Faith Archives - Elizabeth McCravy

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Thanks to our blog sponsor, Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM)!

CHM is a faith-based alternative to health insurance—at about half the cost. You can enroll at any time and join a proven, faith-based solution that’s both reliable and affordable.

Beyond birth, CHM has helped us through ER visits, surgeries, and procedures. Those bills were shared by other CHM members, leaving us responsible only for our monthly contribution.

I can’t recommend Christian Healthcare Ministries enough! It’s more than financial help—it’s also spiritual support when you need it most.

Learn more here! And if you’d like to hear our full story, check out episode 305 of The Breakthrough Brand Podcast, where Adam and I dive into our experience with CHM.

For a complete list of home birth supplies, links to my birthing team, and more birthing resources I found helpful (and mentioned in this episode), click here.

The post My Birth Story Q&A: 15 Honest Answers To Your Home Birth and VBAC Questions appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

Sofia’s Birth Story: Our Dream Faith-Filled Home Birth After C-Section (HBAC Birth Story)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 4 minutes

In this episode, I’m sharing the story of Sofia’s birth (our first baby girl and my first home birth after two very different experiences with my boys). If you listened to last week’s episode, you heard about the months of prayer, mindset work, and preparation that led up to this day. In this episode, I take you right into those final days of waiting, the emotional rollercoaster of thinking “is this it?” a dozen times, and the incredible ways God answered every single prayer on my list.

I talk about the tension between faith and fear in those last few weeks: walking through sickness in our home, trusting that labor would begin at the right time, and trying to rest when all I wanted to do was make this first home birth happen. I share how my midwife’s gentle wisdom (and her very specific midwife’s orders ) helped calm my heart the night before everything finally began.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 319!

This episode is part of a four-part birth series, listen to them all here:

Episode 318: All about my pregnancy (the behind-the-scenes of my decision to have a home birth and prepare for a VBAC)
Episode 319: Sofia’s home birth story
Episode 320: A Q&A where I answered 15 questions about all things birth
Episode 321: My 13 best tips for thriving during postpartum season

In this episode, I take you through Sofia’s birth hour by hour, from the first contractions in the middle of the night to realizing how quickly things were progressing. You’ll hear how peaceful the early labor felt, how supported I was by my amazing birth team, and the moment I knew it was time to meet our baby girl. This story is full of answered prayers, full circle moments, and the quiet presence of God guiding every part of it.

Thank you for holding space and caring enough to listen to this story! Instead of blogging all the details, I'd encourage you to listen to the audio versions of episode 319 of the Breakthrough Brand Podcast!

Tune in to episode 319 of the Breakthrough Brand Podcast to hear me share Sofia's birth story!

In this episode, I share the story of Sofia Kate’s home birth from the very first signs of pre-labor to the full-circle moments that made this experience so special. You’ll hear how I decided to pursue an HBAC (home birth after cesarean), the spiritual preparation that grounded me, and the parallels I found between preparing for birth and starting my business years ago. See below for a detailed list on topics covered.

For a complete list of home birth supplies, links to my birthing team, and more birthing resources I found helpful (and mentioned in this episode), click here.

[01:20]: Why I love sharing (and listening) to birth stories (here are Colin’s birth story and Ethan’s birth story)

[04:58]: Deciding to try with an HBAC (home birth after cesarean) and how I prepared spiritually (you can also find a list of home birth supplies here)

[10:40]: Signs of pre-labour starting (and why it felt like the worst timing)

[14:31]: Feeling both hopeful and nervous for labor to start

[17:00]: How preparing for a home birth reminded me of starting my business 10 years

[21:22]: The last two days before Sofia was born

[29:59]: When labor started

[38:28]: My advice for mothers planning their birth plan with other kids at home

[39:59]: Feeling like I had delayed my birth team and then having birth be so fast and different this time (with some parallels from my past births)

[51:13]: Setting up my birth space

[54:56]: A shout out to my amazing husband Adam

[56:25]: Affirmations during my first home birth

[59:00]: Sofia Kate McCravy was born and my prayers were so answered

[01:04:55]: After the birth (with the boys napping, after birth food, and Sofia’s weigh-in)

[01:10:39]: What I believe about birth (and conversations I wish more women had/were told)

[01:17:13]: Full circle moments this pregnancy and first home birth

[01:20:26]: My prayer list for my first home birth

Links Mentioned:

Read my home birth resource guide (with links)

Episodes mentioned:

Not sure which template is right for you? Take the quiz!

Thanks to our blog sponsor, Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM)!

CHM is a faith-based alternative to health insurance—at about half the cost. You can enroll at any time and join a proven, faith-based solution that’s both reliable and affordable.

Beyond birth, CHM has helped us through ER visits, surgeries, and procedures. Those bills were shared by other CHM members, leaving us responsible only for our monthly contribution.

I can’t recommend Christian Healthcare Ministries enough! It’s more than financial help—it’s also spiritual support when you need it most.

Learn more here! And if you’d like to hear our full story, check out episode 305 of The Breakthrough Brand Podcast, where Adam and I dive into our experience with CHM.

For a complete list of home birth supplies, links to my birthing team, and more birthing resources I found helpful (and mentioned in this episode), click here.

The post Sofia’s Birth Story: Our Dream Faith-Filled Home Birth After C-Section (HBAC Birth Story) appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

How To Run Your Business Like God Pays You with Natania Creates

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 12 minutes

Today’s episode is a solo guest training with the lovely Natania from Natania Creates. I’ve loved following her for years and really value her perspective on combining business building and faith (and how to build a business like God pays you). A lot of you have told me you want more people to follow who speak about faith and business together—Natania is definitely one of those voices.

In this episode, she really preaches. You’ll hear her talk about experiencing a forced season of rest after becoming a first-time mom, and how she wrestled with ambition, identity, and control. She also shares her thoughts on comparison with other business owners, which I found so powerful. If you’ve ever struggled with feeling like you should be further along, or with constantly looking at what others are doing, you’ll love her scripture-based way of approaching it.

She also talks about how to build a business that will actually last. I especially love her point about how we can unintentionally tell God we’re going to build our business without Him—and instead how to shift toward building with Him. And she unpacks what that practically looks like.

She also ends with some really practical tips you can apply right now. So even though we’re talking scripture and big-picture faith, you’ll walk away with tangible steps for your life and business.

Honestly, this is one of those episodes I wanted to re-listen to as soon as it airs. It feels almost impossible to pick a title because there’s just so much beautiful, God-led wisdom in here. My hope is that it speaks to you right where you are whether you’re in a tough season or celebrating a big win. It’s one I think you’ll come back to again and again, almost like a little sermon about God’s plan for you and your business.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 316!

I am so excited to be on the Breakthrough Brand podcast. My name is Natania. I’m a business coach, digital marketer, and the founder of Natania Creates, where I teach women how to start, launch, and scale their businesses so they can build lives of financial freedom doing the work they love in this world.

I’ve recently expanded my vision into a digital marketing agency called Studio by N, where we offer done-for-you video content and marketing support, from strategy to full execution, helping both local and global brands show up powerfully online.

But personally, I’m a brand-new mom. I’m also a happily married wife, a dog mom, and someone who knows firsthand what it’s like to navigate the tension of trusting God while building a business especially during a major life transition like giving birth, walking through six weeks postpartum, and stepping into this new identity called “mom.”

Trusting God Through Uncertain Seasons

In this season that has felt uncertain, quiet, and slower than I expected, I’ve been on an amazing journey of trusting God. I’m so excited to share in today’s episode some of the lessons I’ve learned, sometimes the hard way, that I know will help you too.

Today I want to talk to the woman who says with her mouth, “God is my provider,” but in action, is hustling like she’s on her own. And listen, I’ve been there—running a business while burning out, overworking, obsessing over the details, the results, the success. Even though I knew better in those moments, I still tried to take everything into my own hands. So if you’re listening right now thinking, “She’s talking to me”… sis, I am.

The truth is, I know what it’s like to build a business that looks successful on paper. But after entering motherhood, I could see that God was gently but firmly leading me into a forced season of rest. And even though I wanted to keep pushing forward, I fought it. I fought the rest, I fought the Sabbath, I fought the pause. But God, so loving, patient, and kind, was taking me on a sabbatical.

And here’s the thing: this sabbatical had no end date. It was open-ended. No deadline, no certainty, no timeline for when it would be “over.” I simply had to trust that God would speak to me and provide. That’s what we’re going to talk about today in this episode: Living Like God Pays You.

So I want you to get cozy, grab your journal, and lean in. I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned in that season of wrestling—with ambition, yes, but also with identity, control, and provision.

Have You Been Eating The Bread of Anxious Labor?

During that season of rest, God brought me to Psalm 127:1–2. I want to read it for you here, but I encourage you to go back and sit with it in your own quiet time with the Lord:

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise early, to retire late, to eat the bread of anxious labors; for He gives blessings to His beloved even in his sleep.”

And I want us to really sit with that: have you been eating the bread of anxious labor? Another translation simply calls it the bread of anxiety. And I’ll be honest—I was eating that bread for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack time. I was that person.

The thing about this bread is—it doesn’t last. That’s why you keep filling yourself up with a false sense of hope, a false sense of security, and a false sense of satisfaction. You’ve already eaten it before. You’ve already partaken of it. And yet, it didn’t last. So what do you do? You go back to it again, and again, and again—hoping that somehow this bread, this anxious bread of labor, will finally satisfy the anxiety in your heart. But it doesn’t.

What I’ve learned is that this bread is restlessness. This bread is anxiety. This bread is filled with fear. This bread is striving. It’s rooted in self-effort, self-dependency, being “self-made.” It’s you trying to do it on your own, without trusting God. And when you’re eating this bread, you don’t even realize it doesn’t last.

For me, this bread showed up in a very practical business sense. It sounded like:

If I don’t post today, I’ll miss the algorithm
If I don’t post today, I won’t stay top of mind
If I don’t show up today, I won’t make a sale
If I don’t send that email, no one will buy
If I’m not visible on social media, my business will tank
If I don’t launch this program, I won’t hit my income goals
If I slow down, the money will stop

God Is Your Source Of Provision

But let me remind you: God is your source of provision. Not your schedule. Not the algorithm. Not going viral. Not your systems. Not your strategies. Not your educators. Not your coaches. Not even your clients.

Even if you get a sale, even if that Stripe notification goes off, even if someone purchases—at the end of the day, the bottom line is this: God is your source of provision.

So, grab your journal and ask yourself: Where have I been relying on hustle instead of God’s help? Sit with that. Really sit with it.

As I was meditating on this, while God was leading me into a season of rest (yes, I went in kicking and screaming), I had to admit: I know I’m eating this bread of anxious labor. And if that’s true, then the question becomes… what should I be eating instead?

That’s why Jesus says:

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” - John 6:35

That’s why He also says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” - Isaiah 26:3

I’ve learned that when you find yourself eating the bread of anxious labor—feeling like your business runs solely on your actions and best efforts—that’s when you slip into the dangerous mindset of: “I’m in this alone. I’m building my business by myself. I am the beginning, the middle, and the end.”

When you operate from that anxious, self-dependent position, you’re showing God that you don’t actually need Him. You’re communicating, through your actions, that you’re going to rely on your best efforts over His help.

Don’t Build Your Business Without God

And that leads me to my next point: don’t build your business without God.

Let’s go deeper here. In Psalm 127:1–2. it says: “Unless the Lord builds the house…” Let’s put a pin in that. Because if you are running a business that God is not in, you are laboring in vain.

When I first read that verse, it wrecked me in the most beautiful way. I felt like Jesus was speaking directly to me: “I’m talking to you. I’m talking to you. Unless I build your business, you’re building in vain. Unless I sanction this part of your business, your posting is futile.”

Without God, it’s almost as if you’re fighting His hand, almost as if your actions are saying, “I’m more powerful than the God of the universe.” Of course, we’d never say that out loud. But sometimes, that’s exactly what our actions communicate.

Are You Laboring in Vain?

This verse shows us something important: it’s possible to build something great, to plan something impressive, to even see success and still be laboring in vain. That’s where it gets tricky. Because yes, it’s possible to build a profitable, even wildly successful, business and still be out of alignment.

Real talk: you can be booked and burnt out. You can be booked and busy and out of alignment. You can be growing a profitable business on paper and still grinding, hustling, toiling, and eating the bread of anxious labor without the grace portion God has appointed for you in this season.

If you’ve ever felt like you were forcing something in your business, that could be a red flag that it’s not God-led in the first place.

That was a truth I had to face myself. Because on paper, I’ve seen incredible success: I’ve gone from zero to six figures in six months. From six figures to multi–six figures. I’ve had profit, clients, opportunities, global speaking engagements. But I’ve also been burnt out. I’ve also operated out of alignment. I’ve missed the grace that God had for me in a season because I went ahead of Him, thinking I knew best.

Avoiding the Comparison Trap As An Online Business Owner

And here’s where it gets good. Maybe you can relate to this: you log online and see people at the pinnacle of their business on cloud 10, soaring, going viral. They’ve got a team, systems, speaking gigs, celebrity connections. And in your quiet moments, you’re scrolling and wondering: “But God, what about me? What about me?”

I’ve had those moments especially in seasons of comparison, or in times when I’ve felt overlooked by God. When my business slowed down. When I took a year of maternity leave and everything ran at a much slower pace because I was focusing on nurturing and raising my son.

That’s when Proverbs 13:22 speaks to me: “The wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.”

It reminds me that not all success is sustainable. Not all fruit is godly fruit. And right now, yes, right now, there are people you might be comparing yourself to. People you think are ahead of you, because they’re further along in their business. They’re going viral, hitting milestones, gaining clout, visibility, fame. Maybe those are things you desire too and it’s not wrong to desire them. But here’s the truth: not everyone is building something that will last.

And that’s why I love Psalm 127:1–2.: “Unless the Lord builds…” Unless the Lord builds their business, they build in vain.

Could it be that right now you’re comparing yourself to people who are building businesses that are futile? Businesses that are in vain? People who look like they’re killing it online, attaining levels of wealth, just like Proverbs 13 says, they have wealth. But could it be that they are building something that won’t last because it’s not built on the Rock?

Let me remind you: never compare. Comparison is a distraction from the construction site God has placed in front of you, and the blank canvas full of unlimited possibilities He’s outlined for your business. You have to remind yourself: I am building something eternal. Something that will last. Something backed by heaven. Not something built in vanity, not something that won’t stand in the long run.

Not All Wealth Is Built Equally

That was something I had to come to terms with myself. Because in the midst of everyone else scaling, going viral, bringing in revenue, it’s easy to think, Wow, everybody else is building. But not all wealth is built equally. And you don’t have to compromise to succeed.

If you remain in alignment with God, if you don’t move ahead of Him, if you don’t step outside of His plan or beyond the grace He’s allotted for you in this season then you’ll learn contentment and satisfaction with what He’s given you. And that’s when you’ll realize you are building something that will last. Something that will stand to the very end.

At the end of the day, God isn’t impressed with the accolades we chase here on earth. God is after what will last into eternity. That’s another reminder I want to give you.

Choosing Faith Over Fear When It Comes To Your Finances

And before we wrap up, I want to leave you with one more point: choose faith over fear when it comes to your finances.

There were times in my business when fear crept in. Times when I didn’t believe God would come through for me. Times when I doubted that He would let my business reach certain financial milestones—or that I could take months off and still be provided for.

One of my favorite parts of our anchoring text, Psalm 127:2, says: “For He gives blessings to His beloved even in his sleep.”

I want us to sit with that even more. Did you know God can do more with your business while you’re sleeping than you can do while you’re awake and working?

