Thoughts of a Christian Farm Girl.

About the book: Six long years ago, Captain Reynolds Macy sailed away from his bride, looking forward to the day when he would return to Nantucket Island with a ship's hold full of whale oil. But when that momentous day finally arrives, Ren soon discovers that everything has changed in his absence. Everything. Suzanne Woods Fisher welcomes readers back to the Quaker community on Nantucket Island for a riveting love story full of unexpected moments. My thoughts:  ⭐⭐⭐ and a half. Minding the Light: "an expression used to remind Quakers that there is an inward Light in each of them that can reveal God's will, if its direction is listened to and followed."  This just makes me love the title even more!  I'm not really sure why I requested to review this book in the first place.  I'm not a fan of Quakers, I do not willingly read books about them, because honestly they make me angry with their rules and such. But this book pleasantly surprised me! I...

The Patriot Bride.  About the book:     Faith's Bravery Is Tested As Her Home Town Is Invaded.  Faith Jackson is a wealthy widow, friend of George Washington  and staunch supporter of the Patriot cause. She is living in Boston and holding meetings with like-minded women when the British invade.   Matthew Weber is friends with both Ben Franklin and his son William, who increasingly differ in their political views. Matthew soon finds himself privy to information on both sides of the conflict.   When a message needs to get to a spy among the Loyalists, Faith bravely steps up, and in turn meets Matthew Weber. Suddenly she believes she could love again. But someone else has his eye on the Faith she portrays in elite social circles, stalking her every move.   What will Matthew and Faith have to sacrifice for the sake of their fledgling country? My thoughts:  Really good! ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book is full of great historical moments and brave men a...

More Than Meets the Eye by Karen Witemeyer. About the book: Many consider Evangeline Hamilton cursed. Orphaned at a young age and possessing a pair of mismatched eyes--one bright blue, the other dark brown--Eva has fought to find her way in a world that constantly rejects her. Yet the support of even one person can help overcome the world's judgments, and Eva has two--Seth and Zach, two former orphans she now counts as brothers.  Seeking justice against the man who stole his birthright and destroyed his family, Logan Fowler arrives in 1880s Pecan Gap, Texas, to confront Zach Hamilton, the hardened criminal responsible for his father's death. Only instead of finding a solitary ruthless gambler, he discovers a man not much older than himself with an unusual family. When Zach's sister, Evangeline, insists on dousing Logan with sunshine every time their paths cross, Logan finds his quest completely derailed. Who is truly responsible for his lost legacy, and will restorin...

The Hope of Azure Springs. Description Seven years ago, orphaned and alone, Em finally arrived at a new home in Iowa after riding the orphan train. But secrets from her past haunt her, and her new life in the Western wilderness is a rough one. When her guardian is shot and killed, Em, now nineteen, finally has the chance to search for her long-lost sister, but she won't be able to do it alone. For Azure Springs Sheriff Caleb Reynolds, securing justice for the waifish and injured Em is just part of his job. He's determined to solve every case put before him in order to impress his parents and make a name for himself. Caleb expects to succeed. What he doesn't expect is the hold this strange young woman will have on his heart. My thoughts: AMAZING! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book gently teaches you that it's okay to be different. That you don't have to be the belle of the ball to be beautiful.  “Our whole lives people try to tell us what beautiful is. As young boy...

Do you live in this prison? Yeah, I do too.  It's hard not to care about what others say about it you. Even harder yet, to not believe what they say! But it is possible! I was reading in this magazine (Brio) earlier, and it was talking about being confident in yourself, and deflecting what ~they~ say. Here's what Brio said: "The Bible says you are a beloved child of the King. He loves you, delights over you, gave His life for you. If you get into God's Word and soak in the reality of His love for you, then your confidence won't be based on the fickle opinions of people. Instead it can be rooted in how valuable God says you are."    Our value is bigger than any hurtful words and any nasty criticism the world will throw at you. You are loved by the most Valued,  the most Wonderful, the Highest One ever! If He can love you, you can love yourself. You are better than the pain. You are stronger than the sting. You can do this with God's help. You can stop b...

Choose Joy instead of sorrow and hopelessness.                    (Here is the link to the awesome Instagram page I got these pictures from!  https://www.instagram.com/power.of.being.positive/ I'll be the first to admit choosing joy is not always easy. Sometimes we'll set our mind to choosing joy but instead we find ourselves falling into the familiar depths of despair. Those are the times we have go fight the hardest. Fight for joy! I know how hard it is! Some may even say it's impossible; but remember what Philppians 4:13 says: 'I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.'  Yeah, it may be hard, but it's worth it. And as long as our joy follows God's will then Jesus will be happy with our happy!  Choose Joy today!  'May the God of Hope fill you with all Joy and Peace in believing, that you may abound in Hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit.' - Romans 15:3

Dear people,  You might be feeling very down right now. Like there is no hope. You feel like you are all out of strength. Your patience for these bad times is wearing thin. You hate these sorrowful times and you can't stand them any more.  You may feel like a piece of your heart is dying each day with each new burden put upon your shoulders. But guess what! there is hope! Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your cares upon Him; for He cares for you. Isn't it amazing that we have a loving Savior who wants you to cast your burdens on Him?  He said, Cast your burdens on Me,  I will give you rest.  He doesn't want you to have to deal with all this stress. He wants you to give it all to Him. He can't consume to the e...

