Introducing...{Cheer Up} Monday!

Let's face it; no one loves Mondays.

Everyone doesn't necessarily hate them, but no one LOVES them (unless you work/go to school on a different schedule where Monday is your Saturday or something...). A lot of times, people are down in the dumps on Mondays. They still have the WHOLE week ahead of them, they have to wake up early, etc.

Well, I'm a definite glass half full girl, and I want to change that! I'm going to be starting a new series called {Cheer Up} Monday! Whatever I post, it will be geared towards encouraging you to start you week of on the right foot with a positive attitude!

It won't be the same thing every week, but this week, I've got a little but of inspiration to share with you all from the one and only Pinterest. {I'm in LOVE with Pinterest! It's so fun. If you aren't on it yet, leave a comment and I will send you an invite.}

Enjoy, sweet friends!

I hope your Monday is truly AMAZING!

{I Need} Time Management Skills

Hey Ladies!

I've been such a bad blogger lately... I haven't posted in over two weeks!

I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things now. School started up again for me this past Wednesday, so I'm heading into my first full week tomorrow. I think I just need some skills to better manage my time... plenty of people balance school, homework/studying, blogging/blog designing, and time with family/friends, and I know that I CAN do it too!

I spent a good 2 hours today getting organized, getting all of my supplies and different things for school ready, cleaning up a little, finding clothes to wear this week, and now all that's left is my assignments (yes, I waited until Sunday might to do them...)!

I'm aiming to post at least a few times a week! I think I might start writing some time management posts on this blog... that's a really big thing for me. Would anyone be interested in that?

Anyway, thanks for sticking around, girls! Promise I'll be doing more of the 2 things I love best very soon. 1. Writing, and 2. Encouraging and inspiring you on your journey with Him!

What have you been up to lately? What changes are coming up in your life?

Blessings!

...Just Believe!

Child-like faith


"Do not fear, only believe." {Mark 5:36}

Have you ever had a Bible verse just speak to you? 

This one did. 

It's so short... only 5 simple words. Yet at the same time, it's incredibly inspiring.

How many times have you been scared? Unsure about the direction your life was taking? Doubtful that things would turn out right?

But what was there to be afraid of?

Isaiah 41:10 says, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

How many times have you said, "I can't do this!"? Worried that you weren't strong enough, brave enough, smart enough, pretty enough...?

But why didn't you just believe in yourself?

Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength."

How many times have you said a prayer only for it to never be answered? For God to not listen, and to leave you questioning His existence and doubting His goodness?

But didn't you have faith?

Mark 11:24 says, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

You see what I mean?

So in Mark 5:36 we are told not to fear (or to cast our cares on the Lord, as Psalms 55:22 puts it.) but only to believe (believe that you can do anything, no matter how big or scary, John 14:12 puts it.).

Stop letting that fear or worry get to you, and start believing that you were given a truly wonderful and perfect, yes perfect, life by the One and only who can give life!

He'll never forsake you, and he'll always love you so much...

Just believe in Him, because He's got your back!

Serve One Another In Love!!!

Hi Ladies!

Anyone remember back in March, when I met Mrs. Heather and we teamed up to start a ministry blog, Serve One Another In Love, together?

It was awesome!

But then.... life got in the way.Things happened, and we "closed down" the blog for about 3 months.

This week? A miracle happened!

Heather and I finally got back together and started working on bringing back the site! I set up all the technical stuff, and worked really hard on the design (I think it's really pretty, if I do say so myself!) and Heather got busy writing content (I wrote content too)!




Today, Serve One Another In Love officially re-launches!!! I just cannot tell you how excited I am for this! I've been waiting ever since we "shut-down" the blog to start it back up again, and the day is finally here!

Please stop by!!! Today we have our Family In Faith blog hop, where we would love to have you come link-up so we can interact with you, and starting Monday, we are kicking off a 40 Days of Prayer series to challenge everyone's prayer lives!

I seriously just want to scream and jump for joy over this!  I didn't know if we would ever revive our ministry blog again, but Heather and I both missed it so much!

Blogging rocks, girls, it really does!

I'm so thankful to have my friend Heather back and our fun blog back! In case you needed a reminder, our blog title comes from the verse Galatians 5:13:

"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love."

GOD IS SO GOOD!

Visit us here!

Blessings!

Overcome.

