The Captivating Woman

Designed with purpose.

Introduction to Passion Week

Passion Week (noun): the week between Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday. Also known as Holy Week. 

Passion Week is a very special time in the church. It covers the last few days of Jesus’ life until His death and resurrection.

Together, we will be reading scripture which will tell of the story of Jesus, leading up to his death. We will also reflect on the passion of Jesus; the passion so that He could suffer for us and our sins. What a magnificent Man to come to this earth, knowing that the ultimate goal was to die for all.

He knew of the joy at the end, though.

“Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” – Hebrews 12:2

Praise the Father that there was joy for the Son.

Starting Sunday, we will be reading together as a community. Join us everyday, up until Easter. Invite your friends to join us as well.

Instagram this graphic and use the hashtag #thecaptivatingwoman. Click here to download graphic.

See you on Sunday.

Meet Tasha Branham

I met Tasha through an email. I posted a photo on our Instagram to start the search for “Captivating Women of 2016”. Tasha, boldly sent her email. I instantly was in awe and captivated by her. You’ll read her story and learn what she does. She’s amazing, talented, and her own girl boss. We are excited to share Tasha with you! Everyone, please meet Tasha Branham.


Question: Where do you live & how old are you?
Answer: I am 35 years old and I live in Columbus, Ohio.

Q: What do you do for a living?
A: I am the CEO of Naturally Smitten (@naturallysmitten) which is a line of natural products that I developed. We are currently in select Walmart stores nationwide. Our products can also be found abroad in France, the UK, and Australia. I am also the Co-Founder of The Grapevine Box (@thegrapevinebox). The Grapevine Box is a monthly subscription service that introduces new and emerging brands to consumers. I am also a consultant for businesses and ministries. I work as a brand strategist in helping companies implement social media efforts to speak to and attract their target audience.

Q: What three words describe you?
A: Encourager. Creative. Worshipper.

Q: Give us a day in the life of Tasha.
A: My day starts at 6am. I have two sons and I make sure that they are up and ready for school. Once the boys are gone for the day, I use my initial alone time for prayer, worship and intercession. It helps me to set the tone for my day. Being a CEO and having so many things going at once, my days can be rather unpredictable. I find that if I enter His presence early, He can carry me through my day.

After prayer time, I make my to-do list. This list helps me to stay on task. As a creative, its easy to allow your creative mode to drive your day, and before you know it, you didn’t make it to any other task on your to-do list because you spent too much time in creative land!

My to-do list is followed with responding to emails, sending emails, checking our social media, planning posts for the day, and any order fulfillment. I also devote a lot of time in conducting research and brand analysis for some of the brands I work with. I also live for meetings! I have meetings and conference calls every day of the week. Sometimes, I’ll have meetings that run all day or they’ll be scheduled back, to back, to back.

Once my boys are home from school, I have to put the mom and wife hat back on while I simultaneously work. As a CEO, your work never really ends. It may just slightly pause until you have to pick it back up.

My evenings are typically jam packed as well. I will schedule in family time with my husband and kids as much as we can. My husband and I are also Co-Pastors of Advance Church Columbus. During the evening is typically when I will schedule in mentorship time with women that I am mentoring. Our church has a discipleship model and my husband and I spend time throughout our week conducting one on one time with some of the members of our church.

Q: What is the favorite part of your job(s)?
A: My favorite part of my job is inspiring others. God has blessed me in a way that has given me the opportunity to inspire other people to chase after God and to pursue the dreams/desires He’s given them. That is the thing I am most passionate about. I absolutely love to encourage women to pursue their passions.

Q: Do you ever feel disqualified?
A: Absolutely! When I share with people my journey to Walmart, I always tell them about how we made it on shelf with absolutely no money. It was a faith walk from the very beginning. Since then, I’ve had to believe God even more. Walmart wasn’t the end! Its been a huge test for me and people have often looked up to me as one that has great faith. I actually have struggled with fear and doubt often. I’m always encouraging others in their faith when my faith wavers. It’s easy for me to allow my bouts with fear to make me feel like I am disqualified to receive God’s blessings and to be an inspiration to others when I don’t have it all together!

