rabbit hole filling our minds with useless, if not harmful, information.
Gone are the days when Biblical principles governed our education and political systems. We can no longer assume that the shows played on a kids’ channel will be appropriate. Even books published by Christian organizations can’t be blindly trusted. So how do we navigate this ocean of information? We must filter it.
But, in order to filter the information, we must first have the filter. I spent so much of my life as a Christian thinking that was all I needed. I was saved, so nothing else was too important. I knew the Bible stories, I could recite the books of the Bible (only in Spanish, though, and I still revert back to that), and I could give you all of the Sunday school answers. But when it came to the day-to-day decisions, I relied on the knowledge I had accumulated, most of which was not filtered through the lens of Scripture.
I wanted to be someone to whom people came for advice. I wanted to give godly counsel. I found myself frustrated because even I recognized the advice I was giving was worldly (and I am so thankful it was rarely heeded!). Then everything changed.
I started studying my Bible and really pursuing the application of Scripture. I don’t have it all figured out yet (it won’t happen this side of Heaven), but God’s Word has changed me. I am more confident in my decision-making. I pray with others rather than giving them advice. I am often overwhelmed by the answers the Holy Spirit gives me to my kids’ tough questions.
I am still walking this road, and I would love for you to join me! I have created a course, Captive Thoughts, that lines out practical steps to recognize God’s voice, bear His image, and renew your mind. If you would like more information about the course, you can reach out to me, or click this link.
If you aren’t ready to take the plunge yet but would like to take a baby step in the right direction, download my free Bible Study Worksheet here.
I encourage you to spend time in God’s Word, not only to gain knowledge, but also to get to know Him. He wants you to know Him!
by Kelli Garms | Nov 15, 2019 | Book Review
I found myself at a crossroads. I had spent a couple of years building a business that had produced tremendous personal growth but hadn’t profited much (mainly because I had invested so much in the personal growth, but I digress). As I felt a nudge to pull back from the business, I didn’t know if it was fear of failure or conviction from the Holy Spirit. It was at this pivotal time when I heard about
Malinda Fuller’s book Obedience Over Hustle, and the message cut right through me.
I had two messages competing for my heart. One said,
You are more than just a mom. One day soon your kids are going to leave home, so you should start preparing now to have the life you want when they are gone.
This message was reinforced when my kids would praise me for working hard, and my daughter would claim that she wanted to run her own business when she grows up. This message isn’t bad, and it has felt true and safe for me in this season.
The other message said,
Your kids will be leaving your home soon. You should focus on building memories and experiences that will bring them home again and again after they have their own families. Your business will keep, and God’s timing is perfect.
This message was reinforced when I noticed distance in my marriage and found that I was trying to work while my son played baseball or my daughter cheered at a game. Again, this message isn’t bad, and I found that it was consistently tugging at my heart.
Fuller took me through Scriptures about Eve, Martha, the disciples, Noah, and others that showed me I was choosing hustle because it is easy. It is easy to trust myself. It is easy to check things off my “to do” list. It is easy to follow a process or a plan or a system. It is easy to hustle because the alternative is obedience, and obedience can be hard.
Obedience sometimes means waiting and trusting and monotony and uncertainty. Obedience might mean I have to do something I don’t like, or it could mean I do nothing at all while I wait for God to show me the next step. When things get hard, and I think they aren’t moving fast enough, I default to hustling because I find comfort in the activity. But that isn’t obedience, not because activity is wrong, but because obedience can’t be measured by activity. You and I could be doing the exact same activity, but one of us could be acting in obedience and the other could be acting out of the hustle. I don’t know about you, but I like measurables, which makes obedience hard.
Obedience Over Hustle brought so much clarity to my situation. Through the biblical examples that are discussed in the book, I began to feel peace about my choice. I began to understand that God was calling me to trust Him with my kids AND my business, and I began to open my hands and release the tight grip I was holding, trying to maintain some semblance of control.
I came to realize the choice wasn’t what I thought it was. God wasn’t asking me to choose between my business and my family. He was simply asking me to let go and trust Him. He wasn’t giving me an ultimatum or telling me it is “all or nothing.” He simply wanted me to loosen my grip and put one foot in front of the other while He does the heavy lifting.
This is a book I will read again and again because this conflict is not a “one and done.” The enemy knows my weaknesses, and I know I will need the reminders now and again.
If you have been struggling with your purpose, I encourage you to see what
this book can teach you, and I would love to know your thoughts after you read it.
