God First: the Chase

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else...and He will give you everything you need." ~Matthew 6:33 NLT  As I'm sitting here drinking my Orange Pumpkin Pie Spice tea and listening to "Priceless" by for King and Country, I decided to reread chapter one of The Chase by Kyle and Kelsey Kupecky.

The title of the first chapter is "God First" and that is the perfect title for this blog post that is somewhat a review of chapter one of this book.

The book starts out with Kelsey sharing a time in her life when she put a boyfriend before God even though she knew he was not the one God had planned for her. She opens up about her heartbreak from the experience and realizing she needed to get back to God being the One in her life.  As she says "God's plans are always far better than our own", she shows the proof in that statement by telling how when she and Kyle met they were happy being single and not looking for a relationship. At the end of her part of this chapter she gives great advice for growing closer to God.

"None of us are ready for a romantic relationship until we chase God." This quote sticks out to me as the chapter changes to Kyle's story and he tells about his first relationship out of high school and how he cared more about the status of the relationship than the relationship itself and was not putting God first. Kyle tells about a friend who stood up for his faith through purity and how that friend was an example to him. This part of Kyle's story is evidence that what you do in your life affects others and you have a chance to be a great role model and mouth piece for God. Kyle ends with telling how God blessed him by keeping him single and opening up many doors in his career. Then, out of the blue, he met his future wife in the most unlikely place and time. I like how he words it in the book: "On March 8, time froze. Everything stood still when I was introduced to a girl backstage. Her name was Kelsey." The chapter ends with questions to think about from Kyle and Kelsey.

Wow! Who could write anything better? God is the Ultimate Author of Fairytales because He loves us so much and is so involved in our lives. No one knows us better!

God First!!! "Let the chase begin!" ~ from The Chase.

Hello October

                                                         

As I'm sitting here watching "Castle" after a really bad day at school, I realize I have been MIA for almost a month! I'm sorry I have not kept up with my posts in the month of September. School has been insane, crazy and last month I could not find one free moment to write! But, I'm going to make it up to my lovely readers!

There will be eight posts this month. I will be writing the three that I missed in September on Mondays this month. On Saturdays I will be posting my regular updates.

Here is the schedule for the month of October:

• October 3rd: The Chase by Kyle and Kelsey Kupecky, chapter one.
• October 10th: Proverbs 31 Women of the Bible
• October 12th: Other Women of the Bible
• October 17th: The Cinderella Rule by Bethany Jett
• October 19th: Another Proverbs 31 Women of the Bible
• October 24th: Another Other Women of the Bible
• October 26th: Another The Cinderella Rule by Bethany Jett
• October 31st: A Halloween Special and another The Chase by Kyle and Kelsey Kupecky, chapter 2.
• November 2nd: Another The Chase by Kyle and Kelsey Kupecky, chapter 3 and an update on what is to come.

The Chase: Who are you chasing?

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." ~Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
question to think about and a question from the book: Who are you chasing?
The Chase: Trusting God with your Happily Ever After is by Kyle and Kelsey Kupecky. Kyle is a recording Christian artist and Kelsey is a talented actress who has been in the movies The Heart of Christmas and War Room. She also has a greeting card and gift line out, with her mother Karen Kingsbury, called Possibilities.
I had the pleasure of meeting Kelsey, Kyle, Karen, and a lot of their friends on a cruise in March of 2012. They were so sweet and Kyle and Kelsey set a great example of a engaged couple chasing after God.
I want to share what people are saying about their book The Chase.
“My friend Kelsey and her husband Kyle have written an inspiring and encouraging book about relationships called The Chase. Filled with stories from their own love story as well as their journey toward it, this book is informative and fun too! A must-read for single girls looking for a God-honoring relationship!” - Rebecca St. James, Grammy and Dove Award-winning recording artist and author of One Last Thing

“Kyle and Kelsey are a joy to know. They are genuine, sharp, fun-loving, and committed to chasing after God! They choose to live courageously in this generation. I encourage you to get to know them too through their inspiring story.” -Pam Tebow, speaker and mother of Tim Tebow.

“I'm so excited to read this book by my sweet friends Kelsey and Kyle. Their love story is beautiful, and their relationship is an inspiration of what it means to truly cherish each other!” -Francesca Battistelli, Grammy-nominated Christian music superstar

“Kyle and Kelsey have been friends of mine for several years. I love their passion for God, for family, and for young people. I believe this book will bring truth and light to readers and remind them of God's perfect plan for life.” -Britt Nicole, Grammy-nominated artist

“I have watched Kyle and Kelsey chase after God and I have seen His plans for them unfold like the most beautiful story. Now it’s your turn! If you get one book for your daughter this year, get The Chase!” -Karen Kingsbury, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author.

