A much needed update

Hello dear readers!

Long time no see, right? This summer was meant to be full of plans and blogging, but it didn't exactly go as I would have liked it to...
I really strayed from my usual Bible studies, and just basking in God's word in general, to be honest, and I feel thoroughly ashamed of myself.
When I told my best friend Veronica this, she said that God knew what was in my heart, and He knows that I want to pray and share His word! He also knows I can be terribly forgetful too :D

With summer ending, I'll be going back to the stress of studying...
Well maybe not, because I plan to see my first year of university as an adventure, more than a stressful chore. I want to enjoy it as much as I can!

Since I'll be pretty busy with assignments and such, I'm going to be making some slight tweaks to my blogging habits.

For starters, Bible studies will be uploaded once per month, instead of per week.
To be perfectly honest, when I was posting Bible studies once per week, I felt like I wasn't really putting my all into it. I felt very rushed, like I just wanted to get the post out there so I could start working on the next one.
By posting a Bible study once a month (and sometimes maybe twice, if I can manage), it will mean that I can put far more effort into making each study enjoyable, with content straight from the heart :)

The same change will also go for music posts, featuring bands/groups or artists that I'm loving every month, instead of every week.
Verses will be posted once a week, no arguments ;)
Questions will be posted irregularly, depending on whether I get questions from friends, or think up some on my own that I'd like to share the answer to!

Here's take 2 of my posting schedule breakdown:

• Bible studies: Once a month
• Music features: Once a month 
• Verses: Once a week 
• Questions: Every once in a while (1 week - 1 month)
• Misc.: Timings will vary, but most probably once a month

I ask for your understanding, and I hope this doesn't cause any inconveniences!

†Verses† Ephesians 6:11

I was reminded of this verse while I was on the official King James bible website, and it appeared as the verse of the day!

When we get dressed every morning, it's not just about putting on clothes to cover our body and to keep it from being naked.
It's also about putting on an invisible suit or armor, which is God's strength, love, mercifulness, passion, patience, etc. (there are too many adjectives :D)
The devil will try many ways to tempt and taunt us, but if we trust in God, then He will protect us against it all!

Remember, God's armor isn't a physical piece of chainmail, but a spiritual one!

†Music† Kings Kaleidoscope

If you're a fan of colorful Indie-ish music, then this band is for you!

Kings Kaleidoscope is a Seattle-based band of 10 members. They use modern, woodwind, brass, and string instruments to create their unique and catchy sounds :)
As usual, songs are under the cut!

†Questions† Why did God accept Abel's offering, but not Cain's?

Why did God accept Abel's offering but not Cain's?

Well, one possibility is that while Abel sacrificed an offering to God with a sincere heart, Cain might not have done the same. His intentions might not have been wholehearted.

Some reference verses can be found under the cut:

†Bible Study† Book of Genesis, Chapter 4

I'm terrible at introductions, so let's pick up where we left off in our last Bible Study :D

Adam acknowledged Eve as his wife, and together they were blessed with a child from the Lord, whom they named Cain. Eve also gave birth to another boy, whom they named Abel.
Abel was a shepherd and Cain was a farmer.
As time passed, Cain brought a offering of his harvested hard work, and Abel brought a newborn sheep from his flock as an offering.
The Lord accepted Abel's offering, but not Cain's. This made Cain angry and full of hate.
God asked Cain. "Why are you angry? Why has your countenance fallen?"
"If you do what is right, won't you be accepted? And if you don't do well, son is waiting for you right at your door. It desires to have you, but you must rule over it."

†Verses† Psalm 46:5

"God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early."

I really like this verse because it instills so much hope into me every time I read it!
God is our lifeline, our immovable mountain, which no one can ever replace.
We can never hope to desire or find a better creature to entrust our worries and troubles to.
And if God almighty is immovable, that means we, the children of God are also immovable.
If we trust in Him, we can accomplish the impossible :)
If we let God into our hearts, He's going to multiply all the positive and good things for you!
Just imagine how much less worrisome life would be if we learned to dedicate it all to our Lord!

†Questions† Greater sin?

When I first read the Book of Genesis, I was always curious as to why Eve's punishment seemed much greater than Adam's...