I had to meditate on this during my season of rest. I’d read those verses, but deep down I didn’t believe they applied to me. And I know some of you hear this and think the same thing: “That’s not for me.” But I want to challenge that voice of doubt.

God’s Word is true. His promises are “Yes and Amen.” His words don’t fall to the ground. They don’t change, they don’t falter.

So when Scripture says God gives blessings to His beloved even in their sleep, that means you can go to bed at night without striving. You don’t have to wake early and stay up late eating the bread of anxious labor. God provides.

God blesses. God increases. God allows success. God opens doors. God gives opportunities even while you’re fast asleep. Even when you’re on maternity leave. Even when you’re sick. Even when you can’t work. Even when you’re at church. Even when you’re serving someone else. Even when you’re focused on other things.

God promises to provide.

So even in the middle of a launch, an event, a book deadline, or a major life transition, this is your permission slip: you can take a break.

Because I know the thoughts that creep in: “What if I don’t make enough? What if no one buys? What if I lose momentum while I’m on maternity leave?”

God Will Provide For You

That was something I struggled with too.

What if I become irrelevant? What if I’m forgotten while I’m taking a year off for maternity leave? Let me tell you: God provides in and out of peak seasons. God doesn’t just bless the launch and the mountaintop moments. He blesses you in your sleep. He blesses you in the valley. He blesses you in the slow seasons.

God doesn’t only provide when you’re posting. He provides when you’re not posting. He provides when you don’t send the email. He provides when you take a sabbatical because rest is biblical. God gives blessings even while you are asleep. His provision does not slow down or stop when you take a break. If He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, He has promised to provide for you.

Even if you’re in a crazy busy season, I want you to give yourself permission to rest because it takes faith to rest.

Did you know it actually takes faith to close your laptop? To log out of Instagram? To shut down those apps? To put your phone in another room so you can sleep in peace? It takes faith to step away from the algorithm and declare: You don’t control me. You’re not my source of provision, God Almighty is.

And so you say, “God, I trust that whatever efforts I put in today, however many hours I worked, that is enough. You will bless it. You will expand it. And that is enough for today.”

So if you’ve ever been scared to rest, sis, this is your permission slip.

Now, I want to end with some practical, hands-on ways to actually live like God pays you.

Rest on purpose.

Don’t wait until you crash. Schedule Sabbaths. Build rest days, weeks, even months into your calendar. Plan your business around seasons of rest.

Trust God with your finances

Take His Word seriously. For me, that was Psalm 127. Don’t just skim over verses like that and think, Wow, that’s nice. I hope one day I see that in my life. Pray it. Say, “God, this is Your Word. Help my unbelief. Let me see this verse manifest in my life.” And He will be faithful to respond.

Steward the slow seasons

Don’t rush out of them. Let me tell you, God put me in a season of rest. He told me to take a month off, and I went in kicking and screaming. But after a couple weeks, I thought, This is amazing. I feel like I’m on a long vacation. I get to slow down and savor this season with my son.

And when I finally felt ready to come back, God gave me the green light. Within 48 hours of ending that sabbatical, opportunities flooded in… brand partnerships, speaking engagements, a new business idea. My schedule filled up more in those two days than it had all year. All because I trusted God at His Word.

Connect with Natania

So if this episode blessed you, I want you to share it with another sister who might be in a season of uncertainty whether she’s going through a life transition, heading into maternity leave, or right in the thick of building her business. Share it with her. Screenshot this episode and tag me, @NataniaCreates, and let me know your biggest takeaway.

I am cheering for you. I am wishing you all the success in your business, and I pray you will steward every single season God places you in this year. And remember this: you are not self-funded. You are not self-made. You are backed by heaven. You were created by God with a purpose. You are living on purpose. God has a plan for you and for your business. And He is not short of any dollar amount. He is faithful to provide.

No matter what season you find yourself in… He is with you.

Links Mentioned:

Scriptures mentioned: Psalm 127: 1-2, John 6:35, Isaiah 26:3, Proverbs 13:22

Learn more about working with Natania

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The post How To Run Your Business Like God Pays You with Natania Creates appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

What God’s Word Says About Business, Work, and Everyday Faith (2 Scriptures to Pray Over)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 9 minutes

I believe in praying over our businesses and bringing both our struggles and successes to God, just like we do with other areas of our lives. Every time I’ve done scripture-based prayer episodes, you all have responded so positively. That’s encouraged me to create more of them and today, I want to specifically share what God's word says about business, work, and everyday faith.

Today, I’m sharing two Bible verses that I believe are important to bring before God, whether it’s about your business or other parts of your life. As you listen, I’m trusting that God will show you exactly where these verses apply to you.

If you don’t consider yourself a Christian but you’re curious about faith, and you already enjoy this podcast, I encourage you to listen to this episode. It’s not just for Christian business owners. God’s Word is for you too.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 312!

What God's word says about business

Every time I’ve done one of these episodes, the scriptures I end up sharing always vary quite a bit—in their message, their tone, and in what I believe God is trying to communicate through them. And that’s definitely true for today’s episode as well.

Leading up to recording these, I usually spend time asking God what He wants me to share with you. Often, as I’m praying or going about my day, I’ll come across a verse that just feels right—like it was meant for this moment. That’s exactly what happened this time when I looked at what God's word says about business.

“Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands.” - 1 Thessalonians 4:11

When I first heard this scripture, it was actually in an audiobook I was listening to. I’ll be honest, I had a moment where I thought, Wait—this is in the Bible? It felt brand new to me, like I had never heard it before.

Maybe it’s just me, but I really don’t remember hearing this verse before, and it hit me in a powerful way. But yes, it is in the Bible: 1 Thessalonians 4:11. I want to acknowledge that I’m taking it a bit out of its full context as I share it with you today. Paul originally wrote this letter to the Thessalonian church to encourage them in godliness. The overall theme of the book is about clinging to God and growing in holiness throughout your life.

Now, even though this verse was written to that particular church, I think it feels surprisingly relevant today (especially in contrast to what our culture promotes). It’s basically the opposite of what we’re taught, not only by the world at large but also in the online business space and personal brand culture.

The verse says to make it your goal to live a quiet life. But think about that… quiet? That’s not what we’re told to pursue. We're encouraged to share everything, to grow a massive following, to be known, to be the best, to constantly strive, and to be seen on the stage, at the top, as “the one.”

Then it continues: minding your own business. Again, not exactly the message we usually hear. We're often pulled into gossip, comparison, and criticism (even without knowing the full context of someone else’s life).

You see a social media post, a successful launch, a great reel, and suddenly you’re thinking, “Wow, that was so clever. Why didn’t I think of that?” And just like that, you’re caught in the comparison trap, pulled out of your lane because you're not minding your own business.

In so many ways, social media culture encourages the opposite. We’re constantly looking at other people’s businesses (and their lives), and measuring ourselves against them.

That’s why this verse felt so compelling to me. Mind your own business. Pay attention to the work right in front of you instead of watching what everyone else is doing. It’s simple, biblical advice but also incredibly solid business advice.

I often tell people: if you need to unsubscribe from a competitor’s email list, do it. If you need to unfollow someone on social media, do that too. Mind your own business. Focus on what God has placed in front of you.

Then we come to the last part: working with your hands.

I spent some time reading commentaries to understand what this meant in its original context. Paul was encouraging believers to do honest work and provide for themselves. Don’t be lazy or idle, and don’t rely on others for support unnecessarily.

He was calling them to value hard, honest work. And that’s something we can absolutely apply as business owners. We’re called to avoid laziness and idleness, and to take pride in the effort it takes to build something meaningful.

Paul was urging the church not to fall into the world’s standards of work, but to exceed them as Christians. To work honestly, work smartly, and provide well for their families.

And I think it’s important to recognize that not all valuable work is paid work (especially as we apply this message in 2025).

In fact, for many of us, a lot of the “working with your hands” that we do each day (the kind that doesn’t involve a computer) is unpaid work. And I think this scripture applies to that kind of work, too.

Things like loading and unloading the dishwasher, doing laundry, changing diapers, cooking dinner, cleaning up your kids’ eating area for the fifth time in a day. Comforting a crying child. Getting on your hands and knees to wipe up the milk your toddler spilled before someone slips on it.

It’s setting up a craft or activity for your kids. Preparing the coffee pot the night before. Making sure the diaper bag is fully stocked or your car is packed and ready for a family outing. Maybe this summer, you’re the one responsible for packing everyone’s things for a trip and making it feel special. These are just a few examples from my own life. I’m sure you can relate.

This kind of hands-on, often repetitive, unpaid work is still glorifying to God. It may feel small, but it is deeply meaningful. It’s kingdom work too.

Now, I want to take a brief detour from business talk and share a quote with you from Well-Watered Women. Some of you might be familiar with this ministry and shop. Years ago, early in my business journey, before I had kids, I was their marketing manager. I even got to design their website, and it was such a meaningful season of work for me.

They’ve written a lot about where the gospel meets everyday life, especially in the mundane. One phrase they use is “missional laundry,” which I love. I’ll link to the full blog post in the show notes, but I want to read you an excerpt that really captures what I’m talking about.

It speaks to how these repetitive, everyday tasks are actually a key part of our sanctification and walk with Christ. This brings us right back to that idea in Scripture of working with your hands and honoring the work God puts right in front of us—even when it feels less important than our business work.

Here’s the quote:

“If we were to add up the tasks that make up the days of our lives, most of them would be mundane, repeated, unexciting everyday tasks. We often live for the brief moments of being out of our humdrum routines, but it is in those day-to-day tasks that God brings to completion the work of sanctification in our hearts. Daily chores, such as laundry, cooking, scrubbing toilets, and taking out the trash, become an avenue for knowing Christ more fully if we allow God’s scrubbing brush to have its way in our souls rather than resisting His cleansing.”

When you fold your clothes, think about who will wear them. Will your husband wear this button-up to work the next day? Pray for him as you spray starch on that shirt and press the steaming iron on the creases. Pray that he would be a light in the darkness as he provides for your family. Will your child wear those shorts with the stain on them you are scrubbing to get clean? Pray for her heart to be soft and moldable to the Gospel as you discipline her in the ways of the Lord. Who made these clothes? Who spun the thread that made the fabric that holds each piece together? Who sewed the buttons and added the label? Pray for those hands. Pray that if they don’t yet know Jesus, they soon will.

There are a million ways to shift our perspectives and love God with our whole hearts, souls, minds, and strength as we go about our daily tasks.”

You can read the full article here.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I want to read this verse to you in a different translation. The Message version, which tends to be more conversational, puts it this way:

"Be cheerful no matter what. Pray all the time. Thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live."

I really love how that translation gives it a bit more clarity with what God's word says about business. You’ve probably heard this verse before—it’s a popular one, and there are even songs based on it. But sometimes we just skim over it and think, “Yeah, that’s a nice idea. Rejoice, pray, give thanks.” It can even feel like a “Thanksgiving verse.” But we don’t always pause to pay close attention to what it's really asking of us.

Funny enough, I originally planned to share a different verse here, but I felt like God was leading me to this one instead. And honestly, I hear this verse almost daily because, in our house, we’re big fans of Jingle Jacqui. If you’ve never heard of her, she’s a kids’ YouTube channel that combines music and theology, and her songs are also on Spotify. Both of my boys, especially Colin, absolutely love her music. He knows all the words to just about every song.

We listen to her in the car all the time, and just last night, Colin and I were talking about this very verse as we listened to one of her songs. It’s such a great way to memorize scripture, and he was asking me questions about it.

So back to how this applies to our business — business is SO UP AND DOWN, RIGHT? You have a good day, a good month, a horrible day with a nightmare situation, and a month in the negative, a week where you want to throw in the towel, a day where you are stuck in crazy comparison mode to the other business owners you follow or know. Sometimes life outside of work adds even more weight whether it's parenting, caring for a loved one, or managing any number of other responsibilities.

So here’s the question: How can you apply this scripture—being joyful, prayerful, and thankful—to both the highs and the lows? As a business owner, but also as a wife, mom, friend, boss, daughter, and in every other role you fill?

How can you live it out on the days when you’ve been up all night with a crying baby and you're facing a day full of meltdowns and exhaustion? Or on the days when business feels especially hard and discouraging? And what about on the days when things are going really well, like after a successful launch? Can you still give glory to God instead of thinking, “This was all me”?

Rejoice in every circumstance. Be grateful. Look for where God is blessing you, even when things feel difficult. And when things are going great, recognize that blessing too and turn your thanks toward Him.

In that same Jingle Jacqui song, there's a line I absolutely love. She sings the scripture, and then she adds:

"God’s Word tells us to be thankful, for God is good. No matter what may come our way, He works all things for good, even when we don’t think He could."

That line has stuck with me ever since we started listening to it. Especially when thinking about what God's word says about business. It’s a powerful reminder. God is good, no matter what may come our way. He works all things for good, even when we don’t believe He could. Let that truth sink in.

Then we come to the part of the verse that says, “pray without ceasing.” What does that mean? It simply means to pray all the time. Be in a continuous conversation with God, much like how you might stay in touch with your spouse or best friend through a long-running text thread. You don’t need to start over every time. You just pick up where you left off, knowing that God is always listening.

Another line Jingle Jacqui sings in the song is, “God’s everywhere we go, just like the air we breathe. We can talk with Him anytime, pray with Him continuously.” And again, she repeats, “He works all things for good, even when we don’t think He could.”

Then the verse goes on to say that this is God’s will for you. This is His plan for people who follow Him. And the way I think about that, as a designer, is that this is God’s design for us as humans. This is literally how He created us to live: to pray continually, to give thanks in all circumstances, and to choose joy even when things don’t go according to our own plans or hopes.

The Message translation puts it like this: “This is the way God wants you to live.” That gives us the why behind the command.

I believe that living this way brings us closer to God. When we’re mindful of these things, choosing to rejoice always, praying without ceasing, and giving thanks in every circumstance, it helps us experience deeper joy, no matter what’s happening around us.

One of my favorite phrases, which you’ve probably heard me say on this podcast before, is this: God always provides, and He never wastes anything.

You might remember me saying this in other episodes where I talk about faith, but it’s something I really believe can anchor us in both life and business. Whatever you’re facing, whether it’s a headache, a hard season, or even something wonderful, God doesn’t waste it. He uses it.

And maybe He’s using it in a way you can’t see right now. Maybe your human eyes just aren’t able to see what He’s doing behind the scenes. Or maybe the purpose of what you're going through won’t be revealed for years, even generations.

Believing this truth and living it out on hard days or during long seasons can make all the difference.

Both of the verses we’ve talked about today regarding what God's word says about business are from Thessalonians, and I’ll link to them in the show notes so you can read and reflect on them yourself.

Links Mentioned:

Scripture mentioned: 1 Thessalonians 4:11 & 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Read the Well-Watered Blog

Listen to Jingle Jacqui

Become a Booked Out Designer

Cranberry Brie Appetizer Recipe

The post What God’s Word Says About Business, Work, and Everyday Faith (2 Scriptures to Pray Over) appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

Stay Organized, Keep it Simple, and Make It FUN — How to Plan for Christmas to Avoid the Overwhelm

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 12 minutes

All right, let’s talk about holiday organization—keeping your sanity, staying organized, making the holidays fun, enjoyable, and filled with good memories. Basically, how you can plan for this Christmas season and avoid overwhelm.

This is a continuation of last week’s Christmas episode. If you missed that one, no worries! You don’t need it to understand this episode, but I’d still recommend checking it out. In that one, I talked about holiday tradition ideas for your family.

In this episode, we’re talking about staying organized with things like gift-giving, parties, hosting, and all the different things that happen during the holiday season. This applies whether you have kids or not. These are things I’ve learned over the years—being married, buying gifts for in-laws, parents, and more.

