Wednesday, June 19, 2013

when your world is rocked: Megan's story

I wish that I could adequately put into words how blessed I've been by the women I've met here in this blog community.  I love how God has woven stories together and used women from every walk of life to encourage, support, and challenge others.  Today, I get to introduce you to one of my newest friends.  I'm so glad that I've gotten to know Megan lately and her sweet spirit is such a blessing to me!  She asked me last week if she could write this post and I told her a hearty "YES!!!!!"  I love when readers want to share their hearts and their Jesus stories.  Such a beautiful reminder that God knows right where you are and He's always faithful to call you.  Here's Megan's story!

Hey lovely Bloom readers! I'm Megan, and I blog over at Life of a College Girl.


When Nicole was asking for new sponsors, I couldn't say NO! Y'all, this blog is something special. I found Nicole's blog when I was in a serious time of doubt with the Lord, and as I saw her posts it was like Jesus slapping me in the face, but in a loving way! Today, I wanted to share my story of my faith. I know, you're probably like, "Seriously, ANOTHER?" but my story is sooo different. I am going to tell you how I had a real, 'Come to Jesus Meeting' and how my faith took a complete turn around.

OKAY...here we go! :) 

I was born into a Catholic family. Ya know, the one where you have tons of aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, etc. who all go to the same church? Yeah, that was my family. I was an only child, my parents sent me to the small private school in our tiny town, we went to mass every week with my relatives, especially holidays. I went through most of the sacraments, did the whole baptism thing, first communion, and was well on my way to confirmation. 

That was, until my mom's sweet friend invited us to her church Christmas pageant. I must admit, I was in the fifth grade, and thought this was going to be just about as lame as my first grade Christmas play. But I digress...my mom said that this church was so different from what I was used to, and that I was to not say a word until we left that evening. I thought my mom was taking me to the convent and never coming back at the way she was acting. 

So we went, and through the entire show my mom was sobbing. I'm not meaning like an, 'Oh, that was such a cute play' cry, I'm talking felt the presence of the Lord press down on her and bring her into reality of His amazing wonders. Back then, I gave no thought to it other than my mom was embarrassing me. Now? Gives me chills each time I get that picture in my head. After that night, my mom brought us back to watch the show for the rest of the performances, each time crying. 

A few weeks passed, and my mom asked if I wanted to go and visit that church. She explained that they had a kid area that I would go to, how Sunday school worked, that I would be in great hands. So fast forward six months, my mom and I become regular attenders to this church, my dad stayed at the Catholic church that my school was still attached to and dealt with all sorts of questions. My teachers found out that I was converting religions, and oh.my.word. you would have thought I was a criminal. Every Friday mass with our peers I was to sit with the teacher, punished because I was disgracing the Catholic church for my mom's decision. Teachers were actually fearful of me, especially after I corrected my Religion teacher on one of his stories. ;) 

But this fight went on for about a year and a half, my grandparents wouldn't talk to us, my relatives all thought we were absolutely crazy, I lost friends, my mom lost friends, and my dad was just about to go insane. But this church was feeding my soul on the Word, the things I needed to hear. I am almost 20 years old, and right now with my Kindergarten Sunday school class, I am still learning the basics. Junior high I transferred schools because my family moved out of our tiny town to a large suburb city. I lived 4 doors down from the only friend I had from church, my Sunday school teacher lived a street away, the youth group organizer is the house behind me, one of our Pastor's lived a few streets away. Everywhere I turned to in my neighborhood, there was a smiling face from a church member. I loved it! My dad eventually joined us in church after seeing who we were surrounded by. I went to so many camps with the youth group, did out-reach programs, VBS, etc. But I could still tell that my heart was not all into what I was doing with my life, even all throughout high school.


Now, let's fast forward to my sophomore year in college! I attend Xavier University, a small private Catholic college with Jesuits EVERYWHERE. Literally. I knew that I wouldn't be singled out because of my faith much like I was growing up. I survived freshman year, but much like other students, didn't make it home every weekend for church. Did it bother me? Not really. But something changed. A BIG change of heart. I had started my second year of college living with friends in an apartment. A month in, I knew something wasn't right. My parents struggled to keep me there, I wanted home every weekend because I wanted to go to church. I was an emotional wreck, just ask my poor boyfriend who dealt with crying phone calls. I was weak, torn to pieces, and was about to give up. My parents saw this, moved me home within a week, and I still was a hot mess. 

Thankful for a wonderful mentor, who texted, called, chatted with me to see how I was doing. She shared the Word with me, gave me a daily text of scripture and a message to go with. Through those messages, I felt at peace. I could feel that God was pressing down on me, much like He had my mom about 10 years prior. I prayed more than I ever had, I began to get into Bible more. This time in my life was when I really had my meeting with Jesus. Yes, I had converted religions, took the new believers class, was baptized, gave my life to Christ, the whole deal. But you know what? I came to know Jesus more than ever in the past year. My church is amazing, don't get me wrong, but I think I needed to do this on my own. Learn about how great our God is, and that no matter where you are in life, He is right by your side to put that extra pep in your step, encourage you on your days of doubts, love you at all times. 

