A Photo A Day Challenge

 

Well, it's the last post of January 2015! On January 1, 2015 I started taking a picture of myself everyday and posting it. I'm not taking these pictures to "show off" or however someone might want to word it. I've been taking these pictures to inspire me on my journey to a healthier and happier me. I took the idea from pinterest to take a photo everyday for a year. I'm curious to see the changes I'll see come December 31, 2015. So, I thought I'd finish the month by revisiting my New Year's Resolutions and report on how I'm doing with keeping them.

1. Be a better Christian. I've been doing the Bible study Faithful One by Amy-Jo Girardier. It's on 1 & 2 Thessalonians and it's been a great study! I highly recommend it! I've also been reading His Princess by Sheri Rose Shepherd and it's great too! Also, I really recommend the free app and/or website She Reads Truth.

2. Do better in school. God has really guided me since my classes started back on January 7th! The biggest blessing is how He has given me a great math teacher and has helped me really understand math!

3. Get more serious about my writing. I have. I've mostly been writing fanfiction on Wattpad, but it feels good to just be writing again!

4. Relearn an old hobby. Unfortunately I haven't stuck to this one. This does not mean that I'm just going to mark it off the list. This means that I'll strive to work on it next month.

5. Eat healthier and exercise more. I have been doing this and I feel so much better! I learned earlier this month that I have low Vitamin D. So I've been taking vitamins to help, exercising almost everyday and really trying to find healthier snacks and foods!

6. Live more in the present than the past. Wish I could say this one has been the easiest, but I would be lying. This has been the hardest one for me and I have days where the past is all I think about.

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!!

My DIY Christian Wreck This Journal

     

My mom got me a Wreck This Journal for Christmas. On my bucket list on Pinterest I have a picture that says to have a Christian wreck this journal. At the beginning of the year I started the Bible study Faithful One by Amy-Jo Girardier on 1 and 2 Thessalonians. I love the study and the activities really help me understand the text more. So I've been using my journal to drive home the point.

If you're doing a Bible study and would like to visualize the contents even more getting a wreck this journal is a great way to do that. I don't do the journal says. I cover up the instructions with pictures or paint and label what day of the lesson the page goes with. I hope whatever Bible study you are doing you get what God is trying to teach you out of it!

   

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day

 

Today, January 11, 2015 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. 

Here are some facts about human trafficking in the United States of America: human trafficking in the USA

• Human trafficking generates $9.5 billion yearly in the United States. (United Nations)
• Approximately 300,000 children are at risk of being prostituted in the United States. (U.S. Department of Justice)
• The average age of entry into prostitution for a child victim in the United States is 13-14 years old. (U.S. Department of Justice)
• A pimp can make $150,000-$200,000 per child each year and the average pimp has 4 to 6 girls. (U.S. Justice Department, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)
• The average victim may be forced to have sex up to 20-48 times a day. (Polaris Project)
• Fewer than 100 beds are available in the United States for underage victims. (Health and Human Services)
• Department Of Justice has identified the top twenty human trafficking jurisdictions in the country:” Houston
• El Paso
• Los Angeles
• Atlanta
• Chicago
• Charlotte
• Miami
• Las Vegas
• New York
• Long Island
• New Orleans
• Washington, D.C.
• Philadelphia
• Phoenix
• Richmond
• San Diego• San Francisco
• St Louis
• Seattle
• Tampa  (Department of Justice)
• A pimp can make $150,000-$200,000 per child each year and the average pimp has 4 to 6 girls. (U.S. Justice Department, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)
• One in three teens on the street will be lured toward prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home. (National Runaway Hotline)

Human Trafficking is everywhere! Here are the top ten countries where human trafficking is the worst:

1. Bangladesh
2. Brazil
3. Haiti
4. Pakistan
5. India
6. Sri Lanka
7. Nepal
8. Uganda
9. Ghana
10. China

top 10 countries
 Websites that show you how you can help:
Hope for Justice
The A 21 Campaign
The Hope Soap Project
Kari Jobe's A 21 Campaign bracelet
Together and with God we can put an end to human  trafficking!

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!

Bible studies of 2015

  Welcome to the "official" blog post of 2015! I wanted to share about some things to be looking for on the blog in the upcoming months. First of all I am doing something that is on my bucket list this year. I am taking a photo everyday for the whole year. I have an album titled "A Photo A Day" on my Facebook page. I am doing this to document the changes I will make over this year.
Next, I will probably be doing some posts on the Bible studies I will be doing this year. The first one I have started out with is Faithful One by Amy-Jo Girardier. It is an eight week study on the books of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. You can buy it here. I use the 1st and 2nd Thessalonians journal, which you can buy here, to take notes and provide more study tools. I also use a "Wreck journal" to doodle  in and drive home key points with pictures. My Bible choice is my NIV Bible I use everyday and my Quick View Bible that has graphs and charts in it. 
I'm taking a different approach to studying God's Word this year. Instead of just reading the Bible cover to cover, I want to do different devotionals to dig dipper into the Word and maybe understand it more! It's going to be a great New Year!

Special New Year's post

New Year's Eve was great! My best friend, really sister, Courtney came over along with one of her friends and one of my friends. I decorated the house with blue and silver Christmas ornaments and gold beads. Court came over and helped me and then we ran to Walmart to get hats, confetti crackers, and pizza.

We stopped by her house and about got chased by an evil dog. We went back to the house and filled balloons with confetti and hung them up. Then we set all the food out and the sparkling grape juice, no alcohol! We wanted to have fun and still remember everything!

We laughed over having difficulty fixing pizza and we sat around and talked and watched Dick's Rocking Eve Party. At midnight we popped the balloons and confetti went everywhere! We popped the crackers and toasted with sparkling grape juice. We had our hats on and took the first pictures of 2015!

Everyone left, but Courtney stayed the night and we started cleaning up. It took us about an hour to get everything cleaned up and back to normal before the party. Court went to bed and I stayed up watching TV. I thought about what New Year's resolutions I wanted to make. Here's what I have:

• Be a better Christian. I can do a lot better and I do want to grow closer to God in 2015
• Do better in school. I was pretty slack this semester. I need to do better and I know I can
• Get more serious about my writing. I could be working on the thing I love if I just had more drive
• Relearn an old hobby. I'm going to focus on playing the guitar
• Eat heather and exercise more. I know a lot of people makes this resolution but I am very serious about this
• Live more in the present instead of the past. I have a hard time of forgetting things and living in the past. I want to change that because I know living in the past will hold me back.

I hope all of you have had a great New Year and 2015 is a great year for you!