Other Women of the Bible: part 7

1. Damaris: Acts 17:1-34 really introduces us to Damaris. She was a Greek and she was blessed to get to hear Paul preach about God. She believed Paul and followed him to learn more about God. I can't imagen what it must have been like for her to leave everything she knew for the Truth. But she did and she is a great example of a person trusting God.
2. Drusilla: In Acts 24:24 we learn that Drusilla is a Jew who is married to Felix, a Roman Governor. She listened to what Paul had to say while he was on trial (he told them about Jesus). From what Acts 24:27 says, I don't think she accepted Paul's teachings about Jesus. Drusilla is a very big historical figure and a lot can be found on her. I stumbled upon an interesting fact about her from Women in the Scriptures. It says; "Drusilla and her son Agrippa are several of the few historical figures documented as perishing in Pompeii during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. ( Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, xx.7.2)".
3. Pontius Pilate's Wife: God spoke to her about Jesus through dreams. She told her husband that she believed Jesus was the Messiah and not to kill Him. God used her as a part of a great story, even though wickedness was around her. (Matthew 27:19).
4. Rhoda: She was possibly a servant. She was living in the house of Mary, mother of John Mark. She was the girl who forgot to open the door, because she was so overjoyed, when Peter knocked after being released from prison. She had been a part of the people praying for Peter, and God let her see a big miracle because of her small act of faith. By the way, God still works like that today. (Acts 12:12-15).
5. Sapphira: This woman let greed get the better of her and she died because of that. A person can look at her as an example of the fact that everyone is human and messes up and that greed is wrong. (Acts 5).
6. Tryphena: A lady from Rome who, along with Tryphosa, worked hard to bring the news of the gospel to many people. (Romans 16:12).
7. Tryphosa: A lady from Rome who, along with Tryphena, worked hard to bring the news of the gospel to many people. (Romans 16:12).
8. Claudia: Some people think this person could have been Pontius Pilate's wife. I don't know, but this is what I have found out about this woman; she was with Paul in Rome. Paul was in prison in Rome waiting for a trial in front of Nero. She was one of the few who had not abandoned Paul and possibly a big part of the mission work being done. (2 Timothy 4:21).

Fall Break 2015

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." ~Romans 15:13 (NIV)
My mom and I went to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for my Fall Break. I'm writing this "review" post of the places we went to. I'm not writing this to brag about what I got to do. I'm writing this to inform people about great things that people can do in another state. There are pictures on the blog's Facebook page and on my Instagram page (@itsbrandirose).
The first thing we did was go to the Island in Pigeon Forge, TN. This place is amazing! It has everything from an arcade to a Margaritaville restaurant. Some family friends met us at the Island and we played on the tight-ropes course for a good two or three hours. It was so much fun and we made a lot of good memories. We also rode the Smokey Mountain Wheel during sunset and it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen! The shopping was fun and the buildings were beautiful! I suggest everyone, who can, goes to the Island in Pigeon Forge.
The next day, Mom and I found a pancake house we had never been to. We ate brunch there and the food was amazing! The waitresses were so nice and made sure everything was good. The pancake house was small and had a homey feel to it. The inside of the pancake house reminded one of a log cabin. The funny thing is, the pancake house is called Log Cabin Pancake House. This is a place to eat breakfast at if you're in Pigeon Forge!
We went to the Book-Warehouse next. This store has the Moonpie General store in it. There are tons of books for a cheaper price than what you would pay in another bookstore. I bought three books for about twenty-six dollars and got another book for free. Two of those books were Karen Kingsbury books too! A person can find great, original Smokey Mountain keepsakes.
Finally, Mom and I went to a dinner show at the Biblical Times Theater. We watched the show "The Days of Elijah." The food and service were great. The acting and singing were amazing and the play followed the Bible. The play also helped me understand parts of the Bible better! I suggest everyone go see a show at this theater!
Last but not least, Mom and I went to The Christmas Place. They have great ornaments and it's like you've been transported to a Christmas Wonderland! It is worth just walking around in.
I hope that this "review" of places in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee helps you if you ever want to take a vacation there. It's a great place and is still a family-friendly place.

Proverbs 31 Women: Part 9

It's been awhile since I've wrote about the women in the Bible. I have been diving into the New Testament and studying. I'm not the most qualified person to be writing about things like this. But, these are my thoughts along with what the Bible tells us and I do believe with all of my heart that we can learn valuable everyday life lessons form all these women.

