Awards!

The Rules:

1.  link the blog that nominated you for the award.

2.  choose eleven bloggers to nominate that have less than 200 followers.

3.  answer the questions given to you.

4.  let the people who you've nominated know when you've done so.

5.  you can't nominate the person that has nominated you.

6.  create eleven questions for the bloggers you've nominated to answer.

7.  you must follow the blog that nominated you. (yeah, I crossed that out.)

Sarah's Questions:

 

1.  Where were you born? In the desert, a Catholic hospital named after a saint. Funny thing: All of my five siblings were born at a different hospital!

 

2.  If you could meet any ONE fictional character, whether from a book or movie, who would it be?  When I was a little girl, I would have ridden on a magic carpet with Aladdin/Abu! Now, I might just have lunch with Captain America, I feel like he'd have something worthwhile to talk about. Plus he's, like, a superhero!

 

3.  Do you prefer coffee or hot tea? Yes! I crave coffee more often, but I drink twice as much tea because it doesn't have the bad effects of coffee. *sigh*

 

4.  If you had (or do have) an abundance of money, what is your ideal dream vacation? Some place in South America would be my first choice. But I wouldn't care as much where I went as I would with whom I went with. With my family, I would be happy anywhere.

 

 5.  If you could travel to any time period (Medieval era, western 1800s, 1950's, etc), where would you go? I'd love to go back in time to right around 30 A.D. and hear Jesus talk, and see what the culture was really like, and feel what his follower's felt.

 

6.  Medieval or Futuristic? Meh.

 

7.  Would you rather travel cross country in a plane or car? I've never flown in a plane, so for now, I'd have to say car. =)

 

8.  If you could be either an Elf, Dwarf, or Hobbit, which would you be? An elf. (Keebler, please) =P

 

9.  Do you prefer to play a musical instrument or simply listen? I prefer to play only when it sounds good - thus I always prefer to listen. lol

 

10.  Who is your best friend?  (This isn't a test, it could be (me!) a sister, Pippin, or a pet--which, if this is the case, you seriously need to get out in the world more.) I don't have just one. If you want to know who my best friends are, refer to question 4.

 

11.  What is your favorite TV show? This is a tough one. . . I like The Amazing Race, Barefoot Contessa, and The Dick Vandyke Show lots! So I like a variety . . .

My 11 Questions:
Who is one movie/book character you've always related to?
Which of your pets has been your favorite pet?
What is one song you've really been enjoying lately?
If you could change something about yourself what would it be?
Who was the first Christian to really affect you, and leave an impact?
When is your birthday?
What is your favorite snack food?
Would you rather go to the doctor or the dentist?
What is the most difficult thing you've ever done?
How many siblings do you have, and where do you fall?
How many children do you imagine yourself having?
 

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And now for the Sunflower Award!

Rules:

1.  Share 11 facts about yourself

2.  Answer the 11 questions set by your nomination blogger- Nominate 11 bloggers

3.  Set questions for the nominated bloggers.

11 Facts (or fiction) About Me:

 

1. I would love to write children's books someday.

2. Lord willing, my two big sisters and I will be on our first airplane trip, headed to China this June!

3. I'm an extrovert and a social butterfly who feels shy often.

4. I've been trying to learn Spanish my entire life. (Does that say something about my poor work effort or my great dedication??) :/

5. I have very little strength in the area of discernment. When I don't ask for fact-checking/advice in my life, I get duped.

6. I love to watch musicals! Gene Kelly, Doris Day, Fred Astaire. . . I've seen vast collection of musicals, over 30.

7. Along those lines, I'm a fan of 40's fashion.

8. I hated chocolate until I was a teenager. Now I love dark chocolate; 80% -85%!

9. I'm a good cook, but not a great baker.

10. I'm into health. I like to research, exercise, etc..

11. I like to dance. A lot.

Since it was a combination of two awards, Sarah only asked five more questions:

1.  What color are your eyes?
Hazel / Brown.

2.  Would you rather read a book or watch a movie?
Watch a movie -I'm not good at reading.

3.  Who is your favorite Disney princess? (Elsa and Anna count!)
Tiana, from The Princess and the Frog, or Mulan, from. . . ya know, Mulan.

4.  If given the choice, would you rather write a letter or talk on the phone? One or the other, texting is not a choice in this question.  :]
Probably talk on the phone.... although receiving a letter is so sweet!

5.  If you could do something drastically awesome, and wouldn't have to worry about being judged by others, what would it be?  (i.e. get a haircut you normally wouldn't choose, buy an expensive something you've wanted all your life, etc.)

I would learn a song on my guitar. Then I'd go out to a busy street and play and sing for everyone passing to hear.

 

My 11 Questions:

What is your favorite word/phrase?

What are you most thankful for right now?

What is your greatest strength?

What is a pet peeve of yours?

Do you have any funny quirks?

You tend to say ______ a lot?

You have a lot of . . . .?

You need more of . . . ?

Someday, you hope to be . . . ?

You believe strongly in . . . ?

One person who always seems to make you smile is . . . ?

 

And finally, I award:

Mrs. Dake

Rachel

Ava

Kayla

Susanna

Moriah

Haley

Jade

Abby

Michelle

 

 

 Thank you very much, Sarah!

I hope everyone has a lovely day!

 

The Activity of Faith - Devotional

" We also err in thinking that waiting on God ceases when we receive what we’ve been waiting for. It cannot be likened to waiting for your Starbucks “Grande non-fat Vanilla Latte”, or your German Chocolate cake to cool before you can frost it. That kind of waiting is temporal; it has an end. The Christian never stops waiting on God. Waiting on God is not so much an action, as it is a posture of your soul. "

Read the rest here.

 

Lamentations 3:25 KJV The LORD [is] good unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him.


Look for a blogger award post coming next. It's taking a little longer than I thought it would, but it shouldn't be too long of a wait.

Read This...

http://daddystractor.com/2014/02/24/the-heartbreak-of-foster-care/

So true.

On My Heart

Lately, I have been thinking. Just sitting and thinking, working and thinking - spending a lot of time in thought... about a few things. Things that God, my Father, has been teaching me (again).

So, here are some things I have been learning (relearning).

1. I took this spiritual gifts test: www.sdrock.com/giftstest and I was wondering... if the Spirit of God has given me gifts in certain areas, how am I using them? What are my strengths, what are my weaknesses? I wonder what God is preparing me for, and how He wants to use me in the future. But then again, it may not be the future - it may be today. Is there some place I could be a vessel of God's grace today, but I am too focused on other things to see it? Father, I pray that I would have open eyes, that your Spirit would lead me. And that I would follow.
  
So what am I to do with this? The more I study the Word, the more I see, it is not that complicated.

"Trust in the Lord, and do good . . . delight yourself also in the Lord. . .  commit your way to the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. . . Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." Ps. 37:3-7

To trust Him,

Delight in Him,

Commit my way to Him,

And Rest
in the Lord.

 

I guess I have floated accidentally seamlessly in to my second thought...

2. Ashlin, Study His Word!

"Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part Thou shalt make me to know wisdom." Ps. 51:6

There is no truth apart from God's word, and there is no wisdom except from the Lord. There is no life or growth unless the branches abide in the Vine. John 15:5. I have heard it said many times, you cannot be stagnant in your Christian walk; you are either moving forward or you are slipping back. It is foolishness to think otherwise.

"There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness." Proverbs 30:12

The Bible is like a mirror. If we do not look in it, we will not see our filthiness. Father, do not allow me to have blind eyes. Let me see my sin so that I won't stay where I am, but be cleansed by Your grace!
Go has given us such beautiful promises in His word for those who will seek Him.

"He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust; His truth shall be thy shield and buckler." Psalm 91:4

3. Prayer. God works in mysterious ways. For whatever reason, He has chosen to work through prayer. He has commanded us to pray. And He has shown us many examples of the power released through the prayers of His saints. Mtt. 14:23, 21:22, Lk. 18:1, Rom. 8:26, Acts 6:4, Prov. 15:8, James 5:13-16, Eph. 6:18, and Rev. 8:3-6 are just a few.
In my own life, He has shown Himself mighty through prayer and I give thanks for the recent reminders He hast sent me to pray.

I am so thankful for the family I have and the people God has placed in my life that encourage me and help me to relearn these simple truths.

"O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together, I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were lightened, and their faces were not ashamed." Psalm 34:3-5

C. S. Lewis

“The Weight of Glory.”

It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare.
All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics.
There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilisations — these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit — immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.
This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously.

- C.S. Lewis

  

 

 

Dig A Well

My mom shared this: dig a well in prayer with me and it was really encouraging. I hope you read it and like it. (Since I am obviously not going to write any more blog posts this year, maybe I could share one written by another... )

The last thing I wanted to share with you is something I read this morning and had to re-read for the simple truth that struck me so deeply.
A reminder of the importance of this Call.

"We may take heart from the suffering of Job. Suffering was the necessary proof of the reality of his faith - to us, as to his contemporaries and his enemy Satan (his and ours). The suffering of our Savior proved the reality of His love for His Father. The world still needs to be shown that there are those who, no matter what the circumstances, will, for the love of Him, do exactly what God commands. The end He has in view is a glorious one. We can fully count on that, as we can count on the naked wood's one day exploding into a glory of blossom." -Elisabeth Elliot

 

May you be filled with His joy, peace, and blessings from above.

 

Love in Christ,

                                                                                    Ashlin

Are you having a beautiful September?

September!

I don't have anything smart to say. Just popping in to say my life has been very busy. I have been in a program for about a month and a half that will by the end have me certified as a Nursing Assistant (with a couple other certifications as well). It is quite an experience! The class is filled with 24 other people, who help to make a mosaic of stories. Only God knows all their stories, the past, the present, the future and all.

"Not without design does God write the music of our lives. Be it ours to learn the tune, and not be dismayed at the "rests." They are not to be slurred over, not to be omitted, not to destroy the melody, not to change the keynote. If we look up, God Himself will beat the time for us. With the eye on Him, we shall strike the next note full and clear. If we sadly say to ourselves, "There is no music in a 'rest,'" let us not forget "there is the making of music in it." The making of music is often a slow and painful process in this life. How patiently God works to teach us! How long He waits for us to learn the lesson!" ~Ruskin

I hope and pray that I am learning more than things about nursing. I hope I am learning more faith in God, for times of rest or crescendo.

Right now, it is time for me to be silent; to wait on Him and be filled with His peace in the waiting.