I stumbled upon this great video on Jen's blog yesterday, and I thought I'd share!

His voice is loud (kind of reminds of Joyce Meyer, who I love)... but that's his passion for Christ. Listen, and do whatever it takes. Overcome, sweet friend.

Dayspring Coffee Mug Giveaway!

Hey Everyone!

I'm so excited to be able to bring you 3 different fun giveaways in the next few weeks! Today is only the first giveaway... so stay tuned!

I LOVE Dayspring. Seriously. I'm obsessed. Nothing brings me more joy than to sit down and browse through all of their gorgeous, inspiring merchandise.

While I was browsing through the Dayspring online catalog, I found the most perfect item to give away from their wonderful Life Collection.

So pretty {and of course, functional}! The verse written on this coffee mug is none other than John 10:10:

I have come that they might have Life, and have it to the full.

 

How's that to brighten your Monday morning up?

On top of being oh-so-stylish, the mug holds 16 ounces. :) Plenty of room for all the coffee (or tea, hot chocolate. etc.) your heart desires!

To enter to win this Dayspring coffee mug:

Leave a comment telling me what your favorite Bible verse is!

{Mine is 2 Corinthians 12:9, by the way.}

For Extra Entries, you may:

Become a follower of this blog via GFC.

"Like" Faithful Always on Facebook.

Follow me on Twitter!

Of course, if you already follow the blog, "Like" us on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter, that still counts! Just leave a comment!

This giveaway will end next Friday, July 29th, at 11:59pm EST! I'll announce the winner on the blog, and then tune in the next day {July 30th} for a brand-new encouraging giveaway!

Comment, comment, comment, and be blessed!

Chocolate + Peanut Butter + Pot

Hey Everyone!

Happy Sunday!

Today happens to be a first on this blog: I'm sharing my very first recipe! I LOVE to cook and bake, but I usually don't share my creations online. However, today I had a huge sweet tooth, so I decided to make some no-bake cookies.

Oh.My.Gosh.

These cookies are amazing! You must try them. :) They are really easy and fast too, because they don't require the oven at all (you actually boil them. Sounds odd, but it tastes good.)

I already had all of these ingredients of hand, and you might too. If so, you should definitely whip up a batch!

Choco-Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

4 tablespoons cocoa

1 stick butter

1/2 cup milk

1 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups oatmeal

Waxed paper

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized pot bring to a boil the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let it boil for 1 minute. Turn the burner off.
2. Stir in peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal.
3. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop cookie dough by the teaspoonfuls, until cooled and hardened.

Note: The one thing I actually didn't have out of those ingredients was the waxed paper. Instead, I sprayed some Pam on a few of my cookie sheets and placed the cookies on that to cool and harden. It worked great, and they still tasted delicious, but the bottoms of the cookies were a little greasy because of the Pam. :)

Enjoy!

Encouragement from the Best Place!

Pinterest, of course!

Be Blessed, Ladies!

A Beach Kind Of Panic Attack

When I was 13, my grandparents bought a time-share. Which basically means that they bought a week for themselves where they could go stay in Florida at a condo. That first year, they invited me, my sister, my Aunt Marybeth, and my 2 cousins, Hannah and Danielle. Let me tell you, I was beyond psyched!

I was going to go to the beach, I was going to have the time of my life, I was going to get to be a real teenager, I was going to get to hang out with my cousins (who were 15 and 26 at the time), It was going to be the most fun week of my entire life.

And you know what? I HATED it.

This trip I would have given anything to go on, this trip my dad made me take swim lessons to go on {even though I already knew how to swim perfectly fine, but I think he was just being mean.}, I ended up hating so much. I was extremely homesick. From the moment I left home I could tell that this was going to be a bad idea. Every night while we were in Florida I cried. I still had so many more days left in the week, I was annoyed at how long my cousins took to get ready, I was completely bored sitting at the beach everyday... it was no fun at all. I even hated the day we went to Disney World.

Every year since then, my grandparents have gone to the condo for their week and taken my sister along. They go to the beach all week, and Disney World for one day. But I have not been back to Florida since that first time.

Rachel (my sister), Hannah (my cousin), and I at our condo in Florida.

My grandparents have tried to persuade me each year, my sister has tried to persuade me, but I don't go back. I had such a awful experience the first time, that honestly, why would I ever want to go back to Florida?

Except this year, I kind of do. 

