The Liebster Award

Hey all! I was nominated for the Liebster Award by Schuyler M. from My Lady Bibliophile. And while I thought I wouldn't have time this month to do it, I was proved wrong. Haha. I do have quite a few happenings scheduled for this month, but the beginning-ish is pretty uneventful! *grins*

So, without further ado, let's get on with this delightful post, ^_^

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1. Link back to the blogger who nominated you.

2. Answer the 11 new questions.

3. Nominate other bloggers (however many or few as you'd 

like).

4. Create 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominated.

5. Notify the new nominees of their award.

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1) What is the driving passion of your life?

I’m a follower of Jesus Christ, and I know that without Him, life would have no purpose—no meaning. So, in essence, God and all He stands for is what pushes me on in life. The fact that He has a plan and a happy ending (new heaven & new earth) give me the hope and passion I need when times are rough. I know that He loves me, and my desire is to embody that love so that others can find joy and freedom in Him as well!! *smiles*

(Found on Pixabay.com)

2) Do you have a daily devotion plan or prayer time, and if so, what does it look like?

Yes, I do! I admit, I haven’t always had a daily devotional, but I’ve been seeing the importance of it, so I strive to keep Bible reading in my schedule! I like to read a chapter or more each day from one book in the Old Testament and one book in the New Testament. Right now I’m reading from Psalm and Luke. I usually record what I read in my pink notebook, *smiles*, and sometimes journal my prayers in there as well.

3) What is your favorite friendship in literature?

Hmm … I'm assuming that ‘friendship’ means there’s no romance involved … ? In that case, Eanrin and Sairu come to mind. (From Golden Daughter by Anne Elisabeth Stengl). Eanrin is just a hilarious and lovable guy; and it was enjoyable to see how he could be tender with the hurting Sairu. From what I’m remembering, theirs was a bit begrudging, yet sweet friendship! *wink* <3

("The Pain of Love" by Hannah S. J. Williams)

4) Are there one or two themes close to your heart that wind through your favorite books?

Well, my faith is one. When the characters have a relationship with God, and are struggling, growing, striving … I feel like I can really connect with them. Learn things from them. A novel with a profound theme of faith really endears itself to me! *smiles*

A deep, Christ-centered romance always intrigues me!

And I especially love books with strong brother and sister relationships.

5) What is your favorite time period in history, and why?

Ooh, that’s a hard one!! I LOVE historical … all the different eras fascinate me! *smiles* But I suppose right now I’d say that the medieval era is my favorite. Why? Well, knights and maidens, *grins*, castles, the sweeping skirts and long draping sleeves of the gowns, swords and horses, Robin Hood type guys … I don’t know. Something about it just enchants me! I suppose a lot of fantasy and fairytale novels are in a medieval setting, so that explains my love for medieval! *smiles and winks*

6) Is there one person in real life who has had a huge, (positive) impact on your spiritual journey, and if so, can you tell us a little bit about them?

There has been a lot of people who have impacted (for good) my walk with God! I won't mention them all, but I’m so blessed by each and every one of them!! My mom, Aunt Marla, friends Talitha and Marayla, and my former Bible study leaders are a few examples that come to mind at this present time in my life. More recently, this guy named Joe Solomon (he has a youtube channel: chaseGodtv) has really just shown me lots of encouragement, enlightenment, and conviction through his videos. I’m so touched and kind of like revived spiritually by his wisdom and passion for God and His truths!! Wow!! Besides being reminded and renewed by listening to his humorous and important talks, I just realize that there are still lots of people who love God and are running after holiness!

7) What are your international family roots? Are they important to you?

I have mostly Scandinavien blood running through my veins. *smiles* My ancestors came from Finland (and Sweden perhaps) to America some generations ago. Hmm, I think it was my great-great-great grandpa who took the name of the ship he was sailing on to America, to be his new, more “American-sounding” last name!

I love the idea of family traditions and all that, but my family hasn’t kept many Finnish traditions, except for some Finnish food recipes (pannukakku) and an enjoyment of saunas I guess! *smiles*

8) Who are two of your favorite music artists?

For right now, I’ll say Sidewalk Prophets (Live Like That) and Plumb (Need You Now & Lord I'm Ready Now). Although Build Your Kingdom Here by Rend Collective is definitely one of my favorite songs ...

9) Do you have a morning routine to get your day started? What does it look like?

My morning is like getting up and turning on my laptop to check all my social media sites, haha. Especially if I have a blog post scheduled for that morning, I like to get up right away and check it to make sure everything looks good! *smiles* I’ll usually find some breakfast to eat after that, and do my devotionals. At about that time, my mom is doing Bible and History with the school-aged kids, so I might be watching my baby brother for her. *smiles* And after that … I might do some editing/writing. Try to catch up on all the books I started reading. Look at my blog/online life schedule and see if I should be working on or preparing anything. *Shrug* … It changes up. But that’s what it looks like right now.

10) Why did you start blogging and what is the goal of your blog?

I started this blog because I’m a writer and wanted to get word of me and my stories out there! *smiles* My goal now is to connect with people and perhaps encourage or bless someone! Shine the light of my King! ^_^ Once some of my stories are published, I hope my readers will get to know me through my blog!

11) If you can pick one word that you want to be your motto on social media, what would it be?

Light? I suppose, in this world where there can be so much darkness, I hope that I can be someone who shines Light and shares the secrets of true and lasting Love, Hope, Joy, and Peace! ^_^

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." John 1:5

(Found on Pixabay.com)

So that's that! *smiles* Hope it was enjoyable. I'm not really good about nominees, but I'll try my best! Hope you guys haven't done this award lately ... ! 

Jesseca Dawn

Ashlee Willis

Amanda Beguerie 

Deborah O'Carroll

Jaye L. Knight 

Serena

Laura Pol

Jill Williamson

Skye Hoffert 

Rissi 

Alicia A. Willis

Raechel

Claire Banschbach

Kate Hasbrouck

11 New Questions:

1) What is the driving passion of your life?

2) Can you name a favorite character from a movie you've seen recently?

3) What's one book (or chapter, verse, whatever...) of the Bible that has particularly touched you and why?

4) How tall are you? *smiles*

5) What's one thing a book needs to have in order to make it a favorite for you?

6) How did you start and what's your favorite thing about blogging?

7) What's something exciting that has happened in your life recently?

8) Why do you write (blogs, books, whatever)?

9) Can you describe (or find a picture of) a different-era outfit that you'd love to wear?

10) Favorite songs?

11) Any advice for your fellow Christian bloggers/writers?