Okay, now I want to give you my thoughts on part of The Chase. The Foreword in the book is by Karen Kingsbury and I had the privilege of hear some of the stories she shared in person. The part that really shows me that God is in the center of every love story is when she shares that, while on her honeymoon, she and her husband prayed for their future children and their spouses. They prayed this on August 1, 1988 and on that day Kyle Kupecky was born! WOW!

In the Prologue we read about what lead to both Kyle and Kelsey writing letters to their future spouses when they were thirteen. The answer? Godly people and parents in their lives. We also get a glimpse of what life was like for each of them growing up during their teenage years. Finally, we get  glimpse of the day they met and what they want us to take from this book, that Jesus is the only one worth chasing after!

I can't wait to discuss more of this book with you in the following weeks. But until then, I'll leave you with the question asked in the Prologue again: Who are you chasing?

To order your copy of The Chase: Trusting God with your Happily Ever After and to learn more about Kyle and Kelsey, visit their website here.

Things to come.

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." ~Micah 6:8 (NIV). Happy September 1st! It doesn't feel like August should be over with already and we should be in the month when the seasons change and fall is fast approaching. But we are. I'm a Summer girl myself. I love hot weather, tank tops, flip-flops, long days, warm nights, and the bright colors. But, I'm ready to embrace fall and consume all of the pumpkin flavored things that I can!

I wanted to let you know what would be coming up on the blog for the month of September. First, I need to let you know that Kyle and Kelsey Kupecky's book The Chase: Trusting God with your Happily Ever After is out in stores and online today! If you got to their website kyleandkelsey.com you can see the release party video, it is definitely worth watching! Speaking of The Chase, I will be reviewing and writing about the book on here! I'm so excited!

Now on September 5th I will be posting my first post dedicated entirely to The Chase. On September 12th I will be posting another installment of my Other Women in the Bible series. On September 19th I will be posting another installment of my See You Soon Cinderella series. I will be writing about Bethany Jett's book The Cinderella Rule. Finally, on September 26th I will be posting another installment of my Proverbs 31 Women of the Bible series.

I can't wait to dive into these examples of Christian women and Christian dating this month with you! See you Saturday!

Here's the post order one more time:

• September 5th: The Chase
• September 12th: Other Women of the Bible
• September 19th: The Cinderella Rule
• September 26th: Proverbs 31 Women of the Bible.

Under Construction: college life

took this while the sun was rising on the way to school.

        

I should've known that I would end up writing a "back to school" post. I have written a post about my college experience every time classes start back since I've had this blog. I didn't think I would this year, but here I am again, three days late, writing about my classes.

First, let me tell you what I am taking this semester.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I take English 112. It's pretty much a class that teaches you to interpret literature and write about your thoughts with facts to back up said thoughts. My first paper is on why The Crucible should be taught in Sociology. It's the next step in becoming a writer for me.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays I take Physics, which is a class I am surprisingly enjoying and I have a great teacher in. I'm so thankful for the help that my teacher gives me and that he cares whether or not I truly learn Physics! I also take a Humanities class called Human Values and Meaning. I find the class interesting, but my teacher does not believe Christians should be allowed to give their opinions. Every religion is important but Christianity in her eyes. I have a Bible verse that comes to mind every time I'm in that class. It's Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile." (NIV).
I'm still working at the pregnancy center. I still love the work that I do and I am so thankful everyday that God put the opportunity to work there in front of me. I have another great opportunity that I get to share with you! I was picked to be a part of the Street Team for a book called The Chase: trusting God with your Happily Ever After by Kyle and Kelsey Kupecky. My book came in the mail today and I can not wait to start reading this book and to write about it on this blog! If you want more information on this book visit Kyle and Kelsey's website.

Kyle and Kelsey's book

Finally, the last thing I want to share with you is how this blog post got its title. Every morning on the way to school, and sometimes on the way home, I have to wait in the worse road construction traffic I have ever seen. Today I realized how that road construction compares to my life right now. I'm in a chapter of my life where I am still under construction. I'm having to realize what's important to me and how to stand up for my beliefs but still be a godly Christian woman. There are days when it is hard, but I'm so thankful that I am "under construction".