Memories

On Julianna's blog {http://juliannamorlet.blogspot.com/}, she is currently doing a writing series where everyday she posts a new prompt. I thought it would be fun to write some of my responses here!! And you should too =)

Her first prompt: Describe your earliest memory.

~The waves crash down on the shore and the wind is chilly but freeing; birds wander to and fro on the sand. My parents are holding hands in front of me, my dad carrying Daniel. I am trailing slowly behind them, searching the damp sand for half-buried treasures and hopping from sun beam to sun beam as they pierce through the stormy sky. I am maybe 4 years old and we are at Cannon Beach, Oregon.

This was me, care free and innocent before I knew where California was, before I understood the value of money or where Daddy went everyday. I follow my parents away from the ocean and into the sleepy beach town. My favortie time of day: Bruce's Candy Kitchen. This family owned and operated candy store has always, always been my all time favorite store. The sweet smells of hand spun taffy, carmel apples, and chocolate covered anything is a favorite from my childhood. The salt water taffy was the only thing I ever got; I would eat pieces of everyone else's prizes but the taffy was all mine. The day goes on and I only remember glimpses and blurs from there but I remember being carried to the car by my older brother and falling asleep with a beach towel draped over me on the car ride home. 

This beach is more to me than sun, sand, and surf.

Cannon Beach has been and always will be (to me anyways) a special place for my family. That trip is the first in a series of memories of family Thanksgivings and reunions at Cannon Beach. It was our first Oregon trip after we moved to California when I was 7, it was where my family met to grieve after my Poppa died when I was 12, it is a perpetual stop every time we road trip through Oregon to Washington. I learned to love the grey, overcast sky and the salty wind that never ceased to turn my nose red. Cannon Beach was an important spot in my heart because it is something that my family has always done together, no matter where everyone was or what was happening in their life, this beach is where we came with one another. To eat Mo's clam chowder and walk through the musuem that held all kinds of sea animal bones, or gaze at the crazy expensive jewlery made from sea stones. Cannon Beach is my earliest memory.

{My sister, Victoria/ My Cousin Aleigha/ Me}

What is your earliest memory?! Does your family have a place similar to my Cannon Beach?

Tell me in the comment section below <3
Love you girlies!

Beauty Is Light Shining Brightly

I couldn't sleep and it was almost midnight. I don't know what it was, exactly. Maybe it was the fact I was just plain stressed out. Whatever it was, I spent a whole night last week going straight to my bible to find one specific verse. But it wasn't that verse that tripped me out. It was what happened after I found what I was looking for.


After looking up that one verse, I switched to another verse. Then, to another, and another, and another. There, I found myself reading pretty much all of Luke, and then, I finally landed on this verse: 

Luke 8: 16

"No one lights a lamp hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open."

Now, normally I'm not a Bible-freak. I find myself in a habit of only reading it when I need it and I'm desperate, but this verse  totally changed that. It's caught my eye before, but something about it stuck to me so strongly than ever before. 


Then a few pages later I found Luke repeating the same thing. Out of the whole chapter, this is something he repeats; something he wanted to stick out to the world.

Luke 11:33

"No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lightened, as when the light of a lamp shines on you."

No matter what, that first line always comes striking back. And that brings me to the trippy part. After being hit with that verse twice, I flip through Matthew to find a different verse. But this time, it's like the verse is thrown at my face. This one, I'm sure, everyone knows.

Matthew 5: 14

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

It literally says the same exact thing. When you think about it, sure, it may talk about showing light to other people and not hiding it. Sure, it may talk about His light shining in the darkness, but there could be another thing to it, too . . .


We shouldn't hide our light. 
Our spark and our passion and our drive is the thing that shows God more than how much we read, pray, worship, anything. The things we do can show our faith so evidentally that it makes the angels praise and sing. This, my friends, is truth.


So this is my challenge to you.
How can we shine brighter and more visibly this week? 
Is there someone that needs you to smile at them? 
Or share a lunch table with? 
Is there a girl who needs to hear she's beautiful? 
Or a friend that needs you just to pray with them? 


It's time to shine girls!


Love, Madi <3

Get Your Head IN the Clouds

What are you dreaming about today? 
Write about it in your journal.

Basking in the Right Place

Hey, ladies!

Whew, I can't explain how crazy this year has already been. Especially in this time of my life, it has taken a complete turn, good and bad, and I really have to praise God for that. He's the one all making this happen. 

With that, it's time for some vocabulary-- ohh yes. 

