Hey, friend!

The Nancy Ray Book Club has been something I have LOVED hosting, and every year I aim to change it up a bit and improve it. In 2019, I’ve decided to keep it simple. I’m pretty excited about what’s to come!

• 6 Books

• 6 Emails with reading plans

• 6 Podcast episodes

That’s it!

Here’s what we’ll be reading:

January + throughout the year:
The Life Giving Home

February + March:
Anonymous

April + May:
The Year of Living Happy

June + July
The Sacred Enneagram

August + September:
The Coaching Habit

October + November:
Switch on your Brain

December Bonus Book:
Crucial Conversations

So how do you join? Great question!!

• Purchase the 6 books

• Sign up to receive the Emails

• Listen to the Podcast Episodes*

*The plans are for the Podcast to launch in the spring, and you’ll be emailed the links when they are ready for a listen!

I’ll also be blogging my book reviews here on the blog, so if you miss a book or a podcast episode, you can still participate in the conversation!

Here’s what I learned from the 2018 book club: I bit off a bit more than I could chew. Granted, I did not know or plan to get pregnant in the spring, move (home and studio) in the summer, travel like crazy in the fall, and have a newborn just before Christmas. So I’m accepting grace from all of you and heaping it on myself as well.

For 2019, I figured I’d read half the amount I normally do. Why? Well, I have no idea what life and work will look like as a mama of 3, so I’d rather sign up for something I know I can do instead of take on too much. But I also know if I DON’T host a book club and choose my books now, I won’t read them. And a year without reading is just sad! There’s so much to learn out there, I think it’s worth it to continue.

Affiliate links are used in this post! When you use these links to purchase your books, it helps keep the book club going ;)

Well friend, here we are again. It’s been over 5 years since God put the Contentment Challenge on my heart for the first time. Since then, I’ve done the Contentment Challenge about once a year, and again and again, it changes me. Which is why, on January 1st, I’m doing it again!

My friend Kat is joining me, and I’d love for you to pray about joining us, too.

So what is the Contentment Challenge, you ask? GREAT question!

Here’s the story in a nutshell:

After paying off our house back in 2012, Will and I accomplished a huge financial goal we had sacrificed and worked for. Weeks afterwards, we began arguing about money wayyyy more than we ever had when living on a tight budget. I thought I could shop at Whole Foods and Anthropologie and do all the things I had sacrificed, and went over budget for 3 months straight. Sorry, Babe.

Then, I spoke at Making Things Happen, and God began to whisper the word “contentment” in my heart. “Nancy, are you really content? with just Me? or do you always have to buy new things?”

I felt a tugging on my heart to give up shopping for 3 months. After fighting the Lord in my head and heart for 2 days straight, I finally gave in. To do this well, I planned it out and created the Contentment Challenge:

So after recently buying a new house (and buying a lot of new things), I’ve honestly fallen back into a lot of…

“Hey that’s cute!” (Clicks buy now button on Amazon)
“Goodness the girls would love that” (Throws it into my cart at Target)
“Look at that deal!” (Adds to Anthro’s online cart)

More than just a bad habit, it’s an underlying spiritual issue. I’m lacking in self discipline. I’m finding my joy in material things, not in the Lord. I’m straight up distracted from the precious souls in front of me, and I’m tired of it.

So for me, this contentment challenge is going to be focused on my heart. As I settle into being a newborn mama for the 3rd time, I’m asking God to SHOW ME real life. To be completely immersed in the GOOD things and gifts all around me. To be more in tune with relationships and family. That I’ll stop comparing my life, my house, my things with other people.

My prayer: God, what do you want MY LIFE to look like?

So, if you feel like you might also need a heart check…

If you feel like you want to experience JOY right where you are....

If you feel like you need to stop wishing for “one day” and praise God and live in TODAY…

Join us.

I can say this because I’ve done it before: The Contentment Challenge will change your life.

It’ll expose the ugly sides of yourself, but will expose the beauty of what you already have, too. And it’s ONLY 3 MONTHS of your life! It might feel like forever, but it’s so short in the grand scheme of your life.

So, if you want in, here are the guidelines for joining the Contentment Challenge 2019!

The Guidelines:

• For the next 10 days, your homework is the following: prepare your heart, organize your closet, and make any necessary purchases that you might need during these months. (This is not a last minute shopping spree! This is one final trip to the store for items you will need, and the opportunity for you to say your goodbyes to Target.)

