Hello There!

   

"We start by holding on...To each other. To this moment. To every day God gives us." ~From Return by Karen Kingsbury.

So I haven't been able to post like I have wanted to on here. I've been busy with trying to get the house in order before I go back to college. I've been trying to figure out what classes I'm going to take this semester.
I've also been working on reading The Cinderella Rule: A Young Woman's Guide To Happily Ever After. I've only got two chapters read, but it is a wonderful book so far. Bethany Jett tells her personal story of meeting her husband and learning to wait on God's timing. There are study guides in the back of the book that you can do after each chapter and they are very helpful. I can't wait to read more of it!
While focusing on Cinderella, I came to the conclusion that another set of books that I am reading go along with the idea of being like Cinderella and being a Princess of God in general. These books are by Sheri Rose and they are called the His Princess books. They are a great devotional.
I will be posting more in July and I am sorry I haven't been posting every week. I hope all of you are having a great summer.

A letter from a 21-year-old "Good Girl..."

        

Today should be a post about a book I am reading. But because I have been busy and have been traveling, today's post is going to be a personal letter from me to you. I hope you enjoy.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.'" ~Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV).

This has been my favorite Bible verse for years. But I am just now starting to understand what it truly means. Today I want to share about what it's like to be 21, because it's different than being 13, 16, 18, or 20.

At 21 there are more doors opened for you. You are an adult at 18. But 18 is like having a driver's permit, there are things you still can't do. 21 is like you have your driver's license. You can do everything like get a cabin on a cruise ship, get a hotel room, and, what is most associated with being 21, you can drink.

I feel like now that I am 21 I should know where I'm going in life and what I want. When I was little I thought I would have been dating a guy for a year or two by now and we'd be talking about marriage. I thought I'd be done with college and working at the job I always wanted. Not still working in my associates degree and still single.

I never thought I'd get to travel and see as much as I have. And to be so close to my family. Plus only having one friend I can really rely on.

I know where I stand about drinking. It's wrong to drink if you're not of age because the Bible tells us to obey authority unless the authority goes against God (Romans 13:1 and Acts 5:29). The drinking age is not going against God. When you are 21 it's okay to have one drink here and there. Just don't use drinking as a crutch to get away from life. Don't get drunk because the Bible tells us to be of sober mind (1 Peter 5:8) and to not be a drunkered (Ephesians 5:18).

I learned quickly that no matter how strong you are the world, and the devil, can try to influence you and take over your life. Just like with a new driver that has their license, it's so cool to let people know that you're 21 and to be able to do all these things you couldn't before. But you have to stay connected to God or your life will snow ball out of control.

Also, a lot of people my age are getting married or engaged. Some people have kids and are starting families. It's really hard not to compare yourself to the people around you. I've often wondered if I should be worried about the fact that I'm not thinking about marriage and starting a family right now.  But then I remember that all of that is what society says you should do and that each person is different.

I have prayed to God and asked Him to not let the desire of wanting a boyfriend and relationship take center stage in my life. I've even prayed not to have feelings for a guy until God is ready for me to settle down and be with my future husband.

It's okay to be single and independent at 21. After all, each person is different and God's plans are not our plans (Isaiah 55:8). God's plans are 100 times better!

Proverbs 31 Women of the Bible- part 7

      

There is one woman of the Old Testament that I forgot to mention.

Pharaoh's Daughter: Her story can be read in Exodus 5:2-10. 

She was a young girl of royal lineage. 

She was probably pretty young too. 

She had gone to the Nile just to bathe and came home with a baby boy, who was Moses. 

She took a great risk in seeking permission to keep the child. 

After all, her father was in the middle of killing the Hebrew babies and people were probably thinking the baby Pharaoh's daughter found was a Hebrew baby. 

Pharaoh's daughter showed great courage and compassion in raising the child and loving him. 

Women of the Bible says that Pharaoh's daughter might have been named Bithiah and that she was banished for bringing Moses into her father's house. 

Also, that when the Israelites left Egypt she went with them. 

The proof of this is in 1 Chronicles 4:17-18. One line in these verses is "These were the children of Pharaoh's Daughter Bithiah, whom Mered had married."

