Will Our Generation Speak?

Almost two years ago, I received a copy of an INCREDIBLE book at a revival meeting in our church. The book was written by Grace Mally, which instantly intrigued me because a few years prior I had been involved with a Bible study (called B.R.I.G.H.T. Lights) for girls by Grace's big sister, Sarah Mally.

As I got deeper into the book, I was burdened to start a group study on this book and how we needed to get the gospel out there. But I was 16; what could a starting high school senior do? I had no idea how to start a Bible Study! 

But God's will prevails. I purchased a case of the books, and started a group among my friends of our homeschooling group. While the study itself only lasted about 4 weeks, due to holidays and my crazy school schedule, the time we had was definitely a blessed time.

Will Our Generation Speak? Is full of encouraging testimonies and great ideas, 

as well as resources to get you started!

Now this isn't an ordinary book. Will Our Generation Speak? is a challenge, a call to us as sons and daughters of the Most High God to bring others to His everlasting truth and life. I mean, Jesus told us that we are the light of the world! We are the ones to bring His love to all the nations! 

I'm really super excited about this book all over again, and have the flame in my heart once more. I am hoping to start an open group Bible study, much like the young adult group that I go to on Thursday evenings here in Tennessee. It isn't solely for the people that go to church at the host church: It is for anyone you want to bring, despite what denomination they are, or whether or not they even go to church, or if they're married, etc. But I can tell you this: it is a beautiful time of fellowship in Christ!

So my hope and prayer is that God will continue to lead me where He wants me, down to the exact times and dates that are in His plan! 

If you all don't mind praying for me, I would SOOOO appreciate it! 

Love you all!

XO, Shelby

Week 7 of Project Leap of Faith

Ok, now that I am SO late, here it is.

Here we are at week 7.

7 of the best weeks of my life.

It seems like the closer I've gotten to the end, the faster time has gone. I'm really not ready to leave. The blessings I've received in the short time I've been here. From playing second mommy to sweet little girls, all the way to being a Kitten Daycare!

I'm so excited, this Tuesday (Week 8) our new Ruby girl is coming!! Another exciting event coming up is the mega Potter Birthday Bash next weekend. We're basically celebrating all of the birthdays (and my grandparents' anniversary!) over Labor Day weekend, meaning I'll get to see my sweet family again! (:

The kittens have officially opened their eyes, and are as cute as can be! They turned a week old on Tuesday, and are more than double the size they were when they were born.

ALSO. I MADE A THING FOR LUNCH. AND YOU HAVE TO TRY IT. It was a Trim Healthy Mama S meal, and SOOOO worth it!! I heated a bit of red palm oil in a cast iron skillet, and heated some red pepper flakes, garlic, and celery seed in it for about a minute. I then added fresh okra (I just sliced about 5 pods into rounds) and 2 VERY small tomatoes (1 green, the other yellow, sliced and halved) and let them cook down until tender. I then added some of Mrs. Campbell's famous One Pot soup (which is just a basic vegatable soup with a few leftovers added to it-sauteed squash and a few pieces of broccoli that were too little to put in seperate containers) and let everything cook down. 

Oh. My. Word. Yeah, it was good. Finish it up with a summery twist on Good Girl Moonshine (add about 3 tbsp lemon juice to the original recipe), and you have one amazing meal. AND it's healthy. But anything you cook in red palm oil will probably end up tasting amazing soooooo....

Anyway, I went to the young adult Bible study group with my dear friend Meadow last night, and it was SO encouraging. A great reminder that when we pray, we need to go deep! We aren't talking to air! In Daniel 2, we see that Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (AKA Shadrach, Meshach, and Obednego) had a prayer meeting when they found out about the king's latest decree (v.18). Daniel trusted God to answer right away, he didn't falter and say "Oh, hey God, if you could, um, maybe give me an idea of what to do... maybe, that'd be cool..." No. Daniel asked God, BELIEVING God would give him an answer right away. And then, when God provided an answer, Daniel so deeply thanked God! (v. 20-23)

I believe that if we are specific in the things we pray about, God will reveal to us and bless us for it, becuase we are showing trust in Him. We are believing that He is listening and hearing what we have to say, and the Lord will bless your faith. 

