Cup of Thoughts

“I am here for a reason. This is no haphazard mistake. What good can I do with what I have?” This quote is from the first book in Lisa Bergren's River of Time series. // Image was made by my best friend.

How do you become a Soldier of God exactly? Acknowledge the existence of a Creator.  Admit that you are not perfect. In fact, nobody is. We've all made mistakes in our lives, ( Romans 3:23 ) . Believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, ( John 14:6 ). Believe that He alone took the punishment for your sins. Because there is a punishment. God is so holy that He cannot look upon sin. In Romans 6:23, it says that the payment for sin is death. However, you can take hope in that He has removed your iniquity as far as the east is from the west, ( Psalm 103:12 ). Finally, call upon His name and you shall be saved, ( Romans 10:13 ). As Christians, we are called to be ambassadors for Christ, ( Ephesians 6:20 ). An ambassador is someone who represents someone else. We are called to be lights in a dark world. The light that is in us is the light of Him who saved us, ( Matthew 5:14 ). Not only that, but we have been given the privilege to defend the gospel. The life o...

Where Treasure Hides, Johnnie Alexander "The Louvre is on fire and only the Mona Lisa or the child standing beside it can be saved. Which would you choose?" Summary:  This breathtaking story begins with the perspective of a young Dutch artist during WW2. The tragedies and horrific events pull Alison into making her answer to some of the most difficult decisions in her life. One of those being the "Mona Lisa" question: "The Louvre is on fire and only the Mona Lisa or the child standing beside it can be saved. Which would you choose?"  Her family is famous for their generational gift of art. Alison has always cherished art even before she herself started drawing. Circumstances bring up disastrous choices and the Schuylers end up trying to discern between black and white in the midst of a very gray time. The choice between saving some of the world's most grand masterpieces or innocent lives. Thoughts :  If you enjoy reading Historical fictio...

Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austen "You must know... surely, you must know it was all for you" Summary:  Elizabeth Bennet is the second eldest in the line of 5 sisters. Her audacious mother insists that true happiness isn't complete until all of her daughters are married well enough to make a place in the world, especially her favorite daughter, Jane. Mr. Bennet is none too concerned for his daughters finding able suitors, for he has confidence that they are able to make their own way in life. With Elizabeth's wit and brains, along with Jane's beauty, Lydia and Kitty's entertaining sense of demeanor, and Mary's calm perplex spirit, Mrs. Bennet is sure to snatch a son-in-law worthy of her highest intentions. Which is someone amiable, young, and wealthy. One day Longbourn, Bennet's estate, gets a very welcomed neighbor. This particular neighbor is young, wealthy, said to be, get ready... single. All of Mrs. Bennet's dreams start to make...

You might not know this, and if you do you're pretty cool, but some of our favorite and most known hymnals have breathtaking backstories. Here's a few that I found fascinating. Amazing Grace John Newton, (the author of this story/song), was born in 1725, near the Thames river in London, England. He grew up with his father, a merchant seamaster in the Mediterranean after his mother died when he was about to turn seven. Newton refused to concur with his father's plans of working on a sugar plantation in Jamaica. So instead he left with another ship back to the Mediterranean Sea. In 1743, Newton was captured and forced into the Royal Navy.  After trying to escape, he was brutally beaten in front of the whole crew. Newton wanted to murder the captain and die, but for some reason he restrained himself. (The captain, William Adams, was killed five years later during the War of the Austrian Succession. Just in case you wanted to know.) Headed to India, Newto...

"Sometimes I have the strangest feeling about you. Especially when you are near me as you are now. It feels as though I had a string tied here under my left rib where my heart is, tightly knotted to you in a similar fashion. And when you go, with all that distance between us, I am afraid that this card will be snapped, and I shall bleed inwardly." Have you fallen in love with Mr. Rochester yet? If so, (and perhaps you haven't yet, it's okay, you will) , please check out this full review on Jane Eyre . // Image was created by my super cool friend.

“Respect the past; you never know how it may affect you.” Like what you read? Check out the full review of the book! //This image was created with the help of my amazing friend.

“It's the choosing that's important, isn't it?" Intriguing? You should read more about this book ! //Credits for this image to my stunning, inventive friend.

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” //Thanks to my creative friend for this image .