The life lesson from her part in history is this: "We can't see how our choices today may impact others in the future. Make a bold decision and watch God guide the outcome." (Women of the Bible.)

In my opinion, Bithiah, Pharaoh's Daughter is a Proverbs 31 Woman for what she did and for coming to know the One True God!

Things to come, (Proverbs 31, dating, Cinderella, & more)

          

Okay a new month is getting ready to start and I'm very excited about the two months of writing plans I have come up with!

First, I am going to be focusing on Disney's Cinderella. I have a book called The Cinderella Rule: A Young Woman's Guide to Happily Ever After by Bethany Jett. I have been reading this book and I want to share with you what I have learned from reading it. The post about what I have read will be up on June 13th and June 27th.

I will be writing about the Disney Cinderella movies, just like I have done with Frozen and Sleeping Beauty. I also suggest reading Courage & Kindness (The New Cinderella Movie). The first Cinderella movie post will be up on July 18th.

Secondly, I will be continuing my Proverbs 31 Women of the Bible and Other Women of the Bible posts. Three of these posts will be up on June 6th, July 11th, and July 25th.

Finally, on June 20th I will be posting a personal post about my life. Then on July 4th I will have a 4th of July post up. I hope you all enjoy these eight posts that I will be working on and bringing to you! Be sure to check out my Facebook page for updates on the Proverbs 31 women and just everyday life things. And remember, God is so good and He loves you! See all of you next Saturday!

Other Women of the Bible- Part 2

I am going to be taking a break from this series to work on another series for the month of July. I will pick this series up on the first Saturday of August. I hope everyone is enjoying this series!

Zipporah: she was Moses' wife. She was a preacher's daughter and a shepherdess. She seemed to believe and listen to God. After all, husband as the one God chose to lead Israel out of Egypt after 400 years of slavery and she didn't try to talk him out of it. (Exodus 2:16-23)

Miriam: she was Moses' older sister and God had blessed her by making her a leader of the women. She messed up a couple of times though. She started nasty rumors about Moses. She had good qualities too though. (All through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)

Jael: she took an opportunity sent from God and she drew on His strength to find courage she might not have known she had. God gave her victory over a death for Israel. This was a huge deal and honer in those days. (Judges 4:16-22)

Abimelek's Killer: she was someone unknown in the Bible. She was probably just someone who used a millstone to provide food for her town. But, just like Jael, she relied on God's strength and His planning to save her town and people from being destroyed by fire from an evil wannabe king. (Judges 9:52)

Samson's Pagan Bride: she was a Philistine woman who was beautiful and charming. She probably found Samson very attractive and, against parents wishes, they quickly got married.Their marriage failed because they had different loyalties to different people. The woman chose to be threatened by her own people and betraying her husband instead of confiding in her husband and trusting him to protect her. Also, they jumped into a huge commitment for physical satisfaction instead of taking time to know each other. (Judges 14)

Delilah: She used her body and her looks to get what she wanted. She seduced Samson and then she was seduced by money to learn his secret, betray him, and play a part in his death! The Bible doesn't say if she died in the temple when Samson tore it down, but I don't think her life was ever happy. (Judges 16)

Micah's Unfaithful Mother: She put a curse on money that was stolen from her (The Bible does not say if she used magic or not.) She also offered the money to God. But once her son returned it and admitted to stealing it, she made an idol with it and helped teach her son not to worship God! (Judges 17)

The Levite's Defenseless Concubine: she ran away from the Levite and therefore disobeyed him. In return though, he did not defend her and let her die. I believe there might have been better ways for her to handle the situation and I believe the man let her down! (Judges 19)

The Wives of Benjamin: Not much is said about them besides that they were innocent victims. They do play an important part in history of keeping the tribe of Benjamin alive. (Judges 21)

Peninnah: She was honestly just a bully. She had a husband and children, but she had to give Hannah a hard time about not being able to have children until Hannah would be depressed and not eat. Now, Peninnah

might have done these things because she didn't feel loved by her husband, but she still handled everything the wrong way.  (1 Samuel 1)

Summer, here I come!

Well, Summer is offically herr! So, HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!! I hope everyone who reqds this has great summer days and adventures!

