Caramel Pumpkin Spice Protein Shake

Usually for a quick, pre-workout energy boost I'm all about those chocolate peanut butter protein shakes.

Since it's finally PSL season, I was itchin' to try and make a pumpkin protein shake.

Establishing a Confident Heart (Hope Verse #1: Psalm 57:7)

In the next few months, I will be sharing verses that have brought me hope. Read why.

My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. 

No wonder I can sing your praises! Psalm 57:7

This is not the first verse that I had in mind for this hope challenge; however, it's the a verse that ended up being on my heart while I was writing this morning.

Sometimes I let my idea of the "picture-perfect" future completely rule my mind. Do you do that too? Lately I've been terrified of the mere thought of interviewing for jobs. I am not the workaholic type by preference and I am definitely not the independent type by nature. I'm not the kind of girl who feels comfortable moving off to a new city by herself, but that will happen in the way-too-near future.  

I don't know where I want to live or where I want to work-- but most of all I don't know where I'll actually end up living and working. I don't know if what will happen will be what I really want. 

Basically, I am not afraid that I won't get a job, but I fear that I won't like it. To be completely honest, being a 9-5 business professional was never how I envisioned my future. I knew it would happen one day, but I did not expect it to happen so soon! Wherever I am supposed to live is up to God. Perhaps I am supposed to be somewhere far away from my home.. or even my "home away from home." If that is the case, I need to be obedient.

Where is God calling you that you may not want to go? Maybe this isn't a job-related thing for you at all. Perhaps it's a short-term mission trip, a choice to end a relationship, or a step in vulnerability to try something new.

I feel like the very things that I do not want to do are the very things that I'm supposed to do. Sometimes God wants us to push ourselves through discomfort- meaning, God will let us be uncomfortable. That does not sound very nice, but it is the complete truth. How else can we be stretched and challenged? 

The unknown is scary; however, it should not hold us back. I do not know what my future holds; however, I do know that God will not let me fall. Fearing that the absolute worst case scenario will happen to me is like fearing that God does not completely have control of my life. What a shame it is to view God in that way.

Instead of letting fears take-over your mind, focus on who God really is. There are things that I may not be equipped to do, but I know that God will continue to equip me. In moments where I am doubtful, I know that I can be confident in my God. Truth be told, He has never taken me through something that I ended up resenting Him for. Once I start allowing my confidence to fall into His ability instead of my own, that fear that I have will be turned into joy (hence, "no wonder I can sing your praises.")

Ask God to help your heart be more confident in Him.

25 Scriptures for the Hopeless [Introduction]

I'll be the first to admit that hearing about the struggles of those in 3rd world countries does not really tug at my heart strings like it should. For that, I feel awful. I've even been to Africa, and at the time I came home without the desire to ever return.

Yesterday in convocation Vernon Brewer from World Help came back for his yearly visit. Hearing about the struggles of people in Iraq and Syria did not make me feel sad like it may have for some. Instead, I felt sick.

I am a 21 year old American girl who is pampered, fat, and distracted like the rest of America. My biggest concern right now is what I will be doing post-graduation. I'm not running for my life. I'm not searching for food or mourning over the loss of a loved one. 

I'm the typical American who will be in a bad mood because she ran out of her Girl Scouts Somoa coffee creamer and has to use soymilk instead (gross). I'm the girl who's anxious to get her highlights touched up since her roots are growing out. I'm the student who is complaining that she needs more free time so she can just watch Netflix and eat pizza rolls.

No wonder a lot of people in other countries think we Americans are absolutely ridiculous.

I've been through difficult situations before; however, I'm okay. I have a home that I can rest in. I have nutritious food to keep me healthy. I have a strong support system. Those are the basics, but I have all of the extras too. I have plenty of things to keep me busy and entertained. But there are people who do not even have a safe place to live. There I was... listening to someone advocate for those in need, and I did not care as much as I should have. How pathetic and selfish. I must not see the reality of what is happening right now in the Middle East.

Something that Brewer said that stuck with me is this, 

"The distinguishing mark of Christianity is hope." 

We have it so good here in America, but everyone everywhere needs hope. 

People always often say things like, "I know what I'm going through is not as big as others, but..." Honestly I want to stop them because what people go through may not be big in the whole scale of things, but it is big to them, and that is important.

