Feeling Honored

I would like to thank Pastor Chris Jordan of New Life for nominating me for the Liebster Blog Award. I truly feel honored! Thank you so much for thinking of me, and I am very glad that I have been able to be a blessing to you in at least some small way. 🙂

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Here are the Rules for the Liebster Blog Award:

1. Thank and link to the person who nominated you.
2. Answer the questions given by the nominator.
3. Nominate 11 other bloggers, who have less than 200 followers and link to them.* (*Note – in some places where I have seen the Liebster Blog Award posted, they have stipulated less than 3,000 followers, and I am going with that one).
4. Create 11 new questions for the nominees to answer.
5. Notify all nominees via social media/blogs.

The following are my nominees for this award. They share their hearts in their blogs through writing and/or photography regarding their thoughts, dreams, ideas, and more. I think the thing that draws me to them the most is their openness and authenticity. I decided to pair things down a little and nominate 5 blogs and ask 5 questions. 🙂

  1. Wild Call of the Soul
  2. * Life Amplified *
  3. Pens and Journals
  4. Philos / Theo / Sophia
  5. Paths to Adventure and Praise

Questions for the nominees:

  1. What is your favorite thing to write about and/or photograph, and why?
  2. Tell us about an experience in your life that greatly affected you, in a positive way.
  3. What is a goal that you have for yourself in the next year or so?
  4. Share with us about a person in your life who has been very influential.
  5. What is a funny/interesting fact about yourself?

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Here are my answers to the questions that Chris gave to me:

  1. What motivated you to start writing or blogging? I think the biggest thing that motivated me to start blogging were the difficulties I was encountering in my life at the time, and needing to “work through them” somehow. I found that by writing about my struggles, and how those struggles related to my faith, it helped me to process what I was going through so that I could take steps forward and make positive progress.
  2. What is one of your favourite books (or authors), and why? One of my favorite books is called “Streams in the Desert,” by L.B. Cowman. It is a book of 366 Daily Devotional Readings that focus on the topic of trials and how they can be used in a Christian’s life for good. I read this book almost every night before I go to bed, and many times God uses it to speak to me regarding whatever situation I am in. Even though I’ve read the book over and over, the Lord continues to use it in my life in new ways.
  3. What is one of the items on your bucket list – something you would like to do before you die? It may sound silly, but I have this dream to visit every continent before I die. I’ve visited South America and Asia (along with North America, of course) so far, and I would like to go to Europe next. I love to travel, and I think it would be so neat to be able to have this type of experience. World, here I come! 😀
  4. Who is your favourite Bible hero, and why? This is a difficult question! There are so many men and women in the Bible who give us wonderful examples that it is very hard to choose. I guess I would have to say Abraham – because of his faith. He obeyed God when He was told to go to a different country, without knowing what he would face or how things would turn out. He also trusted God enough to offer his only son as a sacrifice, just because God asked him to. He didn’t understand. I’m sure everything in his heart and mind and body cried out against doing this – but he obeyed, and God blessed his faith by delivering his son (Isaac) and growing his faith even more.
  5. Who is one of the most influential people in your journey of faith? My Mother. 🙂 She has been one of my biggest supporters since I began my life’s journey. She listens to me, tries her best to understand, offers wise advice that she has learned from situations in her own life, and PRAYS for me. I really don’t know what I would do without her, and I’m so grateful to God for putting her in my life!
  6. Do you prefer coffee or tea? That’s actually a funny question for me right now. 🙂 I had always preferred coffee, and I still enjoy it. However, I just recently started a loose leaf tea business, and have come to really enjoy the taste and health benefits of this beverage. I guess I’d have to say that I enjoy both!
  7. Share one other interesting anecdotal fact about yourself! I have been sponsoring a young girl named Perla through Compassion International for about 7 years now. I have found it to be such an uplifting experience! Not only am I able to help a child who is less fortunate than I am, but I have the opportunity to communicate with her through mail and get to know her and her family. It has definitely been a blessing! ❤

Your Rock is Christ

“Trust God’s Word and His power more than you trust your own feelings and experiences. Remember, your Rock is Christ, and it is the sea that ebbs and flows with the tides, not Him.”

~ Samuel Rutherford

Photo Credit: Angelina Odemchuk / Editing Credit: Me 🙂

It’s Cold Inside

It’s been cold inside my heart for the past week or so. I’ve been dealing with a lot of anxiety, a lot of doubt, a lot of perfectionism…just a discouraging time. On one hand, I know the Truth of what God says, but on the other hand, I’m having a difficult time believing it.

At two points during the past several days, I’ve been so anxious that I’ve had to actually write out a list of all the things I was anxious about, just to get them “out of my head” so I could try to go to sleep. Thankfully, I feel better after doing this – and I always try to end with reminding myself of the positives and the promises of God. Somehow this keeps me going.

For example, one night I wrote out my list of worries, and then asked myself, “Why am I worrying so much about all of this?” I answered myself:

  • I’m not trusting God.
  • I want to be in control.
  • I want things to go perfectly.
  • I don’t want to fail.
  • I don’t want to disappoint anyone.

But then I countered myself with these truths:

  • I put my trust in You, God. I let go!
  • God is in control – not I.
  • There is no perfect on this earth. God knows that I am only human, and He gives me grace.
  • God allows me to fail. I can learn from it.
  • I am not here to please _________, or anyone else. I am here to please God!

A verse that encouraged me at this time was Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT) – “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

Then another night I was worried about something else, and how things weren’t going as I had hoped. But again, I tried to encourage myself with truths:

  • God led me into this.
  • I prayed about it.
  • I asked for wisdom.
  • God opened doors.
  • Maybe He wants me to grow through this.
  • Maybe He wants me to rely on Him!
  • Faithful is He who called me, who also will do it.
  • I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
  • It is God who works in me both to will (to WANT to do) and to do (to accomplish) His good pleasure.
  • God is my Helper, and He will not leave me or forsake me.
  • I AM RIGHT WHERE GOD WANTS ME TO BE!

The hardest part is that I feel like no one understands. People try, but they just don’t struggle with the same things. Truthfully, however, no one can fully understand someone else. The ONLY Person who can COMPLETELY understand me and each and every person is Jesus Christ.

“For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” ~ Hebrews 4:15 (ESV)

PRAISE GOD that He understands! Sometimes it is just this knowledge that gets me through. ❤