Does God get much better than that? I know I went through about 10 years of my life in one post, but through it all, I became a firm believer in the Lord. I was a late bloomer when I think about it, but it doesn't matter. God will love you no matter what!

Thanks Nicole for letting me share my heart! And thanks readers for putting up with my loooooong story. To catch up with me and my fun life, go click my button on the right side! I'd love to have you there. :)

Edit:  Megan is simply sharing her journey and her experiences here.  By no means (and this is coming from Megan) was this meant to offend Catholics or come off as rude.  Her family is still Catholic and she fully respects that.  This is just her story of how Jesus personally worked in her life.  I hope that you are able to take her story and grasp the love, grace, and mercy that is extended by Jesus instead of focusing on Catholics vs. other denominations.  This post was not meant offensively, I promise!

I love that Megan's story isn't like mine.  And it's not like Taylor's.  And it may not be like yours, either.  We've all walked different life paths, but the common thread is that the grace of Jesus has captured us.  We've been changed because Jesus lived a perfect life, died a sinner's death, conquered hell and the grave, and rose to life so that WE could be raised from the dead, too.  Sister, it doesn't matter where you've been.  It doesn't matter what dark road you've walked down or how many times you lived in rebellion.  It doesn't matter if you've gone to church every Sunday since birth or if you've never stepped foot in one.  Jesus wants you.  You are passionately loved.  Yes, you're loved even though you've made this mistake and that mistake.  Jesus isn't surpised by your past.  He isn't in the dark about where you've been.  He reaches his nail pierced hands out to you full knowing your past and your history.  He calls you by name, beloved.  I know that someone reading this post today needs to know Jesus.  I pray that you would hear His call.  If you need to talk, I'm always willing to listen.

bloomtheblog@gmail.com

Monday, June 17, 2013

the marriage diaries vol. 4


100.  That's how many nights I've crawled in bed next to a guy I can call my husband.  That's how many days I've watched him slip a ring on his finger before he goes to work.  That's how many days I've had a true, biblical partner.  So many things about my life has changed in just 100 days.  I went from a single, selfish girl to a married, yet still selfish, girl.  Through marriage the Lord has put a mirror right in front of my face so that I can see my ugly selfishness clear as crystal.  Marriage has shown me my sinfulness in a way that I'm daily forced to recognize my need for grace.  Sometimes, when we have "good" days, it is easy to forget how innately sinful we were are.  Sometimes I forget my desperate need for grace.  But, thanks to marriage, I don't have as many opportunities to forget.  It's funny how God uses marriage like that.  When I was a little girl, I thought that marriage was about two people coming together, loving one another, and having some sort of a "happily ever after".  When marriage is really about striving to live a life sold out the gospel while God uses a partner to strengthen you, challenge you, and support you.  The Lord has really started to teach me so much through our marriage, even though we've only been marriage for a second.  Here are a few things, silly and serious, that I've learned in 100 days of marriage.




1.  I'm terrible at doing laundry... I'd almost rather cut my own arm off.
2.  Ty is a picky eater. I might as well get over the fact that I'll never cook anything green.
3.  I will almost always fall asleep first and I'll most definitely fall asleep in every movie we watch in bed after 7 pm.
4.  I somehow manage to share a pillow with him some nights.  I guess I like to cuddle in my subconscious.  
5.  I'm horribly selfish.  Ty is much more selfless than me and I'm almost always slapped in the face by how selflessly he loves me.  It makes me want to be more like him.
6.  It's okay if Ty only makes the bed twice a week.  Life really does go on.
7.  And it's okay if I don't point out every time that he doesn't make the bed.  I don't have to take every opportunity to nag.
8.  Our go to meal will ALWAYS be breakfast for dinner.  It's a classic.
9.  Sometimes I just want to be mad.  It's a TERRIBLE habit that I really need to kick. 
10.  Being able to talk about sex is fun.  And flirting when you know where it will lead is pretty fun, too. 
11.  One of my favorite moments of the day is when we hold hands and pray over dinner.
12.  You have to be even more intentional with a marriage than you do with a dating relationship.  When you see someone day in and day out it's easy to fall into "routines" that don't encourage your marriage.  I'm trying to remember to always be intentional with the time that we spend together.
13.  I don't need all those things I thought I did to make our home look complete.  I've learned a lot about the difference between a needing and wanting.  I actually need very, very little.
14.  Having godly couple friends that support our marriage has been one of the biggest blessings of our lives.  We've needed those kind of people in our lives.
15.  While I can't wait to have babies... I've learned that having a Bella and a Beau is more than enough for us for now!

Here's to the next 100 days!

Friday, June 14, 2013

five on friday

It's FRIDAY!!! This week flew by in a flash after starting to babysit in my college town on Tuesday and Thursday.  Those are going to be some long days, but It'll be good to fill my schedule up a bit for the next several weeks!  This morning I wanted to link-up with Natasha again to share 5 little things before I take on this Friday morning.

one


Sometime today I'll have a guest post up on sweet Brittany's blog!  Brittany has been engaged for mere days and she asked me to come share my heart on dating, engagement, and marriage.  And share I did.  I feel like I could write a book with all that I'm learning! 


two


This guy is going to the vet this morning to get his next round of puppy shots!  I'm kind of dying inside because he's getting so big.  And I definitely laughed when he looked at me with the saddest eyes after his bath.  You would have thought I was murdering him when I came time for the hairdryer! Goofy little guy.

three


I'm loving one of my sweet sponsors, Megan!  Since finding this girl's blog a little while back and now getting to know her through sponsorships, I'm certain that we would be fast friends.  She's got the sweetest heart and she's the cutest thing ever.  She emailed me last night about a post that she wanted to write for me and I just about lost it.  It's going to be that good.  I'm so thankful for the women the Lord has placed in my life through blogging and how their testimonies affect me.  Jesus is good, y'all.  And did you see Taylor's post yesterday?  Girlfriend said some good stuff!




four



Last night my family made an impromptu decision to head downtown for dinner and dessert.  We had a really yummy dinner at Pearl's Oyster House and ended with cheesecake and coffee at Cheesecake Corner.  Y'ALL.  If you've never been, you're missing out on one of the greatest things Memphis has to offer.  I could drink their coffee ALL DAY LONG.  So, so good.  It was such a fun night for us all to be together celebrating an early Father's Day!  Speaking of...

five


Happy Father's Day weekend to my sweet Dad!  I'm so blessed to have grown up with such a loving, sweet, and hilarious Dad.  God couldn't have blessed me more!  I just might be more excited for this guy to be a "Big Daddy" than I am to be a Mom... I think it's going to be the greatest thing ever.  Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Well, I'm off to take Beau to the vet before I have bible study with Caitlin and catch up on some house work before the weekend!  I hope you guys have a great weekend!



Thursday, June 13, 2013

a girl like me

I know for a fact that sponsorships have blessed me more than I've actually blessed the sponsors.  The girls that have come my way... they're just awesome, y'all.  Taylor has been around since I started offering sponsorships in February and I've enjoyed her consistency so much.  I find myself relating to her so much... we both have dealt with our inner "good girl".  I wanted Taylor to share a little bit about her so that you couldn't resist going to visit her.  ;)  Enjoy Taylor and her sweet testimony!

Hey y'all! I'm Taylor and if you've been around Bloom for a while you've probably noticed my little picture on the sidebar, I have loved sponsoring Nicole and helping out some awesome charities while doing it! 



I'm originally from Louisville, but am currently attending the University of Kentucky in Lexington. So, yes I am from Kentucky and no I do not wear shoes. Kidding...kind of. I grew up in a somewhat Christian (Southern Baptist specifically) household; my parents took us to church, but that was about it. We never discussed anything, and Jesus was our sunday thing. It was not until I was in middle school and started attending youth group that the gospel was presented to me in a clear and understandable way. I accepted Christ as a seventh grader and was baptized shortly after. I went on six mission trips with my church while in middle and high school, one of them being overseas to Guatemala. I led and attended small groups and bible studies, went to church every Wednesday and Sunday, helped in the nursery, volunteered around the community, and did all the "right" things, but really my life looked no different from that of any other high schooler. No, I was not sleeping with my boyfriends or getting drunk every weekend, but my heart was cold. I was rude to people, overcome by jealousy, extremely proud, and gossiped more than I care to admit. I had Jesus where I wanted Him, neatly tucked into the same drawer where I kept my Bible and church clothes. 

high school best friend

While things did improve my senior year, it was not until college when I really began to own my faith. No longer was my mom there to make sure I went to church, but instead it became my responsibility. This was the best possible thing that could have happened. I was dating a guy who was a Christian (still am!) and got plugged into the YoungLife community. I learned so much about Jesus my freshman year of college. Yes, the girl who had been in church her entire life learned so much more about Jesus in one year away than she had in all those years. I learned about grace, about to Holy Spirit's guidance, and about repentance, all things I had previously not known anything about. I now lead Wyldlife at a middle school in town, attend Tates Creek Presbyterian church weekly, serve others to the best of my ability, put Jesus first in all my relationships, am in a weekly Bible Study that challenges each other, meet with an accountability parter, and hunger for my friends and family to know Jesus. Oh, and I sin and screw up and am reminded that I am not perfect. A lot. 

