Award Season!

Well, it's award season! I have a couple of awards and tags that have piled up in my drafts - so here they all are! First up is the beautiful blogger award:

I was awarded this by Eden at Heirs of Promise. Thanks Eden! :)

As a part of the award, I have to write seven random things about myself. So here goes:

1. I have a very hard time making decisions.

2. I like peanut butter, though we hardly ever buy it. :(

3. I love "older" Christian music artists such as Twila Paris, Michael Card, and Keith Green.

4. Reading or writing a well-written allegory is one of the best feelings in the world for me.

5. I love doing art in all different mediums (though I've never used acrylics)

6. I'm an "edit as I think" person (which sometimes makes it very hard to write!)

7. A year ago today, I would never have imagined myself blogging. But I'm so happy that I started, otherwise I would have never have met all of you. :D

I award:
Celebrilomiel at Melodies of the Miscellaneous 
Amber at Taking Life One Step at a Time
Emily at Practically Pink
Lindsay at Content in Christ
Miss Raquel at God's Daughter

 This one I received from Memzie. Thank-you so much! :)

If you are tagged:
1. Post about the tag
2. Pick 10 bloggers who deserve this award
3. Leave a comment on the blogs of the people you tagged letting them know they were awarded
4. Answer the questions along with your post 

1: Apples, Oranges or Bananas? Apples. I like them any season of the year! 

2: How many siblings do you have? Two younger brothers 

3: How old are you? Well I don't think I've said my exact age yet on this blog... so I will just say old enough to be called an adult, and young enough to still feel like a kid. ;)

4: Do you live on a: I live basically in the woods. :)  prairie, woodland, swamp, city or other?
5: Scissors or glue? Well, I don't like glue...

6: Describe your dream house. I like a lot of different styles of houses, actually. I would like a big porch and lots of property with woods and a river/stream/pond. After all, it's the outside which really makes a house (in my opinion) ;)

7: Is your room clean? Um... it's relatively clean (which means I think it's clean and my mom doesn't). :P

8: If you could be a movie character for a day, who would you be? Oh wouldn't that be amazing! I'd love to be Elizabeth from Pride & Prejudice. 

9: Italy, Greece, France, Spain or England? England, because I could see all the old buildings and art and stuff.

10: What denomination are you? Non-denominational :)

11: Do you sleep with a stuffed toy (BE HONEST!!!!) No - but I do have a few at the end of my bed.

12: Gum, chocolate, or jelly beans? Are you kidding me? Gum & jelly beans have nothing on chocolate!

13: What is your favorite book? I have too many favorites. :P

14: Favorite ice cream flavor? Moose Tracks

15: If you had to eat one type of food for two weeks, what would that food be? Oh wow... I don't think I could do that. I guess maybe

16: What is your favorite Olympic sport? Ice skating.

17: If you woke up and discovered that you had turned into Miley Cyrus for the day, what would you do? Um... freak out because I'd like to continue being myself, thank you very much. ;)

18: Describe yourself in three words. Creative. Caring. Inspired. (I tried to think of three C words, but I couldn't)

19: What do you hate? All the problems that sin has caused in this world. :(

20: If Elmo came into your room with a gun, what would you do? This is a random and strange question. I think I shall chose not to answer! ;)

Now, I award:

Eldarwen at The Faithful Elven Princess

Richelle at Richellephant

Bekah at The Word Crafter

Lizzie at Lizzie's Library

Stephanie at Stephanie's Saga

Nicole at Psalm 27:14

(sorry that's only six!)

This award is for the bloggers who I believe have a practice of turning the lemons of life into lemonade.  You all inspire and encourage me. :D

Bekah
Hannah
Cassie
Merriette
Evergreena
Eden
Ivorydancer

Oh, and one other thing: a week ago or so, I got my 50th follower! Now I'm almost at 60, which is awesome. So I just wanted to shout out a thank you to you all! Every single one of you makes my day! I hope you all have a very blessed day. :D

To the Brides of Christ

Violet at All For The Love Of Chaos posted this beautiful essay she has written. It is called, "The Window of Your Heart" and she wrote it specifically for Christian girls... the brides of Christ. It is one of the most beautiful things I have read about Christ's love for His own.
 

