The Book of Mark

I read through the book of Mark in April. They say Mark is the first written of the New Testament, so I wanted to read it first. In this post, I'm going to be talking about some of my thoughts on Mark.

Mark 1 & 2

Verses that stood out:

Mark 1:9-13 "It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then the voice came from the heaven, "You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And Her was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him."

Thoughts: After Jesus was baptized, He went into the wilderness. He knew that His Father was pleased with Him, and wanting to honor His Father, to me, that is one of the ways He was able to not fall into temptation. The wilderness was hard. He's out there by himself with the "wild beasts" and in this hard time is when the devil tries to tempt Jesus. And I think this is a lesson for us. The enemy likes to punch us when we are already down. In life, when we go through the wilderness. When there's already trials, the enemy likes to then pile more and more burden on top of us. Jesus was able to resist. That gives me hope that we, with the help of our Lord, can overcome the temptations of Satan. Why? Because we love our Father, and because of that Love, we want to obey Him.

Mark 1:15,17,18 "and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." "Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."They immediately left their nets and followed Him."

Thoughts: Jesus says that the "time is fulfilled." So to me, this means that certain things must take place according to old scriptures and instructions laid by God. Then, He goes on to make a statement. it wasn't a question, it was more of a direct sentence. Follow Me. And immediately, they left all they had and followed Him. The kind of faith they must have had is amazing to me. I believe they were lead by the Holy Spirit to follow Jesus.

Mark 2:17 "When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Thoughts: Jesus came to this world for sinners. And He makes that clear in this verse. He died for the sins of the "sick" world. And that just goes to show how selfless and loving He truly is. 

Mark 3 & 4

Verses that stood out:

Mark 3:5 "And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other."

Thoughts: Jesus healed on the Sabbath. He ministered on the Sabbath. Something else stood out to me in this verse. It said that Jesus was "grieved by the hardness of their hearts." Sadness, grieving, pain, those are all emotions. Jesus came to earth as a baby, as human flesh. And He very much had emotions. He felt the pain for us. He suffered for us. But here's the thing, do you think that Jesus smiled? We don't hear much about it in the Bible, but I believe that He did! I think that He smiled to ease people's nerves, or to comfort the little children. 

Mark 4:11 "And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables."

Thoughts: Jesus spoke in parables. Why? One reason first come to my mind. Maybe He spoke in parables to meet people where they were at by using analogy's they would understand and be familiar with. 

Mark 5 & 6

Mark 5:36 "As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe." 

Thoughts: I love what Jesus said. He is telling this ruler (who believes he just lost his daughter) to no be afraid. To not worry. To not be fearful. But only to believe and have faith.

Mark 6:56 "Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well."

Thoughts: Ah! So many things happen in this chapter! Jesus feeds the five thousand, heals the sick, He walks on water, and calms the sea. So many amazing things to read in this chapter of Mark. We serve an amazing God!

Mark 7 & 8

Mark 7:37 "And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He had done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

Thoughts: Jesus was a Physician. He healed the sick. And performed miracles everywhere He went. Y'all, Jesus still heals the sick today. Jesus still performs miracles in our lives. 

Mark 8:2 "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat."

Thoughts: He is the Child of God, and yet, He has compassion on us to meet our earthly needs. 

Mark 9 & 10

Mark 9:35 "And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."

Thoughts: We've all heard the phrase, "Last shall be first, and first shall be last." I think that Jesus was trying to teach the disciples how to be humble and meek. They were starting to let their own selfish fame (remember that Jesus drew in large multitudes of people) get to their heads. When we get so caught up in the world, and the positions where we desire to be successful, often times we loose sight of Jesus, and I think that He was warning them of that in this verse. 

Mark 10:13-15 "Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked this who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." 

Thoughts: I love these verses so much! Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world... (brownie points if you sing along!) But honestly, Jesus wanted the children to come to Him. He loved them. And He was still teaching His disciples to be humble, have childlike faith, and have a simple trust. 

Mark 11 & 12

Mark 11:25,26 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." 

Thoughts: Jesus is teaching them how to forgive. How to forgive with a willing and soft heart, one that is not hardened. And in that second verse, He tells of the consequence of not forgiving. But here's the thing, I don't think Jesus meant for this to be a fear factor. He never intended to scare people into believing in Him or into forgiving others. He only painted a clear picture. He told facts, and wanted people to be informed. But I don't think He was trying to scare people into forgiving. Because if you truly follow Jesus, then you won't want to hold a grudge against fellow man. If you truly believe in Jesus, then you will want to follow His example by forgiveness those who have done you wrong. You will forgive willingly, not because of fear.

