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What is Prime in Your Life?

July 11, 2019 by Lauren 28 Comments

prime – (adj) 1.  of first importance; main Dictionary

 

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance:� that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,”  1 Corinthians 15:3

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Amazon Prime Day is almost here.  This annual event is bigger and longer than ever – lasting a full 48 hours.  July 15-16 the retail giant will have slashed prices on electronics, kitchen gadgets, clothing and toiletries.  They are broadcasting videos with shopping tips which, once watched, enter you to win giveaways. There is even a prime day concert this year.  Taylor Swift’s picture is on it.  I assume that means she’s singing.

 

I thought about doing a detailed post with pictures and links with all the crazy good deals you can find.  Lots of bloggers are, but I decided against it.  Full disclosure:  I am an Amazon affiliate.  This means that if you purchase anything from Amazon through the links I share, I receive a tiny commission at no additional cost to you.  I do this because running this website costs me some money, and as of now, no one is offering to pay me to write.  So every little bit helps.  And the link at the top of this post is my affiliate link.  If you click it you will see what Amazon is planning and if you purchase through it I will benefit.  But honestly, I’m not pushing you to purchase.

 

Why has Prime Day even become a thing?  My guess is because there is a lull in all major buying holidays in July and the retail geniuses at the Zon came up with a marketing strategy we couldn’t resist.  Sale prices from the comfort of our homes with free two day delivery on top.

 

I’ve been reading A Practical Guide to Culture:  Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today’s World by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle.  My daughter’s youth minister gave it to me and I’m getting so many great tips on how to have conversations with her about the world we have created for ourselves to live in.  And we ARE having good discussions.  I’m not done reading it yet, but it’s so good I might continue to reference it another 2 or 10 times.  What I did not expect from it, was to feel personal conviction for some things I have been a little (or a lot) too complicit in.  When I started thinking about a Prime Day post, chapter 12 on Affluence and Consumerism was all I could think about.  Not deep discounts on Fire TVs and designer clothes, but the $1.2 trillion dollars Americans spend annually on “nonessential goods like jewelry, alcohol, candy, recreational vehicles, gambling, and more.”

 

Now, while some struggle with debt, many can easily afford these luxuries, but at what cost?  Americans have “more money, disposable income material goods, technology, leisure time, vacations, square footage in our homes, quality health care, computers, cars, and conveniences than past Americans.  We have more wealth and more possessions than any civilization in the history of humanity.”  It sounds like we should be happier.  But that’s far from the case.  “Americans today report more symptoms of depression and anxiety than over the past 50 years”, and so much depression among young people that teens and pre-teens from affluent, well-educated families are the newest identified “at-risk” group!

 

Stonestreet and Kunkle believe that “beneath consumerism, idolatry lurks.  It sells an approach to life that says, ‘I’m the center of the universe.  Everything exists to meet my needs and satisfy my desires.'”  But when our stuff fails to make us happier, more important or personally better; we, like Solomon, discover that it is all meaningless.  Stuff may make us temporarily feel better, but the feeling never lasts, and often masks a need for true heart change.  We can’t live in order to consume when we are made to contribute.  I know I can do better with the resources God has so generously given me.

 

Now that I have been a huge internet downer, let me bring things around to say that I do believe – like the authors state – that God created us with the capacity for pleasure.  He is so kind in this.  And we can love the good things He gives us as long as our love for Him is not eclipsed.  Let’s keep first things first.  So if you have delayed gratification on that Instant Pot or want to get some discounted Christmas shopping done early, by all means thoughtfully hit up the Amazon sales.  And if you do, please use my link above.  I’ll be so grateful!  And thanks for reading.

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Do You Prime?

October 4, 2018 by Lauren 23 Comments

Before you start to think this is any type of advertisement or endorsement for Amazon, let me confess that I am not a die-hard.  I have subscribed to the Prime program on and off through the years depending on how helpful/ financially beneficial it seemed for my family in any given season.  But I am currently in an “on” season and have found “Prime” to be a relatively universal language.  If you aren’t a fan of the “Zon”, I ask that you reserve those feelings for your own blog or social media account.  I simply felt that with Christmas right around the corner, it might be fun to share some of my favorite things that are easily accessible to everyone – whether or not you might choose to get them online.  (In the interest of full disclosure, if you click on my link to purchase the product or anything else, I will receive a few cents at no additional cost to you to help offset the expenses of running this website.  And thank you very much.)