I’ve also grown as a mom, dealing with teacher gifts and other holiday responsibilities. Over the years, I’ve noticed how much more there is to manage, and these are tips that I think will help you, no matter your season of life, to make Christmas and the holiday season more enjoyable and restful.

So let’s get to it!

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 297!

Two years ago, I recorded my very first Christmas episode, and it was such a fun experience—and you all really loved it! Last year, I re-aired that same episode instead of creating a new one. But this year, I’m excited to bring you a brand-new Christmas episode. If you’d like to check out the episode from two years ago, here it is. That one covers different topics, including practical tips for taking time off from your business during the holiday season, and traditions through the lens of having even younger kids—Colin was only about a year old back then.

Now, let’s dive into the traditions! I’ve got seven to share with you today. One of them has a lot of subpoints, but most are big-picture ideas, with a focus on how to bring Jesus more into your holiday season. Let’s get started!

1. Create a holiday note that you add to each year and reopen when the season starts.

Let me explain. This might sound confusing at first, but it’s something I started doing two years ago, and it’s been a game-changer. I keep a Google Doc in my Google Drive, in a folder with other family-related documents. In this document, I add notes for myself about Christmas each year.

Here’s how I keep track of it: I’ve added it as a recurring event in my Apple calendar. Every year, on November 1st, it reminds me to review the document. The calendar event is called something like “Review December Doc” or “Review Holiday Doc,” and it includes a direct link to the file in the notes section.

This system works so well for me that I made a similar document for the fall season, since the Thanksgiving and Christmas one has been so helpful. You could adapt this idea for any season—summer, spring, or whatever suits you.

For the past two years, this document has covered everything from Thanksgiving through the end of the year. It’s just a collection of notes I’ve added each year. I’d recommend starting your own document after this Christmas season ends. It takes about 15 minutes to create, and I promise, your future self will thank you.

When you open it next year, you’ll find all kinds of helpful notes that you would’ve otherwise forgotten about. If you’re still thinking about fall right now, you could even make a fall version while it’s fresh in your mind.

Here’s an example of what I include:

Send Christmas cards earlier than you think. It takes a long time to get them shipped, even when you pay extra for fast turnaround.
Go smaller. Last year, ours were accidentally giant. Smaller would work better.
Buy stamps early. USPS takes forever to mail stamps ordered online.

That’s it—just a few simple notes, but they make such a difference.

I also includes notes about:

Timing the Christmas meal.
Picking a Christmas church service that works with family visiting.
Hosting Christmas at our house.
Light shows we like to attend, including when to go.
Social obligations—I wrote a big note for myself last year that I overbooked in December and didn’t want to repeat that.

This system has made planning so much smoother. You could even use a note on your phone if you want something quick and easy to add to anytime. Personally, I prefer sitting down at my computer to type everything out.

The key is to keep building on the same document every year. For example, this year would be your 2024 note, next year 2025, and so on. Over time, it becomes an invaluable resource for making each holiday season easier and more enjoyable.

So that’s my first and biggest tip: Make a holiday document to help your future self. It’s a game-changer!

2. Use Babylist for your family/kids wish list

I’ve actually been doing this for years—even before Babylist offered it as an official feature. Back when I was pregnant with Colin, I made a Christmas wish list for Adam and me on Babylist, in addition to my baby registry. So it was like two separate lists. Now, Babylist has expanded, and you can create registries for Christmas, birthdays, or an expected baby. It’s really cool and completely free to use.

What I love about Babylist is how versatile it is. You can make lists for gifts from a variety of stores, not just Amazon. In the past, I’ve seen people create documents where they link to gift ideas or type out suggestions for family members. But what makes Babylist better is that it allows people to mark items as purchased so you don’t get duplicates. You can also write descriptions about why an item would make a great gift or even mark certain items as “most wanted.”

Here’s what works well for us: we make one list for our whole family and share it via a single link. It’s super easy to send, and my in-laws, my mom, and my sister all really appreciate having it. They don’t have to guess what to get for Colin, Ethan, or even us. Everyone else in my family also does Christmas wish lists—most of them use Amazon, but we stick with Babylist.

Now, if your family dynamic is different and some people might be offended by a wish list, this might not work for you. But if your family asks, “What do the kids want? What do you want?” This is a really great option.

On our Babylist, I organize the categories not by item type (like toys or books, which is the default), but by family member. So our list has sections like Colin, Elizabeth, Ethan, Adam, Whole Family, and Both Kids. This setup makes it super easy for grandparents or other relatives to see what they might want to gift and to claim items so we don’t get duplicates.

Plus, what’s great about Babylist is that it’s flexible. If you’re someone who prefers experience-based gifts over physical ones, you can add anything with a URL. For example, you could include a zoo membership or tickets to an event. Literally anything with a link can go on the list.

I also have the Babylist app on my phone, so whenever I think of a gift idea for the kids, myself, or Adam, I can add it directly to the list. It’s so convenient and keeps everything organized!

3. Keep a document to track your gift-buying

For me, I like to use the notes app on my phone for this. I create a note titled something like “Christmas 2024 Gift Giving,” and under that, I list each person’s name with a bullet point list ready to go beneath their name.

Here’s how I use it: First, I jot down gift ideas as they come to me. If I think, “Oh, this person would really enjoy this,” I add it to their section. My family uses wish lists a lot, so I can also refer to those for ideas.

When I purchase a gift, I update the document to include what I bought and how much I spent. This helps me keep track of the total amount I’m spending per person and how many gifts I’ve gotten.

In years when I didn’t do this, I ran into problems. When you buy gifts gradually over time, it’s easy to forget what you’ve already purchased. You might end up overspending on some people or realizing too late that you underspent on others.

For example, you might find yourself in a situation where you only got someone a small $10 gift when you meant to spend more, or you might realize that you bought one family member way more than another—like getting your mother-in-law ten gifts and your father-in-law just one.

Everyone handles gift-giving differently. In our family, we buy gifts for everyone but try to keep the spending reasonable and not excessive. This list helps me make sure that we stay on track with what we’re spending and that everyone is covered equally.

4. Do the same gift for teachers or other people who help in your life every year

I’m all about simplifying life by figuring out what works and sticking with it, especially for recurring gifts like those for teachers, lawn care providers, house cleaners, mail carriers, tenants (if you’re in real estate), or anyone else you give gifts to during the holidays. You don’t need to do this for everyone, but for the people you consistently give to, deciding on one go-to gift each year makes things so much easier.

It might take some trial and error to figure out your go-to gift, and it’s okay if it changes over time—like as your kids grow or your needs evolve. But once you find something that works, stick to it. It eliminates one of the many decisions you have to make during the holidays, which is such a relief.

I got this idea from the book The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi. It’s literally the first principle in her book: “Decide Once.”

I’m going to read a quick excerpt from it to explain the concept.

The easiest way to give your brain a break

The research on this is varied and probably hard to articulate anyway, but we make a lot of decisions—like a lot. Constant decision making is one of the reasons you don't have energy for the things that matter to you. By discovering a few opportunities to decide once, and then never again, you give your brain more room to play. You might think that making a preemptive decision is robotic, but automating makes you a robot only if you automate everything. Making one-time decisions about what doesn't matter, so you have brain space for what does, is the lazy genius way and you'll experience the benefits immediately.

And then in another part of this chapter, she goes on to say:

A single intentional decision relieves your brain of effort, freeing you to think about what matters to you instead of living in a cycle of choosing this and that over and over again. The possibilities are endless, but you don't need endless. Losing your grip on making 37 decisions by the end of this chapter, 36 of which you'll forget by tomorrow. Simply look for one idea that works for right now.

And then she gives you a lot of applications and she goes through examples of all of them. But one is deciding on gifts once, and she talks about gifts for teachers, birthday gifts for kids, friends, gifts for family members, wedding and baby shower gifts, and then all kinds of other things.

How I’ve Done This

For us, here’s how I’ve personally applied it: Our go-to gift for teachers and others is homemade sourdough bread and butter from a friend’s sourdough business. Depending on the recipient, we might also include a gift card. This has been our gift for teachers, local real estate tenants, and a few other people in our lives.

Once you figure out what works for you, make it a recurring to-do item each year—plan to buy or prepare the gift at the right time, and distribute it to everyone on your list.

You might try something this year and realize, “Okay, that didn’t work as well as I hoped.” That’s totally fine. Adjust for next year. The goal is to decide once and create a consistent gift-giving plan for the people you’re gifting during Christmas.

For us, sourdough bread has been a great solution—it’s thoughtful, supports my friend’s business, and is something I personally enjoy having at home too. It’s beautifully packaged, making it feel special. For some recipients, we add gift cards as needed to round it out.

Whether you choose one universal gift or tailor it slightly for different people, this approach simplifies the decision-making process, reduces stress, and makes holiday planning much easier.

5. Have go-to items that you make for holiday events every year to keep things simple.

This tip takes the "decide once” principle and applies it to something else: having go-to items that you make for all your holiday events each year to keep things simple. Similar to tip number four, this might take a few years or a few events to figure out, but it’s worth it to find what you, your guests, and your party attendees enjoy.

We all have holiday parties where we need to cook or bring something. A few years ago, I realized I was stressing myself out trying to find new recipes every year. I’d be on Pinterest, looking up cookie or appetizer recipes, trying something new every time. Often, I didn’t even like what I ended up making or spent so much time on it only for it to flop.

So now, I have one standard dish I make for all parties where I need to bring something—and it’s always a hit. I’m still working on my go-to Christmas dessert or cookie recipe, but when it comes to appetizers, I’ve found my staple. Last year, I made this recipe at least three, maybe four times in December. It became my go-to for Christmas parties, and people raved about it. At Adam’s work Christmas party, someone even told me it was the best appetizer they’d ever had.

It’s a cranberry jalapeño cream cheese dip served with Ritz crackers. The base is whipped cream cheese, and the topping is a sugared cranberry and jalapeño mix. It sounds like a strange combination, but it’s so good. It’s not hard to make, and people love it. Plus, it can be made ahead of time because it needs to set in the fridge, so you don’t have to worry about making it right before the party.

I made it on repeat last year, and I’ll be doing the same this year.

In addition to that, I also have two go-to items we make every Christmas morning as part of our tradition. It took me a few years to figure out what I wanted these special items to be. For a couple of Christmas mornings in a row, I tried different things to establish a tradition—this was even before we had kids. I tested a few breakfast casseroles, but none of them were great. One was hash-brown based, and the other was potato-based, but they were just unimpressive.

After two or three years of experimenting, I found my home-run dish. It’s a crescent roll breakfast casserole with a top and bottom crust, sausage, eggs, and cheese. It’s easy to make, can be prepped the night before, and my whole family loves it. Colin has enjoyed it, and we’ll see if Ethan likes it this year as a baby.

The other thing I make is a “done up cinnamon roll” recipe that’s so good. It’s become a tradition for both Christmas and Easter. But the breakfast casserole is reserved just for Christmas, and it’s something I look forward to every year.

So that’s number five: Have go-to items that you make for your Christmas events to keep it simple.

6. Buy things early (especially if they often run out before Christmas arrives!)

Okay, number six: Buy the things early that you can freeze and that often run out before Christmas arrives. This is just a simple thing to add to your calendar—whether it's the first week of December, the second week, or whenever you’re listening to this.

For example, we do this with the cinnamon rolls I mentioned earlier—the done-up cinnamon roll recipe we make. Those tend to run out, and if I wait until the week of Christmas, I’m running around to Publix, Kroger, and all the places trying to find them. So instead, I’ve learned to start early. I literally add them to my Instacart order every week until I manage to get some. It took me two weeks for them to be in stock this year, but now I have them in the freezer, ready to go.

I also do this with the frozen breakfast turkey sausage I use for our Christmas breakfast casserole. Since it’s something that freezes well, I can grab it early and not worry about it being out of stock later. This ties into my earlier point about having go-to recipes and preparing in advance.

So, this tip is about adding a reminder to your calendar to get these kinds of items early. It saves you from the stress of last-minute shopping and ensures everything is ready to go when you need it.

7. Have a gift wrapping night and do ALL the gifts at once

Number seven: Have a gift-wrapping night and do all your wrapping at once. This is something I’ve figured out after trying different approaches over the years. One method some people prefer is to wrap gifts as they buy them and put them under the tree. If you enjoy seeing presents under the tree all December, definitely stick with that. But for me, I don’t really care about having gifts under the tree early, and I’ve found that waiting to wrap everything at once saves a ton of time and energy.

By doing it all at once, you avoid forgetting what you’ve already bought because everything is still unwrapped and visible. Here’s what I do: as I shop, I put all the Christmas gifts in our guest room closet. That’s also where I keep all the wrapping supplies—paper, bows, bags, tape, everything. Then I set a date close to Christmas and plan a night to wrap everything. For us, it’s usually a weeknight like a Wednesday, after the kids are asleep.

Having a specific wrapping night allows me to get Adam involved. If I wrapped sporadically, I wouldn’t realistically have him help every time. And let’s be real—gift wrapping and organizing for holidays often fall to women or moms. This method makes it a shared task. Last year, we turned on a Christmas movie, sat on the floor with all the wrapping supplies, and wrapped everything together. It was fun, relaxing, and nice to get it all done in one go.

This approach also means I only have to pull out the wrapping supplies once, which simplifies things. It’s a personal preference, but I think it’s worth deciding what works best for you. And it’s one less decision to make during the busy month of December.

You can decide, “I’m wrapping all my gifts on December 20th,” or whatever day works for you. Then as gifts come in, you just store them in your designated spot without stressing about getting them wrapped right away.

Links Mentioned:

Try Babylist

Read The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi

"Done Up" Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls

Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Not sure which template is right for you? Take the quiz!

Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Plan for Kids

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The post Stay Organized, Keep it Simple, and Make It FUN — How to Plan for Christmas to Avoid the Overwhelm appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

7 Christmas Tradition Ideas for the Whole Family (+ How to Bring Jesus into Your Home for the Holiday/Advent Season)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 06:00:34 +0000

Reading Time: 14 minutes

Welcome to this year’s Christmas episode! This isn’t a business-related podcast today—it’s a fun, friend-to-friend chat with plenty of practical ideas to help you enjoy the Christmas holiday season. We’re talking about Christmas tradition ideas, both with and without kids, and specifically ways to bring God more into the season.

I’ve got seven tradition ideas to share, and I’ll talk about each one based on things like how old your kids are or whether you have kids at all. For context, I have two kids, and my oldest is almost three and a half, so that’s the age range I have in mind for some of these. But many of them work really well for older kids or even just for you and your whole family. I hope you enjoy this fun episode!

Next week, we’ll keep the Christmas theme going, especially after all the business-heavy, Black Friday content you’ve probably been hearing on other podcasts. I hope these next two weeks feel refreshing and help you set your heart right for Advent, the holiday season, and Christmas. Let’s dive in!

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 296!

1. Wandering Wisemen

The first tradition I want to share is one of my absolute favorites: the “Wandering Wise Men.” This is our second year doing it, and it’s such a meaningful way to bring Jesus into the Christmas season and remind your kids daily what the holiday is truly about. We tried it for the first time last year, and it was a highlight of our Christmas season.

Here’s how it works: The tradition is inspired by the Christmas story, where the wise men journey to find baby Jesus after his birth. They’re searching, or “wandering,” which is where the name comes from. This activity naturally creates opportunities to talk about the Christmas story every morning as your kids search for the wise men, bringing the story to life in a fun and engaging way.

To start, you’ll need a nativity set—any type will do. We use an old one from my childhood, complete with breakable figurines (some are even broken!). Set up the nativity in a central spot in your home, but leave out baby Jesus and the three wise men. Each morning, move the wise men to a new spot in the house for your kids to find. The wise men’s journey can begin whenever you like: early December, mid-month, or even just the week of Christmas. Each day, they get closer to the nativity. Then, on Christmas morning, the wise men arrive at the stable, and baby Jesus appears in the manger.

