7 Secrets I Learned This Summer

Once a quarter, I think back on what I've learned. This summer I'm sharing - everything from how to keep hair out of the drain to a secret to a longer life!

August 30

~ Today’s Scripture Art and secrets I learned were designed to help you write Psalm 8 on your heart and home. ~

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Once a quarter, I look forward to reading Emily Freeman’s “What We Learned” series. I am fascinated with the premise not only because I like to learn (especially from the Bible – as you have probably figured out by now) but because it makes me sit back and take stock. Emily always includes the most interesting things and I learn several new things from her post every time! So – you guessed it – I am joining in! And I hope you will learn something new from me today. Life-long learning here we come!

Without further ado, and in no particular order, here is a round-up of 7 completely random “secrets” I learned this summer.

Of course, seven!

1. Secret Insect-Control for Your Garden

This has to be the most unusual thing I learned this summer. It came via email from my local garden center. Did you know that you can buy live ladybugs on Amazon? I haven’t tried it – and I’m wondering how they stay alive – but they appear to be guaranteed to arrive alive. So why would we want to buy ladybugs – besides the cute factor? Well, I did some research and the experts say they will eat the destructive bugs in your garden. This is a much better – and cheaper – solution than pesticide! But if you try this, be sure to release your mail-order ladybugs at twilight and after chilling them, so they won’t all fly away.

2. Secret Solution for Doubts About the Bible

Do you have secret doubts that the Bible will give you everything you need for life and godliness ? The Bible study, Open Your Bible, will help! 2 Peter 1:3

By far, the best book I read this summer was more than a book – it was the Bible study Open Your Bible. If you have any doubts at all about the Bible (We’ve all been there!), and you wish you didn’t, then this Bible study is for you! The authors truly understand how you feel and they share all about how far they’ve come …

“I hear you, friends. I absolutely find myself feeling less than equipped when I approach my Bible most days. I also see you hesitantly leaning in, wondering what I may have to say about the reliability of God’s Word. That’s great – lean on in!”

It’s nice to hear from women who have been there, tried that, and eventually did find God’s Word to be enough.

2 Peter 1:3 (CSB): His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

3. Secret for Keeping Hair Out of Your Shower Drain

Please tell me I’m not the only one who has the disgusting problem of hair clogging the shower drain. I had been using a really ugly hair-catcher from the grocery store that had to be constantly cleaned. I decided it was time to find a more attractive (and hopefully less-gross) solution. What I found was not only way more attractive, but it doesn’t have to be cleaned – just throw the little basket part away. And it’s cheap! Score!

4. Secret to Calming Fears

This was the best quote of the summer! Definitely something to ponder. (And while you’re there, follow me on instagram! Thanks!)

5. Secret Ingredient for Your Quiet Time

James 4:8 Scripture Art Draw Near to God

While digging deeper into James 4:8 (which I was hand-lettering because it was a reader’s favorite verse), the Lord pointed out something I had been leaving out of my quiet time with Him. Something super important. Something found all over the Bible. So much so, that we really should stop and take notice. All it took to see it was to read the rest of the verses in James 4, and it was clear as day… Drawing near to God and humbling ourselves should go hand in hand. Every time. Click here for proof.

6. Secret to a Long Life

A cup of coffee a day will keep the doctor away? This 10-year study found that drinking coffee is associated with a longer lifespan and lower risk of death from all causes—but especially from cardiovascular disease and cancer, two of the top five causes of death. But the email I received pointed out that this was an observational study, so the standard caveat needs to apply: it doesn’t prove that coffee consumption caused the lower risk of death, it just showed an association between coffee consumption and longer lifespan.

But if you’d rather have a sure thing …

John 11:26 (ESV): and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

7. Secret About Writing Scripture on Your Heart

Does God want us to memorize Scripture? Colossians 3:16

As you can probably guess, anytime I see “write them on your heart” my head does a double take. So imagine my delight when one of my favorite Bible study writers wrote a blog post titled One Powerful Way to Write Scripture On Your Heart. And guess what? We were on the same page! Her one powerful way turned out to be the same way I wrote about here and she even mentioned the exact same reason I gave this blog its name. How cool is that?

Deuteronomy 17:18-19 ESV: “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them,

There you have it. Seven sensational secrets! Ok, sensational might be stretching it. But it was a good quarter for learning. Hope you learned a lot too!