Work and Play with Nancy Ray

Get ready for another one of your past favorites! Today's episode was originally Episode 005: Calling vs. Assignment. I hope you enjoy. I think it's pretty safe to say that when it comes to our work, we want to be part of something that we are called to do— something that is full of meaning and has purpose, something that is in line perfectly with our passions and giftings. But today I want to challenge our way of thinking, and really the language that we use describing our work and our calling. For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/131.

Welcome to the Nancy Ray Book Club, where every month I share a book I'm reading, and three big takeaways that I have from that book. And you can always find more information about the books I'm reading at nancyray.com/bookclub, where you can join in reading them with me. Now, I've got a quick update on the book club for the rest of 2021. I did not realize in the beginning of this year that I would be needing a six month sabbatical and that I'd be taking off six months from work and this podcast and social media, which simply means I'm going to be putting the Book Club on hold until 2022. Fighting Forward, this interview, is going to be my last 2021 Book Club episode, and all the other books I did not get to are simply going to be pushed back to 2022. I just want to thank you for your grace in this. Listen, you know, my approach with this book club is very relaxed anyway—read what you'd like to read, participate as you can. If a book doesn't sound interesting, you don't have to read it with us. I personally hope to do a lot of reading while I'm away, but realistically I have a newborn baby and three other children. So I just appreciate your grace towards me, as well, while I kind of redirect and do things a little differently to serve my work and my play and my life and my family and you guys, as best as I can during the season of my life. Today, I have a conversation with a friend and author Hannah Brencher. Hannah is such a breath of fresh air. She is a writer, a TED speaker, an online educator with a heart for building leaders. She has written three books. First, If You Find This Letter. Second, Come Matter Here. And third, which we're talking about today, Fighting Forward. It has been exactly what I have needed to read. It's incredible. Her heart for change and for fighting for the life that God has for you is something that you do not want to miss. I think you're going to love our conversation today about how you can fight forward in your own life. For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/130.

Get ready, because I love a good morning routine. Fair warning: I am such a nerd about this. I know this sounds kind of extreme, but having a morning routine in place really enhances the quality of my life. I'm not kidding. It gives me something to look forward to at night. It starts my day off connected with the Lord and with a healthy mindset. It allows me to start my day in a place of abundance, which really determines so much of the rest of my day. So whether you have a solid morning routine or if you don't have one at all, this episode is for you. PSA: This was recorded when I was not knee deep in newborn life! For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/129. Resources from this episode: Michael Hyatt & the Lead to Win Podcast Allie Casazza & The Purpose Show What the Most Successful People do Before Breakfast, by Laura Vanderkam Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

Life is hard, and sometimes it just seems we can't move forward in our lives until someone speaks some words of life to us. So that's what I'm here for today. If you're facing something really hard, I am here to tell you, you were made for hard things. For the full show notes, visit nancyray.com/podcast/128.

As you may know, I'm currently taking a six month break from work and social media to be fully present with my family, which means that every Tuesday on the podcast, you're going to be getting a mix of new episodes, old episodes and interviews. This episode of the podcast is one of my earlier most popular, most downloaded episodes, which means it's worth repeating. This is the first episode ever of Work & Play with Nancy Ray, I hope you enjoy it. For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/127. Resources from this episode: Psalm 127:2 Magnolia Manifesto Magnolia Journal Present over Perfect, Shauna Niequist Episode 002 - Rule of Life

Hello! I am back after a two month break from this podcast! I'm happy to be back and today I'm so excited to share with you a huge life event that took place over the last two months for us, which is the birth of our fourth baby, a son, Benjamin Valor Ray. And today I'm going to be sharing his birth story with you. I'm going to go into the details of why we chose a home birth and just the story of how God used his birth to really heal me and rid me of so much fear and just show me how beautiful birth can really be. It was such an amazing experience, and I'm so excited to share it with you today.

Well friend, this is my last episode of Work & Play before I take a two month break from the podcast and a six month break from work and social media. I just want to use this time and space to encourage you. And I want to speak life over you. And I want to encourage you to speak life over the people around you. I'll also tell you a little bit about what to expect from me for the rest of the year. It's going to be a short and sweet episode, and I kind of hope it feels like a little podcast hug, and I'm excited to know I'll see you again soon. For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/125. See you in a few months! To sign up for my monthly emails during the podcast break, head to nancyray.com/emails.

Well friend, this is my last episode of Work & Play before I take a two month break from the podcast and a six month break from work and social media. I just want to use this time and space to encourage you. And I want to speak life over you. And I want to encourage you to speak life over the people around you. I'll also tell you a little bit about what to expect from me for the rest of the year. It's going to be a short and sweet episode, and I kind of hope it feels like a little podcast hug, and I'm excited to know I'll see you again soon. For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/125. See you in a few months! To sign up for my monthly emails during the podcast break, head to nancyray.com/emails.

I am so excited about today's episode! Today, Will and I are going to be sharing about how we are debt-free again, as we just paid off our house! If you followed us for a while, you know, we are passionate about financial stewardship and financial freedom, and you also might know that we paid off our first mortgage when we were just 25 and 26 years old. And today we will be telling you a little bit about our journey and how we went back into debt for the house we live in now and how we were able to pay that house off this year. Our hope more than anything is that you would be inspired and know that with some hard work and intentional planning, this could be possible for you, too. For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/124. Resources from this episode: Episode 068 - 12 Years of Marriage, Part I Episode 069 - 12 Years of Marriage, Part II Financial Peace University God and Money, by John Cortines and Gregory Baumer The Contentment Challenge The Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki The Journey of Generosity Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

Before we jump in, this is your quick reminder that today is the last day you can purchase An Integrated Life, which is an 18 lesson audio course—basically 18 podcast episodes with a workbook that you can keep coming back to, and it outlines a framework for you to grow deeper in your faith. Take authority in your home and gain clarity in your work. All for the kingdom of God had to nancyray.com/integratedlife to grab yours today. And if you're listening to this and the deadline has passed, feel free to still go to that link to sign up for the wait list, so you'll be the first to know when it comes back out again. So I have decided to take six months off of social media. No Instagram, no Facebook, no Twitter, no social media. As soon as our fourth baby arrives, I'm going to be spending time with my family and friends in real life, being present and free myself from any obligation to post or share anything for six whole months. In today's podcast episode, I'm going to share more about why I'm doing this and why you might consider doing it, too. Resources from this episode: An Integrated Life (An Audio Course) Episode 012 - 3 Habits to Put Social Media In It's Place Episode 088 - Book | Digital Minimalism Episode 093 - A Year of Contentment with Reagan Reynolds, Pt. 1 Episode 114 - BFFs, Infertility, and Miracles with Samantha Ray The Graham Cochrane Show, Ep. 105: A Year off Social Media (The Update) Shanna Skidmore's blog: I Quit Social Media for a Year. Here's Why. The Tech-Wise Family, by Andy Crouch Digital Minimalism, by Cal Newport Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!