As much as I hated the beach last time (and trust me, I hated it) I think it could be fun to go to the beach again. Couldn't it? People change. I hated the beach at 13, but I didn't hate it any of the times I'd been to the beach prior to then (this visit was my first time at the Atlantic Ocean. Before that, I had only been to the Pacific, because we lived in California.)

But then again, what if I do hate it?

I know this probably shouldn't be such a big dilemma, but for me it really is. Part of me feels like the beach would be such a fun get away, but the other part of me is scared. Scared that I'll hate it just as much as I did last time, that I'll be bored out of my mind, that I'll want to cry every night , that I'll be miserable, you know, all the things I was last time.

Everyone tells me it will be fun, but will it? I have to decide, and I can't go back and forth. Once I get into the car and we are on the road, I'm stuck! It's too late to turn back/ I don't want to have a miserable feeling of dread set in 5 minutes into our trip.I don't want to feel like crying the entire way there and be unhappy everyday for a week.

It's a week. But it's one of my last weeks off before I go back to school. I still have a ton of school work to do, and I was thinking the 14+ hours car ride to Florida might be the opportune time to get that stuff done once and for all. But what if I don't get it done? Then I'll have roughly a week to do everything {hyperventilate.} If I hate the beach, I don't want the week to be more miserable in my mind because I have to do an overwhelming amount of work while I'm there.

{Hyperventilate, grab air mask, back to writing.}

I think it's safe to say I'm freaking out. I'm only human, I have the right to that sometimes, don't I? I'm just overwhelmed at this point. Why can't my life and my decisions be simple? Why can't I just go, relax, and be totally carefree on the beach for a week? {For one, I don't have a swimsuit, but never mind that...} And Disney World. I doubt I'd be miserable there {Happiest place on Earth, right?}, but I can't go for the entire week just for that one fun day in Disney.

I keep going back and forth. Right now, I'm panic attacking, but I'll think about it, and then I'll decide I want to go.  I wishy-washy, because it all keeps coming back to that first time I went. I was basically traumatized {I don't even know what was so horrible, girls. I just can't shake that feeling and those memories of how much I hated the beach.}

It does sound fun. I mean, hunting for seashells, walking along the shore, swimming in the ocean out to the buoy, playing in the sand, reading a book in a beach chair, just having an overall fun, relaxing time. But I'm terrified!!

The view from our balcony the first {and only} time I went.

I had a horrible experience last time I went, but one trip that I hated with every fiber in my being shouldn't be able to stop me from going to the beach again and having a wonderful time. I shouldn't let it! But... easier said than done.

The past is history. The past can't touch me. Why can't I just let go of the past, of my last not-so-wonderful visit to the beach, and look forward to a new experience? But the feeling won't leave me! I wish I could just wipe the slate clean, and be able to truly look forward to a beach vacation without all of this doubt and worry, but I don't know how! The future, even just the next few weeks, are completely freaking me out right about now.

I'm sure you all think I'm a crazy woman right now {feel free to run, I'll take no offense!} , but I had to get this out. Can anyone relate to the way I'm feeling? I am obviously scared. I'm praying about it, but I'm still clueless as to what I'll decide to do. I need a voice of ration to encourage me one way or another! Thank you so much if you've read all the way through this jumbled mess of my thoughts. I could write pages and pages more, but I'll stop here. Ahhh! Overwhelming. So girls,

To beach or not to beach?

Inspiration By Song {#14}

Happy Sunday, Girls!

I hope you all have wonderful days today! I'm going dress shopping with my aunt, mom, and little sister to find a dress for my aunt to where to her graduation {she's in the nursing program, and she's officially an LPN- Licensed Practical Nurse now!} Should be fun! Whatever you do today, remember to thank God for it! We are all so, ridiculously blessed, {yes, that's you!} and half the time we don't even recognize it. Rest, relax, recharge and get read to start a beautiful new week on Monday! To get you inspired, I've got two awesome songs for you: Outcast and No Matter What both by Kerry Roberts! She is a fabulous artist I recently discovered. I love her style, and she is so encouraging and relateable. Trust me, they are both oh-so-awesome songs, and the lyrics are just plain amazing!

