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.

Mothers (of the Bible)

           

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." ~Luke 2:19

Who remembers making those crafts for their mom? You know the ones that have our hand prints in it and normally go on the fridge. Every year your mom received one of these gifts, she loved it and kept it. As you got older, you started picking out other things for her that she could actually use. Maybe something she'd been wanting for around the house or a piece of jewelry.Well, I'm thankful for my mom and all she does for me. Moms have a special job and no one, here on earth, is going to love you like your mom does. With that, let's look at some moms in the Bible.

Sarah: She wanted a child, but as each year approached and passed she and her husband weren't able to have children. She took matters in her own hands and her female servant had a child with her husband (I know this is weird, but back in the day this was kind of like adoption.) This plan didn't work out the way Sarah wanted and she still had no child. In her old age God gave her a son and she became a legacy of a nation! Sarah shows us that God has better plans than us and He reveals those plans at the right time. (Genesis 16, 18, 21)

Jochebed: This was Moses' mother. This woman also had amazing faith! She knew her baby boy would be killed if she didn't do something. So, she puts him in a basket in the river! She trusted God to keep that baby safe in the water and safe with who he ended up with, which happened to be royalty and he was used by God in a huge way! I truly believe that because of this woman's faith, her children turned into the Christian leaders that they were. (Exodus 2)

Pharaoh's Daughter: She was the woman who found Moses (Jochebed's son). She showed love by "adopting" and raising Moses as her own son. Step-mothers and adopted-mothers are a gift from God too! (Exodus 2:510)

Hannah: She was the woman who prayed to God for a child and when her child was of age she gave him back to God so he could serve God. She knew children are God's amazing gift. (1 Samuel 1)

Mary: She was chosen to be Jesus' mother. She was blessed to get to raise him and teach him. She also had the blessing of him dying for her sins on the cross when He died for all of us. This had to break her heart and I've always wondered if God allowed her to know what was going to happen. She's a perfect example of a loving mother who puts her faith in God and never walks away from her child. (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)

There are many other mothers in the Bible who set great examples. God loves you enough to give you a mother, but His love is 100% better than a mothers love! Take time to thank God for the gift of your mom and to tell your mom thank you for everything. 

"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come....Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:" ~Proverbs 31:25, 28

Purity in Action

                                                   

Purity: freedom from immorality, especially of a sexual nature.

Meet Joseph. A teenage guy who was sold into slavery by his brothers. He ended up working in Potiphar's (one of the Pharaoh of Egypt's officials, and captain of the guards) house. Potiphar was pleased with what a hard worker Joseph was that he put Joseph in charge of everything in his house! Now Potiphar's wife found Joseph VERY attractive. She tried to get Joseph to sleep with her EVERY day, but Joseph refussed and this was his reason why: ^"But he refused. 'With me in charge,' he told her, 'my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?' And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her." ~Genesis 39:8-10 (NIV)
Potiphar's wife didn't give up that easy though. "One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, 'Come to bed with me!' But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house." ~Genesis 39:11-12 (bold and underlined mine. NIV) Talk about a man of God! A young teenage man who RUNS out of the house to keep his purity! 
So why did I bring up Joseph? I have a Purity ring, once stands for the promise I made to God, myself, and my future husband that I won't have sex with anyone until I am married. I understand that sex is something very personal and emotional. But I was wondering where in the Bible it says to wait until you're married to have sex. Of course I found my answer and an example. The example is Joseph of course, but here are some answers too.
"That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh." ~Genesis 2:24 (NIV). This shows that sex has a very strong emotional connection and that God designed it for marriage.
 “If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife." ~Exodus 22:16 (NIV). God did not mean for a person to be with multiple people, but one person. In the Old Testament this is what would've happened if two people who were not married had, had sex.
"Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." ~1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (NIV). Jesus died for us on the cross so we could have eternal life with Him. So if we abuse sex we are hurting ourselves emotionally, physically, and we are hurting God.
"Now for the matters you wrote about: 'It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.' But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.... Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do.But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion." ~1 Corinthians 7:1-5,8-9 (NIV). Now this tells us that we are suppose to practice self-control until we are married and that it's not all about passion (this is where the answer to the question Is 50 Shades of Grey wrong? The answer, YES!!!). 
"It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;" ~1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NIV). This verse tells us how God meant for sex to be and how HE wants us to enjoy it!
"Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral." ~Hebrew 13:4 (NIV). Adultery: Voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not their spouse. The sexual immorality and sexual sins has to be sex outside of marriage. 
These Bible verses give me all the answers to why I'm waiting for sex until I am married. God made sex beautiful when it's done right! Here is a website about purity rings. Here is a music video of a song Kyle Kupecky wrote for his wife Kelsey and sung to her on their wedding day:

