summer link loving

can you believe that August is almost over?! this year has flown by - which is to be expected, as this year has been amazing and definitely one for the books.

throughout the summer, I spent a lot of my lazy mornings (or those mornings when I knew I needed to get out of bed for work but I didn’t want to start my day yet!) scrolling through blogs, twitter, and instagram, and I ended up finding some great articles and blog posts that I knew I needed to save! and so, instead of doing weekly link roundups like I know so many bloggers do, I’ve compiled all of my favorites from the summer into this one post! enjoy!

blogs

so proud of my good friend’s little sister, who started her own blog this summer revolving around empowerment for girls! so glad I had the opportunity to be featured this month as well.

I’ve followed Brighton for a long time on Instagram and Bloglovin’, but I have fallen in love with the #beSTILLbeBRIGHT series she’s started. she’s candidly sharing her faith and it’s so inspiring.

mary peyton brown is killing it with her blog centered around her senior thesis. (read about what that entitles for her here). although I’m not a vegan, I love seeing her style and just her personality shine through! can’t wait to see what this next year brings for her blog.

articles

25 women give their best advice … who doesn’t want to hear what Mindy Kaling or Veronica Roth have to say about life?

this summer, I’ve made sure that I always have a book on hand to pick up when I’m in need of some time away from the many screens we often fill our days with … or if I’m just craving a book to get lost in. this blog post helped me to find some great books to add to my “to read” list and I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve been able to pick up! (especially The Art of Fielding!)

john green is always killing it, and this article is no exception. I found it interesting to hear about what it’s really like behind all of those TV interviews, and how Cara Delevingne likes to be different in her answers.

what a typical article that my dad sent me (he’s a home loan officer) … why a teenage bank teller has the best summer job.

etc.

I cannot wait for Kelsey and Kyle Kupecky to release their book this September (only days away!!). I love Karen Kingsbury’s books (Kelsey’s mom), so I know that this book will be no exception!!

speaking of reading … I was very intrigued to learn about how reading can change your health. I’m always in need of a valid excuse to pick up another book.

15 beautiful words that can’t be translated into the english language.

if I have any extra time in the near future, I'll definitely be making this DIY. (Dorothy has been KILLING it with her blog posts recently!!)

what links have you been loving lately?

in Christ,

06 . 26 . 15 + wrap up

{ 06 . 21 . 15 } // { 06 . 22 . 15 } // { 06 . 23 . 15 } // { 06 . 24 . 15 } // { 06 . 25 . 15 }

this last post focuses on the benediction of the prayer, something that isn’t written in the passage of Matthew where we find this prayer, but was added as a conclusion to this prayer with such meaning :

“thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever”

read : Matthew 6:9-13 { The Lord’s Prayer }

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

 on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

 as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

 but deliver us from the evil one."

*

read : Colossians 1:16-18

… for through him God created everything

   in the heavenly realms and on earth.

He made the things we can see

   and the things we can’t see—

such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.

   Everything was created through him and for him.

He existed before anything else,

   and he holds all creation together.

Christ is also the head of the church,

   which is his body.

He is the beginning,

   supreme over all who rise from the dead.

   So he is first in everything.

we are his body, as being part of the church.

God was before all things. he is first in everything, and should be first in everything we do.

he wants us to experience his kingdom to the full

in order to do that, we must live through him and allow him to guide us

we will be fully restored in his kingdom! there will be no more pain.

therefore, we must …

believe in God.

trust in God.

work towards his kingdom.

wait.

*

my week at camp was truly inspiring and it has meant so much to me that I have a platform in which I am able to share the great truths I learned there. each night something new was revealed and I am forever grateful for the experiences I was a part of as a counselor. when you can see God revealing himself in your campers, it is such a humbling experience. I cannot wait to go back next summer, God willing!

And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.

1 John 5:14

in Christ,

06 . 25 . 15

only two more days left to recap! I can’t believe that I’ve almost reached the end … I’ve so loved being able to use these days at camp as separate blog posts and will miss the ease of just being able to look at my sermon notes and write something from the heart.

as far as a life update goes, this month has been great and today marks my second day at my new school. the transition is proving some challenges, but nothing that can’t be worked through. looking forward to updating you all on all the happenings as soon as I have more time to sit down.

{ 06 . 21 . 15 } // { 06 . 22 . 15 } // { 06 . 23 . 15 } // { 06 . 24 . 15 }

today’s post focuses on the last written part of the prayer,

“and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one … ”

{ stand and deliver me }

read : Matthew 6:5-13 {The Lord’s Prayer}

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

  on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

  as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

  but deliver us from the evil one.’

