Hope Over Fear

[Pinterest]

Meet Anna!

Hello my dears and happy Tuesday!

Today I have the honor of sharing quite a bit about my dear friend Anna!

Anna and I have been friends for nearly four years now. We met through some mutual friends and then ended up transferring into the same school together the same year. The two of us quickly hit it off and found that we like quite a few of the same things.

Anna has always had a faith that inspires me to strengthen my own and that is why I quickly asked if I could feature her on my blog. I hope that some of her words speak to you like they have to me in the past.

I got to talk with her and ask her a few questions about life, faith, and everything in between.

So without further ado, here she is!

First off, tell us a little about yourself; likes, interests, hobbies.

Hi, I'm Anna! I am a friend of Grace's and I love her dearly! Along with Grace, I have many other important people in my life. I am most close with my family, friends and youth leaders. My favorite color is blue and I really love to shop! I'm definitely a girly girl. My favorite places to go for vacation are my lake house, Seaside Florida, and Colorado. I hope to travel the whole world someday!  My favorite holidays are Christmas, Halloween, and Independence Day. I LOVE elephants and going to the zoo. My favorite flowers are peonies, tulips, and sunflowers. I love getting hooked on TV shows, especially Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars and 90210. My hobbies are cheer leading, wake boarding, skiing, and any art or craft! Painting is my favorite it really helps me relax and enjoy some quiet time. I love listening to music, playing board games, and just talking to others. I am a huge people person! I also love everything Disney, especially the princesses! 

What are some of your favorites; books, movies, foods, quotes?

My favorite foods are sushi, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, pasta, watermelon, and popsicles. (random, huh?) My favorite flavor of pretty much anything is watermelon. (jolly ranchers, sour patch, popsicles, you name it!) I would not be able to survive without Dr. Pepper. My favorite books are Heaven is For Real, The Fault in Our Stars, Secret Garden, and Little Women. I am in love with any Nicholas Sparks movie but my favorites are Safe Haven and The Notebook. 

What "fires" you up- what really gets you going, makes you just happy to be alive?

As I mentioned before, I love love love my friends. There's always someone to turn to no matter what and I cannot stress how thankful I am to have them. I also love just taking a minute to look at God's creations. Whether its on a bike ride, a hike, or just sitting on the front porch, He never ceases to amaze me. 

Now to more about your faith. When and how did you really find your faith?

As most people have stories from when and where they accepted Jesus into their hearts and began to follow Christ, I do not have one. I have gone through that process several times. Once in Sunday School which was so long ago I cannot even remember, and then I have gone through it a few times recently. The times that really stuck out were when I went to Acquire The Fire (with Grace) and at a church camp called The Great Escape. I've always been a Christian and a believer but those specific times were when it all "clicked."

What helps you keep your faith active and showing in a world so full of temptations?

Yes, it is hard to be an active Christian and a busy teenager at the same time, but it's not impossible! What helps the most is by being reminded of God's love and pursuit is going to K-life (a youth group similar to "young life"), church, and camps. I also like simply talking to youth leaders, friends and my mom. My mom helps me through everything imaginable and I have no idea what I would do without her. I enjoy listening to worship music and praying as well. Some of my favorite worship songs are Always, 10,000 Reasons, Forever Reign, Oh Happy Day, Nothing Is Impossible, and Oceans. My all time favorite is How He Loves. It always brings a huge smile to my face just thinking about how His love for us is greater than we can even grasp. It's so amazing!!

When have you seen God most active in your life? 

I have seen God most active in my life through others. It is so awesome to see how he works through my friends and even people I don't know! At the Great Escape, there is a night called "Confession Night" when all the new kids, if they want to, give their life to Christ. The most encouraging thing to see is my friends that I bring to camp getting to experience that. It truly brings me so much joy! Last week, the night before I left for camp, I had a really cool dream. In it was my very close friend's dad who passed away five years ago. My friend was leaving for camp with me the next day and in my dream, her dad asked me to watch over her and help her during our trip. The weird thing is, I didn't even remember having that dream until the next day when someone mentioned ghosts. One of the nights at camp, our church group talked about tragedies and families who had lost loved ones. Everyone was pretty emotional and we all got closer that night. After the talk, I told my friend about the dream. The look on her face showed so much joy and relief and then we both started crying (happy tears). It was such an incredible experience. 

Finally, do you have a favorite verse or quote that really speaks to you that you want to leave us with?

Some of my favorite verses from the Bible are Psalm 63:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Philippians 1:21, and Jeremiah 29:11.

Best wishes,
Grace

A Serving Heart

--pinterest photo--

Happiest of Mondays to you, my friend!

Having a serving heart is something I have been praying over for quite some time. It instantly became one of my half year resolutions. I want to be someone who loves to serve others. I want to be the type of person that when people think of me, they think of my love for serving others. I want people to see me as someone who cares about them, someone who they could easily talk to.