Here is a Flipagram about 50 Shades of Grey and Old Fashioned: Forever Love

Protecting Love

 (picture from the movie One Night with the King. You can buy the movie here.)
Happy Valentine's Day!
 I have been doing a 13 day study on the book of Esther through She Reads Truth​ and I read something that got my attention and is perfect to share for Valentine's Day.
"The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden." ~Esther 7:7
Okay, I know you're probably wondering why I'm sharing this verse about a king being angry, but just hear me out. Esther had just reviled to the king that she was a Jew and that Haman was trying to kill her people. I believe the king was upset that Esther had kept her heritage from him for so long, but he was more upset that his right-hand man had used him and was trying to kill his wife and her people.
So what does this have to do with Valentine's Day and love? I believe the reason the king got up and went outside is because he loved Esther so much he wanted to guard her heart. I think he didn't want to scare her because she saw him get mad, maybe yell and throw a few things. I believe he didn't want her to think he would ever hurt her, emotionally or physically when he was angry. I believe he wanted her to know she could tell him anything, yes he might get mad, but after he cooled off he would be there for her. The king loved Esther enough that he didn't want her to see him as anything but the gently husband she needed. To me this is a big sign of true love and a sign of a godly man.
Also through this study, I think the feast in the end of Esther, Purim, happened on Valentine's Day! I did some research and the month of Adar is possibly in February. So, I've made Hamantaschen and Kreplach for Valentine's Day. Here's the recipes:
Hamantaschen Recipe
Kreplach Recipe
Finally, I want to share this music video because it fits my life on this Valentine's Day:

Again, Happy Valentine's Day!

Faith in today's world

  Let's talk about the word "Faith" and the action of having Faith today. The dictionary defines "Faith" as: complete trust or confidence in someone or something. strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. a system of religious belief. a strongly held belief or theory. The Bible says, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." ~Hebrews 11:1 (NIV). And 2 Corinthians 5:7 says "For we live by faith, not by sight." (NIV)
This graph shows how much the word "Faith" was used in different years: "Faith" graph. I think it's sad we've gotten away from having faith in today's world. We worry about the here and now and trust technology, but do we have faith God is there and will provide for us? 
I think it's time we stop putting our TRUST in worldly things and start putting our FAITH back in God and showing the world that the King of kings is the One who is in charge with good plans!!

Dear Daughter of the King,

Dear Daughter of the King,

Do not listen to the world! The world is going to try and tell you that you're not pretty enough if you do not wear revealing clothing and cover your face with a bunch of makeup. The world will say that if you don't lose your virginity at a certain age you are wired and an outcast. The world will say that if you aren't skinny then you are ugly and no one will ever want to date you. The world will say that everything is your fault.
But your King, who gave His life for you and loves you, says that "You are all together beautiful My Darling. There is NO flaw in you." (Song of Solomon 4:7). Your King says that to dress modestly is the most beautiful thing in the world, you are respecting yourself and your body. Your King says that beauty should come from what is in your heart, not how much makeup you wear. "The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7). Your King says that keeping your virginity and staying pure is RADIANTLY BEAUTIFUL! Your King says that no matter what size you are, you are LOVED! "Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you," (Isaiah 43:4). Your King says that no matter what happens HE is there for you and HE can fix any problem! "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew11:28). Just remember, Daughter of the King, Your King loves you and is always with you!

Other Women of the Bible- part 1

 

Okay, so I've been doing a "Proverbs 31 Women of the Bible" series. I started thinking we could learn something from all of the women in the Bible. So here is another branch in the "Proverbs 31 Women in the Bible" series called "Other Women of the Bible". We will be looking at all the other women who I didn't put as a Proverbs 31 Woman. Some of these women are good role models and others are not, but we can learn something from them all.

Eve: She was first woman. God made her from the dirt and with one of Adam's ribs. She got to enjoy the Garden of Eden and talking to God. She got to see a time when there was nothing but peace in the world. She made a mistake and sinned by eating fruit from a tree God told her not to eat from. As a result, she and Adam had to leave the garden and live a hard life. She knew how perfect the world was before sin and she had to watch the world become a sinful place. Nonetheless, she was a big part of history! (Genesis chapter two.)

