Catherine Bird's Blog

Okay, so I’m a nine on the Enneagram. When life feels stressful, I sometimes retreat into my imagination. It’s the way God wired me. I can’t help it. It’s partly why I have always loved Hallmark so much. All’s well that ends well. I think we can all agree that life as of late has been more stressful than usual. As it’s prone to do, my mind wandered the other day as I thought back to a sermon series I heard during quarantine about the afterlife.

Continue reading Heavenly Jobs at CatherineBird.net >>

It’s here! Though the battle to finish this book and get it into the hands of tween and parents has been fierce, we did it! Or rather I should say, GOD DID IT. Armor of God is available now! WOOHOO!

With Covid and life, in general, sharing news about this study has proved more difficult than usual. Friends, can you please do me a favor? Will you please share an Armor of God graphic to your stories on Facebook and Instagram?

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Greetings from the battlefield! Yep, the spiritual war is raging! I wanted to share a few quick updates and put a call out to prayer warriors everywhere.

First, the release date for Armor of God has been moved to May 4th. I was in College Station visiting my oldest at school last week and decided to spend a few days in a quiet hotel room to catch my breath and get caught up on projects and deadlines.

Continue reading The Spiritual War is Raging at CatherineBird.net >>

Hello, friends! I know many of us were so, so happy to close the door on 2020 and usher in a new year of hope and possibilities. Hopefully 2021 is proving to be a year of joy and blessings. Speaking of joy and blessings, I have exciting news to share about a new tween Bible study on spiritual warfare!

A new book baby will be launching into the wild on April 6, and I am REALLY excited to share it with each of you.

Continue reading New Tween Bible Study on Spiritual Warfare at CatherineBird.net >>

Hello, friends.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been sitting in the Book of James since last March, slowly digesting verse by verse, word by word. I often find myself wondering, if James were sitting in front of me today, would we be friends?

Okay, this might be a strange thing to consider, but stay with me…

In case you need a quick refresher on who James was, he was Jesus’ younger half-brother.

Continue reading James, Friend or Foe? at CatherineBird.net >>

Hi there,

Despite our best intentions to make this holiday less stressful, less complicated, and more joy-filled, sometimes we fall back into that oh, so familiar rhythm of rush. Those handmade gifts that you pinned like a boss because this was going to be the year that you set your inner Martha Stewart free… well, that Black Friday sale was just easier.

You’re checking things off your list left and right.

Continue reading Too Busy at CatherineBird.net >>

Hello, Friends!

I have two pieces of exciting news to share! But before we get to that…

How is your heart? With all that 2020 has brought, I wonder how many of us are looking forward to the Christmas season more than usual. Some of my friends began putting up Christmas decorations in October. While I haven’t personally unboxed my holiday stuff just yet, if I am being completely honest, I’ve been binging Hallmark since March… so no judgment here on how you’ve been coping with ALL the things.

Continue reading Exciting News! at CatherineBird.net >>

Before you roll out of bed and put your feet on the floor, begin your day with prayer. Take five minutes to tell your Creator good morning and ask him to walk with you throughout your day. He already knows your heart, but he wants to hear directly from you! Ask him for fresh and creative ways to praise him and look for those God winks. It might surprise you how God catches your attention.

Get outside for a few minutes, even if it’s just to sit on your porch or patio. Walk the dog. Or cat. Or bird. Or yourself. How many of us are working from home these days? Just like you might in an office, take a breather from your desk and inhale in some fresh air.  A cluttered mind puts a major damper on creativity, so consider stepping outdoors for a few minutes each day. If you like to exercise outside, all the better! 

God’s fingerprints are literally everywhere, but we forget to look for them in the rhythm of the rush pace we set for ourselves. There’s much NOT to like about this global pandemic, but a silver lining is the gift of time it has given us. Take a few of your extra minutes and look around you. How may God be speaking to you? Look for things in nature that inspire you. Rocks, leaves, wildlife, clouds, flowers…the list is endless. When you are taking in these sights and sounds, take a minute to praise the Lord for his creativity. I have a friend who looks for God sightings in the shape of a heart, and this is how God often speaks to her. She’s even seen this is in form of bird droppings. Does God have a sense of humor or what?

Like Barbara Mandrell sang, “I was country when country wasn’t cool,” I was coloring long before coloring was cool. While my friends at college received care packages full of trendy magazines and candy, my mom sent Precious Moments and Strawberry Shortcake coloring books. #thestrugglewasreal Coloring is proven to reduce stress, and it gets those creative juices flowing. It’s a win-win! Thankfully, coloring books have been all the rage for the last several years, so there’s plenty of choices for just about every interest you can dream of. If coloring books aren’t your thing, try doodling in a journal or in the margins of your Bible. You aren’t striving for perfection. You’re striving for consistency. If colors fall too far beyond your comfort zone, try Papermate Flair pens (hot link to Amazon) as you delve into your Bible study. Even writing in a different color expresses creativity. 

Yep, play. As we become adults, responsibilities weigh heavy on our shoulders. We put so much pressure on ourselves and our children to be successful by cultural standards. We ask our middle schoolers to think long and hard about what they might like to be when they are older, as it matters to which courses they study in high school, which matters how well prepared they’ll be for college. That’s a crazy amount of pressure! If your kiddo has always known exactly what they want to do and who they want to be, awesome. My oldest is tracking to do just that. However, I had no idea on my first day of college what I really wanted to study, and I changed my major three times. Not everyone has it figured out—even by adulthood—and that is OKAY. Playing is essential for children and adults. Play a game or dress up. Be creative! My girls and I recently tried fork painting. It’s really a thing. Check Pinterest. We learned we are not talented fork painters, but we laughed until our bellies hurt.

