Don't Count Yourself Out

This is a post that I wrote for the guest blogging day of the #blogtemberchallenge on Thursday. I haven't actively participated since the first week because of personal reasons, but I hope to get back into the blogging swing of things soon. 

Photo taken by Alexa in Glorieta, New Mexico, Summer 2013

I hope this finds you in good condition. Me? Well, muscles that I forgot I had are super sore, my leg is all scraped up, and I have a miniature club for a finger.

Flag football got the best of me.

So, typing this with a jammed finger is super difficult. I took the split off and am attempting to type at my normal, fast speed, to no avail. Walking is a special feat, as well. One shin aches from the scrapes I received from sliding on a turf college football field; the other knee is swollen from some other fall during the game. Every muscle is screaming at me just to lay down at watch Criminal Minds or Once Upon a Time (super tempting!). I didn’t realize just how important it was for me to have all of my fingers and limbs functioning properly.

Just as it pains the body when a part of it isn’t working, it effects the body of Christ (the Church, your fellow believers) when its members aren’t working. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:12, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” We were all created to be unique, but we all make up one body. Each part of the body has a specific function.

“For the body does not consist of one member but of many,” (1 Cor. 12:14). If an eye served the same purpose as a foot, why would we need it? Each one has a different, vital function to the body, just as each Christian has a vital function in the body of Christ.

Just because you don’t feel the Lord calling you to overseas missions, or to work in a full-time ministry does not mean that He isn’t going to use you. He will use you. Your everyday actions and way you carry yourself speaks volumes. Paul tells the church of Philippi, “only let your manner of life by worthy of the gospel of Christ,” (Philippians 1:27). You may not be called to move to some far off land to live out the Gospel, but that does not give you an excuse not to do so where you’re at right this very moment.

If you’re anything like me, you may have thought, at one point in your life or maybe you currently think, that there is no possible way that the Lord could use you. Well, He will. I never thought that I would be working in Children’s ministry, but here I am, five years after being saved, working at a church at least 3 times as big as the one I attended when I was saved. At the point of my salvation, if you’d asked me if I would be considering attending seminary after I graduate college, I would have laughed at you. The Lord works in ways that we may never see coming beforehand, but we can rest assured knowing that He will work

I’ve just stretched out to see if my muscles still ache (they do, if you’re wondering), and the point to my blog has been driven home in my heart. Though we may be tired, though we may get overworked, or stretched to our limits in our daily Christian walk, we must persevere. Christ conquered the grave, He defeated death. Therefore, take heart and, like Paul, “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

If you ever need prayer for any reason, please do not hesitate to let me know. Until next time, stay strong. Keep your head up. Seek the Lord. 

Day Five || Fueling that Fire

Welcome to day f i v e of the #blogtemberchallenge hosted by Bailey at Brave Love Blog. If you haven't gotten involved yet, you definitely should! Today we are writing about what we are passionate about, what fires us up.

Image found here

My biggest passion is writing. I included this in "Happiness" on day two, but I'll go more in-depth here. Poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction: I love it all. I first began writing little spin-offs of Harry Potter characters for fun. From there, I began to write poetry. It wasn't until freshman year of high school that I really became interested in writing fiction. My English teacher that year wanted us to write novellas. I fell in love with writing from then on out. Sophomore year, we were to write a continuation on five characters in The Lord of the Flies. Most students in the class wrote about a paragraph, whereas I wrote 33 pages. I hope to write works that people fall in love with. I've loved many a character and many a book, so I hope to be able to do the same thing. Entice them with a world all their own, write realistic characters to whom readers are able to relate.

Either way, I know that getting my thoughts on paper will be better than letting them sit in my head.

Another thing I'm passionate about is softball. I played softball for the majority of my life (somewhere around 15 years). I started in coach pitch and played second base. I was MVP of the League all but two years during my softball career. In high school, I was MVP of the team my sophomore through senior years. I was awarded all-district first team infield (a few times), all-area first team infield, and all-state player throughout my high school career. It was my dream to play in college. When I came to college, I was on the team. But, this leads me to my third, but definitely most important, passion: The Lord.

