A New Goal for Goals

It's another new year,
another blank slate.
You know what's going to happen,
but you write them anyway.
Before three weeks have passed,
the slate is not so blank,
and the year is not so new.
February first goes by,
and you've done it yet again.
you set yourself up so high,
just to crash down again.

And you want to give up.

How about a new way?
Instead of setting goals
where the goals are equal
to checklists and chores
and you have no room to grow...
How about we learn from the past,
and continue on with joy,
knowing that what we learn this year
will last us all our life.
Celebrate the accomplishments,
rather than mourn over the mistakes,
because not one of us is perfect-
but God loves us anyway.

So don't give up!

(image courtesy of unsplash.com)

Goals are good- and very important- but I'm finally figuring out that they don't define us or our worth. Jesus has already done that for us, so will you join me in a new way of thinking for 2018? Let's sit back, write those goals, and walk with confidence in His love all year long, no matter what comes our way. Let's celebrate the victories, learn from the losses, and praise Him for His goodness.
 (Oh, and I just realized this is A Purpose and A Promise's 100th post... what perfect timing!) Happy New Year!

Christmas Miracle + Christmas Songs

image via

then

hustle and bustle
busy streets
crowded homes
no room inside
the homes and inns
- or the hearts-
for the least of these
yet the King of kings
too much is happening
noise and confusion
away from home
a miracle is happening

now

hustle and bustle
busty streets
crowded homes
no room inside
the homes and lives
- or the hearts-
for the least of these
yet the King of kings
too much happening
noise and confusion
even at home
a miracle is happening

then

peace and quiet
calm hearts
wondering eyes
amazed expressions
the homes and town
-and the hearts-
of so very many
would soon know
of the least of these
yet the King of kings
so much has happened
peace and amazement
away from home
a miracle has happened

now

peace and quiet
a calm heart
wondering eyes
amazed expressions
the homes and lives
- and the hearts-
of so many
would soon know
of the least of these
yet the King of kings
so much has happened
even at home
a miracle had happened

some have rejected Him
but others accepted Him in
then and now
have you?

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This is a beautiful Christmas song by one of my favorite artists, Casting Crowns. Plus, a few other Christmas favorites are linked below, since I definitely can't pick just one!

+ O Holy Night, Mary, Did You Know?, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and Carol of the Bells

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But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. // Galatians 4:4-5 

~~ Merry Christmas! ~~

The Resting Place

image via 

My faith has found a resting place
It's in the Lord of all
I know that whatever life may bring
He'll never let me fall

My worries have found a resting place
It's in the Prince of Peace
I know that whatever trials come
His comfort will never cease

My love has found a resting place
It's in the Bridegroom Christ
I know that whatever comes my way
His love will always suffice

My joy has found a resting place
It's in the Risen Savior
I know that nothing else could change
My life and heart and behavior

My hope has found a resting place
It's in the Great I AM
I know that He will bring to pass
The great works He began

My life has found a resting place
It's in the hands of God
I know that nothing can separate it
From His love so deep and broad

My faith has found a resting place
And just like those of old
I can confidently live for Him
Since the entire world He holds

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You can listen to the beautiful song, one of my favorites, called My Faith Has Found A Resting Place here. It's partly what inspired this poem. Isn't it amazing to know we have Resting Place for our faith that will last forever? Everyone's faith and trust has a resting place, but only a few have it in the right place. Where has your faith found a resting place?

a glimpse of starlight

 images via

a glimpse of starlight
i saw beyond the clouds
far away, yet visible
sparkling, yet dim
dancing, yet fixed
how is this possible?

a glimpse of starlight
i saw beyond the clouds
tiny points of light
but in reality,
swirling galaxies
how is this possible?

a glimpse of starlight
i saw beyond the clouds
it reminded me of us
tiny, yet cherished
billions, yet named
how is this possible?

a glimpse of starlight
i saw beyond the clouds
and it gave me hope
becuase i know their Creator
and He is mine too
how is this possible?

just like the starlight

it's possible
because He creates
and sustains
and loves
forever

even the stars
even us
He made it possible
forever

[ just a reminder #2 ] Come Before the Throne

{image via unsplash.com}

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect Plea
A great High Priest whose name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me

My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upwards I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Behold Him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect spotless Righteousness
The great unchangeable I Am
The King of glory and of grace

One with Himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ, my Savior and my God
With Christ, my Savior and my God

One with Himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ, my Savior and my God
With Christ, my Savior and my God

- lyrics by Charitie Bancroft 



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// click here to listen to the song //

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Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. // Hebrews 4:16

A Bookish Tag

Hello! Kara Lynn and Libby both tagged me for the A Bookish Tag a while back. I finally got around to answering the questions and thought it would be nice to take a little break from the usual post topics.  Thank you both for tagging me!

