Tag: Story

5 Tips for Restoring Your Love of Reading

I hope these simple practices help you as much as they’ve helped me!

Upon graduating college, I realized that even after earning a degree in English, all my years in school had stolen my enjoyment of reading!

School and technology have taught us to skim texts for key details rather than slow down and enjoy the journey. And when we’re required to spend hours reading books that feel either uninteresting or purposeless to us, we are more likely to hesitate in spending free time reading.

I can’t blame school entirely, though. It’s hard to prioritize reading when there are so many other entertainment options out there. But nothing beats being immersed in a wonderful story.

If you’re like me and you miss leisure reading, then you’ve come to the right article! Here are five (plus one) key practices you can use that will hopefully spark your love of reading again.

Listen to AudioBooks

If you’ve found yourself skimming or losing focus while reading, then perhaps you’d enjoy listening to a story rather than reading it. Audiobooks allow us to slow down and pay attention. They are even more fun when the voice actor(s) get into character!

Audiobooks also have the perk of allowing us to multitask while listening. Just make sure you’re doing an activity that doesn’t require too much thought, or else you might realize you missed a significant detail in the story!

You can access audiobooks through paid subscriptions like Audible or Spotify, but my favorite way to listen is free through my local library app!

Reread a beloved classic

My all-time favorite story is The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe. What’s yours? Have you reread it lately?

We often discount our classic favorites (whether they be ‘true’ classics or contemporary classics) because we deem them childish. However, children’s and young adult literature contain valuable lessons and compelling journeys. Writing to a younger audience often requires even stronger writing skills because authors have a stricter set of parameters to follow.

Sometimes, we just need to know we can finish a book, even a shorter one with more comprehensible language. Write down your top five favorite childhood/YA books and then read them again! You might be more encouraged than you realize.

start a book club

This one might seem daunting, especially if you’re struggling to even finish one book on your own. However, there is truly power in numbers. Sometimes, we just need one other person alongside us with a similar goal!

Your book club could consist of you and one other person, or you could gather a group of people to read with you. All you have to do is find someone who is willing to devote time to reading again. Then, pick a book you both would enjoy and find time to regularly discuss it.

This will not only keep you accountable, but it will also deepen your understanding of the book when you hear someone else’s perspective on it!

Move chapter by chapter

Perhaps the reason why you haven’t been able to read lately is because you don’t have enough time. That’s okay! We all have busier seasons of life, but even in those seasons we must find time to rest and restore.

If reading is restorative to you, consider blocking out time each day to simply read one chapter of a book. Or if the chapters in your novel are too long, then set a goal to read for a specific period of time each day, like twenty minutes. It’s okay if it takes you a long time to complete a book. All that matters is you are enjoying the process.

read in a new location

Reading allows us to enter new worlds and explore new possibilities. But perhaps escaping through the printed pages isn’t exhilarating enough for you. Maybe you need to find an interesting new location to read.

Here are a few ideas to get you started in your search for the perfect reading spot:

  • A local park
  • By the beach
  • In a quiet coffee shop
  • At the library
  • In your backyard
  • In a location that’s similar to a setting in your story

Extra tip: ask friends for reading recommendations!

For my birthday, one of my friends gave me a book list of her personal recommendations. Not only did this help me go in more openminded and trusting that with a fair shot, these would be interesting stories, but I ended up loving her selections!

If you are looking for some recommendations, here are a few of mine organized by genre:

Classic:

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

YA:

So Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones

Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan

Children’s:

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

Poetry:

All Along You Were Blooming by Morgan Harper Nichols

Historical:

The Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

Daughter of Rome by Tessa Afshar

Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson (nonfiction)

Mystery:

The Maid by Nita Prose

Allegorical:

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard

Writing Advice:

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Christian Nonfiction:

Letters to the Church by Francis Chan

Now and Not Yet by Ruth Chou Simons

Breath as Prayer by Jennifer Tucker

Comment below your favorite book and what you love most about it!

Hope is Not a Fantasy

Inspirational singer-songwriter, Meyta, shares the redemption story behind his new album, Reverse Psychology.

“I’ve always had the instinct to create this album,” singer-songwriter Meyta recalls, referring to his newly released Reverse Psychology. “I just didn’t have the skills to create it. Then as time progressed, I thought, ‘Oh, finally, I can make this thing’.”

But then two years ago, God prompted Meyta to take a break from music. That’s not a message most artists want to hear, especially when they have the pressing desire to produce a specific album, as Meyta had. It required significant faith and trust to leave his music career in God’s hands, but after clinging to God on what, at times, was a perilous journey toward healing, he knew God would prove Himself faithful.

True to God’s character, Meyta’s year off wasn’t wasted. In fact, the growth Meyta experienced during this break was what prepared him for bringing his dream to life – Reverse Psychology.

