#WriterRevelations: Our Awesome God

When I was a kid, my parents always had Christian music on so I naturally grew up worshipping God whenever music was playing. I can't say we never listened to secular music but I loved Christian music and didn't realize till I was in middle school how often I listened to it, until kids pointed it out to me.

One song I used to love to sing was on the WOW CD and it was called Awesome God by Rich Mullins.

Our God is an awesome God. He reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power, and love. Our God is an Awesome God.

Recently, I've been listening to a lot of worship music and studying why we worship and the atmosphere it creates, and during Bible study recently, I felt the urge to sing that out loud.

So I did.

It gave me great peace and a smile that could rival the sun it shown so bright.

Nowadays, people call God's name with little reverence. Some use it as a curse.

We who believe in and love him, use his name so casually we don't really ponder all the He is.

Any prayer you pray in that name is being prayed to the Almighty God who created and rules over all things.

Three areas of our life are impacted by how we see God.

First, it affects our prayers. As we come to know God better and better, we start to yield more to his thoughts and plans for us, and our petitions align more closely with his purposes. I like to call it seeing God as a wide open door (more specifically, wide open arms) instead of a small, little doggy door we have to squeeze through.

Second, our understanding of His righteousness and goodness influences our behavior. When you know God desires to be good to you always and his mercy is relentless and endures long (Newsflash: God doesn't have a short fuse. He doesn't understand why humans are quick to snap over material things and while driving). If we mess up, we will again pursue our Christ-provided righteousness and repent of any and all sin( Big or small). One way I deal with this is if I start to feel an ache within about something I said, did, or even how I reacted, I walk away from the situation, and get still and say, "God, I repent of that. That was ugly, and you make all things beautiful, and I receive your forgiveness now. In Jesus' Name."

Third, our faith is impacted. Grasping that Jesus is holy, good, and powerful grows our trust in Him.
They say when you KNOW, YOU KNOW.

Do you know the Almighty God as your personal heavenly Father? He invites whosoever will believe into an intimate relationship with Him. But as with any good friendship, time and intentionality are
necessary to understand him and learn His ways.

Until next time, remember:

#WriterRevelations: The Forgiveness Project (A Valentine's Day Tale)

25 and still not able to write that I've got myself a boyfriend.

With Valentine's Day coming up, that's never fun.

If you clicked this post hoping for some advice on how to be single on Valentine's day, you'll have to check my blog archive.

I'm sure I've already wrote THAT blog.

This is a story about how I've realized how self-absorbed I've been.

I started hating my friends.

Yeah, you read that right.

My friends are great but they sure had no problem ignoring me.

I know I am a marketing graduate and I tend to have a new cause every week but

it seems like every other person in the world can gain support, get donations, or is smothered in encouraging comments on their statuses...

Then people got straight up NASTY on social media almost hourly with all the political trash
and it still hasn't gone away.

Recently, when I log in to social media, I feel as though I'm standing up and people walk by and they pile really large rocks on me until I can't make a sound. I'm still breathing, my heart is still beating but no one can tell. I'm still alive. Honestly, I now get anxiety just logging in lately.

I'm totally used to social rejection and being told I can't say certain things because it offends people.
I've been undermined, marginalized, and silenced, humiliated, embarrassed, labeled unfairly and misunderstood, and I'm a twenty-five STRAIGHT WHITE POLISH-DUTCH-IRISH-SCOTTISH New Jersodian woman. (Florida born and raised but I got Jersey in my veins).

Yet, this isn't a post about how unfairly I've been treated.

That's what I wrote a memoir for.

Once again, God got real with me.


This world needs Love more than ever.

Love in action is a perfect mix of kindness, patience, and forgiveness.

So God asked me to start not only praying for all the leaders of the U.S. government, but I also needed to start praying for any and all people I interact with on social media.

Especially those who sow discord to me or others.

Download a prayer for our government here and above.

So I said yes sir, and I started to. I wrote out every name of every person on my Facebook friends list (that's where most of the drama happens) and have added my Twitter blocked list to that. Pretty soon, I will be adding every follower on Twitter, Instagram, and Google to it.

I prayed this prayer over them.