• Choose 1-3 inspiring books to read during this time. I would recommend any of the following: Seven, Weird, The Celebration of Discipline, 1000 Gifts, Essentialism. I’m planning to read one book (because newborn life): Cozy Minimalist Home. (Feel free to leave additional recommendations in the comments!)

• Gifts are okay! If someone gives you a new dress or piece of decor during that time, receive it graciously! If you need to buy someone else a gift, by all means, do so. The point is not to be rude, but to learn more of ourselves and the Lord.

• Necessities are okay! If you drop and break your phone, please go get a new one! If you lose your glasses, buy a new pair. Just don’t start justifying new purchases for items that you already have. (“I really need this bathing suit, even though there are 8 in my closet already.”)

• Food: please buy food for yourself and your family :). From my experience, this is a good time to stop grocery shopping at Target and instead choose a grocery store. Some who have done the contentment challenge have chosen to use this as a time to forgo eating out. If you eat out all the time, maybe it’s best for you to limit it to 2x a month. I’ll let you decide what you want to do here!

• You must actively pursue something – anything – that replaces your tendency to buy stuff. Begin thinking about something you love or a hobby you’ve always wanted to do, and make preparations to actually do it. (Reading and Running are my go-to hobbies!)

•••

If you’d like a little more information about the Contentment Challenge and how to prepare for it, download our FREE extended guide below! You’ll also get monthly emails once the challenge starts in January for accountability and encouragement!

Finally, the official hashtag is #contentmentchallenge! So be sure to share your struggles and victories along the way on Instagram. Who’s with me?

Every year I endeavor to read 12 books - 1 book a month. I’m not the fastest or best reader, and with two little ones it’s definitely a challenge to read! But it’s always, always worth it! After reading 10 books this year (I don’t think I’ll make it to my 11th or 12th with this baby), I’ve come away with my Top 5… and they are GOOD.

Let me just say - every one of these books changed my life. I don’t say that lightly. I highly, highly recommend each one! Here’s a brief synopsis of why I loved them (and why you should totally buy them and read them if you haven’t)!

A Simplified Life - This is THE perfect January reading. I’ve found myself referring back to it so many times. If you are anything like me, you need a pep talk before decluttering or cleaning out. This is the best, warmest, no-nonsense pep talk you can get. And the best part? It’s got beautiful colorful pages of images, pages that you WRITE on and interact with, and a realistic approach to simplicity. Not to mention, it’s written by my dear friend Emily Ley, who is just a gem. And photographed by my dear friend Gina Zeidler, who is incredible. Bonus: it’s an easy read!

Techwise Family - A short, powerful read. Goodness this book was so eye opening, and I cried my eyes out in the last chapter. Andy Crouch shares that Technology is a good thing when it’s kept in its proper place. In the day and age we live in, technology can quickly take over in unhealthy ways. He lays out his family’s 10 commitments regarding technology, many of which we’ve embraced in our family. It also has some of the best paragraphs I’ve ever read regarding pornography - a scary but necessary topic for every family. I’ll be re-reading this one several times in the coming years!

The Road Back to You - This one is alllll about the Enneagram! If you haven’t heard of the enneagram, you’re dead to me. Okay okay that was harsh and not true… but you should start researching it! This book is an awesome place to start. More than taking an online test, this book helped me understand my number and my husband’s number. Plus, his style of writing had me hooked 2 pages in!

Deep Work - This is a great kick in the pants book! It’ll make you think deeply about how to get work DONE. And the why behind our work. In one part of the book, Newport talks about how many people think we are happiest when we are at leisure, but how that’s actually not true. Us humans are most fulfilled when we are producing things that matter, “deep work” as he calls it. “Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It's a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time.” I have to say - I love the days where I feel like I’ve truly produced something, you know? As soon as I finished this book, my work days changed for the better.

God and Money - Buckle up for this one. It’ll change your perspective in the best possible way about money! Here’s the deal: our money has a purpose wayyyyy bigger than our security, our pleasure, our provision. Those things are good and right, but our money is also meant for the kingdom! Favorite things about this book: It’s super scripture heavy. It’s incredibly practical (they include real life examples, testimonies, and numbers). And I also cried at the epilogue when the authors explained how writing this book wrecked their lives for the kingdom in the best way.

What were your favorite reads of 2018?

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