Since I can remember

Guess I've been a problem

Never had a filter

Never been the popular one

To sugarcoat what I know is undeniable

I just can't hide it

I wear it like a letter

Everywhere I go

Everyone is talking

I can feel them staring

They hope I'm just pretending

And giving up my power

Caving into pressure

I'm not living for them

I live for something better

I'm not good enough

I'm not what they want

But let me tell you what

I know who I am

So just throw me out

For not fitting in

I will stand my ground

And be an outcast

So-o what if I'm an outcast

So-o what if I'm an outcast

So what if I don't look the

Part I'm supposed to play

What if I don't follow

All the rules they make

They think I should be perfect

They love it when I mess up

No grace in case I blow it

A good girl shouldn't need it

I'm not good enough

I'm not what they want

But let me tell you what

I know who I am

So just throw me out

For not fitting in

I will stand my ground

And be an outcast

So-o what if I'm an outcast

So-o what if I'm an outcast

So slow and everybody's so fast

So-o what if I'm an outcast

I try to play nice

I don't want to fight

But I won't be gray

When it's all black and white

'Cause what I believe

Is what makes me strong

If I don't belong

I'll hold on to love

I try to play nice

I don't want to fight

But I won't be gray

When it's all black and white

'Cause what I believe

Is what makes me strong

If I don't belong

I'll hold on to love

So-o what if I'm an outcast

So-o what if I'm an outcast

So slow and everybody's so fast

No matter what it costs

I'll be an outcast

I'm not good enough

I'm not what they want

But let me tell you what

I know who I am

So just throw me out

For not fitting in

Imma stand my ground

And be an outcast

I'm not good enough

I'm not what they want

And let me tell you what

I know who I am

So just throw me out

For not fitting in

I will stand my ground

And be an outcast

I’m running back to Your promises one more time

Lord that’s all I can hold on to

I gotta say this has taken me by surprise, but nothing surprises You

Before a heartache can ever touch my life

It has to go through Your hands

And even though I keep asking why, I keep asking why

No matter what, I’m gonna love You

No matter what I’m gonna need You

I know You can find a way to keep me from the pain

But if not, if not, I’ll trust You no matter what, no matter what

When I’m stuck in this nothingness by myself

I’m just sitting in silence

There’s no way I can make it without Your help, I won’t even try it

I know You have Your reasons for everything so I will keep believing

Whatever I might be feeling, God You are my hope

And You will be my strength

Anything I don’t have You can give it to me, but it’s OK if You don’t

I’m not here for those things

The touch of Your love is enough on its own

No matter what I still love You and I’m gonna need You

No matter what I’m gonna love You, no matter what I’m gonna need You

I know You can find a way to keep me from the pain

But if not, if not, I’ll trust You

I know You can find a way to keep me from the pain

But if not, but if not, I’ll trust You

No matter what

No matter no matter what

No matter no matter what

No matter no matter what

Well... I'm doing great with B90Days!

Last week, I decided to join in on the 3in30 challenge! Here's how I'm doing with my goals:

1. To be successful at keeping up with the Bible in 90 Days Challenge.

I have to say, I am LOVING the Bible in 90 Days Challenge! I am doing great with this goal, and I'm even a day ahead of where I need to be. :)  Today, we are supposed to be reading Exodus 1-15:18, and I did that yesterday. Today, I want to finish Exodus if I can! That's two days worth of reading, but I just love this challenge so much because of all that I'm learning and absorbing. I pray that I'll be able to keep on track and stay this motivated throughout the entire challenge! 

2. To start the Couch to 5K program and keep up with doing it 3 times a week.

Well.... This one was a bust. Waking up early is something I LOVE to do, but i also love staying up latte, so it doesn't come easy to me. Girls, I purposely went to bed early Monday night so I could wake up early Tuesday morning and start the program. It was 6:30am, I was dressed in my workout gear and ready to go, so I called my mom to make sure she didn't want to do it with me. She told me I couldn't (okay, well I'm an adult so technically I still could have, but...) go outside and run because the heat index was 112 degrees. At 6:30 in the morning. So, I haven't gotten to get started on this yet, but I really do want to do it, so I'll get started this week no matter how hot it is!

