Guest Post from Coral and Charm!!!

May 5, 2017May 5, 2017 ~ leightonmichele ~ 1 Comment

Hey everyone!

I have been so excited to share this post with you! When I first started blogging one of the first blogs I started reading and found so inspirational was Coral and Charm by Camryn. It still is one of my most favorite blogs that I read. Camryn’s posts are always so uplifting and she shines Jesus in such a beautiful way. She is an inspiration to me as a fellow blogger and I know that she is an inspiration to so many other women. Last March I asked her if she would be interested in coming over and sharing a post with all of you, and I was so excited when she said yes! I love her idea of Jesus hour, it makes me want to be more motivated to actually get up in the morning and spend more time with Jesus instead of pushing snooze as many times as I do. And honestly, all of her ideas on how to enter a new season are so good and have me ready to go implement all of them right now! Anyways, please hop on over and check out her blog linked both above and below and I promise you’ll quickly find yourself clicking over often to read whatever her latest post is!

-Leighton Michele

Hey friends! My name is Camryn and I am a twenty-something living in the sweet state of Mississippi as newlyweds with my high school sweetheart. Loving JESUS, tacos, and Gilmore Girls. I work in marketing by day so I can blog by night over at coralandcharm.com (come say hello!) and I am so excited to be here guest posting today! So refreshing to get a chance to jump in here to Leighton’s sweet space and talk about SPRING.

I’m a sucker for a new year, new month, new season, etc. There’s something about being able to start fresh that gives me an extra ounce of motivation and inspiration. And so I think it’s important to grab hold of that feeling as the flowers are blooming and the sun is back (praise!), to dig into finding what matters in order to start this new season on purpose. So here are a few things that help me start fresh well:

1. Jesus Hour. I talk about this a lot because it’s been EVERYTHING for me this year. My early morning quiet, coffee, and the Word. We can’t find purpose unless we’ve been in the presence of the purpose maker. And so I will always be a cheerleader for you to do what you need to do to know Him more. He is what matters!!

2. Taking stock. In order to know where you want to go, you have to know where you ARE. And you can’t know where you are unless you know where you’ve been, right?? (Still with me on this?! LOL). I find it helps set me up for success if I take the time to access the goals I’ve accomplished lately, to see what it is I’m doing well and what it is that I might need help on. Taking stock of my past few weeks shows me the map I’ve been creating, to help me decide if I’m moving forward in the right direction.

3. Decide what is your “On Purpose.” Write down 3-5 things you want this season to be about: More time with family, finally finishing that book proposal, drink more water, start taking art lessons, read through the whole New Testament, etc. Post it somewhere where it stays front of mind, and try and do 1 thing a day that is moving towards those “On Purpose” moments or goals.

4. Give yourself grace! Take a breath and enjoy this season. Work hard yes, but don’t forget that there is glorious in the mundane. To start fresh well, you’re going to need decide ahead of time that it’s OK to need more grace or more help or more time.

You’ve got this friends!! Cheers to starting fresh well this Spring.

xoxo

Camryn

Easter Morning

March 26, 2016April 9, 2017 ~ leightonmichele ~ Leave a comment

“For every curse, you’re the cure
For every sickness, you’re the healer
For every storm, you’re the calm
For all that’s lost, oh, what a savior”

“On that cross of calvary
Every burden has been defeated
Every wretched heart redeemed
You drown our sins in seas of crimson”

“Hallelujah death is beaten
Christ has risen from the grave
Hallelujah it is finished
All to you the highest praise”

Dress: Gianni Binni Shoes: Gianni Binni Hat: Croft&Borrow Purse: Versona

Necklace: American Eagle Earrings: Versona Bracelet: Juicy Couture

“Where there was sin your love rushed in
Where sin runs deep your grace runs deeper
For all enslaved the ransom paid
Light of the world, yours is the power”

–Seas of Crimson

Ever since I have been little I have loved Christmas. I loved the magic of it and the fact that it was the moment the greatest miracle was put into motion. The miracle that would find its completion years later on Easter morning. There is a song by Wes Hampton that’s chorus goes, “Oh what if Sunday had not come? What if the sun had never dawned? What if eternity, was eternally gone? What if the One who came to save, had never risen from the grave? What if Sunday had not come?” I love this song because it points out one very important thing, if Jesus had died on the cross and everything had ended there, everything we as Christians believe is in vain. Without Easter Sunday, Jesus is just another man in history who died a cruel and violent death at the hands of the Roman government. However, Jesus was not just another man and Easter Sunday did come. As the sun rose that morning, hope of eternity rose with it as Jesus came back from the dead, victorious over the grave and providing a way for us to spend eternity in heaven. As the lyrics from Sea of Crimson say above, Where there was sin your love rushed in, For all enslaved the ransom paid. Because of Easter morning, our ransom was paid and we can now be free to spend eternity in Heaven if we choose to accept the gift God has given us.