And we know that all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. ~Romans 8:28 We think when we read that verse that things will work out the way we want. And when they don't we blame God. After all, He did say that things would work together for good to them who love Him.  We start to think, "Did I love Him enough? Of course I did! It was Him that didn't care about me." But we would be so very wrong. God never promised to make things go our way. He promised that all things would turn out good. **His** good. God's will for us is not always our own. We cannot know the thoughts of Him. We don't know why bad things happen. But He does. He knows.   I believe that everything happens for a reason. Everything has a purpose. Even though we may never understand it. We have to trust Him to know the outcome.   He brings beauty out of the ashes. He pieces together the broken. He can take even the ...

How many times have you thought to yourself "I'm so ugly." or, "If only I wasn't this fat." "If I just didn't have this or that." and so on. A bunch right? But how many times have you told yourself, "I'm beautiful." How many times have you actually believed you are beautiful just the way you are? How many times have you told yourself, "In God I am beautiful." God doesn't see what the world classifies as ugly. He sees your heart. He sees your true self. Your real and true beauty. He sees YOU. The world judges us by our looks, but God judges us by what's in our heart. Too much of the time we focus on what the world sees instead of what God sees. When we should be focusing on God we get caught up in what other people think of us. Here's a reminder. You are beautiful. God has made YOU exactly the way He wants you. We destroy our bodies because of what the world thinks. We ignore God when it comes to things ...

Today was warm enough to let our little kittens outside. Okay they're not so little, they're four months old. Anyway.... So after awhile the kittens came in but we couldn't find one. Little Kamri was no where to be seen. We looked and looked but couldn't find her. My siblings told me she probably was just under the house and that she would come out when she was hungry. But I wasn't satisfied. After looking awhile more and I finally just made peace that she would come out when she was hungry. So I went inside and layed down in my bed. Still praying for Kamri, I grabbed a note I had left for myself. It had a bible verse I wanted to remind myself to study about. I grabbed my Bible and read it. I then continued to flip around in my Bible and found something entitled "The Lost Animals." Perfect for my situation! It was in 1 Samuel chapter 9. "And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants w...

                 I signed up to be an influencer for the book "Out of The Ashes." by Tracie Peterson and Kimberly Woodhouse. I had actually forgotten that I had signed up so it was a great surprise to wake up and receive the book in the mail! This was a great book about finding God, forgiveness, and realizing that true love really exists. I fell in love with the characters. Tracie and Kimberly really brought out the magic and beauty of Alaska.  (which is where the book is set.) And I was so glad to see the characters from the first book in the series again! The first book in the series is actually the first book I ever read by Tracie Peterson and Kimberly Woodhouse. I fell in love with the book!! I totally recommend both books to anyone looking for a Christian message, or just a fantastic read!   Tracie Peterson and Kimberly Woodhouse are two of my favorite authors. They really make you feel when you read their boo...

I literally have so much to be thankful for. We all always have something to be thankful for. But we don't always acknowledge that. And we don't always realize we do.  Is there something that you dread doing? Like say doing the dishes? Or milking the goats? (I'm a farm girl, get used to it.) I wanna encourage you to instead of complaining about doing that hated chore, thank God for it. Thank God for everything, even the simplest things. Be in a constant state of thankfullness. Y'all check out this Instagram page  https://www.instagram.com/power.of.being.positive/ It is a GREAT inspirational page, and all of the pictures and captions are taken and thought up by them. I seriously love this page. It's helped me through a lot of tough times. The lady who runs the page is sweet and kind and one of the best people you'll talk to. 

Happy New Year!  I Can't believe 2017 is over! It flew by so fast!  For me this year has had a lot of ups and downs. Downs I don't care to relive but I wouldn't change them for the world. All the bad and good is what made me who I am today. I went through a lot of grief but here, only five hours away from 2018, I know I am blessed. Blessed with the hardship, blessed with the good that I'm coming out of 2017 with. And blessed to have Jesus in my heart. This was the year I learned who God really is, and what He means to me. This was the year I learned who I am. This was the year for friends. And finding out who was truly there for me.   This was the year for tears. Tears of sadness and tears of joy.   Let's go into 2018 with our hearts and minds on Jesus!   My prayers are with you all. I pray for peace and happiness. And the best year of your life! ❤ The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. - 2 Timothy 4:22

It's good to remind ourselves that we are loved by The Greatest One. That we are not worthless like the world wants us to believe. We need to remind ourselves that Jesus didn't die on that cross for naught. We are truly, deeply loved. We can rejoice in Him. We can find our strength in Him and no one else. "As the Father has loved Me so have I loved you: continue ye in My Love." - John 15:9 The Lord has appeared of old unto me, saying,  Yea I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you. - Jeremiah 31:3 I want to tell you that there is someone who will never make you think you are worthless or unloved. Jesus loves us so much that he died for us. I mean seriously, get that through your brain, Jesus loved YOU so much that He died for YOU. FOR YOU.  We can never repay Him but we can try to. We can obey Him, honor Him, glorify Him, love Him and follow Him for the rest of our lives. Take up your cross for Him, and I promise ...

