The Quiet Place

Founders Note:  When Beth emailed me and asked if I would like to join her giveaway, I instantly replied back and wanted to know more. So,  Today we are teaming up with Beth of Oak and Oats to bring you this awesome giveaway, which is a chance to win a ONA Camera bag(with strap) it's a $450 value, that you won't want to miss!  So be sure to enter below for a chance to win one of these awesome bags! Happy Friday sweet ones! Oh, I am so very excited for today and the exciting opportunity that you have to win a ONA Camera bag and strap (up to a $450 value!!) . It all started when Beth was on the hunt for a cute & quality camera bag for my new camera! I found and fell in love with ONA, bought a bag of my own, and wanted to share one with you! Beth has gathered a few of her favorites who are partnering with her to bring ONA Bags to you! If you are wondering, Beth got the Capri Bag . You will see pictures of it soon once Beth get's it in the mail! Beth wanted to gi...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have Melanie from Running to the Father sharing what is on her heart. You can find out more about Melanie in her bio at the end of the post.  Photocredit: Watchdog.org Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope...( Zechariah 9:12) This past week has been hard. Far too many reasons to count. The lies have been stronger than the truth. Scripture has danced before vacant eyes and bounced off my hurting heart. My hands have been open and longing. My soul desperate and tired. Prayers have been sighs and moans. I could go on and on about frustrations. We've had a new social worker for almost each month we've had Little Bitty-- 4 workers in 5 months. Confusion, chaos, dropped balls. We've gone to court 3 times-- arranging for my gracious mom to come from out of town to keep the kids. Each time we've returned home with no trial. Court has been rescheduled 4 times. I hate family court. My fractured past colliding wit...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have Katie from Unfading Grace sharing her heart. You can learn more about Katie in her bio at the end of the post.  I was eight years old and it all scared me. The night time when I didn't know if he would hurt my mom. Going to that house because I didn't want to have to be in his room. Meeting new people scared me. Being with family I barely new scared me. I was such a fearful child. The fear just kept growing out of the hurt happening around me. As I grew older and was out of situations the fear didn't just go away. It got worse. The fear ate at me. The fear made me think and feel and do irrational things. I started learning about fears from my (now husband) at the time boyfriend's grandma about fear. How God doesn't want us living in that fear and how Satan uses fear to keep us bound in chains.  Today I want to encourage you, that if you are bound by fear, know God has more for you. Know God is r...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have one of are monthly contributors, Vanessa, she is sharing her heart on this month's theme forgiveness.  In an interesting turn of events, my family and I are moving into my childhood home. This little house was a house I moved into when I was in high school.   Over the years that followed, many members of my family have moved in and out of that little house. My mom moved out, then my dad, then my mom and step-dad moved in with my teenage brother and sister, then my brother and sister moved out, then back in and then back out, then my family moved in while in transition, and now my mom and step-dad are moving out while my family moves back in! (breathe…) My family fell apart in the little house, it grew, it changed, I changed, and we are different. As we are moving back to this little house I sit in reflection. I’m reminded of how God dwells richly in our hearts. He looks at the cracks in the ceiling, and the dirt on the floor...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have Ally from You Are More. She is sharing her heart on loving others. You can learn more about Ally in her bio at the end of the post.  Have you ever just smiled at a stranger on the street as you passed by?   It is one of my favorite things to do. I love seeing the reaction of the people as I walk by them. It is amazing how much you can tell about a person by the way they react to a stranger’s smile. Some people will shy away and avoid eye contact at all costs. Others will smile right back at you, and sometimes even exchange a “Hello!” My personal favorite, the one that always tends to make me chuckle, are the ones that look at you like you are crazy. Who smiles at a stranger walking down the street for no reason?   As I was walking around the mall recently, I smiled at a girl as she walked past. She had this very sad disposition about her, and she looked away. I thought to myself, “I wonder what reaction I would get if I smiled...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have are newest monthly contributor  Buife Nomeh. She is sharing her heart on this month's theme forgiveness. You can find out more about Buife on the about  page. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ( I John 1:9, KJV). 'I am a sinner' Eww! Okay, I know how we love to be humble about our salvation and honestly, we should be remembering that we are saved by grace, not by our own doing (Ephesians 2:9). Having being saved by God through grace in Christ Jesus, I think it is unfair to God and to Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross to still call ourselves sinners. I will understand it when we say I was once a sinner but I AM?...no, no, no. Let's read a few scriptures. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17,  KJV). For w...