Q: What is the biggest thing you’ve learned on your journey?
A: I learned that if we place limitations on God, that it limits Him moving in your life. I used to dream but I dreamt small. The things I prayed about and asked God for were small in comparison to His purpose for my life. When I would pray concerning the desires of my heart, He would move. I would get a new job or a new opportunity, etc but I wasn’t fulfilled. I began to seek Him to learn more about what His plans were for my life. Once He began to speak, I was able to see just how great His desires were for me. So…I began to dream a little bigger. And a little bigger. And a little bigger. I had to learn that there is no-thing that is too hard for the One who created the earth and the heavens in six days. Who else can compare to that? No one! I began to allow Him to woo me in my relationship with Him. I became hopelessly lovestruck and now, there’s nothing I won’t do for Him. I took God out of the neat little box I had placed Him in and I am now living my dream as they unfold on by one. I am so fulfilled knowing that I am doing His work and that I am positively impacting the lives of others!

Q: Favorite verse?
A: Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Q: What makes a Captivating Woman?
A: I believe a Captivating Woman is a woman that has the ability to impact and positively change the lives of other women. Her life is one to be inspired by. Her relationship with God is a source of encouragement. She is modest, caring, and walking in God’s unwavering love. A Captivating Woman displays the fruit of God’s Spirit in every area of her life.

Q: Favorite story in the Bible?
A: I enjoy most of the Old Testament! It’s so hard to choose. I’d say that my favorite read is when the Children of Israel were delivered from their captors in Egypt and lead into their promised land. There are so many life lessons throughout their journey!

Q: Who are some Captivating Women in your life that we need to know about?
A: My friend Lena. I love Lena. I really do. She is so creative and such an inspiration! If you met her, you’d love her just as much as I do! She is the Founder of Farmhouse Frocks (@farmhousefrocks) and to me, she’s a walking model of faith!

Find Tasha here, as well as check out her businesses!

Instagram: @tashabranham
Twitter: @tashabranham
Snapchat: @tashabranham
Website (in working progress): www.tashabranham.com

The Grapevine Box:

Instagram: @thegrapevinebox

Naturally Smitten:

Favorites: February 2016

We wanted to do something fun at the end of the month. One of us ladies will share some favorites for the month or we might either reflect for the month. It’s not set in stone. Each of us have a different writing style. I know for myself, I have to do something different to get my creative juices flowing again. Today I’m sharing some of my favorites things from this month.

February has been a great month. Can you believe that March is in 5 days? Yeah, me either. This month consisted of a lot of Jesus Culture – especially their new album “Let it Echo“. I couldn’t tell you a favorite song from their album because I love it all. I listened to it 3x in a row. It got better every time. I’ve tweeted lyrics. Shared their clips on Facebook. Sat in my bathroom & worshipped. It’s been good.

Where have I been listening to their album from? Spotify, of course. When people tell me they use Pandora and have never heard of Spotify, I gasp. “You don’t use Spotify?! Oh, we are changing that.” If you haven’t heard of Spotify, let me introduce this great service. Spotify is a way to stream music. You can download the App on your phone or download the program on your computer. You can create playlists. Listen to whole albums. You can check out what your friends are listening to. There is a free version and a paid version – Spotify Premium. I’ve discovered a lot of new music from Spotify & the playlists they have created. You can listen to books on there, as well as learn a new language.

IF:Gathering. Wow. What an amazing gathering. This is their mission: We exist to gather, equip and unleash the next generation of women to live out their purpose. I rounded up a group of girls from my home town and we spent most of our weekend relaxing on couches live streaming the event happening in Austin, Texas. David Platt, Jo Saxton, Angie Smith, Eugene Cho, Jennie Allen, Sweet Maria Goff….the list goes on and on. If you haven’t heard of IF, well check them out – click here. You can purchase this years gathering, too – click here!  Their leaders are some of my unofficial mentors. These women can passionately preach the Word. I want to be just like them. I love IF.

The last thing I’ve been loving, which has been every month, is Benefit’s “They’re Real” mascara. I’ve very picky about mascara. Many mascaras lie to me. They may do 1/3 things that they advertise. I love this mascara because it does curl my lashes, as well as lengthen. There is volume and lift – it’s amazing. People have asked if I’m wearing fake lashes or if it’s my lashes. I proudly tell them I’m not wearing fake lashes. Now, let me explain. My lashes don’t have a fake look. When people ask, they are just surprised that lashes can look like this. I’m a big fan of the formula. Go ahead, buy yourself a tube – click here.

Kale Smoothie

You either clicked on this because: A) you like kale, B) you’re thinking, “How can you make kale taste good in smoothie form?”, or C) Opps! This was an accident. I dislike kale!

Honestly, I didn’t want to jump on the kale kick. I didn’t want to be like everyone else with a green smoothie in their hand. But after reading up on about kale, I found some interesting recipes that caught my attention.

Let’s talk about the nutrition in kale.

There is a TON of Vitamin A, C, & K (+ more!). There are antioxidants in it. It can lower your cholesterol. It’s also cancer fighting. It’s a good source for minerals. Really…who is taking a decent amount of minerals daily? Kale is great for your eyes! It can help you loose weight or keep it off. (Information from 10 Proven Benefits of Kale.)

Yes, this leafy green veggie contains all of this!

So you’re probably thinking, “Hmmm…I might need to get my hands on some kale.”

Kale, yeah.

To me, kale smoothies are a great way to get the source of goodness & they are the easiest for me! I use my NutriBullet and BAM – smoothie! In the smoothies that I make, I use no bananas. For some reason, I dislike them. They create a weird film in my mouth. You can always add bananas to yours, but in mine, you’ll see none.

I don’t measure either – everyones favorite person, right? You’ll see in the recipe that I use the term “handful” as a way of measurement.

My recipe consists of kale, fresh pineapple, 100% pineapple juice, raspberries, juice from oranges (not included in today’s post), chia seeds, and ice. Yep, that’s it!

This is my “pick-me-up” smoothie after work. I do believe that my face feels brighter after I drink it.

Tips: Cut the stems off of the kale. To me, this adds yucky bitterness.

Also, add orange juice! When I made my smoothie, I forget my oranges right AFTER I blended my drink and drank half of it. I knew it tasted differently. Fresh orange juice is the real deal.

So, I hope you enjoy! Any questions, comment below!

 

Print
Kale Smoothie

Ingredients

  • Handful of kale - stems cut off.
  • 5 raspberries.
  • Splash of 100% pineapple juice.
  • 4 pieces of cut up fresh pineapple.
  • Juice from 2 oranges.
  • 1/4 teaspoon of chia seeds.
  • 1/4 or 1/3 of crushed ice (depends if you want it thick or not).

Instructions

  1. Put all ingredients in blender and start 'er up.
  2. Enjoy!
https://www.thecaptivatingwoman.com/kale-smoothie/

Meet Edith Taylor

Here’s the thing: none of us who write for The Captivating Woman are wives or mothers. So when we get in contact with someone who is married and/or has children, we jump on it! Our mission is simple. We want women to be encouraged by other women who are serving the Lord in their unique ways. Serving God is not cookie cutter & I love that it’s like that.

Let me introduce Edith.

Edith contacted me with a lovely email nominating her friends to be a part of the “Meet Captivating Women” series. She ended the email humbly saying, “I am only entering myself because I promised someone I would after them bugging me.” She said that she didn’t believe she was qualified, but I instantly had to kill that lie. Don’t you ever feel that coming out of your mouth? “I am not qualified. I don’t do anything special…” For years I said that. But 2 Corinthians 3:5 says:

“It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.”