Mark 12:43,44 "So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

Thoughts: Again, Jesus is teaching His disciples a important lesson. The widow gave ALL that she had, it wasn't much, but it was all of it. We are to give Jesus all of us. All of our hearts, we shouldn't hold anything back. 

Mark 14 & 15

Mark 14:61 "But He kept silent and answered nothing..."

Thoughts: When Jesus was being questioned, He made it a point not to defend himself. Jesus knew this was Gods will. And He was setting the ultimate example how to handles oneself. Sometimes less words really speak more.

Mark 15:13 "So they cried out again, "Crucify Him!" 

Thoughts: This whole chapter. This verse. This verse made me feel a pain deep down. The horrible treatment Jesus got. The torture He endured to save us from our sins. Wow. 

Mark 16

Mark 16:15 "And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."

Thoughts: Jesus rose from the dead, and this was His message to His followers. To go out into the world and to share the good news of our Savior. To witness to everyone we come in contact with. To love people. 

I hope you liked reading this study of Mark. Have you read the book of Mark recently? If so, do you have any take aways to share? Comment below your favorite book in the Bible!

Also, how do y'all like my new blog header?? I really like it!

Many Blessings,

Brooklyne Elysse

Mr. Rogers & I Still Believe

Soooo, today I'm posting something I've never posted before! Two movie reviews of sorts! Basically, I'm going to be sharing some of my thoughts regarding the movies A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood & I Still Believe. These are two movies that made me think a lot.

~A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood~ 

PG
My star rating: 3 stars

Link to Common Sense Media: HERE.

My thoughts: 
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood was really good! It felt super long (108 min.) but it had a really good message to it. There were themes of forgiveness. It wasn't my favorite movie by any means, but what I learned from watching it stuck with me enough to write this review.

Lessons to learn: 
Mr Roger's demonstrated how to be present in the here and now. He was really good at living in the present. For instance, he was talking on the phone and said something to the effect of "the most important thing in the world right now is talking on the phone to you." (That's not a direct quote, but you get the point) He was genuinely interested in learning about the person in front of him. And that stood out to me. Another thing that I thought was cool, was he walked into a room full of people and the first thing he did was walk over to the baby in the room and start talking to the baby. A lot of people would just overlook the kids in the room, but not Mr Rogers. Those two things made me ponder...

~I Still Believe~ 

PG
My rating: 2 1/2 stars

Link to Common Sense Media: HERE.

My thoughts: 
Oh my goodness, how sad! Guys, do not watch this is you are feeling emotional or are sensitive to heartbreaking true stories. I don't cry much on movies at all, but this one had me tearing up. I'm glad I watched this movie, but would never need to watch it again. One time is enough for sure. It's so real. It's been a couple months, and I'm still processing my thoughts and emotions on this movie! The message was powerful, but so heartbreaking. Just wow.
That song is amazing!

There was some things I didn't like how they handled it, but overall, the movie and acting was done well. I gave this movie lower star ratings because of a couple reasons, but one would be just the fact that it was a emotional roller coaster. They crammed so many years of events in this persons life into a one or two hours, as good as it was, it was so draining. I'm not used to movies like that.

Lessons to learn: 
Cherish those in your life. Love people. Don't wait. Believe even when it's hard to believe. Live the purpose God has designed for you to live.

Have you watched any of these movies? What was your take away? Comment below! Also note, I'll be posting twice a week again for the month of May.

Many Blessings,

Brooklyne Elysse

Nano Writing Update! // Comment Q&A

Throughout April, I have been super busy with writing! After feeling burned out with Third Chances for a couple months, I decided to give it another try because I truly want to finish a full first draft. I didn't think I would like this story (I thought the plot was too weak), but as I read through what I had written I was surprised by how much the characters were shaping up to be and how I really did LIKE how this story was coming along! It's far from perfect, but this story is special to me on so many levels and I'm so so so excited to see where God leads this WIP of mine.

So today, I am doing a Nano Writing Update and I may just give ya'll some snippets of Third Chances!

I started out with the reasonable goal of 10,000 words. I didn't want to overwhelm myself, and I knew that 10k was definitely realistic. But, within the first week or two, I passed 10k so I decided to up my goal to 15k instead. But then, I passed that too. I upped it a third time to 20k. But with three days left of Nano, I passed my goal AGAIN! So, I decided for my final Nano goal to be 23k. And I'm so extremely happy to get anywhere close to this goal!