So what exactly does basking mean 

baskingpresent participle of bask (Verb)

Verb:

Lie exposed to warmth and light, typically from the sun, for relaxation and pleasure: "sprawled figures basking in the afternoon sun". Revel in and make the most of (something pleasing).

Why am I sharing this exactly? 
The beach is probably my favorite place to go. No matter what happens to the world, the thing that always amazes me is that the ocean will always be there: the sea will always shine. 


The beach perfectly describes basking, as to the fact of being exposed and revealed in the warmth and light of the sun with contentment and pleasure. The definiton couldn't have said it better. If you've ever tanned (which I'm sure all of you have), you've basked in the sun!

Now, as I'm getting older, I'm starting to see that there's a different kind of basking. Now, what is that exactly? Basking in God. 

Throughout all the crazy things that have been happening in the past two years (the amount of years I have been a legit believer and follower),  I can't think of a better way to describe some of the times where I have literally just sat and was so pleased and full of pure joy of what God has done. I can't really explain it for you, but I'm telling you, somewhere throughout your journey, you'll experience what I experience. It's almost euphoric--sometimes I just can't stop smiling because I'm in such awe of the work of God.

I get this all the time during worship. Seeing God's action displayed in other people's lives through my own very eyes in the most perfect scenario is astounded and what has lead me to become the believer I am today and why I'm doing this for my life.

I also get this when I have such insanely good news, or something huge has taken placed in my life (like today, for instance!) That's where I have the chance to thank God for the possibilities in the first place. 

Right now, I am so satisfied in where God has placed me. 

I am exceedingly thankful and just really soaking in his glory. It's like He took a handful of a tub of shredded cheese and sprinkled it all over my life. 

He does this for everyone: He uniquely sprinkles the factors that will shape you to be the person who're to be. Like a pizza! I'm now at the point where I am so blown away by what He's done and what's He's "sprinkled" and truly again, basking in his light and goodness and warmth. 

And guess who's going to the beach today?! 

As I go and lay in the sunlight, I will definitely be thinking of God, and making the most of it. I can only hope that it goes the same for you girlies, too! (: 

Have a great rest of the week returning back to school if you already haven't and remember to register and get excited for the conference! 

IT'S COMING! Also, be sure to check out our Facebook page if you haven't done so; we update daily! Thanks, guys!

Love, 

Write: Get Your Words Out!

So, all day (more like all week), I've been having this insane crave and desire to just write, especially when it's 2 in the morning, I wake up, have this burst of inspiration floating around in my head, and end up jotting down quick little bullets down on my phone. 

Why am I telling you this? 

Because I think writing is so, so powerful that we don't even realize the hidden lines of the words we write.  There is so much meaning and strength behind everything you write, which is filled with a story, emotion, and meaning. 

What am I trying to say here?  

Write. Write, write, write, write, write. Whether it's creatively, journaling, blogging, or anything... it's such a great way to express yourself and document it. 

-In third grade, I would be motivated by some of the things we would learn and I would write mini fiction short stories out of paper and colored pencils. 

-In fourth grade, I typed this lame, 40 page "book" and had the cool opportunity to have it be shared to the class. 

-From there, I decided from that point on, until whenever I finished it, I would write another book, which ended up being 244 pages, taking about three years to write. As I look back and read it, I find it completely pointless and stupid, but that's where I improved and found growth. 

-In seventh grade, I wrote a paper about the foundation, Love146 (I highly recommend looking this great group up!), which I am exceedingly passionate about, where my English teacher actually said that she cried when she read it and is now using it as an example for future generations in her classroom. Unexpectedly, Julianna comes along and reads it and a couple months later, asked me to be a blog writer on here! 

I am so, insanely blessed to have the opportunity to work with such amazing people like the Becoming team and our high school writer, Sam! After writing, I am now apart of the Becoming Conference and can't wait to continue this whole thing further! Summer of this year in June, I started my own website that had about two page views. About a few weeks later, I moved to a different website, where I surprisingly became more viewed. Now (I don't know how, I don't know why, and I'm pretty sure this is waaaay off), I'm at 776 page views from people from Russia, Indonesia, Germany, and Alaska (there's a tracking thing on it, so I never talked to these people)! 

My point? 

It's crazy how much one tiny idea can create a whole entire lifestyle ahead of you. 
Writing has certainly helped me just think more clearly and express myself on a whole new level. 
Everyone has their own story, and as girls still learning and discovering and questioning, writing is a way to share that. In the end, surely, it will inspire many other people who need it. I told you! Writing is so powerful. 

Do you write? Share it with us (: 

Sincerely, 
Madi.  


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