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Equipping you to brave forward in life, work, and faith.

Hidden Word Shop

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Colette Eaton

Colette Eaton

Colette Eaton

Hey friend! I'm excited to meet you! I live in Portland, OR and completely love city life. My hubby and I have been married for 10 years and still completely adore each other. I am a Jesus follower who is passionate about building up the local church and developing healthy communities. It's so nice of you to stop by! So grab a coffee or a glass of wine, and hang out a bit.

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What’s on my mind

What’s on my mind.

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I can’t keep reinventing the wheel. I love starting new things but I don’t love trying to make them grow. I am notorious for buying pretty plants for my yard. Only to then not water them regularly, and eventually, they stay small or die. . We all get stuck along that path somewhere. . For me, the middle is the most painful. It’s the messy, complicated part of any journey. This is where we feel our lack of energy the most and doubts become our closest companion. I was reminded this morning when reading from the book of Acts that boldness and wisdom are found in our being with Jesus. . “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13 . My tendency to reinvent the wheel comes from a place of doubt in what I am in RIGHT NOW. For me, it’s safer to plant something new than it is to risk the investment of watering a tiny plant. 🌿What if it doesn’t grow? 🌿What if I planted the wrong thing?! 🌿Should I use fertilizer? 🌿Do I really have to weed this much?! (Ok, that's about enough of this metaphor. I think you get the point.) . I know what these questions are and where they come from. They come from an inflated sense of self and a deficient sense of God. I might be in seminary but I am “unschooled” in so many ways: . “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all the mysteries and all knowledge...but have not love, I am nothing.” (1 Cor. 13:2) . I have been a believer in Jesus since 1994. I am still learning what it means to love him and what it means to be loved by him. I believe Peter and John knew what it meant to love him and be loved by him because they were WITH HIM. So this is a little reminder to myself and perhaps for you too: Jesus is in the messy middle with us but he’s not offering a plan for success; he doesn’t even promise clarity in the paths we’re walking. He offers himself. My prayer is that will be enough for us. #lethatbeenoughlord
Getting close to the white space!! #tgif 🙌🏻 This is my attempt to block out and schedule #allthethings I have going on right now. I actually love my block schedule! I also organize my weekdays by theme to keep things simple~ *Mon & Tues: School & Study *Wed - Fri: Blog & Business What do you find most helpful to keep things organized? #friyay #getorganized #blockscheduling
{ON THE BLOG} But don’t quit THAT: A personal pep-talk on how to keep going in the face of opposition ~ As I was explaining to a professor at my seminary why I switched from Master of Divinity to Christian Leadership, she asked me “Well, what do you really want to do?”. Sheepishly I said, “Really, I just want to work and lead in a local church but I don’t want to deal with the uphill battle of being a woman in this calling.” (A little context: I recently resigned from a position at a local church.) We continued our conversation for a bit and one thing she said, has stuck with me: “Yes, quit a job but don’t quit THAT.” ~ READ MORE on the blog ☝️link in profile ☝️ #dontquit #bravingforward . . . . . #shetheroar #inspiredwomen #handandhustle #dreambig #sheislight #thatsdarling #thehappynow #gritandvirtue #propelwomen #purposefulliving #faith #womenoffaith #finditliveit #dreamchaser #deeplyrooted #creativeminds #lovewhatyoudo #livelifefully
I’ve changed major, my job, and my church since I walked through the doors of this Seminary two years ago. It’s amazing what learning forces out of you and into the real world to wrestle with. All the reading and projects and discussions, it sharpens you like nothing else and you can’t leave it in the classroom. It follows you, begging you to ask questions and uncover new treasures (or any crap you have to deal with). It’s painfully enlightening because we often find ourselves too comfortable with the things we don’t know. This week, I entered into my third year @multnomahuniversity as a Masters in Christian Leadership student and the one big thing I am walking into this year with is this: ~ When it comes to leadership and leadership development, you can only take people so far as you are willing to go yourself. ~ And that shit is scary because it requires so much courage to take account of ourselves. Everytime we step into the leadership ring, we bring our strengths and weaknesses, our wholeness and our brokenness, regardless of if we want to or not. As a leader of any kind, we are in the business of developing people and that begins with developing our very self. So here’s to another year of growing pains! #backtoschool #seminarylife
I can tell I’ve missed a week of writing when my mind just won’t shut up. All I wanted to do was sleep after a long day but noooo, I had to take my dog out in the middle of the night and my mind took advantage of that: “Good, you’re up. Let’s talk”. 😑 These are the times I am convinced I am a writer. I may never write a book, gosh, I can barely write two blogs in a month! But writing has always been the primary way I process the world and so to skip that sacred time, is to skip time with myself and God (He’s my processing partner). Vocations don’t fade. They stay with us. Jobs come and go. Hobbies live in our closets and gardens. Careers can be taken away. But our callings, those are our very own. They are embedded in our souls. We take them everywhere we go but they often get pushed aside, waiting patiently for a time they can once again take up space in our life, even at 3:30 AM. #hopewriters #juststartwriting
When we choose to grow instead of remain stuck, not even a pile of rocks can stop us. Choose today to keep growing; In love, forgiveness, self-awareness, gifting. There are endless possibilities before you today. And don’t be overwhelmed by the amount of possibilities, just take the next small step; even if it is just taking out the trash or cleaning off your desk. Choose to grow today, this week, and keep choosing. There is beauty in what lies underneath whatever pile you find yourself under today. #hellomonday #mondaymotivation
I’m not going to feel guilty I can’t write this week. I refused to feel that I will somehow be behind because I can’t post as much or write a blog this week. I’m giving myself permission to be overwhelmed by life in this moment and not allow shame to tell me I might as well give up. This is not a 100 yard dash but a long walk on the Pacific Crest Trail. My pace is my own. I claim it with thankfulness. I know I’ll keep going and doing what I love but this week, it’s stepping aside for a brief moment to make room for other things. Nothing is lost. Grace is gained. All is well. #bravingforward . . . . . #shetheroar #inspiredwomen #handandhustle #dreambig #sheislight #thatsdarling #thehappynow #gritandvirtue #propelwomen #purposefulliving #faith #womenoffaith #finditliveit #dreamchaser #deeplyrooted #creativeminds #lovewhatyoudo #livelifefully
{ON THE BLOG} In one sense, it would be easier to recognize the hunger in my belly; to be so starved that I would even consider eating food from a pig trough. This would be undeniably obvious that I have left abundance for severe scarcity but we don’t experience spiritual hunger like this. It’s much more subtle and easily ignored... ~~~~ This blog is about some of our infertility journey but mostly about how my faith has been tested through it. Even if you don’t have a story like mine, these practices are for anyone who has left the comfort of God’s house to pursue something on their own, only to find yourself poor and hungry aching for home. READ at the link in profile 👆#faithandinfertility #ttccommunity 📷 Brandi Ibrao on Unsplash
You don’t have to figure it all out now. You can step away to breathe. It won’t all fall apart if you take some time to take in some fresh air. Trust me, your soul will thank you. #notetoself #mondaymotivation

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