Chosen Vessels

I know, I know... No post all last week. So sorry about that! I'm here today with a post, though. I hope you enjoy. :)  Do you ever look at the world around you and feel a compelling urge to do something about it? Like you're supposed to be doing something – anything – to change it? To make a difference? To shine Christ's light?  I know I do.  And we  are  supposed to be doing something. As Christians, each of us have a job to do for God's eternal kingdom. Spreading the Gospel. Winning souls.  Yet it often angers me to see it all – the evil and wickedness in this lost, dark, dying world. It's wrong. It's dishonoring to God. If those people (I'm very bad to categorize) can be so blatantly sinful, why should they be offered the chance of salvation?  But God reminds me that I'm a sinner too. And just as bad of one as anyone else. No sin is 'better' or 'worse' than any other. (I'm almost off this rabbit trail. ...

~ Description Leona Speicher got the "sister" she'd always dreamed of the day Gloria Gingerich and her family moved to Lancaster County Amish farmland. The Arkansas newcomers seem to be everything a devout Plain family should be, and Leona can't help comparing Gloria's engaging young parents to her own.  Leona's cousin shows a romantic interest in Gloria around the same time as Gloria's older brother expresses his fondness for Leona--it seems likely the two young women will marry into each other's families, remaining close friends for life. Thus, Leona is shocked when the Gingeriches suddenly pack up and disappear after being expelled from the church for reasons no one will discuss. Despite Leona's pleas, Gloria goes with them, leaving more than one broken heart behind.  When Gloria unexpectedly contacts Leona after a silence of several years, Leona makes up her mind to persuade her friend to return to Lancaster County and the Amish ways. Leona...

~  Description   People affected by a loved one's addiction suffer silently in church pews. I was one of them. I'm Juliet. Sometimes I wish I could be someone else, with another name altogether, someone whose life is more comedy than tragedy. During the twelve years I was married to a cocaine-addicted Christian, I was overwhelmed with isolation and shame as I sat next to my ex-husband in church week after week. No one fathomed our family skeletons. How could I tell anyone? God stirred my spirit to seek personal healing and give voice to my reality. Through Him, I found freedom from silence and redemption for the life dreams I thought were forever lost.  Same Dress, Different Day: A Spiritual Memoir of Addiction and Redemption  chronicles my journey from victim to victor as I struggled to break free from codependency's suffocating cycle. I learned to see my Savior as the soul mate and provider my chemically dependent spouse could never be. God's healing grace is not o...

Hey everyone! This is the seventh part of Sisters in Christ. I can hardly believe it! Are you enjoying this as much as I am? :D  This month, our special guest is Blessing Counter from   Counting Your Blessing One by One . Be sure to check out her blog! :) (Cool fact here, Blessing and I are in the same online ASL class this year! We had no idea until the first week of class. How awesome is that?! XD)  Welcome to the blog, Blessing! Go ahead and introduce yourself. :)  I’m an ordinary 16 year old, country girl with an extraordinary view on life :) I’m a Christian saved by grace, a daughter of the King. I also have a great love for books, cameras, and music, and I am homeschooled with my 6 other siblings. Oh yeah, and my friends consider me an English nerd ;P  Since we're here because we met through blogging, let's chat about that.  What inspired you to start a blog?  Well, my desire to start a blog first started after I di...

Hey everyone! :) I know what you're thinking...I forgot Saturday's post? Or maybe you didn't even notice? :P  We shall stop here to admire my beautiful post graphic... Yes, I doodled that myself. ;P Anyhow, here's a quick something I wanted to share with you all. A song that has truly touched my heart and been such a blessing. One Step Away by Casting Crowns. :)  “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”   ~  Hebrews 4:16 KJV “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:”     ~  Ezekiel 11:19 KJV Have you heard this song? Do you like it? Also, I'm adding a poll to the sidebar and y'all can let me know which post you would most like to see here. (I'll probably do them all at some point in...