The Window of Your Heart

You sit there, against that Wailing Wall of your room, wondering if you are ever going to make it though this mess they call Life. Everywhere you turn someone puts you down, and the tears that stain your heart mark the pain and the burden of your rejection. Love… you are yearning for love.

But wait! Hope is coming like the Spring’s beauty after Winter’s frost. You have not been abandoned, you are not alone. There is a Lover who pursues you, and longs for you to notice Him. He is waiting.

He loves you so much that he knocks at the door of your heart, and stands in line patiently with the others. He longs for you to pick him & invite Him into your heart, and His heart shatters each time you choose someone or something else to be the love of your life.

He loves you so much He puts His strongest, fastest angels to take care of you, and watches your every move. Tears spring to His eyes when you don’t accept His angel’s help and protection, and instead accept the strength of some mortal protector, who, in the end, cannot shield you from the Enemy’s attacks.

He loves you so much He wants to give you the whole world and He does. He gives you the moon, and the stars, and lies in the grass with you, pointing out every little point of light, His heart soaring because you like it. He took so long to paint the sky so it would be beautiful for you, hoping, knowing, that it would touch your heart.

Flowers? He loves you so much He brings you flowers, millions of flowers, and shows you his sense of humor by bringing them even in the form of dandelions or ragweed. He beautifully packages His flowers in colors of green and yellow and red and purple, orange, pink, blue, white… all the colors of the rainbow. He knows you love them, and they are labeled “From your Secret Admirer. You’ve always longed for a Secret Admirer, someone who pursued you because you were beautiful, alluring, lovely… well, you do.

He is so much in love with you that he doesn’t care about your past. He gets down on His knees and begs you: “I love you, I have loved you for as long as I remember. Please tell me that you love me,” He pleads.

He is valiant. He fights the demons that hold you, the addictions, the obsessions, the sin that has you in chains, a phantom of fear cast around your heart. He hears your screams to be rescued, loves you so much to throw Himself at the dragon and fight for you. He could have left you to die, there are other girls who are easier to come by, who would love it if He even gave them a glance. But no… He gave them up for you. He loves you, and will go to all lengths, all risks, to get you, to prove to you His love.

He is close, and sensitive, embracing you when your heart weeps, when your life breaks apart into a million pieces. He carries you when you get scared in the storm, and comes looking for you, crying out your name, when the hurricane of your thinking separates you. He tears up about your pain when you open up to him, and with gentle hands He heals you.

He is thoughtful. In the morning He wakes you softly with the rays of the sun and the melodious songs of birds. He whispers you good morning and kisses you with the soft breeze coming in through the open window. Even on a gloomy day he has a special surprise only for your heart to know and understand. He tells you of His plans, of His purpose, and how much He desires to be with you within the pages of His love letters to you. And He is downcast and so dejected when you pass up reading His words to you for some other book or method of leisure. You allow someone or something else to romance and allure your heart, and it brings tears to His eyes and pain to His heart. He knows how weak that someone or something is, and how weak you are.

He cries out to you, longs for you to look at Him. But your gaze is fixed on someone else. The Enemy. The Enemy has captured the gaze of His beloved.

He loves you so much that He waits, even though you left Him. When you realize that the Enemy’s tune-less murmur in your ear is taking you away from He who cherishes you, you will cry out to Him. He will valiantly rescue you again. He loves you so much He will throw thousands of angels up against the Enemy, only to get you back. And he loves you so much, he will rescue you again, and again, and again, and again. Nothing you can do will make Him get angry with you enough to leave you. And He will never let the Enemy harm you. He will not leave you, He will not desert you. Although you might reject Him, He will wait patiently, pursuing your heart until you return to his arms, safe once more.

