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Thursday, March 27, 2014

My Art Project//Let Your Light Shine Thursday!

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Recently I was able to dip into my creative senses and paint something that was meaningful in my life!




I looked at a blank canvas and immediately the thoughts started flowing on what I wanted my work of art to represent. 

I thought maybe I will do my initials or a cute quote. But then my mind turned to One word that God has teaching me about. & that is His grace.

(To add texture to the painting, I brushed glue on the canvas and put pieces of newspaper on the canvas.)

Often times, we get very caught up in the things we do wrong- and we think the Lord is looking down on us and shunning us from His presence. Well, that is FAR from the truth.

Jesus didn't die on the cross to continue to condemn us for our sins. He loved us SO much that he took our sins as an offering and in return gave us His righteousness and grace as gifts to be received.

(It took me about 30 minutes to finish putting all the newspaper on.)

We are all righteous with 0 works. We freely receive grace doing 0 works. We are saved by Christ alone and righteous through Christ. Christ did ALL the work so we may be righteous in front of God.

How did Jesus become sin (when going to the cross)? He didn't have to commit sin, correct? So how do we become righteous? 

People get tricked into thinking righteousness is done by following every commandment in the bible without ever sinning and if you sin, you are no longer righteous. Why would Jesus pay such a hefty price to have you fall in and out of righteousness??

What Jesus continually tries to get us to see if that we did not have to commit righteousness to become righteous. He freely gave us the gift of righteousness through his sufferings and payment! 

We are no longer under the law, we are under grace. The commandments were used to bring man to the end of himself. To show men that they cannot do things on their own, but they needed a savior for grace. 

Under the law (the old testament) man works. Under grace, God works. Under the law it was what we should do and what we should not do. It was about performance. And people are so stuck in thinking that is still the way it is- but misunderstand the power of what Jesus did! With Jesus taking our sins to the cross, He changed things. It is now about what Christ will do, not us because we cannot do things on our own. 

Jesus shows us so much grace, that He wants us to be like Him and see the prime example in Him. Instead of identifying yourself with the do's and don'ts of the Bible, identify yourself with Jesus. 

Not saying you shouldn't follow the rules in the Bible, but remember that Jesus is one with the Word- He created every law in it! For He is God!

Sometimes, I do this: I will think about something that I want to do- good or bad- but I first identify myself with Jesus. I will say "I am a Jesus girl- so I will not do this because Jesus wouldn't do this" Or " I will do this because Jesus would do this." 

If you mess up- we have a wonderful Lord and Savior that rejoices in our repentance because it shows Him that you understand the price He paid for your freedom! And with repentance you are allowing yourself to be free by accepting His give of forgiveness! What grace is shown through Him!


So I painted my picture with the beautiful word grace (which is my God-daughter's middle name!) because Jesus shows me grace each and everyday. If it wasn't for His abundant grace and mercy, I would be nothing. 

Jesus wants all of us to reign in life. To enjoy the riches of his Glory through Christ Jesus. The devil will fight you so hard on the gift of righteousness and the abundance of grace because he knows that these two gifts from God will help you reign in life. 

Start saying to yourself "God has great plans for me"- It is written in the Bible! & start thinking about all God can do for you and will do for you. There is no need to sulk in your mistakes because Jesus already paid the price. You are worth everything to Him- so He gave us His all... on the cross. Lets Praise His Name! For He is GREAT!

Romans 5:12-21 
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.


Share your testimonies of God's grace in your life in the comment section! Let's uplift each other in all God's Goodness!


Today is 
Let Your Light Shine Thursdays!

Thanks so much for all of you that linked up last week!
Me and Jena over at I'm Perfectly Human loved seeing all of your posts!

Our favorite from last week's link-up was from Kate Style Petite!
This lovely lady linked up twice with two beautiful outfit posts. I especially loved the flower detail on the denim shorts!



Thanks again for all of you who participated! Now it's time to link up again :)

RULES: 
1. Link up your favorite post this week - It can be related to faith, fashion, food, family, or whatever else you would like to share that helped you shine your light from the week!

2. Follow I'm Perfectly Human & True Soul & Spirit on Bloglovin, or any other social media outlet (FB, Twitter, Instagram, or GFC)

3. Link back by using the button above or your own link.

4. Visit other blogs and meet new blogger friends!

Each week we will be choosing our favorite posts to feature and share with you all!

