​Hello Friend!

Here I am, emerging from the midst of a crazy busy, challengingly different, albeit inspiringly beautiful summer. It's been a while since my last blog post or writing update - but while my blog has sat quiet, the rest of my life has been anything but. 

The first few months of summer were crowded with planting thousands of baby trees for my summer job. My sister and I spent hours working under the sun, getting coated in dirt, and learning to navigate the tangle of gravel roads in our rural county. 

Once planting season ended, the usual plethora of farm work has kept me busy: hauling small square bales off the ditch, butchering chickens, training and riding our horses, pasture upkeep, and marveling at my mother's incredible garden. Of course there are also long hours of reading, sunny days at the lake, playing with kittens, or going out for ice cream with my siblings. 

And, of course, watching a pandemic shut down the world has been... interesting. ​

Elisabeth Elliot once wrote, "The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian makes me a different kind of woman."
I think the same truth can be applied in this way: The fact that you are a teenager does not make you a different kind of Christian, but the fact that you are a Christian makes you a different kind of teenager. 

​I live in a strong Christian home and have grown up under solid Biblical teaching all my life. But I will be honest, there are times when I read articles or books on living for Christ and they fall flat because I have heard it all before.

It is especially easy for teenagers raised in a Christian home to grow apathetic about their faith. The gospel becomes commonplace - I don't like admitting it, but it's true - and we grow comfortable. We get stuck in our habits. We go through the motions. 

Whatever happened to a fire for Christ so bright and passionate that people couldn't help but notice its glow?

When I was little, my dad read books aloud to my sister and me before bedtime. One of the first series I can remember him reading was The Kingdom Series by Chuck Black. We borrowed the set from a friend while it was still in the self-published format and I loved it all. I was engrossed in every sword fight, intrigued by the Prince, and quickly made Tess, the valiant lady heroine of the first two books, my role model.

Since then, I have bought and devoured every one of Mr. Black's books as they were released, from his medieval Knight's of Arrethtrae, to his Wars of the Realm trilogy. Nova, Episode One of the Starlore Legacy, was no exception. I read the entire book in one afternoon.

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While plotting out my blog plan for April, I originally scheduled a post for today on being creative and keeping busy at home. Instead, on a whim, I sat down and typed up something a little different that I want to share with you. 
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I want to ask you a question that has been haunting me since the COVID-19 pandemic began.