For reference, here is the original KJV text:

"16 - Unto the woman, He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."

"17 - And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;"

Before I actually thought of logically, I thought that God had been somewhat unfair with His punishment.
But He wasn't :)

Eve was cursed to have greater and multiplied pain during childbirth, while Adam did not experience that. His judgement was a curse on the ground.
Before that, food had been plentiful in Eden, without the need for tireless farming and labor, but after his sin, mankind would have to work on the field to provide food.

Eve's judgement took place during the times women carried and delivered children, while Adam's judgement was for every day of his life.

There is also something wonderful to be noted, which is...
Even in judgement, there is mercy.
Even after God's painful judgement on them both, He still blessed Adam and Eve, in the form of children!
Another blessing is found in the condemnation of the serpent.
"15 - And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

†Questions† Why didn't God stop them?

Chapter 3 of the Book of Genesis talks about temptation and free will.
Eve was easily tempted by Satan to eat the forbidden fruit, and she convinced Adam to do so as well. This shows that humans are greedy creatures who are never content with what they have, always demanding more.

Now, God surely knew that the serpent would find a way to tempt the woman, and cause humanity's downfall...
So why didn't God stop them?

I've always wondered about this, for the longest time posssible,  but I could never find the answer. So, I turned to my best friend, Veronica, who very kindly explained it to me! All Glory to God :)
The answer is, God gave each and every human a free will, to do as they pleased.
That doesn't mean that they can do anything they want with the mindset that God will forgive them.
God WILL forgive us, always! But that doesn't mean we should abuse the blessing of freedom that He has bestowed upon us so graciously. God wants us to make our own decisions, while being guided by the Holy Spirit :)

This chapter also reveals that we humans are all born sinners. Nobody is born sinless, and then becomes a sinner later on. Only Jesus, God in the flesh, came to Earth and left it, completely sinless!
The reason for that is because we inherited the "original sin" from Adam, the ancestor of all mankind.
If he hadn't been tempted and listened to Eve, all of mankind would now be living peacefully with God in Eden :) But alas, everyone makes mistakes...

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord for everything, even if it seems like your life is crumbling in front of you...
God can fix anything! <3

†Bible Study† Book of Genesis, Chapter 3

Happy Sunday everyone!
If you don't go to church (like me, haha, because I don't have a church where I live), then let's say a few words of prayer together!
Father, I thank you for all that you have done in my life! Please continue to guide me with Your Grace, each and every step of the way. Amen!

Let's jump right into our Bible study! This week is chapter 3 of Genesis!
If you've missed my two previous chapters, you might find this link helpful in viewing all posts marked as †Bible Study† on this blog :)

Let's begin!

†Verses† Philippians 4:13

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" -Philippians 4:13

This is a verse that my best friend and sister in Christ, Veronica, introduced me to! It strengthens and empowers me when I'm feeling down, and it just makes me feel that I can really take on anything life throws at me, because I know God is going to be standing right there next to me, holding my hand, and guiding me :)
Never forget that God will never abandon you, even through the roughest times. It might seem like you're standing there on your own as the world comes tumbling down over your head,  but rest assured, God is right there, shielding you from the falling ruble and rushing you to safety, in His own perfect timing!

I hope everyone is having a blessed week so far! I've actually already started my summer vacation, which I am most excited about, because it seems like it's full of opportunities and happiness, especially in the worship business ;)
Have a happy summer vacation everyone! Stay safe, stay happy, and don't forget to pray always!!

†Music† Brandon Heath

Hello everyone!
I'm very happy that I actually remember to post and not miss my deadlines on this blog!
I think God's pretty happy with the blog, so He constantly reminds me to update ;)
For today's music, the featured artist is Brandon Heath, a Nashville born contemporary Christian musician!

I shall be leaving some sample tracks under the cut for your own listening, and links to his SNS!
Please enjoy and God bless you :)

†Bible Study† Book of Genesis, Chapter 2

We're on Genesis, chapter 2 this week!

If you haven't read my study of the first chapter, you can find it here!