Have you heard the old adage that two brains are better one? Well, when it comes to community, it’s true. The Bible is rich with wisdom and truth about how we are designed to encourage and love one another (John 15: 12-13; Proverbs 27:17; Matthew 18:20; Romans 1:12; Hebrews 10:24-25). Think about how you might love and encourage someone every day. Perhaps it’s meeting for coffee or over Zoom. Drop a card to drop in the mail to someone who God has placed on your heart. We express creativity in a multitude of ways. Be creative in how you love your people. 

At the end of your day—whether it was an enjoyable day or a rough day—make prayer time with God be your last conversation before you close your eyes to sleep. We have only to look around us at the vast and varied creation of earth to see God’s creativity deeply reflected everywhere. As God’s image bearers, we carry traits of creativity, too. No, we won’t exhibit them in the same way, but that makes God’s creation even more beautiful. You are part of that creation, and he has crafted every hair on your body with love and care. If you think you are lacking in creativity, remind yourself that you are the image bearer of a God who literally spoke our world into being. Think about creativity by his standards and ask him to show you fresh ways to share yours.

Check out the Art of Amen!

The post 7 Ways to Make Your Day More Creative appeared first on Catherine Bird.

I’ve always enjoyed traveling and seeing other places, meeting new people, and experiencing new cultures. Oh, how I miss the days of planning that next adventure. These are strange times, aren’t they?

For now, I’m embracing the here and now and remembering exciting destinations I’ve been. My all time favorite trip remains the one we took to Israel. My mom and dad led more than a dozen tours before she could no longer travel. We were so fortunate to travel with them along with several other family members and friends. Talk about turning the Bible into a pop-up book!

My mom loved Israel so much that her final wish was to have her remains scattered at the Anchor Church on the Sea of Galilee. She often held contemplative looks as she sat quietly, taking in the sights and sounds all around her. When we visited the Garden Tomb, we were giddy! I mean…y’all. It was such a surreal experience. Yet, my mom sat peacefully observing the bustling excitement that surrounded her.

I long for the day when this global pandemic will be behind us and traveling may resume. Until then, maybe we can embrace the space where we are to sit quietly and take in all the sights and sounds around us. What a beautiful gift it is to have a home, to have a family, and to be surrounded by blessings we’ve often taken for granted.

I’m a dreamer. I love to imagine ALL the things. I really do. Lately, though, God has grounded my thoughts in the blessings that ARE instead of the blessings that COULD BE. What is God whispering to you?

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Hello, friends. It’s been some time since I’ve shared a message with you through my blog. Life has happened for all of us. My oldest child’s senior year of high school ended quite differently than we could have ever imagined. Milestones missed. Events cancelled. Communities separated. Our new normal looks nothing like the life we were living just five months ago.

My family has mourned the loss of the normal we knew. We miss seeing our friends, going to church, and leaving the house without a mask. What strange times these are…

I’ll admit. Sometimes fear creeps in. It’s tough not to feel anxious when reading through headlines or watching the news. One of the most surreal moments I’ve felt during this global pandemic happened when hubby and I were buying groceries—a regular shopping trip—just before the shutdown. You could feel the fear and anxiety oozing from other shoppers as they frantically grabbed at products on the shelves, which were mostly empty. Boxes littered the aisles, and shelves were decimated. Most of us have never encountered an experience like this in our lifetime…not until COVID-19.

However, fear is not of God. That is the enemy’s trademark tool.

Even in the midst of sadness and uncertainty, we can have confidence that God still sits on his throne. He is still sovereign. None of this has caught him by surprise.

Like many of you, besides packing on a few pandemic pounds (as we fondly call them), my family has been given an opportunity to re-prioritize where we spend our time and energy. When the global pandemic hit, we were in the thick of senior year activities and all that comes with launching a kiddo from high school. Suddenly, we had all kinds of time on our hands.

My children coped by baking, which thankfully seems to have been short-lived. My pants couldn’t take that long term. My daily walks turned into family walks, which as an introvert…let’s just say I found a way for it to be enjoyable for all of us.

The first time my youngest joined my older daughter and me, she told her sister, “You need to know that mom wears her air pods for the first half of the walk, but then she takes them out and we get to talk!” It’s the little things, people.

All to say, with this unexpected pandemic, we have the opportunity to re-prioritize what really matters. Instead of setting our lives to the rhythm of rush, God pressed pause. What are you doing with the gift of time you’ve been given?

The Art of Amen has experienced a resurgence during the last few months, and I love to see people embracing faith over fear. In the coming weeks, you’ll hear more about the heart behind each creative prayer method and fun ways to put each into practice. Prayer is ALWAYS relevant and impactful. I invite you to join me, so grab a journal, your favorite colored pencils, and get ready to have some fun.

In the meantime, I’d love to pray for you.

Heavenly Father, draw close to my friends. Hold them in the palm of your hand and give them peace. In the face of a global pandemic, remind us all, Lord, that you are always in control. Give each of us an insatiable desire to spend time with you in prayer—that open, honest conversation that you long to have. Fill our hearts with such hunger to know you better and to delve deep into your Word. Impart a sense of hope and love, Father, that can only come from you. Prepare our hearts to be transformed by re-prioritizing prayer and choosing faith over fear. It’s in your precious son’s name we pray, Amen.

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