Hey y'all! Today I'm dropping in to let you know about a brand new book from an author who has been here on my blog before! Chloe Hadassah stopped by here for the blog tour of her first book, "The Light," and today I'm happy to bring her back for the release of her second book, "Why I'm Waiting." Chloe (20) is a country gal who loves Jesus and longs to share Him with others. She is the author of The Light (2017). Purity is one of her biggest passions and she desires to share it's beauty with others! About: Why I'm Waiting
Why Am I Waiting For My Future Husband? In Why I’m Waiting, the author’s first non-fictional book, she shares with you why she has committed to waiting for her future husband. She starts each subject with verses from the Bible, to help show you what God says about purity. The author touches on the following subjects: *My Heart Belongs To God *Being Content *God’s Choice, Not Mine *The Waiting: Following Christ’s Example *Being Prepared *Physical: Body Is The Temple Of The Holy Ghost *Relationships *Marriage *First Kiss Chloe prays that all who read this book are blessed and that it touches their lives; and she hopes you enjoy the many verses throughout! So, come along and dive into scripture with her as she shares with you one of her heart’s greatest passions! When I was a little girl, I decided that I wanted to change the world. I craved adventure, and to me, changing the world sounded like one big, grand adventure. It sounded like rescuing orphans overseas or feeding those who didn't have anything to eat. It sounded like traveling through the jungles of Africa or doing some wonderful, noble deed. It sounded like standing in front of thousands and signing hundreds of books. My desire to change the world did indeed send me off on a grand adventure...but it was definitely not an adventure like I had imagined. There was no big stage to stand on. There was no running through the jungles of Africa (yet, of course). There were no big, noble deeds recognized by the world. But on my adventure to change my world, I learned what changing my world truly meant. You see, I always thought that changing the world looked like all those big things. I thought that to make my life count, I had to impact thousands. When I was thirteen years old, I fought for my passions and I did everything I could to impact as many lives as possible. At that age, I decided that one day I would write a book. A book that I wanted God to use to change the world. I imagined this book being in stores around the world and being read by thousands of people. I thought surely then, I would be changing the world. But to write a book about changing the world, I had to actually first do something worthy of writing about, right? And on that journey I realized this beautiful truth... My life was like a candle. And to change the world I must simply focus on lighting the next candle beside me. I must focus on one precious candle at a time. For if I tried with all of my might to light as many candles as I could, as quickly as possible, I would end up missing the point, and in my rush...my own candle would stop shining so brightly. But if I lit one candle at a time? And then they lit one candle at a time? The light would spread so much faster than I could've spread it on my own. That was the beautiful truth I discovered on my quest to change the world. Changing the world didn't always look like walking through jungles or ending world poverty or completing all those wonderful, noble deeds I once thought it was. And a whole lot of times, changing the world didn't really look like the grand adventures I once thought. But it was still a grand adventure. It was the grand adventure of loving the next person in front of me. Of cleaning as many dishes as I could until the kitchen looked fresh and nice. The adventure of taking my sister out for donuts at midnight or staying up late to talk a friend through a hard time. The adventure of serving God in all the beautiful, behind-the-scenes, or in-front-of-an-audience, ways that He had for me to serve. It was the adventure of writing that book I always thought I would write. A book that I released to the world in hopes that I could encourage just one life...that I could tell just one life of the wonderful adventure God had waiting for them to live. A book that I did watch God use to impact many lives for His glory. Friend, your life, too, is a candle. And changing your world looks a whole lot like lighting the candles around you one flame at a time. Don't become distracted by trying to light as many as you can that you miss the one in front of you. Changing the world is an adventure. Maybe not the adventure you always hope for, but it's still going to be beautiful. Keep lighting the world around you, one candle at a time. After all...that's what world-changers do. Tuesday, June 26th, 2018 marked three years since I published my very first book, "I Dare You: Finding Your Passion and Lighting Your World." Have you read my book? What was something that encouraged you about it? How do you view changing your world? Happy Thursday, friends! <3 I'm having blog difficulties this week and I'm not sure if this post is going to be visible to all of you because I can't actually get onto my live site, but since I am able to create posts I thought I would try anyway. :) "Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." Matthew 16:24-25 Suppose I asked you this question: "Would you stand up