But He does not wait motionless; no. Every single moment you are away, in the Enemy’s lair, he is resless. He calls for you, runs to you, trying to make you notice Him. He does not rest until you are rescued, safe. He pleads with you, begs you, trying to gently tell you that the way you are going leads to destruction, and heartache. His heart breaks when you let the Enemy plug your ears. He screams in anguish when you let the Enemy lead you, knowing it is towards Destruction.

“Take anything else!” He cries. “Take anything else! My home, my creation, my crown, even myself, if only you would spare my beloved! Take me instead, not her! Please!”

He loves you so much He ran into the land of Shadow to bring you out. The Enemy tied Him up with the chains destined for you. He was blamed for your addictions; He felt the pain of your abuse; He cried out when the burden of your sin was thrown upon him, wrung around His throat. He looked at you, His starry eyes tearing, as His Enemy pushed Him into the abyss, instead of you.

He loves you so much he took your past from you: your impurity, your abuse, your pain, your ugliness, your infliction, your depression, your loss, your disability, your weakness, your arrogance, your ignorance, your poverty, your nakedness, your embarrassment, your unloveableness, your scorn, your hurt, and ultimately, ultimately… your brokenness.

But… He is powerful. He is strong. So powerful, He defeated the Enemy. He defeated your sin! No longer does the Enemy’s lairs have power over you. Your addictions have been taken away from you… you are free! Your anger has been vanquished… Smile: you are free! You are whole, perfect, pure- the scars of abuse have been taken away… you are free! The traces of darkness, ugliness and depression have been washed away… He is victorious; rejoice! You are free! The loss, the wounds of that which was ripped away from you by Death, by Poverty… by the forces of the Enemy, are restored… You are free!

And He runs, galliantly, towards you, arms open wide, ready to accept you into them. Tears streaming joyfully down His face, the light and beauty of His Kingdom filling the defeated darkness of the Enemy, He throws you up into the air, and catches you, embracing you. Finally you are together, free. And when you are with Him, you are who you were made to be. He completes you.

Hand in hand He walks you down a glorious path in the woods. Butterflies, wild flowers, a shimmering brook rushing over smooth rocks and stones and cascading over them into a deliciously cool pond… Rabbits scamper as you swim and bask in the sunlight.

Then He pulls you up, out of the Valleys and into the Clouds. Up over the trees and into the mountains. The sunset sets the rocks afire. A warm, crackling campfire, roasting marshmallows and hot dogs and talking softly… You lean your head against His chest and even the chill of the starry night air can't get to you, because He is holding you. With Him, you are whole. You are free. 

He shows you many things, talks to you. And He wants you to talk to Him, about everything. He wants you to let Him know you.

When you feel alone, head in your hands, back against a wall, He comes walking up the aisle with His hands shoved in His pockets. He gives you a small smile and squats next to you, eyes searching, asking you to tell Him what is wrong.

When you are happy, rejoicing over an accomplishment, He throws you a party. He breaks out a grin and invites all of your friends. “Look how fantastic she is… I don’t know what I’d do without her!” He exclaims.

When you are stressed, and cant seem to get anything right, His arms embrace your world and your heart, and just holds you. In His hands, you will be safe, and your heart will be healed. Your pain will soon go away, and in His hands you will be healed.

When the end seems to come too soon…
When you feel as if life is not worth living…
When you cant cope…
When you feel sick, or alone, or ugly…
When you cant do anything right…

He’s waiting. He’s longing for your voice. Restless He waits. In His hands He can heal. In His hands he can free.

When life is going right…
When you are encouraged…
When you are victorious…
When you look in the mirror and you are beautiful, and radiant…

He wants to know. He is waiting to rejoice with you. He’s the first one to pop open a bottle of champagne. He’s the first one with the party hat on. He dances with you.

You see, He wants you. Just like you want Him. He could do it without you, of course, but He loves you so much, there’s a special ache in His heart for you, that only you can fill.