So this week, I ask that each of you set aside some time in your day, free from obligations and distractions, and give yourself over to God. Talk to Him. He is your Dad, after all!

Hope you guys have a great week! I'm still currently trying to finish writing Day 3 of 12 Things a Christian Shouldn't Do, but I somehow have misplaced my notebook with all of my notes... SO. That must be posted ASAP! 

Xoxo, Shelby

Day 2-Far From Worthless! (Believing You're Worthless)

Day two. Now, how are you handling the title? Show of hands, how many instantly thought ‘oh great, another pep rally speech’, or maybe ‘but I don’t have anything to offer God, so I must be worthless...’?

Be honest now. I’m going to be more open in these next few posts, share how God has overcome each of these things (and is still overcoming!) in my life, day by day.

So, now that I’ve beaten the honesty thing into your heads, I shall begin.

YOU ARE NOT WORTHLESS.

Simple as that, you’re not. Dear ones, we are each so precious, so treasured by God. I mean, come on, He formed us in His hand! He was so abundantly giving with His mercy, He loves us so much, that God made us alive, despite being dead in our sins and wrongdoings. His grace was so extravagantly given that God sent His very own Son to die in our places, to take the full punishment and wrath we deserve.

Do you really think that He would have done that for some worthless, useless piece of trash in the corner? No. Because you are worth so much more than that.

Psalm 139 tells us that He ...formed our inward part, and knitted us together in our mother’s womb. (verse 13, paraphrased) Guys, God saw our unformed being (verse 16). He has known each and every day that we have in our lives-from the moment of conception to the day we take our last breath-even before we existed on earth.

Do you understand your worth yet? Ok, maybe you’ve just said no. Here’s one last thought I’m going to leave you with.

God created you in His image.

You are so beautiful and so perfectly made, made in our Heavenly Father’s image! (Yes, I’m also preaching to myself haha!) What is standing between you and the acceptance of this new concept?

Right now, if you have anything in your life(TV shows, magazines, books) or anyone (friends specifically, or coworkers) that makes you feel any less than you are, GET RID OF IT. Delete Facebook or Instagram, get a different job, stop looking at those magazines, don’t hang out with those people you’ve labeled friends! Maybe try to get into a ministry at your church. help out in the nursery, or maybe become a Sunday School teacher’s assistant. Try to help with the youth programs your church may have, or maybe start your own! All you have to do is take that first step. Just a reminder, the #1 thing you can do is give your life and your worth over to God. Do it and watch His hand move in your life, in incredible ways!

XO, Shelby

Day 1- No Turning Back (Looking Back At Our Past)

Picture Found Here

Wow, it’s day 1 and I’m already hanging my head in shame!

I’m sure almost all of you have heard the expression “You can’t move forward if you’re always looking back”; It certainly is true. While it is wise to learn from past mistakes, we shouldn’t dwell on them and make them an idol in our lives. (Yes, even mistakes can become an idol!)

Your past no longer exists. It is forever gone, covered by the perfect blood of Christ. Isaiah 43:18-19a is a WONDERFUL reminder of what God is doing in us, stating that  we should Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing... (ESV) This is also repeated in the New Testament, in 2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

The old has passed away. Let that sink in for a moment. We don’t have a reason to keep looking back, because those things are GONE! When we accepted Christ into our lives, believing that He is the true Son of God, all of our sins were covered with His Blood.

Yes, we still do need to repent when we sin, and we need to forgive those who hurt us, but when we forgive, we have to let go. We can’t keep a dead weight around. Holding on to past hurts and grudges will only hinder us from obtaining the magnificent love and rewards our Heavenly Father tries to shower us with.

So today, I want you to take that dead weight, the burden that you’ve kept, and I want you to give it up to God. Right now, release the things in your past that you keep looking back at, and feel His freedom flood into your life. God’s grace is enough to cover it, to release you from it’s hold, and to help you forgive both others and yourself. You must forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead. (Philippians 3:13- read 14 for extra encouragement!) You can do it, I know you can!

Today, I’m letting go of my recent past choice and deepest regret, and I’m taking on God’s covering of mercy and love.

