Sisters in Christ ~ Karyssa N. ~ June 2017

Well, we kind of took an intentional break from the Sisters in Christ series last month, but... it's back today. :D 

This month's special guest is Karyssa from No Coffee, No Can Do. (She has a super cool blog, and you should totally go check it out...after you finish this post, that is. :P) 

Welcome to the blog, girl! Go ahead and introduce yourself to the readers. :D 

Hey, everyone! I'm Karyssa, a nineteen year old Christian girl striving to be more like Jesus each and every day. I'm a homeschool graduate, and when I'm not working, I can be found writing, reading, walking, running, or spending time with my family and friends. I absolutely love the outdoors. I really like to go/see new places (as long as I don't get lost). And, last but not least, I'm a lover of smiles and laughter.

Alright, let's start with blogging. What inspired you to start a blog?

Well, I love to write and blogging is another way I can practice my writing. I also wanted to connect with other writers because I believe that every writer needs encouragement. And this way, I can give and receive that encouragement, along with help, tips, and advice.

Did you read other blogs before starting your own, or was starting a blog what thrust you into this amazing world we call The Blogospere?

I actually read blogs before starting my own. I started reading blogs in March last year (2016). It only took me a couple of weeks to begin thinking about starting my own blog, but I wasn't sure. I thought it would be fun, but I didn't know anything about the blogging world and didn't think I'd be able to do it. Finally, at the end of October, I decided that I was going to start one of my own. So I set it up and posted my first blog post this past January. :)

How did you find my blog(s)?

Oh, goodness. Let's see if I can think back that far (far meaning five months ago :P). Well, it all started on Goodreads. A lot of my friends were liking your updates, so they kept showing up. I thought, "Faith seems like a really nice girl". So, I checked out your profile to find that you had a blog! That one was Stories by Firefly, and from there, I found Chosen Vessels. :)

Haha, cool! I remember becoming friends on GR, and then getting to know you through the NaNo makeup chat. ;) 

Next up, let's talk about our shared faith. What is your favorite Bible verse, chapter, and book? Why?

My favorite Bible verse: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 I like this one because it's really hard to gain my trust, and this reminds me that I can trust God. And He will never let me down.

Favorite chapter: I actually never thought about it until now. But I guess it might be John 19, because, if you remember, it tells about Jesus dying on the cross.

Favorite book: Is probably Proverbs. It's not a really long one, but it has so. much. wisdom in it. And I just find that I learn a lot when I read that book.

What Bible verse(s) have really helped you through some rough times?

Oh that's a good question. I'd have to say these two:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8 (NKJV)

What is one event in your life that really strengthened your Christian walk?

I don't know that it's necessarily an event, I think it's more the people in my life. In my nineteen years, I've had a lot of people come into my life, and a lot who've left. Actually, it's more like people will come into my life, stay for x amount of time, and then leave. But that's life. People are going to come, and some are going to go. I learn a lot from each person and I feel like I'm closer to God afterwards. :)

Any Bible reading tips?

Don't be afraid to mark your Bible. Underline and/or highlight things. Use bookmarks. It's been almost a year since my dad gave me a Bible that he marked from Genesis all the way to Revelations. There are six colors, and each one is for something different. Personally, I think that marking your Bible is all part of the Bible study process, but I understand that not everyone agrees with me there. And that's okay. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I respect that. :)

And... Reading and writing. On a scale of 1-10, how much of a reader would you consider yourself? What about a writer?

Oh, let's see... I'd give reading a 2 and writing a 1. Just kidding! I love reading and writing way to much for it to be that low. I guess I'd probably say an 8 for both of them. Maybe a 9? I don't know, someone answer for me!

Where's your favorite place to read and/or write?

My favorite place to read is probably my room. I almost never read anywhere else. But, more than likely, that will change once it gets warmer, because then I'll be outside more. As for writing, my favorite place is the living room. I have a little space, out of the way, where I can spread my things out. Both places are on the floor though. For some reason, I prefer to sit on the floor.

I like sitting on the floor at times too...or otherwise sitting in weird positions. :P 

What's your favorite author(s)? Favorite books by them?

Oh, favorite authors! I can do this one! :) C.S. Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia is my favorite by him. "Mere Christianity" is another good one by Lewis. Karen Whitemeyer and her book "Short-Straw Bride." And lastly, Tricia Mingerink. She is one of my new favorite authors and I absolutely love her series the "Blades of Acktar." 

What are some books that really impacted your young life?

No, this question is not allowed! I'm not even sure I can remember back that far ... Fine, hold on. *goes to look at book shelves* Okay, I'm going to say the Danny Orlis series by Bernard Palmer and the Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene. I haven't read all the books in these series but I've read a lot. Danny Orlis is a pretty old series so I don't expect you to be familiar with it. You may have heard of Nancy Drew though. I looved Nancy Drew when I was younger, and I have like, two shelves of those books.

The random questions to close us out... If you had to use one word to describe yourself, what would it be?

Okay, this is by far, the hardest question so far. I hate being asked this question because I have yet to find one word that describes me. But at the same time, I like it because it makes you think about yourself. And I don't mean that in a bad way. What I mean is that it makes you think about how you come across to others. What are others seeing in you?

So I asked my sister to answer this question for me, and she said that if she were to describe me to someone who didn't know me, she would say sporty/outdoorsy/bookworm. That's actually pretty accurate. :P Now, when I think about myself, the first word that comes to mind is "crazy". There are quite a few words that people would use to describe me, but I have yet to find that one word. If someone thinks of it, please tell me!

Any pet peeves?

Haha, where to start? No, there really isn't that many. So, my pet peeves. I do not. like. loud. chewing. It's really annoying. If I know it's not going to be rude or anything, I'll put my earbuds in and listen to music to block it out. I don't like inconsistencies in book series and books that are made into movies. I'll be the first person to say, "That's not how it was in the book!" or "His eyes are supposed to be green! Not blue! Get rid of that actor, he's not qualified!" And, oh my word, you may think this is weird, but it bothers me when people put the toilet paper on the holder thingy... backwards! It only takes like, three additional seconds to put it on correctly.

Favorite songs?

Oh my goodness, I have soo many! I absolutely love music! Personally, I think that if you really do love music, you won't have just one favorite song, you're going to have many. And, one thing about me is, my taste in music is kinda weird. What I mean by that is, I like everything, except the songs I don't like. I can like one or two songs by a band, but then hate all the others by them. I know, I don't understand it either. :P So here are some of my favorites, in no particular order:

"Tell Your Heart to Beat Again" by Danny Gokey

"Stars" by Skillet

"Sold Out" and "Faithful" by Hawk Nelson

"Sparrows" by Jason Gray

"Soul on Fire" by Third Day

"As the Deer" (I think this one is an older hymn)

Obviously, these are just a few of them. I could go on and on, but then we'd be here all day. ;)

Thank you so much for having me, Faith! These questions were great and I had a really fun time answering them. :)

Thank you for coming over, Karyssa! :D I so enjoyed it! 

~*~ 

Thanks for reading everyone! Be a dear and leave us a comment. ;) 

~Faith 

*All images, excluding post graphic, were borrowed from Pinterest.