We all have our favorite things, and I imagine your inbox is chock full of ideas on Black Friday. I’m all for sharing gift ideas that we love—and you’ll find my Top Ten in this post—but first…
Let’s do a Black Friday Book Giveaway!
These three lovelies released this year, and they’ve quickly become some of my go-to favorites from the bookshelf:
Sara Hagerty’s The Gift of Limitations is for anyone who’s feeling defeated or weary (or who just has too much laundry, too many bills, and too many open tabs on her browser). With the wisdom and empathy of a trusted friend, Sara takes us by the hand and shows us how to exchange our thoughts for God’s so that, instead of being a burden, our weaknesses can become a wonder-full part of our stories. (As a 62-year-old grandma, I devoured this book; my 30-year-old daughter is loving it too!)
Jeannie Cunnion’s Closer to God is a beautifully designed devotional that’s perfect for anyone who wants to experience God’s soul-refreshing, tangible presence in everyday life—but isn’t sure how that happens, exactly. With 40 different (short) readings and prompts to spur reflection and prayer, this is a bedside table book you can return to again and again. And psst…this one makes a great hostess gift or stocking stuffer; Jeannie writes about deep stuff in a shallow-ish way (which I mean as high compliment).
And finally, Alyssa Bethke’s When Doing it All is Undoing You is one of those books where you read the title and, next thing you know, you’ve hit “add to cart.” This one’s for the gal who loves to control circumstances, manage outcomes, and hold everything together—and then wrestles with a sense of disillusionment when life doesn’t look like like she thought it would. Is there a better way? Yes, indeed!
Again, all three of these beauties are in the book bundle. We’re hosting the giveaway on my Instagram page and I’ll announce the winner on Sunday. But…there’s a catch: You can’t KEEP them all if you win. ‘Tis the season for sharing our favorite things, and in order to enter the giveaway, you have to tag TWO FRIENDS with whom you will share the books. Two for your friends; one for you. (Which is, I know, how a lot of us shop.) 😉
Speaking of friends…
These are a few of my favorite things
I found myself at an early Christmas party this year, one where everyone was asked to bring one of their “favorite things” for a gift swap. We didn’t steal from one another; instead, the hostess read a poem that came with instructions like, “Santa comes when the kids are in bed; pass your gift to someone wearing red.” It was all very civilized and nobody got hurt.
And people’s gift ideas were super creative! Folks showed up with everything from a pair of gold earrings and some must-have moisturizer to a basket stuffed with all the fixings for espresso martinis.
Me? Well, I took the invitation quite literally and brought my actual new favorite thing. It’s this walking vest, and (like almost everything else in this Top Ten list) it’s something I use pretty much every day.
Truth be told, the walking vest was NOT the most popular gift at the party. In fact, I’m pretty sure people thought I was joking. But then the Wall Street Journal ran a piece about the bone-density benefits of sporting such a stylish apparatus, and my phone started blowing up with people wanting the link, and to know how heavy a vest they should order. (The answer, experts say, is 5-10% of your body weight).
Gift idea #2 is just as valuable (at least for those of us who take coffee seriously). I’m a latte girl on a home-coffee budget, and this milk frother makes even the most ho-hum coffee taste like it came from a legit barista:
3. My friend Emily recommended these little candles. They burn for twenty minutes (think Swiss watch in wax form), and they’ve helped keep me focused when I want to pray, read my Bible, or just sit in solitude for a bit as I lean into God.
4. You may remember me writing—and raving—about my three-year-plan to read the whole Bible. I’m on the home stretch now, and Search the Scriptures has been the best traveling companion a reader could want. The book comes with do-able reading portions, plus introductions to each section and daily questions add to your understanding. (Pro-tip: I took the book to FedEx and had them chop it into three different volumes and spiral-bind each. Makes it easier to tuck into a purse or suitcase!)
5. Okay so, Jesus didn’t journal (that we know of), so if you are not a journal-person, don’t let anybody guilt you about that. But if you ARE a journal lover (or if you think you might be), the Growth Book is, hands-down, the best spiritual resource I have ever used. Visit the Growth Roots Co. website to discover all the features tucked into this gem (and check out the new colors while you are there!).
6. Pens. Can pens be a love language? I think they might be. My current obsession are these black-ink “jotter pens” from Emily Lex; they write so smooooooth and feature different words like delight, celebrate, and (my favorite) abide…
…and if you’re a gal who likes to color-code notes or draw in your journal, this fun pack from LePen pairs perfectly with the Growth Book—no ink bleeding through or smearing on the page!
7. This tomato knife. My shopping-genius friend Michelle gifted this knife to me; if you like your tomatoes sliced straight and thin, you’ll want one too! (And psst – they come in a six-pack if you want to gift one to all of your Proverbs 27:17 friends!)
8. Our family is not a “game” family, but I want us to be—and Priorities was a definite crowd pleaser this year. The object is to guess how someone will “prioritize” five different cards and then spell P-R-I-O-R-I-T-I-E-S before “the house” does. Lot of laughs and (because you’re all on the same team) hardly any fighting.
9. And (almost) finally, in what might be the clearest sign yet that I’m moving up the rungs on Santa’s Nice List, I brought the weighted vest to the Favorite Things party (with a side of the 20-minute candles so that the gift would be good for body and soul) and, when all of the swapping and re-swapping was done, I somehow wound up with these:
These splurge-worthy hand towels from Weezie Towels have upgraded our Christmas game like no other decor. They are soft and useful and oh-so-pretty, and everyone who comes to my house this year is going to be more than a little impressed. (Thank you, Molly.)
And gift idea #10? Well…you all know I am not a great shopper, but I know a good deal when I see one. And when the publisher emailed to let me know that Praying the Scriptures for Your Children had been selected as an Amazon special on Black Friday Week, I knew I had to let you know.
Seriously. Never have I ever seen the book priced so low. Stock up on baby gifts, or grab a few copies and plan to pray for your kids with some friends in the new year (and you can use this free printable study guide on your own or in a larger group). But hop to it, cuz this price won’t last long!
Here’s hoping you enjoy at least one of my favorite things. Happy shopping—and don’t forget to tag two friends in the book bundle giveaway on my Instagram page.
(And for those of you who are like me and find yourself a little bit stressed out on Black Friday, can I just leave you with one of my favorite “Help me, God” prayers? This one’s from 2 Chronicles 20:12: We don’t know what to do, Lord, but our eyes are on you.)
Grateful for all of you!
❤️
