Liebster Award

Hey y’all!

I’ve been nominated for the Liebster Award! I’ve never done anything quite like this before, but I’ll give it my best shot 😉 ❤

So, first, I want to send a HUGE thank-you to the wonderful author who nominated me from  Faith on the Farm !!! She has such a neat and inspiring blog — y’all need to go check it out if you haven’t yet ❤

Now……on to the questions! ❤

What is a way in which you are really passionate about serving God? I.e. a career, a hobby, a ministry.

This is such a tough tie. I enjoy a plethora of activities…particularly writing, art, and singing, and I think the Lord is using me in all of those areas (in some form or fashion) to serve Him and others. I write in order to glorify the Lord and to encourage/uplift others. I try very hard to glorify and honor Him in art…though where that’s going He hasn’t quite shown me yet 😉 , and I sing with my wonderful family. Mom plays the piano…Dad sings…and so all of us kids grew up in an atmosphere flooded with music and worship. So NOW, Mom still plays the piano/sings, Daddy sings, and so do we kids…and we sing Scripture songs to tunes God has given our family! It’s been a roller-coaster thrill of a ride the past decade to see how God has developed us as a group and where He’s lead us…we’re not world-famous (and don’t aim to be 😉 ), but we have been able to serve Him in so many neat ways. And I tend to think that God’s not finished yet 😉 ❤

What is your favorite post of all the posts you’ve ever written?

Hehe. I’m not too sure…hmm. I think “Before These Eyes” was the most involved…not because I think it’s great or anything, but because I just felt this huge urge to get it out there…to share with others what I was so convicted of.

Who in your life was most instrumental in showing you the WAY in Christ?

Undoubtedly, my parents ❤ I am so thankful for their gentle persistence in showing me the WAY to Christ, and have been thankful for their guidance and input since. When I rededicated my life to Christ when I was twelve, I was struggling with a LOT of doubt (I was saved at 6) as to whether or not I had truly meant what I’d committed to…and as a result of that intense battle I’ve been strengthened over the years. I had struggled with doubting my salvation all through high school, and just a year ago, really, became pretty convinced that my soul had been secured ❤ It’s been a rough road, but I’m glad for every turn the Lord’s taken me down…He’s always revealed Himself to me in a new and awesome way as a result ❤ ❤

What book other than the Bible do you read or have you been reading regularly?

Ohhhh that’s hard! I’ve always been a pretty avid reader…so there are many I’ve read that have been helpful to me at different stages in my life so far. Right now I’ll have to go with Elisabeth Elliot’s Shadow of the Almighty…that book has been SO GOOD. I love the depth it portrays of Jim Elliot’s incredible life, and all the things he learned spiritually by being faithful in His relationship with the Lord. That has been so convicting and motivating.

Who is your favorite non-Bible author?

Another heart-rending tie……Here are my two favs ❤ ❤ : (1) C. R. Hedgcock, author of the Baker Family Adventure Series, and (2) Chuck Black, author of the Kingdom Series, Knights of Arrethtrae Series, and Wars of the Realm Trilogy. Both are fantastic, God-centered, incredibly talented authors using their carefully-honed skills to serve the Lord — a fact for which I am truly, truly grateful ❤ ❤

Who is your favorite Old Testament character?

These questions are hard. HARD. 😉 But since I mustn’t leave this question unanswered, I think I’ll go with David, although it’s a close tie ❤ The reason why I went with him is because his life demonstrates his die-hard love and relationship with God. He definitely wasn’t perfect– even though he was considered a “man after God’s own heart” and was even chosen to be THE King of Israel to replace a wicked one– but even though he was imperfect and made some big blunders, God never gave up on him…and David always came back to God with a humble, devastated-by-his-sin, repentant attitude. I love that. It encourages me beyond words.

What time of day do you usually go to bed?

Oh goodness…just a little ‘heads-up’: My goal is 8:30pm…which implies me getting ready for bed by 8:00pm…and I even have an alarm set which reminds me daily of this goal: “CALLIE GO TO BED NOW!!!” Average bed-time? Anywhere from 8:45pm – 9:15pm. Ten o’clock and beyond is for the night before Christmas, birthdays, and whenever we’re vacationing at grandparents’ houses ❤

Do you wear glasses or contact lenses at all?

I do not, personally. I don’t have 20/20 vision (my 17-year-old brother has that privilege 😉 ), but I don’t need glasses or lenses. My almost-15-year-old sister wears glasses (has since she was around 7) and she looks so pretty in hers……my youngest sister went and bought fake glasses last year to try to “fit in” 😉 ❤ ❤ But no. I don’t wear either of them.

Favorite Christian music artist?