I will be praying over each of you! Let me know if you have a specific prayer request, down in the comments (:

XOXO, Shelby

Week 6 of Project Leap of Faith

Here we are at week 6. You know how I was complaining about how little time I had here, and how I wish I had more time? My wish has been granted by God! He saw my desire, and He has blessed me with the opportunity to stay another two weeks! I’m so excited!

This past week has been somewhat adventurous. I’ve continued making prayer boxes, made Watermelemonade Slush (Note that I did tweak the recipe a smidge-stevia in place of sugar, no mint, and I froze until slushy style!) for the munchkins, drank too much Good Girl Moonshine and played with big kittens. ALSO, THAT LITTLE CAT THAT I FELL IN LOVE WITH HERE HAD HER KITTENS YESTERDAY!!! Four tiny, furry little jelly beans of cuteness! (Yes. I will get a photo as soon as Little Mommy Shadow feels comfortable with me coming near them.)

It’s been quite rainy the past few days, but not too rainy to enjoy the life of a Rubies Girl! We’ve been staying busy (and trying to stay out of trouble haha!)

I’m sorry this post is going to be so short, But there’s so much I still have to finish! I have 6 BLOG POSTS WAITING FOR INTERNET TO POST. JUST 1 MORE DAY GUYS!

Haha I’ll post up a special one just for you guys tomorrow (:

12 Days, 12 Things

Hello everyone! I just HAD to share with y’all something that I found on Facebook. If you read my LAST POST, you’ll see the link :)

The article, 12 Things a Christian Shouldn’t Do, TOTALLY spoke to me. Every little thing on that list was something that I REALLY struggle with, so I’m breaking each of the things down into a lesson point/blog post.

For 12 days, you and I will work on these together, and start seeing ourselves the way God sees us as His children: perfected in His Son’s Blood.

Now these posts are meant to encourage and inspire you in your spiritual walk, not discourage you and make you feel as though you aren’t good enough to be God’s child.

I just want you to know I’m learning this right alongside you guys haha!

So yeah! One of the next post starts Day 1: No Turning Back: Looking Back at Our Past. I hope you enjoy the next few posts, I pray that you all will be blessed and encouraged, and may you continue to keep your mind focused on God’s will for your life no matter what you’re doing!

XO, Shelby

Week 5 of Project Leap of Faith

Welcome to Project Leap of Faith week fi- Wait a second. Week FIVE???? like, 5???? Nononononono, time is NOT supposed to do that. Like yesterday I was writing week 1… *sobs hysterically*

My time here has been INCREDIBLE. I could never ask for better family-away-from-family, and all of the new friend I’ve met. I’ve experienced family reunions, birthday parties, weddings. I’ve met other girls who are so much like me, and girls who are my opposite (yet we just somehow *click*).

Rashida and Jack are Officially Married!

This past Saturday was my dear friend Rashida’s wedding. After several rainy days leading up to the wedding, we woke up to stunning blue skies and a cool breeze. Everything was beautiful. The bride was beyond stunning. The vows were sweet and strong. And the reception… The dancing was amazing. I have never danced as much as I did Saturday night. It was midnight before we sent the bride and groom off.  It was so perfect, so beautiful, and definitely an unforgettable experience. I made so many new friends, one in particular I grew close to, even though we didn’t have a lot of time together. If you’d like to meet Keturah, check out her blog keturahskorner.blogspot.com !
I was doing the math today, and I have 3 weeks and 3 days before I'm supposed to go home. I don't know how I'll be able to handle it. It will definitely be VERY hard. Today at work, I made Prayer Boxes for Mrs. Campbell's next retreat. I'm hoping to start working on a blog post about Prayer Boxes and how to make them (with pictures!) soon. It's super fun, and would be such a special craft to make with your whole family. (:

Well I'm off for now! About to start on a new blog series that was inspired by a post that I found Here (:

See you for now! Xoxo, Shelby

Dear God.... An Open Letter to God

 Photo found here:

