Thirty Day Blogging Challenge #2: Day Eight

Courtney5 Comments

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Day Eight: Write fifteen interesting facts about yourself

Hey everyone, I wrote this yesterday, but I guess it didn’t publish. Thus, here it is today!

1. I learned how to sign to John 3:16 in middle school

2. My middle name derives from my grandma’s first name

3. I’m fairly decent at basketball

4. I didn’t get my permit until I was seventeen

5. I decided to start this blog after discovering a good friend of mine blogged

6. I’m part Italian

7. I have seven cousins, all on my dad’s side

8. I used to take ballet as a child and stunk horribly at it

9. Becoming a successful author has been my lifelong dream

10. I’ve worn glasses since I was eleven years old

11. When I was a kid, I used to swallow my vegetables whole

12. I prefer winter to summer

13. I’m an only child

14. I’m currently listening to Mary’s Song by Taylor Swift as I write this.

15. It’s currently exactly 8:30 as I type this sentence out.

I’ll see you back tomorrow for day nine! Until then, be sure to keep following my friend Emily as she partners with me in this challenge! You can find the link to her blog in my previous post! 

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge #2: Day Seven

Courtney6 Comments

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Day Seven: Somewhere you’d like to move or visit 

Hey everyone! I’ve finally gotten around to writing out a blog post, rather than reposting an old one. Sorry I haven’t been super word-y over the past couple days—I’ve been super busy with various things, including that longtime series that I’ve told you guys about!

Nonetheless, I’m finally back and ready to blog! 

Today’s writing prompt is about a place I would like to move or visit. In all honesty, there’s no where else I’d rather live than my home town, because my current state is where most of my family and friends live. There is, on the other hand, one place I’d like to visit someday. 

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You guessed it—New York, New York! 

As a girl from a fairly southern state, I’ve always been a tad curious what it’s like in a place like New York City. I love the hopeful looking skyscrapers that you always see in pictures, and would like to visit some of the historical landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty.

I also have always had a serious weakness for lights—no joke. I love the way that New York looks when all of the buildings are lit up in pictures and movies. I’ve always said that it looks a bit like a million Christmas trees when it’s all lit up at night. Furthermore, despite my nearly paralyzing fear of heights, I would love to stand on the top floor of one of those buildings and take an Instagram-worthy picture of the city from up high.

My interest in visiting New York City may very well be at least partly inspired by shows like Friends, but to me, it looks like a very fun place to visit someday—especially during the month of December. If I ever go, I’ll be sure to take some pictures for you—and document the whole thing from the perspective of a southern-born girl used to the suburbs.

Until than, I guess I’ll just have to live vicariously through pictures.😜

How about you? Where would you like to live or visit? Please share your thoughts with me in the comments section below! ⬇️

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge #2: Day Six

Courtney2 Comments

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Day Four: If you could have any job in the wold, what would it be? 

Since I already wrote about this for the first challenge, I’m going to post the link here, but I promise to be back tomorrow with a brand new entry!

Until then, be sure to check out Emily’s blog over at Fearfully Wonderfully Me, who is partnering with me in this challenge!

Have a blessed night y’all!

Thirty Day Blog Challenge #2: Day Five

Courtney3 Comments

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Day Five: Your favorite foods and why 

I sort of already wrote about this for my last challenge, so I’m just going to post the link for you guys here.

Furthermore, I would like to inform you that my friend Emily from Fearfully Wonderfully Me is joining forces with me in this challenge! Be sure to check out her blog here! It’s very good and uplifting and I’d highly recommend it.😊

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge #2: Day Four

Courtney4 Comments

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Day Four: Your top five pet peeves

1. Prejudice/stereotyping – This gets on my nerves so much. If there’s one thing that drives me crazy beyond measure, it’s when people are mean and offensive to a certain people group and/or accuse an entire group of people of being guilty of a particular behavior. If a person starts a sentence with the phrase “Those (Insert people group) are always (Insert undesirable characteristic)” I’ve likely already tuned them out in my mind. Along with being wrong on so many levels, it’s incredibly annoying and unbecoming.

2. Bullying – In some ways, this is kind of similar to #1, but considering there are subtle differences between the two, I believe it’s relevant to post this one as well. Bullies have always gotten on my nerves—especially when they travel in packs. As somewhat of a nerd, I’ve been targeted for more subtle forms of bullying over the course of my life and it breaks my heart to see it happen to others. No one should have to endure that kind of psychological, verbal, or physical torment.

3. When people smoke in public places – This truly irritates me in a big way. Whenever I’m at a place where someone is smoking, I always hold my breath to try to avoid inhaling the second-hand-smoke and end up feeling short of air as a result. It’s not healthy for the person smoking or the innocent bystanders, and by smoking, a person puts everyone around them at risk for the health hazards of second-hand-smoke (OK, getting off my soapbox now…)

4. When people act inappropriately online – Thankfully I haven’t been a victim of this too often, but the times that I have, I’ve gotten seriously freaked out. Fewer things have made me feel more uncomfortable than guys I’ve never had a conversation with asking where I live or trying to flirt online. Double points for the times it happens in Twitter DMs.

5. When people are rude – Certain things really are basic manners. Holding the door for someone. Apologizing for bumping into a person. Saying please and thank you. It really irritates me when people ignore some of society’s most basic etiquette rules.

How about you? What are your pet peeves? Feel free to post your own list in the comments section! 

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge #2: Day Three

Courtney4 Comments

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Day Three: Your Current relationship. If single, discuss being single. 

Note, this is not directed at my current church or any one particular church. I am very happy at my church and believe that there are many great and wonderful churches out there. Nonetheless, I have seen a growing problem within the Evangelical Christian sphere of ignoring or undermining single individuals and I believe it is an important issue to address. I do not claim to speak for every single Christian in the world—this is merely an observational piece based on my experiences over the years. 

Dear Church,

I am one of many like me. I’m young, college aged, and most importantly, Christian.

I’m also single—and you sort of don’t know what do with me.

I’m too old for your youth group, but I don’t fit your “ideal-adult-model”.

I’m a career-minded women who’s currently going to school to become a journalist. My goal is to obtain a Bachelors in Journalism and Master’s degree in Theology. I don’t have a significant other—just a bunch of “significant others” that I like to call friends. No, I’m not an overgrown “kidult”. No, I have no intention of sleeping around. No, I’m not greedy, or putting money ahead of what’s important in life. I’m just single—in the state of not being married, engaged, or in a relationship.

And, I think that worries you a little. Many of you would not consider me for a ministry position, even if I were a guy. An extremely high percentage of your messages are directed solely at married folks, as you talk about “How to have a happy marriage” or “How to raise Godly kids“. Oftentimes, the word “family” is used interchangeably with “Christian“, because it seems you believe all people with a ring are Christian and all people without a ring are far from God—as you buy into the world’s myth that singles are all hanging out at a bar somewhere hooking up.

I also sometimes get the impression that you’re more concerned about my future spouse than you are about me. I don’t want to believe this—I really don’t—but sometimes it’s hard not to get this impression. A truckload of devotionals that I read and flipped through during my teenage years focused heavily on how to develop into a good future wife, when I was still trying to figure out how to be a good present “me”.

The truth is, you’ve taught me a lot of important and vital lessons. You’ve taught me who God is and how to follow Him. You’ve taught me what the Bible says, and how to be faithful in reading it. You’ve taught me the importance of having regular quiet time with God. I’m thankful beyond measure for these things, and still utilize these lessons to this day.

I love The Church. I believe that it’s one of the best places to grow and learn with a family of believers. I love singing and praising God along with the worship band. I love listening to the pastor preach from the Word. I love partaking in communion along with fellow believers. The reason this is such a frustrating issue for me is because I love The Church—and because I want to see it do a a better job at ministering to all of it’s congregation.

I love you, and that’s why I’m telling you these things—so that you can learn how to better love others like me.

So many of us want and need you, but don’t know how to seek you out. We want to belong without feeling like we need a ring to be welcome. We want to learn what it means to be faithful in this season of life, even if it’s different than the season of life you’re most comfortable with. We want to talk and engage with our married peers, and learn about what it’s like for different people in different pockets of life.

We want community—and the family that Jesus told us you were.

I trust that you want what’s best for us. You want us to be happy—but you need to let us know that it’s OK to be happy where we are. I’ll never forget the first and last time I ever heard a pastor say that it’s OK to be single. I’ll never forget how unbelievably welcome that made me feel.

Our best life starts now, with Jesus. Not in the future. We’re a part of you, and we want you to know that we exist—that we’re standing beside you every Sunday.

So don’t forget to save us a seat at the table.

Forever sincerely,

Courtney

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge #2: Day Two

Courtney7 Comments

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Hey everyone, I hope your day has been pleasant! Sorry I’m posting this a little late in the afternoon, I went to see a movie today and just got home!

Today’s prompt is “Describe the good, the bad, and the ugly of yourself“. I’m not quite sure how to go about doing this, but I’ll do my best!

The good: I believe that I’m an overall nice person. I try to be kind to others and hardworking in my aspirations. I also try (sometimes unsuccessfully, as a fallen human) to put Jesus first in every area of my life.

The bad: As I’ve written about in various places before, I tend to struggle with OCD and perfectionism. Struggling with OCD/Perfectionism isn’t a sin, but it can make it harder to focus on the important things in life and keep my priorities straight.

The ugly: Sometimes I have a tendency to speak without thinking. I’ve gotten better about this, but sometimes if I’m in an argument, words will spill out that I never should have said. Furthermore, as a fairly type-A kind of person, I hate being wrong—which can sometimes manifest itself in pride.

The good news is, God’s grace is enough to cover us—even when we feel like a bit of a hot mess.

2 Corinthians 12:9 says “But [Jesus] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

None of us are perfect and we all struggle with a host of different issues, but Jesus took our place on the cross so that we may spend eternal life with Him. He’s there in our sins and our strengths, are successes and failures.

Jesus is always more than enough—in the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge #2: Day One

Courtney5 Comments

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IT’S BAACK!!!

I am officially starting a new thirty day blog challenge for the month of January. Since I got such a good response on my challenge this past summer, I decided to do another one—with a whole new set of questions to answer. I hope you guys enjoy reading these and I hope  you stay with me throughout the series. I always love reading comments from you guys, so feel free to jump in and give feedback.

Now, for the first question: “what, why and where I write.“

What: Honestly, I have a pretty huge variety of things that I write. I love sharing my thoughts with the world and there are a variety of mediums in penmanship that you can use to do that.

One of my favorite forms of writing has always been fiction. I love creating characters to meet and different worlds to explore. It allows you to live a thousand different lives without even leaving your house. Like reading, writing gives you adventure, wonder, and suspense—as you lead characters through a host of different situations. Currently, I am working on a fiction series for teenagers that I hope is released sometime before I’m thirty. I don’t have all of the publishing logistics figured out, but I’ll be sure to keep you updated if anything changes with that!

Another form of writing that I love is songwriting. It’s very possible that this one could have emerged from watching too many movies (Remember Camp Rock and Lemonade Mouth?) but it’s a form of writing that I’ve found to be extremely therapeutic. It allows you to write about feelings, situations, and people in a much freer manner than most forms of writing allow. Songwriting is basically a musical diary of your life, your experiences, and your beliefs. This is also another form of writing that I would like to dabble in professionally in the field of lyricism.

Last but not least—I enjoy blogging. This one is probably a bit obvious, as I am writing a blog right now. I am a semi-new blogger, as I started in the summer of 2015, but I have grown to love the art of blogging. As an extravert, it is super exciting to see people actually respond to your writing and make friends through the blogosphere. It is perhaps the type of writing that gets the most immediate feedback, which makes it a unique and exciting venture.

Why: I suppose the obvious reason is that I absolutely love it. I love seeing words emerge on a screen and I love telling a stories and teaching through the power of the pen. Nonetheless, the biggest reason that I write is to make an impact. I’ve always dreamed of impacting the world and writing gives me the oppertunity to do that. It gives me the chance to share my faith, help others grow in theirs, and help people think about important issues. If you look throughout history, you can see the impact of writers like Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Mary Shelley, and Ray Bradberry. I want to leave that kind of legacy.

Where: This one honestly differs from day to day. I have found that certain writing spots “work”, while others simply do not. One of my favorite places to write is in my bed with good music playing and the lights dimmed, leaving the Christmas lights above my bed to shine solo. I also sometimes write on the downstairs couch just outside the living room or in waiting rooms. The life of the author can be quite sporadic at times.

How about you? What, why, and where do you write? I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments! 

Three Day Quote Challenge #2: Day Three

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“Home is where the heart is.”

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What does it mean to be home? For many of us, the word has positive associations. Many of us, when we hear this word, think of close family members, such as our parents, siblings, grandparents, and maybe a family pet. For others, we may also think of close friends—people who have watched us grow up and who have always been there for us. Still for others, we may think of a particular place that brings back found memories, such as our church or our house that we grew up in.

For the Christian, the word has an even deeper meaning. Home, for the believer, is all of these things and more. It’s a place that we’re traveling to, as we walk down the winding road of life. It’s the place that we anxiously anticipate, where we’ll be united with our Heavenly Father. This point is beautifully illustrated throughout the Bible and in numerous Christian novels.

Jesus paints a picture of Heaven in John 14:2-4, giving us a glimpse of what’s to come.

“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.””

Nonetheless, we cannot discount the journey. In the midst of the greatest ups and the lowest downs, God has each of us here for a reason. We are all fellow sojourners, called to make an impact and touch the lives as we make our journey home. We may be called to a variety of vocations here—from writers, to musicians, to business men and women—but if we know Jesus, we’re all heading to the same destination. No matter how insignificant you may feel, your life matters. In this dark world, you’re called to be a flashlight. Each one of us is called to be a spark that lights a fire—lighting the way like streetlights to help others and and know their Savior. 

We are called to fight the good fight and run the race of faith. We are called to make a difference, following God’s footprints and paving a way for others. We are called to follow Jesus, trusting Him and clinging to Him as we live life—always ready to welcome others into the family of God.

We were made for something greater than this life. We were made for an eturnal home.  

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”—Hebrews 12:1 

Nominees for the last day of the quote challenge!

Processing The Journey 

Consecrated Tree 

Juni Desiree

New Years Resolutions

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This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change—Taylor Swift. 

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As 2016 comes to a close and we walk into 2017, I wanted to take some time to create some resolutions and share them with y’all. I believe that the new year gives us a great opportunity to better ourselves and press more into our goals, hopes, and dreams.

Since I try to be transparent on this blog, I decided to share my resolutions. I would also love to hear yours, if your comfortable sharing them. I can’t wait to see how we all grow and where God leads us in 2017!

Thus, without further ado, the resolutions! 

  1. Read a little bit every day – As much as I love reading, I don’t do it nearly enough. Nonetheless, I received a bunch of great new books for Christmas written by authors such as Karen Kingsbury, Tim Lahaye, and Ron J. Sider that I cannot wait to break  into (I’ve already broken into a couple)! They should last for at least a couple of months, but regardless, this resolution remains. I plan to make a conscious effort to be an avid reader in 2017.
  2. Continue learning – My school situation went a little crazy this year, as I recently made the decision to transfer from my current college to Liberty Online. Nonetheless, it’s a little more pricey than my family had originally planned, so I’m taking the spring semester off, leaving me with what I’m calling a “gap semester”. During this semester, I want to continue learning, even if it’s informal. I want to research topics that I’m interested in and keep up with current events relevant to society right now. Just because I’m taking a break from formal schooling doesn’t mean I have to stop learning!
  3. Journal regularly – Recently, my pastor’s wife has begun mentoring me and as we’ve talked, she’s encouraged me to keep a journal to write about what God is showing me. I started this year and I’ve found that it’s been really helpful to have a private place to reflect and talk to God. As a recent high school grad, there are a lot of changes and decisions ahead, and I believe that journaling (and God) is going to be the thing that will keep me sane through it all. It is definitely something that I’d like to continue into the new year.
  4. Complete a book I’m writing – As I’ve mentioned before, I’m currently in the process of writing a series that I’ve been working on since freshman year of high school. Needless to say, it’s changed a lot over the last five years. I would like to continue working on it in 2017—hopefully completely book two in the series before the end of next year!
  5. Read my Bible faithfully – I fell into a bad habit with forgetting to do this for a while, but this past December, I’ve begun to make it a priority and have been faithfully reading it every morning. I believe that staying in the Word is vital as a Christian and I’d like to continue reading it faithfully in the new year.
  6. Stay in touch with friends – I think one of the hardest things about being a high school grad is trying to stay in contact with friends. When I was in high school, I literally saw almost everyone every week, having regular discussion and the privilege of being in close quarters. When everyone is spread out at different colleges, you have to really be intentional about keeping those friendships intact, through email, texting, and get togethers. In 2017 I would like to be more conscientious about staying in touch with everyone.
  7. Be healthier – This is pretty much the token resolution, right? Eating healthy, exercising…all that jazz. Nonetheless, it is something that I would like to be more intentional about, as I steward the life that God has given me.
  8. Find a job – This winter/spring I’m going to have a lot more time to find a job. I have already started a resume and I’ve been looking at different places in the area to work, and have currently narrowed it down to three options. Hopefully, as I enter into the second year of adulthood, I’ll be able to secure a position at one of them.
  9. Step out of my comfort zone – In 2017, I would like to take more (practical) risks. I have a tendency to stay within my comfort zone, but as I go into the new year, I would like to consciously look for ways that God may be calling me out of my comfort zone. By risks, I don’t mean anything crazy (I am not sky-diving y’all!), but simply obeying God’s call to do things that I may not dare otherwise.
  10. Blog more consistently – Admittedly, I’m horrible about having set days to write, but I would like to change that in the new year. Rather than blogging sporadically, whenever I have some free time, I would like to set a schedule of days that you can expect to see new posts on 1 Timothy 4:12 Girl, so stay tuned!

How about you? Any resolutions for 2017