2018: Year in Review

Word of the Year: FAITH

God has taught me a lot this year, but over and over again I am reminded of the importance of faith. 

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Over the past year I have come to realize how important my faith is to me and how important it is for me to surround myself with people who have faith in Jesus. 

It is hard to describe in a post how I learned more about faith, but as always, I seemed to see and hear this word a lot throughout the year. God used different opportunities to strengthen my faith and make me realize the importance of believing even when we can’t see. Even though it was hard, I felt like 2018 was a growing year for my faith. 

I’m excited to share my word for 2019 in a future post! 

1. Read the Bible in a year. 

Yay! I accomplished this! In fact, I finished my Bible read through in October. I was really excited about finishing early, however, for November and December I seemed to lose my consistency since I didn’t have a plan to follow. I’m excited to start a new plan for 2019!

2. Read 52 books.

Again, I’m excited to say I accomplished this and went beyond it reading 63 books in 2018. 

3. Have monthly goals.

January - I really want to focus on getting back in the habit of consistent Bible Reading. 

I did this one!

I think I did a couple things back in February and March, but I don’t remember what they were! So this goal didn’t goes as well as I had hoped! 

Stay tuned for my 2019 goals and Word of the Year! Have a happy end to 2018! 

Do we really deserve it?

Do we really deserve it?

In the past few weeks, maybe months, I have heard a lot of people talking about deserving things. 

For example:

You deserve a break.  

You deserve time away. 

You deserve getting that job/promotion/gift. 

I deserve to buy something for myself.

You deserve [fill in the blank]. 

I deserve [fill in the blank]. 

While I think there is no ill-intentions behind people saying those things, I do think it is the wrong word to use. Yes, I think it is good to take a break. I think the Bible calls us to rest. Yes, I think a new job or a gift are all great things and should be congratulated and we should give thanks for them.  However, I’m not sure we deserve any of it...

We are all sinful people. In Romans 8:23, it says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

When I think of what I deserve, it is nothing good. Deserve means, “to be worthy of.” I am not worthy of anything...on my own. But that is where Jesus comes in! You see, I think we see His glory best in the places that we see our weakness. I don’t deserve anything, but in Jesus, I am given the greatest gift of all. I am given the gift I could never be worthy enough to receive. I am given eternal life in Jesus!

John 3:16 may be the most known Bible verse in the world, but its truth is never ending. 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Don’t just gloss over these words, take them to heart. God loved YOU so much that He sent His Son to die for you. Jesus did not sin, yet He died on the cross to pay for our sins. He died to save you and me from the one thing we did deserve. 

So as you think of what you may or may not deserve, I ask you to think of what Jesus did for you! God blesses us in many different ways and we should be thankful and even excited about those things. I don’t want to take away from those gifts, but I also want us to always look to God and the greatest gift He gave us, one we did not deserve, one we could not earn. He gave His life for us... because He loves us. 

(As I close this post, I want to share these lyrics with you that popped into my head as I was writing that last sentence. I couldn’t think of what song it was so I had to look it up. Looking back, I think this song is part of the reason I started thinking on this concept at all.) 

Here is part of the chorus from Reckless Love:

I couldn't earn it
I don't deserve it
Still You give yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

‭‭

Embrace Awkward

A few weeks ago, during a strange week where multiple things happened that just had me confused or at the least asking, “okay, what’s going on?” I saw this post. 

I had at least two incidences that week that were on the “awkward” level, but I just decided to embrace awkwardness. And now that has become somewhat of a mantra for me! 

Be awkward. It simply means that I will do things that take me outside my comfort zone. I am willing to be stretched. I'm willing to do things I would normally just give up on or not do because it might be strange...it might be awkward. 

Sometimes God calls us to step outside our comfort zones. Let's face it, most of the time when God calls us, it is outside our comfort zone. But you see, it is in that place that He is glorified. It is in that place where we see our weakness and rely on His strength. He takes us just as we are, when we have nothing to offer, and He able to use us to advance His kingdom. We just have to be willing. Be willing to be awkward. Hey, if you go into a situation knowing it will be awkward, then you don't have to be uncomfortable. Just embrace it! What can hurt? 

On a side note, I'm not saying to be awkward, I'm just saying we should embrace it when it happens. We don't need to be weird about things. Life happens. If you are me, you will be in many situations where things just happen like that! (Like spilling tea or dropping something, etc.) Don't try to be awkward, but when those moments arise, don't freak out. Stay calm. Life is too short to let things bother you. Be willing to stretch yourself and do things you never dreamed about. 

Christmas Songs - Days 1-10

I started posting some of my favorite Christmas songs on Facebook and I thought I may as well do one a day to celebrate! I have a whole list of favorites. Some just jump out at me, some have deeper meanings. Here are the first few days of songs I posted.

Day 1 = Nov. 23 (The day AFTER Thanksgiving!)
Ding Dong Merrily on High by Rend Collective

Day 2
Light of Christmas by TobyMac

Day 3
This is Christmas by Kutless

Day 4
I heard the Bells on Christmas Day - Casting Crowns

Bonus: Noel (Light of the World) by Shelly E. Johnson (A friend suggested this one!)

Day 5
Carol of the Bells by the Celtic Women

Bonus: Carol of the Bells by Lindsey Sterling

Day 6
Christmas is here by Stars Go Dim

Day 7
Christmas in Our Hearts by Downhere

Day 8
What a Glorious Night - Sidewalk Prophets

Day 9
I Need a Silent Night - Amy Grant

Day 10 - Today! Dec. 2
Good News from Home (It was our Christmas Cantata at Church today and this was what the choir sang!)

The Liberty Bride by MaryLu Tyndall - Book Review

The Liberty Bride by MaryLu Tyndall is part the Daughters of the Mayflower series but can definitely be read on its own, too. I have loved Tyndall’s writing since I first read one of her books. Just like each of her books, this one caught my attention and made me not want to put it down.

This story takes place during the War of 1812. It shows some of the struggles that war put on people. On the back of the book, it says, “War forces a choice between love and country.” I think this sums up the story well. Where do the hero’s and heroine’s alliances lie? What will they do when faced with caring for others, even if they are not on the same side of the war?  

Tyndall’s story is filled with adventure, romance, and the quest to know what is right and do it! You won’t be disappointed with Tyndall’s adventure on and off the sea. I love reading her stories on board ships. I would encourage you to read this story and check out her other stories, too!

(I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Miles from Where We Started by Cynthia Ruchti – Book Review

Cynthia Ruchti’s books are all “hemmed in hope” just like her slogan says. Shortly into Miles from Where We Started, this quote stood out to me, “Sometimes hope could be downright annoying.” I could relate to this. There have been times in my life where hope is hard. Sometimes it hurts to continue to hope. And sometimes, it is just “downright annoying.” Yet, in spite of all of this, God calls us to hold on to hope. That is the theme you see throughout this story. One of the main characters, Mallory holds on to hope. It is definitely a struggle at times, but even in the struggles, you can still see a faint glimmer of hope.

I truly loved this book. The story pulls you in and captivates you. I love the humor that is woven into this book. There is also so much wisdom. The stories that are told inside this story leave you with many things to think about. The thing that I came away with from this story was to never give up and to always keep hoping, no matter how hard that is.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)