 Lot's Disobedient Wife: Lot and his wife traveled with Abraham and Sarah. Lot picked the land of Sodom and Gomorrah to live because it was the best land. But this land was filled with a lot of sin. God spared Lot and his family. But Lot's wife loved the place where she lived, a place filled with sin, so much that she disobeyed God and turned into a pillar of salt. Lot's wife loved the world more than God.

Keturah: She was the second wife of Abraham and she had six sons with him. At times Keturah probably felt like she could never be good enough. She did have some big shoes to fill after Sarah. But Abraham loved her too.

Leah: She was Rachel's older sister. She obeyed her father and married Jacob. What was her reward for this? She lived her whole life knowing that her husband loved her younger sister more than her. I can't imagine how that felt! God blessed her though by giving her children. Out of her children came the Israelites line of Priests and the family tree of Jesus Christ.  It's quite obvious God showed Leach how much He loved her!

Rachel: She found her true love in Jacob. But she had to watch as her sister married him first. When she finally married Jacob, she had to split her time with him with her sister for the rest of her life. Then Rachel found out that she could not have children, but her sister could. It had to be hard on Rachel to watch her husband with another woman and seeing her sister's children when she couldn't have any herself. But instead of relying on God she got competitive and caused more fighting with her sister. She played a big role in history and was blessed with two sons of her own.

Bilhah and Zilpah: These two women were the servants of Leah and Rachel. I can not imagine how these women felt when they were giving to Jacob as "wives" just to produce babies! Yes, they were taking care of but it was still probably very hard on them knowing that their children, in the eyes of society, belonged to someone else. I do admire them for willingly doing what Leah and Rachel told them to do and having hearts like a servant. God rewarded them by allowing their children to be a part of Israel's heritage.

Dinah: She was Jacob's daughter. Leah was her mother. Not much is said about her. But the Bible does tell us that she was raped by the prince of the town her family was staying in. The result of this was that her brothers killed all the men in the town. Dinah had to live with what happened to her and probably would not find a husband because of this. I wonder what Dinah was thinking going out by herself. Had she grown up a tomb-boy because of her twelve brothers? Did she think she could take care of herself because, maybe, her brothers had taught her a little self-defense? Ether way, Dinah became a silent victim.

Tamar: She was Judah's daughter-in-law. Her husband sinned and died. Keeping to the law, her brother-in-law married her. But he sins and died. Now Judah did not want to give his other son in marriage for fear of death. But he wouldn't help Tamar by arranging for her to marry someone else. Tamar didn't rely on God and took matters into her own hands and tricked Judah. She kept the family line alive, but we can learn that if God has a plan HE will see it finished. We just need to have faith and not try to fix it ourselves.

Potiphar's Wife: This woman probably had everything money could buy. After all, her husband worked for Pharaoh in a very high position. But maybe she didn't feel loved and cherished. Maybe her marriage was having problems. Potiphar could have been working long hours and not being there for his wife like he should have been. Ether way, what Potiphar's Wife did was not the way to handle things! She found Joseph attractive and she tried to get him to sleep with her. Had she tried this before with other servants? We don't know. But the Bible does tell us that Joesph said no. I believe the lesson we can learn is that no marriage will have a chance of truly being happy without God in the center of it.

Mom: A Gift From God

"Above all, love one another, because love covers over a multitude of sins." ~1 Peter 4:8 (NIV)

Okay, so it is Mother's Day weekend. That means that there will be a lot of blog posts about mothers. At first I thought about not doing a post about mothers, but then I thought, "My Moma does so much for me and has been there for me through everything. How could I NOT write about what an amazing gift God has given me?!" So, needless to say, I'm writing a post about Mother's Day.
The dictionary defines a Mother as: a female parent. one's female parent.  a mother-in-law, stepmother, or adoptive mother. a term of address for a female parent or a woman having or regarded as having the status, function, or authority of a female parent. a term of familiar address for an old or elderly woman.

Well, now that we know that let me tell you a little about my mom. My moma is beautiful, smart, loving, caring, and wonderful! Growing up I remember she would do it all and she was (and is) one of my biggest role models! I remember seeing her work with people who had special needs and how caring she was for them and their family members. I remember her ALWAYS being there when my family needed her! She has
always been on my side and been my biggest support!
Now on March 10, 2012 something amazing happened in our lives that helped my moma become, not only SuperMom, but also my best friend. We had been on a mother-daughter cruise and had heard the author Karen Kingsbury speak. We had stopped at a truck stop in Georgia where a young casheir was telling every costumer her problems. Moma had been tuning the girl out, but I had been listening to everything she said and my heart broke for her. When we got ready to check out the girl told us her problems and I was moved by the Holy Spirit. I asked the girl if I could pray with her, so that is what I did. That night my moma renewed her relationship with God!
My moma and I have been through some pretty crazy adventures together. Most of which people wouldn't believe even if I told the stories to them. But other adventures have been really nice in just having someone there to support me. My moma helps me try to brighten peoples' day at the pregnancy center by coming up with crafts that we can do for them to let them know we appreciate them for being moms who want to raise their children right. She understands that God might be calling me into trying to help put an end to sex trafficking. It scares her, but she supports me. She also supports me and cheers me on in my dream to become an author.
I believe the closest a person can come to feeling loved like God loves us is from the love of a mother. I believe He gave us moms so that we will always have an earthly taste of what His love is like, but also to remind us to multiply that by a million times more. So this Mother's Day tell your mom you are thankful for her and give her a hug. After all God knew you would need a SuperMom, so he placed a gift in your life, the woman you call Mom.
Now, I don't  want to end this post on a sad note, but I have to write what God has placed on my heart. Let me start by saying this: "The Lord gives His people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace." ~Psalm 29:11 (NLT)
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keeo on praying for all the Lord's people." ~Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
I'm blessed to be getting to spend Mother's Day safe and sound and with my family. But the girls from Nigeria do not have their mothers there to comfort them. At the same time their mothers are grieving because they can not hold their daughters. So please, on this Mother's Day weekend, and all through the rest of this hard time for the people in Nigeria, pray. Pray for their Spiritual life and that God will bring the girls home safely and soon. Help spread the word to get on our knees and to pray "BRING BACK OUR GIRLS!"
Here is something that Victoria over at Miss Tadoodles Corner wrote that I really think everyone should read. He Is Mighty To Save: Bring Back Our Girls!
Again, I hope all of you have a happy Mother's Day! God Bless!

Let My Life Be The Proof, The Proof Of Your Love

 

"Something altogether great and amazing must be waiting on the other side of this mountain... otherwise, the journey wouldn't be so hard." (From Redemption) by Karen Kingsbury

 Today I wanted my blog post to be about the book and movie Heaven Is for Real, but God had other plans. As I sat outside with blue stained fingers listening to worship music is when I was finally quite enough to listen to Him.

Today started out as a huge mountain that I had to climb. I had a family problem right when I woke up. Thankfully it wasn't as serious as everyone thought and everyone is okay! Next it was buying a new lawnmower and getting things to make a high school graduation gift (hence the blue stained fingers.) While getting things that were needed my mom and I ran into an old friend.

Now at this moment is where climbing this mountain got extremely difficult. I had so many emotions running through me that I went numb. The one thought that continuously running through my head was "show the light of Jesus. He is here with me." So after talking for awhile Moma and I left and when I got in the car the emotions finally started hitting me like bullets. Needless to say I cried and I was angry. When we got home I threw myself into working on the graduation gift.

So, as I was waiting for the paint to dry I sat outside and listened to worship music. I had it on shuffle and as I started crying again "Press On" by Mandisa came on followed by "Listen to the Sound" by Building 429. I closed my eyes and just worshiped. As I was doing this the sun broke through the clouds to shine on my face and a small and gentle wind picked up. It felt like God Himself was beside me gently wiping away my tears.

I happened to look down and laying at my feet was the picture above. Two sticks in the shape of a heart! I knew this was God telling me "My Child I know you are hurting, but I AM right here holding you and I have this planned out." Then, as if that wasn't strong enough, "My Desire" by Jeremy Camp came on and my tears turned to happy ones!

As I sat down to write about God comforting me tonight; I noticed my Karen Kingsbury quote book and today's quote fit perfectly! Just another way God was telling me He is here with me! I turned on Spotify and "Proof of Your Love" by For King & Country was playing and then "Busted Heart" by them came on and I know God has this planned and soon the pain will heal for something so much better!!