Day Twenty Four: What’s In Your Bag?
I actually wrote about this here a little while back, and since it hasn’t changed much, I decided to just post the link here. Nonetheless, I’ll be back tomorrow to post more! Until then, have an awesome night!
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Thirty Day Blogging Challenge #2: Day Twenty-Three
Day Twenty-Three: A Book I’d Recommend
As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, I’m a huge bookworm. I love reading to see stories unfold and learn new things. Some of my favorite authors range from Karen Kingsbury, to Neta Jackson, to Charles Dickens, to Emily P. Freeman. I love seeing characters come to life and getting the opportunity to live a thousand lives all from my small, humble bedroom. Nonetheless, in the midst of all of the books that I love, there’s one that stands out in particular.
The Bible.
Topping bestselling charts, the Bible is a piece of literary art. But, it’s so much more than that. It’s God’s written Word—and an account of His faithfulness in so many lives throughout decades of time. It’s His promise and a portrait of grace—promising Salvation to all who believe it and follow it. Mixing history, with poetry, with God’s words—I think even a skeptic would have to admit that it’s one of the most dynamic books of all time.
It also contains all of the elements of a great story—even though it’s a recording of real events. It has action, with Paul’s dangerous missions across the world. It has romance, with Ruth and Boaz. It has raw emotional honesty, as King David’s laments in the Pslams. And, it challenges the status quo, as Jesus reaches out to the most marginalized of His time, bringing hope and restoration.
It also contains literary elements, such as foreshadowing within the Old Testament laws. It’s clear to see with a little bit of study that the sacrificing of lambs was a symbol, one that the people of that time would later understand as they learned of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It also contains alteration, anthropomorphism, and apostrophe—elements commonly found in many great works of literature (I’m geeking out big time here, y’all!)
Most of all, the Bible is a love letter to humanity—professing God’s sacrificial love for each one of us and pleading to adopt us as His children into one big family of believers. God used hundreds of authors throughout history to write this book under His divine inspiration, and it is up to us to accept this call. It is up to us to read the greatest story of all times, written by the Author and Creator of each of our stories.
The Bible is the book of my life. It’s the book I live with, the book I live by, the book I want to die by—N. T. Wright
Thirty Day Blogging Challenge #2: Day Twenty-One
Day Twenty-One: My Cell Phone
Like most millennials, I’m the bona-fide owner of a smart phone. Also like many people, I have a tendency to look at it way too often!
It can be so easy to retreat to our phones sometimes—between games, apps like Instagram, and the luxury of escaping awkward social situations, it can be hard not to develop a slight phone addiction. It can also provide the comfort of being able to contact friends at any given time, through texting and social media. Nonetheless, one thing that I’ve found is it can also be a distraction from the world around us. Far too frequently, I find myself looking at my phone when I should be engaging with the world around me.
Cell phones aren’t a bad thing. They provide us with many great things that would have been unthinkable just a couple of decades ago. I remember back in the early 2000s when cell phones were barely a thing—during the times when they flipped up and could barely be used to text. The joys of being a nineties child!
Like most things, cell phones were meant to be used in moderation. I believe that like with everything else, God wants us to steward our use of technology. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” With technology at our fingertips, we have so many choices on how to use it. Will we use our spare minute to read a quick devotional or read angry twitter wars? Will we use our minutes on Facebook to rant or say something that may actually be productive? With so many choices, it’s important that we use our time wisely.
To put it shortly, What Would Jesus Search?
Time is the most precious gift you have because you only have a set amount of it—Rick Warren
Thirty Day Blogging Challenge #2: Day Twenty
Day Twenty: Describe the best day of your life to date
Truth be told, I’ve had a lot of really good days in my life. I can remember clearly days that I first met the friends I have now, accomplished dreams, and faced fears. Nonetheless, the greatest day of my life—the day that many of my good days have hinged on—is the day that accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
I was young-ish when it happened—past the age of Veggie Tales but too young to have any major mistakes or regrets in my past. I was eleven years old and I was reading a tween series called The Ponytail Girls (Each book came with a free scrunchie!) and at one point in the book, it talked about accepting Jesus into your heart. By this point, I had been going to church with my mom for about two years and was beginning to learn a good deal about the Bible. I knew that I wanted Jesus, so I kneeled down on my bathroom floor, and prayed the prayer.
This was my come-to-Jesus-moment—with a teeny-bopper book and a shower right next to me. No joke.
Considering the seemingly ordinary nature of the moment, it may seem strange to some that I would point to that day as my greatest. Nonetheless, I believe that many of our stories have small beginnings. The decision to accept Christ was the start of my journey as a Christian, washed in the blood of Jesus. It was my way of saying that I’m all in—if having Jesus in my heart was the way to have Him walk with me through my days, than accepting Jesus into my heart was what I was going to do.
That moment was the start of one of the greatest adventures of my life. I have the peace of knowing that God holds my future and that He has a plan. I’ve had a sense of stability through some of life’s hardest moments—from heartbreaks to friendship drama. Most of all, I have the assurance of eternal life with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
If you’re reading this and have never made the decision to accept Christ, than I strongly urge you to do so. All you have to do is confess that your a sinner in need of a Savior, ask for forgiveness, and accept His grace.
You may just look back on it as the best day of your life.
Thirty Day Blogging Challenge #2: Day Eighteen
Day Eighteen: Something About My Shoes
This is probably going to be terrible but here’s an ode to my boots for today’s challenge
Soft and comfy on my feet
Bringing me from point A to B
Brown fake leather light and soft
So easy to slip on and off
So old so familiar, and broken in
Move on with me through thick and thin
So much better than my shoes
This is an ode to my boots
So thank you for reading this so long
I promise I won’t make this a song
So please fellow bloggers won’t you stay
Don’t let this poem drive you away
Shout out to all of the people who read all the way to the end! Stay tuned for a much better post later on about what celebrity I would like to meet! I promise it won’t contain any more bad poetry!😂
Thirty Day Blogging Challenge #2: Day Fifteen
Day Fifteen: Something I miss
Life is an interesting thing. Sometimes, when we’re younger, certain needs are so easy to fulfill. When you get older, you have to actively search them out.
This was a bit of a difficult prompt for me to come up with, but after a lot of thinking, I’ve figured out what it is that I most miss right now: Fellowship. Throughout my faith journey, I’ve nearly always been able to find fellowship one way or another, but lately with college and the lack of programs for people my age, it’s become ten times harder to find fellowship among fellow Christians.
When I was in middle school, I was heavily involved in a youth group that I loved. It was fairly small for a youth group, with a handful of students who were unusually close knit. Every Wednesday night, I got to see a group of friends who I quickly bonded with, after only a couple of meetings. I enjoyed going and saw this youth group as my primary means of fellowship. I’m still in contact with some of these old friends today, through Facebook, Instagram, and texting.
When I was in high school, a lot began to change at my church, and I sort of lost this close knit group. Nonetheless, during this time I was involved in Christian honors classes three days a week, and ended up with another group just as close as my old friends from youth group. Many of the same students came back every year, so I got to see some of my closest friends throughout my week and grow up with them. These are some of my best friends to this day.
Now that I’m in college, it’s a lot harder to find this fellowship. Many of my friends are busy with classes and it’s a lot harder to keep regular contact. I’m still in touch with everyone through email, social media, and text, but it’s not quite the same as seeing practically all of my friends over a period of three days. Nonetheless, tonight I’m attending my first night of a local Christian college group near my house. Thus, I believe and hope that God will bring back regular fellowship as I both meet new friends and keep my old. In addition to this, my best friend is starting a Christian group called “CIA” (Christ In Action), with a group of her friends, which should be launching soon. Between these two things, I should be seeing more fellowship within the next couple of weeks and months.
How about you? Has it been hard for you to find fellowship? If not, how have you found it in your life? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
A Question For The Guys Who Follow This Blog
Good morning everyone! I hope you are all having a good day so far!
Now, at the suggestion of my good friend Mfon, I’ve decided to ask my guy-followers a question for the next blog entry.
How would you feel if you were in Joseph’s shoes?
What would your reaction be if your fiancee told you that she was pregnant with the Son of God? Be honest, I am writing a short excerpt from Joseph’s point of view and I want it to sound authentic. Your response may end up being incorporated in my next post!
Signs of Flirting?
Hey everyone, I was scrolling through my feed this morning and I stumbled across this hilariously awesome article by The Recovering Legalist. I found it too funny to keep to myself so I decided to share it with you guys. I hope you enjoy it!
The following is Part 1 of a 3-part series originally written in Sept. of 2013. I thought it would be a good time to repeat it.
Uncomfortable Topic
OK, so this is not a subject I normally discuss, but I feel I must say something.
I have seen several pieces in the news about how to know when a man is flirting, but the signs leave me a little puzzled. I mean, I am a man, so I should have some knowledge of when I am flirting, correct? But, evidently, I may be flirting when I don’t know it!
I don’t remember the sources for the following, but if you want to, just Google them (It is not my intention to plagiarize, but I am not getting graded on a paper, applying for a job, or getting paid for this post, so I’m not going to worry too much at…
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BIG NEWS!
Hey everyone, I have some big news concerning my blog! The first announcement is that I have just been contacted by My Trending Stories and they want me to write for their website!
I was beyond excited when I saw this in my Instagram DM this morning. I have never done any type of official journalism before, and being asked to write for such a prominent website is an incredible opportunity! I guess you can say that I had a “walking-on-sunshine-moment” when I opened this message.
Second, 1timothy412girl.wordpress.com is now 1timothy412girl.com, since I just got my own URL. Thus, my website title is now a little shorter and a little more accessible. 😄
The last announcement is that I’m planning to have some awesome fellow bloggers contribute to this site. I’ve already started contacting people and with any luck, you should begin to see some guest posts soon! I’m looking forward to seeing what God has planned for this blog in this upcoming school year and I know that the guest-submissions are going to be awesome!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”-Jeremiah 29:11
The Liebster Award #2
Big news guys, I have just been nominated for the Liebster award by my friend Papberry! I’m super honored to have won this award and I can’t wait to nominate some of my awesome readers! 😉
The rules are
- Answer the 11 questions you are provided with by the person who nominated you.
- Nominate 11 new bloggers who have less than 500 followers.
- Post the Liebster award to your blog.
The questions are
1. What is the funniest thing that has happened to you?
Hmm, I’ve had a lot of funny things happen to me. One that sticks out in particular is a time a time involving a squirrel and a cupcake. I threw the wrapper away (Which still had some icing and crumbs in it) and watched a squirrel retrieve it from the garbage can. He began eating the icing out of it, and the more he ate, the faster he licked the icing remnants, as if he had a a sudden energy boost. His tail began twitching at rapid speed and he seemed to be completely loving that cupcake. Watching a squirrel on a sugar high is definitely an experience that sticks out. 😂
2. What is your dream job?
A writer. You can read more about that here.
3. What is your favorite song and why?
I have a lot of songs that I love, but one that seems to stand out right now is Fight Song by Rachel Platten
4. Do you have any pets and if so what are they like?
Yes, I have a cat named Precious. I got her when I was seven. 🐱 Here’s a picture of her, if you want to see.
5. Are you a night owl or early bird? How early do you wake up or how late do you stay up?
Not really either, honestly. I’m definitely more of a night owl than an early bird though, as I’m barely coherent first thing in the morning. I usually go to bed around 10:45 and during the summer, wake up anytime between 7:00-9:00.
6. When you were little did you have imaginary friends? What were they like?
Yes, there was a bunny named Fluffy and a yellow monster named Cutie Pie. Don’t judge. 😂🙈
7. What is your favorite food? And your favorite dessert?
For food, probably pizza or french fries (I know, real healthy favorites, right?) and for dessert, probably cake.
8. What are your beliefs?
I like Papberry’s answers, so I’m using those.
I believe in God, creator of the universe and everything it entails.
I believe in the trinity; God the Father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit.
I believe in the Holy Book(Bible)
I believe in love
I believe in hardwork
I believe in friendship
I believe in grace
I believe in Favor
I believe in change
I believe in second chance
…
9. What are the things you stand for?
Jesus
Making a difference
Making wise choices
Being a good friend
Leaving a legacy
Sharing my faith
10. What is the most important character trait in someone?
Hmm, I think I’m going to have to go with Papberry’s answer and say humility. So many other character traits are encompassed in that one.
11. Who is your role model in life?
I admire a lot of people, but Jesus is my ultimate role model.
The new nominees are
Please answer the same questions that I did and keep up the awesome work on your blogs! 😊
1 Timothy 4:12 Girl 