In 2017 I prayed about starting a blog and as a result, “Embraced by Grace” was born. I’ve posted on and off over the last almost seven years, but have been super consistent over the last year and a half. My life looks radically different than it did seven years ago and as a result I’ve realized that my blog needs a refresh. If you know me in real life or watch my stories on social media, you know that I love to bake and cook from scratch. Sourdough has been one of the most fun skills to learn in the kitchen and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning more about this incredible way to bake delicious bread and other goodies. I started making bread using sourdough shortly after my dad passed away in May of 2022 and we haven’t purchased a loaf from the store since!
As I’ve continued to learn more about baking with sourdough I’ve had multiple people encourage me to branch out and sell it from my home. After a lot of prayer and consideration, I’m excited to announce that I’ve decided to do it! I’ve been working hard to perfect my recipe and do all the behind the scene things that needed to be done. While I’m not 100% finished getting everything situated, I should be within a week or two and I’m so excited to finally get things going! It will start out porch pick-up style, but I also hope to incorporate farmer’s markets and things like that in the future! The support and encouragement I’ve already received has been incredible and I’m excited to see where this micro-bakery takes me.
As a result of needing a name for my new business, I realized that it would make the most sense to rename my blog and make everything as cohesive as possible. I’ve begun the process of building a new website and I hope to have it up and running as soon as I possibly can. I also think that the new name and vision encompass more of where I’m currently at in life. I wanted a title that would bring together my love for Jesus and my love for being a wife, mama, baking, gardening, etc. I want a space where I can share about Jesus and share recipes, gardening tips, or anything else that has to do with my life. I have big dreams and hope that you’ll join me on the journey!
Like I mentioned last week, I’ve become very aware that “someday” may never come, which is why I’ve decided to go for it and start this now instead of waiting for “someday” to come. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13, we’re reminded that as believers we don’t have to grieve without hope and that is a verse that I have reminded myself of so much. Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” That is what I want — that the God of hope would fill me with joy and peace, so that by the Holy Spirit I would abound in hope. I want my household to be filled with the hope that is found in Jesus. I want my life to reflect the hope of Jesus. As I prayed about a new name, I landed on, “The Hope-Filled Homestead” and that’s exactly what I want our home to be — a homestead filled with hope, that is, filled with Jesus.
So, in the coming weeks I’ll be working on the new website which you’ll find at www.thehopefilledhomestead.com once it’s live. I’ll be changing things over with my social media to keep things cohesive, and get my sourdough ready to be sold. This will mean that all of my subscribers will have to re-subscribe to my blog once the website is up and running, but I’ll be sure to remind you of that once it’s ready. If it isn’t ready by next Wednesday, there will not be a new blog post next week. If I’m able to get it up and running by then, there will be a new post on the new website — and one here to let you know that it’s ready!
So often I’ve thought about what my “gift” is and how I can use it to better serve God, my family, and the people around me. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what my “gift” was — as if there was only one and that it was the same for my entire life. Now, I’ve come to realize that we all have multiple gifts and which ones we use can depend greatly on the season of life that we’re in. In my current season, one gift that I can use for the glory of God and the good of the people around me is baking bread and selling it. I know that there’s something to be learned in this new business — I’ve already learned some things and I’m just getting started! Just like I prayed after my dad’s funeral that I would be open to see how God was going to use that in my life, I’ve been praying that I would be open to see how God is going to use “The Hope-Filled Homestead” in my life. As believers, we don’t have to grieve without hope and we certainly don’t have to live without it!
I’ll end this post quoting Romans 15:13 again — which says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Song(s) of the Week: This week I chose “I Have This Hope” by Tenth Avenue North! Enjoy!
Discover more from The Hope-Filled Homestead
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
