Discipleship: What Does That Mean, Anyway?

I've recently had the pleasure of beginning to disciple a teen girl at the church we attend. She's fifteen, an age I was actually at not all that long ago. She actually just recently got saved and her mom felt as though she needed someone to help her grow in her new relationship with the Lord.

When her mom approached me about the idea of discipling her youngest daughter, I have to admit that I felt incredibly honored, yet completely inadequate. I mean, I still feel as though I have so much growing to do! I'm only 22 and I've only been married for two months. I have so much to learn and I'm still growing in my own walk with the Lord. Plus, I've never discipled anyone before. But that's just been a reminder to me that I'm nothing but inadequate and I'll never be able to do something like this on my own. I need the Lord's help and guidance as I seek to teach this girl the things that God taught me in my teen years.

Because let's be serious. The teen years are tough.

My plan is to go through a book that was a significant aid to me in my own teen years, a book entitled Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy. It taught me that I will never be satisfied with a guy, friends, the latest styles, or anything that the world offers to appease the desires of my soul. Nothing other than Jesus Christ can do that. He is my true Knight in shining armor who saved me from my destiny. This book even has a study guide that I'm going to use so that we can have some basis for discussion in our time together.


So what are my goals in this season on discipleship?

Build Her Trust: First of all, I want her to know she can trust me. That she can talk to me about absolutely anything she's going through and I'll be there to listen and support and give advice and godly counsel when she needs it.

Her Relationship with Christ: I want to inspire her to spend time with Him daily, reading His word and praying, not because she needs to or because it will make her a better Christian or person, but because that's the only way we become anything like Him: by spending time in His presence. I want to encourage her to read Christian biographies about missionaries and women of the faith, as well as Christian non-fictions. These are the things that brought me closer to Christ in my teen years, as well as what continues to grow me closer to Him today.

Be a True Friend: As the pastor of my church says, we're just going to "do life together". I'll take her shopping, we'll hang out at Starbucks with a drink and just talk, maybe even hang out at my apartment. The thing is that's how you reach people. You can't force religion down their throats, tell them what sinners they are, and walk away. You need to love people. Build relationships with them. Direct them toward the gospel.


If you're currently in the process of discipleship, I hope that this was helpful to you! If you've never considered discipling a younger woman, I would take the time to read over the following verses:

And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. -2 Timothy 2:2

Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. -Hebrews 10:25

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. -James 5:16

April Book List

 So I've had a new idea for the blog! I love to read and therefore am a library junkie regular. At the end of every month, I will report here on the blog of the different books I've read, as well as a little review of each one. I love hearing other book recommendations as well as what other readers think of the books I read so feel free to comment :)

Now let me tell you, I've been having a pretty good streak with books lately.

Part of my success can be attributed to Janssen at Everday Reading for her endless book recommendation lists. I make a list of my own on my iPod before making a trip to the library so I can search for a few books that she's deemed fantastic. It makes my trips to the library much easier.

Random thought: I've been wanting to read Quiet, but I just can't catch it. I look it up at the library closer to my home, but it's checked in at the library downtown. So I go to the library downtown just a few days later, and now it's checked in at the other one. A girl just can't win. One of these days, maybe.

So here's my April list:

1. Dear Mr. Knightley : I really loved this book. And if you loved Emma, Wuthering Heights, and Pride and Prejudice, you will too. So many references! It's a story about a 20-something foster child who's been through some pretty awful stuff, as you can imagine. You watch her tear down the walls that have been hindering her for so long and break free. And fall in love, of course :)

2. Where We Belong : This one was my favorite this month! It was my first Emily Giffen book and I'm pretty sure it won't be my last. Where We Belong is a story about choices and how we can never change the decisions we've made in the past, but we can start new today. It's also about the power of family ties and how much they determine who we are, but also how they don't.

3. Attachments: This one was definitely more comical than anything else I read this month, which was just the light-hearted type of thing I needed after reading a story as heavy as Where We Belong. I will definitely be reading more from Rainbow Rowell!