++ RULES ++   

You must be honest

You must answer all the questions

You must tag at least 4 people

1. Which book has been on your shelf the longest? Hmm... I'm not exactly sure, but the set of classic 19 Boxcar Children books that I've had for years would be among them. 

2. What is your current read, your last read, and the book you'll read next? I'm currently reading A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot, and Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis, my last read (besides the Bible) was Perelandra by C. S. Lewis, and my next read will most likely be King's Arrow by Douglas Bond. 

3. What book did everyone like but you hated? I'd have to say The Princess Bride by William Goldman. I haven't actually read the entire book, but enough of it to not really want to finish it. 

4. What book do you keep telling yourself you'll read but you probably won't? I'm not really sure....

5. What books are you saving for retirement? Probably certain "classics" like the complete works of Shakespeare, or maybe Les Miserables or something like that. xD

6. Last page: Read it first or wait until the end? Normally I'll never read the last page first, but occasionally I might skip forward if I'm just skimming a book or want to know the basics.

7. Acknowledgments: waste of paper and ink, or interesting aside? I love reading acknowledgements in books! They're a whole story in and of themselves. 

8. Which book character would you switch places with? I wouldn't switch characters with anyone for good, so I'll change this to what book character would you like to spend the day with? And of course, who could answer that? I suppose I would have to say Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia. Because she's so sweet.... and then I'd probably see Aslan too. *smiles* 

9. Do you have a book that reminds of you something specific in your life? Yes, several. Either they were gifts for a special occasion, or it was a book that prompted a significant event in my life.  

10. Name an interesting book that you acquired in an interesting way. I'm not sure if it would be called interesting or not, but the only thing I can think of would be books I've won in a giveaway or as a prize for a contest. 

11. Have you ever given a book away for a special reason to a special person? I've given away quite a few books to people. I can recall once when I gave someone a book they really wanted to read and hadn't been able to find. 

12. Which book has been with you most places? My Bible. 

13. Any required reading in high school that wasn't so bad two years later? Certain classics that I read (or tried to read) one or two years ago and didn't really like, I've found that they're usually better now. 

14. Used or brand new? Both, actually. Brand-new books are really fun to get and usually I'd prefer to get a new book over a slightly used one. But there's just something about really old books that I love as well.

15. Have you ever read a Dan Brown book? No.

16. Have you ever seen a movie you liked more then the book? The Princess Bride. As I said above, I didn't really care for the book. The movie's not my top favorite, but I liked it better than the book.

17. Have you ever read a book that made you hungry (cookbooks included)? Oh, yes... cookbooks pretty much always do if they have good photos. 

18. Who is the person whose book advice you'll always take? I have a couple of close friends whose reading tastes are very similar to mine, and I'll always take their suggestions and advice about books. 

19. Is there a book out of your comfort zone (e.g outside your usual reading genre) that you ended up loving? Counted Worthy by Leah E. Good. It's a YA dystopian-sort of novel, and I normally don't read from that genre. However, Counted Worthy is outstanding: the writing, the message, the plot. If you haven't read it, you should. You can check it out on Goodreads here.


I tag ||  Anna Casady || Anika Joy || Sarah Keatts || + you. Be sure to let me know in the comments if you answer these questions- I'd love to read your answers!

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For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. // Romans 15:4 

Members of the Body of Hope

{all photo are mine}

 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. // 1 Corinthians 12:12-27  

A face you glimpse as you pass by,

And you can't help but wonder:

What put the heartache in their eyes 

And turned their path asunder?

A little glimpse revealed so much

That they would never speak of-

The pain, the sorrow, and the hurt,

The heart that never felt love.

You long to stop and pull aside

The person whose face you saw.

And tell them of the hope that's near,

And of the love that broke the laws.

But it's too late- the face is gone,

And you realize with a start

That your opportunity has passed on by

There goes another broken heart.

Oh, Lord, you pray, please help me

Next time not to just pass on by.

Not to be a priest but a Good Samaritan,

And go seek them where they lie.

I will, you hear Him answer now

For you are my hands and feet.

The body's members should be going out

With My words of hope to repeat.

A face you glimpse as you pass by,

And you can't help but remember.

You take a breath and smile bright,

And think Yes- right now I'll be a member. 