I've been through my fair share of heartbreak, pain, and fear. The least I can do to help people is encourage them through what I've learned. Although I can pray for those stuck in the Iraq/Syria mess and I can donate to WorldHelp, I truly feel that those two things are not as much as I can give. There are people right here in America who are lost and broken, and those people are more in reach.

I've decided to share 25 verses that have brought me hope through my own difficult times. I will have 25 posts coming through in the next couple of months that will hopefully encourage you right where you're at. Stand by.. post number 1 will be up tomorrow!

Verse 1:  Psalm 57:7- Establishing a Confident Heart

The Art of Attaining Joy: The Focus and The Sacrifice

Since the start of the semester, I've been keeping myself pretty busy. Seventeen credit hours, two jobs, and contributing to ScryptWriter have taken a huge part of my focus in 2014. This year has been a battle with my schedule as I try to learn what works best for my needs. 

As a Christian, being intentional about setting aside time for God everyday is something I've always had to work on as life has a way of staying interesting. With different responsibilities thrown in my direction, I am called to manage my time in a way that will honor the Lord. Some days are harder than others. I hate to admit that sometimes I'd rather choose Breaking Bad season 3 over spending time in the bible.

We hear the common sermon about how joy is not a result of good things, but joy is a choice. I've heard it preached in many different settings. Halfway through the semester, I was on a mission to discover how to have a joyous mindset when I didn't feel like it was possible.

How do you choose joy when you're tired at the crack of dawn? How do you choose joy when you have to pay for car maintenance instead of new clothes? And how do you choose joy when all of your professors assign time-consuming projects in the same week? I couldn't always find the answer to these questions. Asking the Lord to change my mindset helped sometimes, but... not always. What I did not realize was that I was not meeting God half-way with this plead. 

How was I cheating myself of this joy, you may ask? Let me be clear that this post is not another "read your bible everyday" type of thing. I think that sermon is starting to get old as it's not really the solution we need to encourage us during our dry spells. Dear pastor, WE KNOW.

Though it is beneficial for us to engage our relational God on the daily, I'm not recommending that you do so in the way that you may assume. Just simply saying, "read your bible" isn't a full solution.

Instead, I'm asking you to sacrifice something. We can read our bibles everyday and not truly feel much different as our hearts may not be focused. I'm suggesting that you try something new and different with your time with God.

For me and my busy schedule, sleep is honestly the most valuable thing that I could think of. I've gotten past the point of feeling blah from missing TV time or skipping a meal because I was too tired to fix one. That happens so much that it hardly puts a little bullet in my mood anymore. But I do feel pained to wake up earlier than necessary.

Let me paint a picture of my sleeping habits and morning behavior.
First, no matter if I'm in bed early or late the night before, sleeping in until the latest possible minute is something that I have always done. This remains true on the weekends when I can sleep in for as long as I'd like.
Second, 9 times out of 10 I have to prepare myself to see people for a while before leaving my room in the morning. I can't just spring out of bed and head to the kitchen for breakfast. I have to wake up first. If I'm running late and need to get breakfast on, my poor roommates have to deal with anti-social Erika who doesn't really care to carry on a conversation. "Good morning" is all that I have to give. Anything more than that is draining. Mornings aren't normally my favorite.

5 Ways To Transform Yourself Into A Morning Person

But God has placed it on my heart to be up an hour or two earlier everyday to have my devotional time.

So instead of sleeping in, I get my morning coffee (and Girl Scouts Caramel and Coconut creamer), bible, and journal. After doing this for 2-3 weeks straight, I have noticed a change in my life. The more I seek God in times that I don't want to, the more joy he gives me that day for my obedience.

 After spending time with God, I'm suddenly a nicer and happier person. I talk to random people (so out of my introverted comfort zone), and I feel more positive throughout the day.  I care about people more than usual. I am going to be the least encouraging to others when I'm not taking care of my own needs. My "God need."

I believe that this blessing of joy from God is a direct result of sacrifice. Sleep may not be something too difficult for you to give up, but it sure is for me. I want to encourage you to give something up to teach yourself to place God at the top of your priorities. It is harder for God to use us when we are not training ourselves to keep him first. The very essence of choosing joy is choosing Jesus.

"For the joy of the Lord is your strength" Nehemiah 8:10

What is something that you can give up to show God that you're willing to put him above the things you value?