Father God, in the Name of Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I forgive _________. Now, they are forgiven, and I hold nothing against them Lord. They are forgiven, just like you forgave me. Thank you, God. I praise you for the gift of forgiveness. 

Father, I ask that every name mentioned is abundantly blessed, that they have your peace that passes all understanding, that they operate daily with your divine wisdom and have the mind of Christ. I pray for those mentioned that if they do not know you as their Lord and Savior, laborers will walk across their path so they may know the truth of your love and forgiveness. I pray that they are prosperous in  their careers, finances, and relationships. I pray for wholeness and health in their spirit, soul and bodies. Lord, I thank you for all you've done, in Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

Now, if a name comes up on my list and I see that they posted about some issue they are facing, I pray for that as well because John 15: 13 states Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. Maybe I can't physically help them but their is definite power in prayer and the greatest part is it causes me to forget my self for as long as it takes for me to pray for all these people. 

I get myself off my mind.

Now I know not everyone who reads my blog is a Christian, and that's okay. I hope that my words and actions make you want to know Jesus more but regardless of your faith, I hope the message can be adapted and applied to your life in some way. After all, love and forgiveness are universal languages.

Yet, if you do call yourself a Christian, no matter your denomination, you should be actively practicing love and forgiveness as an act of your faith.

Believe me when I say it's not always easy but with God, all things are possible. :)

With that in mind, you should realize that Jesus forgave you of your sins so if he can forgive you of whatever you may have done in your past, you can forgive others no matter how NASTY they may be.

Look, I'm not telling you how to live your life. 

I just wanted to share what God has shared with me.

If you want to start doing a forgiveness project of your own, be prepared to feel happier, at peace, and like you are changing the world because with each prayer for another, each kind word on someone's post, each action taken in support of someone, you are. 

Until next time, I hope you have a Blessed Valentine's Day and see God's goodness every single day.

Also, if you need prayer, please let me know. 

In Christ-Like Love and Confidence,

Chelsea

~Just Keep Swimming~

#WriterWednesday: It's Not What You Think by @jeffersonbethke #BookReview

I got the book on Christmas Day as a gift from my sister. As someone who has been a fan of Bethke's work since this poem was posted by one of Facebook friends back in 2011,  I was so stoked for Jeff when he released his first book, Jesus >Religion, which I reviewed last year. The book went on to be a NYT bestseller. No surprise there. If you haven't read it, that's ok. His new book is in no way sequential to this one.

This book is just as good if not better because it makes Jesus the portrait and again takes all that you and I think about Christianity and dissects it in such a gentle way that it quickly becomes background noise to all that Jesus did, and who he really is. 

Who is the Jesus I met while reading Jeff's book? A Jesus who not only loves and cares for me but is always in pursuit of me, and encourages me like a best friend to become all that I can be but still manages to accept me just as he finds me. Even if that person is broken and feels like her life's purpose is becoming blurry instead of clear. 

On that note, I feel it's time for a story. 

Last week, on Monday my dryer officially broke. The timer stopped working and the dryer wouldn't run. Living without a dryer is bearable so I thought nothing of it since my family lives close to a laundromat. 

Tuesday was one of those days that could be considered the calm before the storm. I took the week off from writing and was watching Michael Cera movies which I hadn't watched in a long time. I think it was a subconscious decision. Before this week, it had been two weeks that I had been given any hours at Best Buy, and I was becoming nervous. 

The next morning, I took my usual shower only to wonder why the water was lukewarm. Turns out, our water heater completely crapped out. And just like the story usually goes, timing could not be any worse. The temperatures outside were dropping, much like my faith or expectations for the new year. A week later, I now know what hypotherma feels like as cold showers in the cold literally take your breath away. Later that day, I picked up my phone only to find two notifications flashed across the screen. 1 missed call from my supervisor at Best Buy, and one voicemail. I waited about five minutes before I dialed my voicemail in order to playback the message he left me. Yet, nothing could prepare me for the heavy weight his words would carry as he was calling to let me know that at this time, Best Buy wasn't going to hire me as a part-time employee. 