The heart of man plans his way,  but  the  Lord  establishes his steps.  Proverbs 16:9 ESV I am currently on the job hunt and attempting to figure out what God's plan is for my future (who isn't trying to do that?). Anyways, the past few weeks have taught me to trust what I know. Most of you probably don't know that that is something I struggle with. Sitting at home has allowed me plenty of time to think over what I'm doing, how I'm going about the job hunt, and what I want for the future. This past week I just had to ask God what he wanted me to do, I didn't feel like I knew what I was doing or what I really wanted. I don't feel that I've received an answer for that prayer yet, however, I did realize something in the time I spent talking to God. I realized that I DO know what I am doing, I DO know what jobs (for the most part) are best for me, and where (location wise) I want to be. For some reason I needed to spill my guts about all of this to Go...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have Meg from Me with the Three . Meg's blog is all about her life with her husband and her three boys, I always love reading her posts. I met Meg through blogging, and she has been a awesome encourager, and always willing to give advice if I need it. Today she is sharing a little bit about her blog and some encouraging words on Trusting in God. Hi! I'm Meg. I'm wifey to my BFF, and mom to two crazies. I call myself a photographer, though I've never had any formal training. That's ok right? On Me With The Three you'll find lots of photography, some crafts and diy, and maybe some thrifting and decorating, all bound together by me trying to live full of joy from knowing and loving Jesus.  So I'll be honest.  Sometimes I feel like I don't necessarily have the "know it all" to be offering any kind of advice on trusting in God during hard times.  Sometimes I forget that we struggled early on t...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have one of our June Sponsors Samantha of Elah Tree, she is sharing a little information about her blog and some encouraging words for all of you to soak up. So be sure to check out her blog at the links below! Blog  |  Facebook |  Twitter  |  Instagram    Elah Tree began with a desire to be creative and has blossomed from the ground up. It's a blog and shop dedicated to inspiring creativity, dreaming big dreams, and living a faith filled life.  Elah Tree a placed filled with my hopes and dreams, encouraging words, my walk with Jesus, creativity, DIY’s, and lovely living. My desire is to inspire women to dream big dreams, take big risks, and trust Jesus through their dreaming. Elah Tree is grounded in encouraging women to trust Jesus and take big leaps of faith. It's in that trust that we find rest and peace. We trust Jesus to catch us when we jump off the cliff. Every time we step out in...

Something today made me realize how terrible our would be without forgiveness. Could you imagine a parent refusing to care for their precious child because they did something wrong, or a daughter not willing to accept the apology of her brokenhearted father. The truth is, this world wouldn't survive without forgiveness. Without forgiveness, families wouldn't stay together and friends wouldn't last long, because humans aren't perfect, we make mistakes. We need forgiveness so that we can have relationships, keep families together, and enjoy life-long friendships. God is well-aware of are need for forgiveness. In fact, forgiveness is SO important to God that he weaved his teachings about it throughout the entire Bible. One of these lessons is found in 2 Corinthians Chapter Two. Read it here...  2 Corinthians 2 This passage is a letter from Paul to the church in Corinth. In this section of the letter, Paul addresses the recent scandal which, concerned a man who had be...

Founders Note: Today we have teamed up with Meg of Rivers and Roads for her favorite things giveaway! This month she is giving away a zipper pouch from one of my favorite shops on etsy   Elah Tree . Samantha is a sweet girl and i just love her blog as well, you can check that out here.  So be sure to enter to win something from Samantha's shop! I ordered a small pouch for my mom for Christmas last year and she loves it! I was impressed by the quality and i loved that Samantha even included a card with a note in it that said thank you for ordering from her. She is great to work with and i always enjoy reading her blog! So be sure to look around in her shop, you won't be disappointed! And come back here and enter the giveaway! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy June! This month we're focusing on Forgiveness , so get ready as we dig into God's word and explore all that he has to teach us!  According to the World English Dictionary, to forgive is to cease to blame or hold resentment against someone. In other words, to forgive is to free someone from the punishment they deserve. This is exactly what Christ did for us, and also what we are called to do for one another. Below are some great verses on forgiveness that we will be exploring this month.  But the one whom God raised from the dead  did not see decay.  “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.   Through him everyone who believes  is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. Acts 13:37-39  In him we have redemption  through his blood,  the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches ...