Greetings and salutations, friends! I hope that you all have had a lovely January! My month has been full but very good, and I have enjoyed reflecting on some of my favorite things from this January. 🙂
Prayer
This month, I have made a conscious effort to start up a consistent habit of prayer, and it has been absolutely wonderful. I had been struggling with stress for a little while, and I realized that I had been letting my prayer life suffer. After I started making sure to talk to my Heavenly Father every day, I have noticed a difference in my mindset. I have been giving him all of my fears and struggles instead of trying to handle them on my own. I am weak and cannot do everything on my own, but God is all powerful. In my weakness, he is my strength, my peace, my shield, and my salvation.
“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
Hoarfrost
This winter, we have had so many days of this absolutely gorgeous, magical frost. Every day that it appears, I thank God for the beauty and intricacy of his creation. Frost is definitely one of my favorite parts of winter, and I am so thankful for the many days that we’ve had it!
Under Drake’s Flag
I finished this audio drama at the beginning of the month, and it was so good! I loved the intriguing story of pirates, cabin boys, the Spanish Inquisition, Sir Francis Drake, and the importance of standing strong in your faith.
The Dragon’s Tooth
My brother gave me this book for Christmas, and I’m almost finished with it. I love N.D. Wilson’s 100 Cupboards series, so I was super excited to be able to start The Ashtown Burials series! I love the story so far, and I can’t wait to continue the story in the coming installments! 🙂
Echo
My mom read this book to my siblings and me, and we all loved it! Part historical, part fairy tale, this unique book was like no other that I’ve read. It was such a beautiful book, full of memorable characters and tales that all converge into a lovely final story.
Worship Songs
I love worship songs EVERY month, but there are a couple that I have especially loved this month:
- “Lion and the Lamb” by Bethel
- “Resurrection Power” by Chris Tomlin
Both of these songs have such solid, wonderful lyrics, praising God and the work that he has done.
God’s Smuggler
This is the absolutely incredible, convicting story of the journey of Brother Andrew behind the Communist Iron Curtain to deliver Bibles and minister to Christians. One of the most convicting things for me was the reactions these Christians gave when they finally owned the Word of God for the first time in their life. And that made me think: how much do we take the Bible and our religious freedom for granted? Just by myself, I have about five or six Bibles. And too often, I know that I take it for granted. I pray that I would never lose the wonder of the Bible, that the Creator of the universe has given us his perfect, inerrant Word to help us grow close to him and know him intimately. I highly, highly recommend this book!!
Marvel Movies
Yes, friends, I have now taken my first steps into that wide world known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 😀 My family and I watched six of the movies: Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Avengers: Age of Ultron.
And I am now a huge fan of these movies. 😉
Bet you can’t guess what my siblings and I have been quoting from. 😉
Well, these are a few of the things I’ve been loving this past month! I hope that you all are having a fabulous 2020/winter/February so far! So tell me, friends. What are some of your favorite things from January? Have you read any of the books I mentioned? Who’s your favorite Marvel character? (Mine is either an unpopular opinion or very common, I’m not sure yet XD). Let me know in the comments!
Swordmaiden of the King 
I love under drakes flag! I actually own all the G.A. Henty auto books. I also love the ancient Egypt one and the viking one. Ok so also I love marvel as well only I’m surprised that you did not watch any of the rlly good ones XD Ok they are all good but the ones you listed (as crazy as it might seem…) I don’t really like. For me the best ones are 1. Antman and Antman and the Wasp, 2. Spiderman Far from home 3. Iron man 3, 4. Captain America Civil war, 5. Captain marvel. And believe it or not most of the fans say that Dark World is one of marvels worst movies. So whenever you have time… go watch the ones I listed because they are AWESOME! And The wasp is way cooler then Black Widow.
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I love all of the G.A. Hentys that I’ve heard so far! I have six of them. My favorites are The Cat of Bubastes and Captain Bayley’s Heir. 🙂
I just watched Ant-Man and Civil War and enjoyed them both! I am for sure going to watch most of those other ones soon! 😀
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Ooo I love worship songs <333333 Have you heard ‘spirit lead me’? It’s a good song! I really REALLY need to watch some marvel movies, haven’t ever seen any and everyone is telling me there awesome haha xD
Enjoyed this post xx 💕
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Worship songs are amazing!!! I’m not sure if I’ve heard that song. Who sings it?