Special thanks to my writing buddies and those who encouraged me to write this month! It was a huge help!

~Word Count~

This is my word count log for the month:
Day 1: 1,399
Day 2: 713
Day 3: 1899
Day 6: 1,399
Day 7: 1,263
Day 8: 379
Day 9: 596
Day 10: 770
Day 13: 519
Day 14: 792
Day 15: 525
Day 16: 1,128
Day 17: 1,562
Day 20: 1,004
Day 21: 2, 073
Day 22: 878
Day 23: 905
Day 24: 457
Day 27: 747
Day 28: 1,658
Day 29: 1,564
Day 30: (Tomorrow)

~Snippets~
Here are a few of my favorite snippets. Consider yourself lucky, I almost didn't share these, but I hope you like them! And I hope you enjoy this sneak peak... Also, tell me in the comments which was your favorite snippet!!

Snippet One:

        “Alright, if you insist… but you do know we are way too old for that, don’t you?” Aimee had just turned twenty-five, not necessarily a secret handshake age.
“Hey, you might be too old for a secret handshake, but I’m surely not!” Natty’s single grin could brighten a roomful of frowns.
Aimee shook her head but went ahead and performed the fist bump, high five, fingers snap, twirl, and handshake anyway. Some traditions were too special to break even though they seemed elementary.

Snippet Two:

“Why?” She sobbed aloud, her forehead resting heavily against the steering wheel.

She didn’t know if she was asking God or maybe she had lost her mind and was talking to herself. She assumed it was the latter. Years of unresolved problems came hurtling back in one fell swoop. They pressed in around her like the darkness that surrounded her car. She was suffocating in the pain of her childhood rejection. Oh how the memories came rushing back to her while she sat pulled over on that country road. Did God not care? Was she not good enough for His peace?

Snippet Three:

“Colt! A cow in the road!”

Clara’s alarmed voice snapped Colt out of his earlier thoughts of his dad and he immediately slammed on the brakes. Mere inches from a cow standing in the middle of the road. For Pete's Sake, he had never encountered such a roadblock before in all his 26 years. 

“That was close…” Colt muttered under his breath, a small amount of adrenaline still pumping through his veins.

Snippet Four: 

Exuberant was only one of the many words Aimee would use to describe Zoe’s personality. How can that girl possibly be that happy all the time?

The object of her thoughts bounded down the porch steps of the ranch style house and went straight to the Ford F150 parked in the driveway. 

Snippet Five:

"He laughed and it was obviously a joke. The only thing was, joking didn't soften the blow of reality."

Snippet Six:

Clara helped make the pizza dough with Catrina, the two of them goofing off and pretending that they were great Italian chefs doing a cooking show together. Cory joined the fun by trying--but failing--to do a traditional pizza dough spin above his head. The dough dusted white flour on his dark brown hair before coming dangerously close to hitting the floor.

At his dramatic bow, Carlie giggled until hiccups rendered her speechless.

 

Snippet Seven:

Aimee shrugged, “I’m not sure yet, got any ideas?”

“Hmm, well, you could paint scenery. Like,” she thought for a moment, “what about an ocean scene?”

The ocean made her think of peaceful waters yet crashing waves. Maybe if she painted an ocean scene, it could serve as a reminder every time she looked at it: in order to get to the peaceful waters in life, you have to get past the waves. Only she wasn’t entirely sure that her analogy was correct because she had never felt the peaceful waters, only the crashing waves.

As she slapped blue, white, and sand colored paint onto her canvas, her mind whirled more than the swirling wave she painted. 

When was she ever going to meet the peaceful waters?

~Writing Related Photos in April~ 

^^Just kinda love this pic!

^^Gotta start somewhere...

^^Pic of when I hit 25k in my overall WIP 

^^I got confetti!

^^One time I wrote in the greenhouse! 

^^When I hit 5k!

^^Third Chances!

^^Since I've found that I like to write about food... this was something I had to look up! 

~Songs~
I couldn't figure out how to link to my Spotify playlist, so here is some of the songs on my Third Chances playlist! They are all such great songs if you ever want to look them up! *winks*

Check out the Pinterest board I'm making for Third Chances HERE.

I am also doing a Comment Q&A, so ask me a question in the comments below about Third Chances and I will answer!

Did you like hearing about my Work In Progress? Which was your favorite snippet? Do you have a question for the Q&A in the comments? Let's talk writing books in the comments below! 