*

read : John 10:9-10

Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Jesus is the gate.

anyone who enters will be saved!

what great news!! they will find abundant pastures there, for we are His sheep.

the thief comes to destroy, kill, and steal.

BUT! God will allow us to live a life to the full.

*

in Christ, we have an enemy!

because of that, we often pray the words of desperation, “don’t leave me alone”.

we have a need for God to rally by our side!

and so, let us pray to God, “I trust you”.

God is our refuge and our strength, always present in trouble. (Psalm 46)

struggling is a reality of the Christian faith. it isn’t supposed to be easy. (that’s what faith is!)

God will help us and he promises us that he will be steadfast. what great news!

in Christ,

disclaimer : I want to make that in no way am I trying to sound “preachy” or force my beliefs on you. I simply want to share what I’ve learned and hope that, in the process, at least one person finds some benefit in something they read through this series. I am always open to any comments you have and I will read and reply to each one, whether it is for discussion or constructive criticism!

sing and make music

{ see my past two music related posts here and here }

as a music student, currently in the process of beginning my first year at a residential high school to pursue my passion, you would expect me to be pretty into music, right? well … let’s just say that I’m an exemption from that “rule”. (who knows - that may change this year!! #artschoolprison!)

I tend to stick to the same few playlists on Spotify, but I have enough options to where I can easily choose which one I’m most in the mood for.

musical levite

this playlist was curated with music from my time spent helping to lead music this past spring/summer, as well as a few of my other favorite worship songs. (my go-to playlist lately!)

dinner party (created by sydney carver of summer wind 41490)

I found this playlist more recently after scrolling through Sydney's blog on a hunt for a certain song, and I love the mix of singers she's put together. if you're in the mood for some Sinatra, Norah Jones, and Michael Buble, make sure to follow the playlist ASAP!

study

when I need some quiet music to get homework done with (so not ready for school to start this monday!), this is the playlist playing in the background. with almost 500 (!!) songs, there's no way you'll get annoyed after hearing the same song twice during a study session. there's a good mix of classical composers and some movie soundtrack pieces, as well as some acoustic guitar pieces, so you'll definitely hear a good mix of styles to keep you focused!

love of broadway

lover of broadway and all songs romantic? I curated this playlist after I realized I had a love for the ballads of my favorite musicals. it's a short playlist compared to the others, but the selections from cinderella, newsies, and falling slowly (plus some others!) will keep you entertained for the perfect amount of time.

if you'd prefer all things broadway, this is the playlist for you - it's also a good study playlist.

john green

john green's 2 movies have been accompanied with some great songs - so this playlist is pretty self explanatory! I've compiled music from both The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns!

jm and jj

after Adam really introduced me to jack johnson and john mayer, I curated this playlist of all of my favorite songs from their vast amount of cds that are featured on Spotify. this playlist is perfect when I am tired of the classical study playlist but still need something quiet and calming!

holy cross band

I've featured some of the songs from my church's CD in a previous post, but this includes all of their music! really similar to my musical levite playlist, but it's just a small selection of songs that I know will always be good.

what are some of your favorite playlist?

in Christ,

06 . 24 . 15

I’m continuing to enjoy being able to share just little parts of my experience at camp with you all! it’s helped me to reinforce the principles and lessons I learned while there, and I hope and pray that something you read throughout this mini-series brings you some realization or lesson that you’ve been waiting to learn!
{ 06 . 21 . 15 } // { 06 . 22 . 15 } // { 06 . 23 . 15 }

today’s blog post focuses on the fourth portion of the prayer :

{ “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” }

Let it Go

read : Matthew 6:5-13 {The Lord’s Prayer}

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

   on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

   as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

   but deliver us from the evil one.’

*

this lesson was focusing on the spiritual need for forgiveness and what God does to help with that process/how he is fully in that process.

sin is defined as missing the mark.

therefore, the aim of our life is (and must be) God to fix this separation.

the speaker tonight, Zach, created a really great illustration that helped to visualize what he meant by missing the mark (I wish I could share the drawing that’s in my journal!). a few summers ago, he tried to kill a few of the pesky squirrels living in his parent’s backyard. each time he shot his bow, he missed the squirrel by a few inches. he was so close! if we are the archers, aiming for God’s target, we will always miss the bullseye because of sin. it’s what separates us from him! however, Jesus came to Earth, fully man and full God, to help us reach that target. until we ask God to forgive us for our sins through the power of the cross, we will continue to miss that mark.

read : Colossians 1:16

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

God created everything through him and for him.

*

holy means set apart, completely different from all we know.

God is the source of all that is good, making him holy.

therefore, any separation isn’t good.

read : John 14:6

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

he is THE LIFE.

if we don’t choose life, we will experience spiritual death (separation from God)

Jesus is the way to life.

*

read : ephesians 2:4-5

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

it is by grace that we are saved.

when we were still sinners, still in rebellion, God saved us.

*

Jesus will come and take our place because we can do nothing about our position (sin, missing the mark)

and it is all because of eternal love that we will be in perfect union with him.

we are brought and welcomed into the relationship so that we can realign our aim and glorify him in all that we do.

draw near to God

we will begin to act like God if we forgive like God forgave (and continues to forgive) us!

the cross realigns us with his character and fixes our separation.

it is externally available, the change from life to death.

in Christ, 
p.s. one disclaimer I want to make that in no way am I trying to sound “preachy” or force my beliefs on you. I simply want to share what I’ve learned and hope that, in the process, at least one person finds some benefit in something they read through this series. I am always open to any comments you have and I will read and reply to each one, whether it is for discussion or constructive criticism!

oh the places you'll go

it’s been great getting back into blogging after such a long hiatus, but I also feel like during that time my mission for this blog has changed. it’s been so much fun being able to post a wide variety of posts that come from personal inspiration, outside sources, and you, as readers. however, I want this blog to totally encapsulate me and who I am.

as I’m making a large transition in my life this fall, one of my biggest goals is to make this blog a place that I can come to write when I’m stressed, or need 15 minutes thinking of something other than music or school, or just want to share inspiration and happenings of life.

in no way can I promise a daily upload schedule, or promise that I'll post certain days of the week, because if junior year is anything like freshman and sophomore year, there are weeks where I hardly have time to sit down and breathe. I wish I could say that I'm a super organized blogger and could write enough posts on the weekend; but, to be honest, on the weekends I'd rather not be staring at a computer screen like I am most of the week - I want to be with friends and family and doing more than sitting at a desk.

I want to also share more of my own photography, rather than relying on Pinterest for my blog images. I love using VSCO Cam and messing around with photos and hope to use them for my own blog posts in the future.

with that, I also want to share more of my faith. I’ve been really inspired by Brighton Keller from Brighton the Day. her recent blog posts and Instagrams are so well written and the few things I’ve picked up on from her well put words mean a lot to me.

at this point, I'm trying to get posts scheduled through the end of August on every Tuesday and Thursday. hopefully I'll be able to get posts done for even September, but after the scheduled posts I'll be relying on my lengthy list of post ideas!!

you can always follow along with my posts through Bloglovin' or social media (definitely Twitter!).

in Christ,

06 . 23 . 15

{ 06 . 21 . 15 } // { 06 . 22 . 15 }

today’s blog post is focused on the third line of the prayer :

{ “Give us this day our daily bread” }

It’s my pleasure!

read : Matthew 6:9-13 { The Lord’s Prayer }

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

  on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

  as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

  but deliver us from the evil one."

*

I am not self-stained; but, God (and therefore, the trinity) is!

so WHY did He create us? He wanted us to be giving and to love like he loves and gives

to us.

read : Luke 12:24

Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!

*

read: Philippians 4:19

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

according to his scripture, God will meet all of my needs - and he will meet all of yours!

*

think - how much is me vs. how much is God?

one of the most powerful things tonight’s speaker, Trey, talked about, was how much God is doing vs. he is doing in something he is gifted with, such as singing. (side note: Trey is in charge of music at my church and is the reason I went to help lead with music.) Trey compared the things HE puts in vs. the things GOD has given him the ability to do … and by the end of this mini lesson, we discovered that GOD doing it all. (example : Trey puts in the time … but God created the concept of time; Trey can buy the instrument but God gave men the ability to create the instrument)

*

read : Matthew 7:9-11

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

in this scripture reading, we learn that God wants to give to us.

the gifts God is capable of giving are greater than we could ever imagine and something greater than we could ever give to someone else.

*

when we ask for something in the name of Jesus, he will provide something that lies in his character. in that, we will become more like him.

we’ve all been in that situation that we really hate someone, and want to do something to

harm them. however; God is going to give us some character quality that will help both

us and the other person. instead of hate, he will give us love. instead of death, he will give

us life.

God delights in meeting our needs and how him meeting our needs draws us closer to him.

I can’t think of a time that God has met my needs and it hasn’t brought me to my knees in

thanks.

the cross is just one of the ways that God fulfills our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

so therefore, we must …

pray in confidence

pray in humility

and hopefully, through all of this, our mind will move through the sequence of I want to I need to what is your will, God?

and he will respond, "It's my pleasure". we just have to give him time to move in the direction he chooses; and therefore, we must know in our hearts that the direction he moves is what's best for us.

in Christ,