• Devotional,  Faith

    How Jesus Satisfies Bible Study: Week One

    Hi friends! I’m so excited to share with you what I am learning through the Finding I Am: How Jesus Fully Satisfies The Cry Of Your Heart study! I already love this study so much. It’s so down to earth and really gets at the heart of some serious sin in my life. I thought I’d share with you some things I learned this week.


    1 | Fixing problems in our lives won’t satisfy our soul.

    Do you ever have that one thing that you wish would just change in your life? Maybe if only you could get married? Find a good job? Get along with your parents? I think we all do. The first day of the study explains how these are just lies from Satan. He twists one of our desires into a need and we believe that life won’t be perfect unless we get that thing. But have you ever noticed once you got that thing, you just moved onto the next thing? It’s a never-ending cycle and it’s exhausting.

    I’ve heard this before but it was definitely a huge reminder to me that seeking after that one thing that my heart so desperately wants won’t make me happier. Seeking after Jesus and making him the desire of my heart will fulfill me. Jesus is the bread of life. He alone satisfies that ache.

    2 | Thankfulness opens the door for God to bless us.

    I loved how the second day was all about thankfulness. The study explains how thankfulness opened the door of the blessing of the feeding of the 5000. It explains how Jesus thanked God the Father for the food and that is what opened the blessing to be able to feed so many.

    This was also a great reminder to me. It shows me that when we want something so badly that we are upset when we don’t get it, we are just being ungrateful for the things we do have. God wants all of us to live thankfully for the things we do have because he doesn’t withhold any good thing from us. He wants us to trust in his timing and he also does want to bless us. He can’t bless us if we aren’t thankful for the things we do have though. I love this reminder.

    3 | God is always our provider.

    For day three, the study talked about when God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness. It explained how God had manna rain down from the heavens (instead of from the ground) to shift their perspective up towards God as their provider. He did this to remind the Israelites that even before when they were laboring for their food, he still was their provider. He made it even more known to them by taking their work out of it. He provided for them in spite of them.

    I loved this reminder as well. It’s so easy to get caught up in thinking that it’s our works that are producing good fruit. And while we play a role in it, we often forget to turn back around and thank God because he is ultimately our provider. I love the literal example of the manna being rained down from heaven. I wonder how we would react to that today.

    4 | Jesus is the answer to the storms in our life.

    On day four the study looked at the story of when the disciples were in the boat and it started storming and Jesus came walking out to them on the water. It explains how as soon as Jesus was with them, their troubles ceased.

    This is the best example to me of how Jesus is the answer to the storms of our life. They were scared and worried that their little boat wouldn’t make it to shore and as soon as Jesus showed up they did. It’s a clear picture of how Jesus calms the storms in our lives.


    I am learning so much from this study and can’t wait to continue on with it. I’m a little bummed about not having the videos but it’s turning out to be a great study even without them! What are you learning so far? Link up with us below!


  • Coffee Dates,  Life

    Let’s Have Coffee | Vol. 9

    It’s time for my favorite linkup of the month… our coffee date! This month has been filled with TONS of changes and has felt super long. Let’s jump right in.

    If we were having coffee, I would tell you that my husband and I have successfully moved out of our first apartment. It was hard and sad to say goodbye but definitely necessary. I was upset for the first week but have since gotten some closure and know it was the best decision for us.

    If we were having coffee, I would let you know that after moving into a tiny room in my mom’s house after living on my own with my husband has definitely been an adjustment. Some days I feel so couped up. It can be a good thing though because it pushed my husband and I (the biggest homebodies) out of the house for a little bit.

    If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I am going to be working furiously on getting my Etsy shop ready to launch before July. No promises but I am getting so antsy and really can’t wait to launch. I feel like I’ve been planning for it forEVER.

    If we were having coffee, I would say that I am super excited for the weather to start being consistently warmer. I cannot wait to start hiking again. It’s been too long. I’m planning on going on as many hikes this summer and fall as possible.

    If we were having coffee, I would tell you that the Bible Study a group of girls and I are doing on my blog is so refreshing to my walk with God. We are going through Finding I Am: How Jesus Fully Satisfies and I am loving it so much so far. I can’t wait to share more and learn what everyone else is learning on Wednesday for our linkup.

    If we were having coffee, I would tell you that my brother bought about $200 worth of gardening supplies and is planting the largest garden in our yard. He has everything from apples to lettuce and I am so excited for everything to start growing. YUM.

    If we were having coffee, I would tell you that coffee just hasn’t been hitting the spot like it usually does and it is so sad. I usually love coffee so much. Do you have any other suggestions of some yummy hot drinks?


    Enough about me. What have you been up to this month? I’d love to know! Today I am linking up with Erin Salmon, where we have coffee every second Monday of every month. Come join in with us, we’d love to have you!