That’s where Edith comes in. Her heart for motherhood comes deeply from the Lord. She believes that motherhood should be filled in grace and that mothers should walk in it daily. I know that there will be some mothers who will be encouraged by Edith – I sure was, as a single woman.


Q: Where do you live & how old are you?
A: I am a very young 31 years old, but I still get asked if I’m in my early 20’s. I’ll credit that to my extreme shortness. I live in a very old, tiny little farmhouse in Corvallis, Oregon. We are surrounded by mostly pastures & we are neighbors to a bunch of sweet cows.

Q: Give us a day in the life of Edith.
A: I hate mornings with every ounce of me so after 5 alarms (my husband loves it), I finally force myself to roll (some day’s literally) out of bed. Then my toddler son heads off to the sitters while I go to work for a pest control company where I handle most of the rodent & wildlife services. It’s the most amazing family owned business & actually a really interesting job!  After I head home with my son we get to do my favorite thing, which is lots of fun playtime. Since I work all day, I really strive to make the time I have with him very intentional. Dinner is for catching up on each other’s days & talking around our farm table my husband built. I always always lay with my son as he drifts off to
dreamland. Finally when it’s quiet it’s time for strict routine: cleanup, pack lunches, make dinner for the next day, dishes laundry & writing or editing. I used to have a fulltime photography business on top of all of this, but God asked us to lay that down for a year of devoted family time & growth. It was the hardest decision filled with the greatest reward.

Q: What three words describe you?
A: So my blog used to be mostly for my photography business, but instead of closing it I decided to transition it to an outlet for my heart. I’ve always really loved to write. As my love for motherhood grew deeper, I found myself wanting to share that love with other moms. I’d spend time each night writing (what my husband calls novels) on instagram, so the blog was a very easy outlet for me. Honestly most of my posts are written sitting on a tiny footstool in my kitchen during the evening when the house is still.

Q: Describe your heart for motherhood & pouring into your family.
A: Oh gosh. So from day one I’ve had a deep passion for being a mother. I truly believe that I was designed to be a mom. To love in that constant unconditional way was so natural. That being said, our first few years with our son were excruciating. Our son didn’t sleep through the night by any means until around 11 months, from 4 months to 12 months we had 12 ear infections, 2 rounds of croup, endless colds, a vicious flu, popped all of his teeth except his 2 year molars & developed an antibiotic allergy. I was so overwhelmed by the trial; I began sinking in all of the advice that everyone gave to fix it. I read every book, tried every method, researched every this or that but nothing helped. No matter what I did it was contradictory to someone else’s advice & I could feel the sorrow mixed
with judgment in daily interaction I had with other moms. I distinctly remember my complete meltdown in the kitchen after he developed the antibiotic allergy because I’d heard some comments about how it was our fault for giving him the medicine. I told God I was at the end of my rope, that I was tired, that I needed answers. That I needed to know what to do. It was the first time I really questioned if I was capable of doing this.

The hard part of being a mom today is that in this world of advice & judgment we have to find the confidence that God has in us for ourselves. It was on that kitchen floor, broken into a million pieces crying the ugly cry that God reached down, transformed my heart completely & started a momma bear fire within me. Not only did I finally understand that I needed to have grace for myself, but also know that I could walk in total confidence because God was leading my decisions as a mother. And if God is leading my decisions, they are always right. Once we finally are able to breath in the truth of who we are as moms, we can start living in the freedom of that. This freedom allows me to make decisions for my son’s health & know that it is the very best thing for him. To not question myself as a mom, allowing me to be his biggest advocate. I get to raise him based on what God has spoken to me in prayer & not worry about the 7 million pieces of advice I can get in a day. That same confidence allowed me to close a photography business just as it was exploding in order to put my family first. The greatest transformation in my entire life has been through the hardest journey of being a mom.