Hmm. That is very difficult. I typically do not like a certain artist simply because he/she is “in” or “popular” or “cool”…but I do enjoy various songs by different artists. My top favorite??? I’ll have to go with Casting Crowns…simply because their music is worshipful — particularly their new song which recently debuted, “Only Jesus”. But there are three other artists who tie for 2nd place: For King and Country (their song “By Our Love” is amazing) and Big Daddy Weave (their song “If You Died Tonight” is my fav), and finally Newsboys (“Fishers of Men” ) is so motivating! Note: While I don’t like listening to rock, the urgency portrayed in this one makes it an exception 😉

Do you like spicy food?

Yes…to a degree. Flavorful is a must, and when spice enhances flavor, YES. But dumping in loads and loads of spiciness just doesn’t sit well with my poor little sensitive mouth/tastebuds 😀 😉 ❤ ❤ My younger brother and I went to the Texas Homeschool Christian Prom in April of 2018, and while the meal itself was healthy/amazing/etcetera, the entire dish was drenched– DRENCHED– in jerk sauce. My brother and I ate as much as we could, but we danced most of the night away on an empty stomach ❤ They did a much better job this year, though.

How long does it typically take you to write a post?

Haha. That…depends. I have set a schedule for myself, but life has a brilliant way of getting IN the way, and my life tends to have seasons of roller-coaster rides (as does everyone else’s, I suppose 😉 ). It takes me anywhere from up to 5 minutes to 5 months.

11 RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT MYSELF

1. I was baptized (after I got saved at six years of age) in a horse-trough ❤

2. I talk to our beloved family cat (call me weird… 😉 ❤ )

3. My siblings and I are bffs ❤

4. I have at least a million story parts/ideas/excerpts crammed onto nearly every shelf that’s mine in the bedroom I share with my sweet sisters.

5. I prefer the spring/summer climate to winter…though all seasons are beautiful!

6. I was not allowed to ride an enormous horse at the Dallas (petting) Zoo because at the time I was 86 lbs and the limit was 85 lbs (I went home that day I devastated twelve-year-old…) ❤

7. I have had 2 concussions ❤ One @ age 16 (tough recovery…headaches, no movies, no reading, no writing, no activity…I COULD explore art though!! 😀 😀 I also grew a lot spiritually then ❤ ), and another right before I turned 18 (that one was MUCH more mild…very thankful ❤ ❤ )…side note: I faint whenever I encounter gross medical discussions, extreme hunger, or intense heat.

8. I met my pen-pal in Nebraska when I was 11. Been writing her ever since! ❤

9. I attempted to write and draw pictures for my own series when I was seven.

10. This is my last year being in the *teen-years* (tries not to cry) 😉 My siblings are constantly harassing me on this tender topic ❤ ❤ I am looking forward, at the same time, to being twenty. It’s a strange mix of emotions 😉 ❤ 🙂

11. I love Jesus Christ my Savior ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

OKAY! NOW FOR THE NOMINEES!

This was tough.

• Elijah from Christian Books for Christ the King
• Lydia from Lydia’s Blog
• Parker from Pencils and Pianos
• Meredith from Artsy Arrow
• Ani from Ani’s Books
• Malachi from Brainstorms with Rain
• Rosy from Rosy’s Writings
• Micaiah from Notebooks and Novels
• Kate from Once Upon An Ordinary
• Farmgirl from Farmgirl Fibers & Arts
• Emma from The Daydream Believer

I absolutely love ALL of these blogs…… and I have a college class right now calling my name and my nifty little timer has been bleeping at me for the past five minutes…

And here are my questions… ❤

QUESTIONS FOR NOMINEES:

1. Why did you begin blogging?

2. What is your favorite series of books, and why?

3. If you had the chance to visit any place in the world and stay there for a year, where would you go?

4. What time period would you travel back to, and why?

5. How did you come to know the Lord Jesus as your Savior?

6. What’s one of your favorite activities to do with your family?

7. What’s one meal you couldn’t live without?

8. What’s one passage of Scripture you’ve memorized, and how has it helped you?

9. What gifts/talents has God blessed you with, and how do you think you’ll be able to use them for His glory?

10. Which missionary inspires you the most?

11. What’s one time in your life in which you saw God’s hand move? (e.g., it can be anything from witnessing a miracle, praying through a situation and seeing God move, etc. ❤ )

RULES:

And here are the rules…honestly, I had not a CLUE as to *how/what/when/where/who/why* ANYTHING concerning the Liebster Award. I had to look up the rules…figure out why it was created…you know 😉 ❤

 

• Thank the blogger who nominated you.
• Answer the questions or fulfill the task that blogger gave their nominees.
• Provide 10 random facts about yourself, OR compose a 150 to 300-word post about your favorite blog and explain why you like it (and give a link).
• Nominate 5-11 other bloggers, who have less than 200 followers.
• Ask your nominees your own questions.
• List the rules in your post.
• Once you have written and published your post, then inform your nominees of their nomination.

And that’s it for this post!

And I sincerely apologize about the inconsistency of the posts. Life really has been unruly ❤ But I’ll try to get back to something normal-ish very soon ❤

Thank you all for bearing with me!!! (And sorry for overusing the hearts 😀 😀 😉 )