Last year, Colin (just over two years old at the time) absolutely loved it. Every morning, he’d wake up excited to search for the wise men, and we have so many adorable videos of him doing it. Of course, not every morning will be equally enthusiastic, and that’s okay! Different ages will engage differently, and if you have kids of multiple ages, some may be more into it than others. For example, our younger son Ethan, who’s currently nine months old, won’t really understand what’s happening, so this tradition is mostly for Colin at this stage.

If this reminds you of Elf on the Shelf, you’re not alone—it has a similar concept, with kids waking up to find something new each morning. But what I love about the Wandering Wise Men is that it ties directly into our faith and the Christmas story. If moving the wise men every day sounds overwhelming, you can start closer to Christmas—maybe two weeks out or even just one week. Last year, we began about two weeks before Christmas, and this year, we’ll probably do something similar. I already have the nativity set up with our decorations, so we’re ready to start whenever it feels right.

2. Putting Up The Christmas Tree as an Event For Your Family

The second tradition is something you might already do—putting up the Christmas tree—but this is about making it a real event for your family instead of just a task to check off or something done without involving the kids.

Before we had kids, Adam and I turned decorating the tree into an at-home date night. We’d drink Christmas cocktails or hot chocolate by the fire, play Christmas music, and decorate the tree together. It was so much fun! A lot of people think they need to wait until they have children to create special holiday traditions, but I want to remind you that you and your spouse are a family, too. You can make those holiday moments special, even without kids.

After Colin was born, we didn’t involve him in putting up the tree for his first two Christmases. He was only three months old for the first and 15 months for the second, so we continued our date-night tradition, decorating the tree together after he went to bed. That worked really well for us at the time and was still really special. But as Colin got older—and now with Ethan—we’ve turned it into a full family event for the past two years, and it’s become something we all look forward to.

Planning ahead helps make it stress-free and fun. I spent the week leading up to tree day pulling out decorations and getting everything ready, including groceries for snacks and treats. Here’s what it looked like for us this year (and last year, too): We put up the tree during nap time to minimize stress and mess. Colin actually helped finish putting it together this year and loved being part of that process. Since we use an artificial tree from storage, it was a simple setup. Decorating the tree with ornaments became the main family event.

To make it extra special, we included treats like donut holes, and in the past, we’ve also done a cheeseboard, hot chocolate, and other snacks. We played Christmas music to set the mood. This year, we added matching Christmas pajamas for the first time—all four of us wore the same set while decorating the tree. It was so fun, and I think it’s something we’ll keep doing for years to come, at least while the kids are still into it.

3. Have a Christmas Date

The third tradition is one Adam and I have done for years: having a Christmas date with your spouse or significant other. We’ve made it a tradition every year, through nine years of marriage and even before that when we were dating—nearly 14 years of Christmas dates! It’s such a great way to have a special, unique date while also reflecting on the year and setting goals for the new one. We talk about what went well, what was hard, what we want to do again, and what we’d like to add or change for the next year. It’s a fun, meaningful tradition that I highly recommend.

Here’s what our Christmas date has typically looked like: For many years, we’d start by making a special Christmas candy. It’s a complicated recipe from Adam’s childhood that involves a candy thermometer and all kinds of steps. It’s incredibly delicious and very much a once-a-year treat. We’d bring the candy with us, grab coffee or hot chocolate from Starbucks, and drive around looking at Christmas lights.

We like to rank the lights in neighborhoods, deciding which displays are the best and worst. After that, we’d usually have a dinner reservation at a fun restaurant, followed by more lights and enjoying the Christmas candy as dessert. Sometimes we’d cap off the night with cocktails at a cool bar. Throughout the date, we’d reflect on the year and talk about our goals for the next one. We’d often end by watching Christmas-themed episodes of The Office—a fun tradition that can work with any show you love that has holiday episodes.

Now that we have kids, our Christmas dates are shorter and simpler, but we still make it a priority. With a sitter at home, we’ll do a condensed version: maybe lights, dinner, and reflecting, skipping or modifying some elements. I’ve been pregnant or nursing during most Christmases, so cocktails aren’t usually part of it these days, but we still keep the tradition alive. Some years, we’ve skipped making the candy, but I think we’ll bring it back this year, and I might involve Colin because he loves baking so much.

Sometimes, we’ve had to adapt further, like our first Christmas after Colin was born when he was just a few months old. That year, we split the date into two parts: bringing him along to look at lights and then having a dinner date later while a family member watched him after bedtime. Flexibility is key, especially with young kids, but keeping the tradition alive in any way that works for you is what matters.

If you’re married or in a relationship, I can’t recommend enough making a Christmas date a tradition. Make it your own, adapt it as needed, and let it be something you both look forward to and prioritize. The holiday season gets busy fast, so putting it on the calendar early and committing to it is so important!

4. Wrap Up Christmas Books (+ Let Your Kids Open One Per Day Leading up to Christmas.

The fourth tradition idea is one for your kids: wrapping up Christmas books and letting them open one each day (or periodically) leading up to Christmas. I first heard about this from Nancy Ray on her Work and Play Podcast, and I’ve done it for the past two years. It’s such a fun and simple way to make Christmas books feel extra special.

Here’s how it works: If you have a collection of Christmas books, you wrap them up and let your kids open one at a time. This can be daily, every other day, or whatever pace works based on the number of books you have. For us, I store all holiday books with the decorations for that holiday—so Christmas, Halloween, and Easter books stay tucked away with those decorations until the season comes around. That way, when the books come out, it feels like a special surprise. Colin always loves rediscovering them.

Wrapping the books does take some effort, so it’s definitely something to do after the kids are asleep or while watching a show. Last year, my mother-in-law, Adam, and I worked together to wrap them. I number each wrapped book to plan the order they’re opened, starting with favorite books or ones that build excitement. Since Colin can’t read yet, I also write the book titles on the wrapping for myself so I know what’s inside. Once wrapped, the books stay under the tree until they’re opened—filling the space before presents start to appear.

We started this when Colin was just over one year old, and he enjoyed it, but last year, at two, it was an even bigger hit. He could open the books himself and really get excited about the process. If your child is younger than one, I’d suggest skipping it unless you have older kids who will enjoy it.

This year, I decided not to do it because Colin is at an age where I want to avoid focusing too much on receiving gifts and instead put more emphasis on Jesus and the meaning of Christmas. However, I plan to bring it back next year when both Colin and Ethan are older, and it can feel like a fun activity for both boys.

If you like this idea but feel it’s too late to start this year, here’s a great tip from Nancy Ray: wrap the books when you’re packing up decorations at the end of the holiday season. That way, they’re ready to go for next year without any extra effort. It doesn’t take long—30 minutes or so—and the wrapping doesn’t need to be perfect. This could be a wonderful tradition to plan ahead for next year if it sounds like something your family would enjoy!

5. Helpful Resources For Making Christmas About Jesus

The fifth idea isn’t a single tradition but a collection of helpful resources to make the Christmas season more focused on Jesus. As a Christian, my faith is central to how I approach the holiday season, and I’ve always loved Advent—a time to reflect on God, the Christmas story, and the significance of this season. I’ve always been an “Advent devotional girl,” but now, as a parent, I’ve also embraced celebrating Advent as a family. It’s been amazing to see how sharing the Christmas story with Colin and Ethan through children’s activities has deepened my own faith, simplifying the story in ways that bring new meaning.

Here are five resources I’ve found helpful, especially for young children (mine are both under four). Many of these could also work well for older kids:

Holy Sprouts Christmas Episode

Holy Sprouts, hosted by “Miss Amy,” is a faith-based kids' YouTube show that’s similar to Miss Rachel. Miss Amy has a wonderful Christmas episode that focuses on the Christmas story while incorporating fun holiday activities typical of kids' Christmas content. It’s a great alternative or addition to other holiday episodes, like Miss Rachel’s, which we also enjoy. Miss Amy also has fantastic episodes for other holidays, like Thanksgiving and Easter, so her Christmas one is worth checking out if you’re looking for Christ-centered entertainment during your kids’ screen time.

Advent Readings for the Very Young

This is a free guide and includes simple scripture readings and short statements to discuss with your family. I printed it last year and stored it with my Christmas decorations. At the time, Colin was too young for it, so we didn’t fully use it, but I’m planning to try again this year now that he’s a little over three. Even if your child is on the younger side, this guide is easy to adapt and is designed specifically for very young children. Plus, you don’t even need to give your email to access it—it’s completely free!

The Jesus Storybook Bible

Next, I like to keep The Jesus Storybook Bible out on your kitchen table as an easy and accessible way to engage with the Christmas story during mealtimes. We’ve made it a habit to leave it open to the next section, and either Adam or I will read aloud when the timing feels right. Colin knows it’s his “special Bible,” which was gifted to him at my baby shower, so he feels a sense of ownership over it.

There are a few consecutive chapters in the Bible that tell the Christmas story, making it easy to work through during meals. Sometimes it’s chaotic—Ethan might grab at the book, or Colin might ask me to stop reading—but other times it leads to meaningful conversations and curiosity. It’s been a great way for us to reflect on the story as a family, and even I love how simply the Bible presents the Christmas story.

While this works well for us at mealtimes, you could also incorporate it into a bedtime routine, though that didn’t work for us. I recommend you try this and adapt it to what fits naturally into your family’s rhythm.

Christmas-Themed Crafts

Crafts are another fun way to engage kids with the Christmas story. I plan a few crafts each week and keep them noted on a whiteboard on our fridge. For example, we’ve done coloring pages of the angel announcing to Mary that she’ll have a baby named Jesus. As Colin colors, it opens up opportunities to talk about the story in simple terms.

You can find craft ideas and free printables through a quick Google or Pinterest search. Try searching for “Christian Christmas crafts for kids” or “Christmas story crafts.” I usually choose 3-4 to try in a week and save ideas in a photos folder on your phone or Pinterest board for easy reference. Crafts can be simple, like coloring book pages, or more elaborate, depending on your preference.

Advent Books for Families

For families with older kids, consider doing an Advent devotional together. One I love is Unwrapping the Names of Jesus. It’s a devotional I’ve done on my own, but it’s also designed for family use. It provides scripture, reflections, and activities to help focus on the meaning of Christmas. If your kids are old enough to sit and reflect together, this could be a meaningful tradition to start.

6. Bake a Birthday Cake for Jesus.

The sixth tradition idea is to bake a birthday cake for Jesus. This is such a fun and easy way to remind kids that Christmas is about celebrating Jesus’ birthday. Kids understand birthday parties and cakes, so it’s a really simple way to help them connect with the meaning of the season. Plus, it’s a fun activity, delicious to eat, and just an all-around win for everyone.

I’ve done this two years in a row now, and I’m planning to do it again this year. What I usually do is make a “done-up” box cake—just starting with a boxed cake mix and adding some extra ingredients to make it special. Then I make homemade icing because I love the way it tastes.

After that, we decorate the cake to make it fun and festive. I’ve done this on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, and I always involve Colin in the process. Of course, it looks different every year as he gets older, but we talk about how we’re making a birthday cake for Jesus to celebrate his birthday.

It’s such a great activity to do with your kids and makes a perfect dessert for your Christmas gathering. It’s fun, meaningful, and delicious—so definitely something to consider adding to your traditions!

7. Find Ways to Turn Your Heart Toward Jesus

It’s easy to get caught up in making Christmas special for your kids, attending events, buying presents, and checking everything off your to-do list. But it’s so important to remember to turn your own heart toward Jesus, not just for your family but for yourself.

For those of you with really young kids—or even no kids yet—this is especially meaningful. The Christmas season is a beautiful time to reflect on God, His grace, and the story of Jesus’ birth. Here are some ideas to help you focus on Jesus during this season:

1. Do an Advent Devotional

Advent is the four weeks leading up to Christmas, and it’s a time to prepare your heart for the holiday. Advent devotionals are a great way to do this. They typically include daily readings, scripture, and reflections to encourage you to focus on God. I love Advent devotionals because they bring a sense of peace and grounding to what can otherwise feel like a crazy season. Every year, I choose one devotional, sometimes a new one and sometimes one I’ve done before. I’ll link some of my favorites in the links below for you to check out.

2. Read the Christmas Story Repeatedly

Another idea is to make reading the Christmas story your devotional time for December. You could read it every day, focus on a different part of the story each week, or explore different translations of the Bible for fresh perspectives. For example, Adam once did something similar with friends leading up to Easter, reading the crucifixion story in one gospel every week. They would read it daily, reflect, and discuss it over breakfast. You could adapt this for Christmas by reading the story from different gospels or translations to deepen your understanding and connection.

And finally, a few bonus fun ideas:

Build a gingerbread house
Drive around neighborhoods and look at Christmas lights or attend organized light shows.
Watch Christmas movies or holiday-themed TV episodes
Volunteer as a family or find small ways to spread love to others.
Attend your church’s Christmas service
Host a cookie swap party
Have a special meal

Those are my tradition ideas, and of course, they’re not an exhaustive list! You might even be thinking, Oh, Elizabeth, you should have included this! There are so many wonderful traditions out there, and I’m sure there are things my family does that I completely forgot to mention while recording this. But my hope is that this episode inspires you, gets you into the Christmas spirit, and feels encouraging as you head into the season.

I mentioned a lot of different links throughout the episode, and you can find all of those in the show notes, which will be included in the blog post for this episode. I’ll link to Advent devotionals, other Advent and Christmas podcast resources, and kids’ activity ideas—everything to help you make the most of this special time of year.

Next week, I’ll be back with a shorter episode sharing tips on how to stay organized and maintain your sanity during the Christmas season, especially with kids. I hope you enjoyed this episode and that you have a wonderful, wonderful Christmas.

Advent Devotionals To Check Out

The Dawning of Indestructible Joy by John Piper

Unwrapping the Names of Jesus by Asheritah Ciuciu

Come, Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp

Emmanuel: An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas and Always by Ruth Chou Simons

FREE Advent Reading Plan for Really Little Kids

Risen Motherhood Advent Round Up List

Advent/Christmas Podcast Resources

Risen Motherhood Episode #81 Celebrating Advent with Little Ones

Risen Motherhood Episode #42 Making Christmas Traditions Matter

Risen Motherhood Episode #146 Finding Rest in Advent

Risen Motherhood Episode #177 The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Work and Pray Episode #90 Our Favorite Christmas Traditions

Work and Pray Episode #172 My Christmas Game Plan

Behind the Bliss Episode #208 An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas and Always with Ruth Chou Simons

Links Mentioned:

Not sure which template is right for you? Take the quiz!

Built to Birth "Powerful Active Labor" Meditation

The post 7 Christmas Tradition Ideas for the Whole Family (+ How to Bring Jesus into Your Home for the Holiday/Advent Season) appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

Business Growth is NOT Linear: Lessons From Starting a Business Young, Growing it as a Mom, and Learning to Trust God

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 07 May 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Today, I have a special episode in store! This is an interview I did with Becky Hoschek on her podcast Beyond, which is a show for moms called to business. Becky and I have known each other for ages because she was actually one of my first template customers and then I was one of her first life coaching clients. She also has done mindset coaching inside of Booked Out Designer before for my students inside the program! I loved this interview about business growth so much, that I knew I wanted to share it with you all.

We talk about motherhood and business stuff a lot, although we talk about plenty of other things as well if that doesn't interest you. We covered things like:

How I make money online
The time I felt like throwing in the towel (despite business growth)
How I merge having a more systems-related brain and a creative brain
Being okay with failure
Mom life and work schedules
How my faith impacts my business

And honestly - so much more. As you tune in, this episode originally aired at the end of 2023 so I shared about having only one child and being pregnant at the time. It was also before I had my course Podcast Success Blueprint which is why it’s not mentioned in the episode.