“During that time, I got a lot of inner healing in my soul of things that I didn’t even realize I was dealing with,” he shares. “At the end of the year, the Lord spoke to me and said, ‘You’re ready’. A week later, I was contacted by my (now) manager.”

Though this album presents an exciting new step in Meyta’s artistic journey, his passion for music existed even before he devoted his life to Christ. 

Meyta’s music career started about eight years ago. As his talents developed, he created the stage name “Meyta”, which means purpose. Even while an agnostic, he perceived that people suffering from mental illness felt worthless because they didn’t understand that they had a purpose in life. Ironically, he was questioning his own purpose at the time, which led to an accidental overdose that caused him to be temporarily paralyzed and hear demonic voices. 

“I decided to call out to Jesus and the demons’ voices left and I wasn’t paralyzed anymore,” he says. “I began to realize that my purpose was actually just to be best friends with God. That’s when I started making music for Him.”

In order to write this album, Meyta reflected on his mindset during his most vulnerable season. Through the peace and healing Jesus has brought him over the four years since his overdose, he’s able to revisit that pain with compassion and insight, allowing him to encourage others through his story. 

Recently, Jesus has put a specific phrase in Meyta’s mind: hope is not a fantasy. In fact, anyone can have hope and healing when they place their faith in Jesus. While Meyta’s music is centered on mental health, and he approaches deep subject matters with grace and empathy, his message is counter-cultural in that he believes anyone can be made whole again through Jesus.

There is profound comfort found in the lyrics of Meyta’s songs, such as in “You are My Child”, in which a person approaches God with shame, and God counteracts his doubts: “You are my child / I will always love you / I will never forsake you”.

But Meyta also recognizes that accepting the truth of God’s love can be a challenge, especially when lies fill our minds. “Choose to Live” depicts the struggle of someone grappling with overwhelming brokenness: “Right now I’m defeated, and broken within / And I’m convinced I won’t be happy again”.

“A lot of artists tell (their listeners) to stay in those emotions,” Meyta explains. “The challenge is that there really is hope. You don’t have to be stuck in those emotions.” 

Hope and purpose are intermingled for Meyta and they are rooted in one source: Jesus.

“When I gave my life to Jesus, I realized that He’s been waiting to heal me from my deep depression and my deep anxiety,” he says. “I would wake up and I’d just start laughing because I realized I’d been lied to. I didn’t realize that I could have hope. I was just laughing out of joy.”

“Choose to Live” continues with the speaker remembering that hope comes in the morning, as it did for Meyta: “But I know in the morning my mind will change / My life has value / So I choose to live”.

To those who feel discouraged or doubtful of Jesus’ loving purpose for them, Meyta turns to his own redemption story as proof of Jesus’ mercy.

“If He’s able to take a boy that’s depressed out of his mind and trying to escape through everything…(and) I was really at the point of giving up,” he says. “If He was able to give me hope for the first time ever, then He’s able to really flip around anyone’s life.”

As Christians, we are called to share our hope with those around us. Meyta believes that living out our callings, using whatever unique gifts God has given us, is one way to encourage others. Another is to be intentional about our relationships and share how God has changed us.

Meyta’s genuine care and concern for his listeners is evident in his future goals as a musician, particularly with considering the possibility of touring.

“Being able to look those people in the eye – that’s what excites me,” he says with a smile.

Though the journey has been painful, confusing, and even near-death, Meyta trusts that he wouldn’t have grown into the person he is today, both as a musician and follower of Jesus, without these experiences. 

As an artist, he’s had to overcome comparison, competition, and feeling insignificant. He wants others struggling with these issues to realize that believing their turn will never come is a lie. Life will unfold in beautiful and surprising ways when we switch our mindsets away from our personal goals and instead ask God to speak into our lives.

“Who am I to compare myself to someone’s chapter twenty when I’m at chapter ten?” he adds.

After trial and error, taking a year off from producing music, and embracing much personal healing, Meyta is proud to finally unveil Reverse Psychology, which embodies his own coming-of-age story of finding hope. His favorite song in his album is “All You’ve Ever Known”.

“All You’ve Ever Known” encapsulates the heart of Reverse Psychology, which is the transformation from being deceived by the cheap offerings of this world to embarking on a quest for truth and purpose, ultimately found in God’s love. Though “All You’ve Ever Known” focuses on facing harsh realities, it’s also singed with promise as the speaker fervently pursues the belief that there is more to life than suffering.

“That song means so much to me. I love how it’s kind of ambiguous for people to figure out for themselves,” Meyta says. “Every time I listen to it, it means something different to me.”

Meyta hopes that listeners will not only enjoy his music and be moved by his personal story, but also identify with the lyrics for themselves. And most of all, Meyta calls us to remember that hope is within reach when we least expect it as long as we don’t give up.