Marvel movies are amazing!!! I would recommend them with a few caveats just because of some language, violence, and innuendos that pop up here and there, but overall I love the heroes (and one of the anti-heroes 😉 ) and the themes and the stories! 😀
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Ikr?!? It’s by influence music!
Ahhh yes, I’ve heard you have to watch out for a couple things but overall they seem really cool!
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Cool! I’ll have to see if I can find that one!
They are! 😀
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LOKI YES
He’s my favorites. Him and Bucky. They are a absolute besssst. Can’t change my mind.
Who is your favorite character? (Hint: There is only one right answer. 😉 )
N.D. Wilson’s books are fantastic! I didn’t like his time-traveling series as much as 100 Cupboards and Ashtown Burials, but at the same time, that series was good if I compare it to books by most other authors.
You should read The Door Before when you finish the Ashtown Burial books. That one is more recent and (if you haven’t already read it) I would suggest reading it with his books still fresh on your mind. 😀
Also N.D. Wilson’s non-fiction is amazing if you’re ever in the mood to philosophize and think through life. 😉
Oh! My family has listened to Under Drake’s Flag. One time on a road trip and it was fun! I enjoyed it. 🙂
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LOKI LOKI LOKI. Loki is my favooooorite. 😀 He is the BEST.
Poor Bucky has a rough life. I love his and Cap’s friendship so much. It reminds me of Sam and Frodo. 🙂
Yes, his books are definitely fantastic!! I actually read The Door Before this summer, and I’m seeing all the connections to both 100 Cupboards and Ashtown Burials now! So cool the way N.D. Wilson did that! 🙂 Ooh, yes, I am looking forward to reading his nonfiction sometime! I’ve heard a lot of great things about it.
Yes! I love all of the G.A. Henty audios that I’ve listened to! My favorites are The Cat of Bubastes and Captain Bayley’s Heir. Definitely recommend the other ones if you haven’t heard them! 🙂
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RiGhT aNsWeR
Congrats. 😉
Yes, the thing I love about Marvel movies are the beautiful relationships. Bucky and Cap. Clint and Natasha (my two other favorites) … Thor and Loki… Cap and Tony … Tony and Peter. Etc. Etc.
Oh okay! I didn’t want to spoil anything in case you hadn’t read it. Just for the record though, when that book came out, me (like other people who read the other books before when they had come out) went CrAzY. WHAaaaa they happen in the same universe and are connected?!? 😮 😮 😮
The book was fun, it felt a little rushed, but beyond that, it was fun. And then raggants. Which are my favorite fantastical creatures. So I can’t complain. 😀
Ooh I haven’t heard of those ones.. I’ll have to see if I can get ahold of one of those. 🙂
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ABSOLUTELY. The relationships are beautiful.
YES! I went back and looked through The Door Before after finishing The Dragon’s Tooth and grinned at all the connections that I’d missed before. I’m currently on The Drowned Vault and loving it just as much as the first! I love Diana. And Rupert. And Cyrus. And Nolan. And…most of the other characters who are good guys. 😉
I agree, it did feel slightly rushed, but it was cool to see how exactly Mordecai trapped Nimiane and the friendship that Caleb, Mordecai, and Hyacinth had before 100 Cupboards. Raggants are THE BEST. I want a raggant stuffed animal. XD
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Oooooh, favorite Marvel character? Probably Peggy Carter. She ended getting her own show, with two whole seasons, and while we’re still grieving the fact that the show wasn’t renewed for a third season, it’s still awesome. I love the 1940’s aesthetic and Peggy’s whole character. Every time I watch it, I come away inspired to be a stronger woman.
I really love Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff, too. And Tony Stark. And Doctor Strange. I have too many favorites, haha.
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Ah, yes, Peggy is definitely a wonderful character! I have not watched Agent Carter yet, but it looks really good! I definitely want to see more of her. I love how Cap continued his friendship with her as long as he could. 🙂 That was so sweet.