The Giver, Lois Lowry “The worst part of holding memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.” Summary:  The Giver  stars an almost-12-year old Jonas. He lives in a world much different from ours. Where the Community chooses everything for you; who you're going to marry, how many children you will conceive, and the Leaders give out appointed jobs to the citizens. The world shifts completely once he is given the job as the Reciever.  He will be one of the only ones who knows right from wrong, to feel, to see color, to hear music, to love and to cherish memories. But why only him? Why can't everyone feel this way? Everything he once knew about his life changes drastically as he learns about the challenging cruelties of the real world. The part of the world that the Leaders deny exists. Once Jonas knows all there is to learn from the Giver, who is the only other soul that knows about the lies the Community has been creating,...

The River of Time Series, Lisa T. Bergren “We all have freedom of choice. Over and over again, minute by minute. How will you live your life? For yourself? Or for others? For something good? For love?  Love.” Summary:  The story is about two daughters who grew up traveling with their archaeologist parents in Tuscany. On one of the archaeology sites, the sisters find themselves exploring forbidden medieval tombs. Somehow they get transported to 1342 Sienna, Italy. Gabi (Gabriella) gets separated from her sister, Lia (Evangelia), then gets pulled apart even more by a raging battle. Castello Forelli and Castello Paratore have been neighboring enemies for a long time. Once the brave and peculiar ladies enter their world, things get a bit twisted. Thoughts:  This series has become my absolute favorite books of all-time (no pun intended) . If you like historical settings, romance, adventure, and chivalry; you are going to want read this next book immediate...

“I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics. Even if they dress in rags, even if they aren’t pretty, or smart, or young. They’re still princesses.” Summary:  Little Sara Crewe gets brought to England to stay in a Select Seminary for Young Ladies, accompanied by her warm, benevolent father, Captain Crewe. Greeted by a seemingly kind-hearted, Miss Minchin, who is in charge of the girls at the boarding school, she makes it feel as if a dream has begun in young Sara's eyes, who has lived in India for her entire life. After the Captain goes back home, Miss Muchin and her sister, Miss Amelia, treat Sara as if she were a true princess (mainly because of her heavily income from her wealthy father) . She makes several friends and a few enemies, unintentionally, because of her astounding nature. Sara always puts other's needs before her own. She is by far the cleverest border at the Select Seminary, and already attains more knowledge than the teachers. W...

Everytime  I open my monthly box I can barely contain my excitement. At the beginning of each month, it's always a countdown to when my Birchbox will arrive. I subscribed to  Birchbox  a year ago and canceled it wanting to try other boxes such as the  Julep box  and Ipsy's  Glam Bag . Yet ever since I strayed away from Birchbox, I've never been satisfied. Renewing my subscription is something that I haven't regretted. If you're not familiar with the monthly boxes, or you're still not sure if it's entirely worth spending $10 on a box full of random beauty samples, I hope this post will help you gain some relief and knowledge from my experience. Here's a sad attempt of my photographing skills. You can see all the beauty products that came inside the October box: Birchbox's October box was focusing on reviving and restoring. Contents:  (left to right) BioRepublic Skincare, Cucumber Breeze Soothing Fiber Mask MAKE, Silk Cream Li...

Who doesn't crave some sweet, frozen treat every now and then? To satisfy your craving for ice cream here's a delicious dessert that won't make you feel so guilty afterward. Ingredients: two frozen bananas a cup of almond milk 2 tbsp of cocoa powder (preferably dark cocoa powder, but regular will be fine too) bars of dark chocolate and/or a scoop of protein powder Yep, that's it. Even if you're not a banana fan, the chocolate will overpower that tangy taste. You could even throw in a scoop of your favorite protein powder. The one I used was PBFit . But of course, you can add extra flavors to your liking. Such as vanilla extract or coconut flakes. Directions: After you've chopped the bananas and placed them into the freezer for at least 2 hours, gather all your ingredients together. Blend them in your kitchen ninja and watch the magic begin. Get everything perfectly blended, then ...

I've come to realize getting older is hard. So many responsibilities. Lots of peer pressure. Many, many more school books. Getting the additional privilege to run over pedestrians with four tires (JUST KIDDING). Who knew that being able to drive had its limitations and its advantages? Passing the permit test was significantly easy. (Even if I missed a total of 3 questions. Shhh.) Being on the road is terrifying, yet calming somehow. I can't really explain it. Besides the peculiar account of squirrels waiting until they spot me on the road to pass. I almost killed my Dad trying to swerve the first one. It was as if the first day on the road all the forest creatures decided to introduce themselves. I'm not even going, to begin with, the turkey vultures. That was scary.  Aging has its hysterical moments, but with each passing birthday means a new adventure. New goals and such. As your body starts breaking down, just think, you're growing wiser. Now I'm able...