I was saved when I was 16. What that means is that I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior and believed that my sins are forgiven when I confess and repent from them. Hear me say this: I am not perfect. I have fallen many times and I have run away from the Lord many times. Praise God that He accepts us with open arms when we realize how pointless it is to run away from Him. How does this relate to softball? Well, the summer before my senior year of high school, I felt the Lord telling me to forget playing college softball. Softball was my life, the reason for my existence, or at least I'd put it on that high pedestal in my life. Softball was my god and the Lord was just there in the back of my mind. I had made an idol out of softball. As I went into senior year, that was my mind set. I would play that year with everything I had, leave it all on the field, and hang up my glove and put away my cleats.

But my pride got the best of me.

I continuously put softball before my relationship with God. All in all, I ended up quitting during the fall semester of my freshman year of college because I knew that I had been running from what I felt like God was telling me to do. I wanted my name known, instead of making His known. I still play co-ed and intramural slowpitch, but I make sure that the Lord gets more of my life than the field does. I like going to games and watching the Women's College World Series, as well.

So, I probably should have just done a list so I wouldn't get so carried away with writing. But, I felt like someone out there may need to hear that testimony of cutting an idol out of my life. If not, well, at least I took up some of your spare time. Hope you all are having a wonderful day. If there are any prayer needs, let me know! If you want to link-up, go to Brave Love Blog and check out the prompts! God bless!

Days Three and Four || Dreams and Things

So...... I missed yesterday. I'm combining days three and four into one blog post. It really works out well for  me because I have loads to say about "What I want to be when I grow-up," and not so much about "Fashion."

 (Icons have been accumulated over the course of years of internet browsing. Not sure who to credit, but here's me publicly stating that I didn't create them.)

I want to write, travel, and read. Is that really too much to ask? I want to be an author. I want to write books that capture the hearts of many, that shine lights into the darkness that is our world, and that are able to glorify the Lord. I know you're thinking that there are already too many "Christian Fiction" authors that never reach beyond the population of a Lifeway bookstore. Sure, I want my books in Lifeway, but I want to be a Christian writer that is able to write works that are attractive even to the unbeliever. If we write just to a Christian audience, how will we ever reach the lost?

I want to travel and do mission work. The Lord has placed a calling in my heart for children's ministry and missions. I'm not positive on the time duration for missions, but it is in my future in some capacity. In my hometown tucked away in the middle of the Bible belt, I never really thought about people not having heard the Gospel before. Even before I was saved, I had heard about Jesus and about Bible stories. It's just something that's commonplace where I'm from. I learned once I hit high school that not everyone was a Christian, whether they claimed it or not. When I came to college however, I realized that there was desperate need for the Gospel. At my small private baptist college, there are so many that don't know Christ. In this city, there are so many that need Jesus. Most of them have at least had a chance to hear the Gospel. What about in those countries where people haven't even heard wind of what a Bible is? What about in the areas of the world where it's illegal to be a Christian? We take for granted how good we have it here.

As for traveling, I really want to visit Spain. I making steps toward speaking Spanish fluently and hope to be able to do so within the next year. I also want to visit Venice and London just for personal pleasure. They're just so beautiful!

Now fashion. That I don't know much about. I'm the girl that's in nike shorts and a t-shirt 95% of the time. The other times, I immediately change into shorts and a t-shirt once I'm done with whatever special occasion made me decide to look halfway decent. So, for fashion....uhhh. I like pretty much anything from Maurices. I like Old Navy shorts and button-up shirts. But for real, the majority of my clothing is t-shirts. So there's me. :)

If there are any prayer needs, let me know! :) Check out Brave Love Blog if you want to get linked up in the #blogtemberchallenge! Until tomorrow, (hopefully I don't forget again :) ).

Day Two || Happiness

Welcome to day two of the #blogtemberchallenge. Today, our prompt is to write about what makes us happy, from the small things to the game-changers.

What makes Alexa happy? 

First and foremost, the Lord makes me happy. The fact that He loves me enough to have sent Jesus to die for my sins amazes me. It is my daily prayer that I delight in the Lord and in His Word, because sometimes I have no motivation to read it or to seek Him. But Praise God that He forgives me for even those moments when I don't feel like putting forth any effort to do anything more than lay in my bed and eat cookie dough.

"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light."  - Dumbledore (J.K. Rowling)

Secondly, I love Harry Potter: books, movies, fanfiction, spin-offs. Major props to J.K. Rowling for inventing a world that so many have fallen in love with. Her characters personify different characteristics that each of us have, even some of them that we may not know about ourselves. My favorite character is Draco Malfoy. Anyone that knows me knows that I'll make any argument to say that he's not the devil incarnate. He has a heart, despite popular belief. The fact that Tom Felton is beautiful is just a perk for my liking his character.

Writing brings me much joy. I feel as though when we put to use the talents that God has blessed us with, we are going to reap joy. Though others may not deem what I write worthy of being written, writing is the only way that I feel like I can properly convey my thoughts. I love writing poetry, fiction, devotionals; I just love to write.

Other things that bring me joy are:

My yorkie Mufasa. Books. Vintage books with old pages. Shakespeare. Criminal Minds. Crafts. Painting. Cookie Dough. Video games. Cold days. The beach. Cherry Dr. Pepper. Hand written cards. Scrapbook paper. LSU Football. Colored Felt-tip pens. Planners. EOS Chapstick. Duck Dynasty. Nutella. Writing outside.Coffee. Blogging. Children's Ministry. Mango Sweet Tea. Sonic's happy hour. Tanya Runyan's Poems. Khan's Mongolian Grill. Food in general. Studying in solitude. Coloring with children. Watching movies. Scary movies. Working out. Index cards. Corkboards. Germ-x. Camelbak water bottles. Air conditioning. Football games with friends.

Thank you for sticking around and reading my ramblings. Hope that this post has found you in good spirits and good health. Personally, I'm trying not to let my allergies kick me to the curb. If any of you have anything that I can pray for, let me know! If you haven't linked up with the #blogtemberchallenge by Bailey at BraveLoveBlog, what are you waiting for?! Until tomorrow, my friends.

.001 || About the Author

I'm super excited to participate in the Blog-tember challenge. I feel as thought it'll propel me over this mountainous writer's block I've been experiencing lately and it will incorporate me into a fantastic community of bloggers. The #blogtemberchallenge is headed up by Bailey Jean of Brave Love Blog. She's awesome and a great friend of mine. So why not participate in this challenge? :) Today's prompt is About the Author.

Bottom Right picture belongs to She Reads Truth.

About the Author: 

Though she was born in southwest Arkansas, Alexa lived the majority of her life in a small town in northwest Louisiana. She excelled in sports and academics throughout her junior high and high school careers. After graduating valedictorian from her high school, Alexa ventured three hours south into central Louisiana for college. She currently attends Louisiana College, a private baptist school, where she is a senior.

If you would have asked her where she would be attending college during the majority of her high school years, the answer would not have been LC. It wasn't until March 25 of her senior year that she felt God's calling to pursue an English degree at the division three school. An avid fan of LSU football (GEAUX TIGERS!), Alexa had aspired to pursue her degree in Baton Rouge, LA, at the aforementioned university. As senior year approached, her plans changed. Her top choices going into senior year were ULM and ULL. The Lord had other plans.

Alexa's life was changed just after her sophomore year in high school. She accepted Jesus as Savior during May 2009. Though she has struggled and failed numerous times, God is good and loves her even when she is the most unlovable. The desires of Alexa's heart are to glorify the Lord both through her writing and through her work in children's ministry. She knows that without the Lord's saving grace, she would be headed down the long, gloomy path to nowhere. With the Lord, however, the possibilities are endless. :)

Alexa's hobbies include writing, reading, doing craft activities, playing video games, and enjoying time with family and friends. Though she no longer plays in the official competitive leagues of softball, she enjoys playing coed slowpitch when the opportunities arise. Her favorite books include, but are not limited to, the Harry Potter series, Divergent Trilogy, Hunger Games trilogy, and the Mortal Instruments series. She also enjoys reading books by Matt Chandler and Beth Moore.

If Alexa were to write a novel, which you know she does, it would involve interweaving her faith through the characters and (hopefully) writing it in such a way that it not only attracted her Christian audience, but would reach unbelievers as well.

I enjoyed writing about myself too much, I think. :) Ah well, if you finished reading all of that, thanks! I appreciate your willingness to read about me. If there's anyway that I can be praying for you, or someone you may know, just drop a comment. In case you don't know about the #blogtemberchallenge, tomorrow's prompt is writing about what makes you happy! Visit braveloveblog to see the list of prompts!