Happy Easter!

Leighton Michele

Blue Skies

February 19, 2016April 9, 2017 ~ leightonmichele ~ Leave a comment

20150503_185426 I’m afraid I don’t have an outfit post for you today, the above picture is actually from a fun, impromptu shoot I did with my sister last summer while on a bike ride. Today’s post is going to be a little different than most of the posts I’ve done on En Pointe Chic so far. I love fashion, and I want En Pointe Chic to be a fun little get away for people to go to when they have a few moments where you can get some fun fashion inspiration and maybe put a smile on your face. However, I also want En Pointe Chic to be so much more than that, I want it to be a community, a place where we can be real. I know it is so easy to look at the pictures and think that I lead a perfect, all blue skies kind of life. However, I am very much so a real person and I have real emotions and go through trials just like everyone else. I want En Ponte Chic to be a place where you can come to for inspiration for so much more than just fashion, a place that points you back to Jesus; so today, I am going to get very real with you here on the blog.

I named this post Blue Skies after the old Point of Grace song. The first verses lyrics are, “On days of grey, when doubt clouds my view and it’s so hard to see past my fears. When strength seems to fade, and it’s all I can do, to hold on, til the light reappears.” These are lyrics I can’t stop listening to this past week, I relate to them so much. For the past week, life has definitely had its grey days. It can be hard to sit back and watch people I care about go through hard things and not be able to do anything but just be there for them. I have been in this position a lot lately, and it can be so hard to not want to play the super hero that comes in and saves the day. However, I have had to learn that in the end, it isn’t my job to save them, it is my job to point them back to Jesus, the one who cares more for them more than I ever could. This is a lesson I have been having to learn over the course of the past several years, but this past week I am having to learn it in a whole new level. I found out that one of the ladies I work with and really look up to is losing her fight with cancer and will most likely go to see Jesus before two months is up. I have found myself clinging to Romans 8:37-39 ” For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” She deeply loves the Lord and has kept her trust in Him and, for her, death will only be her reunion with her savior. It is so hard for us to let go though and know that I won’t see her again this side of heaven.

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“Still I believe, I’m alive in your love, there is so much to see, if we keep looking up! For the skies still blue, all of my hope is in you. You’re my life, you’re the dream that’s still alive! You’re the wind at my back, and the sun on my face. You are life; you are grace. You are blue skies!”

–Blue Skies by Point of Grace

When I discovered the news, at first I was in shock, just totally numb, but by the end of the day the numbness started to wear off and I found myself laying on the ground just sobbing. As I cried though, the chorus to Blue Skies (found up above) started running through my head, and even as I could feel the emotional storm all around me, I felt a deep peace take root deep within me. Even though all of these things have caught me off guard, they did not catch God off guard. He saw them coming and I need to keep my eyes fixed on Him. He is my blue skies, my reason for joy even when it feels like pieces of my world are falling apart.

Blessings,

Leighton Michele

“I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the rock of ages.”

-Charles Spurgeon

IF: Gathering

February 9, 2016April 9, 2017 ~ leightonmichele ~ Leave a comment

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, then you know that this past weekend I was blessed to attend a local IF: Gathering at my home church. If you have never heard of IF: Gathering, you should definitely check it out! I unfortunately wasn’t able to be there for the first couple hours on both Friday and Saturday due to work and dance classes, but the sessions I was able to hear were so wonderful.

I thought that today I would share my favorite message with you. The incredible thing is, it almost didn’t even happen. Angie Smith wasn’t scheduled to speak, but after feeling the Lord convicting her that she was supposed to share and being encouraged by the founder of IF, Jennie Allen, she shared what ended up being my most favorite message. I have literally been telling everyone to go to IF’s website and watch it before it is taken down. If you didn’t have the opportunity to hear it, for Angie’s message alone it is worth the $35 to download it, though you will definitely be blessed by all of the other speakers as well.

Angie started out with talking about how at the very beginning of the Bible in Genesis there are two questions asked, one by Satan, “Are you sure God has your best in mind?” and the next is by God, “Where are you?” As Angie was quick to point out, God had not lost Adam, he was asking him, what is the posture of your heart towards me?

Then she went on to talk about Abraham and Isaac, when they were going up the mountain to offer sacrifices to God and Isaac was to be the sacrifice. On the way up, Isaac asked Abraham, “Father, where is the sacrifice?” and Abraham replied, “God himself will provide the lamb.” As Abraham was about to kill Isaac and sacrifice him, God sent an angel to stop him and provided a ram caught in a nearby thicket instead. Abraham had passed the test. He then went on to name the base of that mountain, “the place where God provided.”

Angie talked about how there are places in her life where her faith has been tested she struggles to call them the place where God provided, for instance when she goes to the cemetery to visit her daughter that died shortly after birth. It was after on such visit though that she felt God leading her to read this story again, and after reading it several times over she realized something, God provided a ram in that moment, but on the way up, they had spoken of a lamb. A few thousand years later, Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, would be sacrificed on that same mountain range, the lamb that God had provided.

So the next time that Satan asks you, “Are you sure?” you can reply, I am not certain of the ram, but I am certain of the lamb. And when you hear God asking, “Where are you,” be there ready to reply, “Here I am Lord, ready and willing. Use me.”

I have not written this nearly as eloquently and Angie spoke it, but I hope you are as encouraged as I was by what God spoke through her. We all have moments when our faith is tested and it is hard to see how God can have our best interests at heart, but we must remember that we can’t see the big picture that He does, and trust Him to carry us through. Even though I know Angie will never read this, I want to publicly thank her for having the courage to follow God and share at IF this past weekend, it was such a blessing to me and something I needed to be reminded of, so thank you so much from me and every other woman I know that has been so blessed by the message you spoke.

Blessings,

Leighton Michele

Thankful Thursday: Dance

November 19, 2015April 9, 2017 ~ leightonmichele ~ Leave a comment

This Thursday I am thankful for the gift of dance. Dancing is one of my biggest passions, when I dance I can feel that I am doing something that God made me to do and it is like I can feel Him smiling at me while I dance. Dance is something I have loved nearly my whole life. I took my first dance class when I was three years old and danced until I was nine. I loved it and was devastated when I had to quit, but my dad was losing his job and my parents couldn’t afford to put four girls in dance. As the years slipped away I slowly accepted the fact that I wouldn’t ever get to dance again, but it made my heart hurt to think about it. I wanted to dance so badly! Finally, two and a half years ago I got a job that I could afford to pay for my own dance classes, the only problem was finding a studio in town that would accept an adult beginner. After calling every studio in town that I knew about, I was driving home one day when I saw a studio I’d never seen before. I decided to take a chance and call, but even as I was preparing myself to hear the words, sorry there’s no room for you, I was hearing yes, we’d love to have you come dance, in fact, why don’t you start this week? I have been dancing ever since, I am now involved in nearly every subject, ballet, tap, jazz, modern, lyrical and hip-hop and I love every moment of it. So after losing it and finally receiving it back, I am so thankful for the gift of dance this Thursday!

Leighton Michele

*photo credit goes to Meggan Marie Photography, these pictures were taken by Meggan after finishing my first year of dance.

Thankful Thursday: Family

November 12, 2015April 9, 2017 ~ leightonmichele ~ Leave a comment

This week for Thankful Thursday I am so thankful for the gift of Family. Below are some pictures my family had taken a little over a year ago, throughout the next few weeks, you’ll have the chance to get to know a few of them a little better through some special guest posts from a few of them. 🙂 Family-1 Family-16 Family-35 Family-20 Family-45 Family-10 I have been so blessed with a family that I am close to. My parents have always been there for me to talk with and I truly consider them some of my best friends. My dad and I are a lot alike, so whenever I need help thinking through something I know that I can always go to him to help me sort through my thoughts. My mom is a wonderful listener and so much fun to hang out with. The older I get the more thankful I am for the special gift I have in her. My sisters are all so much fun, each of them are unique in their own ways, but the four of us truly are best friends and I can’t imagine my life without any of them.

What is something you are thankful for this week?

Leighton Michele

Thankful Thursday: Friendship

November 5, 2015April 9, 2017 ~ leightonmichele ~ Leave a comment

With November being the month of Thanksgiving I decided that each Thursday leading up to Thanksgiving I would share something I am Thankful for. This Thursday, I am thankful for the gift of friendship. Below are some pictures of some of the incredible friends I have been blessed with, the pictures are not the best quality like many others on the blog since they were taken spur of the moment with cellphones, but they capture a wonderful gift that I am so grateful for, friendship.

I spent many years dreaming about and praying for a group of friends like the ones you read about in books, you know, the ones that are always there for you and you can call at any time of the night for anything. However, they kept not showing up and I began to wonder if they even existed, but then, three years ago they suddenly showed up everywhere, God had finally answered my prayer and every single one of them was well worth the wait to call these special people my friends.

Within the past several years we have been there for each other through the good and the bad, the fun and the scary (can we say haunted houses?) and on so many adventures. My life has been changed for the better by these wonderful people who have shown me on a whole new level what it is like to be a part of the family of God, so for my first Thankful Thursday of this year, I am so thankful for the gift of these Forever Friends.

Comment below something that you are thankful for, and if you are doing a Thankful Thursday post on your blog I would love to read it, please leave the link in the comments!

Leighton Michele