Grace Notes

  “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9, KJV.

  As I get ready to say goodbye, I thought it would be fun to do a Day in the Life post to let y’all have a peek inside my current everyday life.   Of course, no two days are exactly alike, but college has necessitated somewhat of a routine!   Today I’ll walk you through a typical Thursday.

  The finish line is just ahead!   I hope y’all have been enjoying all this new content.   Still craving more?   Haha!   Probably not. :)   BUT for those of you who have been faithful readers and supporters, I thought I’d compile a list of my favorite, most popular, or most personal posts over the years.   If you’re newer to the blog, you might find these fun to sift through.

  Just a few more posts left before the end of the month!   Can you believe it?   Giving up blogging has been a sad yet freeing decision.   Today I thought I’d share some pretty candid thoughts on what’s going on in my life and why I chose to quit blogging.

  “How old were you when you got saved?” my great-grandmother once asked me.   Even in her old age, she was on fire for God—except, she was catholic.

  It’s hard to believe that this is the very last Thankful Things post here on the blog!   These posts have always been fun to put together, and serve as a good, somewhat aesthetic reminder of God’s graciousness to me and all the abundant blessings He bestows!   Today I am thankful for…

Hey y’all!   Today I’d like to tackle an icky-sticky subject that many Christian teenage girls are curious about: makeup.   If you’re anything like me, you’ve been confused, clueless, curious, and captivated by the creativity of makeup.   Perhaps you still are.   You may also have lots of questions.   Although I’m no expert on these topics, I’ve been asked to write, and so I shall.

  “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” – John 13:14-15.

  If you’re interested in reading more about friendships, see my posts on How to Build Close Friendships and Encouragement for One-Sided Relationships .   For today, we’re talking about gift ideas for friends!   I don’t know about you, but I think some of the most fun gift ideas are those for friends.   People are so unique, and there is so much we can do to encourage one another!

Today’s post is a twist off of one of my most popular writings from the old home of Grace Notes , which you can read here.   That post was a simple bullet list of Christian life advice that I have received and found true in my own life.   Although I uphold most (if not) everything I wrote then, I’d like to revise and add to that list today!

  Although I compiled this list a while ago, after reading several convicting devotional plans over this past weekend, I am even more enthused about this post!   Today I’m keeping it short and sweet: 13 different ideas for your devotional time.   This list is not exhaustive, but I hope it will be useful to you as you continue spending time with the Lord and tapping into different resources and ways to learn about Him.

  Productivity has been somewhat of a passion of mine for a couple of years now, and some of you readers that have been around awhile may remember that I did a series on it back on my previous blog.   Productivity, time management, and the like are things we are all accountable for learning and practicing in our every day lives.   Especially as I get ready to begin college and many of you are preparing to enter your respective school years, I thought now would be a fitting time to revisit this topic.

If there’s anything I’ve struggled with this past year, it has been knowing how to maintain the right attitude and level of commitment when it comes to one-sided relationships.   Do you know what I’m talking about?   I am sure many of you do.   These are those friendships where one person is fully invested and the other sails through without giving any thought to the needs of their comrade.

  As you all are aware, this year has been rather chaotic, and we have all experienced a few unexpected twists and turns!   Unless you hail from a remote corner of the earth, you are very accustomed to this concept of quarantine.   The middle of March through the beginning of May was my state’s tightest time of restriction, and we confined ourselves to our property for the majority of the duration.   I thought it would be fun to look back someday at a list of random things I did for the first time during quarantine!

  A couple months back, one of you requested I write a post explaining my process of writing, recording, editing, and making videos for my music compositions.   As I thought about it, I realized that this post—though astray from the topics I generally post about—is one that I wish I myself had had back when I first took interest in producing arrangements.

  Being a man of God in today’s world has got to be difficult.   I don’t even need to ask.   If it’s hard being a godly woman, I suspect that it’s just about impossible to be a godly man in today’s world.   Women of the world squash manhood to a pulp and trample on it in the name of feminism.   Billboards and magazines bombard guys with junk.   We now hear of “toxic masculinity.”   Indeed, 'tis a sorry world for the men.

  Time for the one and only remaining Q+A here on the blog!   Thank you to the girls who submitted questions.   If you didn’t get a chance to submit anything and would still like to, feel free to comment below.   I love engaging with my readers, and that is something I will sorely miss about blogging!

This past year, God blessed me with several special friendships.   I’ve learned a lot about cultivating good, godly friendships, and I’ve noticed different things in my friendships that have an effect on my closeness with that person.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve absolutely adored little kids.   I was a baby snatcher in church, an extremely protective big sister, and an eager mother’s helper.   In many ways, I’m still a kid at heart myself.   The pure joy, innocence, and faith of childhood is beautiful to see.   I truly believe children are a gift from God.

Last year I did a quick series on my previous blog sharing personal experiences, thoughts, and reflections on my journey with serving the church through music.   Today I’m going to review that series, providing the links and descriptions below for your convenience.   Basically, if you ever wanted to have a down-to-earth chat about church music with someone who is in the thick of it, you’ll love this series.

This post today is for all you musicians out there that are interested in getting started with music composition and/or arranging.   I originally was going to compile this into a larger post covering everything to do with my music composition/production process, but I had so much to say, I thought these thoughts needed a post of their own. :)

  School will be starting back up before you know it, and undoubtedly there are concerns and uncertainties across the board.  I was reviewing the content of this post that I first released last year, and realized that despite COVID, and masks, and social distancing, and all the other frustrating aspects of living through a pandemic, I 100% believe everything I said here is still applicable (BUT I am throwing in a 7 th point this time around!).

For many people, getting into a groove with devotions can be daunting!   The Bible is a weighty book; you can read the same thing a hundred times and still learn something new each time.   Where do you even begin?

Since y’all won’t be hearing from me after this month (*sadness*), I figured I’d do something fun and offer a GIANT list of recommendations encompassing everything from sheet music to my trusty tortilla blanket. :)

A couple of months ago I was sitting through the membership class at my church, and my pastor brought up how like characteristics attracts like characteristics, and how the majority of our congregation tends to lean towards the introverted side of the spectrum.   He then tacked on, “Except for Grace!”   I must admit I was rather surprised by this exclamation.   Me, an extrovert?

Today I am thankful for…

I figured a Q+A would be a fitting way to finish off my blogging journey!   Is there anything you want to ask me?   Now’s your last chance!   This Q+A will be open for 10 days.   Please comment below with all of your questions, and I will release the answers—Lord-willing—on August 12.

10 years ago on this day, I completed cancer treatment!