If you love this episode, stay tuned. Becky will be back on the podcast in a few short weeks where I'm interviewing her! Now, let’s get into it.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 266!

4 Takeaways to Add to Your Notebook:

There is so much gold in this episode that it’s DEFINITELY worth the listen, but here are three quick takeaways to give you a little teaser (and something to add to your notebook).

You Don’t Need to Have An Offer For Everyone

In this interview, I share how one of the recent “failures” in my business was closing my membership. I share 8 lessons here, but one of the biggest lessons is that you don’t have to have an offer for everyone. There are a lot of people who will tell you that you need to have an offer for everyone and you don’t. You don’t need to have an ascension suite or something for every person in your audience at every stage to buy. You don’t need to fill every gap.

While the membership closing might be considered a “failure”, the truth is that most people who are successful are going to experience things that don’t go perfectly. One question I like to ask myself is: is there a way I can win from trying even if it fails?

Share Your Vision With Your Team

I like to think of this as “being in it for the long haul” with them. It can be so easy to see a graphic they made, for example, and just quickly “fix it” so it’s more to your liking, to give an example. But that’s not a good long-term solution. Instead, tell them what they need to change and let them do it. Or if you really want to change it yourself, I'll do something like recording a loom and saying like, “Hey, this is great, but this is the stuff I'm changing so you know”.

I think sometimes as a solopreneur/contractor situation, it can feel like it’s mostly you. But I think it’s really important to “cast a vision” and share that with your team. Most of the time, they care more than you think and it helps put everyone on the same page and give them direction.

When you tune in: In this interview, Becky asked me about the Profit Sheet I created and we laughed at the idea that I’m a creative who likes spreadsheets and systems. I definitely bridge the right brain and the left brain side of myself.

Your Business Growth Will Go Through Seasons (With Your Life!)

So right now (at the time this was recorded), I'm in a growth season, but right before that I was in a maintenance season. Then, right before that, I was in a rest season where I took a five-month maternity leave when my son was born. And right before that I was in a growth season (hustling during that pregnancy creating Booked Out Designer).

So I’ve definitely had different seasons but right now I've gotten into a good work pace and a good childcare situation to where it has been like, okay, I have a good vision for my business. I'm focused on these things that I'm focused on, but also, as I'm anticipating having another baby, I'm going to be heading into a rest and then a maintenance season and then a growth season again. So it feels like it'll kind of have that same ebb and flow, which is so helpful to think about so that I’m not feeling the pressure of being in the same season as someone else and seeing what they're doing.

In some ways, I'm grateful to know business without having a child and having a business with because I feel like I have so much more empathy for women who are starting their businesses and having kids already. I thought I was productive before, but I feel like I'm more productive now. But also, I'm less productive in some ways. My mind is more split between things. Sometimes when I have childcare I do things around the house I wouldn’t usually get to do when taking care of my son.

I also feel like in terms of values, I value time away from work more than ever because before work and life were so connected. I feel like I value the time spent with Colin more, and feel like I have more goals to work less and be like: how can I be more intentional with my time to work fewer hours than before? How can I spend more time not working at home?

You Don’t Need to Run a Ministry Style Business to Talk About Being a Christian

I think that a lot of people who are Christian business owners get in the mindset that if you're not doing one of those things, then you shouldn't talk about your faith because you're not targeting “only Christians” and things like that. I guess my perspective is like God's called me to this work and I truly believe that, and I also think that as Christians, we all are called to minister to people, not just people who are literal ministers and our businesses are a great way to do that.

Then also when I think about other ways of integrating faith that are not as direct, I try to show up ethically as a business owner and also showing, it sounds so cheesy, but showing God's love to people through providing a really great customer experience, serving people well, and being a brand you can trust. Praying for customers and clients has always been a big thing for me.

Links Mentioned:

Check Out Becky’s Podcast Beyond

Shop our Showit Website Templates (use code BBPODCAST for 10% off!)

Join me inside Booked Out Designer

Want the insider scoop? Join my Free Facebook community!

Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram

The post Business Growth is NOT Linear: Lessons From Starting a Business Young, Growing it as a Mom, and Learning to Trust God appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

Ethan’s Birth Story: How My Unmedicated Labor Turned into an Unplanned (and Peaceful!) C-Section

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Hi friends! I’m so excited to share Ethan’s birth story with you! I’m a new mom again (and we are officially a family of four). Baby number two, Ethan Daniel McCravy, is absolutely so wonderful and amazing and it’s been fun doing this all again (but with more experience than my first go around).

If you haven’t listened to Colin’s birth story (and you’re curious), you can listen to that here. I personally relistened to it before I started outlining this one partly out of curiosity and partly to relive that experience as I thought about this one. The TL;DR version of that one is: Colin’s birth went so NOT according to my plans or hopes, but God showed up in so many ways. It’s definitely worth a listen

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 265!

Ethan’s birth also did not go according to plan, and in fact, I ended up having an un-planned c-section, which I share about on this podcast episode. I really believe it’s so important to share stories like these because we often only hear birth stories that are glamourized: the “quick births”, the “unmedicated births” and “the ones that went according to plan”. The truth is that despite parts of the birth being disappointing, I still love my birth and I believe so much of it was really beautiful. Plus, at the end of it all, I ended up with a perfect and special baby boy!

Thank you for holding space and caring enough to listen to this story! Instead of blogging all the details, I'd encourage you to listen to the audio versions of episode 265 of the Breakthrough Brand Podcast!

Tune in to episode 165 of the Breakthrough Brand Podcast to hear me share Ethan's birth story!

Some highlights from this episode:

What my biggest hope was with going into labor
Why I chose a hospital over a birth center or home birth
Why I recommend typing out your birth story
What it was like going into labor naturally (at home)
The precious video Adam made with Colin (to show me during my labor)
Why my birth was always going to be a C-section (despite what the nurses and midwives thought)
When I decided to get an epidural (and how it went)
How I felt about my C-section and a message for fellow C-section moms
The first moments of meeting baby Ethan
How Colin has adjusted to meeting his precious baby brother
Ways God showed up and answered prayers in Ethan’s birth
A few key things from my postpartum c-section recovery

Links Mentioned:

Tune Into Colin's Birth Story (Episode 148)

What a Walking Epidural Is (From Very Well Parent)

The post Ethan’s Birth Story: How My Unmedicated Labor Turned into an Unplanned (and Peaceful!) C-Section appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

4 Ways to be BOLDER in Your Faith as a Christian Business Owner (Part Two)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Let’s talk about bringing your faith into your work, or your business, as a Christian business owner. Perhaps you’re a personal brand business or at the least, your business is not a ministry. You’re not selling devotionals and Bibles, and what you do may have NOTHING to do with your faith on paper.

But, you’re a Christian and your faith is an important part of who you are and how you show up in the world. It informs the decisions you make in your business - big and small.

But that said, maybe you feel like your faith is a secret because you don’t know if it’s ok to share it as a business owner, you’re worried you’ll alienate clients/customers who disagree with you, or maybe you feel God calling you to share but you’re like “what does that practically look like when I’m a photographer? Or a designer? Or a copywriter? Or bookkeeper?” Don’t worry - that’s what we are talking about today.

If you missed last week’s episode, go back and listen because they go together! I shared four ways to bring your faith into your business there, and I am sharing four MORE ways today (that are completely different from last week). So let’s get to it!

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 259!

1. Start a prayer time with fellow believers who also own businesses

I wish I could give you this advice and say “I do this and it’s amazing!”, but I don’t do this. I wish I did, and this is one of my goals honestly for later this year when I’m not in new baby land (since I’m actually trying to take fewer meetings right now).

But if you do have the time and want to bring your faith into your business, consider starting up a prayer group with other business owners. Maybe you decide once a month or once a week, to all get on Zoom (you could even cap it at like 30 minutes!). You could let it be a time where you share prayer requests with each other and then pray together. It could even just be an accountability thing where you all get on Zoom, check in with one another, and then pray silently together but by all being there you’re keeping yourself in check to have focused prayer time for your business, your clients, your customers, for God’s insight in your life. I really feel like this would be SO powerful.

If I were doing this right now personally, I’d start with like 2-3 other friends, and keep it small to start. I don’t say this to be exclusive, but more to actually make it happen and get people committed, which tends to be easier with fewer people.

From there, find a date and time that works for everyone. Set up a recurring event/meeting that everyone puts on their calendar and commits to showing up. Have a vision in mind for the first meeting with how you want it to go and then be prepared to lead. Then maybe after the first one, you ask your friends to invite a few more people (or keep it tight-knit if that’s the vibe you want!).

But I love this idea, so let me know if you do it. YOU CAN START THIS. I want to emphasize that this is not something that you need to be at a certain point in your business. You need to be a strong leader. Don’t wait for someone else to start it for you. Go for it, you have what it takes. Share this episode if it would be helpful!

2. Ask yourself often: How can I show Jesus’ love for people in the way I run my business?

Aim to be an example for Christ. I talked more about this last week but I believe we’re not all called to be ministers as Christians but we are all called to ministry in our lives which includes our work. How can you show Christ’s love in the way you run your business?

I think what this looks like will vary a lot depending on your unique business, so only you can know what this could look like for you., but I would just encourage you to pray about it. Ask God for wisdom. I know if you talk to him and say “Lord I want my faith to become a part of my business in a way it hasn’t been yet… what could that look like?” you’ll get some answers.

3. Pray for your team

We talked about praying for your clients and customers in the last episode, and while this is similar, it is different so I wanted to separate it. But praying for your team is a huge way you can integrate your faith into your business! You have a connection with your team that is different from with clients/customers. It’s likely more intimate where you can know what’s going on in their lives.

For example, with my team (which is just contractors!), we have a Slack “check in” once per week where we all comment in a thread answering a few questions, mainly related to what we’re working on, but it ends with “What is happening in your life this week? What’s something you’re excited about? And/or what’s something you could use prayer/support in?” And not everyone is answering it like “Please pray for me about this”. In fact, my team is not exclusively Christian. But I can still pray for them and just be attuned to what’s going on in their life based on how they answer this question!

You can also more directly ask a team member in a one-on-one meeting or over email or Slack and say something like, “Hey, I'm thinking about you today. How can I pray for you?” and then actually pray for them.

4. Talk about your faith in God

I’m ending on the most obvious, yet also least obvious one, here. Just talk about your faith. Plain and simple. No bells and whistles. You likely have a platform in some way, your own “stage”. whether that’s a podcast, social media, an interview on someone else’s podcast, YouTube channel, email list, or your website, the list could go on. You have places in your business where people come to listen to you.

In addition to that, you have people you talk to one-on-one about things. I would encourage you to simply talk about your faith, the way you would if it wasn’t work. Of course, you’ll want to approach it in a no-pressure way, not an “I’m trying to convert you!” way.

For example, I’ve been interviewed on a lot of podcasts over the years about my business story and a variety of other things. There was a time in my journey when if it was a non-faith-based podcast, I might try to leave out parts of my story that related to God’s provisions, because it felt like “that’s not the vibe of the show, that’s not what the host wants, I don’t want to offend.”

I’ve stopped doing that. I answer questions with the truth, which sometimes involves me talking about my faith. You can do this too! And guess what? No one has ever been offended.

Another way you can talk about your faith is on your website’s About page. Sharing your faith there is a great opportunity.

There are so many ways to talk about your faith in God. Whatever you choose, I would just encourage you to do it in a way that feels organic and authentic versus forcing things. You know your own heart and your relationship with God. It used to be really trendy in Christianity to share your coffee and Bible and perfect looking quiet time. Don't feel like you need to be performative.

Sharing Your Faith in God in Your Business

Now, are these all the ways you can talk about God in your business? Absolutely not! There are so many others, but these come up for me and I hope to inspire and encourage you to try them too.

Like I said last week, ask yourself now… which ones resonate with you? Pray about which ones God could be calling you towards and DO IT. Listen to last week’s episode for FOUR more ways to share your faith in God in your business too.

Links Mentioned

Tune Into Episode 42 with Jena Viviano about Sharing Your Faith as a Business Owner

Tune Into Episode 236 with Brooke Jefferson on How We Can Share Boldly in Our Faith

Become a Booked Out Designer

Shop Showit Website Templates (Use Code BBPODCAST for 10% off)

Join my FREE Breakthrough Brand All Access Facebook Group

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The post 4 Ways to be BOLDER in Your Faith as a Christian Business Owner (Part Two) appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

4 Ways to Bring God into Your Business as a Christian Business Owner (Part One)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Today’s episode is inspired by a question I got over and over again in my audience survey last year because a lot of you guys are like me. You want to bring God into your business as a Christian business owner. You are a personal brand business or other type of business but you are not a ministry, and what you do may have literally nothing to do with your faith on paper, but you ARE a Christian business owner and your faith is an important part of who you are and how you show up in the world. It also informs the decisions you make in your business, both the big ones and the small ones.

But maybe you feel like your faith is a secret because you don't know if it's okay to share it as a business owner and you're worried you'll alienate clients or customers who disagree with you. OR - maybe you're feeling like God is calling you to share about your faith, but you're not sure what that looks like when you’re a photographer or a designer (for example!).

So in this episode, I'm sharing four ways to bring your faith in Christ into your everyday work life as a business owner. And stay tuned - we are also doing a part two of this next week where I'm sharing four more ways. Let’s get into it!

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First, I believe that we are not all called to ministry as Christians. But we are all called to be ministers of Christ in our lives and work, regardless of our literal career. I still remember being in high school in Sunday school and having our teacher ask us what we think we want to do when we get older, and I still remember so many of the other girls saying they wanted to be missionaries, or work at a church, or start a non-profit, etc.

At the time, I felt so alone in that I did not feel like God was calling me to overseas ministry or to work at a church or anything like that. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but didn’t feel like that was it.

Flash forward to today, I married someone who did work in ministry for over 5 years for a non-profit Christian ministry and I volunteered in that ministry for 7 years. So I’ve been in that world, intensely so, while running my very “not ministry” business. And while running this business, I’ve also known that I want to talk about my faith sometimes as I feel so called and I don’t want to hide that I’m a Christian. I don’t want my faith life to be separate from my business. I don’t want to live with parts of me in neat little boxes. Maybe you can relate?!

The problem is it can feel hard to figure out how to do it all. So that’s what I want to talk about today: 4 ways that you can integrate your faith and your business.

1. Tithing BIGGER as your business gets bigger.

This is a private way to integrate your faith into your business, but SO REAL when you want to bring God into your business. By tithing, we put money in its place in an industry where it is so easy for money to become an idol. With “6 figure this,” “7 figure that,” “become wealthy this way,” and “buy this course and you’ll make $100k in 6 months,” and so much other stupid (and dishonest) marketing, it’s hard to not let chasing money become everything.

By giving generously you can work towards putting money lower in your world (when it comes to your priorities). By tithing generously, you’re giving back to God what’s his, and really separating your money from “your worth”. Obviously, you're helping other people when you give money to different organizations and to the local church and things like that, but it also impacts you and your relationship with God and your relationship with your business. It is huge for your own personal health to give away money.

I think tithing is amazing, and I love that the Bible calls us to tithe percentage-based, so as your income grows, this number can change. There’s no set dollar amount, When you make more, you can tithe more. Or lower months, that number will naturally be less.

In addition to your local church, I highly recommend tithing to a non-profit that has a mission you feel like you can get behind and your heart feels drawn to (whether that’s foster care, or sex trafficking, or homelessness).

I personally don’t tithe from my business (unless I’m corporate sponsoring a non profit event). This is something I do from our personal finances. And again, you can give to multiple non-profits and organizations. But if you are not tithing from what you make in your business, I just encourage you to pray about this and see what God is leading you to in terms of places and ways to give.

When you are really attached to your money and in scarcity, you’ll probably never feel like you have “enough money to go around” to tithe. There is never enough when you’re in a scarcity mindset, so if that’s where you are, you’ve got to get out of that.

2. Being generous with a client/customer who is in a tough situation.

This generosity can come in a lot of different ways. I’m putting this one right after tithing because it relates! But as a Christian business owner, you can share your faith in a very subtle way just by being generous with your clients/customers when they’re going through something.

This could look like something little like when a client is having a bad day, you send a Starbucks gift card. Or you let a customer pause their payment plans as they get through a rocky time. We’ve had customers who are in rough situations and I don’t think they’re trying to just take advantage and we’ll let them pause payment plans. I had a customer about a year ago who was going through a tough divorce and I sent her a note and gift card to Target.

3. Pray for your customers and clients.

Similarly, praying for customers and clients can be a great way to bring God into your business. There are so many people that you probably frequently interact with through your business but they are not in your everyday life. It can be easy to “forget them” because you only communicate on zoom calls or over the internet. But one way to integrate your faith and business is to pray for your customers and clients often.

This can look like prayer journaling about them by name. It can look like a client of yours who is having a bad month, and not just sending them a sweet note, but actually praying for them.

Something I like to do is pray over customers when they buy. And you might be wondering, what do you pray for? That they’ll find favor with your product or service. That it will go smoothly, that they’ll have wins. I often literally pray that people will be able to customize their Showit template. With my new podcast course, I was praying over every new student that they would be able to have a HUGE WIN from the course, and learn something, and have the time/diligence to take action with it.

This will look different depending on what you do in your work, but this is something we can all do, and it’s something that YES sometimes it might make sense to pray with a client, but you can also do this more privately. Off the top of my head, I don't think I've ever prayed with a client over Zoom or anything like that. This can be private just for you.

4. See yourself as working for the Lord first and foremost.

Colossians 3:23-24 says: “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”

In my personal opinion, this is not an easy perspective to keep in mind. I often will struggle with this, because earthly validation does feel so good. It also feels SO BAD when someone is unhappy with something you create.

But working for God to serve God first is helpful to remember. Plus, when we keep this in mind practically, I think what it looks like is putting our business in its place. It’s so easy for our business to become an idol and this thing we love so much and put before other priorities like our family, health, marriage, etc.

I think this verse and heavenly perspective on our work help to put our business back where it belongs. Tying it back to the first one about tithing, we are in an industry where it can feel really hard to keep that perspective. There is a lot of glorification of hustle culture. If you don't do all the things, then you're not all in on your business. Hearing that, I just want to tell you that you're allowed to work less, take the vacation, take the time off, have a longer quiet time and start work later.

Basically, I would ask God and pray about it. You can also just reflect on your own how you can put your business in its place and get your priorities straight. This is something that you have to do over and over again. It doesn't just happen and it’s unfortunately not a one-time thing.

Moreover, this also makes me think about asking when it comes to your business decisions — ”does this honor the Lord?”, “What reason am I doing this?”, “Is this what I’m being called to?”. These are all helpful questions to ask ourselves often. Another thing I would add is that you're not going to be able to get that clarity from God and get answers to things when you never have moments of silence and quiet in your life. You need quiet time to vision cast for your business. You can’t always be doing the next thing, listening to podcasts, or scrolling on your phone.

Bringing Your Faith Into Your Business

I hope this episode has helped you start to think of more ways you can practically integrate your faith with your business as a Christian business owner. Ask yourself now, which of these resonates with you? Pray about which ones God could be calling you towards and DO IT.

Next week, I’ll be back with 4 more ways to bring God into your business that are completely different from these ones! Stay tuned!

Links Mentioned

Tune Into Episode 42 with Jena Viviano about Sharing Your Faith as a Business Owner

Tune Into Episode 236 with Brooke Jefferson on How We Can Share Boldly in Our Faith

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Bible Verses to Encourage You in Goal Setting & Vision Casting as a Business Owner

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Today, I'm sharing some scripture three bible verses to encourage you that have come for me in the last month or so. I thought this would be a great way to kick off January (or really, any time we as business owners are goal setting and vision casting in our business). I think these verses will be encouraging to you and they can also be really great things to pray over your business this year.

Once you’re done listening, I would even encourage you to look these up in your own Bible and read them in the context of the whole chapter (really explore them and read them in different translations and all of that good stuff!).

As a bonus, if you want these as pretty lock screens for your phone, I made a few different options for you! Head here to download them now!

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“The people who know their God will display strength and take action.” - Daniel 11:32

The first piece of scripture is from Daniel 11:32 which says, “the people who know their God will display strength and take action”. This verse to me is a calling as a business owner, as a wife, as a mama, as a woman of faith to know God. The people who know their God will display strength and take action. Knowing God in the many decisions you'll have to make this year (and today), and in your personal and professional life is so important. I know for me, I want to be a businesswoman who displays strength and takes thoughtful action.

In business (and really all areas of life), how many times are you faced with decisions where you don’t know what to do? The presence of God in us can cause us to reflect his reality in our world.

Here’s a quote from Sally Clarkson (from her devotional book, “Mom Heart Moment”). I personally did it last year and am doing it again this year. Here’s what she said:

“What does it mean to display strength? We face constant challenges in which we could be discouraged or bitter or develop a victim mentality that suggests we are unfairly limited by our difficult circumstances. However, this verse in Daniel suggests that even in every circumstance when one is walking with God, strength will be available.

Taking action means taking initiative to do something, pursuing the harvest field of the lost, working diligently, and engaging resources for much-needed kingdom work. Passivity and laziness are never seen in the character of God.

Consequently, when we are in the presence of God and are in his word daily, we see that he has compassion on the poor, so we have compassion for the poor. He is holy, so we are to be holy. He forgives us so we are compelled to forgive. He is the servant leader, so we serve those around us. “

I would like to ask you a few things with this (that I'm asking myself too!).

First, how can I be in the word of God more? Not just reading it but really looking at how Jesus acts and how can I apply what's happening in this story to my own life in a very practical way
How can I act as a business owner this year, and again as a mother, as a wife, as a friend, in all the roles we play, but how can I really show up better?
Knowing God is the first step of that. How can we know God better? We talk to him, and we read his word.

I love Jen Wilkins saying, “the heart cannot love what the mind does not know”. That saying always sticks with me as I think about why reading the Bible is so important (versus just praying or reading a devotional book or attending church or whatever else you could do).

I know for me, I want to be in scripture even more intentionally this year. And I'd ask yourself to do some closing questions with the scripture.

What are ways you can display strength in your own life?
What are ways that maybe God is calling you to take action today and in this year?
What are some things you could do to tactically be in the word of God more this year so that God can be the guiding decision-maker for you as you take action in your business?

John 15: 1-8

From the MSG translation, it reads

1-3 “I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.

4 “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.

5-8 “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.

In this scripture, Jesus is describing himself as the vine, and God as the gardener, and I don't know about you, but I've struggled at times with this scripture because I don't know anything about winemaking. I certainly love me some wine, but I do not know anything about making wine in a vineyard from grapes or anything like that.

However, something I've thought about with this scripture is flowers in a vase. Let me explain - I think it can help make this verse land more practically in a way that we see it in everyday life.

A flower, when it's cut off from its branch, is so beautiful and when we take it home, we put it in a vase, and we can temporarily enjoy it. But even when we give it fresh water, and we put that little flower powder packet that's supposed to keep it healthy, it is going to die eventually because it’s been cut off from its original source.

I think of us as humans, as Christians, and how it's like, perhaps you are thriving for a while completely cut off from Jesus (just like that flower in a vase looks gorgeous). But ultimately, when you're cut off from your source, it doesn't last.

The scripture says you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me and that when you're joined with Jesus, and he's joined with you, the harvest is sure to be abundant. I love that phrase.

This even goes back to scripture reading from Daniel we just talked about, because in this scripture in John, Jesus says, “If you make yourself at home with me, and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon”.

So as you set goals for the year (or at any time in your business) and you do these action items to get started, the thing I take from this is, “How can I ultimately stay connected to Jesus through it all and not be cut off from my source?”

Just as a reminder, if you want these as lock screens, you can get those below!

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

Fun fact: this verse is actually on a lot of my templates. It’s one of my all time favorite verses so if you bought a website template from me, if you really look at the filler copy, you might see this verse.

This verse reminds me that it's God in me that allows me to accomplish things, infinitely more than I could think or ask. I think it's so interesting how we can have dreams for our lives and our businesses and we think that one thing, one vision, one of our versions of whatever it is, is the best thing and the only way.

So for example, we might think, “if only I get this client” or “if only I can hit the coveted six figures”, or “if I start running Facebook ads and this problem will go away”, or “if I hire this person, then it'll be it”. This verse reminds me that God sees things that we don't. And when you let him work in you, more is accomplished and we can bring him more glory.

As a Christian business owner, I'm trying to do so many different things in my business. I'm trying to make money for my family, I'm trying to help other people grow their businesses through my products, but I also want to bring glory to God through it all and I think this verse really hits home with that.

I also think of this as “God never wastes anything”. So when you think something you're going through in your business does not make sense, you're going through something, it's challenging, it's frustrating, it does not make sense, be action-oriented and work on it but also find quiet moments to trust God and listen in. Lean on him and ask him for wisdom. Ask him to work his mighty power within you.

This verse is actually even in my most recent business journal, if you have ever heard me talk about how I love journaling, this was the verse I wrote as the declaration over my whole business dreams journal.

No matter how small your work seems compared to other things in the world or in your life, God cares about you and God cares about your business.

To close up here, I really want to encourage you to know that God cares about you and God cares about your business. He cares about your clients, he cares about your customers, he cares about what you're doing. He cares about that stressful refund request or client situation or bad financial month. He cares about it all, and nothing is too big or small to bring to him, both good and bad.

I think praying for wisdom and discernment as you set goals and approach new projects, new visions, and new decisions in your business, is so important. Come to God with it all.

Links Mentioned:

Scripture mentioned: Daniel 11:32, John 15:1-8, Ephesians 3:20-21

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Why We Need to Share Boldly in Our Faith (and How Podcasting Can Help) With Brooke Jefferson

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 06:00:18 +0000

Reading Time: 17 minutes

Today, we're talking about how you can bring your faith into your business as a Christian business owner. You may not run a ministry or a specifically Christian business, but you feel a calling to integrate your faith into your work. But - how do you do that? If you are a copywriter, photographer, designer, or online course creator, it can be hard to see how you can really infuse your faith on a daily basis into your business.

A little behind-the-scenes: this is always an interesting discussion that I often enjoy having with friends privately and frequently think about in my own life. When my friend Brooke suggested talking about this on the podcast, I was so excited to hear her perspective and I can’t wait to share all of our insights on the blog here today.

I'm chatting with Brooke Jefferson, a business coach for moms with small businesses. She's also a photographer, podcast host, and an absolute expert in helping business owners get clear on their ideal client, offers, and marketing strategy for consistent clients and sales. With her experience building multiple six-figure businesses, Brooke's passion lies in teaching other moms to do the same.

In this episode, we talk about how to infuse your faith into your businesses and feel confident when boldly sharing about it AND we also explore the ins and outs of podcasting and talk about what it takes to grow a successful podcast in 2023 (even if you feel the podcast landscape is oversaturated). We are both passionate about both which makes this a really fun two-in-one interview.

If you're interested in faith in business and/or starting/growing a podcast, this episode is for you.

Before we dive in - are you in the Breakthrough Brand All Access Facebook Group yet? It’s free to join, and it’s where we take conversations like the one I had with Brooke today further. Pop in and ask questions, share insights, and get the inside scoop into what I’m trying lately. I’d love to see you inside!

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First - Who is Brooke Jefferson?

Brooke Jefferson is a business coach for moms with small businesses and the podcast host of the Business Mamas Tell All Podcast. Brooke helps business owners get clear on their ideal client and offers and create a marketing strategy that results in consistent clients and sales. After building multiple six figure businesses, she truly enjoys teaching other moms to do the same.

Brooke is a believer, wife, and mama to two. When she's not teaching or photographing, you can find her reading a good book, hanging out with her family outside, or planning her next trip.

Why should we infuse our faith into our businesses versus just letting business be business and faith be faith?

First, I used to think the same way. I used to compartmentalize my life, thinking that marriage, motherhood, businesses, and faith should be separated into different boxes. However, I've come to realize (more and more!) that they are all intertwined and affect one another. For example, a bad mood can impact how I serve my clients. And as I've grown in my faith, integrating it into every area of my life has had a positive impact. I used to struggle with the term "Christian entrepreneur," fearing that it would alienate potential clients, but I've found that sharing my faith attracts like-minded individuals who value the same principles. So ultimately, while you might think that your faith is a completely different thing, your faith and values spill over into every aspect of life.

How do you talk about your faith in a way that's not alienating to someone who does not share the same faith?

So, this can look very different, but initially, I started by sharing small glimpses of my values and faith. In 2020, I became more bold about it. Faith has now become one of my brand pillars, something I am known for. I share it through snippets of me reading the Bible in the morning or if I listen to a church sermon or worship song then I share it. There are always one or two people who say, "I needed this today."

By sharing my faith little-by-little and eventually bringing it into my business, I gained confidence. I was initially scared and worried about alienating people or losing clients but really, it's important to remember that in business, you are always going to be attracting and repelling people. Not everyone will love you, and that's okay. Yes, you may lose followers or clients who don't resonate with the idea of faith, but remember that there are dream clients waiting to say "yes" to you.

EM: I would add that as personal brands, we are given a platform to speak about what matters to us, thanks to the Lord. Sharing our faith may not be for everyone, but if it's on your heart as part of your business, it's worth doing. I agree with what you said, Brooke. I love and respect and learn from many business owners (and friends) with different beliefs. When it comes to business, maybe someone else is into more new age and woo woo stuff, but I still feel like I can learn from them and buy from them and not have the same faith as them.

And I think many people aren't there in life. We have a lot of cancel culture vibes going on and taking sides. But for those who can get to the point of saying, "Hey, we don't have the same opinions on this, and that's fine," it's important. Remember that just because someone disagrees with you on one thing, doesn't mean they wouldn't want to buy from you or work with you in other ways.

How can we infuse our faith into our client experience?

I love this question because I believe that the options are truly limitless. If you're afraid to share your faith but want to, I want to encourage you to start small. It begins with how you treat people and your company values. In today's world, bad experiences are common, and human connection is often lost. Watching business owners bash their clients breaks my heart because this world is too small for that behavior to not get back to them.

Leading by example is important. I like to think of Mathew 5:15-16 where it says “don't hide your light. Let it shine for all. Let your good deeds glow for all to see so that they will praise your heavenly father”. You don't have to shout from the rooftops that you're a Christian, people can sense it through how you treat them. Infusing faith in your business starts with your actions, you don’t need to feel like you need to have a banner saying that you’re a Christian.

Do you have any thoughts about digital products or product based businesses where we might have less touch points with our customers?

Yeah, so I've actually been the customer in these situations, and I didn't even realize it was a Christian company necessarily. But it made me want to spend more money with them. Not that I don't spend money with non-Christian businesses, as we touched on earlier. But for me, I prefer to spend my money where people have the same values as me (and I know I’m not alone - that's how society is these days).