Dear God, 

I want to start by thanking You for all the things You bless me with on a daily basis: the blue skies, sunshine, sunsets, starry nights, lightning bugs. I thank You for my vision, my hearing, my touch, my smell, my taste. Jesus I thank You for the punishment You took for me on that cross 2,000 years ago, every whip lash, every spit and angry word that was directed towards You, every drive of that nail into Your Hand. I thank You for bearing every sin the world has ever carried, is carrying, and will carry on Your Shoulders. God I thank You, for turning Your Back on Your Son, to give me a life with You. You hold me up when I have a hard time standing in the storms of life, and You lead me gently back when I walk away from You. God, I thank You for knowing my name. I’m the scum of the earth, one of the scoffers in the crowd, I was holding that whip, but still You treasure me, and You adore me. 

God I don’t understand how You are able to love me with the amount of love that You do, but Mama says I will understand when I have children of my own. I don’t believe her, because I’m not the Creator of the Universe. I’m not the King of Kings. I’m not Pure, Merciful, Just, Kind, all beyond what words can describe. I will never be able to thank You enough Father. And I thank You for that.

I still don’t understand all of who You are God. I still don’t understand the complete fullness of what You have done for me since You created time. But I’m still learning. I thank You for giving me second chance after second chance, for making me realize You have me here for a purpose. God I thank You for constantly forgiving me, for holding me closer to You when I’m in deep anguish over the things I have done. I thank You for pricking my spirit, for showing me when I have gone against You. Father I thank You for constantly forgiving me.

I thank You for the precious family You have given me. I thank You for blessing me with parents who forgive my mistakes, who love me despite my wrong doings, who hold and love me when I need encouragement and training. I thank You for my brothers and sisters Father, and for protecting each one as they go through their day. I ask that You help them grow close to You each step of the way.

Last of all God, I thank You for every day. For every gift. For every person You bring into my life. I ask that You help me shine Your light wherever I go, that I may show others Your Love and free gift of salvation.

In all of these things I ask Your blessing Father God.

Amen.

Week 4 of Project Leap of Faith

Here we are at week FOUR! Why is time passing so quickly? I'm already ready to come back and I haven’t even left haha!

This week has been SO CRAZY BUSY. Thursday we had some HUGE orders, and ran out of our item before we could finish. Friday (which, as you might remember, is our cleaning day; if you remembered that, then comment so I can message you personally for a cookie ^_^) I stayed the night with the Allison's!

Then Sunday, after running late for church (because, um, er, I stayed with the Allison's and woke up at almost 8 and we were late getting back for the church service, meaning that I ended up wearing jeans and my “IAmUnashamed” shirt to church oopsie), we went over to the Campbells’ oldest son, Wes’s, house. Does the name Wes Campbell sound familiar to all you Christian Music junkies? Yeah, he’s the manager for the Newsboys

His family was SOOOO sweet and so laid back! And yea, I was the really, really, REALLY bad volleyball player on his team…

But yeah! We went swimming, and all the way home my dear friend Chalice Allison and I talked about the most hilarious things, laughing until our sides hurt and we were almost crying.

She and I have actually started this thing where when we part ways, we’ll say “see you in a thousand years!” because ‘A thousand years are as a day unto the Lord’. I guess we’ve been doing it for about 3 weeks or so honestly haha!

So I found that apparently around here you don’t call just anyone ‘hon’ or ‘darlin’. Cherish Allison and I were talking about Subway (where I worked before I came here, and one of her favorite restaurants) and how once in Georgia, this lady there started calling her dad “sweetie”. Now if you see Mr. Allison, you will die from laughter. This giant of a man, with SUPER masculine features, being called sweetie?? Anyway, Cherish was complaining because her mom was the only one who had ever called him that, and how weird it was that some stranger was calling not only her dad sweetie, but each of Cherish’s little brothers (that were present) things like ‘pumpkin’, or ‘darlin’. I couldn’t help but laugh cause, hey, down in the DEEP south, everyone is named Hon, Darlin, or Sweetie. ;)

We’re all so excited here at the Campbell acres right now. In 4 days, this Saturday, our dear Rashida will become Mrs. Rashida Simpson! Also the sweet couple Esther and Arden will be reunited! Ah, all the adorable couples make me giggle with Chalice. We’ve already started planning our secret photography sessions!