Let Your Light Shine Thursdays






Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Urge to Travel

Happy Hump Day Everyone!

I am actually at home sick today... no fun at all. But the perks of being sick is that I can relax and blog :)

It is officially Spring- & right now more than ever I have the urge to travel. Whenever I think about where I want to go, my mind immediately brings me back to my home away from home, Italy. 

I lived there for about 5 months during my study abroad term. I studied fashion and luxury companies and the Italian language while I was there. I wouldn't trade my time there for anything. It helped humble me, appreciate the like God has given me, and it also helped open my eyes to many things I was blind to before. It helped me love stronger, be more grateful, and grow into a much more mature woman. 

There is so much beauty and romance everywhere your eyes turn. From the ocean views to the old architecture.. it is so rich in history, culture and beauty. 

There are so many hidden treasures there.

I wanted to share with you a few pictures I captured during my time there. It helps me remember what I get to look forward to when I go back (next year! The countdown is on!).

On my balcony is Milan. ( I showed this picture in my last blog post, here)



A typical breakfast in Milan consisted of a Cappuccino and a chocolate filled pastry. Why doesn't the US have chocolate filled pastries like this??

So good. yum :)

I miss the fresh markets every Tuesday and Thursday. Fresh fruit, veggies, nuts, meats and fish all for soooo cheap!


I miss the detail in every piece of Architecture. This is in Florence.


I miss the views. Look at the beautiful mountains in the background!

One of the best moments.

I miss the gelato, of course! I love icecream... but gelato was heavenly :)

I miss the romance. The movies, music, plays, even keychains all focused on love and romance. Just like in the movies :)

The sunsets :)

I miss how easy it was to get a beautiful picture from anything.

Even if just a flower.



"Together Always"

Could you imagine living here??

I love sunsets.. And I got to see many sunsets like this one during my time there.

& you know I couldn't forget the pizza!


Overall, I miss everything. I miss taking the metro a few stops to get to the duomo and just sitting there enjoying the views and people watching. I cant wait to go back!

Where is your favorite place?



Thursday, March 20, 2014

Hey Everyone!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thursday! 

Mine was so wonderful! I often sit in awe of all the things Jesus continues to show me each day. I always learn something new! 

Lately, He has been teaching me a lot about submission- which I will write about in a later post- so stay tuned! I don't want to be premature to write it!

Anyway, as every week, this week has too been hectic- but that's alright! Time is a gift and luckily I got the gift of time management- lol!

One highlight of my week is that I found my favorite oversize cardigan! It "magically" disappeared a couple months ago and I hadn't been able to find it since! I was randomly cleaning out my car one day- and then I looked up and there it was on a random shelf in the garage... of all places?!? ( think my sister stole it! LOL- though she denies it.) 

Either way, I am so happy to get this sweater back! We go wayyyy back... all the way back to when I lived in Italy- in fact that is where I got it! Traveled with me all over Europe. 

Me on my balcony- in the sweater haha.

It traveled with me many other places too...

 It traveled with me to LA....


& It traveled with me to greet my goddaughter when our friends first made their move to MN permanent!

It has traveled with me many places.... some say I wear it too much. LOL I am just happy to have it back! It has a hole in it... but nothing I can't fix :)



Dont forget, today is the Let Your Light Shine Link Up! It is held every Thursday!

My girl J at I'm Perfectly Human would like to recognize a great post by blogger Kimberly from Diary of a Brown Eyed Girl called Joy. Make sure to check out her blog! It is amazing.


Thanks again for all of you who participated! Now it's time to link up again :)

RULES: 
1. Link up your favorite post this week - It can be related to faith, fashion, food, family, or whatever else you would like to share that helped you shine your light from the week!

2. Follow I'm Perfectly Human & True Soul & Spirit on Bloglovin, or any other social media outlet (FB, Twitter, Instagram, or GFC)

3. Link back by using the button above or your own link.

4. Visit other blogs and meet new blogger friends!

Each week we will be choosing our favorite posts to feature and share with you all!


Let Your Light Shine Thursdays

An InLinkz Link-up


Have a great Thursday!


Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Journey to Restoration: Progress Update!

Happy Gratituesday Everyone!

Well- the spring has come in MN (so we thought)- Its snowing again!!! 
Surprise? Not so much. 

Well- you know how I have been on this journey of restoration? If you don't know, you can see here and here.