"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love." Galatians 5:13

Over the summer, my church has lots of opportunities to serve both within the church and in the greater community. At the beginning of the summer, I got to lead some of the youth in Vacation Bible School. Since then, I have had the chance to participate in Mission Mondays. Today, I had the privilege of serving at Infant Crisis Services. It is such a wonderful place. If you have time, please go to their website and read over their mission.

A few weeks back, I got to directly work with children at the Boys and Girls club. These little kids were so sweet. Many of them were so joyful with huge smiles on their faces. Others were quiet, timid, and afraid to speak. After bonding over Monopoly, Connect 4, and Guess Who, many came out of their shells. Even though I taught them how to make a fortune teller and some new games from my childhood- they taught me much more. These kids do not need pity. They do not want to talk about their life at home or why they ended up where they did. They simply wanted to have fun. They wanted me to run around with them and act their age. It showed me that even when times are bad, a smile really goes a long way. They made the best with what they were given and they sure did do a great job.

So in conclusion, always be thankful. Tables could turn at any moment and you could be the one in desperate need of help. Do not judge people. You have no idea what they struggle with behind closed doors. Do not compare your life to others. It is just that- your life. Finally, be joyful. Times get hard for everyone, you just have to push through and know that it is ultimately for the greater good. Everything happens for a reason.

A new week is a new start! Maybe look for some places where your service is needed this week, do a few good deeds here and there.

Best wishes,
Grace

Psalm 46:10

--tumblr photo--

"Be still, and know that I am God.." Psalm 46:10

As I prepare my heart to volunteer in the morning, I pray that God will work through me. That He will take control, every last bit of it, and use me for the greater good. I pray for direction, that my eyes will be opened to see where I am needed. I pray that I am able to use my gifts and strengths to help others. I pray for a heart that truly yearn to serve.

Best wishes,

Grace

Happy Belated 4th!

Oh how grateful I am to live in this country. We often take for granted how blessed we are to have so much freedom. We get to have our own opinions and pursue our own dreams. There are so many people that would do anything to live where they could openly express themselves.

Happy, happy 4th of July weekend everyone!! I sure am proud to be an American!

Thank you God for the blessings you continually bestow upon me, my friends, and my family. Thank you for creating such a wonderful country and allowing me to be a part of it. I pray for those hurting, suffering, or struggling because they cannot express themselves or free themselves from whatever is holding them back. Thank you Lord for everything you do in my life.

Best wishes,

Grace

A Week On the River

For the next week, I get to call this beautiful place home! New Mexico has always been a place where my family can escape to and that is just what we are doing this week. My grandma is up here for the whole summer so we decided to come visit her. 

Since there isn't the greatest cell service out here, I was forced to come to the library to work. Nothing like impatiently waiting for pictures to load off my lovely camera while being hushed by the over zealous librarian. 

These are just a few of the shots I have snapped on our first few days out here! 

It is always so nice to come out here and be reminded of God's beauty by the incredible scenery. 

Best wishes,

Grace

Happy Half Year!

As you may already know, today is July 1-the official marking of the middle of the year. As I opened my email yesterday, I had an email from YouVersion (a popular Bible app, if you don’t have it, I strongly suggest it). It said July 1 marks half the year, so why not make new half year resolutions?

Making New Years Resolutions is a long lived tradition, but why not make Half Year Resolutions? Better yet, why not make weekly resolutions, daily, or hourly? We can set any goals anytime we need to. It is human nature to feel like if you don’t have a perfect day, why keep going? People assume that if they eat one bad meal, they might as well discard their entire diet. This is wrong. We can make mistakes. Not only can we, but we will make mistakes. Pick yourself up and keep going. One bad day does not mean it is a bad life. Just keep on going.

So I have decided why not make some resolutions. Maybe sharing my resolutions will not only push others to make some, but hold me accountable for mine. So here they are!

Eat cleaner-limit or eliminate processed foods, fried foods, sugary foods, pretty much anything that has little nutritional value. Be more mindful that food is fuel. People have warped the idea into food being comfort and that it should always taste good. Food is simply fuel for our body to keep going. 

Work out more-exercise helps relieve stress and contributes to happiness levels. For all the times I want to lay in bed and watch Netflix, why not get on the treadmill and watch TV there?

Rekindle my heart “on fire” for Jesus. Every time I came back from a conference or good church sermon, I would want to eat up the word. I could not get enough of it. Over summer, it often seems like just a blah time-where nothing really gets done. I want to change that.

Waking up earlier. As much as I love sleeping in, I despise wasting my day. I want to wake up earlier. Maybe set aside time to reflect, pray, and meditate over the Bible. 

Be more calm and collected around my family, not so hot headed. No snapping, yelling or fighting. 

Shape my heart into a heart that wants to serve. I have life pretty easy and that is a blessing. Many people do not live an easy life, and I want to help those who are in need of help. My prayer is that I will be able to carry out the will of God. Maybe I could be the only source in someone’s life that shares the word of the Lord. 

I want less ties with technology. I firmly believe that social media have taken over our generation and that it is beginning to take a turn for the worse. 

These are my resolutions! What are yours? If you feel comfortable with them, send them my way! I would love to hear each of yours and be praying! 

Best wishes,

Grace