Links to Love

What Crazy National Holiday Falls on Your Birthday? Find out here and start your Monday morning off with a laugh. (Seriously, some of these are crazy!)

God's Handiwork in Ireland - Admiring photos of faraway places is something I love to do and apparently I'm not alone...don't believe me? Go over to Pinterest and you'll find a plethora (new word for the day) of people who do the same thing. Emily Hatfield (gifted writer & sister-in-Christ) has had the opportunity to study abroad and shares some beautiful pictures of Ireland here in her post: God’s Handiwork. Ireland is one of my personal favorites. It just looks so romantic, doesn’t it? 

The First Day of the Last - This spunky blogger is super excited about being close to completing her college career. She chose to stay home and earn her degree (a choice that is becoming more and more popular. In this post, she lists a few reasons why pursing a degree online was the right path for her.


DON'T Follow Your Heart - This is an older post but one worth your time. It's so easy to get caught up in the "follow your heart" concept, especially when you're young, Hannah Giselbach does a great job of reminding us why that isn't good advice after all.

Hello, 2014.

                  After a (rather long) break, we are launching back into 2014 rejuvenated and reenergized! We have some exciting things planned for this year which we hope will encourage you in your daily Christian walk! First up, let’s set some goals together. Yes, I realize we’re well into the month of January and the usual goal setting time is the New Year, but it’s never too late to resolve to do better. 

For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

Zechariah 4:10 KJV

                  Often after being baptized into Christ, we are on fire. We are so pumped and we want to tell the world about Jesus, but after a while that feeling fades. We have great plans, but for whatever reason our resolutions begin to overwhelm us. We become lukewarm and our desire to share the gospel takes a backseat. If you aren’t a New Testament Christian yet, you may be wondering how to prevent this from happening. If you are a Christian and fall into this category, you probably want to know how to get out of this rut.

                  Start by setting small goals. Achieve those and you will recognize them immediately, allowing yourself to see progress. Small steps allow us to believe in ourselves. Write down Philippians 4:13 and post it in a prominent place. Read it everyday. Focus on taking one step at a time. Make a goal of getting to Bible class on time (or even early) on a weekly basis and soon you will see those weeks turn into a month. Rather than taking on the rather daunting task of reading through the Bible in a year, make it a goal to read one book per month and take notes while doing so.

- adapted from Under the Juniper Tree podcast

available via The Light Network

Even when it’s hard to move, take small steps forward; because every step will lead you farther away from where you were yesterday.

-unknown

The man who moved the mountain was seen at the beginning carrying little buckets of soil.

-Chinese proverb

Little things make the difference. Everyone is well prepared in the big things, but only the winners perfect the little things.

-Paul “Bear” Bryant

New Things/Old Things for 2014

October?!?! Has it really been that long since we posted???? Please forgive us. Life has just been very busy lately, but we have some very exciting things planned for the New Year such as, Bible trivia, fashion features, book reviews, easy evangelism ideas, homemaking 101 and more! (If you've enjoyed the past posts, don't worry-we will continue to feature similar articles & devotionals.) God has blessed us so much this year and we look forward to the great things he can use us for in 2014! We wish you a safe and happy New Year and as always, we welcome your comments, constructive critiques and suggestions!

Star light, Star bright

"Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also." Genesis 1:16 (NKJ)

"He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning and makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth; The Lord is His name." Amos 5:8 (NKJ)

"Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion?" Job 38:31 (NKJ)

Fall and winter are my favorite seasons. All the seasons are special in their own way but I do enjoy the end of the year better than the middle. One of my favorite things to do is look at the stars on clear, cold nights and marvel at the vastness of the universe. Our God, our Father created all things. How small we are! How utterly insignificant are our thoughts compared to Him! BUT He loves you. He loves me. He gave His Son to die for us so that we may be freed from the bonds of sin. (John 3:16) That amazes me every single day. I get to pray to the Creator. I get to study His word and learn more about how He wants me to live. Do you know what else we have? Proof of Him every day and every night. The sun, the moon, the stars. All were created by Him and you know what? They are still here! In the year 2013, I can look up at the sky and see the moon. I can also look up in the sky and see the constellations of stars. Orion is one of those constellations and he is mentioned in the Bible a few times like in the scriptures above. How wonderful it is to see these beacons of light and know that God made them. Every time I see Orion in the winter sky I am reminded that Job saw the same constellation as me. That Amos also wrote about it. That my Heavenly Father put him in the sky. No matter where you are on this earth, you are not alone. You are not a single individual with no substance. You are God's creation too. And you will be dust one day like Job and Amos but as long as the earth still spins, Orion will still be there. More importantly, God will still be here. He is more constant than the sun, the moon or the stars. He never fades, He never burns out. He is forever. 

-C

Article on Modesty

I already love comefillyourcup.com but this article is on a topic I think we need more of in our lives. It really brought out some points I haven't thought of before and I hope it is beneficial to all of you as well!

http://comefillyourcup.com/2013/08/12/secret-keeping-2/

Happy Monday you guys!

-C

"O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord."

Isaiah 2:5

Thursday's Thoughts-Dating & Marriage: Take 2 (Don't Rush)

                  We live in a society that is often guilty of placing you into the category of “weird,” or “strange” if you do not begin dating between the ages of thirteen to sixteen, but there is no need to rush into dating! Waiting to date has many advantages. One being that, the longer you wait, the more time you have to get to know yourself-to develop your personality and standards. Do not let the world’s standards influence yours. Use this time to study God’s word and what kind of mate he wants you to look for. 

-M