It's FRI-YYYAAAAYYYY and I'm super excited about the weekend. I have some fun stuff planned and get to see family & friends as well. Do you have anything fun lined up this weekend?

You know what else I'm excited about? August is almost over. Well, half-way anyway. Come.on.fall.already!

I'm linking up with Andrea to share my favorite things from the past week. In no particular order...

Favorite #1

HOPE CITY. I may have been out of town this past weekend and missed going to the service in person, but THIS sermon was the one that truly changed my perspectives on relationships to see it differently a few years ago. I watched the video (below) of the sermon and took (new) notes to share with you.

- We shouldn't conform to the patterns and ideas of this world (Romans 12:2), but study the word of God so that when our bodies naturally lead us to temptation we are able to make wise decisions based on our knowledge of the word. "Restraint without revelation always leads to rebellion." If we're told not to do something without understanding why, then the temptation is even stronger.

- Sex is a gift created by God to be enjoyed as a blessing under the confines of marriage.

- The world wants us to believe that sex is only physical, but it is also emotional. Genesis 2:21-24 explains that we are united as one flesh with the other person, and therefore we carry our past sexual sins (or sexual abuse) with us emotionally. It affects everything in our lives.

- Your spirit is connected to God. If your spirit is not awakened and alive in Christ yet, then you may be dead to your sins (not realize it is a sin) because our bodies tell us what we desire and to seek what feels good. When we’re not in a relationship with Christ, we’re following what makes us feel good all the time. When you’re alive in Christ, you realized your need for Jesus and your spirit is awakened and saved, BUT our bodies are still a heathen (desires). Our souls are getting cravings from the spirit and are now in conflict with our bodies’ desires. We’re at war within ourselves (see Romans).

- Sex is connected to every part of your life, and you give yourself to someone emotionally and physically, you can’t ever truly untie that emotional bond. Then, whenever we have a problem in our marriages instead of looking to God, we look back to someone from our past and compare the current person to the old person and create problems from that soul-tie bondage.

- Types of soul ties:

The controller – someone controls your life, you’ve lost your identity and feel like you can’t live without them. You should be able to live without the person – you want* them in your life, you don’t need* them in your life.

The heart breaker – they’ve moved on and you’re left looking back at the past and the rear-view mirror, even if the person has since moved on and gotten married, etc. – and you then miss out on the future that God is unfolding for you.

The memory maker – a song on the radio or place you’ve been together, brings back memories of a person you “loved” and then your mind starts to wonder about the person and how they’re doing. You end up trolling around on your past person’s social media just to see how they're doing and that stirs up feelings that will eventually surface when you have an issue with your spouse.

- Pastor Jeremy provides 6 steps to severing soul ties, but I'd like for you to watch it to hear about them.

***These are some of my notes and not to substitute you watching the sermon or listening to the podcast. I assure you it is astounding plus the demonstrations he uses to show examples will strike home to you. I only listed out (part of) my notes praying that those who won't take the time to watch the sermon will at least read this section of my post. =)

Favorite #2

Kyle, TX. Who knew?

Last weekend I went out of town with my girl cousins (minus one and my sisters) and we had a blast in Kyle, TX. It is a small town between San Marcos and Austin. We ended up in Kyle by finding a house to rent with the amenities we wanted (pool, hot tub, etc.) for a certain price point that was also close to Austin should we want to do anything there. Generally we stayed in Kyle to explore the local restaurants and bars and we were quite fascinated to say the least. The town only has 28,000 (approximate) residents and I feel like we stuck out like a sore thumb. On Friday night we went out for food and drinks and everyone enjoyed the pool & drinks back at the house afterwards (yours truly hit the hay).

On Saturday we lounged outside with coffee and a great, cool breeze until there wasn't any shade left. Then we snacked and floated in the pool with some drinks until it was time for an early dinner at one of Austin's popular Tex-Mex restaurants, Trudy's. After that we headed back to our weekend home-town of Kyle for drinks at The Social which played great music and has a fun patio out back, but we never made it to the patio... Then walked across the street for dancing at Room 111 & Parlor.

We all agreed that we loved the house we stayed in and the location because we were able to get anywhere if we wanted, but thoroughly enjoyed the scene and small town feel in Kyle. Have I mentioned I have the best family? Lots of fun, lots of girl talk, lots of laughs. My heart is full.

Favorite #3

Late summer sales & comfy outfits.

I snagged these shorts on sale late last summer for super cheap and I'm glad I did because I've worn them now maybe three times? I'm not really a shorts person anymore and yet I will buy them on sale to have. I'd be lying if I said that a majority of the time that I think it's a good idea to wear shorts in general that I don't end up changing into jeans or a dress. It's just a preference. I surprised myself when I put these on on Friday before heading out of town and decided to keep them on. A bit dressy, yet comfortable for the road trip. #winning

I've listed either the precise items or similar ones below in case you're interested. There's lots of summer sales right now as stores are making room for fall clothes. FALL clothes. FALL. #moveoversummerandmakeroomforfall Can you tell I'm ready?

By the way, Target has BOGO on women's shoes through Saturday, August 19th which is where my sandals are from.

Favorite #4

I was listening to one of my favorite preachers, Joyce Meyer, on my podcast feed and she was discussing how our mind affects our outlook in life and not only is every word she shared true but I also loved this quote she shared while providing a story as an example. It made me so happy in the moment because I truly believe in counting my blessings even in the hardest of life's moments.

If you'd like to watch it, you can find it here and also below.

Favorite #5

The gym, working out, fitness, health, and all of the things I lug down there with me that help my work outs.

I recently got new running shoes and as with every pair of Aesics Gel Nimbus that I've owned (four?): I put them on - tie them once and tuck in the laces - walk out the door to work out/run - and have NEVER had a blister or sore spot and never untie/tie the laces again. I swear these shoes are like walking/running on clouds. Every new pair has impressed me.

They're pricey, but worth it. And you can eventually find them on sale somewhere which helps the pocket book. That being said, I've been willing to cope with it because I had issues with my knees and needed more cushioning so when I tried on every pair of running shoes with a higher amount of cushioning, these felt the best to me. #byebyekneepain #liveandlearn Obviously find the shoes that works for you. The older versions are the same, only the colors and # changes with each version (so long as you're searching Gel Nimbus). Oh - and if you're running a lot, it's best to buy one full size larger.

Ipad / Garmin Forerunner watch / Garmin heart rate strap / Powerbeats bluetooth headphones / Aesics Gel Nimbus / Yeti tumbler / work out towel

You can shop the fitness items using the links above, or by scrolling through the images below where I also included work out attire.

You can also review a post I've shared before about my gym essentials.

http://www.everypiecefits.com/blog/2017/3/8/my-gym-essentials?rq=gym%20essential

Favorite #6

Closing time.

Move in day - April 2014

Then I blinked and...August 2017.

While I've been living in my new space for a month now, I officially turned in my keys to my old apartment this week. I walked through it one final time to take pictures (for deposit purposes) and a flash of memories rushed through my head at the speed of sound. It was my haven for many years and I loved my view of the apartment's dog park. So long & farewell. On to the next chapter I go.

Well that sums up my weekly faves for now, I think. Is there anything fun that you experienced this week? I'd love to hear about it. You can comment below and don't forget to subscribe if you haven't already!

XOXO

Every Piece Fits

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Friday Favorites - August 18th 2017