- written 10.23.17

 // click here to listen to a powerful song about this topic //

Be Overwhelmed by God

via

We hear it quite often now. Those simple, helpful words.
"Don't let it overwhelm you. It will be fine."
What's it?
School, or work, or just  l i f e  in general and the stress that comes with it.
Anything that's ongoing and hard to see too far ahead "becuase of the bend".
And who knows what's around that bend?

They're right. Those things don't need to overwhelm us.
We just need one thing to overwhelm us.
God.

Yes, we should want- need- God to overwhelm us.
He's the very definition of overwhelming personified, in the absolute best way possible.
Stronger than us.
Bigger than us.
Over every part of us.
And we need that.

Deep down, who really wants to be in control of their lives?
No one.
We all know we're not big enough.
But He is.
He's bigger than school, work, and life itself.
He created life in the first place (along with all the joys that enhance it).
He knows what's around the bend.
He planned it from the beginning.

So as long as we're overwhelmed by Him, it will be okay.
We'll be focusing on the only thing that really matters.
Our little problems will fade when we're overwhelmed by Him.
He's got it.
He created it, He sustains it, and He'll fulfill it.

And in the meantime, we'll remember. Those simple, amazing words.
"Just let Him overwhelm you. It will be fine."

And it will be.

Book Review || Where Dandelions Grow

Author: Lydia Howe

Series: None

Genre: Fiction 

Published: 2017

Publisher: Lydia Howe Publishing 

Pages: 120

Age Group: YA 

Cousins are forever, or at least they’re supposed to be.
What happens when your world falls apart and your dreams are mocked by those closest to you?
Destiny’s idyllic childhood full of laughter and cousins abruptly ended when her mom uprooted the family to move them across the country with strict instructions to never talk about Swallow Ridge again. Eleven years later Destiny moves back to her hometown, determined to find her cousins… and answers.
Plagued by generations of bitterness and manipulation, Destiny hides her life-long goal - unwilling to let anyone else trample her fragile dreams. But life in the cozy town full of dandelions teaches Destiny there’s more to life than what she’s been taught.
Is it possible Swallow Ridge not only holds the answers Destiny so intensely searches for, but also the hope?


Where Dandelions Grow follows Destiny, a budding young writer who returns to her childhood hometown after eleven years to take a job at a local bookstore. While there, she undertakes the task of locating and reconnecting with her three cousins- her childhood best friends- and discovering why the family ties within her maternal family are stretched so thin. While on this journey, Destiny discovers more than she bargained for about the importance of reconciliation, dreams, and most of all, faith.
Where Dandelions Grow is a sweet story about hope and second chances. Telling the story in first person suited it well, and it was told in a casual style of writing. The story did jump around a bit, being very detailed and imaginable at times, other times moving pretty fast and a lot harder to connect with the characters and events.
The message of the story is great, especially for such a short work, and I loved the piece Loss and Restoration included in the book. The picture it paints is beautiful.
In all, Where Dandelions Grow is a nice quick read with a great message attached. My rating: 4/5 stars
**I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

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As you may have noticed, there's a few changes going around on the blog recently, and I'm still in the process of getting everything in order. Some things are still a little out of place, so thanks for bearing with me! xx

Wednesday Words [2]- How Many Times

{image mine}

how many times

has He wiped our slate clean

how many times

 has He called us redeemed

even though we 

will not ever be worthy

to even be called His slave

how many times

has He forgiven our sin

how many times

again and again

even though we

will not ever be worthy

to even be called His slave

how many times 

has He called us His child

how many times

has He given that title

even though we

will not ever be worthy

to even be called His slave-

He calls us His child instead

~written 3.25.17

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I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you. // Isaiah 44:22

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight... // Ephesians 1:7-8

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. // Galatians 4:4-5

[ just a reminder #1 ] His Deep Deep Love

{image via unsplash.com}

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, 

Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free! 

Rolling as a mighty ocean 

In its fullness over me! 

Underneath me, all around me, 

Is the current of Thy love 

Leading onward, leading homeward 

To Thy glorious rest above! 

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, 

Spread His praise from shore to shore! 

How He loveth, ever loveth, 

Changeth never, nevermore! 

How He watches o'er His loved ones, 

Died to call them all His own; 

How for them He intercedeth, 

Watcheth o'er them from the throne!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, 

Love of every love the best! 

Tis an ocean vast of blessing, 

Tis a haven sweet of rest! 

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, 

Tis a heaven of heavens to me; 

And it lifts me up to glory, 

For it lifts me up to Thee!