I'll be honest, I bawled my eyes out after that phone call. I laid all my cards out on the table, and was ready to fold. Best Buy was one of three money-making projects I'd been giving my time to, and of course, when I got hired, I knew that this wasn't a permanent career move but instead a stepping stone on the path to my destiny. Still, I needed that job because my freelance career hadn't been too fruitful as of late, and I was okay with it. I loved my merchandising job at Best Buy. It got me out of the house, and out of my head. It got me around like-minded people. 

So far, 2016 wasn't what I thought it would be. It was actually my worst new year yet.

After I finished crying, as I headed out to Chilis for a night out with my mom, I got an email notification on my phone.

I opened it outside my local Chilis only to see that Mandy Hale had replied to the email I sent her. (Cue the fangirl excitement and fanfare). I had asked her for help in what to do in order to further the process along in terms of getting representation for my memoir. She suggested I create a platform in order to show I'm an expert in what my memoir's themes are: dying love and my near-death experience. 

I'm pretty sure that's what I already showcase through this blog page but I decided I would bring it into the throne room and pray about it. God would let me know what I should do. 

Recently, my freelance career has been incredibly frustrating. I struggle with the art of surrendering control when it comes to my writing. Sure, I want my writing out there but I want the final say in how it is worded, as well as I don't take editing suggestions too fondly when I feel they come across as unnecessary and from someone who doesn't see the subject or piece the way I do. Since I wrote it, only I can know what I meant, how I saw the subject or person, what I want people to know about it. Lately, when writing articles, I felt as though I was a little child learning how to write her name for the first time. As much I saw my work as straight and a perfect fit along the three dotted lines of what they wanted me to write about, they kept slapping my hands and making me never want to write again. 

The only reason I became a freelance writer in the first place is because that was my only job option at the time. Now that I'm in the same boat again, I'd rather lay inside the boat and let the waves rock gently against the side of it until my new opportunity comes about and saves me from dying out at sea. 

2016 so far has taught me that a college degree is as fickle as sand in an hourglass in terms of securing you a job or even a career. 

So in order to follow the message of  Mandy Hale's upcoming book,Beautiful Uncertainty, I took a leap of faith toward making my dream of becoming a full-time writer a reality. I realized that people who love things in an obsessive way called philes. For example, if like me you love books, you would be considered a bibliophile. So I further explored this and found out some other philes I would consider myself: 

Cynophile: A dog lover (That one everyone knows)

Cinephile: A film lover

Melophile: A music lover

Considering I have a college degree and have always been very smart, I decided I would call myself The Smart Cookie, (this is also somewhat of an inside joke between me and Geniveve because during her life, I always used to call her that). 

Thus was born, my new site: https://thesmartcookiephiles.wordpress.com/

And you can even follow me on Twitter: @TSCPhiles.

I started this site in order to write my own review articles without feeling like I have to answer to anyone for what I write and how I write it. And I also hope it showcases my talent as a writer, and it ends up with a book deal for my memoir. 

I would appreciate your support. You can follow all my blog posts via email by following the instructions in the newest post. I will be posting two new reviews this Friday!

Even though all this is happening in my life right now, I still believe 2016 can turn around and will be a year of answered prayer. I also pray this for each of us: Thank you God for the strength to stop reliving the past, to start living in the present, and to walk in the beautiful certainty of knowing my future lies with you. -#BeautifulUncertainty

Until next time, remember: God can open doors of opportunity for you that no man can shut. When God shuts the door on you, no man can open it. -Joyce Meyer.

Love Times Infinity,

Chelsea

xoxo

God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming~

#WriterWednesday: Why NOW is the time to have hope?

I don't mean to scare you with this statement but I believe the end times are near. There are many signs that Jesus is on his way back to Earth. Yet, this blog isn't about the end times at all...it's all about hope and why you should be living in it every day.

Just watch the news (CNN, anyone? aka the Chicken Noodle News, haha) or listen to today's music on the radio and even watching tv or movies, and it's easy to see why so many people are depressed. This world is filled with negative, critical, ignorant, death talk and not enough hope, love, or faith.

Yet, as someone who has suffered from medical depression, I know even all those outside sources aren' the only things to blame for the state of the world. Continuous trials and trying circumstances can and will get you down if you let them.