Yes! I also love Natasha! And Steve! Tony is definitely an interesting character. I do like him, but I think that I’ll probably like him better after Infinity War and Endgame. 🙂 I’m so excited for Doctor Strange! That’s the one we’re going to see next. My favorites so far are Loki, Thor, Hawkeye, and Cap. 🙂
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Ahh, all of these things. ❤ 🙂 BUT ESPECIALLY MARVEL WELCOME TO THE UNIVERSE, GIRL! 😀 😛 My favorite (i can't pick only one help meeeehhh) Marvel characters would be Captain America, Bucky, Peter Parker, and Loki. Natasha and Clint do have special places in my heart, but so do all the rest!!!!!! See what I mean??? xD
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Ahhh, yesss, I’m so excited to be a part of the Marvel fandom!!! 😀 Oh, yes, SO MANY of the characters are amazing!! My favorites are Loki, Thor, Clint, and Cap. And I also really love Sif and Queen Frigga (she is such a wonderful mom 🙂 ).
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Prayer is one of those things I’m still learning but…thank God He’s always there. 💕
GOD’S SMUGGLER!!!! I love that book so much!! What’s your favorite scene?? I don’t know that it’s my favorite but the scene with the Communist girl in the chocolate factory–“Who wouldn’t choose, well, God and all that”–always gets me. 💔
Superheroes aren’t really my thing so I haven’t scene any Marvel movies, but I have a feeling the Cap/Bucky dynamic would be the end of me if I were more into superheroes…
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Yes, I’m still going to be learning prayer for the rest of my life, but thank our gracious God. ❤
Oh, my goodness, it's so hard to pick a favorite scene! I did absolutely love the parts in the chocolate family and the radical transformation in Greetje's life. And all the parts when the church leader's held their own Bible in their hands for perhaps the first time. I'm for sure going to reread that book!!!
CAP AND BUCKY!!! Ahh, you would love them! I didn't think that superheroes were my thing, either, but I ended up absolutely loving the MCU. There are definitely some content things to watch out for, but overall I love the beautiful friendships and family relationships, the stories, and so many of the characters.
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Lovely post, Amelie! That audio drama sounds absolutely fantastic! Pirate-y stories and tales are just some of the best out there, aren’t they? Sometimes we need a good old fashioned yohoho. xD
I love Audio Dramas, especially when they’re done well. You probably already have, but just wondering if you’ve heard of Focus on the Family’s Radio Theater Library? They have all sorts of fantastic audio dramas of classic books, and one of my personal favorites is The Cost of Freedom, about the life and death of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
It’s been a while since I read God’s Smuggler, and I honestly should read it again. Brother Andrew was such an amazing hero of the faith, and I sooo love hearing stories like his. Dietrich Bohoeffer is a close second. He’s my favorite theologian right up there with C.S. Lewis.
Also, hooray for Marvel! So excited for you, diving into the big wide ocean that is the MCU. Loki is my dear son. He’s a mischevious little thing, but bless his heart. He’s insane. But we love him anyway (someone tell me why). Oh, and let me say that Age of Ultron and The Winter Soldier are, quite frankly, my most favorite films possibly in the entire MCU.
Alas! A long comment have I written. (*that felt like a Yodaism*)
Tschüss,
Emily 🙂
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Thank you so much, Emily! (I apologize for my extremely late reply. Again, I seem to have fallen behind in the world of the blogoverse…)
Yes, I have heard of the Focus on the Family Radio Theater! I absolutely love their Narnia dramas (I’ve listened to them all probably about ten times each 🙂 ), and I really want to hear the Oliver Twist and Little Women ones. I know that they also have a Screwtape Letters drama with Andy Serkis as Screwtape. The Cost of Freedom sounds fantastic! Dietrich Bonhoeffer is such a hero of the faith, indeed!
Ah, I SO loved God’s Smuggler! I’m going to keep it high on my re-read list, for sure!
It is a big wide ocean, but I am so glad I’ve plunged in! I’ve definitely become a huge MCU fangirl. 😀 LOKI. LOKI. LOKI. (Ahaha, yes, someone tell me why I love him so much? XD) I just watched Infinity War and Endgame (BOTH OF WHICH had me fangirl screaming and weeping all over the place!). I hope to do an entire post dedicated to Marvel soon. 🙂
Worry, you must not! I love comments! And a good Yodaism, I also love. 🙂 Thank you!
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