for the Name of Jesus?" How would you respond? Maybe you would quickly answer, "Yes!" Or maybe, "I sure hope so." I think all of us would like to think that if we were in a situation where we had to make a decision to stand up for Jesus no matter what it cost us, we would all say yes. We would all want to say yes to standing up for Jesus even if it meant dying for Him. I think of the martyrs across the world who stand up for Jesus every day by dying for the sake of His Name. And we would all hope that if faced with such a difficult situation, we would stand up for Him in the same way. But how are we preparing for something like that? I'm not implying that you would someday die for the sake of Jesus. But I mean, how can we expect to stand up for Jesus in all the big ways if we aren't standing up for Jesus in all of the little ways? Maybe we sometimes view standing up for Jesus as just the big ways. Like standing up for Him even if it costs your life. Or standing up for Him and doing the right thing that costs you popularity or success or money. You know, all the ways that are story worthy or history-making. But what about the every day moments at home? At church? At school? With friends? Am I standing up for Jesus in the daily moments of my life? The moments that aren't going to make it into the history books? Like when I have the choice to argue with a sibling in pride, or listen to their side of things and humbly admit when I'm wrong. Or when I am exhausted and I have the choice to be rude to someone I run into or respond with grace. These moments may not feel like you're "standing up for Jesus." But these moments tell you if you are bearing His Name well. I don't know what you'll face the rest of this week as you go through your days. Yet I want to challenge you--and myself--to stand up for the Name of Jesus, the Name you bear as a Christian, in your every day life. Let your choices reflect who you're living for and loving. This week, let's stand up, stand up for Jesus. Hi, friends! Happy Monday! Who all has been having a productive Monday? I hope you each are going to have an awesome week ahead. Thank you to everyone who commented on last Monday's post about my blog-versary and pictionary! I am so excited today to share my answers with all of you! :) So without futher ado, enjoy looking through this post... Beth asked what my favorite way to eat potatoes was... (Also, anywhere I can get these bottomless is my favorite place--AKA: I love you, Red Robin) Grace asked about my all-time favorite dessert. Since I didn't have a personal picture of this and don't actually know how to make it, I had to snag this pretty picture off of unsplash.com. XD More questions from Grace: "Show us some of your favorite things!" "Your favorite hairstyle?" (sorry this is not a recent picture, but I forgot to get one until today and my hair is not blog worthy today...) "Where do you do the majority of your writing?" This is otherwise known as Bella's Chair: "Are you a messy bedroom person or a clean/organized bedroom person?" I do not have a picture for this but ONE HUNDRED PERCENT MY BEDROOM IS CLEAN AND ORGANIZED AT ALL TIMES. If someone comes in my room and leaves stuff laying around I am not a happy person. xD "Favorite memory?" (This is one that is actually captured in a picture) "Favorite sport?" I don't actually play sports or have time to watch them, but I was going to choose basketball but then realized I do not have a basketball xD "A skill you wish you had?" Livy asked: "Earbuds or earphones?" Livy also asked... "Favorite book of the Bible?" "Favorite book outside of the Bible?" "Favorite writing instrument?" "Favorite shirt?" (The general idea of this picture was any one of the 31 Bible Bee t-shirts I own...) "Favorite music artist/album?" (So this is my favorite artist, however, this is the only album I currently had to take a picture of because my sister has all the others in her car. xD "Comatose" is my favorite album) "Favorite part of your room?" "Favorite fruit?" (My favorite fruit is watermelon, but I did not have a picture of that, so here is my second favorite ;)) Grace L. asked... "Favorite season?" "Favorite outfit?" (Aside from Bible Bee shirts...) "Favorite tea?" Thank you SO much to Beth, Grace, Livy, and Grace L. for helping me make this post with your awesome questions!! I had so much fun answering your questions, girls, and I hope you have just as much fun seeing my answers! <3 Are you a blogger? Have you done a blog pictionary Q&A before? If so, comment the link because I would LOVE to see it! I cringed and held my breath. My fingers were clasped tightly around the steering wheel as I tapped on the car breaks just slightly. It was my first time driving over a mountain and let’s just say I wasn’t too thrilled. Allow me to fill you in on one of my worst fears: heights. Yep, I’m one of those people. I’m terrified of heights. Like, putting me on a roller coaster would probably be the end of our friendship kind of heights-terrified. And unfortunately for me, with every movement forward up this mountain, I could glance over and see just how far we were going up. I gripped the steering wheel tighter and fixed my eyes firmly on the road ahead of me. I did not look away from that road. I didn’t care how pretty everyone thought the view was. There was no way I was glancing at my fears. I was simply going to keep my eyes on the road in front of me and keep moving forward. I knew that if I