The key to living a hopeful life is surrounding yourself with hope and stop talking so much about your problems and the problems of the world.

Unless you are going to say something from God's word regarding the situation, the best thing you can do is Be still and know that he is God. (Psalm 46:10).

Suggested ways to live in continual hope

Pray One Bold Prayer a Day
The only way to see anything positive happen in your life is to exercise your faith. And the best way to exercise your faith is to pray. If you have hope, you're never afraid to believe big. You have not because you ask not. (James 4:2). And quit believing that God doesn't want to be good to you.

 God loves you more than you will ever understand, and he has a good plan for your life. You are never alone because he is with you all the time. God's forgiveness is greater than any sin you have committed. His mercy is new every day. As a believer, God has given you power, and you do not have to live a defeated life. Have a need? A dream you want to see fulfilled? Talk to God about it in prayer, much the same way you would a close friend, a family member, or your therapist. There is no formula. God just wants to hear from you. Start with Hi God, I need you, and the rest will follow.

Do Something Fun Each Day

You don't have to go to Disney every day to be hopeful and full of joy. It could be something as simple as coffee with a friend, watching a comedy with your family, or a walk in the park---anything that brings a smile to your face.

For example, yesterday my mom and I played the board game Trouble for the first time in many years and we had a blast! Today, I worked out and sang the entire time. For me, that was fun.
The key here is to enjoy life NOW! Don't wait until tomorrow, retirement, or that vacation to enjoy your life. Find a way to enjoy every single day!

Bless at least one person each day

Give someone a compliment
Tell someone how much they mean to you
Pray with someone who's having a rough day
Buy someone's lunch or a coffee

Write Down at least one way each day that God blessed you

Every night, I write in my blessings journal, and thank God for the blessings from that day. A grateful attitude produces great things to happen, plus it creates a joyful atmosphere. The more you are aware of what God's done in your life, the more your faith will increase for what you are hoping for.

I hope this blog encouraged you and if you want to know more or need some more HOPE, please check out Get Your Hopes Up! by Joyce Meyer. It's a short book filled to the brim with words of encouragement and ways to become more hopeful. It reads like a heartfelt letter from a long-lost friend.

Until next time, remember:

God is the only one who can make the valley of trouble a door of hope. -Catherine Marshall

Love Times Infinity,

Chelsea

xoxo

God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming!~

#WriterWednesday: How To Overcome Writer's Block

Behind every successful author is the book proposal they wrote to get their book considered for publication. Since it's been almost nine years since I first published my two YA novels and because I did not go the traditional route, I wasn't aware that you must write a book proposal for your book whether it be nonfiction or fiction.

So last week, I set out to begin writing my proposal but found I was looking Writer's Block right in the eyes. In case you are unfamiliar, writer's block is a hindrance a writer faces that is fear based.

How I Overcame my Writer's Block:

1. I worked on something else. My most productive day last week was when I wrote an additional chapter for my memoir and not my actual proposal.

2. I continued doing research and found a mock proposal to use as a guide for mine. A book proposal is a 30 to 50 page document telling an agent or publisher what your book is/will be about and also compiles marketing data for the market your book would fit in. ( You would have thought my marketing degree would have helped in this area except it hindered my creativity because I didn't know how to present the marketing data).

3.  I found that the source of my writer's block came from the rejection I faced in my beginnings of the search for a post-graduate job in my field. I overcame that rejection by writing My Poem: Perpetual Sadness, and studied my Bible and found the truth behind this current employment situation. I was listening to a Joyce Meyer teaching the other day and I found out that sometimes God wants us to use our faith to change ourselves instead of the situation, allowing God to help you become better. 

4. I received my monthly letter from Joel Osteen and in it he said:
            "In order to keep adversities, unfortunate experiences and tragedies from holding you back, choose to stir up what God placed on the inside of you. Meditate on the fact that: 

• You are a child of God.
• You've come too far to stop now.
• You will not allow your past to dictate your future.
• When God is on your side, anything is possible. 

5. Lastly, the other day I was reading Get Your Hopes Up by Joyce Meyer and she showed a scripture that was perfect for my situation.