It's so funny because as I typed all that out I think the huge change that occurred in me from high school to college is hard to see. It was not just that I stopped doing the wrong things and started doing the right things. It wasn't a huge change from drugs to Jesus. It was a a heart change. It was taking Jesus out of that Sunday/Wednesday drawer and putting Him everywhere, and not because it was because it was what I was "supposed" to do, but because it was my desire to do so. It was learning that Jesus is not a condemning ruler with huge lists of regulations, but a loving friend who gives grace, mercy, and forgiveness to those who trust in Him. It was letting go of my try hard relationship with Him and stopping letting the image of the "good girl" define me. It was learning to be bold for the gospel, and to always put Jesus first and others second. 

my sweet boy

my Wydlife team

Today, I am still a sinner that is in need of Jesus every single day, but my relationship with Him brings me so much joy, peace, and happiness. I struggle with spiritual disciplines, especially being intentional with getting in the word daily, but I know there is grace in that. For now, it is still something I check off my list, but I know Jesus will change my attitude towards this and I will wake up thirsting for His word.  In the meantime, doing a bible study has really helped me. I am currently doing Kelly Minter's Ruth study!  The biggest key for me has been being a part of a Godly community that encourages and challenges me in that. I encourage everyone to pray about that and seek one out. I am so excited about the future and trust that God has big plans for my life. There is so much peace in that y'all!  

my bible study

roommates (minus two!)
community on spring break!

 So, there's a little about me and where I'm at right now. I would love to talk to you an about anything anytime! Feel so free to stop by my blog, or to just email me!
Thanks so much for having me Nicole! 

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

summer yummies

I don't know what it is about Summer that makes me feel like I should be Betty Crocker.  Maybe it's because of all the great fruits and veggies at the farmer's market or maybe it's because so many Summer nights are spent with friends.  Summer has always seemed like the perfect time to get in the kitchen and whip up something yummy.  I've tried several new recipes lately and I thought they were good enough to share with you!  If you follow me on Pinterest you may have noticed a new board that I've created.  I created "pinned it, did it" to repin all of the things that I try from Pinterest.  I wanted to create a place where people could see REAL feedback from the pins that are floating around.  I hope that you find it useful!



(I didn't have a good picture, so this one is from the original website!)

We made this homemade peach ice cream several weeks ago when we had friends in town and it was a winner all around!  It was light, creamy, and so very peachy!  It made just enough for four people to have a nice sized bowl, so I would definitely double or triple the recipe if you're needing to please a crowd.  The sour cream gave it more of a tart taste, so I would add more sugar if you want to tone that down.  We loved how light and fresh it tasted, so we didn't feel the need to add anything!  Great, easy ice cream to try this summer!  Recipe found here.


I've been going through Kelly Minter's Ruth study with my friend Caitlin and there are many reasons why I've loved this study.  Ruth has such a great story, Kelly presents it in such a challenging and convicting way, AND Kelly throws in recipes to try every week.  Bible study winner right here, y'all.  This past Friday Caitlin brought over a really yummy pasta dish and I made a loaf of homemade bread. It was technically supposed to be a flatbread, but it really didn't turn out that way.  It was really good and tasted even better dipped in olive oil and herbs!  Yum!

Parmesan Flatbread

1 teaspoon white sugar
1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup grated parmesan

Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water in a small bowl.  Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.  In a larger bowl, combine the yeast mixture with flour.  Stir in additional water, one tablespoon at a time, until all of the flour is absorbed.  When the dough has come together, knead it on a lightly floured surface for a couple of minutes.

Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil.  Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.  It should double in size.  Preheat over to 475 degrees.

Punch the dough down and turn it onto a lightly floured surface; knead briefly. Pat or roll the dough into a sheet and place on a lightly greased baking sheet (I did mine on a pizza stone) Brush the dough with oil and sprinkle with salt and lightly dust with parmesan.

Bake bread in preheated over for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on desired crispiness.  (I did mine for 20 minutes and the outside was nice and crispy while the inside was moist and soft.)  Let stand for about 5 minutes and cut into strips.  (Or, you could just tear right into it fresh out of the over like we did.  Oops)

So good!  For more recipes from Kelly Minter's bible studies visit her recipe page here.


Sunday night at small group we had "southern night" so I baked a strawberry cobbler.  It was the perfect Summer treat and super easy to make!  I had all the ingredients in my pantry except for the strawberries so it was a really affordable dish to make.  My 8x8 baking dish served about 10 people, so you could always double it to make it for a larger gathering!  You can find the recipe here.

I'm going to try and cook my way through my pinterest board over the next few months and I hope that I have more success stories than failures!  Do you have any go-to recipes for Summer?  Do share!
Pin It button on image hover