I've started some new things for this summer. First, I am training for a 5k, so I need A LOT of prayers please! My aunt always runs 5k's so she's kind of training me. It's been really hot here in North Carolina so I haven't got to train like I would like to. One of mybest friends will goto the gym to wotkout together also. So, this is a fun, new adventure to be on!
I'm also cutting back on how much soda I drink. Anyone who enjoys a soda or two knows how addicting they can be! I've substituted the Naked Juice and the Raaw juice for my sweet tasting drinks. I also enjoy green tea and at least two cups of water a day.
Another thing i have changed, is that I have been limiting myself to how many hours of TV I. Canwatch. I'm down to four or fjve hours. This is a lot better than how much I was watching when summer started! I have replaced some of those hours by sitting outside and reading. I'm a book nerd so having all this time to read is great! Also studying my Bible and just spend time outside appreciating God's beautiful creation!
I thought I would just givr a personal updateon this post and I hope you enjoy reading it. God bless you & you all are in my prayers!
XOXO, Brandi;💛💙

Are You a Carrot, Egg, or Coffee Bean?

 

I often wonder what kind of imprint I'm leaving on this world. It's safe to say I want God to shine through whatever I do. But, I also want to be who He made me to be.

I started this week off by going to a friend's graduation. One of the speakers told a story that really stuck with me. It went like this:

A girl had came home and was telling her mom what a bad day at school she was having and how hard life was at the time. The mom went and put three pots of water on the stove to boil. She put a carrot in the first pot. An egg in the second and a coffee bean in the third. After a few minutes she called her daughter into the kitchen. She told her daughter she had three choices. To become like the carrot, which had turned soft a mushy, during hard times. To become like the egg, that had became hard and tough to crack. Or to be like the coffee bean, which had turned the water into coffee.

So what is the idea here? It's to be like a coffee bean and influence the world around you instead of letting the world influence you! This scripture, I think, that teaches that same lesson.  Jesus is telling a parable about weeds. The weeds are lost people today and the good seed are people who have a relationship with God. I think this shows how we can influence each other and how God doesn't give up on us.

"'No,' he answered, ' because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" ~Matthew 13:29-30 NIV

So, are you a carrot, egg, or coffee bean?

The Sleeping Beauty

Recently I watched a friend in a dance production of a Biblical telling of Sleeping Beauty. The scene that moved me the most was when Aurora was going to marry the prince and the song "Wedding Day" by Casting Crowns played. So I was wondering what I would find if I watched Sleeping Beauty. This is what I found:
The Three Good Fairies would represent Angels looking out for people.
The King and Queen represent Christians who are going through a hard time, but trusting in God.
Fona is the person who tries to see good in everyone.
Meriweather is the person who was the rebel but has found grace.
Flora is the person who is still trying to learn to rely on God and sometimes tries to make everything better by herself.
Maleficent represents the sin that can come into our lives.
The fact that the King and Queen threw a party for Aurora's birth is a reminder to us that we are God's joy and He celebrates us everyday!
The gift of beauty could be seen as the inner beauty we get as we grow closer to God and the gift of song can be seen as worshiping God.
Maleficent's "gift" can be seen as a beautiful person in God, who loves, but has fallen to sin. The gift of sleep until true loves kiss can be seen as staying pure and waiting for the one God has planned for you.
When Aurora is picking berries in the movie and singing about love, it can be seen as what every girl has done. Doubt God's plan for her love story. When Aurora runs from Prince Phillip, that can be seen as running from temptation and letting things play out the way God wants it to.
When the kings are planning their kids futures and Phillip says he doesn't want to go along with the plan, one of the king's starts to worry.  If he would have just stood back and watched he would have seen God's plan for love was happening and God's plan is so much better than man's plan!
Aurora falling under the spell and touching the spindle can be seen as doubting God's plan, because she was so heart broken over finding out she could never see the guy she met, and letting sin slowly slip into your life.
Finally, through it all Prince Phillip really did use the shield of virtue and sword of truth by not giving up on true love and the two of them sharing true loves first kiss!
There are the pure, true love facts I found in the movie Sleeping Beauty.