Q: What’s the favorite part of your “job” (Being a mom & writing on your blog)? 
A: The word that keeps coming to my mind is loving. Honestly it’s just the best part. Loving my son through serving him, caring for him, playing with him, teaching him about God. The best part is seeing him growing his heart & showing that same compassion to others. The best is when he does it so naturally & unprompted. Every night I pray over him, the same prayer, in the same order, the same words. He has started to ask before I can say anything to pray for others. He always decides who to pray for one after another. Watching him grow that innocent heart for the Lord, that is the
victory in it all. It’s the payoff for being diligent in raising them, for doing those 10 million thankless jobs, for praying out loud when we think they’re not even paying attention. This is in addition to the endless giggles, the snuggles, that freak the heck out excitement when I pick him up each day. I just honestly love every part of this mom gig.

My favorite part about writing again is about loving. To speak in a love that is calling out the freedom of grace in other mothers. There is so much pressure out there to do everything right, not talk about the taboo, pretend like we have it all together & delicately wrap it up with a Pinterest bow. Honestly I don’t have time for all that fake bull honkey. My favorite is getting to the nitty gritty & praying in the trenches with mothers. I really truly believe that we are all incredible mothers. That we are doing an amazing job, far better than we think. When I get to encourage women who are in the hard places of motherhood & speak truth into their hearts, hope into their days, love into their trials. That is where it’s at for me. Pouring so much grace over them that it overflows & they can’t help but breath it back out. I love to call out that confident mother in other women. To help them transform into a heart that believes in themselves.

Q: Favorite verse?
A: Wait do I really have to pick one? I’m studying the scripture about rest right now (#edithlearnstorest) so I have a lot of them. If I have to narrow it down these are my rock verses that carry me through anything. “Count it all joy, my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2 – 4. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3

Q: What makes a Captivating Woman?
A: Captivating is defined as to be capable of attracting and holding interest. I think this is such a good description of who God is. This amazingly beautiful, loving person that just draws people to him in the most natural way. To me, a captivating woman is someone who does the same for God’s kingdom. A woman who is always mindful of walking out a representation of heaven, with a heart of Christ. Someone who champions for us to live in truth, honesty, grace & freedom. Not worried by the judgment of others or opinion of the world, but simply the approval of her heavenly father. She is a woman who carries the Holy Spirit so thick that effortlessly they draw in others to see out God’s truth.

Q: Favorite story in the Bible?
A: I’m always intrigued by the story of Abraham. To have that kind of faith that you can come to a place of almost sacrificing your son. With that amount of trust in God…I just…it blows my mind every time. Can you imagine believing in Gods sovereignty so deeply, to the extent that Abraham did? To trust God literally with every part of you. I used to pray when we were in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy a prayer to be like Abraham. That no matter what happened on this road of motherhood, God would give me the ability to have faith like Abraham. To trust him to that extent with my son. With my family. With my life.

Q: Who are some Captivating Women in your life that we need to know about?
A: There are a few women that I just draw richly from. My friends Faith & Mountains in Ethiopia. Brad & Bethany Canfield moved their family to help run the Soddo Christian Hospital. Bethany is hands down the most Godly woman I know. She speaks loving truth where ever she goes in the most
honest & raw way. She is humble, passionate for God, walking out an overwhelming calling & the most beautiful soul. I miss her so dearly, but love the work that their family is doing. Stephanie Tait from The Joy Parade Blog. This lady is an incredible mother of two amazing little boys. She blogs, writes, speaks & is honestly the one that is my glue. My friend Karen Stott who is the founder of the Pursuit 31 Community for women. She hosts conferences, writes devotionals, created the Intentional Home Project. She is an unbelievable woman who is so head over heels in love with Jesus it’s contagious. My life has been changed so drastically just by knowing her heart for intentional families & devotion. Jacki Moore who is a beautiful light to this motherhood journey. I love watching her motherhood unfold in an honest, real way that breaths life into others. The tenderness of her heart calls out the softness in others & connection to the father always lifts me up on days when I need some truth.

Find Edith on her website www.simplykissed.com
Instagram: @simplykissed
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimplyKissedPhotography