COOLA Suncare & Staying Protected

Photography by Madi Flournoy Henderson

Suncare Products: COOLA - Sport, Face, Lip || Dress: Nordstrom || Similar dress styles here & here

With it being summer, and lots of extra time spent outdoors, I've teamed up with COOLA Suncare to tell you how you can stay protected from the sun. I am not usually one to use a spray sunscreen but the Eco-Lux Sunscreen Spay SPF 50 Guava Mango is different from all the others. Part is because it smells amazing. But the other reason is it does not go on sticky. I feel like I can spray and be done! It also offers amazing protection. Being pregnant, my skin is extra sensitive to the sun. So finding a product that will still allow me to get that sun-kissed glow, and protect me from the harmful rays, is super important. I also love the light weight feel of the Face Sport SPF 50 White Tea Moisturizer. The best part about these products is they are made with lots of organic ingredients. If you are headed out to the sun I highly recommend using COOLA for your protection. 

Our skin isn't the only thing we need to protect this summer. We also have to take time to protect ourselves. Especially protect our hearts just like it reads in Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." 

Our heart is an important muscle that has to work in order for our bodies to function. But it is also where we associate the feelings of love and pain. We can feel our heart beating in our chest at different speeds that let our brains know what we are feeling. Excitement, scared, nervous, content - all come in different types of patterns and speeds. And it is associated with how we feel in that situation. So God wants us to protect it. But how? 

When God says to guard and protect your heart, He isn't saying to stay at home and never feel anything. He wants you to love. He wants you to put yourself out there. He wants you to have experiences and learn from them, even if He knows they are going to end in heartbreak. He still wants this for you. Why? Because He knows that each time you love with your heart you are growing in the path He has for you. 

Guarding your heart simply means to remember who actually has it. Jesus holds your heart in the palm of His hand, so closely to His own. Allowing you to recover even when the pain seems so strong it could never go away. But He can't begin to repair it if you don't trust in what He will do to restore it. 

I have had my heart broken. I have seen it restored. I have learned to trust again in situations I never thought possible. But I also know enough about life, and have watched too many people close to me experience it, to know that there will be greater heart break up ahead as I continue on this path Jesus has placed me on. So in order to prepare, I have to start trusting Him now.

When times turn bad, I know His love for me will be an easy thing to forget. But I pray that my broken heart will be held together by enough strings to remember how strong He actually is in every situation. I pray that for you too.  No matter what season you are in. I pray you are able to guard your heart from the voices and situations that want to rip it apart. I pray that you remember your heart carries the greatest shield ever and that is the love of Jesus. 

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose sports are crushed. = Psalm 34:18

This post was sponsored by COOLA Suncare. Opinions are my own. All products were selected by me. Thankful for partnerships like these to make a TAD more faith possible.

A Year Ago & Pink Blush

Photography by Madi Flournoy Henderson

Top: Pink Blush Maternity || Non-Maternity Option at Pink Blush || Jeans: Nordstrom || Shoes: Nordstrom || Similar styles here & here || Watch: Nixon (similar style) 

I am all about the embroidery trend that has embraced the fashion world lately. So it was very exciting to receive this little sleeveless number from Pink Blush Maternity that allowed me to join in on the fun. This trend makes a simple look have a little more flare. And I love it.

A year ago, I had never heard of Pink Blush. It wasn’t on my go-to list of places to shop. Now it is a website I visit often and will continue to do so after I lose the bump. I love how a little change in style can open up a whole new world of shopping. And who doesn’t love finding new places to shop. 

A year ago, I was coming home from a weekend at She Speaks. A conference designed for women who want to share their story with Christ through writing or speaking. I remember leaving on such a high, like most do when you spend 72 hours in praise music and His word. Seriously. Who doesn’t feel the spirit working in you when you have spent the weekend hearing from women like Shauna Neiquist, Lysa TerKeurst, Nicki Koziarz and Cindy Bultema. Only to top it off with a message from Steven Furtick at Elevation Church. It was a weekend full learning from people that I had looked up to and adored over the past couple of years.

But the second my plane landed in Nashville that Sunday afternoon, I didn’t return to my home. Instead, I realized I had made it in enough time to make the evening service at my church. So I went straight there. Straight to my place of comfort. To the place where I was first encouraged to take the steps towards my dream.

You would think that after days of hearing His message, I wouldn’t even consider ending the weekend once again at church. I would have enough Jesus in me to last for the months to come. But something told me to go and be there. Return to the place where it had all began. Return home.

Now, a year later, my home has changed in more ways than I ever imagined. The people who I used to look forward to seeing each Sunday have moved on to new places. I’ve gotten used to hearing different voices lead our church. Adam and I have adjusted where we sit each Sunday. And we even have a new senior pastor. A change I never expected to see at this home. Yet, here it is.

But even though God has completely stripped all the parts that provided so much comfort for me at my church, it is still where I want to be. Where I feel encouraged. Where I can go to recharge my soul. Yes, everything has changed. But it is still home. A home where I will still learn new promises of His love. A home where I can still find peace. A home where my heart still leaps with joy to attend every Sunday morning. Because home is always going to be where Jesus is. And I am thankful that even through all the tears, heartbreak, and change this past year brought – He is still good and Crosspoint is still home. 

This post was sponsored by Pink Blush. Opinions are my own. All products were selected by me. Thankful for partnerships like these to make a TAD more faith possible.

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale & A Ready Heart

Photography by Madi Flournoy Henderson 

Sweater: B.P || Jeans: BLANKNYC || Shoes: Vince Camuto

So the Nordstrom sale has officially begun for the whole world to shop. Isn't that just so exciting? I will tell you that the stores seem to be really picked over already. The best way to shop this sale is online. The great part about Nordstrom is free shipping and free returns. Anytime. So you can order, try-on and send back whatever doesn't end up fitting. Plus, you avoid the crowds and mall parking. 

This sweater is one of my favorite buys from the sale. It is...$24 (I know) and comes in several different colors. I love that it fits the bump. However it is crazy to think that by the time it is cool enough to wear this sweater I will no longer have my bump. Instead, I will be wearing this sweater, holding our sweet girl, and probably rocking some spit-up at the same time. It feels silly to prepare for sweater weather in the middle of July. But when the sales are this good, it is easy to get excited for the upcoming cold weather and buy some warmth for your closet. 

Just like we prepare for the change in seasons, God prepares our heart for upcoming events. I fully believe He finds ways to ready us for the challenges and celebrations we face up ahead. When they arrive, we don't expect it, but we can usually look back and see where God was already working in us to ready our hearts for His plan. As Jeremiah reads "I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (29:11)." And in those plans He holds also your heart. A heart ready to love even in the hardest of moments because of the strength He provides. 

So today, I hope you take a second to thank God for working in you each day as you live out his plan. I hope you pray for your future. That you will be able to see the steps He is leading you towards. And, after all those prayers, that you find some really great deals at the sale. :) 

Just scroll over each picture to shop my favorites below.