Many Blessings,
Brooklyne 

Journal Clips

Today you get a very rare glimpse into my closest writings: my journal. I've been journaling off and on since 2015. And today, I'm sharing with y'all a couple clips from the last three years.

2018

♡Who am I to write devotionals today? Who am I to try and help with others.

♡ I'm so not fun. Those are lies, I know, but tonight they feel like they are true.

♡All I know is God's got it. Whatever it is, He's got it under control. All I need to do is seek Jesus-- the Giver of peace. And take one step, one day at a time. I want to live in these moments no matter how stressful, painful, or unknown they are. Because someday I will look back and sing "you're gonna miss this..."

♡But, have you ever thought that God's plan works best when you don't have it all together? God uses the unknown to build trust. God uses the change to grow closer to Him, and God uses the comfort zones to teach you to not be conformed. To not settle, to not be scared, to be bold. Every time you break through a stubborn comfort zone, God is just unfurling His plan in your life, creating so much more chances to make a difference and to life for Him. God uses our weakness to show His perfect strength.

2019

♡I'm truly just a terrified little girl that the world sees as old enough to be considered an adult.

♡It's just so hard
I don't know why things
have to happen

♡ No one can help, and the Someone who can, does in a way that I can't see.

♡It's ok to be original to who you are.

2020

♡Sometimes it's hard for me to live in the moment. But this is something I need to work on: being content where I am. It's okay for me to dream about "someday" but if I get so wrapped up in someday, then I'll miss all the amazingness of today.

♡Life is unexpected.

♡Jesus looks at the heart and not at the outward appearance. Wearing a skirt or jeans has nothing to do with salvation. Jesus looks at your heart.

♡Stop looking for flaws when you're fearfully and wonderfully made.

♡My future husband is out there, not on a white horse, but on a turtle and he's lost. :)

♡You can be different and still make a difference.

♡Stop holding the darn grudge, smile, forgive. Show some grace.

Do you keep a journal?
 Comment below and tell me something good that has happened in your life this week! <3 

Also, how's Camp Nano going for those who are doing it this year? Would you guys like to see a writing update? 

Many Blessings,
Brooklyne Elysse 

What Airplanes Can Teach Us

What Airplanes Can Teach Us...

Last December, I flew for the first time in 10 years. I don't typically like airplanes because I don't like trusting someone else for my well being. Also the "what if's" usually come to mind and I get a little nervous. But there is one thing about flying that makes it almost worth the fear of being off the solid ground: the views. I love window seats, and every time I look out that plane window, I am AMAZED. Flying up in the sky, watching the clouds that God has created and admiring the painted masterpiece is just breathtaking.

But let me tell you a little about my experience.

We boarded the plane after navigating through the busy airport. I was praying hard as I stepped onto the plane. It was icy/snowy so they de-iced the plane, which was kinda neat to see.

As soon as we took off, the grey smog flew past my window. I was praying even harder. But then, as we got higher and higher, we passed through a layer of clouds. As soon as the grey clouds cleared from my view, I saw something beautiful. And when I saw the clear sky and sunrise, I felt a peace. I'm not joking or just saying that ya'll. I was so nervous and then all the sudden, I was just peaceful because I was so in awe of the view.

Then we accelerated even higher and my peace went away. I saw yet another layer of gray cloud my window and I couldn't see the peaceful sunrise any longer. I was tense again and started praying. Since I was just sitting there, there wasn't really anything else to do. But to observe those around me (can't help it, I'm a writer) and eat the snacks I brought. The snacks helped with my ears popping for anyone new to flying. Skittles were especially good! *winks*

But then, as the clouds cleared, my praying ceased because all was good again. The view I saw was even more amazing then before. The sun was so bright and I couldn't help but to think, "Wow, God." Not to mention how fluffy the clouds below us looked. It was a perfect ocean of clouds. Soon after, I saw a "rainbow" that the sun had made. I don't know about you, but rainbows bring a sort of promise to mind. A promise that through and after the storm, God is still here with us. The rainbow calmed me further and I couldn't help but relax and enjoy the view. That's when I took 83649857 pictures out my plane window.

The scene out my window kept changing from blue skies, bright sunshine, patchwork clouds, and then the clouds cleared to be the ground below. The water, trees, rough terrain, etc! I literally got the birds eye view. Overall, my plane experience was a good one. But it had me thinking about my reaction to the unknown of the flight.