He would look awkward dancing by Himself. You make the dance glorious, beautiful, graceful, and purposeful. He loves you, and you love Him. You are one. He would look strong paddling a canoe in the rapids alone. But with you… it looks like an adventure. A team. A fight between fear and valor. You help Him. He could do it alone, but together… ah, He would only do it with you. 

He shows you the sights, the smells, the sounds… together… you are one.

He loves you so much. He longs for you to love Him back. He throws pebbles at the window of your heart.

Wake up and let Him in…

Beloved.

An Inspired Young Woman's Daybook #7

Here is my entry for An Inspired Young Woman's Daybook. I actually filled this out yesterday, but I was trying to upload a video of my piano-playing, and it failed. So I'm posting my entry (from yesterday) today. I will just have to try uploading a video another time.

Find out how to do An Inspired Young Woman's Daybook here

Today was one of the most productive, joyful, and blessed days I've had in a long time.
I'm feeling happy. Genuinely happy. And for no specific reason!
My outfit is exactly the same as last week's! (I guess it's my Saturday outfit, lol)
Outside my window the sun has set and everything is dark. It was a pretty stormy day today, though.
A song that's stuck in my head is the second movement of Vivaldi's Spring. (click on the link to listen to the song)
Something (a book, song, movie, person...) that's inspired me recently: my parents challenged and inspired me this morning to make a habit of redeeming my time and doing the hard things first. I followed their advice today, and what a difference it makes!
A prayer of my heart this week is to be more intentional with my time, focus, and my words with others.
I am creating a number of book ideas, actually. I just wrote a short story, and I'm working on another one. I also had an idea for a book this morning... we'll see if it amounts to anything or not. ;)
I am reading Do Hard Things, (can you tell?), Passion & Purity, and A Series of Unfortunate Events (which a friend recommended - I'm not sure if I like it or not.)
I am thinking about the abundant blessings God has poured out upon me!
A scripture verse or passage that's stuck out to me this week: Psalm 73:25-26 "Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
A spiritual lesson I'm learning is that my worth is found in Christ alone.
An attribute of God I've seen this week is His peace - I've been sick most of this week, and yesterday was a rough day for me, yet I felt His peace and strength throughout it all.
A picture I’d like to share:

raindrops

A creative goal for next week is to keep working on "Rescue My Heart" - I think I'll challenge myself to do a chapter a day.
Did I complete my goal from last week... no, actually I didn't finish the allegory I'm working on - because I got distracted with other story ideas!

Chosen

I know so often when I wake up in the morning, my first thoughts are centered around me. I often think, "What fun things can I do today?" or "I wonder if anyone left a comment on my blog?" (it's true!). This morning I woke up with the song, "This is the cry of my heart, to worship You" stuck in my head. Though I immediately thought those two other thoughts I mentioned, the song stuck in my head made me realize what I was doing. I was being a hypocrite.

In John 15:16a, Christ says, "You did not chose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last." This verse really struck me recently, and I've been meditating on it.

First of all, God chose me. It wasn't the other way around. I couldn't chose Him when I was dead in my transgressions and sins. I was dead for goodness' sake! And not only was I dead, but I was willfully rebellious against Him.

Yet even in my rebellious, dead state, God singled me out and chose to give me life. This fact alone should cause me to want to give Him my whole life. But there's even more. He not only chose me out of the world, but appointed me to a specific duty. This duty is to bear fruit for Him.

Interestingly, this verse says "to bear fruit that will last." What is fruit that will last? What immediately comes to my mind when I think of fruit (in the Bible, that is), is the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, and so on. But I realized that fruit that will last is also pointing others to Christ.

So I challenge you this day, as I am challenging myself, to live life as one chosen by God! Let your actions, reactions, and interactions with others show that you are set apart for God's purpose. You are chosen for the beautiful task of bearing fruit for God. Should this not be the focus of every day, every minute, and every second?