I got tagged by http://thefloweringvales.blogspot.com/?m=1 to do the winter wonder land tag! Here are the rules! ° link back to https://thestorybookjournal.blogspot.com/?m=1. ° Answer the questions; think winter-y thoughts! Include pictures if you want. ° Tag at least 3 other bloggers, or more if you're feeling ambitious.              Here is the list of questions! 1. Name a few things you love about winter and a few things you don't. I LOVE SNOW! And I love the cold and the wind! Although I hate runny noses. I really have no complaints.  2 when you were little did you "believe" in Santa Claus?  Never. My parents told me for as long as I can remember that he wasn't real.  3 is there a book or movie that you really love to read/watch in the winter as opposed to other times of the year?  I love to watch the Little house on the prairie Christmas movies!  4 is there a particular Christmas movie you watch ...

My mom doesn't like to celebrate Christmas because she believes it's not actually about Jesus. And I agree that the world has made that holiday into something about US. The people. And I say Why can't we just celebrate Jesus? December 25th may not be the actual  day He was born but why can't we choose to celebrate Him on that day anyway? Christmas really should be a matter of everyday life anyway. Not the presents or the trees or the decorations, but celebrating Jesus. And something my mom pointed out, it says in the Bible not to celebrate Jesus's birth but His death. (I haven't actually seen a verse like that so I cannot truthfully say anything about that.) But why can't we make Christmas about Jesus's everything? His birth, His death, His resurrection, His Miracles, His love, the list goes on and on. Why is December 25th only meant for one thing? And why can't we celebrate Jesus everyday?  We can. Not Christmas everyday, no presents, or decoratio...

So I was thinking the other night, can we all just stop and take a minute to acknowledge how wonderfully we are made? As a teenager I know what it is to look in the mirror and think "could you get any uglier?" but the Lord has shown me just how much that's not true. Can we just stop with the negativity? You are beautiful. Can we stop with all the "I'm ugly. I'm too fat. I'm too tall. I'm too skinny." and just acknowledge how amazingly God made us? Can you stop with the self pity you get when you think you are ugly?  Would you tell God that he made something as beautiful as lets say the stars ugly? You wouldn't do that right? You wouldn't dream of trying to insult the Lord by telling him his amazing creations are hideous. So why call yourself hideous? Don't you see God used  His amazing work to make you? And that he made you beautifully? Psalm 139:14  (KJV) 14  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvel...

I recently read an article in Brio Magazine. It was about a woman who was struggling with her faith. But she said she knew she should feel blessed because she was able to pray, and believe in God freely. That she was blessed because of other women who have to meet in secret, in elevator shafts hidden within buildings in countries that are opposed to the Gospel. They know that they could be persecuted, arrested and killed. But they do it because they believe in God. They do it because Jesus is the most important thing to them. And I started thinking about my purpose in life. I believe it is to help others. So I thought maybe I'll be a missionary in some foreign country. But then I thought, I don't want to die a painful death. But this quote I saw in this documentary once came to me. "We die only once. You might as well die for Christ." -- Werner Groenewald. And I started thinking about those people who have to hide just so they can read their bibles and pray. ...

So let me just start off by saying you are loved. You are loved so much! Jesus loves you so much and he shows us how much he loves us every day of our lives,  even if we don't notice it. Jesus shows us his love for us in so many ways each and every day. By keeping us safe and taken care of us and many more ways! I just really hope that this post reaches out to someone, and makes you see how much you are loved. Because no one should feel alone or unwanted or unloved. And I hope that whoever is reading this doesn't see me as a weak, unicorn, puppy loving teen who is just out to save the world. I'm not Sue Heck from the "Middle." I do want to help the world, but I realize I can't help the world just some of the people in it.  I want people to recognize me as kind and beautiful. Not the "pretty" beautiful but the best kind of beautiful : the heart beautiful.  I just want to help people. Anyways enough of that. Back to Jesus and love. Here are so...

Fall is my favorite season. And there really isn't a reason for this post but to tell you how much I love fall. I just watched "You've Got Mail"  for the probably 10th time.  And in the movie Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks live in New York,  and it's fall. And everything is beautiful. And Meg Ryan's character owns a small bookstore that is beautiful and it's the kind of store where you walk in and smell this amazing scent and forget all the trouble in your life. You know what I'm talking about? And I could almost smell the beautiful scent through the TV screen. And I just cannot wait for fall to come because my nose is just begging to smell that amazing scent of fall. And ya know in a lot of movies I've seen and books I've read the characters think that spring is amazing. Ya know new things coming to life,  it's warm (yuck 😝) etc, etc. But spring is not amazing, fall is. Fall is magical, it's magnificent,  it's beautiful and amazing. ...