Tag: life

Green background with cream colored line and layered leaves and the text January 2023: 'Rhythms of Renewal' + Flex the Plan

January 2023: ‘Rhythms of Renewal’ + Flex the Plan

Posted on by Kelvey Vander Hart in L I F E

How has your 2023 been treating you? I’m 99% sure my new annual tradition is having COVID during January. Let’s hope that tradition breaks next year. Here’s a recap of January 2023: 

Best Book I Read This Month 

One of my favorite books is The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer (which you can find here). So, when I picked up Rhythms of Renewal by Rebekah Lyons to start 2023, I was happy to find it contained the same heart as John Mark Comer’s work. You can find it here. 

Best Article I Read This Month

I love liberty, and I REALLY love animals. The government being the driving force behind cruel animal testing in the United States has infuriated me for years. This announcement came as extremely good news for animals and liberty lovers alike. Read it here!

Tip + Trick of the Month

Getting enough sunlight is critical to our health. (Although, I’d add the disclaimer that you should do so WITH sunscreen.) But with shorter days and freezing temperatures, getting enough sunlight can be hard. 

So, embrace the window during the winter. Find places in your home where you can lurk by windows that get plenty of sunlight or find buildings that you can spend time in that have those windows. I find myself spending a lot of time working from the Greater Des Moines Botanical Center during the winter, which is essentially one big window. 

Yes, braving the cold and getting outside for some fresh air is optimal. But even if you’re not doing that, chase sunlight from inside. 

Quote of the Month

“The further you can distance yourself from the corporate food system, the better off you’ll be.” -Max Lugavere

I usually don’t add much commentary on quotes, but Lugavere’s work has been a big blessing in helping me improve my health and well-being while handling chronic illness. You can find more of his work here. 

Kelvey’s Thought for the Month

When we start a new year, we tend to get rigid with our plans, habits, and aspirations. One glance at my lengthy goal list would reveal that this point is especially true in my life. 

But life often gets in the way. Remember when I mentioned having COVID this past month, right in prime get-after-those-goals season? 

We have two choices when life interferes: Abandon the plan or flex the plan instead. Instead of abandoning, which tends to be a default, how can you flex your plan? 

Sick but have serious health and wellness goals? If you can’t exercise, keep your nutrition in check, drink enough water, and get plenty of sleep. 

Want to do some deep work on a project once a week? Have a backup time on your calendar. 

Need to hit a target, like a certain number of pages read, by the end of the week? Have a few different ways you can chunk up progress to fit the calendar of different weeks instead of having a one-size-fits-all plan. 

Life throws things at us constantly. Getting adaptable in reaching our goals lets us throw them right back. 

Keep those resolutions going strong as we get further into the year. I’ll catch you next month.

Green leaves in the background with white text overlaid and a white frame around

July 2022: ‘Things That Matter’ + Resisting Consumerism

Posted on by Kelvey Vander Hart in L I F E

We’re more than halfway through 2022. Wild, right? Here’s your July 2022 recap: 

Best Book I Read This Month 

Many people think that minimalism is about getting rid of things until you have one lonely chair sitting in your pretty empty home. But what if minimalism was about refining your life to live on purpose? Joshua Becker explores this concept in his books. Because I’ve been reading a lot of Becker’s work, this month is a two-for-one recommendation. Find out more about Becker’s Things That Matter and The More of Less here. 

Best Article I Read This Month

Shameless self-promotion here. July played host to Shark Week! I love sharks and I love writing – read the combination of these loves here. 

Tip + Trick of the Month

July was all about minimalism on the homefront. Have an overabundance of towels and blankets that have seen better days? Don’t throw them away – take them to your local animal shelter! As someone who has volunteered for two different shelters and has a shelter pup of her own, I can testify that there is always a need for more soft things for dogs and other animals to sleep on. 

Quote of the Month

“Often, Christians ask me, ‘How can I love my neighbor without misleading her into thinking I approve of everything she does?’ First, remember that Christians cannot give good answers to bad questions. No one approves of everything that others do. No one. It is a false question. The better question is this: ‘How can my neighbors know that because I live under God’s authority rather than the compulsions of my own selfish desires, their secrets are safe with me?’ The answer is simple: love the sinner and hate your own sin. Or, as Mark says ‘Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another’ (Mark 9:50).”

-Rosaria Butterfield, The Gospel Comes with a House Key

Kelvey’s Thought for the Month

As Americans, we’re conditioned to think that more is better. That is the very heart of consumerism. But what if we start to resist that notion? 

I know I have been harping on minimalism throughout this entire monthly update, but I think regardless of how strongly/loosely you hold to such tenets, there is goodness for everyone to find here. As of late in my own life, it has been a freeing resistance to consumerism. Do you know how good it feels to walk through a store and have my brain be thinking about how happy it is to not bring unnecessary items into my home rather than wanting to buy everything? 

Something to think about. Hit the comments or the reply button if you have your own thoughts on this and, as always, I’ll catch you next month.

25 things in 25 years

25 Things in 25 Years

Posted on by Kelvey Vander Hart in L I F E

Usually, commemorating another year on the planet would fall within a couple of days of the day itself. However, when I turned 25 on September 13th, I was in Iceland with no access to a laptop. And it was GLORIOUS. (See the end for a couple photos.) 