4. Paper Towns : Okay, I read this in February which was a really long time ago but it was a good read so I just had to mention it. Plus, I found myself a tad busy in April and so my list is shorter than I meant for it to be. #Letsbereal. Anyway, this book was, in one word, exciting! You never knew what to expect from Margo Roth Spiegelman. I would say she kept Quentin and myself on the edge of our seats! Also, have you ever read a book about a group of friends and thought to yourself, "If I only knew these guys when I was in high school I'm pretty sure we would be best friends."? Yeah, I definitely felt that way about Q and his gang.


So there's my April book list :) I will try to read a little more in the month of May, and hopefully I will find some as good as these were!

Wishlist: Bags Under $100!

One.   Two.   Three.   Four.   Five.     

I'm kind of in the market for a new purse, preferably something larger like a tote bag. I did some shopping around my favorite online stores, including Target (of course), Nine West, and Belk, and these a few that really caught me eye.

As you see, there's really a wide variety here!

Option One: Black and white is a big trend this summer, yet it's a very classic pair. I love the simplicity of this bag, yet the tiny details that make it a little more unique, like the stripes on the sides only and the gold accents at the handle ends. Plus it's neutral so it will basically go with anything.

Option Two: I'm a big Nine West fan, and this bag is no exception. To me, they have very good-quality products for a reasonable price. I bought a pair of dark brown wedged boots from a Nine West Outlet last winter and loved them to death! (No really, I wear my shoes until they die.) My favorite faux-leather color is cognac, so this bag is right up my alley! Oh, and did I mention it's over 60 percent off on the Belk website? Win-win.

Option Three: This bag is also Nine West brand, and I love everything about it! The color is really unique and it has a good structure to it.

Option Four: I'm not quite sure why, but this season I'm loving anything and everything hot pink! I went to Ulta a few weeks ago and picked up a nail polish and lipstick, both Revlon and both fuchsia. I wear a lot of navy, white, grey, etc. so pinks would pop against my usually neutral outfits.

Option Five: This one just looks so grown-up/professional to me. The details are just beautiful!


What are your favorite bag brands? Do you usually splurge and get a good quality one or have several that you alternate between?

Girl Behind the Blog

As inspired by Kerri at Girl With A Latte, I just want to let you as a reader know a little more about the person that I am. So today I'm going to share ten random things you may or may not know about me!

As follows :

1. I'm pretty much a sucker for anything floral or striped.

2. My whole house is decorated cohesively in greys and light blues with splashes of yellow, red, navy, etc.

3. My favorite color combination to wear is navy, pink, and turquoise.

4. I'm definitely a budget/clearance shopper. This goes for about anything.

5. My favorite band is Coldplay. Also love Mumford & Sons, Oasis, The Paper Kites, and anything else coffee shop/alternative.

6. I've played the clarinet for about 11 years. Although I quit the school band after middle school, I've continued to play for churches and even just for my own enjoyment. It's one of my passions.

7. I love learning new recipes! I usually try at least 1-2 new recipes every week.

8. I'm always up for a treat from Starbucks or any frozen yogurt place. Actually, I probably consume more sugar on a daily basis than any one person should. I should probably cut back...

9. I work across the street from the largest library in Greenville (that I know of). I keep a running list of books I want to read.

10. I've seen every single episode of Gilmore Girls at least 5 times, I'm sure of it. My lovely sister bought me the whole set for Christmas a few years ago. I secretly wish I could be Lorelei and Rory's best friend.

I also love learning more about other bloggers, so what are some things that make you, you? :)

Denim, Floral, and Grey

Temps here in eastern NC were a tad on the cool side this past weekend. Thankfully, the past two days have been absolutely lovely!

Top: Target   Scarf: Plato's Closet, Similar, Only 10 Dollars!  Pants: TJ Maxx, Similar

Jacket: Similar   Purse: Similar  Flats: Target

This was a simple little outfit taken by my wonderful photographer, aka my husband Casey. "Hey, hon, do you mind doing something completely random? Would you take a picture of my outfit? For my blog?" (Side note: I've got to take more outfit pictures outside! The quality comes out so much nicer! Blogger tips 101 that I'm slowly discovering.)

