5 Friday Favorites: July 17, 2026
Happy Friday, Friends! I am back in Virginia for a bit. I’ve slept in five different states in less than a month, so it’s a wonder that I even know my own name much less which zip code I’m in. Steve and Jenn’s Excellent Adventure continues . . . Here are some favorite things from this week.
How Good is He
I attended the Speak Up Conference in Grand Rapids. The worship team at the conference was amazing. We sang this song which I had never heard. Beautiful.
2.Woven Tote Bag
My travel and conference buddy, Cara, has this great woven tote bag. It holds so darn much stuff. It’s a perfect bag for travel and is less than $30. Lots of great colors
3.Balance Room and Linen Spray
Since I’ve been in numerous hotels in the past month, this Balance Room and Linen Spray by Eco Candle Co. has been a game changer. I will not leave home without it
4.Magnesium Glycinate
The internet is constantly yelling at us about supplements. The suggestions are plentiful, but the benefits of all these pills, powders and gummies often aren’t as plentiful. I have found that Magnesium Glycinate supplements are worth the “add to cart”. When I heard that magnesium glycinate would aide in sleep, relaxation and reduction of stress, I was all:
For me it seems to be true. My suitcase did not make it from Michigan back to DC. (Sidenote: “YOU GOTTA BE BETTER, AMERICAN AIRLINES.) I didn’t have my magnesium for a few nights and I totally could tell a difference in the quality of my sleep. Worth a shot, if you’re staring at the ceiling at night.
5.The 2026 Speak Up Conference
I had the most amazing time at the Speak Up Conference for Christian Writers and Speakers last week. When Cara and I arrived in Grand Rapids on Wednesday, our friend, Heather - a Michigander and a fabulous hostess - took us straight to Chick-fil-a (obvs) so we could drive thru for a quick lunch.
Our next stop was crucial because the Hilton where I was staying only serves Pepsi products- which is illogical, if not criminal. (See also: Reagan National Airport)
So we hit Target and secured Diet Coke for me and Coke Zero for Cara.
Later that evening our sweet Heather took us to dinner in Holland, Michigan with her adorable family and then out to the shores of Lake Michigan which was stunning.
The water was gorgeous and the sunset seemed to be telling us that God was going to do some amazing things during our time at the conference.
And He sure did.
We’re moving closer to my manuscript becoming an actual book that I can hold in my hands, so at this conference I leaned in to learn about the marketing part of the book publishing process. To tell you the truth, it was like drinking from a fire hose. Marketing, platform building and promotion makes me feel like crawling all the way under my bed. At one point when my brilliant friend, Courtney, was giving me some ideas for marketing on Instagram, I must have been staring at her like this . . .
. . . because she started laughing and said, “Jennifer, what is that face? You can do this. I promise. I will help you.”
And this is the blessing of being with a community of women who are fighting against comparison and competition, knowing that we are all called to help each other spread the Good News as far and as wide as we can in whatever way God has gifted us to do so. This quote from keynote speaker, Pastor Marvin Williams, had me weeping:
And now . . . as if I am your Aunt Linda and Uncle Larry who just got back from a cross-country road trip, I’m going to offer you a slideshow you didn’t ask for. Each of these women is doing everything she can to follow the call to share her story - stories that all at once are messy and mundane and marvelous - to show anyone who might read or listen the goodness and freedom of a life with Jesus. I am also linking their websites, so you can check out their ministries.
This is LaVerne Vest and Courtney Doyle who are both Delight Machines. LaVerne is a fellow boy mom who has the calmest, sweetest spirit and like me, appreciates a bit of indelicate boy humor because how else are we to survive it??? She has a wide-ranging ministry serving women, teens and parents. Courtney is a speaker and podcaster who hosts The Mom Show and offers faith-based parenting coaching.
Because God is full of surprises, I ran into Tara Norbeck. We chatted on and off for a couple of days before we realized we are both from Rockwall, Texas where we both were cheerleaders about four years apart. WHAT IN THE ACTUAL WORLD? When she told me her maiden name, I knew exactly who she was because little dorky Middle School cheerleaders, like myself, were obsessed with Varsity cheerleaders. Two small-town Rockwall gals sitting at the same table for dinner at a conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. WILL YOU LOOK AT THE LORD?? Tara has an amazing testimony and you can go here to her website to preorder her book set to come out in September.
And yes, Rockwall peeps, we did break out into “Two Bits, Four Bits, Six Bits, A Dollar” right there in the hallway. Sting Em, Jackets.
This is my new bestie, Deanna from Indiana, along with the aforementioned lovely LaVerne from Louisiana. Deanna was my sports-soulmate. We bonded about college football and proceeded to get the giggles way too many times during the presentations. A girl who can make me laugh when I’m supposed to be solemnly breathing in the Holy Spirit is my favorite kinda girl. Check out her website here.
This is Cara, Michelle and Heather. Cara wrote an incredible book called The Hallway Miracle, Michelle has written a number of great books and is a great follow on Instagram, and Heather is our magnificent Michigander who wrote a beautiful book, Barren.
Writing my newsletter each week as I sit in solitary at my desk is easy. Sharing my friends’ work is easy. Putting myself out there in public on social media to market my upcoming book will be way out of my comfort zone. What I heard this weekend was that if God puts a message on your heart and calls you to share it with His people, you best not cower under the bed. Ain’t no use hemming and hawing with the Creator the of universe. ;-) Having said that, buckle up because you’re going to be hearing about an upcoming book called The View from Behind Home Plate: Looking for God between the Bleachers A LOT over the next several months. Deep breath.
Until then, please check out my faithful, wise friends. You’ll be so glad you did.
Have a great weekend, Friends.