If there ever comes a time when you lack creativity, appreciation, and wonder, I find that heading straight to the edge of the ocean is a sure remedy.

Last weekend I listened to “Oceans” while gazing upon the ocean and I thanked God for giving us this beautiful abyss cloaked in blue, that we might begin to grasp with reaching fingers the vastness of His love and grace.

The remarkable thing is that while even the sea has its limits, His love cannot be contained in depths or distances.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  –Romans 8:38-39

If those verses don’t want to make you cry happy tears or shout for joy or sing His praises, then check your heart, dear reader. Because we need to understand the implications of this. Nothing can separate us from His love in Christ Jesus. Not our past failures or inadequacies or mistakes; not our moments of weakness or selfishness or bitterness; not our periods of doubt or misunderstanding or faithlessness.

This past week I fought with Kevin because of my selfishness and became jealous of a friend because of my pride, and I grew impatient with just about everyone I came across. That’s only from the past few days; I couldn’t even come close to airing out all of my sinfulness from my life if I tried. My life is messy and imperfect and completely flawed. That’s why these verses make my heart full of gratitude and joy…because none of these things can sever God’s love from me.

Jesus wants us no matter how weird or messed up we are. No matter how deep the hole we are in or how shattered and broken and bruised we may be, Jesus is there, willing to heal our wounds and cloak us in His saving grace and whisper, "You are so loved."

My sins and messiness are not irrelevant, but praise Jesus because His love is also not contingent. We need not hold on to guilt or unworthiness, because nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And that is amazing.

Hit refresh. Flip the channel. Check cell phone. Refresh, flip, check, repeat. Because I am a part of the generation of multitaskers, of social media enthusiasts, of masked perfection seekers.

We are incessantly busy and bombarded with images and words. And I don’t think these things are necessarily bad. But, apart from grace, too much of anything often ends up being a negative thing. Lately I have been flat-out overwhelmed by the constant connectedness. Also, I recently heard a disturbing statistic that the average American adult’s attention span is 8 seconds. 8 SECONDS, people. I feel like we are progressively turning into that dog from Up.

It’s not surprising that so often disconnect stems from constant connectedness. It’s not surprising that I long for rest from technology and crappy TV.

I find myself desiring silence and reflection and calm. I guess I’m mostly just looking for a balance between hitting refresh ever few minutes and throwing my phone against a brick wall.

Because the infinite voices are deafening and I can rarely hear the one Voice that matters.

How do you balance living in this world while preparing for another world?

Maybe the Amish are onto something.

Or maybe not.

Here’s the deal. I’m not going to quit the Internet completely or give up my cell phone. I’m not going to delete all my social media accounts or disconnect my TV. And maybe one day I’ll do those things. But right now it seems pretty impractical for a business-owning girl who gets most of her customers via social media. Also, I believe there’s so much good that comes through the great big world of the Internet.

I just need to take a giant step back. I’m not really sure what that looks like yet, whether it is time restrictions or spending days unplugged or giving up a few forms of media. But I desperately want to spend more time in the Word and go on more hikes and let silence fill the room. I want to notice the people around me instead of looking down at my phone, and I want to savor a moment without feeling the need to Instagram it. I want to spend my time wisely and purposefully and passionately.

To see more of my workspace, go to this post.

Today marks one year since I started this crazy and chaotic adventure of having my own business. It has been weird and hard and exciting and filled with lots of joy.

The first time I knew I wanted to start a business was my sophomore year of college. After graduation, I was sucked into feeling like I needed to get a “real job” and put my adventurous ideas behind me until we were settled and had lots of money in our savings account. Then the Lord moved us to the middle of cornfields and Hogs fans (also known as Arkansas), and I found myself saying “why not now?”  My rational side said, “Umm maybe because you’ve only been married two months and you know zero people in this city apart from your husband and you have no idea what you’re doing.” Obviously my rational side didn’t win this fight. And I’m so glad it didn’t.

I can’t explain why, but when so much of life felt new and different and transitional, I took the leap and started Alex Fly Designs.

While I don’t love every facet of entrepreneurship (i.e. taxes, not having a steady paycheck, etc.), the good definitely outweighs the bad. I love starting new projects and making my own schedule and working with customers on their visions. I love dreaming up ideas and writing down everything and working from home and coffee shops. I love seeking out great and inspirational charities and businesses.

I have also learned so much over this past year. I learned about running a business and about making new things and about myself. I learned firsthand that dreams are important and that art matters. The best part is I am still learning, still growing as a business owner and as a person. And I know people probably want to hear that I have it all figured out as a business owner because- you know, they are buying stuff from me and all- but that wouldn’t be the truth and it won’t ever be. Because the day I stop learning new things is a day when I have to somberly re-evaluate what I am doing. Learning is such a vital part of moving forward in life.

So thanks for hanging in there with me this past year through my stumbles and failures and for rejoicing with me in new ventures and ideas. I am eternally grateful that I have a job I love.

To celebrate one year of Alex Fly Designs, there are a few new items for sale along with a 20% discount on everything (just enter the code ONEYEAR) October 8-11. Also, I will be gifting a set of Little Reminders with every purchase over $20 during the sale! 

Climbing a volcano in Guatemala. Not Mt. Everest.

We have a small canvas that hangs in our house with a green painted cross and the verse “I thank my God every time I think of you” (Phil. 1:3). It was gifted to be by a friend and it reminds me of college and lessons learned the hard, painful way. Lessons learned through difficult times and tears shed in my tiny college apartment. It takes me back to a time in my life when it felt like I alone carried the burden of filling every grain of sand that exists in the world into a mason jar or attempting to climb to the top of Mt. Everest while wearing flip-flops. I felt scared and frustrated and helpless.

It reminds me of the evil in the world and the silent battles people fight every day against that evil.

I keep the painted canvas on display because it also reminds me of my friend. It reminds me of the time she stood next to me and pledged to carry my (now seemingly small) burden with me. It reminds me that we don't have to be silent about our afflictions; there are other people willing to stand beside us and share not only in the joys of life, but also in the trials. And while there are so many untrustworthy and hateful people in the world, there are trustworthy, honest people out there too, willing to fight battles and wipe tears and carry burdens. We don't have to climb Mt. Everest alone.

How beautiful it is that Jesus tells us to "bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2). This was one of the first verses I memorized, but I often overlooked it because- yeah, I know this already- bear one another’s burdens, love your neighbor as yourself...I learned this in Sunday school when I was 10 and received a sticker on my Bible for it too. But when I sit down and really think about the implications of this verse, I am amazed. Because if we really bear one another’s struggles and pains, if we really love our neighbors as ourselves, if we truly care for each other the way Jesus did, it changes everything.

It’s why we have small groups and feed the homeless and bake casseroles (The train of thought regarding casseroles is so clear to me.) It’s why we cry while listening to hardships and why we cultivate relationships and speak kindly to strangers. We love because He first loved us. We are privileged to share in each other’s burdens because Jesus, the ultimate burden-bearer, took our sins upon himself. And bearing one another’s burdens is to imitate Christ.

I am constantly in awe of the intricacy, yet simplicity of the gospel.

Jesus, help us to bear one another’s burdens the way you bore ours: selflessly and sacrificially loving. 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments I give you today are to be on your hearts...tie them as symbols on your hands. Deuteronomy 6:5-6;8

When I look down at the sparkling rings on my left hand, I am reminded of my wedding day. I am reminded of the commitment Kevin and I made to one another: to love each other deeply regardless of circumstance or years passed, to put one another's needs before our own, to put Christ at the center of it all. My ring is so much more than a piece of jewelry Kevin gave me on a cloudy September day; it is a symbol.

And what if all jewelry and art were viewed as more than something you wear or display in your home, but as something you passionately believe in? What if they symbolized something greater and reminded you of something deeper, full of life and hope and love. 

These are the things I think about when sitting down to create. And it is from these thoughts that I made the new line of rings. Created with tiny knots, these simple rings are truly tied on one's hands, reminding us to love the Lord with all our heart and all our soul and all our strength.

My desire is that these rings can serve as simple reminders throughout stressful and busy days. Throughout days when our hearts are rushed and we are at the end of the rope, we might remember what truly matters. That we may tie them as symbols on our hands.

For more information about the new rings, head over to the shop!

My aunt is one of the most likeable people on the planet. She is also a very good cook. (I’m pretty sure these two attributes are interchangeable.)  She wears Christmas sweaters and calls you sugar and genuinely loves people in a way that few people do. So when she asked if I could make a print using this verse for her kitchen, I was excited and honored.

They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. -Acts 2:46

When she sent me this verse, I knew I wanted it to hang in my kitchen, too. Because I think it’s a beautiful picture of community and fellowship, and I want my home to be that place where people can come and find rest.

I went back and read the rest of the chapter in Acts to understand the bigger picture of this verse. The Holy Spirit had just come upon the apostles. Some were amazed at their changed behavior, and some mocked them, thinking they were a bunch of drunks. Peter addresses the crowds by explaining what has happened, what is happening, and what is to come. Peter preached the gospel.

After Peter’s plead for others to accept the gospel message, the last section describes the fellowship of the believers:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2: 42-46

 And I strive to have this kind of community. They had everything in common not because their clothes were similar or they lived in the same neighborhood or had kids the same age, but they had everything in common because they responded to the gospel the same way. Because Christ's death and resurrection changed them. Together they gave to those in need without looking back. They met every day and probably shared their struggles and joys and questions. They ate together with glad and sincere hearts. To live life this way would be hard and vulnerable and wonderful.  

Now the print hangs in my kitchen and it reminds me of the way God-centered community and fellowship is supposed to look like. Full of honesty and selflessness and Jesus.

This print is now available for purchase! For more information head over to the shop.