  • Marriage

    How Netflix Was Ruining My Marriage

    So I should start this off by saying Netflix is my favorite. I hate admitting it but watching TV is one of my favorite pastimes. I love just zoning out after a long hard day. There are also so many great TV shows on Netflix right now too so that doesn’t help at all.

    Tommy and I started watching Netflix together when we were dating. We would watch it every once in a while and it was really fun to have something we did only together. Once we got engaged, I enjoyed watching shows with him even more because our days were so stressful and full of planning. Turning on the TV after a long day felt like the perfect way to unwind.

    Now that we are married, we have seemed to have carried this habit right into our married life. And it has been detrimental to our marriage. I realized the other day that we don’t really sit and talk in-depth about our days as much as we used to when we were dating. Don’t get me wrong, we still talk, and a lot at that. But we don’t sit down and spend hours just talking like we used to.

    We also used to find things to do together more than we do now. When we were dating, we would first try to find something to do like hiking or going out for ice cream. Now it seems we turn to Netflix first.

    Now that the weather’s warming up, I decided to take a break from binge watching shows with my husband. I want to go out and explore with him instead. I want to exercise with him and stay healthy. I want to get to know him more. I don’t want to get lazy now that we’re married.

    I want him to know that I still love him and still love doing things with him.

    Some Things I Plan On Doing Instead Of Watching Netflix

    • Going to the gym
    • Going on a hike
    • Going out for ice cream/frozen yogurt
    • Going to the movies
    • Taking a walk

    Does anyone else struggle with this?
    (Please tell me I’m not alone!)
    What are some other ideas I can do with my husband?


     

  • Book Reviews,  Faith

    No Fear Book Review

    As I’ve mentioned a few times now, I’m trying to make it a habit of reading before bed instead of watching Netflix. It’s actually much harder than I thought it was going to be! I just wanted to give credit where credit is due and say that I stole this format of a book review from Leah, who is the queen of reading and book reviews, haha! I am so jealous of how much reading she does. I have included an affiliate link in case you wanted to check this book out for yourself! (Just click the title!)


    No Fear by Tony Perkins
    Rating: ★★★☆☆

    “No Fear draws you inside the stories of young, ordinary believers who, despite incredible opposition, courageously stand up for God’s truth. Tony Perkins pairs each story with a biblical example and gives practical ideas for building a “no fear” perspective every day. Today, followers of Jesus Christ face more opposition to their beliefs than any generation in American history. Yet even in such a hostile cultural and political environment, it is an exciting time to stand firm in the faith. You have been chosen to live in this important hour, and reading these stories will inspire you to the same kind of courage.  So what are you waiting for?”*

    What I Liked: This book really encouraged me to reevaluate what following Jesus means to me and what God is actually expecting of me. I have always been in the camp of being super respectful of other’s opinions and their beliefs and haven’t been too open about my own in fear of giving them the wrong impression. Since this book gives extreme examples of people standing for their faith in ways that I never would, it’s helping me think again about stepping out in faith without being fearful of other’s response. Of still being respectful, but also still taking that step of faith and sharing my faith.

    What I Didn’t Like: I felt like a lot of these stories were way too extreme and weren’t loving at all. To me, sharing your faith is literally explaining the gospel to someone or sharing about how Jesus has affected your life. In this book, the author praises others for defying laws of praying out loud and saying this is an example of following God. In certain examples, this is true, but for the most part, people aren’t going to become Christians because we chose to defy the law and pray out loud. I think by going against the law, you are not honoring God, you are showing others that you care more about what you believe. I am having a really hard time accurately displaying what I didn’t like but a lot of the chapters just didn’t sit right with me.

    Favorite Quotes: “The only way to counter the fear of man is with faith in God, which provides the courage and the strength that God requires for His world-changing work.”

    “We ultimately decided to go ahead with the Bible verses on the banner, but my real hope was that people would look at what we were doing and see Christ and not people who just want their own way.”

    “If the stand we take is motivated by a need to “win” an argument or prevail over those we oppose, we may win the battle but lose in the long run.”


    To be honest with you, overall I would not recommend this book. It was not bad, and helped me question whether or not I was choosing fear over faith more times than not, but I just did not enjoy most of the stories or believe that they were what it meant to be a Christian.

    “I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review.”

    *synopsis from Amazon

    What books have you been reading lately?


  • Life

    Monthly Goals: May

    Hey, hi, hello! I’m writing this from my new home (at my moms!). As I’ve been saying over and over, Tommy and I moved out of our first apartment (cue all of the crying emoji’s) yesterday. We are living with my mom for a few months and then moving in to the apartment above her house in July. These next two months will be an adjustment for sure, but I am trying to be positive about it anyways.

    I’m sure nobody would notice if I didn’t mention this, but I mentioned in my last post about writing a book review on No Fear by Tony Perkins (affiliate link) today, but when I said that I had forgotten that today is the first of the month! And that means that I need to recap my goals and make new ones for May. So I will be reviewing the book on Wednesday instead. Let’s recap last months goals shall we?