~lyrics by Samuel T. Francis 

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...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. // Ephesians 3:17-19

Isolated Blog Tour

I'm so excited today to be able to participate in the blog tour for Isolated, Jordy Leigh's recently published debut novella! Jordy is a fantastic author with an amazing heart for God, and I was thrilled to be able to read and review Isolated recently in preparation for this blog tour, which will feature a selected portion of the novella in the spotlight as well as some of my reflections.

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About the book:

Fourteen-year-old Louise Stella flees into the forest to escape an intruder who would take her hostage. But by the time she returns to her house, her country has broken out in war and her home island has become a military base. Sharing the land with enemy soldiers, Louise’s only goal is to stay alive one day at a time. Having no food or water, and little knowledge of how to survive in the forests of Quebec, her biggest adversary is “the Unknown”. Her pride crumbles and she realizes that she can’t sustain herself. She must depend on someone else... but Whom?

Isolated is a Young Adult suspense novella with uncertainty lurking at every turn. It will have you asking the big questions about life and death. Will you come to the same conclusion as Louise?

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There are so many portions of Isolated that I could share, and I wish I could highlight all of them! Jordy has done a beautiful job of weaving Biblical, lifechanging truths with action-filled suspense that will keep you reading. {Warning: My thoughts and the excerpt below are slight spoilers}.
One of the main messages of the novella is that God will never give up on us- ever. Nothing that we can ever do, think, or say can change His plans, as Louise learns all too well!


....She knew everything there was to know about the Bible. But I don’t know God. And now she couldn’t help but feel that He was chasing her down; that He was after her soul. Will He ever give up? God, I don’t want to give you my life, so won’t You just stop… please? She threw her arms up in frustration.

Well, I’m not going to give up either. He can chase me down all He wants, but He won’t have me. Louise stuck out her bottom lip. She would show Him how fast she could run. Besides, He doesn’t know what I’m going through. Louise briefly considered the contradiction of her thoughts. How could a God Who didn’t know her situation chase her down so relentlessly. But in that moment of frustration, it was a detail she was willing to overlook. A few days ago, she didn’t even believe that God existed. It was much easier to resist Him then, but she could no longer deny Him.


This particular portion stuck out to me, as it reminded me of several Bible verses dealing with this very topic. Louise, although she is resistant to the things of God, feels like she is being "chased down" by Him- and she's right! God essentially"chases down" and brings to Himself everyone whom He has chosen. Romans 3:11 says "No one understands; no one seeks for God". It has nothing to do with us at all, as Ephesians 2:8-9 shows us. It has everything to do with God. John 6:65 explains: "....This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless it is granted to Him by the Father", and John 15:16 says "... You did not choose Me but I chose you...". 

It's pretty useless to argue with God, and I'm sure we're all quite glad that we don't always get what we think is best- becuase we usually have no idea what that is. As Louise is gradually learning throughout the novella, we can resist all we want but that changes nothing. God is always in control.
I think these paragraphs illustrate what a lot of people think about God -whether all the time or just occasionally. Also, knowing what the Bible says is not the same as knowing God, as Louise figures out at the beginning of the paragraph. Unfortunately, I think that's a common mistake that many make today. Knowing God is vital to knowing everything else we need to know!

Again, this is just one of many amazing parts of Isolated that encouraged, inspired, or really got me thinking. We need more books that do just that!

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Isolated will be officially published on September 11, but there is plenty you can do in the meantime!

Pre-order Isolated on Amazon 

Add Isolated on Goodreads

Visit Isolated's landing page

Visit Jordy Leigh's blog

About the author:

From as young as seven years old, Jordy Leigh filled exercise booklets with stories until her hand hurt. She loves a good book, but ultimately she hopes that hers will offer something of greater value than short-lived entertainment. In reading them, may you learn more about the God of the Bible.

Jordy Leigh hopes that Isolated will at once quench your desire for compelling fiction and nourish your soul with wholesome truth.

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I hope you enjoyed learning more about Jordy's new novella and that you'll take the time visit and follow her blog, read Isolated for yourself, or support this wonderful author and her commitment to writing God-honoring fiction in some other way.
Have you read Isolated? If so, what did you think about it? If not, does it sound like something you'd like to read?