It has been about the 2 month mark now!

I was getting discouraged because I haven't seen a big change on the scale. It wasn't until I took another progress photo that I really could see the difference!


I have lost about another half in everywhere. I am working on getting that "stubborn" fat off! Ha!

What keeps me going?

1] Seeing results! It is always motivating to see how far you have come- in many different areas of life- and this being one of them :)
2] Jesus. I always remind myself the purpose of why I even started exercising and changing my habits. Its because I wanted to be a healthier, cleaner temple for Him to dwell. Not just that, but He blessed me with a healthy body and I want to make sure I manage it well!
3] Friends. It is always helpful to have the support system. When I say I don't feel like working out, my friends and family will help remind me why I do this. So I encourage you- if you are on any journey- loop in your family and friends for support :)

Share with me any journey you are on by commenting below with your blog information! I would love to read about what is going on with you :)



Thursday, March 13, 2014

Let Your Light Shine Thursdays


Happy Thursday!

Since there is now casual dress at work, I have had some fun putting together outfits! Here is my favorite look of the day from this week:





Shoes: Target 
Pants:Target
Shirt: Forever 21
Necklace: Francesca's





Today I am bringing a new weekly feature to the blog. Me and my girl, Jena, over at I'm Perfectly Human are collaborating to bring you a new link-up party every week!

Let your light shine Thursdays!


Let Your Light Shine Thursdays


Each Thursday we will be hosting a link-up party.
Show us how you let your light shine each week by linking up your favorite post of the week.

RULES: 

1. Link up your favorite post this week - It can be related to faith, fashion, food, family, or whatever else you would like to share that helped you shine your light from the week!

2. Follow I'm Perfectly Human & True Soul & Spirit on Bloglovin, or any other social media outlet (FB, Twitter, Instagram, or GFC)

3. Link back by using the button above or your own link.

4. Visit other blogs and meet new blogger friends!

Each week we will be choosing our favorite posts to feature and share with you all!  

Lets link up!!


Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Everyday Blessings: Trophy Vs. Treasure Part 1

Happy Wednesday Everyone! 

I am so thankful for another beautiful day! 

It is finally starting to warm up here in MN- which is a relief because I was beginning to get heavy winter blues, LOL.

Today on Everyday Blessings, I wanted to talk about something that God has been showing me.

Being a woman treasure vs. a trophy



Now, what do I mean? Well many times us women try to adorn ourselves with different clothes, hair and makeup to attract a man. We will exercise and wear the latest swimwear to keep up with trends and make sure that we are still something a guy wants to look at and will love.

Because let's be honest, most of us women want to find LOVE. The sappy rom com type of love that seems the hardest thing to find- but see other women accomplishing it!

Although wanting to be attractive is perfectly normal, many of us miss the biggest key there is- that love doesn't come from how beautiful we are on the outside, but what treasures we hold on the inside. 

Many women mistake being a trophy to a man as being a treasure- & that is just not the case.



Let me explain the differences:

Trophy: A reward for a specific achievement and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. 

Men love to get rewarded for "winning" a challenge. But a trophy gets placed on a shelf to display to anyone who comes by and sees it (not to mention they gather dust). But no matter how big or shiny the trophy is, they will always be replaced by another trophy when a bigger and better one comes along. 

Treasure: Something of great worth or value- also- a person esteemed as rare or precious, a collection of precious things.

A treasure is something a man will search the Earth for. He will spend his whole life finding it if he has to and sacrifice many things to have it. He will go through great lengths to protect his treasure, to take care of his treasure, and to show off his treasure to the world! It is something so valuable to him- nothing could ever replace it. 

"A man values what he works hard for, and he treasures what he values."- Nate Holloway

So, how do we become treasures? I will be going over that next week in Part 2 of Everyday Blessings: Trophy Vs Treasure Part 2! 

But until then, I encourage you to look up scriptures in the bible that explain what a virtuous and God-fearing woman is. 

Here are some helpful study scriptures:
Proverbs 31-10-31
1Peter 3:3-6
Proverbs 31:20
Proverbs 14:1-35
Ephesians 4:29
1 Peter 31:1
Galations 5:22-25
Proverbs 31:26

Also! Do not forget about the awesome Sephora Giveaway going on now! Use the rafflecopter below for your chance to win a $55 Giftcard to Sephora!



Dana | Jena 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Good Luck!!