    April Goals Recap

    • Have the best time in Florida with family
    • Start hosting the online book club
    • Pack up all of our things well
    • Move out! 🙁
    • Make 2 more Etsy products
    • Meal plan through the craziness of packing

    (1) Our Florida vacation was so much more fun than I really thought it was going to be honestly. We had so much family time and got to explore so much. (2) Our Bible Study is starting Wednesday and I am so excited! Don’t forget to link up with us next Wednesday (the 10th) about what you’ve been learning through the first week. (3) I am actually really proud of myself for packing everything the way I did. I did a little each day and it wasn’t overwhelming at all, which was awesome. (4) I wasn’t able to make two more products, but I did work a lot on two of them! I am getting there!

    May Goals

    • Celebrate Branden + Sarah’s wedding!
    • Meal plan well this month
    • Continue drinking plenty of water
    • Be active with Tommy
    • Spend more time in God’s Word
    • Read every night before bed
    • Celebrate our ONE year anniversary!

    This month should be a ton of fun. I’m so excited to go to my cousin’s wedding and to celebrate our one year anniversary. I’m hoping the rest of the month will serve as a kind of reset and we will end the month feeling healthy.


    What are your goals this month?
    I’m linking up with Autumn for #MonthlyGold.
    Come join us! 🙂


  • Life

    Currently, April 2017

    Hey friends! Sorry for the lack of “real post” topics lately. I’ve just been so busy with all the packing and making sure that we are on top of everything that I haven’t had much extra headspace to think about sitting down and writing a very in-depth post. But I didn’t want to not post at all so I figured a currently post would be fun. Affiliate links appear below just in case you want to check anything out for yourself!

    E n j o y i n g / The last few days in our apartment. As I keep mentioning over and over, we are moving out this weekend so I am trying my best to enjoy the last few days we have left.

    R e a d i n g / No Fear by Tony Perkins (book review coming Monday!) and The Girls by Emma Cline, which I just started. I have made it a point to read every night before bed instead of watching Netflix and it’s a nice change to my routine. I’m planning on doing book reviews once a month on whatever books I finish that month.

    W a t c h i n g / Honestly I don’t think anything for the first time in my life. I watch some of those jail shows on Netflix during the day if I’m crocheting but I’m trying to stay away from getting sucked into another series on Netflix (for now at least 😉).

    L i s t e n i n g / To Around the Table Podcast. I just started listening and then found out that they are no longer doing anymore new ones but at least there are PLENTY of old episodes to keep me busy for a while.

    P r e p p i n g / Myself to start eating super healthy next week. With all of the craziness of vacation and packing comes a ton of terrible for you take out food so I’m planning on doing Paleo next week for a nice reset.

    E n d i n g / My streak of being unhealthy! I’m also planning on jumping back on the workout train again. It definitely helps that the weather is starting to really warm up lately too.

    P i n n i n g / All sorts of things! I’m particularly loving the Bible Verse board that I made recently.

    L o v i n g / The new inspiration that I have to be creative. I’m thinking about getting a Journaling Bible and trying out DaySpring Illustrated Faith Starter Kit. I never thought that I was creative enough but after watching Leah’s flip-through of her Bible and showed that it’s not that hard to do, I’ve wanted to try it myself. I know mine won’t be anywhere near as good as hers but I think it would be so much fun to do still.

    E a t i n g / Like garbage. I literally had Wendy’s last night on my way home from my mom’s. We’ve gotten slightly better this week but still can’t wait for our reset next week for sure.

    F e e l i n g / All sorts of emotions. Sad about leaving our apartment. Happy for a new start somewhere else. Excited about this little space on the internet of mine. Refreshed from the sunny days.

    E d i t i n g / I guess just blog posts after I finish them!

    M i s s i n g / This time last year and all of the anticipation that went along with planning the wedding. It was such a fun time.

    D i s c o v e r i n g / That I don’t have to put so much pressure on myself to be all the things. I want to grow my blog and help out my husband financially, but I’m learning that I don’t have to put so much pressure to be more. Both God and my husband love and accept me as I am now so I’m trying to do the same!

    A n t i c i p a t i n g / My cousin’s wedding! He’s getting married on May 13th and I’m so excited to go down to Maryland and celebrate with him.

    T w e e t i n g / Not too much! But only because I need more friends on Twitter! I just recently decided I wanted to start using my Twitter more for my blog. Let’s be friends and tweet together! 🤗

    D r i n k i n g / Lots and lots of water. I downloaded the app Plant Nanny and it’s supposed to help you drink enough water throughout the day. Every time you take a drink, you water your plant as well. It is totally working for me! My husband laughs at how much fun I’m having watching the plant grow. Hey, whatever works, right?

    F i n i s h i n g / Reading Jeremiah in my Bible so I can start our Bible Study come Wednesday! Are you joining in with us? If not, you totally should! It’s going to be soo much fun and it’s not too late to get your book!

     

    What have you been up to lately friends?