 

To start, my current obsession is this Bible study aid.  It looks like the throwback four color pen you used to get excited about in elementary school, but 3 of the four colors are highlighters (albeit thin ones) for underlining and one is a black pen.  All four cooperate nicely with flimsy Bible pages and won’t bleed through.  Loving it!

 

The Bible Study Pen – Carded  $2.99

 

True confession, I have not actually used the next product because I am still using up a much more expensive, similar product.  But a nurse at the hospital whose lashes were to die for told me this is what she uses.  If it can produce even close to the same results as the products out there that cost 3 times as much, I’m here for it.

 

Nutra Luxe Lash MD, 3.0ml – $43.85

 

The next product I bought on the endorsement of my best friend Patsy.  We both sit through all day tournaments and do some traveling for the sports our children love.  And someone is ALWAYS running out of phone battery.  This charger has a long battery life, charges relatively quickly and can accommodate up to 3 devices at once!  The solar powered aspect comes in handier for Pats who attends regular baseball practices and tournaments outside, than it does for me sitting in temperature controlled gyms for volleyball (God bless my daughter for choosing an indoor sport).  But I still love it and have taken to carrying it all the time in my oversized mom purse.  I have not tried the little fan that came with it, but if I were outside at a baseball tournament, I might!

 

Power Bank Solar Charger – 24000 mAh – $39.99

 

Also on Patsy’s advice (What?  She’s my fave!), I got these short charging cords to go with it that can just stay plugged into it all the time.

 

VOKOO Short Lightening Cables – 5 pk – $9.99

 

I ordered this book for a gift.  I have already devoured it and think all my girlfriends should too.  It is from my absolute favorite non-fiction author and it’s about friendship.  These precious and funny stories will have you texting or calling your girls immediately for a GNO.  If you haven’t read it, you should.  But buy extra copies to give to your friends that are extra!

 

Nobody’s Cuter Than You  – Paperback – $14.92

 

OK, this next thing may not be as handy to you as it is a glimpse into my life.  If you don’t already use kitchen shears, let me enlighten you.  I have an entire counter-top crock filled with scissors we only use on food and food packaging.  They work soooo much better than a fork and knife to cut everything from pizza to raw chicken.  Since I have an 18 year old who often needs very grown up food cut up into toddler size bites for safety, I often longed for my kitchen shears when out at restaurants.  Until I found these.  They are small, portable and slip into a cover for safety.  I keep them in my oversized mom purse all the time and wish for my shears no more.  I’m sure they work well on things besides pizza and chicken tenders, too!  And you get all 3 pairs!

 

Plus Pen Style Compact Twiggy Scissors – $13.99

 

While we are sort-of on the subject of food, I love this healthy pita bread and can’t always find it at my grocery store.  It’s low calorie, low carb, high fiber and still tastes like bread!  I use this mystical unicorn for Gyro’s, sandwich wraps and breakfast tacos.  And I love knowing I have a back-up location to get it.

 

Joseph’s Flax Oat Bran and Whole Wheat Pita Bread – $14.99

 

And last, I love this easy to wash and wear dress.  I know the style is a little summery, but the colors are fall-ish and the price is right.  Heck, if you live in the south like I do, you probably have several more weeks you could wear it!  If you think, however, that you can order it but style it on the shoulder instead of off, you would be wrong.  One sleeve is shorter than the other, forcing you to wear it as the model or look crooked.  Don’t ask me how I know.

 

Verdusa Women’s Color Block Half-Sleeve Split Loose Shift Maxi Dress (because that just rolls off the tongue) – $22.99

 

There you go.

My favorite things I have “primed” (who knew that could be a verb) in 2018.

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 You may not feel closer to Jesus after reading this post, but maybe it was helpful!  In the comments tell me the best thing you have ordered online recently.  I need ideas for Christmas too!  Happy shopping!

 

 

 

 

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About Me

I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
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