We said farewell to dear Uncle Roger (yeah, the sugar vigilante) as he left for a ministry calling in Las Vegas, Nevada on Monday. I can already tell the younger children are missing him; they’ve been looking in the cupboards for any doughnuts or pastries Uncle Rog hid for them!

Today in my devotionals, the scriptures were 2 Corinthians  4:13-18. We have the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall rais up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. Wow, what a hopefull passage! (these aren’t all of the verses: I encourage you to read them all!) Our eternal perspectives as a believer in Christ is VERY important to our witness for Christ throughout our lives. Will we grow in faith through the hard times, and continue to worship a God who is, and always will be, worthy.

ALSO.
BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET LITTLE AIDEN BUDDY WHO IS 2 TODAY!!! Aiden is the super stinkin cute munchkin that I nannied last summer, and lemme tell ya, I cannot even begin to describe how sweet he is and how precious he is to me!

SEEEEEEE????

I just loves him so much, and now, that dolly is 2!

Thanks to Chelsea Blasko for letting me use these pictures of your cutie!

Time flies, everyone. Children grow up, people change, friends grow apart, people grow closer. Make memories, share the love of Christ wherever you go, and don't forget your smile.

Have a blessed day!

Lettting Go and Letting God-Today's Soul Moment

 Verse/Picture found here

How many times have we held on to our life, our struggles, our personal pain, and told God "Oh it's ok, I can handle it"?

How many times have we refused His love and grace because of our pride?

This is something that has been burdening me quite a bit lately.

How is it that we come to the place of saying that a problem is too big for the God who made the UNIVERSE? How is it that we decide to fit Him into a little box of our choosing?

We say a situation is hopeless.
God says I CAN DO IT.

We say that someone will never change.
God says LET ME CHANGE THEIR HEARTS.

We say that we can never do any better than what we are doing.
God says WATCH ME TAKE YOU TO AMAZING THINGS.

Deuteronomy 4:31 says that “...the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant(s) with your fathers that He swore to them” (ESV)

God cares so much about us. He wants to show us how powerful He is. Why don’t we want to see how big the things are that He can do? Why do we doubt?

God's grace tells us that it's ok, we don't have to doubt. We don't have to fear. All we have to do is believe. (:

A Lamp To Our Feet-Today's Soul Moment

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Thursday night I went with my dear friend Meadow to a Young Adult study group, and to say it was a blessing is the understatement of the century! It was so funny, the speaker even touched on a topic that Meadow and I were talking about on the ride there! (How God’s plans are better than our plans, and what happens when we let go of what we want and give it over to God; however, today’s Soul Moment won’t be on that topic)

Have you ever used a lamp on a dark trail? I’m not talking one of those LED, fancy-shmancy lamps, or even a battery powered lamp in general. I’m talking like the colonial times, candle or oil powered, OLD TIMEY, ANCIENT lamps. Have you ever tried to use a candle to find your way through a house? (Yes, I have, but shh, don’t tell my mom c: ) It’s like you have this tiny puddle of light, just enough to see your next step.

Having faith is like that lamp. 

Psalm 119:105 says that God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path. Just like when you’re finding your way with a lantern, walking one step at a time as we can see, we must follow God’s will. It may be one tiny step at a time, and the path may be so dark you can see nothing else, but when we walk in the will and light of Christ, we can’t go wrong. We can’t trip if we see the object, right? And if our focus is set on Christ, we can see the ‘objects’-immodesty, language, movies or music that isn’t honoring to God- and walk past them. We can ignore the things the world has to offer, and continue towards the eternal prize.

So, what's it gonna be? Are we going to choose to dig in and use our Lamp, the Word of God? Or are we going to just continue walking through this life, being satisfied with the label of 'Christian' without SHOWING our label is so much more than a word? Here's a personal thought: will you do like I did, and say "oh, it's ok. It won't hurt. I've already messed up once, it won't matter if I keep messing up.", or will you take a stand? Will you speak out? Will you be the one who sets the example?

The first step is always the hardest. But the second we take Jesus' hand and walk, nothing can stop us, as long as we keep holding on.