Let's take a moment to discuss this beautiful scarf. I found it at Plato's Closet for 4 dollars! Because you know how much I love that place. It has a nice fullness to it without being too hot and heavy, which just so happens to be my combination for the perfect Spring/Summer scarf. I didn't have a tag on it of any kind so I'm not sure what brand it is or where it originally came from. All I know is that this little beauty is now all mine.

I'm really in love with the floral + stripes trend now, and a floral scarf like this one paired with a striped shirt, skirt, or dress is the perfect way to do that! Now that I think of it, I should have worn a striped top that day instead of a solid. How cute would that have been? Oh well.

Also, I got these grey jeans from TJ Maxx for my birthday this past year. I. Absolutely. Love. Them. They're such an easy way to get out of the jeans and cotton top rutt that I find myself getting into when it's not quite warm enough for shorts, skirts, or dresses.

Thanks for stopping by :) Hope you have a great rest of the week!

Free From Fear

To give credit where credit is due, image from www.goliveoriginal.com

We all have it. It's an inevitable part of life that we really don't talk about all that often. Yet it haunts us, plagues us even. It consumes our lives entirely, but we like to push it into the corner and cover it up and choose to live like it's not really there.

It's fear. More than that, really, it's fear of death.

I have been reading through the book of Hebrews in my devotions recently and it's amazing how God has been speaking to me through it. Specifically, in chapter 2, I was reading about something I felt compelled to write about here on my blog.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. -Hebrews 2:14-15 ESV

The part that really sticks out to me is that we were subject to lifelong slavery. We are born sinners. It's something that we have inherited from the very beginning when Adam and Eve first disobeyed God. And the result of sin is death. It's as inevitable as our fear of it. And we're slaves to it. Our sin chains us down, yet we don't know how to break free. I mean, it's inevitable, right? It's something we all struggle with and it has this power of us that we just can't defeat so we may as well live life in the moment because life is short. We're not guaranteed another day. But the chains still hold us down.

The wonderful news is that there is hope. There is a way to break free.

Jesus Christ is our hope. He has suffered our death for us so that we don't have to. He did this on the cross. He was tempted, yet was still without sin. He defeated sin, death, and the one who has power over you and your sin. And He is calling you to become one of His. All you have to do is believe that He is Savior and give your life to Him. Surrender your everything and He will break your chains and set you free.

And the thing is that we can't break ourselves free. We don't have a key and we're not strong enough to break it. But He is and He wants you to be one of His, to adopt you so that you can be a child of God the King.

God is surely a "merciful and faithful high priest" (verse 17 of this chapter). He made a way to save us from our inevitable destiny. We were sinners and we hated Him and rebelled against Him, and yet He loved us. And I'm so, so far from deserving any of it. We all are. We wouldn't even love him if it weren't for His work in us. He is perfect and beautiful and loving and just and if we hate Him it is because of our sin.

I am always, ever marveling at His wonderful grace. That grace that has set me free.

What I Wore to Work: Cute and Comfy!

Today I'm participating in Mix & Match Fashion's What I Wore Weekly Linkup!

I work with the Vera Bradley department at a store downtown in Greenville. This basically means I'm in charge of all of the ordering, merchandising, in-store promotions, etc. with Vera. I love it!

My workplace has a pretty laid-back environment, but I always try to look put together while still being comfortable! And trust me, this is about as comfy as it gets.

Shirt: Old Navy   Skirt: Target   Necklace: Old Navy

Shoes: Target

I had been looking for a graphic tee (preferably one in french, not sure why!) to go with this skirt. I've seen Merrick pull off a graphic tee and pencil skirt and love the concept! Plus, how adorable is this necklace?!

Plus, I got this shirt for $7, the necklace for $9, and I've had that skirt for a long while now but I'm pretty sure it was on clearance too.

Yay for clearance!

I hope you have a great weekend!