The Hardest Thing

Okay. This post deserves a little bit of explanation. About a year ago, I came across this post from the blog On the Other Side of Reality. The author's most recent post was titled The Hardest Thing and described a deep, sad, picture of life and its end. As I read it, I realized that indeed, a lot of people believe that and live like that every day... and my heart felt so heavy for those, those who essentially have no hope.
The author has allowed me to write something based of off her original work, which is intended to show another "hardest thing"- in my opinion, the hardest thing that can happen to a believer in Christ.
Please understand- this post is in no way is intended to hold anything against or put down the the author, what she writes, or what she believes. Since she identifies as an agnostic, I would not agree with most of her beliefs, but in this case my point is not to disagree or argue anything- I only wanted to share my take on a heartfelt glimpse of what the future holds for a person. Again, go ahead and read the original post before reading my spinoff, and thanks again to the author for allowing me to share this.

{image mine}

....is when you know you could have done more, done better, done it well. You knew how to sing, to dance, to write, draw, and speak- but you didn't do it for the right reason. You had money and power, influence and skill, but what is left of you? What is there to show in the light of eternity? The only thing that just kept you going on- just barely hanging on, day after day- was that secret hope that one day you might find out the real reason for life. You didn't bother looking into it then, although it would have been the only thing that would have smoothed away the tears and stress and emptiness of life and let you see the world like it is.

And so you learned to live your life that way. You kept it all inside, but finally, nearly at the last minute, you found out. You gave in to what you knew must have existed all along- that gentle voice that tugged at your soul. And when you finally exited this world there was Someone on the other side to comfort you. However, there were no loving arms and gentle reassurances in this one as you slowly exited this life, there were no grave performances or dramatic memorials as you returned to the dust where you came. And you know it's all your own fault. All there is is Him- suddenly the only thing you ever knew was ever enough, as you are swept away for eternity. In that final moment, there is peace. There wasn't what you expected, though- no congratulations on your earthly accomplishments and successes, only Him and that overwhelming wave of remembrance of what you could have done with your life but didn't, and then everything else fading out and a new life beginning forever. 

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If you are a believer in Christ, would you agree that the thought of a wasted life- with nothing left to give Him- is the hardest thing? Of course, we can never come to Christ "too late", as everything is in His timing, and we know that He alone is enough -that we can never do anything to earn heaven- but our love for Him in this life is proved by our actions. How sad to have nothing to show.

I would love to know your thoughts about this. What do you think is the hardest thing? 

Not Based, Just Placed

{image mine}

 Some common things in life

that we all need to survive

are often taken for granted

and even overlooked.

And sometimes, when we get them,

they're accredited to the wrong.

We didn't do anything for them.

We just got them.

Grace- it means gift

but few understand that.

After all, nothings's free, right?

And we just can't fathom

that it has nothing to do with us.

Love- it's really a verb

but few understand that.

It's not just about feelings.

And we just can't fathom

how God could continually love us.

Mercy- it's our prepaid ticket

but few understand that.

God's mercy is daily.

And we just can't fathom

how we can even need it.

What we're forgetting

is a really big deal.

But it all comes down

to just two letters.

God's gifts to us

(which is everything)

are not based on us-

just placed on us.

So let's remember this 

as well as all those other things

so common, yet necessary

in our everyday lives.

we didn't do anything for them.

We just got them.

Because they're not based on us,

just placed on us by Him,

who loves His children

by His goodness and grace.

And let's be sure

to let others know

that these blessings we have

are not based-

just placed.

-written 8.8.17

Encouragement from Romans 5 + A Brief Announcement

Hello, readers!

I hope you are all having a lovely summer. I know that posts on A Purpose and A Promise have been rather erratic lately, but honestly, I've been okay with that. Before, I would have been all stressed out that my posting schedule got messed up, but God's been teaching me a lot lately, and that's included the real meaning of peace. Peace isn't always calm and quiet; it's isn't always the feeling that everything will turn out alright for you. To a degree, peace is knowing that God is in control and trusting fully in that promise, no matter what. At least, that's what God has been showing me about peace lately. 

Reading in Romans 5 has been a real encouragement lately- not only about peace, but about the hope we have as children of God, why there are trials in our lives and how they actually are for our benefit, and a reminder of the best news of all- how Jesus gave His life so ours could be reconciled to God. The first eleven verses are below, but you can read the whole chapter here.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. // Romans 5: 1-11 

That said, I do have a small announcement. I will be taking an official break from posting on A Purpose and A Promise for at least three weeks, perhaps a little more. At the moment, I'm not planning on stopping indefinitely, but I think hiatuses are good for everyone. =) I wanted to say it in an actual post, instead of just abandoning the blog for a month. No, I haven't come close to doing that this month.

Thanks again for reading, following, and commenting on A Purpose and A Promise! I have been so blessed by my wonderful readers for this year and a half, learning and growing on this adventure. 

Have a wonderful remainder of your summer, blessed with peace that can only come from Jesus. ♥