Find Meyta’s music on your favorite music-streaming platform: Reverse Psychology

Follow Meyta on Instagram: @wehavemeyta

We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)

The Story Behind “There is More Ahead of You”

Here is the story behind my new book, There is More Ahead of You! For a book description, check out my homepage!

I have exciting news–I wrote and self-published a book! This has been a dream of mine for so long and I am so delighted to finally share my work publicly. This blog has been the stepping stone for learning how to write for a wider audience and to see what kind of writing I am most passionate about. For details related to the book, check out my homepage or the bottom of this post!

To be honest, if you had asked me if I thought I’d be publishing a book this fall prior to September, I would’ve said “I wish, but no”. It would’ve seemed like an impossible idea, considering I’m still in my first quarter of college. But that just goes to show how God works!

This isn’t the type of book I planned to write either. It combines a newfound hobby (digital art) and my desire to encourage others in a short story designed to help readers feel seen and understood.

All the way until I started this blog two years ago, I dreamed of writing fictional young adult novels centered around relationships, adventure, and faith. However, while relaxing to calming music and doodling on my iPad, God sent me inspiration in the form of an orange blob.

Yep, that’s not a typo–an orange blob started it all.

My first drawing featured the orange blob person surrounded by smoke, symbolizing the overwhelming sensation and heaviness life often casts upon us. At first, I considered making this person more realistic, but I realized that anyone can put themselves in the place of this blob, rather than just a person who happens to resemble the appearance of this character. Plus, it didn’t require detailed art, but rather abstract ideas.

After that, I spent several hours drawing whatever came to me. I made a rough outline of what I hoped readers would take away from the story and soon enough, the entire book came together.

What took longer than making the book was figuring out how to publish it–or rather, mustering up the confidence to consider publishing it.

I went back and forth on the idea for a few weeks. Everything seemed so complicated and the process wasn’t cheap, though it was cheaper than trying to publish a novel and easier than searching for a publisher.

But once I got the assurance from several trusted loved ones and acted on this new calling, things fell into place. I found a way to make the book slightly cheaper (unfortunately books are costly to manufacture, but I wanted anyone to be able to access my book). One thing all authors need to buy is an ISBN code (an identification barcode), and I found a way to get one for free through the publishing website. These simple signs confirmed that God wants me to do this.

I’m still unsure what God wants to do through this book, but I trust that He will turn my simple words and pictures into something far greater than anything I can imagine.

While the messages of the story are meant to be uplifting and encouraging, I know I couldn’t have written them under happy, easy circumstances. For various reasons, the past several months have been draining and frustrating for me. Often, I even want to give up, though I know that I must keep going in order to fulfill God’s purpose for my life and see what He is doing through all of this.

Though I’m likely the most excited about my book coming out, I hope that this can be a sign for you to keep going too. I believe that God is trying to show both of us that even when things don’t make sense, He will create something beautiful out of our painful, confusing situations.

God wants to use your story. God wants to use you. He can see the incredible potential you have and He made you intentionally to use your gifts for wondrous things.

I know that you [God] can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

Job 42:2

Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?

Jeremiah 32:27

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:31

If you would like to purchase a copy of my book, check out this link!

https://www.blurb.com/b/10890467-there-is-more-ahead-of-you

Your support and encouragement mean the world to me! Thank you for being here ❤

Why Do You Believe?

Have you ever asked yourself why you believe what you believe?

The most important question to ask is “Why?”. We should ask ourselves why are we doing what we’re doing. We should ask others why they believe what they believe so that we can better understand them. We should even ask God why, because then we open our minds to understanding His greater purpose for everything.

I asked my Bible study one of the hardest, yet most important, questions we can ask ourselves as followers of Christ: Why do you believe in Jesus? I limited them to only a few sentences, since we all had shared our testimonies before, and because if an unbeliever asks us this, they likely don’t want to hear an entire essay response.

My answer was this:

I believe in Jesus because I have experienced His love and grace firsthand. He has brought me through the toughest seasons of my life by giving me a feeling of peace that couldn’t have come from anyone else. He gives my life a purpose, the purpose everyone longs for until they find Him.

What I loved most about this exercise was the diversity in responses. Some spoke of Jesus’ forgiveness and grace. Others focused on His love and kindness. Many cited times of when Jesus did something in their lives that changed their perspectives.

There’s this false idea that we all have to come to faith the same way. We must have a “mountain top experience” and never have doubts afterwards. We must be faithful church-goers, have all the answers, and have an unwavering trust in God.