3. Finish all my school work before July 23rd.

Oh gosh.... That's 8 days away. I'm really, really, really going to have to push myself to get this done, but I want to get it done so bad (anyone want to do it for me? Just kidding!). It's just so easy to put of the thing you dread most, but I've kind of got a lot to do, and I definitely don't want to be rushing a stressing out later on. Lord, help me get this stuff done! I have made very minimal progress: i bought both books I need, one from Amazon (it arrived yesterday!) and one for my e-reader. Tomorrow I'm going to the library to get a European map. Honestly, I'm looking forward to the memorization of European countries for my Human Geography class a whole lot more than I'm looking forward to the notes, reading and projects. I'm thinking of extending my "deadline". I had it set as the 23rd so I could go to Florida, which I'm still deciding if I'm going to do or not, without having to worry about school. It was a good plan, but if I do decide to go after all, wouldn't the 14 hour car ride and all those lazy days at the beach be optimal time to TACKLE THIS SCHOOLWORK once and for all? Thoughts?

So... it is what it is. I'm thriving with one of my goals, eager to get going with another, and quite honestly, dreading and procrastinating on the last one. :)

At least the Bible in 90 Days is going great!

My First Venture...

I was 13.

I'd done so many awful things, especially to my cousin Hannah.

And I'd been forgiven. I thought that there couldn't be any rational way that I would be forgiven after being such a brat {And girls, trust me when I say this, I was a brat. Much worse, actually...}. But I apologized, and everyone forgave me. I was absolutely blown away, but I knew it wasn't my small, weak words that had accomplished such a feat. It must have been an act of... Well, that guy I didn't believe in {God}.

I was so thankful for the way things worked out, the way I'd been forgiven for all of my awful sins, that I started believing. 

Yup, the girl who cut Christ out of her life at the ripe old age of 8, came back to Him on her knees 5 long years later, at age 13.

I didn't know anything, girls. I didn't know where to start. My family had already stopped going to church 5 years ago because I hated it so much and I used to cry and scream whenever they made me go {I wasn't lying when I said I was a major brat.}

How do I get close to God? I wondered.

I craved Him. I was new, and of course confused, but I had this strong desire to develop a relationship with God. I did the only thing I knew to do. I grabbed my tiny little mini-light blue NIV New Testament, which I only had because it had come in a Christmas stocking from this group that brought Christmas gifts for inmates children at the prison where my dad worked (there were always extra stockings, so the employees of the prison always took some home for their kids.) and started reading.

I read 5 minutes a night. It was like a page and a half of my mini-Bible. Some night I even read 10 minutes {Wow}! I know now what a slow pace, but for me, I got to really absorb the meaning of everything. It was my first time reading any of the Bible. Ever.

I would write pages and pages in my journal every night, reflecting on the whole 5 minutes of the Bible I read, my day, the other things I was reading and watching to help feed my new hunger for faith.

In November, I kind of stopped reading for a while, but when I realized it was the week of Thanksgiving, I started back up, this time reading more than I had been each night. I had a goal, and I was determined to accomplish it on time.

So on December 2nd. which was my 14th birthday, I finally finished. After about 4 months, I was finally done reading the New Testament. And that was one of the best birthdays I've ever had, even now.

I felt so accomplished. I was so proud of myself. I was so amazed at the grace of God to help me complete such a thing! It was an awesome feeling.

I didn't really even know about the Old Testament back then. Seriously, and I didn't really care. The New Testament was what I had, and that was what I read/studied. Life was good.

That was my very first experience with the Bible. Now, I'm taking the challenge to read the whole thing in just 90 days. I'm very familiar with the New  Testament, but I don't know much of the Old at all! It's day 4 of the challenge, and it's awesome. I can't believe that in 86 days, I'll be able to say I've read the entire Bible, cover to cover. God is so good, friends, He really is!

Take A Leap

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together,
Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"
"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.
"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. {Genesis 22:6-10}

I am going through this journey of reading the Bible in 90 Days {it's amazing, you guys!}, and this is the passage that stuck out to me the most from day 2.

God asked Abraham to take his only son, whom he loved so much and go sacrifice him as a burnt offering.

And Abraham didn't even question him.

God was asking this man to kill his son and he wasn't doubtful at all. He was willing to do whatever God wished, and he wasn't afraid; He knew that God would work everything for good.

What an amazing faith.

I know for certain that if I, or any of you for that matter, were in Abraham's place, we would have said, "Yeah right, God!" and totally ignored what God asked us to do.

Because at that point, God must be crazy, right? There is know way that a sane, rational God would ask you to do something like that.

Friends, God is NOT crazy.

More like amazing.