glanced over and saw how high I was ascending, my fear would keep me from being able to go up any further. When we got to the top of the mountain and started to descend down the other side, I finally let out the breath of air I had been holding. I had made it! Thinking about this, a guy from the Bible came to my mind. Someone who had experienced something a little bit similar. Peter was one of the disciples chosen by Jesus to follow Him, be His close friend, and learn from Him. And in Matthew chapter 14, Peter is taking a boat ride with the other disciples. But the winds are harsh and they were tossing the boat around. Then there was Jesus. In the middle of the waves. In the midst of the wind and chaos. There He is walking on the water. Peter’s first reaction? “And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ So He said, ‘Come.’ And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.” (Matthew 14:28-29 NKJV) That took some courage. I’m not quite sure I would’ve had the audacity to try walking on some waves in the middle of a storm. But I relate a little bit more to Peter in verse 30: “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’” What happened? He was doing so fine walking on that water towards Jesus up until now. Yet he had taken his gaze off Jesus and put it on his fear. He focused on the waves. Oh, Peter, I know how you feel. Sometimes I let my fears take my eyes off Jesus. Sometimes I let my fear of the future keep me from remembering that Jesus has a good plan for my life, and I try to work things out on my own. Sometimes my fear of what other people think of me keeps me from remembering that following Jesus is contrary to the world. I let my eyes drift to the fears around me and I take my gaze away from the only One who can calm my fears. And I sink. When I think back to the mountain drive that I wasn’t all too excited about, I remember my decision to keep my focus on the road ahead of me, instead of the fear around me. I think that was Jesus whispering to my soul, “No matter what your fear is, fix your eyes on Me.” It is only when our eyes are on Him that we have the courage to walk on those waves and the strength to not sink. Yes, Jesus, I will fix my eyes on You. He is greater than any fear or wave that comes our way. What is a fear that you are facing today? Are you fixing your eyes on Jesus or on your fear? Three years ago on this day I wrote a blog posted titled, "An Introduction." And this little blog began. Honestly if you would've told me three years ago that I would be where I am now, I probably wouldn't have believed you. I am so grateful for where God has brought me with this blog and all the amazing things that He has done. And do you know what else I'm so, so grateful for today? You. Every single one of you who reads this blog week after week. Every single one of you who comments on all of my posts. Every single one of you subscribed to my mailing list. I love all of you and today I want to simply say...thank you. And now, I have a fun project as a part of the celebration of THREE YEARS!! (This idea came from my dear friend, Grace and her lovely blog.) I'm going to be doing a blogversary pictionary Q&A!! I've been excited about this ever since I saw Grace do this on her blogversary. Here's how this works: Comment on this post with any questions you have for me. Just make sure that they are questions that could be answered with a picture. (For example: What is your favorite flower, or what is your favorite dessert?) I will then answer your questions using pictures! I plan to put up the answers post next Monday so get your questions posted soon! If you have questions let me know. :) *passes out cupcakes* Thank you again for your part in making this blog possible. Happy three years to all of us! <3 "For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen." Romans 11:36 What is your favorite post I've written in the last three years? When did you start reading Worth it All Blog? How did you hear about the blog? This story is purely fictional. Any resemblance to people, whether living or dead, is entirely coincidental. I had always wondered what it would be like to walk on a journey with someone who loved me. And yet every day I sat in the same spot, on the same train, riding to the same place…all alone. My life never changed much. For the most part it was a constant cycle of mundane repetition. Get ready for the day, eat a bagel with cream cheese and strawberry jam, rush to the train station, and sit in my favorite seat while the hum drum of the train chugging along took me to my final destination. My work. The place I simultaneously lived for and dreaded at the same time. I had never really been one to fancy working at the clothing factory, but it was all I had ever really known since I was sixteen. And if you’ve learned anything at all about me thus far, I suppose you’d know I’m not really one for change. And so here it was, another ordinary Tuesday as I sat in my seat and observed the people around me. A wave of loneliness would wash over me again, but I would shrug it off as usual. There in the corner seat sat the two newlyweds. I could tell by the way they so lovingly gazed into each other’s eyes like they were the only two human beings on earth. Or the way she laughed like she’d never been so happy before. Across from them sat the three businessman that usually always road the train this time of day into town. I suppose they were headed to work