Spending 10 days abroad with no laptop, no pressure to write and think was really nice. But I firmly believe that touchpoints like birthdays, the beginning of a new year (season…month…week…day), and the like are amazing opportunities to stop and remember. And 25 years was a substantial enough point that I felt the need to really sit with the years, think through them, and assess where I’ve come from and what God has done. 

So, nearly a month after the fact, here are 25 things I’ve learned from the last 25 years that I feel like you should know: 

  1. You will become a different person through different stages of life. It’s okay. Sometimes letting an old self die will feel like a funeral. That’s okay too. 
  2. The Church is not perfect, but it’s worth fighting for, and it needs you. Serve it. Love it. Commit to it. 
  3. Keep reading good books. And any way you consume a book counts (yes, that includes listening to it). 
  4. You need exercise, but you don’t have to hate it. Find something that gets you moving that you love, and ignore the idiotic ideas we have about fitness. (No, how long it takes you to run a mile is not the only marker of athleticism.) 
  5. Giving up meat is not that hard. It saves you money, it’s good for the planet, and it lets you find more animals cute without feeling guilty. 
  6. You’re not God. You need to sleep. Channel a bear and try to hibernate at night. 
  7. The Sabbath as a crucial practice didn’t disappear when Jesus came. You need a day where you cease doing and just practice BEING and communing with God. 
  8. You don’t need to be a master chef, but you need to know how to cook a few things. Trust me.
  9. Do the thing that scares YOU. But know how to make yourself feel safe too. Adrenaline in doses is good but you also need security. Give the speech, but buy the weighted blanket and candles. 
  10. Use a budget. It’s just a tool. It isn’t set in stone. Think of it as your money roadmap and reroute it as needed. 
  11. And use your money well. Be generous. Learn how to invest. Financial stewardship is important. 
  12. Relationships of any form don’t just HAPPEN. They need your time and attention. And, if you give your relationships time and attention, proximity is not a factor. But the relationships that last are the ones where both sides are equally committed to the romance/the family/the friendship/the fill-in-the-blank. 
  13. Get out of debt as fast as you can. But buy the freaking coffee. One great drink won’t set you back 50 years. 
  14. Don’t stay in a toxic job. If it’s eroding your boundaries and killing your spirit or causing you to set aside your ethics, it isn’t worth it. You CAN find another one – it isn’t the end of your career, and you don’t have to stay in a bad situation out of some false sense of obligation. 
  15. But don’t quit a job just because it’s hard or someone hurts your feelings. Resilience hurts but grows. Commit unless there is a very good reason to not be committed. 
  16. Travel as much as you can. Even if it’s to a different town in your state. Travel opens our eyes to the lives of others, lets us see beauty, and challenges us. 
  17. If you start drinking coffee, not only will you have caffeine options wherever you go, but you will have a very sweet ritual too. 
  18. Love your family. Commit to your family. Forgive your family. But don’t let genuinely toxic family members ignore your boundaries, and don’t feel like toxic behavior has to be ignored because you are related. Forgiveness erases any debt they owe you, but it doesn’t create an obligation of time spent together. 
  19. Talk to people about your struggles. Vulnerability hurts at first but it takes weight off your shoulders.
  20. You don’t have to live a Pinterest worthy life. Live quietly, live faithfully. It’s enough.
  21. In our society that loves independence, know that God made you dependent. You NEED Scripture. You NEED prayer. You NEED community. 
  22. It is always better to support policy instead of a political party or politician. When was the last time you saw policy wonks screaming at each other in the streets? (If you did see something like that, please send me the video. I would love to witness how a screaming match over Section 230 goes down.) 
  23. You can think a lot of things are good and worth doing or achieving. The government is usually the worst vehicle to get things done. 
  24. It is not always easy, but you should adopt a shelter pet. You’ll see how radically an animal can love and you’ll change a life. 
  25. Tech addictions will kill your spirit. Frequently resist. Delete the apps. Turn off the phone. Outsmart the attention economy. 

And, a +1 to complete the list: 

Salvation through Christ is the only true hope and security you will have in life. The Gospel is that Jesus entered into His creation, lived the life we couldn’t live, died the death we deserve, and conquered death so that one day, only through Him, we will too. It’s THE good news, and I pray you accept it.

And now, a couple of Iceland photos:

Icelandic Horse Investigating Camera
Gullfoss Waterfall
You're not going to thrive all the time - that's okay.

It’s OK To Survive When You Can’t Thrive

Posted on by Kelvey Vander Hart in L I F E

A few years ago, I got the word ‘thrive’ inked inside my wrist. Maybe a dumb idea at the moment, but it has served as a reminder that God didn’t put me on this earth just to simply survive, but to thrive. Continue reading “It’s OK To Survive When You Can’t Thrive” →

There's no doubt that monsters exist; the only question is which one are you?

What Monster Are You?

Posted on by Kelvey Vander Hart in S P I R I T U A L

Typing this in a living room lit only by glowing pumpkins and flickering candles, I only have to glance over my laptop screen to see my worn copy of Night of the Living Dead Christian by Matt Mikalatos sitting on the coffee table in front of me. Continue reading “What Monster Are You?” →