Simply September was a straightforward and unpretentious month for 2023. The extreme summer heat left with August, and fall seems to be naturally sauntering into our lives with a modest air. Simply September has me linking up with Jennifer for Share 4 Somethings.
Simply September – Something I Loved
Simply September brought fall blooms to the garden. I have enjoyed the cool, crisp morning air while watering the flowers each morning. While savoring the sights, sounds, and smells, I have enjoyed capturing the blooms by photographing them with my phone and sharing them with others on Instagram.
September opened the door for simple gatherings. Our faith-based Life Group began meeting after taking a break for the summer. I loved hearing of each person’s adventures over the summer break, and their hopes for the remainder of 2023.
Simply September – Something I Read
After taking the 7 Life Languages assessment, I read Communication IQ – A Proven Way to Influence, Lead, and Motivate People by Fred and Anna Kendall. The Kendalls emphasize the importance of developing our character positively while cultivating effective communication skills.
“People change when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of changing.” ~Anna Kendall
There are 3 basic communication styles.
- Kinetic/Action
- Emotive/Feeling
- Cognitive/Thinking
The 7 Life Languages cover the specific ways we communicate with others. Though designed to help faith-based ministry teams or teams in the workplace, I can see how this information could be beneficial for families too.
“The seven languages come from the motivational gifts listed in Romans 12 and each has its own unique traits.” ~Brianna, Millennials with Meaning
The Kendalls break each of these three instinctive communication styles or intelligences into practical expressions.
- Kinetic Intelligence/Action-oriented through the Mover and Doer
- Emotive Intelligence/Feeling oriented through the Influencer and Responder
- Cognitive Intelligence/Thinking oriented through the Shaper, Producer, and Contemplator
The description of the Doer describes one of my daughters in detail and brings understanding to why she speaks of people doing their “fair share” whether she is speaking of family members or people from her workplace.
On the positive side, my daughter as a Doer needs appreciation for the fact she has completed her work with excellence. On the opportunity to grow side, my daughter as a Doer can grumble, complain, and feel like a martyr. This information helps me understand how she is “wired” which helps me connect with her heart in an understanding way, and it enables me to connect with her mind with greater clarity and effectiveness.
“Doers are trustworthy, but they need to know that others are doing their share, their work is appreciated, and they have enough time to complete the tasks they are given.” ~Fred Kendall
The Kendalls bring further clarification in how we communicate and lead others by measuring how we are affected by other’s view of us, how we view ourselves, how we are affected by our external environment, etc. Each of these “filters” can affect the quality of our communication with other people.
Simply September – Something I Learned
Simply September had me learning about team dynamics and cultural interactions. From The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni, I learned the importance of trust when engaging in conflict or when holding people accountable.
From Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team – A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators by Patrick Lencioni, I learned our vulnerability about our strengths and weaknesses play a significant part in group dynamics. Productive conflict is effective when the atmosphere gives freedom for constructive criticism while refusing to take things personally, becoming offended, or nurturing resentment.
The first two books I read were audiobooks, so I wanted a summary on my Kindle for quick reference. Instaread’s Key Takeaways, Analysis and Review of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The Point Breakdown Summary of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – A 15-Minute Summary for Busy People both encapsulated the key takeaways from Patrick Lencioni’s teaching on team dynamics and cultural interactions.
From an all-at-once firehose of information to bitesize summaries, I feel like I have a basic working knowledge of how a healthy team functions. Now I need to apply what I have learned by moving from intellectual knowledge to practical day-to-day (hopefully!) healthier interactions with others.
Simply September – Something I Ate
Something I missed eating this month was Ezekiel bread. I tried forty days of gluten-free eating to see if it would help me with brain fog, but I have not seen any improvements in my health or memory thus far. I miss eating Ezekiel toast for breakfast each morning. Although Ezekiel bread is a flourless bread made from sprouted grains of barley, millet, wheat, and spelt, plus sprouted lentils and soybeans, it is still considered a gluten product because of the inclusion of wheat and barley.
Has anyone found gluten-free eating to be beneficial to your health? If so, how? And how long did it take for you to reap the benefits?
I ate lots of cabbage this month either as coleslaw or as cabbage soup. I found simply eating coleslaw and a cucumber/tomato salad to be cool and refreshing while cabbage soup brought a warm element to the table and helped with body cleansing.
Does anyone have a tried and true (and gentle) way to cleanse and heal the body naturally? Please share the wisdom you have gleaned from your life experiences.
The Lord Bless You
Simply September has our hope firmly rooted in Christ Jesus. As we enter into a season of gathering with people, may the Holy Spirit empower us to walk in a spirit of unity with those around us. As carriers of His Holy Spirit, we can carry a spirit of love and peace to those around us, resulting in an atmosphere that brings greater peace and unity to those we encounter.
“Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” ~Romans 15:5-6 NASB
Recommendation
August Adjustments – Strength with Dignity
Offense – To Be or Not to Be is the Ultimate Choice – Strength with Dignity
References
New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995), copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
Lisa’s personal Instagram page
LisaB (@lisab7376) • Instagram photos and videos
and her author’s Instagram page
LISA BLAIR Christian Writer (@strengthwdignity) • Instagram photos and videos
*linking up with Jennifer for “Share 4 Somethings”#sharefoursomethings
16 thoughts on “Simply September”
I enjoyed reading your update. I love 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. Our team at work read it together a few years ago and it really helped us communicate well and work better together. I was interested to learn about Ezekiel bread. I don’t think we have that here in the UK.
The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team is so interesting, Lesley, and I’m glad to hear it helped your team at work communicate better. A team I’m a part of just started the process, so it is a learning experience, but I think it brings opportunities for growth.
I always enjoy reading summaries of a month, although I myself have yet to write such a post. The photo of cabbage soup reminded me of how much I love a good soup. Thank you for reminding me to add those ingredients to my shopping list 🙂
It’s so nice that Fall is ushering in cooler weather which brings the opportunity for eating more soup, Joanne. I made vegetable soup today because my youngest son has the flue/covid. Chicken broth is still one of the best things for the flu. Thank you for hosting our Wednesday get togethers.
Great month Lisa! Interesting books and concepts, and lessons learned regarding your One Word! I know what you mean about eating gluten free. Though I have no problem with gluten, I abstain because my husband has Celiac disease. I do notice I feel better eating gluten free, but I’m not so sure gluten is the problem. I think it is more the GMO and contaminated wheat in most products. When we lived in Europe we had no problems, because GMOs are illegal there as are all of the pesticides used here contaminating the wheat.
That being said, I don’t start noticing benefits of gluten free eating until I’ve been off gluten for 60-90 days. I do enjoy Ezekiel bread too, but I like the Genesis 1:29 version. I do notice if I have it everyday, it bothers me.
Thanks for the insights, Donna, the information about GMO is helpful. And I appreciate the 60–90-day timeframe and the insight on the Ezekiel bread as it gives me a few things to ponder. Thank you for sharing specific details!
Lisa, wow! You’ve had a full September!
It seems September started with anticipation of my family coming to visit. Preparations. They’ve come and we’ve done all the things in a week. The good, the first times, the old patterns, and feelings. We’ve offered lots of grace to each other and now they’ve left. 🌸Time to put the house back and find a way back to newly carved patterns, friends, and learning.
Thank you for sharing your month. I pray you will find a natural solution for healing brain fog. I like Ginger tea. Shaved ginger and lemon in my water. And I use a Bemer PEMF therapy most days.
Bless you!
It sounds like you had a lovely time with your family, Lisa! Thank you for the reminder about ginger and lemon, I’m putting it on my grocery list even now.
My daughter-in-law is gluten-intolerant and experiences severe stomach pain when she eats gluten. We’ve found that even restaurants with gluten-free menu items aren’t always careful about cross-contamination. I don’t think eating gluten-free will benefit anyone’s health unless they have a specific problem with gluten.
I had not heard of the Life Languages–sounds interesting!
Thanks, Barbara, I appreciate your family’s experience. My daughter has gone gluten-free, and she found it so helpful to her overall health that I wanted to give it a try, but I have not seen any difference in my overall health. This was my first exposure to Life Languages, Barbara, and I found it very interesting.
Those roses are absolutely beautiful! Communication IQ sounds like an interesting and valuable resource. Thanks for sharing about it!
Communication IQ was very interesting, Lisa, and I think you would enjoy the knowledge gained from reading it.
Would love to know and read whatever you glean about cleansing and healing the body naturally. There are just so many contaminants. I know regular cleansing must be necessary – even essential – but just not sure how to best do so. I used to love Ezekiel break but somehow got away from buying it. I think I need a loaf:)
Ezekiel bread is so good, isn’t it, Jennifer!
HI Lisa, I recently found out I have a histamine intolerance-which literally affects everything. I started seeing a functional medicine doctor and I have found her to be very beneficial! We are working on finding the root causes to my issues so we can heal my gut. A lot of things give us brain fog and affect us each differently. I am still seeing a primary physician for my medications, but my functional medicine doctor is also a nutritionist, so I am pretty confident we will figure out what I can and cannot eat. I don’t know if this is something you might want to look into for yourself.
Thank you for the recommendation, Cindy. I did do bloodwork last year and had great results (only deficient vitamin k) which was very encouraging. I did have a little heavy metal in my body from my old fillings which I had removed in the springtime. I’m just trying to tweak my everyday eating habits to bring more energy and vitality as I age. Please pass along anything you learn in your journey, Cindy.