From Stressful Living to Joyful Living: Ruth Chou Simons & Jess Connolly

Think of a time when you were able to spread a little sunshine to others. What kind of happiness and fullness did that bring you? God calls us to be conduits of His joy, peace, and healing, but we can only do that once we develop our faith muscle enough to leave the stresses and pressures of the world and step into His calling for us. Artist and writer Ruth Chou Simons always had a love for art, but felt pushed into places the world deems more practical. Creativity and beauty continued to find its way into her life through cracks and crevices, and after Ruth became a mom, she started a blog, Grace Laced, as a way to muse on the way God’s faithfulness was showing up in the everyday, and it led to an artistic career that brought her fulfillment beyond her wildest dreams. Life coach and author Jess Connolly has made it her personal mission to help people discover what their God-given gifts are, because it’s not about what we can do with our lives, but who we can serve through our actions. Jess has learned over the years that on our own, we could never be enough, but by His grace, we are.

 

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:

Jesus Calling Podcast

Jesus Always

Jesus Calling

Past interview: Jaci Velasquez

Upcoming interview: Julie Carrick

 

Ruth Chou Simons

Grace Laced

GraceLaced

Beholding and Becoming:The Art of Everyday Worship

Grace Laced Shop

 

Jess Connolly

You Are the Girl for the Job

Bright City Church

Go and Tell Gals

1 Peter 2:9

 

Interview Quotes:

“I thought my worth was so tied to what I could accomplish. And long story short, the Lord really did get a hold of me, and God in His kindness showed me that nothing I had to bring to the table, no matter how hard I tried, no matter what college I went, to what degree I graduated with, what job I landed, none of those things could earn me to favor with God.” - Ruth Chou Simons

“Those are truly just seasons that come about where God really breaks you of things that you think can save yourself. And He shows you what true salvation is.” - Ruth Chou Simons

“I was simply writing to faithfully document and see how God's faith, God's favor, and His grace intersects everyday life, even when life wasn't turning out the way I expected it to.” - Ruth Chou Simons

“I think anything, any dream you have, anything you want to do successfully in a big way, you need to do faithfully in a small way.” - Ruth Chou Simons

“There are lots of things we want to be in the presence of. And we forget that we were made to be in the presence of our Savior.” - Ruth Chou Simons

“Fullness of joy comes through Christ and through our knowing Him.” - Ruth Chou Simons

“We get to be rooted in the good news that though we are not enough, God is.” - Jess Connolly

“One of the best ways we can fight fear is saying true things about God.” - Jess Connolly

“I have learned that part of the beauty of prayer is that when I pray for certain things, for God to move in certain ways, I begin to look for and see the fruit of those things. And so I'm really praying to see His power and to see His presence and to see His peace manifested in people.” - Jess Connolly

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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel:

Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH

Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ

What’s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ

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