1. Tabitha/Dorcus: Proverbs 31 describes a woman who works hard and brings blessings to her husband and children. We don't know if Tabitha had a husband or children. But, because of Acts 9:36, we do know she was a hard working woman and a disciple of Christ. Tabitha died, but her death resulted in many people coming to know God. Tabitha didn't stay dead long though, God used Peter to raise her from the dead! (Acts 9:36-43).
2. Phebe: This woman carried a letter from Paul to the Roman church. She had to be a woman of high and noble character to even be trusted with Paul's letter. The Bible tells us that she was a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. My Bible says, in the notes section, "the word deacon refers here to a Christian designated to serve with the overseers/elders of the church in a variety of ways; similarly in Philippians 1:1 and 1 Timothy 3:8,12." Now I know I'm talking about the women in the New Testament, but that was still during a time in which women did not have much of a say so or leadership role. I believe that the fact that Phebe was in charge of handing a letter over, that would one day be a part of the Bible, and that she was publicly known as a deacon of the church, means that she was defiantly a Proverbs 31 woman that we can all learn form in today's world. (Romans 16:1-2).
3. The Devout, Honorable, and Chief Women of the Jews and Greeks: To read about these women, check out Acts 13:50 and Acts 17:4,12. The best place to read about these women is at Women in the Scriptures. But what I found interesting is that the Jewish women did not want to accept Paul's teachings and they helped run him out of town. But the women in Greece helped Paul to get the citizens to listen to him. The women in Greece played a very important role in helping bring salvation to many peoples' lives. The fact that the Jewish and Greek women were of high society speak volumes about them in general.
4. The Lady who revived one of the letters from John: We do not know her name or where she is from. We do know that she has raised her children right and most of them believe in God and are honorable people. We also know that her sister's children believe in God and want to wish her well. We know she and John know each other and they have talked. We know that she welcomes people into her home. Maybe John stayed with her awhile. We also know she is the only woman in the whole Bible to have a "book" or letter dedicated to her. I truly think this woman was a Princess Warrior for Christ and that makes her a Proverbs 31 Woman! Her story is in 2 John.
5. Widow of Nain: Luke 7:11-17 tells us that Jesus saw this woman as her dead son was being brought out of her house. He was her only son and the Bible tells us that Jesus' heart went out to this woman. He told her not to cry and then raised her son from the dead. We don't know what this woman did or who she really was. But Jesus loved her and we can learn from her story that there is always hope and Jesus is always with us!
6. Woman with the Bleeding Issue: I put this special woman in the category of a Proverbs 31 woman because of her great faith. In Matthew 9:20-22 we learn that the woman had been bleeding for twelve years. In Mark 5:25-34 we read that the woman had spent all of her money on doctors trying to get healed, but to no success. In Luke 8:43-48 the woman explains to Jesus that she knew that if she could just touch Jesus' robes she would be healed. Jesus knew that some of His power went out from Him and He told the woman, in front of a crowed of people, that her faith was rewarded. I think this woman is a Proverbs 31 woman for keeping her faith in such a difficult situation!

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.

Dancing with... Sadie Robertson

Sadie Robertson is a wonderful role model. She has strong family values and a beautiful relationship with God that makes her shine for Him. I have looked up to her ever since Duck Dynasty has been on TV. Sadie had started a YouTube channel with Kolby Koloff called "The New Different" and it was a Bible study every Monday night. She also created a line of modest prom/homecoming dresses with Sherri Hill that are beautiful! Now she's on Dancing with the Stars.I don't really watch Dancing with the Stars, but I have been watching Sadie's interviews and dance numbers. I must say, it is very refreshing to have a young woman of God in the spot light who is living out what she believes! I hope Sadie wins Dancing with the Stars and continues to show God's love to people in everything she does!

The New Different 

Sadie Robertson: Live Original

Chapter One: My feet are bruised, but they'll follow where You lead

"My Feet are bruised but they'll follow where You lead. You are the King of my Heart." ~Love and the Outcome, "King of my Heart."
I want to tell you a story. This story involves a girl who wanted to travel the world and tell people about God's love. She didn't know how or what God wanted her to do though. She prayed about it. She also found comfort in God's promise that: "'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 a 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 your whole heart.'"~Jeremiah 29:11-13.
The thing was, this girl was not a patient person. She wanted to jump in right away and get to work! She had days when she felt like she wasn't doing anything that was helping God. She would walk away from the dream of helping others and think of only herself. Then, she started seeing God in her everyday activities. He was there in big ways, her mom getting into a personal relationship with Christ at a truck stop on the way home from a cruise, and in little ways, passing a test she didn't know she had because she had done the homework. This girl realized that God was going to use her, but in His time.
She started doing volunteer work at a pregnancy center and fell in love with the work she does there. She started praying about it and realized she wants to volunteer and see if she has what it takes to become a Doula. The things that she has gone through in her life made her realize that she wants to study Divinity and can be a Christian consular, along with a Writer. Over time, she realized God was using her to show His love right in her own town!
One night at church, this girl was thinking about Operation Christmas Child and how she still had a desire to go and teach kids in other countries about God's love. She didn't know why the thought popped into her head and she just brushed it off and didn't tell anyone about it. At the end of the service, the whole church went around anointing the pews and praying for the people who would s it in them. A lady got some extra oil and anointed the girl on the forehead and said "God bless you in everything  you do and everywhere you go for Him." In that moment the girl knew God was telling her she was ready to travel the world and tell people about His love!
That girl is me. The anointing happened on August 17th, 2014. There's more to this story, but this was the first chapter in it. I can't wait to share the other chapters with you as God shows me to. The verse that came to my mind after I was anointed was, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with very much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." ~Luke 16:10.