My outlook changed as quickly as my view. One moment, when the gray clouds covered my window, I felt more anxious. But as soon as the sun pierced through the clouds and we were above the clouds, I was ok. I was more than ok, maybe even enjoying the ride.

The point of this post:

Prayer is so important. But it's important all the time...

I found myself only truly praying when the plane ride got scary. And I think God desires a relationship with us that goes beyond the emergency prayers. Sure, He is right there with us when we go through tough times, He's even there before we utter a single word of prayer. But what about on the good days. The days when life is not scary, how often do I pray and talk to God?

This plane ride has showed me that God is with us through it ALL. Every passing moment, He is here. On the bad days, when we earnestly need His peace, He is there. On the good days, when we get distracted by life, He is still there. And He has given us prayer as a way to have a relationship with Him.

(Our world right now is in a constant state of uncertainty and fear of the unknown. We need to be praying for all affected by this virus, and know that God hears those prayers. When this is all over, He still hears our prayers. Although this grey cloud is over out window right now, blue skies are coming. Keep looking up.)

My challenge today, is to talk more with my Heavenly Father in all areas of life.

In both the gray skies and the blue ones.

Is there a time when you found yourself focusing more on the fear than on the faith? 

Have you flown before? What's your favorite plane ride snack?

Many Blessings,

Brooklyne Elysse 

10 Pinterest Quotes I Find Encouraging

Today, I thought I'd share with y'all a few Pinterest quotes I find encouraging! Check out more of my encouraging quotes I've saved HERE! Whenever I go through a rough time, I like to find good quotes. Quotes and pretty words won't fix the problems, but maybe they will give you a small bit of encouragement today. <3

Lets talk quotes! What's your favorite quote?? Tell me in the comments below!

Many Blessings,

Brooklyne Elysse

Never Have I Ever...

1. Link and thank the blogger who tagged you. (Technically, I stole this tag from Kassie!)
2. Include the graphic somewhere in your post. (^^Up above)
3. Answer the questions truthfully and honestly.
4. Tag 3 bloggers. (Tagging the the first three commenters who call themselves writers!)

Never have I ever…

…started a novel that I didn’t finish.
Yes, I've started a couple, actually! *headdesk* Someday, I'll finish the most recent ones and someday, I might dust the older ones off and try again.

…written a story completely by hand.
Yes. It was a short story, nothing too long.

…changed tenses midway through a story.
On accident, yes!

…not researched anything before starting a story.
Yes... I don't know if I recommend it. But whatever works, right?

…changed my protagonist’s name halfway through a draft.
Changed it's spelling, yes. But not their name.

…written a story in a month or less.
Nope. Unless you count flash fiction. :)

…fallen asleep while writing.
No, never done that! Guess my stories aren't too boring after all! *winks*

…corrected someone’s grammar irl/online.
*slowly raises hand* guilty as charged.

…yelled in all caps at myself in the middle of a novel.
Um, not yelled. But I do write notes to myself in neon green, don't know why I chose that color.

…used “I’m writing” as an excuse.
Haha, yes!

…killed a character that was based on someone I know in real life.
My lips are sealed! jk

…used pop culture references in a story.
Not much, but I might later on.

…written between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Uh, not very frequently do I find myself writing this early.

…drank an entire pot of coffee while writing.
I've never had a entire pot of coffee ever. :)

…written down dreams to use in potential novels.
Maybe some dream have inspired different scenes, but no, I've never written my dreams down.

…published an unedited story on the internet/blog/Wattpad.
I've posted a couple stories I write when I was younger and tried to keep them closest to the original story. But I usually read over stories 230393898 times before I post something like a story.

…procrastinated homework because I wanted to write.
Not really.

…typed so long that my wrists hurt.
Yess! Sometimes I have to take brakes because my hands start to cramp.

…spilled a drink on my laptop while writing.
Thankfully, no!

…forgotten to save my work/draft.
I remember a time when I lost a whole short story I had written for a contest. Actually my dog stepped on the delete button I think... yep, good times.

…finished a novel.
Actually, no. But this is soon to change!

…laughed like an evil villain while writing a scene.
No, but I can relate to this a little. :)

…cried while writing a scene.
Almost.

…created maps of my fictional worlds.
I once drew a map of the Oregon trail. But that's abt it.

…researched something shady for a novel.

Haha, maybe maybe not.

I hope y'all liked reading more about me as a writer! 

Have you ever written between the hours of 1 AM to 6 AM?

Many Blessings,

Brooklyne Elysse