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What are you doing to improve your life? We are going to dive into what it looks like to replace the gospel of self improvement with the gospel of life transforming grace and our special guest is Ruth Chou Simons. Everything that Ruth does has this aroma of beauty which is the opposite of me. Where I am a cut and dry minimalist. Ruth Chou Simons is a best selling author and founder of GraceLaced. She has been married to her husband Troy for 23 years and they have been involved in the local ministry most of their lives. Ruth and Troy have 6 sons, yes you heard correctly. Ruth is in multiple stages of parenting with her oldest being 19 and her youngest is 8. We talk about dating ourselves by being bloggers and on the internet since the beginning, and how Ruth’s blogging has evolved into more of a community effort and being more active on Instagram. GraceLaced started out as the name of Ruth’s blog and is now the name of her current business. We talk about why Grace matters and why it is the cornerstone of Ruth’s ministry, her life, her work, and why she talks about it all the time. Ruth and I discuss how she is currently walking out the message of her new book, When Strivings Cease: Replacing the Gospel of Self-Improvement with the Gospel of Life-Transforming Grace, as she's launching it. Ruth wants the readers to marinate with the message and to experience the journey with art. Ruth shares some personal stories and that she wants to reach women with beauty and truth. And to show that women out there are not alone when feeling vulnerable. You are not alone, and you are not meant to do this alone. You have to do the soul work to improve yourself and stop striving and start looking to Jesus and relying upon him and finding fullness of life in him. In This Episode [00:42] - Welcome to The Crystal Paine Show and for today’s topic I have none other than Ruth Chou Simons. [01:23] - I just love what you bring to the world with the gifts that God has given you. [01:48] - For the few people who maybe aren’t totally familiar with you, I would love for you to introduce yourself to our audience. [03:21] - We are kinda the grandma bloggers, we have been on the internet for a long time. [06:03] - And now When Strivings Cease, is your new book and this is your first trade book. [06:19] - The artwork that Ruth does isn’t meant to just be like, it’s not like clipart on the corners, it is that the art is symbolic of what you are reading. [06:51] -There are some drawings in there because Ruth wants us to linger long on each page. [07:50] - The effort of writing a book, that’s a lot but to then have this whole artistic journey. I have so much respect for you. [08:20] - Ruth states we were created to be image bearers. [08:46] - What kind of inspired you to make this pivot from doing these beautiful full colorful devotionals to then a trade book? [10:51] - I read quotes from the beginning of When Strivings Cease. [11:39] - I feel like the “worn out, fearful, and anxiously striving” those are words that describe so many women. And I know I have been there, so many times. [12:42] - Ruth tells us that we are not alone, yes it is a red flag but it’s a red flag for all of us. We are wired to carry everything on our own. We’re wired to think that we’re the saviors of our own lives. [13:21] - The title of your book is When Strivings Cease and then the subtitle is Replacing the Gospel of Self-Improvement with the Gospel of Life-Transforming Grace. I would love for you to kinda unpack that for us a little bit, of what is the gospel of self-improvement? [14:24] - So the gospel of life-transforming grace, so tell us what that is? [15:48] - So how do we get from, the woman that’s listening and she’s saying “Oh, I'm just, I’m tired and I’ve been just trying so hard”. [18:43] - I read another statement from When Strivings Cease. [19:55] - Ruth shares a story that is her understanding of God. [22:14] - Ruth hopes the book helps you have like, a quick way to process this but I hope it drives you to the truth that’s been left for us in the word of God that tells us what God really desires, from you and for you and how he’s provided for that in Christ. [25:20] - How are you practically walking this out in your life? [28:41] - Would you be willing to kinda get vulnerable and talk about how you’re processing this in your own life? [31:50] - Ruth is saying, “hey friend, I’m still struggling too”. [33:11] - I think so many women can relate to that feeling of, “you know, God, I don’t have what it takes” - I feel like that’s multiple times a day for me, and, and yet God is so faithful when we look to him. Links & ResourcesCrystal Paine BooksGraceLaced: Discovering Timeless Truths Through Seasons of the Heart by Ruth Chou Simons Beyonding and Beloving: The Art of Everyday Worship by Ruth Chou Simons Garden of Truth by Ruth Chou Simons Field of Joy by Ruth Chou Simons Foundations: 12 Biblical Truths to Shape a Family by Ruth Chou Simons & Troy Simonns When Strivings Cease: Replacing the Gospel of Self-Improvement with the Gospel of Life-Transforming Grace by Ruth Chou Simons Social Media Crystal Paine on Instagram Crystal Paine on Twitter Crystal Paine on Goodreads Money Saving Mom Money Saving Mom on Facebook Money Saving Mom Deal Seekers Facebook group crystal@moneysavingmom.com Ruth Chou Simons GraceLaced Co. Ruth Chou Simmons in Facebook Ruth Chou Simmons on Instagram GraceLaced on Instagram