Sometimes He will test our faith. We will be scared out of our minds at times, it's true. We won't know what the future holds, but girls, that's okay!

Because He knows what our future holds. He will work everything for good {Romans 8:28}, as long as we put our full trust in him.

Stop holding back. Give God your all! Isn't that the least He deserves?

Next time your placed in a trying situation, pray, and do what God wants you to do. Don't question or doubt him. Put your all-trusting, faith in him, and take a leap.

The Story of The Starfish

This morning, I wanted to share with you all a beautiful, empowering story that I've heard so many times, especially on adoption blogs. Anyone can make a difference!

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."

It's This Simple

Not a single one of us is perfect. So give yourself, and others, a break! Be the friend you know they deserve. Take the time out of your busy schedule to be real, and love someone for who they really are, imperfections and all. Learn to give second chances. Honor and glorify God each step of the way, and if you make a mistake, no worries. Live up to His standards the best that you can, and your good to go. 

These are guidelines on what it means to be a true, dedicated and faithful friend to someone.

It really is this simple! :)

Achieving Goals... 3 at a time!

Hey all!

Today, I'm so excited to tell you about something new I've decided to do. Maybe you've heard of it, maybe you already do it, but I'm brand new to it today and totally excited!

It's called 3 in 30.

Here's an excerpt from their lovely website to tell you what it's all about:

The 3 in 30 Challenge was created by Meghan Tucker {The Tuckers Take Tennessee} and Ashley Pichea {L.I.F.E. by Ashley Pichea}.

Meghan and Ashley saw a need for encouragement and accountability among their online friends in regard to making goals reality.

Do you have a wish-list, a to-do list a mile long, or even a bucket list?

Join the 3in30 Challenge and learn how to check those tasks, projects, and dreams off your list one at a time!

 I don't know about you, but this sounds like a fabulous idea to me! Each month you pick 3 goals to work on. It's takes 21 days {supposedly!} to build a habit, so after 30 days, you should be doing great. There are weekly link-ups and you can always tweet about it with the hash tag #3in30. :)

I'm all about helping other people, and this is a community activity where everyone works to encourage each other as we accomplish our goals!

So, here we go. My 3 goals for this month are:

1. To be successful at keeping up with reading the Bible 45+ minutes each day. 

I'm signed up for the Bible in 90 days program at Mom's Toolbox, and it starts tomorrow! Each day we are supposed to read 12 pages out of the 90 days Bible, or rather, 45-75 minutes. It's a big commitment, but honestly, I'm psyched! We are in mentored groups, there will be lost of encouragement, and I just hope I can keep up with it. I'll be doing all my reading first thing in the morning, if possible.

2. To start the Couch to 5K program and keep up with doing it 3 times a week.

I've always loved exercise, and this is something I really want to do. I tried to convince my mom to do it with me, but I don't think she's going too, so I'm flying solo here! I don't need to lose weight, but contrary to my mom's beliefs, EVERYONE needs to exercise to stay healthy! This is a nine week program, where you build up your endurance by doing a running and walking routine 3 times a week. Honestly, it doesn't sound so appealing right now, especially in this heat, but I know I want to do it, and if I don't do it the first day, it's not going to happen!

3. Finish all my school work before July 23rd.

Summer has been amazing, but I've been putting off all the work I have to do before I go back to school. I go back on August 10th (NO! A month from today!), and I would really love to accomplish the reading and note taking of 2 books, plus a project, plus some memorization before the 23rd. I know it's a lot, and it will be a challenge, but I don't want to wait any longer! I want to get it done with, because on July 24th, I may or may not decide to go to the beach with my family, and I don;t want to have to worry about it there. I'll really have to crack down to get this done, but it will be so rewarding to be finished and have my last 2 weeks school work free before going back. {I could use some encouragement on this one!}

I'm really excited to be participating in 3 in 30 this month, and I know the accountability factor will be great for me!

{I'm off to take notes then do my run/walk, hope your having a Happy Sunday!}

6 Months Later...

Guess what?

Today is my 6 month blogiversary!

Can you believe that? I certainly can't!

How on Earth has it been half a year since I wrote my first blog post on January 9th?

I've met so many wonderful ladies through blogging that I am so happy to call friends!

Blogging has been an amazing, completely positive experience. I've learned so much through all of your beautiful blogs, and that's been awesome!

