I'm Still Alive!!

Hello friends! I've been kind of MIA lately, haven't I? I would say I'm sorry, but honestly I'm not. See, sometimes God replaces one adventure with another, and I've been living a new season of life - a new adventure - lately. Perhaps I'll do an update post on that. Perhaps. ;) In the meantime, hop on over to the CollegePlus blog where they just posted my sixth (sixth?!?! Goodness gracious! It sounds like I'm a writer or something!) post. It's about reading and the fact that I've actually been doing quite a bit of reading lately, which is unusual for me. Anywho. Keep living the journey, friends! 

P.S. Have you read any good books lately? I'd love to add them to my humongous to-read list! Seriously. My to-read shelf on Goodreads is 121 books huge. Better get on that...

The Books I Grew Up On

I didn’t watch TV.

Didn’t play video games.

Didn’t chat on the phone.

And I… uh…. I still don’t have a cell phone.

Goodness, I remember thinking I was headed straight for a mess of sin when I got an MP3 player for Christmas one year!

How did I exist like that?

I grew up on books. And my parent’s guidance and wonderful friends and an occasional movie… but books taught me a bunch. Here are the ones that stand out in my memory: 

• Kisses from Katie. Beautiful story of a girl who followed God’s leading to live in Uganda with a passel of adopted girls. This book gave me a heart for missions and orphans.
• Beautiful Girlhood. Great mom-daughter read about issues of the heart. I loved the old-fashioned tone of this book.

• Do Hard Things. Revealed the crazy-low expectations our culture has for teens and inspired me to rise above them.

• Life of Faith series. I credit these books with giving me a desire for intimacy with Christ. Elsie, Violet, Millie, Kathleen… I looked up to them all (as strange as that sounds) and grew closer to God as a result. They were my role models in print.

• Before You Meet Prince Charming. This was the first book I read about guys and relationships. It taught me the beauty of purity and the wisdom of my parents. I became a staunch believer in “courtship” or “dating with lots of parental involvement and consent.” This book helped me decide for myself that I would not date until I’m ready to get married. (and I’ve stuck with it, by the way!)

• It’s (Not That) Complicated. This takes the whole guys-and-crushes-and-how-do-I-treat-guys to the next level. It showed me that guys and girls can, indeed, have uplifting friendships without getting romantically involved.

• Beyond Waiting. I personally know the author of this book, and it’s as awesome as she is. It taught me that waiting around for Prince Charming is not the way to go. Beyond Waiting encouraged me to live my life – whether or not a guy is on the horizon.

 

What books shaped your life as you grew up? Let me know in the comments!

The Best Books I Read All Year

If you read my post on the CollegePlus blog, you know that reading is AWESOME for you. Maybe you even decided to up your game and read more in 2015 than you did last year – way to go!

I love hearing book recommendations from others. My to-read shelf on Goodreads is growing faster than I can devour the books, but each one looks too good to pass up when someone else recommends it!

Good thing cyber-shelves don’t gather dust.

I’m going to let you in on my five favorite books (in no special order) from 2014 so you* can stuff your to-read shelf like mine!

1.       Counted Worthy. I wish it was longer. It's a dystopian novel with scripture woven beautifully throughout. It kept me glued to the pages and thinking about my commitment to Christ.

2.      Folks, This Ain’t Normal. Don’t open this book until you understand that Joel Salatin, the author, is very opinionated, blunt and committed. He is funny and you’ll learn a lot about the crazy state of our food and our farms, but don’t take anything too personally. He’s a character. ;)

3.      Leadership and Dedication. It’s written by a former Communist who becomes a Christian. But guess what? He’s humble enough to see the tactics of the Communists that worked – things that kept their followers loyal and motivated. A neat perspective, and I learned a bunch from it.

4.       Desiring God. All right friends. If you want to think deeply, see God more clearly, and change your life… read this book. But take your time, because you probably won’t be able to digest it in a rush – it’s that rich.

5.      The Circle Series by Ted Dekker. It’s technically four books, but I didn’t want to bore you listing each one - because I loved all four. These had a great impact on my spiritual life, plus I was blown away by the plot. Great stuff.

What were your favorite books of 2014? Let me know in the comments!

*For any young readers out there, please understand that I am 17 years old, and the content of these books reflect that (besides Counted Worthy, which I believe is appropriate for young teens). Please ask your parents before reading them! Something special just for you young girls is coming on Monday – I’ll not keep you in the dark about awesome books! Stay tuned!

12 Reasons You Should Read More in 2015

Can you list 12 reasons why you should read more in 2015? I can! Check my reasons out here, where I wrote for the CollegePlus! blog.

Happy NewYear, friends. Pick up a new book, learn a new skill, take a few risks.

Truly live 2015.