I've seen people go the extra mile in their thank you cards. If I order something from Etsy, they often include a personalized business card or a thank you note with a verse on it. They might even mention that they prayed over the candle for me. It's so touching! There are different ways you can do this, even if you don't have physical products. It all comes down to follow-up. Sending a letter or a handwritten card with something meaningful to share is a great example. Another way is to simply pray for your clients without them knowing. I've had mentors who offered to pray for me in person, but I know others who prayed for me in private. It makes a world of difference to me.

How can we invite God into our business and bring him intentionally into our business and even into our marketing?

So first, I want to make it clear that I am not a perfect Christian. In fact, I am probably the most imperfect person on Earth. The ideas I'm about to share are things I strive to do every day, but I don't always succeed. I believe the first step is prayer. Before giving anything else your attention, take a moment to pray, whether it's for ten seconds, two minutes, or five minutes. Connect with God, whether through journaling or simply spending time in conversation. This helps you realign yourself with His plan and stay focused throughout the day. Inviting God into your daily life is as simple as maintaining an ongoing conversation through prayer.

EM: Yeah, I love that. It can be easy to fall into a routine of doing a morning devotion, going to work, and then coming home at five. It's like we're almost putting God away during non-quiet times, which can make it hard to stay connected. But bringing God into our everyday situations, praying throughout the day, and talking to Him is so helpful. Also, as you mentioned earlier, it's important to represent God well and show up as the Christians we call ourselves. I love that.

I know many people who are building personal brands may feel nervous about sharing their faith. What advice would you give them?

My biggest advice for gaining confidence in sharing your faith is to surround yourself with people who are already doing it. Watching and listening to others have made a major impact for me. You don't have to start big; you can begin with small steps like sharing on your Instagram stories or in an email. It could be a story about leaving church or something meaningful from your day. In the beginning, I used to share a picture or boomerang from my Bible time and add a caption about what was coming up for the day. Starting small with bite-sized ways will help you gain confidence and boldness in sharing your faith.

What advice do you have for someone who's wanting to balance doing the work God calls them to, and also feeling pressure from society to work really hard and make a lot of money?

Yeah, so I got caught up in the hustle culture, chasing six figures, and feeling like a failure when things didn't happen quickly in my new businesses too. But I'm grateful that I've grounded myself and grown from where I started. It's just so different now. The biggest thing was going through a season where I questioned myself. One day, I had a breakdown and felt God ask, "Do you trust me?". I had to ask myself if I was placing more trust in Him or in sales and my bank account number.

And again, this goes so deep. To truly understand it, you would need to bring on a neuroscience coach, going all the way back to our childhood stories. But my biggest struggle in life has been feeling like I always had to take care of myself. I couldn't depend on anybody. I couldn't let a man provide for me. Doing it myself was a big part of my story.

Bringing that mentality into business and learning how to balance it is truly upside down and backwards from what the world tells you. But as a Christian, I believe in God's upside down kingdom. So you have to do things a little differently. If you're struggling with finding balance between chasing after money, hitting sales goals, and trusting God, the answer, honestly, is surrender. It may not make sense, but that's what you have to do on a daily basis.

EM: You are right it doesn't necessarily make logical sense. But once you experience the need in your business to do that and realize that your success is not all your own, it becomes a lot easier. Living in the false reality that everything is because of our own efforts makes it harder to do what you're saying. But once you recognize where your strength comes from and how God blesses your business, it can be truly helpful.

How would you encourage Christian business owners to show up bigger?

Yeah, I think we could all ask ourselves that. So, let's ask ourselves, how can I take my next step? How can I go bigger if I'm already talking about it? And for me, it's about being more bold. My biggest ask is for you to stay true to your values and not be ashamed of what you believe in. Because the world is crazy out there, guys. It's only going to get worse. The Bible preaches and teaches that persecution is a natural part of this journey because you are walking the narrow path. So, I just want to encourage you to be bold.

And on those days when it feels like people are tearing you down or you get a nasty message in your DMs (which by the way, has only happened twice in the entire 10 years I've been online), I want to encourage you guys that I'm here for that. I mean, it just doesn't happen. Maybe it's because I don't have a million followers, I don't know, but I'm prepared for that when it does happen. And on those days when you feel really lonely and you're in your own corner, know that there are many Christian business owners who are here with open arms to support you, encourage you, and cheer you on. So yeah, just be a little more bold today. That's my big ask.

EM: Yeah, and that's a good point. It's going to look different for everyone, and maybe even asking God, like, "Hey, what are you calling me to specifically?" It might look different than Elizabeth and Brooke, or different than this other business owner over here. But how is God calling you to show up in your business with your unique clients and customer situation and your unique platform too?

Before we switch gears and talk about podcasting - are you looking to upgrade your website without redesigning everything from scratch?

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When you make a purchase, you'll get access to tutorials where I'll show you exactly how to set everything up and customize your new pages with ease in under an hour. Head here to see all the add-ons and the full site templates now!

Can you share a little bit about your podcast journey?

I wasn't really into podcasts when I started mine. I would listen to a show here or there, and I was very new to the podcasting world. It was a year after I left the classroom when I started my podcast in 2019. No one asked for it or begged me to do it. I just felt compelled and called to start. So, I did. I began with zero audience and grew it from there. In the first three months, there were probably a maximum of 10 to 12 listens per episode. Then, I started doing guest interviews, which helped grow the audience and gain traction.

The first podcast I built was the “Book More Clients Photography podcast”. It's like your hub for all things photography, business, and marketing. I grew that show consistently, unlike anything else. If only I could be as dedicated to fitness as I am to podcasting, I would be in great shape right now. But that show is now approaching half a million downloads, which is pretty exciting to see how far it's grown.

More recently, I started a new podcast called the “Business Mamas Tell All Podcast”. The whole reason behind this show was to provide short and actionable episodes for busy moms who don't have time to listen every day. It features solo episodes with quick and practical tips, as well as interviews with other moms in business discussing their entrepreneurial journeys. I wanted to create this podcast to encourage moms and provide them with practical business strategies.

Why did you decide to start a new podcast instead of rebrand your old podcast?

Yeah, that's a great question. I really struggled with it and had to spend some time journaling, praying, and sorting through all my confusion. There are actually two reasons behind this decision.

First, as I prayed and journaled about it, I strongly felt that God was telling me to start fresh. He wanted me to clear the bench and begin anew. He promised to guide me through this new business pivot if I put my trust in Him.

Secondly, I wanted to avoid any confusion among my current listeners. Not everyone in my photography audience is female or a mom. I didn't want to do them a disservice. Although they could still benefit from the business strategy, I know my niche and my ideal client so well that I wanted both podcasts to remain valuable resources.

It basically came down to conviction and doing market research.

What did you do differently (and what did you do the same) when you started your new podcast?

The biggest mistake, or rather a learning lesson, was waiting too long to pitch an offer on the first podcast. For the entire first year and a half of the Book More Clients podcast, there wasn't a single pitch. It was all about providing free value. But now, I see selling in a different light. I understand that I serve through coaching and selling. So, on my episodes this time, I won't wait as long to make a pitch. Moreover, I'm using the first podcast as a model for building a successful one. I'm following the same structure to create this second podcast and using it as a benchmark for comparison.

You mentioned interviews really helped grow your podcasts, can you talk about that more?

I've noticed some podcasters who are willing to host anyone and everyone on their show and so I do want to caution that a little. Personally, I've always been careful about who I invite to be a guest on my podcast. Whether someone is pitching me or I'm reaching out to them, I make sure that they align with my audience. If the topic is too advanced or irrelevant to my clients or business, I decline. My podcast's success comes from mutually beneficial collaborations, where we share each other's audiences and provide valuable content that aligns with the overall theme of the show. In my opinion, it's important to be mindful of who you invite and what you discuss, as that greatly contributes to the success of the podcast.

EM: I love that! Guest interviews can be hard, in my opinion. Some people prefer only doing guest interviews because it feels easier to them, but personally, I find solo episodes easier both for planning and at first I felt interviewing people a little intimidating. It took me a while to have a guest on my podcast because I was afraid to interview someone. Everyone has different perspectives on this, but I can totally see it. I've also witnessed how interviews help grow shows on my own podcast.

What would you say to someone who wants to start a podcast but is worried it’s oversaturated?

So saturation is a topic I can riff on all day long. But here's what I'll say: podcasting is growing because there is a demand for it. If you desire to have a podcast, there's a demand for it. My biggest golden tip is to get specific about what your podcast is about and who it's for. Many people think that being broader will attract more listeners, but I invite you to use podcasting as a revenue generator in your business.

The Book More Clients podcast is the number one sales generator in my other business because I have been specific about the target audience and the topics we discuss, keeping everyone on the same page. Don't be afraid to be specific, you don't need a broad show.

Another point I want to make: don't start a podcast if you can't commit to it. Consistency is what builds trust with your audience. I want my listeners to expect a new episode from Elizabeth every Tuesday. That's the kind of anticipation you want your podcast to create. So make sure you're ready to commit before you start.

That isn’t to deter you either! It's cool that we can do incredible things like batching podcast episodes to be more strategic and consistent. Many industry peers and friends start and stop, feeling like they have to recreate the wheel and momentum each time. So, with that being said, I wanted to give that caveat. But, yes, there aren't too many podcasts out there, and you could be someone's next favorite show. Your people are out there waiting for what you have.

Elizabeth’s Thoughts on Starting a Podcast

I agree with you - there's a podcast graveyard of so many shows that have stopped after just maybe 10 or 15 episodes. And you know what? There's no shame in that. Podcasting is harder than people think. Sometimes people are like, "Oh yeah, I'll start a podcast, just record a little bit and that's it." But let me tell you, it's an investment of your time and your business finances. I mean, I'm spending probably a couple thousand dollars a month just for the production between my team and software for my podcast. And we're not even talking about the time I spend on it. It truly is work.

But you know what, don't let that intimidate you. I hope you won't be afraid to start or try it, even if they're not sure if they can fully commit. Remember that you have the flexibility to choose your podcast release frequency - be it monthly, bi-weekly, or even by seasons. My recommendation is to start with a minimum viable product concept, committing to a specific number of episodes (e.g., 10 or 6). Then only after this period, evaluate if it aligns with your business goals and schedule. If it does, then commit to a consistent schedule, whether it's every Tuesday or every other week.

My recommendation is to start with a minimum viable product concept, committing to a specific number of episodes (e.g., 10 or 6). Then only after this period, evaluate if it aligns with your business goals and schedule. If it does, then commit to a consistent schedule, whether it's every Tuesday or every other week.

In my case, I release episodes every Tuesday. However, during my postpartum phase, I had to adjust due to the added responsibilities and did every other week for a while! It worked well for me. I didn't make a big announcement or anything, just did it and thought, "Hey, you all can deal with this." I became more intentional about the episodes I put out, but consistency took a hit. It still worked, and I liked that. It's not oversaturated; there's room for you in podcasting.

With your podcast, do you batch record in advance?

So it depends on the season. My ideal schedule is to batch episodes in advance, which would be the absolute ideal situation. However, sometimes in the past I would overly batch episodes, already having them scheduled and edited, and then decide to throw in a random promotion which I then couldn’t talk about in real time on the podcast. Now about 30 days in advance works well for me, with a couple of extra episodes that are not yet edited, just in case I need to pull from something during a busy season. Other than that, it's too far and too much. And if COVID taught me anything, it's that life is no longer predictable.

Rapid Fire Questions with Brooke Jefferson

What’s an unpopular opinion about podcasting?

Okay, so here's a pet peeve of mine. I can't stand when I tune into a podcast and have to endure 15 minutes of unrelated riffing and ranting. This isn't storytelling or life updates. It's simply complaining about dinner or bad customer service. Can we get on with it? Just my personal preference, but I don't enjoy shows like that.

What are your favorite tools for podcasting?

The tools I currently use are Buzzsprout for hosting my podcast. I started with Buzzsprout and absolutely love them. It's a paid tool. Another tool I use is Fathom, it's a free AI tool. There are many tools out there, I know the one you use is Riverside which has cool production features. But for my podcast interviews and coaching clients, I use Fathom. It records the entire conversation and summarizes it better than I could. I find it helpful for planning bullet points and show notes. Recently, I discovered a new paid tool called Cast Magic. It allows you to upload your podcast or YouTube and it creates newsletters, show notes, episode titles, blog titles, and keywords. It's like having a virtual assistant for podcasting.

You just bought the Carrie template! What would you say to someone considering an Elizabeth McCravy template?

Yes. I recommend your templates all the time because when photographers switch from something like Pixie set, which is easy but not customizable, they often feel overwhelmed. But with your templates, it's easier because they come with instructions, videos, and a little course on how to use them. You provide everything they need. I also love how different each template is. You can even combine multiple templates to create your own website. I've done that a lot. I take sections from older templates, mix them with new ones, and customize it. It's amazing to see how unique each website looks. By the time this airs, my website should be done, and you can see what I did with the Carrie template.

Any last words of encouragement about sharing our faith bolding our business?

Yeah, for you, it's all about deciding how much you want to infuse your faith and being bold about it. As for me, it's been a journey. I used to share very little because I feared what people would think or say, worried about losing clients. But in the last three years, I have become super bold about expressing my faith. I'm not afraid to go against the norm or share my opinions. My advice to you is to feel encouraged that you can have a successful business while embracing your faith. In fact, I've never lost any clients due to it. I even gained a client who appreciated that I could still serve her through coaching, despite our different beliefs. So, don't let the fear of being open about your faith hold you back. You can still be successful and attract clients, regardless of their beliefs. Remember, this is just one of the enemy's tactics to taunt us. Stay strong and stand firm in your values.

Want more from Brooke Jefferson?

You can find and chat with me on Instagram! Also, don't miss out on my podcasts: "Book More Clients: Photography" for photographers and "Business Mamas Tell All" for all the mamas in business. I’d love to connect!

Links Mentioned:

Watch this episode on Youtube

Listen to Elizabeth’s Episode on Brooke’s Podcast

Scripture mentioned: Matthew 5:16

Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram

Connect with Brooke on Instagram

Check Out Brooke’s Website

Shop Elizabeth McCravy Templates

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The post Why We Need to Share Boldly in Our Faith (and How Podcasting Can Help) With Brooke Jefferson appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

4 Encouraging Bible Verses For When Business Feels Overwhelming and Uncertain

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 05:00:33 +0000

Reading Time: 8 minutes

Business is not always easy. Today, I want to share with you four encouraging bible verses for when business feels overwhelming or uncertain. Despite what you see on Instagram, most business owners will experience (or are experiencing right now) moments of exhaustion, overwhelm, or burnout.

If you’ve been in business for any length of time, you know that it’s not all roses and rainbows every day. In my own seven years of business, I have had so many ups and downs. I know you can relate! There are days (or moments) when you want to throw in the towel, days when you’re uncertain if you should keep going, and days when you get your feelings hurt by a negative review or a mean comment.

Even worse, you might experience moments where you don’t feel “good enough” compared to her or you might feel like “why do I even try” after a failed launch or a bad client meeting. Whatever the case is for you, I believe that God’s word has something to say about it.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 199!

In today’s episode, I’m going to share four of the most encouraging bible verses for me, as a Christian and an entrepreneur. These are the verses that have encouraged me through tough times and I find myself clinging to them and coming back time and time again. I hope you can cling to them too because God’s word is powerful. It is meant for you in this moment and in every moment.

In 2023, it’s so easy to head to Google or sign up for another online course, or scroll Instagram, instead of going to God’s word. Today, I want to encourage you to go back to the Bible if business feels overwhelming and uncertain at times.

Even if you’re not a Christian, I encourage you to keep reading (and listening in!) because I truly believe this short episode is still worth a read or a listen. You’re already this far and God’s Word is for you too.