But that isn’t true. While it’s wonderful for those of us who’ve had mountain-top experiences, it isn’t required for being a true believer. It’s normal, and even healthy, to have doubts. We just need to bring our questions to God. It’s good to go to church, to understand the Bible, and to trust God, yet our faith journey is like a rollercoaster sometimes, especially at the beginning. Just because you are struggling to trust God or find the right community for a season doesn’t mean you aren’t saved. What’s important is that you’re seeking God with all your heart.

Today, ask yourself the tough question: Why do you believe in Jesus? Write down whatever comes to mind. This will not only prepare you for answering that question in the future, but it will solidify your faith. Those doubts often come from not knowing why or what we believe in. Often, finding these answers and reminding yourself of how God has taken care of you will give you peace.

Once you allow God’s peace to fill your heart, you’ll feel free to let go.

 Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God.

1 Chronicles 22:19

God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

Acts 17:27

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

Keep Running to Jesus

When your prayers aren’t answered the way you hoped, do you cling to Jesus or stop running to Him?

God will either give us what we ask or give us what we would have asked if we knew everything He knows.

Timothy Keller

Though I read this quote for the first time today, I have been grappling to understand its meaning for years now. Is it really true? Does God really know what’s best for us? Is there a reason behind this waiting, suffering, and discouragement?

My consensus: Yes.

This comes in the wake of an incredibly discouraging week. I’ll spare you most of the details, but a few of the highlights include watching a ministry plummet, learning of a friend’s recent loss, and getting my hopes up about a certain situation (which I’ll go into more detail in) just to get them dashed.

To give some background to this “certain situation”, I must tell you that relationships are everything to me. You’d have to get to know me before realizing that I truly put my all into them. Last summer, a dream came true when one of my best friends visited for a week. We had been friends for years, but this was the first time we spent time together in person. That only strengthened our friendship, yet shortly after we began realizing technology wasn’t on our side. With several states in between us, communicating by phone is crucial. Since late August until last Tuesday, we had only Facetimed once, had a handful of texts, and one voice call. This was extremely draining for both of us, since we had become each other’s confidants and relied on each other. I honestly wasn’t even sure if she was okay and the hardest part was not having any way of finding out.

God’s taught me about control and persistence through this experience. He’s reminded me (as I so often need to remember) that He’s the one in control, not me. He’s whispered “never give up” in my ear countless times. I can’t say I haven’t grown from this experience, despite its difficulty.

Last Tuesday, we thought we had found a solution. We eagerly talked on the phone for half an hour, planning our next call and looking forward to arranging times to get together this summer. I thought I couldn’t be happier! But that night, I realized that our solution was only temporary. Our phones had somehow reversed themselves back again. We had literally tried everything we could think of and more.

During the day on Tuesday, I almost posted about my experience (prior to learning the solution hadn’t worked). On Monday night, as I lay in bed, struggling to fall asleep, I told God about my frustrations over this seemingly hopeless situation. As I shared in my previous post, I’ve been learning about how important it is to be vulnerable with God. So when the impossible happened on Tuesday, I praised God.

It’s taken me two days to think about why what I thought God was giving me had to be taken away again. I’m still not sure, but I have a few ideas.

I wasn’t wrong to praise God on Tuesday. I can (and should) still praise God today, and every day. Even when He doesn’t “come through” the way I want Him to, He’s still a good Father. God gave me what I needed. He gave me the hope to keep going. He allowed us to talk on the phone. The gift of hearing a close friend’s voice after months of silence is invigorating. He reminded me of the importance of gratitude, of not jumping ahead to the next “want/need” before saying thank you and relishing the sense of contentment.

In my Bible study today, I read the story of Lazarus rising from the dead. I’ve heard this story many times, but reading it today gave me new insight.

It was out of Jesus’ love and compassion for Martha and Mary (Lazarus’ sisters) that He didn’t come and heal Lazarus when they called out to Him. He knew what they wanted even before they requested it. But in verse 5 it says,

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.'”

He waited in order to give them an even bigger miracle– a resurrection from the dead! This story could’ve been another healing (which albeit is still incredible), but instead it became a story that would bring a community from disbelief to belief. From grief to rejoicing. From hopeless to hopeful.

Martha and Mary could’ve easily believed that Jesus stopped loving them or didn’t care about their situation when He didn’t show up the way they expected. They could’ve ignored Him when He came two days “late”. But instead, they ran to Him and cried with Him. They asked Him the “hard questions”. And Jesus honored that.

It’s so easy to doubt Jesus when things don’t go our way. But the most important thing to believe when we’re in a tough situation is that God knows what’s best and He’s the only one in charge. Jesus hears every prayer you say, whether out loud, in your head, or in your heart. If you run to Jesus, He will lovingly embrace you. So what’s stopping you?

Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

John 11:41

The Lord brings death and makes alive;

    he brings down to the grave and raises up.

1 Samuel 2:6