Happy reading everyone!
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, leave them down in the comments, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible :)

I also have a link to the online version of the King James bible in the sidebar if you'd like to read the official text too! (and, if like me, you do not possess a hard copy of it)
So, let's begin!

Going vegan?

Hello friends!
As you can tell from the title, today's post is going to be quite a big departure from what I usually blog about!

However, I do feel that today's topic is closely tied in with living a peaceful and relaxing life, solely based upon the worship of God.

Now, for some definitions to start with!
A vegan is basically a person who does not eat animals (beef, chicken, lamb, fish), much like a vegetarian, but also does not consume any animal products (milk, eggs, honey, etc).
They eat pulses, grains, fruits, and everything that comes naturally from the Earth.
They also believe that wearing or using items made with animal products is unethical (silk, wool, leather, fur, cosmetics & soap made from animal products).
The term Vegan was created in 1944, by Donald Watson, the founder of the vegan society.

I'm not a vegan myself, but I am slowly working my way to becoming pescetarian (a person who eats fish, but not beef or chicken), before I take baby steps towards becoming vegan :)

So why go vegan?
Well, the main and most important reasons for why people embrace veganism, is for health and ethical reasons.
These people feel that they are promoting unethical handling and exploitation towards animals that later become our food.
Chickens and cows that are too old to produce milk and eggs are sold as meat, and male calves are sold as veal.
Going vegan means you can take a stand against animal cruelty and not support it!

Other than saving animals, it helps a person become more healthy and fit, as well as saves the environment.

Check out this website for further explanation on why you should go vegan ;)

†Verses† Psalm 139:14

"I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well" -Psalms 139:14

Today, I'd like to share one of my favorite verses, which I like to read every once in awhile, to remind myself of the way God has created me :)
Everyone is beautiful in their own amazing way, and we can owe that to the fact that every single one of us is created in God's image!

"7-16 We cannot see God, but he can see us. The psalmist did not desire to go from the Lord. Whither can I go? In the most distant corners of the world, in heaven, or in hell, I cannot go out of thy reach. No veil can hide us from God; not the thickest darkness. No disguise can save any person or action from being seen in the true light by him. Secret haunts of sin are as open before God as the most open villainies. On the other hand, the believer cannot be removed from the supporting, comforting presence of his Almighty Friend. Should the persecutor take his life, his soul will the sooner ascend to heaven. The grave cannot separate his body from the love of his Saviour, who will raise it a glorious body. No outward circumstances can separate him from his Lord. While in the path of duty, he may be happy in any situation, by the exercise of faith, hope, and prayer."  Source {King James Bible - Contemporary, found at the end of the page}

†Music† Hillsong Young & Free

Hello friends, and welcome to Tuesday's playlists, a post consisting of some of my personal favorite worship bands/singers!

In today's post, I would like to share my favorite band with you, namely, Hillsong Young & Free.

They are based in Australia as a contemporary worship group, who started making catchy worship pop songs in 2012. Their music is quite electropop and synthpop, which are both my all-time favorite genres of music :)

I'll leave some album images and recommended tracks under the cut, for your own listening, as well as links to their various social media sites!

†Bible Study† Book of Genesis, Chapter 1

All glory to God for bringing you here...
Welcome to my first official blog post!
I'm actually eating my mom's parmesan crisps as I type this out :)

Anyways, for your convenience, here is the link to the King James Bible version of today's chapter study!
Also, before I begin, here's a small break-down of what you can find in my Bible Study posts:

- simple english re-phrasing
- simple explanations
- favorite verse highlights

So, let's begin!

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog, solely dedicated to the worship of God, my Lord and Savior :)

Although it's still somewhat under construction, I will start my official posting at the beginning of next week, if all goes well!
I hope you'll stick around until the official opening of this blog.
For now, here's a basic breakdown of what you can expect to see on here :)

Sunday: Bible study ; 1 chapter/week 

Tuesday: Song recommendation of the week 

Wednesday: Favorite verse incl. image + discussion

Thursday: Free post 

I would like to dedicate all my time to the worship of The Lord, but I'm a university student who has a lot of studying to do! 

Thank you for reading this far!
I look forward to you reading my next post!

☆彡 

Until then
Sincerely,

† Light †