In those 6 months, I've written over 150 posts. Wow! I'm just truly awe-struck at the fact that I have sat here and blogged my heart out to you girls over one hundred and fifty times. It's been life changing!

I so hope that no matter how long you've been reading, you've been able to gain something, anything from my blog. It's my goal to encourage all of your hearts in your walks with Him!

Just know that I love and appreciate all of my sweet readers and friends (This means YOU) so much! 122 followers as of today. What a blessing!

I most definitely would not be here today, blogging, if it weren't for my truly amazing "new" friends who have encouraged, inspired, and uplifted me every step of the way!

As amazed and happy as I am about the past, I'm even more excited for the future here at Faithful Always! In honor of my 6 month anniversary, I'm moving!

From Blogger to WordPress.

WordPress is awesome! I already have two site on WordPress, plus I've transferred and designed many other blogs successfully using this platform. The only downside to being your own designer/professional to do the migration is that you kind of just do it whenever you can. So it might take me a lot longer to get my own site up, but hopefully in the next week or two I'll be rocking WordPress.

In the meantime, things will stay the same on this blog. I'll keep posting and hopefully encouraging all of you sweet ladies, and then one day you'll stop by for a visit and we will officially be rocking WordPress!

Thanks so much for your readership, friends! I'm so unbelievably blessed by all of you, and so thankful that He led me to blogging this past January!

So, I'm interested to know: Why are you a reader at Faithful Always? What one thing do you love most about my blog?

Blessings, Girlfriends!

Crazy Things....

I'm sure you all know (and idolize!) Beth Moore.

Right?

I've been trying to get a copy of her book, So Long, Insecurity from the library forever, and it's still yet to happen!

Today, I discovered some of Beth Moore's videos....

Specifically this one. Maybe you've watched it before, but maybe not in a little while. Watch. Listen. Take it in.



Wow.

Isn't that amazing?

What a testimony Beth now has. She obeyed that seemingly crazy command from God. She stopped caring what other people would think about her brushing that man's hair. She had faith that brushing his hair was what God wanted her to do.

And it was.

Now let me tell you... no matter how much I want to be this amazing Christian, I'm not. I'm far from perfect, and I'm far from obedient. I most definitely would never have even gone near that man. I would have brushed off any feelings that I should brush his hair.

I'm just being honest here. And I'm sure you feel the same way as I do. Because honestly...
I'm selective. I'll listen to God, hear what He wants me to do, and then decide whether or not to do it {not}.

But that's not how it should work.

Experiences like Beth's in that video are precious. They are proof God is there. They are tests.

Without God, no one would have been compelled to reach out to that man. No one would have been touched by Beth's unbelievably kind actions, and therefore God's love, either.

God tests our faith through experiences such as that. He forces us to get out of our comfort zones and see the world in a new way. He forces us to do something we would have never considered.... and if we trust in Him enough to do it, we will be rewarded.

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ {Matthew 25:21}

He's going to keep us safe. He's not going to purposely hurt us in any way with one of His "tests". At the end of the day, it might not even matter to us that we didn't do something "crazy" God asked us to do.

But we will have missed out on a wonderful opportunity to show Christ's love to others. And even more importantly, to trust in Him and follow the plan He has for us!

So next time God urges you to do something, take a chance! Go for it. You won't regret it, and you'll learn something special about others, about God, and about yourself.

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy." {James 1:2}

Sometimes, looking "crazy" or "weird" is a good thing. No matter how radical the calling, if it is part of His divine plan for my life, I would be honored and yes, even proud, to be considered weird. What about you?

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July, Friends!

Hope your holiday is awesome! In between all of your fun, food, and fireworks, be sure to give thanks! Today is America's birthday, the day we were all freed. Aren't you so grateful for all the people that fought {and are still fighting} to give you a safe, wonderful, and happy life here in America?

We really are so blessed, and we don't even know it!

I'll be hanging out with my family today, watching fireworks, maybe making some s'mores and watching in awe at this beautiful place God has allow me to live in! {Thank you, God, for America!}


There is nothing I love more than fireworks. Nothing. I'm amazed by them every time I see them. I crave them. The color, the light, the noise, it's all just one big beautiful reminder. I could watch for hours on end and never get tired.

Here are some gorgeous photos (from Pinterest, not my camera!). Take a look, and embrace the now!

And because I couldn't resist...

Come on! How cool is that?

How did you celebrate this special holiday?