for the day, but along the way the three of them would discuss what I could only imagine was politics and numbers. In front of me sat a mother with her two little ones—twins it appeared. And, oh my, was she having a rough time of it. I had half a mind to kick the back of the seat until the little ones stopped bouncing up and down and making their mother seem to go crazy. And then there were the two attendants on the train. They had always seemed like the best of friends those two. Or what I imagined a best friend might be like. I’d never really had one. I glanced out the window again and watched the trails of raindrops race down the glass. I watched as the stalks of corn through the fields swayed in the rough wind. It wasn’t the most beautiful of days, that’s for sure. But studying my surroundings had become easier than focusing on the loneliness. After all, everyone on the train had someone. Everyone but me. Ever since my first two trips on this train, the two attendants had learned to leave me alone. For I couldn’t hear what they were saying anyway. Was this the source of my loneliness? The fact that I was deaf? Perhaps this is why most people kept their distance. Perhaps it was too uncomfortable for them to try to form a conversation when they didn’t know a language that I could hear. I hadn’t always been alone. No, most certainly not. But that had been years now since the fever had taken away the only person in this world who really understood me. And now here I was, years later, with no one in this world to care for me. I pulled my sweater tighter and smoothed my jean skirt. Ducking my head to avoid anyone seeing the dampness of my eyelashes, I blinked the liquid away as quickly as I could. Alone. It was a word that had defined me for years. A word that I was even more used to than this train. A word that had become my identity. Of course, I still studied my surroundings every day and wondered what it might be like to have a friend ride the train with me. Or to have a lover who gazed so lovingly into my eyes. Or someone to debate politics and religion with. Religion. I had been done with that for awhile now it seemed. Ever since the fever took her. For why would God take away from me the only person in this world who ever loved me? Why would He leave me so alone? Yes, those were questions that haunted me each night before bed. For growing up, I’d heard the stories of Jesus each night before bed. She had sung “Jesus loves me, this I know,” into my ear as I drifted to sleep. I had memorized the verses that God said, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” But along with her absence came the absence of the song each night. And as time passed, I slowly forgot the words myself. And then I felt it. The train was stopping so abruptly I almost crashed into the seat in front of me. What was going on? We weren’t anywhere close to our stop yet. I felt the explosion before I even realized what had happened. Why was there smoke? And me--why was I laying on the floor unable to move? My frantic gaze swept the train for but a moment. The smoke, the blurry dizziness, the terror on the faces around me. Surely people must be screaming though I could not hear them and I myself could not make a sound. A throbbing in my head caused me to lift my hand behind my ear. What was that sticky liquid? My heart was beating faster now than it ever had before. I closed my eyes. Everything seemed to hurt so badly. I had no idea what had happened, but panic slowly began to rise in my throat. And then I heard it clearly, as if I were still tucked safely into my bed in her arms and she sang in my ear. Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. I couldn’t ignore it. God, help me… The prayer came from my heart before my mind could catch up with it. Why was I praying? I’m here, My child. I couldn’t open my eyes again. I couldn’t push the Voice away as I had done so many times before. I don’t want to die alone. You’ve never been alone, Rebekah. I have been with you every step of the way. I want to shake my head or cry, but I can’t move. I feel so weak. But I’ve felt alone, God. I haven’t felt You here with me. Feelings do lie. But I have never left. Didn’t you see Me in the roses that you found on the road last week that I planted there for you? Didn’t you see Me in the smile of the toddler that ran over to you at the market yesterday just to give you a hug? And didn’t you see Me in the sunrises that I painted orange and pink to see you smile? I was always there with you. You were never alone, My child. I have loved you with an everlasting love. I can feel someone tugging at my arm, but my eyes won’t cooperate and open. They were dragging me now. Off the train? I didn’t know. All I could focus on was God’s words to me. He had never left me alone. The emotion filled my heart. Oh, God, I’ve been so wrong. All this time, I thought You had abandoned me. I thought You had left me alone. There is no height or depth that can separate you from My love, Rebekah. And there is no place that you can go where I won’t go with you. If I could’ve cried, I would have right then. For in that moment, I knew. I was loved. I was not alone. For His presence had never been more real to me in all my life. Give Me your hand and come, My child. Let’s go Home. And I then I knew. I knew what it was like to walk with Someone who loved me more than I ever dared to imagine. |
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