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My Personal Testimony: Life is a Gift
Special thanks to Phyllis for inviting me to give my testimony on her blog Songs of Salvation! When she asked if I’d share, I realized that although you, my friends, get to know me through my stories and posts, I haven’t actually spelled out how and when God started working in my life. Today, my hope is that my testimony encourages you, wherever you are in your spiritual walk. My testimony I am truly grateful for my godly heritage and growing up in a Christian home, though an imperfect one. Regardless, my family’s faith wasn’t enough. I needed to make it mine. One Sunday, something the pastor said must have…
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A Little Peace and Quiet
Today’s post comes from my friend and author Ashley L. Jones of BigSisterKnows.com. She tackles the topic of stillness, something hard to find in today’s fast-paced world. I hope this post blesses you as it has me. Guest Post by Ashley L. Jones I’ve always had a sensitivity to noise, but it’s getting worse. I think that’s because the world is getting noisier. Every store I go into is blaring the latest top 40 music. When Robby and I pay good money to eat out at a restaurant, we often have to talk over the music and several TVs, all tuned to different stations. At doctors’ offices (which are stressful…
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Rice Krispies®, Chili Powder, and Rushing Ahead
I was fighting a sweet tooth and since I’d made brownies the week before, Rice Krispies Treats™ seemed like a brilliant alternative. Besides, they’re basically instant gratification because they require only minutes to prep. After spreading the gooey goodness of Rice Krispies® cereal and buttery marshmallows in my cake pan, I reached into the cabinet for some sprinkles. Deliciousness is 90% preparation and 10% presentation, right? Maybe the percentages depend on the person, but I always like to make my desserts pretty. I started shaking the red dispenser, but something looked off. The red wasn’t red enough. It was a deeper burgundy color. And then I read the label. Chili…
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Do Small Things Greatly
Life is full of small things, isn’t it? I don’t mean snails and sand fleas. No, I mean the small choices we make, like taking care of our bodies, and tasks we complete, like home and work responsibilities. Since “small” or seemingly routine, non-earth-shattering items construct the majority of our time, perhaps they aren’t so insignificant after all. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for daring adventures and if you’ve been following me here lately, you know I just returned from traveling two weeks in Italy. Everything in its place, right? Although life certainly has its mountain-top moments, it’s also good to adventure on the small scale. Truth is, God…
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Italy Adventures: Choose Joy and Enjoy the Journey
Ciao from Italy! I’m so thankful to be here, visiting some settings in my next novel, exploring this beautiful country with my colleague, and working remotely. However, lest you think the writer’s life and remote work life are purely magical (and oftentimes, they are), keep reading. Here’s what this trip has taught me so far. #1: You can’t plan for everything. Perhaps you’re wondering, Wasn’t Kristen going to blog while she’s traveling abroad? The answer is that yes, I was. However, when I turned on my laptop in Orvieto, I discovered that it would not charge. My colleague and I tried everything from reinstalling battery drivers and various other online…
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You Can Embrace Your Unfiltered Life
Do you feel “less than” when you scroll through social media feeds, featuring flawless photos and seemingly perfect status updates? If so, it’s time to stop comparing your unfiltered life with everyone else’s filtered ones. The truth is, all of us filter our content. Case in point. Last month, I was beyond excited to share that my friend and I are making a spontaneous trip to Italy that will let me visit some settings in my upcoming novel. Also last month, my refrigerator died, and I had to spend about the same amount of money to buy a new one as I had to pay for Italy travel. Guess which…
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Dreaming Isn’t Dangerous. Doubt Is.
If you told me a few weeks ago that I’d be planning a spontaneous trip to Italy in a month, I wouldn’t have believed you. I’d probably have laughed and then sighed, Wouldn’t that be nice? Truth. I really am planning a spontaneous trip to Italy next month. Let me back up the story. A few weeks ago, I was chatting with a colleague and landed on the topic of travel. I told her how much I admired her working from Italy last spring, and that in my dreams, I’d do the same thing some day. I shared how my next novel takes my heroine to Italy and that seeing those…
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When God Seems to Smile
This life is full of highs and lows, isn’t it? One day, we’re smooth sailing, and the next, we’re doctoring scraped knees and disappointed hopes. As believers, we can’t draw our joy from a perfect set of circumstances but have to find our contentment in a grounding relationship with God that stands firm through life’s sifting sands. But every once in a while, God just seems to smile. Please don’t misunderstand me. The Lord is always good, but sometimes, He reminds us of His incredible generosity and the fact that He enjoys giving good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11). It’s like he’s handing us a precious gift or a…
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Lies the Kill Zone Tells You
Learning to surf at thirty-something requires a willingness to sputter like a toddler in swimmies and a healthy dose of humiliation. It also demands mental toughness to defeat the wave’s wallopings. Now doesn’t this sound vaguely like life? I thought I was reasonably ready for my first surf lesson. Yoga has improved my balance, and I did burpies to help prepare for changing stance from lying on the board to going vertical. Points for a good pupil, right? But like so much in life, preparation can’t top hands-on experience. With great anticipation, I plunged into St. Augustine’s waves. That’s when the words kill zone took on a whole new meaning.…
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Though She Fall: Takeaways of a First-Time Surfer
I’m Florida born and raised, so learning to surf needed to happen at some point. The well-meaning worriers assumed I would be eaten by sharks. Good news is that didn’t happen, but I did gain a new respect for the sport and the life lessons it teaches. Watch, Learn, and Surf Humbly There’s a YouTube video that explains the top 10 mistakes first-time surfers make. If you’re interested in watching, click here. I’m pretty sure I broke all of them multiple times. When we’re growing up or learning anything new, people typically tell us: “Now don’t do this or that. You don’t want to make the same mistakes I did.”…