If you are a Christian business owner and you need some encouragement or you are feeling uncertain in your business, I want to encourage you to start with these scriptures, meditate on them, and even relisten to this episode multiple times if it serves you where you are in this moment.

Proverbs 4:23 — ”Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (NLT)

In another translation, this one reads as:

Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

When I first became a Christian, this was my declared favorite verse. At the time, it became the lens I was working through because looking back, I was letting a lot into my heart that was really messing up my life. I was not guarding my heart. I was hanging onto everything that anyone said, positive or negative, really affect me instead of focusing on God’s word first.

How does this relate to business? As business owners, I believe we often let things into our hearts that we shouldn’t. We let negative feedback, an online bully, a bad month of business, or a sideways comment from a friend about your work get into our hearts. This feedback then starts to affect us at the core level. It doesn’t take much sometimes to distract us from the work God has called us to do.

Now let me just add: I’m not saying that you shouldn’t pay attention to a bad month or to a negative review. I’m not telling you it shouldn’t matter or pretending it doesn’t exist. What I am asking you to consider is: are you letting it define you? Is that where your hope is? Is that the piece of your business you are holding onto above all else?

Oftentimes we may think of this as just a negative thing but we can cling to positive reviews and praise too. Instead of stamping that on our hearts, we really need to make sure we are keeping God at the center and focusing on his plans for us.

As Christian business owners, we need to guard our heart

We need to be vigilant when deciding what we let go from our minds to our hearts and our core. We need to gatekeep what we let define us, who we are listening to, and who we are giving control to.

Especially if you are feeling overwhelmed and uncertain in your business, I want to encourage you to ask yourself:

What advice are you letting in?
What comparisons are you letting sink into your heart?
What words are motivating you the most?
Who are you answering to?

One of the reasons I wanted to share encouraging bible verses for business owners is so that when times of uncertainty come, we can make sure that it’s ultimately things of the Lord that you’re letting into your heart.

Read More: If you are a mom and a business owner and it feels really hard right now, make sure to tune in to this episode with Joy Michelle.

Proverbs 3:5-6 — ”Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (NLT)

I want to share another Proverbs verse before we move on to other parts of the Bible. As you likely already know, trusting in God is a huge theme in the Bible. He tells us to trust in him over and over and over again. But Why? I believe it’s because we need the reminder and we need to hear it said differently.

I actually looked into this further if you are interested, and found that in the Bible, there are 191 variations of the word “trust” between the New Testament and the Old Testament. Clearly, we need this message to turn to especially when times are uncertain or hard. I know this has been true for me personally as a business owner because it can be so easy to put our trust in other things.

There are a few examples of encouraging Bible verses telling us to trust God but two that come to mind are Psalm 19: 7 where it says “The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.”. Then in Leviticus 19:4, God tells us not to trust in idols as well.

It’s a recurring theme for a reason. Which is why I have to ask: who are you putting your faith and trust in? Who has power over your life right now? Is yourself? Is it the big client you finally landed and are so excited about? Is it a podcast you’re going to be a guest on? Is it your competitor who spoke poorly about you in a sideways comment on their social media?

I’m speaking to you as someone who has also been in those situations time and time again, where we give the power away to someone else when the power should be going to God.

When Business Feels Overwhelming or Uncertain

Just a few weeks ago (yes, even after seven years of business I have PLENTY of hard days when I need to turn to more encouraging Bible verses too), I was really upset about something that happened. I cried about it, talked to my husband about it, and even vented to a friend. I was trying to get sound advice on what to do.

I also prayed about it. I prayed a LOT about it. I even packed Colin up into the stroller and went for a walk around the neighborhood just talking to God about it. It was then that I literally felt him saying “Elizabeth, where are you putting your trust? Is it in Me? Or in this other person?”.

By the end of the day, I felt such peace around the situation. I quickly realized I was giving this situation way more power than it deserved. God is the one who is in control, despite our uncertain circumstances.

Read More: You can’t be everything to everyone: a business lesson from a very rude email

Whatever situation you’re in, I’d encourage you to pray and ask him (or yourself):

What would it look like if I gave this situation over to you and chose to trust you in this situation?

I can tell you this: God is bigger than your business problem, he’s bigger than the threat you’re facing. He’s bigger than whatever is keeping you up at night right now. If you ask him to do his will and to guide and teach you, he will show you what path to take.

Especially for those of you in the midst of a difficult decision and are looking for encouraging bible verses right now, Psalm 3:5-6 is always one is one of my favorites. Sit, pray, ask him, and seek his will.

Matthew 11:28-29 — “Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (NLT)

Jesus makes it clear that we can come to him with our burdens. When I am in need of encouraging Bible verses, I love this passage so much.

After all, I too have felt weary, just like you. I have had heavy burdens as a business owner. I’ve had to make heavy decisions and had hard things to navigate. I have craved rest. I have the desire to feel ahead instead of behind. I’m sure you have too.

Read More: Why after seven years of business, I believe it’s OK to not always be growing your business.

Jesus says to come to him and you will find rest for your souls. I love that because isn’t that what our emotional turmoil is? It's a lack of rest in our souls. Then he goes on to say “For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

One thing I do when I really want to hand over a burden or a problem to Jesus (because like the scripture says, he WANTS to take your burden and the burden he will return to you is light), I love to journal and give it to God or go on a prayer walk.

A Simple Exercise for Christian Business Owners

I’m big into journaling, but if you’re not I would encourage you to try this anyway and not think of it as journaling. Even if you just grab a scrap of mail you need to throw out, I find it can be therapeutic to write your burden down and then RIP IT UP. Journaling doesn’t need to mean saving it for later.

I also let myself cry and be super honest with myself about what the burden is and ask him to take the burden and be the boss. Ask him to take it (and let go). Let yourself rest in him.

Matthew 6:30-33 — “And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (NLT)

Another translation of this says: “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” - MSG (If you are unfamiliar with this translation, it is a less literal translation than the others, but I always like to give it a read for a fresh perspective).

God already knows what you need. Right now, as you decided to hit play on this episode for whatever reason, he knows. And he cares. He cares more than you do.

Turn to God when Business Feels Overwhelming or Uncertain

I really want to encourage you to seek God. Seek him over another scroll on Instagram. Seek him over the distraction of pretending everything is fine. Seek him over advice from Google. Turn to him and he’ll provide. The scripture literally says “he will give you everything you need”.

Rest assured that God is taking care of you, even when things are hard. He’s got you like he’s got the wildflowers. You are his beloved.

Encouraging Bible Verses for fellow Christian Business Owners

I hope you enjoyed these encouraging Bible verses and they can comfort you not only today, but you can come back to them time and time again when business (or life) feels uncertain. I will have the scriptures linked below, but I would love to hear from you if this resonated with you or if you want more content like this. My DM’s are always open!

Links Mentioned:

Scripture mentioned: Proverbs 4:23, Proverbs: 3:5-6, Psalm 19: 7, Leviticus 19:4, Matthew 11:28-29, Matthew 6:30-33

Become a Booked Out Designer

- Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Plan for Kids

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The Most Wonderful Time of Year: How to Actually REST This Christmas Season as a Business Owner (Taking Time Off, Holiday Bucketlists, and Business Dreaming for 2023)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 05:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Today's blog post is a fun friend-to-friend chat about Christmas, and I am certainly bringing Christmas ENERGY in this blog. I'm a "Christmas person," and I typically start getting excited about Christmas in July (not kidding). But let's talk about the elephant in the room: Rest as business owners for Christmas can be challenging. There's often a lot to do to "close out the year." At the same time, you're ready to dream about the next year in your business, PLUS you have everyday to-do's of life to keep up with.

That's what we're talking about today. I'm sharing with you the following:

My time-off and rest strategy for Christmas that I do every year, and how you can do this yourself too! (We're talking practical planning here!)
Holiday bucket list ideas for you to do to strengthen your faith and enjoy the month of December, even in its chaos.
Tradition ideas – I'm a NEW mom, and I don't have many family traditions to share yet. But, I am sharing some traditions you could try with your spouse that we do and some family tradition ideas I love!
I'm sharing Advent resources, books, other podcast episodes, and things that will help you out as you plan your holiday season.

So, that is our agenda. If you often tell me that you wish I did more personal content – this is it. I'm excited to chat. So, get a peppermint mocha, a sugar cookie latte, or some wine, and let's dive into it!

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 191!

Rest as business owners for Christmas

Right now, I want to talk about taking 2-3 weeks off at a time of year when most other businesses are also winding down. If your business is B2B, you'll feel it slowing down. However, if it's B2C, it may be different for you. Nonetheless, people expect time off around Christmas and understand that you will be away from work.

Most business owners don't get the rest they crave for Thanksgiving because of Black Friday, so you likely NEED this year-end wind-down.

I unplug from most business activities for three weeks around Christmas. A couple of examples of this include:

Not checking my inbox or responding to things other people need from me
Not starting on any new projects, running sales/promotions, client work
Slowing down content creation (like for this podcast or even social media content)

Essentially, I stop all front-facing business activity. This allows me to take time off AND focus on big-picture thinking that may not feel possible when I'm engaging in the entire workload of my business. There are a few practical ways I make this happen during the holidays.

If you want thoughts on taking BIG time off from your business, check out Episode 139: What I Did To Prepare For A 2 ½ Month Maternity Leave As An Online Business Owner (+ My Top Tips For Planning ANY Time Away From Your Business)

PRACTICAL WAY #1: Add your out-of-office dates to your email signature leading up to time off.

Leading up to the holidays, add your upcoming out-of-office dates to your email signature. Then, when you're emailing a potential or current client, they can see that it is coming. My teams' email signatures always say: "Our email office hours are 8 am to 3 pm CST on Monday - Friday. We do not reply to emails over the weekend or holidays." So we're constantly communicating that you won't hear from us on weekends or holidays. But, around Christmas, we’ll add an extra note about those specific out of office dates.

PRACTICAL WAY #2: Put up an inbox autoresponder with your out-of-office info.

When you're taking time off, put up an autoresponder. This will help you have peace of mind if you get an important message while away. This lets the person emailing you know that your response will be delayed.

PRACTICAL WAY #3: Work ahead some.

You'll want to get things that relate to the three categories you're shutting down done before your time off. This might mean getting ahead on your podcast, youtube channel, or blog. You could plan for your social media content, ensure you get things to your team ahead, or clear out your inbox a week before you leave the office. You can write social media content for any Facebook groups you manage and get it scheduled out in advance. Do the work though to get ahead so you can actually rest! Make a list of the things that will need to happen in your business while you’re away and do them now.

PRACTICAL WAY #4: Put it on your calendar. Communicate it with your clients and/or team. Make it a real thing.

This is a MUST for me. I put my out-of-office time for Christmas on my calendar Last Christmas. I have also communicated with my team about when I'll be gone AND what they are responsible for doing during this time.

What to do with your time off — IN YOUR BUSINESS?

During these 3 weeks away, I typically do SOME work on my business, just not the daily grind kind of work. How do you decide what to work on though? Ask yourself, "What is something I need to think about or work on in my business BUT never have time for?" This does not mean responding to emails, writing more blog posts, or doing other random tasks. This is the big picture "where am I going?" stuff. Some of my agenda items include: Planning a loose launch calendar for 2023. This includes planning time off so I can plan launches accurately. I am also updating SOPs and the admin side of my business. This is more mundane work, but it is important, and you may feel like you never have time to do it because you are always #busy.

What this will look like:

I am going through ClickUp and deleting recurring tasks we're not using, editing things to be more efficient, and creating new items for 2023.
I am going through canned emails I use and updating ones that feel outdated.
Clearing up my Google Drive.
I am evaluating my Profit and Loss from this year and trying to forecast for the following year by looking at my Profit Sheet.
I am setting goals – both personally and for my business for the new year.
I look at team stuff in my business, plan for new hires, and think about new product ideas.

HOLIDAY BUCKET LIST IDEAS FOR YOU:

Now, what do you do during this time off that’s for YOU? Not for your kids. Not for your business. Just things for you.

Here are some ideas: You could do an advent devotional. Advent is a time in the Christian faith to prepare your heart for Christmas in the four weeks prior to Christmas. Every year I do an Advent devotional and acknowledge the Advent season in a variety of ways. I love it and the rest that turning to God and looking at the beautiful Gospel story gives me at this time of year.

Another idea outside of Advent Studies: You could read the Christmas story repeatedly in the days leading up to Christmas. My husband, Adam, did this with friends this year leading up to Easter. They read the crucifixion story in each Gospel account week by week. Then they would talk about it over breakfast on Friday. I'm personally planning to read the Christmas story in different Bible translations leading up to Christmas.

Wondering where to start with Advent Studies? Here are some Advent Devotionals To Check Out :

- The Dawning of Indestructible Joy by John Piper

- Unwrapping the Names of Jesus by Asheritah Ciuciu

- Come, Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp

- Emmanuel: An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas and Always by Ruth Chou Simons

- FREE Advent Reading Plan for Really Little Kids

- Risen Motherhood Advent Round Up List

I'm a big reader, and during these weeks, I'll have a few good books I'm working through. I especially love doing seasonally relevant books, like mysteries set in the snow. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley is a GREAT read this time of year if you like mysteries. Another fun thing, I will watch daytime TV and stick to a workout plan going into the new year.

Family Tradition Ideas:

I have a 15-month-old, so we don't have family traditions yet. However, here are some ideas I've seen and personally love.

Cookie advent calendar: I got this idea from my Mother-in-law. When Adam and his brother were kids, they would decorate cookies as a family and add them to a bag to enjoy each day leading up to Christmas. The bags were on a handmade Advent calendar in the kitchen! So fun.
Advent devotionals for the whole family daily: There are plenty of Advent devotionals that can include your kiddos. Try picking one that can involve the whole family.
Wrapping up Christmas books and letting your kids open up one per day leading up to Christmas: Nancy Ray shared this idea on episode 90 of The Work and Play Podcast. (Colin is OBSESSED with books, so he will love this one.) Basically, you’d wrap up all the Christmas books you have from The Grinch to Polar Express, and every day the kids get a new book to read! These would be the same books year over year, but they feel like new gifts each Christmas since they haven’t seen them since last year.

Our past and current Christmas traditions:

Adam and I make a date out of putting our tree up. After setting it up, we have Christmas cocktails by the fire.So cozy and fun!
For our entire relationship, Adam and I have done a yearly Christmas date. Not on Christmas, but sometime in the month of December. We start by making Christmas candy (Adam’s childhood recipe!) and getting hot chocolate at a coffee shop; then, we drive around and look at Christmas lights. After that, we have fancy dinner reservations before looking at even more Christmas lights. When we get home, we watch Christmas-themed episodes from shows like The Office.
We take Colin to look at Christmas light shows, which he loves! He even loved it as a 4 month old last Christmas, so now at 15 months I’m sure he’ll have a blast!
We have a Christmas party with friends. Last year I did dirty Santa with some mom friends. This year, we are throwing a Christmas party at our house and inviting many friends.

I hope you have a beautiful Christmas and that this inspires you to take some much needed time off as a business owner.

This Episode is brought to you by Haute Stock!

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Advent/Christmas Podcast Resources:

Risen Motherhood Episode #81 Celebrating Advent with Little Ones

Risen Motherhood Episode #42 Making Christmas Traditions Matter

Risen Motherhood Episode #146 Finding Rest in Advent

Risen Motherhood Episode #177 The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Work and Play Episode #90 Our Favorite Christmas Traditions

Work and Play Episode #172 My Christmas Game Plan

Behind the Bliss Episode #208 An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas and Always with Ruth Chou Simons

Random Links I Mentioned in the Podcast Episode:

Peppermint Mocha Nutpods

Red Christmas Pajamas from Amazon

Sugared Cranberries Recipe

“The Hunting Party” Book

Links Mentioned: