Tag: Stories

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge: Day 5

Courtney7 Comments

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Hey everyone, I’m a little late, but I made it! I had a Bible study with some of my friends today and we celebrated two birthdays, so that’s why this post is coming later than the last four. Today’s topic is about my proudest moment.

Truth is, I’ve been very blessed and have had a lot of really awesome moments, so I decided to narrow it down to my top three proudest ones!

  1. When I saw my first book in print. I was only about thirteen when this happened. I felt the Lord calling me to write a teen devotional drawing parallels between the struggles Biblical figures faced and modern day problems that people encounter, so I sat down at my computer and began typing. After a lot of hard work, I managed to find a publisher and earn enough money to self publish it. It was an incredible feeling to see something that I wrote in print and I’m very grateful for that opportunity.
  2. When I sang a song that I wrote in a talent show. From the time that I was a freshman in high school, I had a dream to sing one of my songs on stage, and October of my senior year, that dream came true! It was a great feeling and I’ll always remember that night. I wrote about it in detail here.
  3. When I won a Liebster award. A couple of months back, I was nominated for a Liebster by my good friend Mfon from Dainty M. It was super exciting to win an award and be acknowledged for my writing. Plus, the feedback from all of you has inspired me to keep pushing forward and posting new content. I’m very excited to see what God leads me to write in the future.😊

I can’t believe that I’m already on day five of the challenge, I hope y’all stay with me until the end! 🏃

 

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge: Day 4

Courtney11 Comments

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Guess what guys ? It’s day four of the blogging challenge! Today’s topic will be…my dream job! 

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved stories. I begged my mom to teach me how to read when I only three years old and from that point, I haven’t stopped. When I was little, it was board books. When I got a little older, it was chapter books. Now, I’ve moved on to novels and blog posts.

But, I didn’t just love reading stories, I loved telling them too. When I was a child, I used to enjoy playing pretend with my dolls and stuffed animals. After school, I would frequently disappear into my room, which in my mind was a transport to another land far, far away. Pretty soon, I discovered the ‘power of the pen’ and wrote short stories with a pencil and paper. I illustrated a “cover” and stapled the pages together. Those were my earliest days of writing. 

I moved to the computer eventually (After taking the ever dreaded typing class), and I’ve been typing up stories since I was about eleven years old. I self-published two nonfiction books (Teen Impact and Know Jesus Know Peace) during my younger teenage years and am currently working on a fiction series that I hope to publish. I have also moved onto other mediums of writing-namely blogging and writing song lyrics while still staying true to my first love: Books. 

As you probably figured out, my dream job is to become a successful writer. I’ve had that dream since I was a little girl and it’s persisted into adulthood. I’ve grown in my craft through writing this blog and also through the blogs of others (Shoutout to all my blog friends!). I don’t know my future holds, but I do know that God holds my future in His hands. Thus, as I continue this journey into college and a future career, I’m going to trust God and continue sharing my random thoughts with my awesome, faithful readers and through blogging. 😉

So how about you guys? What is your dream job? Feel free to post your answers in the comment section! 

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge: Day 3

Courtney7 Comments

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“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” C. S. Lewis

I have a lot of favorite quotes-some by classic authors, some by modern writers, and some by well known public figures. Nonetheless, I have decided that for today’s post, I’m going to write about the above quote by C.S. Lewis. I love his metaphors used and the meaning behind the quote.

Plus, C.S. Lewis is just awesome.

In this post, Lewis makes the point that our faith determines our actions; how we think inevitably affects the way that we live. If we believe that there is no God, that means that there is no such thing as absolute truth and by default, no absolute meaning to life. Nonetheless, if we do believe in God, we’re called to live in a way that honors Him and make our lives here count. The earth we live in isn’t all there is, but the decisions that we make have eternal consequences (e.g.. To follow God or not follow Him).

Our beliefs shape how we see the world; this is called our worldview. It is the shining light that guides our thoughts, words, and actions. When a person is truly committed to their faith, it is bound to show in their life. The personal testimonies of those around us provide some of the strongest evidence for God’s existence. What else could change a hardcore drug addict to a committed Christian? What else could give that young single mother hope to keep going and raise her child? What else could drive the bar-hopper from the local club to the local church?

As amazed as we are when we hear stories like these, simple stories of faithfulness can be just as moving.

The timid person who finds the courage to speak up about their faith.

The person who battles temptation but finds the strength and courage to resist.

The person who has seen less-than-perfect-attitudes in fellow believers, but continues to have faith in God and their brothers and sisters in Christ. 

How we live our lives doesn’t just affect how people see us, but how they see God. We all have stories that have affected our lives, and we’re called to be a living testimony for those around us. 2 Corinthians 5:20 even goes so far as to call us Christ’s ambassadors. We cannot see the full picture of our lives on this earth, but God does. Through our relationships, work, and calling, God wants to reveal His love for the world. We all have different talents, personalities, and situations, but if we believe in Jesus and accept Him into our heart, we’re all part of one giant spiritual family. We are called to keep adding to this family. We are called to be salt and light. We are called to show the world who God is through our lives and actions. We may not be able to see God, but we can see His presence in the lives of others and in our own lives. Though we are currently earth-bound, we can feel rays of the sun from above, signaling it’s presence in our lives. And, we are called to share that light in the midst of the dark around us.

I’d love to hear your stories in the comments! How has the faith of another person helped you grow in your own faith? 

What we can learn from Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven

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A couple of months back, I read the the book by New York Times Bestselling Author Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven. I heard about this book and the idea behind it intrigued me, so I decided to try it. Little did I know, is that once I started it, I wouldn’t be able to put it down. I liked this book so much that I wrote an essay on it for an english class assignment and I wouldn’t stop talking about it. I’m pretty sure I was starting to drive my friends and family crazy. If you are unaware of the plot-line of this book, it’s about a man named Eddie, a veteran in World War 2 and current employee at a local amusement park, who dies trying to save a young girl’s life. Once he’s dead, he meets five different people who helped him better understand his life on earth. I’m not going to tell any more than that, as I don’t want to spoiler alert this book, but I would like to talk about what we can glean from this novel. In this book, the author writes

“There are no random acts…We are all connected…You can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind…”

I find this quote fascinating, and when you think about it, it’s really true. What would your life be like if you never encountered the people who have come into your life? What new experiences, ways of thinking, and wisdom would you have missed out on? I do not believe that people are a blank slate, as John Locke taught, but I do believe that people impact one and other. I know that I have friends who have affected my life, and I’m sure that you do too. I’m going to end this blog post with two questions to get you thinking.

1. Who are some people who have impacted your life?

2. What can you do to have a positive impact on the lives of others?