So yes, I faced rejection and have in many different areas my whole life but I have faith that my breakthrough is coming and so I'm going to give my all to applying for work and toward writing my proposal because it is part of my God-given destiny.

In other news, I no longer have to go to a thyroid specialist because my thyroid levels have stabilized and I'm healthy enough to just go to one doctor again for all medical needs. On Monday I had my first well visit in three years and it went really well. Praise God!

Until next time, remember: May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—  yes, establish the work of our hands. -Psalm 90:17

Love Times Infinity,

Chelsea

xoxo

God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming~

#WriterWednesday: God's grace is Enough

I have to be honest here and say I thought about this blog as I went to sleep last night and now that I've slept on the idea, I know you need this message as much as I do. 

I'm sure if you read my blogs that means that you either are interested in what's going on in my life or you have some type of faith in God. Beyond that, I'm sure you've heard it said in church that God's grace is sufficient. I know I've really been studying grace more lately, and sometimes I still don't understand how God's going to turn my situation around. Let me explain.

Recently, I finally got my degree from Saint Leo (don't worry, I'm working on a video for you) so I'm officially qualified for my field or so I thought. Yet, the problem I'm facing is that no one is hiring me because I only have a year's worth of Public Relations experience. Yesterday, I got two rejection emails:

Normally, I wouldn't even sweat it but there are many reasons why those two emails caused me to feel a lot of discouragement fairly quickly:

1. I've been unemployed for over a year and don't want to do free work anymore...

2. I want to move out of my parent's house and out of state. (The better PR work states are NY and CA, and TX is a runner up).

3. I really wanted either of those positions because you can work from home (I am without proper transportation so working from home suits me best).

Yet, it's apparent that I'm going to have to keep doing internships in order to build up my resume and years of experience in order to have job. It's just hard to find an internship that pays.

Last night, I realized something profound. God may not have given me these jobs to protect me, and because he has something better. I also have to remember that Plan A of my life plan is to be a writer, and I do need to work on my proposal for my memoir. Being a publicist is my Plan B.  Last night, I went to sleep knowing God's grace is enough in this situation. 

So whatever need you are facing today, whether it be employment, a good break, health restored, a relationship restored, finances, or even just the strength to make it through the season you are in, please hear me when I say, God wants to hear from you about that need, and he wants you to leave it at his feet. After all the battle is not yours, but God's. Do not be afraid. (2 Chronicles 20:15)

I have faith that my time is coming and someone will take a chance on me. 

Until next time, remember: Now I’m turning you over to God, our marvelous God whose gracious Word can make you into what he wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends. -Acts 20:32

Love Times Infinity,

Chelsea

xoxo

God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming~

Day 17: What are your spiritual beliefs and how do they impact your relationships/relationship status?.

Happiness is a form of courage...I'm sure it's no secret. I love Jesus. He's my everything  and I am nothing without him. I believe that Jesus died and rose again to give me life, and life more abundantly. (John 10:10). Therefore, it is also no secret that it impacts all that I know about relationships, especially my relationship status.

It's no secret that I am not only after a "Christian guy" but instead my heart desires a man of God. Someone like the Apostle Paul, King David, or Jeremy Pearsons. Clearly I know neither of these three men are in the market for a mate but you get the idea.

Matter of fact, today I found this new shirt on JCLUForever: 

Basically that could conclude this blog but I will elaborate.

A man of God differs from a "Christian guy" because a man of God is constantly talking to Jesus and has a healthy relationship with him. 

A man of God differs from a "Christian guy" because a man of God doesn't ONLY go to church but is constantly seeking Jesus regarding everything in his life, including whether or not they should date me.

A man of God differs from a "Christian guy" because he leads you closer to Jesus while a "Christian guy" will slowly lead you away from Jesus and want to be your number one man.

I will get to this more in my Dear Future Husband blog but basically the man I'm after is a man after God's own heart so much so that he takes advice from him on how to sweep me off my feet.♥

Until next time, remember: If it has to do with life, Jesus came to give it to you. -Jeremy Pearsons♥

Love Times Infinity,

Chelsea

xoxo

God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming~