After AAPI Month

May was Asian and Pacific Islander month. I love the fact that there are whole months dedicated to appreciating different groups! Black history month, Hispanic heritage month, Asian and Pacific Islander month, and more! However, I feel like we miss the point sometimes. Those months are to spread awareness and to understand different groups better. Do we take the time to do that, though?

Do you know any more about Asian history or culture? What about Pacific Islander history or culture? Maybe you know a lot, or perhaps you know nothing. My point, though, isn’t directly about history or culture. My desire in this post is for you to look at how you are living your life. Are you considerate of others and their feelings? Are you aware of other cultures and honor them as much as your own? Do you have a diverse friend group, or do all your friends look like you?

Personally, I don’t think any one considers these questions enough. Take a moment and consider them.

Not asking these hard questions has been ok for far too long, but I dare you to do better! I will be discussing each of these questions in further detail so that you can take steps to become more aware of the world around you. For this post, I encourage my Christian friends to go through each question and consider the next steps they can take. As Christians, we have a responsibility to love people no matter their race, ability, or anything about them. We are called to fill the gap. But if you are not a Christian, it doesn’t matter! This post is about becoming a better human.

(If you don’t have a lot of time, scroll to the question you need to work on the most.)

1.Are you considerate of others and their feelings?

I think this is a straightforward question; however, I find that many people struggle with it. The first thing I would suggest if you aren’t sure if this is calling you out is, check your words. Are your words kind? No one can be kind 100% of the time. However, if 99% of them aren’t, then you might need to check yourself. How about your patience? Are you the first person to become angry? If someone doesn’t share your political views, are you the first one to call them stupid?

As humans, we face plenty of challenges regularly. No one needs to be extra put down. Life takes care of that all on its own. Action: This week, try to make sure that everything that comes out of your mouth is kind. Even if you have to correct someone’s actions, you can do it graciously and with kindness.

2.Are you aware of other cultures and honor them as much as your own?

Knowing about other cultures and honoring them is something many people disagree about. While it is fantastic to honor and appreciate your culture, it is rewarding to learn about others. I am not saying you disregard your culture or country, but instead, you add to your knowledge—ignorance isn’t bliss. Ignorance leads to misconceptions and miscommunications.

Think about some of the misconceptions that people may have about you. If someone heard a rumor you were rude and believed it, you would be irritated, right? What if that person had never even met you! Yet choose to hold to the belief you were awful. You would think that was absurd, right? I would. Yet, so many people have the exact same perception of whole people groups!! Dont be the person who believes the rumors; most of the time, they have no truth. Action: Watch something that exposes you to other countries or cultures. Netflix has some wack shows about AAPI but some good ones too. For example, the show Asian street food and Latin American street food are fantastic! You could easily watch all of them in a week, haha! Maybe take a class about another country, culture, or group next semester. Almost every degree requires you to take some culture/sociology class.

3.Do you have a diverse friend group, or do all your friends look like you?

This can be a hard question to ask but an important one nonetheless. It is essential to ask this question because if you are the most intelligent person in the room, you will never grow. You will never grow if everyone you are around thinks the same way you do. I dont know about you, but I want to grow. Growing is hard and uncomfortable but so worth it. I have learned so much from having a diverse friend group. I have friends of different races, socioeconomic statuses, political parties, and walks of life. We can have hard conversations that challenge us to do better. We help each other see the world more fully.

Action: Be picky about your core people but not about others. My core people who hear about my joys and sorrows are Christians. They are loyal and compassionate people. However, they are of different races and from other places. Try to make some friends who have a different education than you, who are of a different race, who grew up somewhere different. Your core people won’t change overnight, but making new friends wouldn’t hurt. Putting yourself in situations to make these new friends may be uncomfortable initially; however, it will be worth it! While you remain open to new friends who don’t think like you, be sensitive to others. If Republicans hear you saying, “all republicans are trash,” they won’t be your friend or vice versa. This goes for assumptions about race or status as well.

Before I wrap this up, I need to say one more thing because this is a reflection on AAPI month. Over the last several years, especially in the last year, I have seen the discrimination towards Asians, and Pacific Islanders grow astronomically. This has broken my heart time and time again. In my high school, there were many Asian students. Some of them were international students. The international students weren’t treated very well by other students. Many students made fun of them due to how they spoke. I would always try to stand up for them, but I honestly felt ashamed of how these “Christian” teenagers acted. My family ended up hosting two girls who have now become like my sisters. Then a couple of years later, Covid happened. Covid quickly became a way to discriminate against ALL Asian people. People would start fights only because a person wore a mask on a college campus. That wasn’t the worst part to me. The worst part is that no one even seemed to care! Christian or non-Christian, if it didn’t affect them, they did not care. DO BETTER. Christian or non-Christian be against the hate. Stand up for justice and fight for change.


He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

MICAH 6:8

Mental Health Awareness month: a note

May is mental health awareness month! 🥳 Funnn times! As a Christian I just wanted to check in and see if everyone knows:

Its ok to be wildly in love with Jesus & have a therapist too!

In fact, I don’t think that it is encouraged enough! Until a couple of years ago, I heard of so much stigma around therapy, in the church, and outside of the church. I feel like lately, it is a lot more widely excepted. However, I don’t think it is encouraged. It should be… Life is hard! Jesus is my greatest comfort but, sometimes he wants us to challenge ourselves. Therapy is growing.

Along with that, we are living in a sinful world. People can hurt us easily without even thinking about it. Jesus wants us to forgive people so that we don’t become trapped in anger. Sometimes forgiving can be more complicated than we think. Sometimes we need someone to coach us through how to do that. Therapy is healing. Hurt people hurt people. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be walking around so hurt that I accidentally hurt someone else. I usually put it like this; if we are all working around with sharp edges, we are going to scratch someone. Don’t get me started if a person has similar rough edges to yours. Haha, and that is all the opposite of what we are supposed to do as Christ-followers.

As Christ-followers, we are called to love on people. We are called to help others heal and grow. How can we do that if we are not healed and willing to grow? If you have been debating on going to therapy and can go… Go!

That said, mental health isn’t just about therapy. It is about so much more than that. It is about checking in on yourself and asking yourself hard questions sometimes. I hope that this encourages you to take time to consider what does it mean to you? 

If you are doing great mentally and spiritually, you should find out more about having good conversations about mental health. There are excellent resources out there and knowing how to meet people right where they are is such an amazing skill. Here are some links to learn more about being sensitive to others needs :

https://seizetheawkward.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwkZiFBhD9ARIsAGxFX8AVZfn3kHr6_33M_d_3WQzOy9pSVE7j5cSRQVhy5cU2HGGMjlr-d4gaAsZfEALw_wcB

If you aren’t in a great spot, maybe taking the step of courage to talk to someone about how you have been feeling. Maybe it means going to therapy. 

Either way, I hope you know that there is a God who loves you infinitely. Whether you think you have it all together or know that you don’t ✌️, Jesus loves you! Much love and God bless 🙂

-Isabel:

How to plan Bible studies

I am so excited about this new section of my blog! God has gifted me with the opportunity to lead many different types of studies. I am definitely not a pro by any means, BUT I am super passionate about it. I hope it can encourage you to join a bible study or maybe even start one yourself! If not, all of these steps can also be applied to your personal bible time too!

Here we go! 5 tips to start planning your next Bible study 🙂

1.Relevant and applicable

This is super important purely because no one wants to listen to something they don’t feel applies to them. Fun Fact: the whole Bible is important, haha! However, your audience may not know that yet. If they don’t know that yet, make some suggestions. Maybe that is walking through a book together. When I first started leading a group of middle schoolers, that is what I did. Looking back, I don’t think I would have wanted it any other way. The book had them intrigued enough that when I brought up other parts of the Bible, it was easier for them to understand.

I also have enjoyed going through verse by verse studies. Pick a book of the Bible you really want to get to know, or let your group pick the book they want to study. Then you go through the rest of the steps of this to complete the study! It can be more work but is super rewarding. Along with your group learning new things you bring them every week, you also become a pro in one of the books of the Bible. 🙂

If you want to discuss topics in relation to the Bible like beauty, purity, friendship, life things, that can be great too! However, if this is your first time leading, I don’t suggest it. Purely because it is a lot more work. If you need help gathering topical information feel free to message me.

No matter what you choose it is a lot of fun! Pray about it then GO FOR IT! 🥳

2.Read, read, read 

After you pick one, it is now yours to get to know. When I would lead sometimes, I would read a single chapter more than five times before beginning the rest of the steps. I wanted to know it really well before I brought in anything else. This can get repetitive at times, so I suggest that you start early. Reading a passage or a chapter 3-5times in a week is super chill. Reading the passage 5 times the day before is a lil harder, ya know? 😉

That said, this isn’t a perfect science, so don’t beat yourself up if you only read it once or twice before the day of the study. We aren’t perfect. We are human. 🙂

3.Commentary 

After you feel like you understand the text on a basic level, commentary is a great next step! Commentary has the potential to deepen your personal understanding of the Bible so so much! I have had a lot of fun looking for commentary. Afterward, I always feel like I understand the bible on a deeper level. I will give some of my favorite commentary below!

However, I have one side note. I am a non-denominational Christian. What that means is that out of all the denominations I like different parts of each of them. Therefore, the commentary I use varies. I feel that most of them could be used in any church setting and would be great no matter the denomination you are in. If you don’t like one of the ones I list, I hope you will still come back to my blog knowing that all of my posts are attempting to come straight from the Bible. No matter your denomination, I think we can agree that the Bible is the right way. 🙂

Anyways, I just wanted to make sure even if you don’t like my commentary, you know you are welcome here 🙂

  1. The Bible Project – I love all of their videos so far. I think that you could watch/read this before or after reading the book you choose.
I attached John because that was the bible challenge this week on my instagram haha 🙂

2.Enduring Word – Can be great if you have time to read! I like reading so it great but if you don’t, the next one might be your vibe.

3. Spoken Gospel- I recently found this sight and I love it!

If you want more commentary let me know in the comments!

4. Popin questions 😉

This is where “relevant and applicable” come in handy too! For your questions to be good, you need to know your people and mix up the types of questions you use. I really like asking questions about how each person could apply what they learn to their lives. At the same time, if all your questions are application questions, it can get boring. Try to have some questions where people share their thoughts, set goals, and also somewhere you try to dig deeper into the word. Having a variety of questions can help your conversation be fruitful, so make those questions count!

5. Prayer (!!!)

This is number five for emphasis! Haha, you should pray about every part of this. With God in every part of your study, it can be something exceptional. First, pray over your group. Pray, they want to learn and have a heart open to God. Pray for growth and breakthrough. Then pray over the study you pick that all of you can grow from it. Also, pray that you would say everything you need to as a leader. Pray over yourself because you’re stepping out in faith to lead this study. Pray that God meets with you all. God wants to meet with us. We only need to humbly ask that He would.

I hope you found this helpful! I look forward to adding new tips to this part of my blog. If you have any questions, please message me! I would love to chat with you more about your next study. Much love and God bless – Isabel

Do you know who you are?

That’s a huge question but an important one. For this post, I will be using a Disney reference 😍 haha! Maybe you love that, maybe you hate it, but it fits so perfectly. I couldn’t not use it! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgXpsZa8_i4

As followers of Christ, it is SO important for us to know who we are. I don’t think the church tells us that enough not do they show steps on what that would look like. That said this will probably be a two-part post because we have a LOT of ground to cover!

What is the first thing you think of when you think of your identity? Maybe it is a hobby or your job. While those are awesome, I will legit tell you: if it’s not Christ it’s nothing. I love you but if the first thing you said wasn’t Christ then you will always be striving. You will always be searching for more. Maybe right now you’re doing fantastic at work! Your side hustle is thriving. You feel unstoppable. You would even say you feel “whole”.
I am so glad! Like for real, sooo happy for you! But if I wasn’t honest with you I would be keeping such a good thing from you.

Jesus is the only thing that never changes.

You might say “ya I know”. Then why is your identity in something that literally could be gone tomorrow… That relationship could end. That job.. could disappear. Schools everywhere literally shut down on a whim last year due to a virus no one saw coming. 😐
Everyone is real hurt by those words haha! I’ll give you a sec to forgive me for reminding you of how fragile life is.

On top of the fact that Jesus is constant, He also gives security like no other. I know I am loved beyond belief. I know any baggage I had is now gone. God cast my sins as far as the east is from the west. Amen? More than that I don’t have to look for validation anywhere else because I have the validation of the creator of the universe. The one who made the whole galaxy thinks I am to die for. The one who made the stars thinks I am a treasure.
The best part is, that will never change. On my worst day and on my best, He still loves me.

Out of that love, I can love others. Out of that love, I don’t have to fear what others say about me. Out of that love, I don’t need to search. I have met so many people who are searching. They will try anything the world has to offer to fill that hole inside. It might not even feel like a hole but it can still be there. Do you need validation constantly? Do you conform to whatever everyone else is doing even when you don’t want to? It is possible at this moment you don’t feel that any of this applies to you. However, at some point, it might. When it does, I want you to come back to this post!

If you want to be secure in your identity and you want to be sure of who you are, then you need to have Christ in the center of your life.

Once you have Christ as your center you can be secure in who you are. You know exactly who you turn to when you feel sad, lonely, or insecure. You know where to go if you need a confidence boost. You know your worth and I think, to be honest, that is the best part. There is this line in Hamilton: the musical that says “if you stand for nothing then what will you fall for.”. That is what I think of every time in terms of my identity. I know who I am therefore, I don’t fall for the things of this world. I know who God says I am and that is what matters.

Now that everyone thinks I am the most confident person ever, haha! I will say in complete honesty I don’t always feel like that. The devil is REAL good at wanting to make me feel small. If you found interest in this blog post, you might struggle with that too. The only person who didn’t struggle with that was Jesus. The best part about that though is, even Jesus was reminded of his identity. Let me show you:

“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” – Matthew 3:16-17

Right after Jesus was baptized, God the Father literally says from heaven: This is my Son, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased. If that isn’t the best confidence boost, I don’t know what is. After this reminder, Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. If Jesus needed a reminder of who he was, think about how much more we need reminders! When we are in a trial or maybe just are having a hard day. It is ok to not always feel the most secure in your identity but you need to know about things. 1. Where your identity is coming from. (hint: Jesus is always the best) 2. how to remind yourself who you are

The best part of your identity being placed in God is that you can know exactly His thoughts for you. There are so so many verses that remind you EXACTLY who you are.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death. – Romans 8:1-2

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him – John 3:16-17 (THIS is about youuuu! He loved you!!!)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation2 Corinthians 5:17-18

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— Ephesians 5: 4-5

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,Colossians 2 9-11 ( We are made WHOLE in Christ. So many Christians are walking around broken when they could be made whole.)

Why is this important —>I need to know so fully who I am that when the devil tells me otherwise I can say “nope, you’re wrong!”

Write that down! Put it somewhere. You NEED to know who you are! The devil doesn’t mess around. He isn’t going to say Hi this is the devil speaking, you suck. No! The devil is smooth, he knows your insecurities. The devil knows how to make you feel shame. The devil doesn’t want you to know who you are so he can be the one to define you. Don’t let his smooth-talking make you feel unworthy!

So, why did I say this would tie into Moana? Well let me tell you, Moana KNOWS who she is. Period. The whole time she is confident. She says “I am Moana of Motunui” like a hundred times. She goes through allll these random things that are purposeful but could have easily made her give up. When she is about to turn back and call it quits on her mission, her grandma reminds her who she is. No matter how secure we are, we need people to remind us who we are. However, the more secure you are the less it happens.

I believe God really wants his people to be secure in themselves so that they can love people to the fullest. Part 2 of this will most definitely come soon… if yall want to read it of course haha! 😉 I would love to talk to you more about this if you have any questions! As always, much love and God bless! – Isabel 🙂

What NOT to say to a girl whose life is falling apart ..pt1

When I originally started my blog this ^^^ is what I wanted to write about. I have been through a lot of hardships that aren’t “normal” to talk about in the church. This has led many Christians to say many things they shouldn’t. While they may be well-meaning, they just drive people away from Jesus. This will be a series that some may not like. However, if it makes you uncomfortable… YOU should probably read it. 

Also, refer to 1 Peter‬ ‭3:8‬ – “Finally, be ye all likeminded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tenderhearted, humble-minded:” Let’s be real that’s a big verse. I could write a whole blog on that verse alone! My main point in it though is this: enter with compassion and humility 😌

It is normal for when Christians hear something bad has happened to someone to say:

Number 1 : “well it must be Gods will”, maybe it’s Gods will for you to be homeless or sick

If a woman just lost a child or a son just lost his father, Jesus would NEVER say “oh that’s just the will of my father” Does that sound logical to anyone? Maybe it does to you so, let me break it down further. 

While God is Lord of all there are things that happen here that are not his will. Death, loss, suffering, were never apart of His original creation. He wanted us to live with Him in a perfect paradise. When sin came into the world it allowed a bunch of things to enter the world as well.

Now we are in a sinful world claiming that this is “God’s Will” 😐

I particularly hate this one because it is giving God a bad wrap. The God I know defines himself as faithful and compassionate. Slow to anger and abounding in love. Yes, He loves justice but He also loves mercy. Why would the people who are supposed to be advocates for Christ be the people who draw others away from him? If you still think that I am crazy I will leave this topic with an analogy. Let’s say there is a big house with lots of children. The Father out of love sets out rules and wants things to run a certain way. However, just because the father wants things to run a certain way doesn’t mean they always will. Not everything that happens in the Father’s house is in the father’s will. 

Number 2 : Did you do something to deserve this? Who sinned?

This one is the easiest to discredit because Jesus SAID NOT TO DO IT. Come on y’all

  • “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” -John‬ ‭9:1-3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

God may allow the suffering on this earth to happen but in this story, we see the great things that can come from suffering. God will bring EVERYTHING to a close and use EVERYTHING for His glory. That is what we see here. Be there for the person struggling and don’t minimize their suffering.

I also will bring up John 5 because I know if I don’t someone will use it negatively. In John 5 a man’s sin left him paralyzed. Jesus forgave him and healed him. I was talking to a friend about this. I know that sin can have REAL consequences. It is only natural that sin has consequences. Everything that is labeled a sin is to warn us that we shouldn’t do that. All sins have consequences however, that doesn’t mean all bad things are consequences of sin. In Psychology, we say “Correlation does not equal the cause”. I feel that is especially true here.

Number 3: God won’t give you more than you can handle

This isn’t even biblical. Like, where did this come from??? Until writing this I did not know that this comes mostly from 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Deuteronomy 33:25.

  • “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13
  • “The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days”. – Deuteronomy 33:25

While these are great verses, in this life there will be times you are given A LOT more than you can handle. You will feel like you Can Not do whatever is in front of you. With God’s strength, you can. With a good community, you can. So the next time you want to say this check yourself. Are you prepared to assist whoever you are saying this to? If the answer is no, then you shouldn’t say it. Here’s why I say this :

As followers of Christ, we are called to love people. Period.

Part of that is taking care of people in need. People who are suffering, are people in need. Instead of saying, “God won’t give you more than you can handle” try being the hands and feet of Jesus. Ask if they need anything. Maybe that’s DoorDash or maybe that is watching their kids for a day. It can be as ‘small’ as stopping to pray with them. Come alongside them so they CAN handle it. Jesus needs us to start being a people of love and action.

Before I wrap this up I would also like to define “falling apart”. A girl who broke up with her boyfriend of 5 months, is hurt. She might be hurt for a while but she should not be falling apart. A woman who was married for ten years and her husband left her with their children. She is now worried about how she will pay the bills and feed her family. That’s a mess. That’s falling apart. Some things are awful while others are life-altering.

If you were to say to the girl who broke up with her boyfriend “maybe that wasn’t God’s will for you” that would make sense. I might agree with you. Maybe that boy wasn’t good for her. She should take her time to get over him and grow so that she can prepare for a better guy. If you told a family who just lost their daughter that it was “God’s will” for her to die… I would personally be offended for them. I would tell them you were wrong and I am so sorry that people feel the need to say things like that.

While this is the first of this series, I fully intend to make a post that is “What to say to a girl whose life is falling apart”. I have had lots of non-biblical things said to me, but I would also like to think I have had some nice comments too. I don’t want to take away all your go-to phrases and leave you with nothing 😉 haha

I hope you found this helpful. I will be uploading a video where I will go into a little more detail. Check back here or instagram to watch it 🙂 However either way thank you for reading! I am here to pray with you or talk more about this. Dm me @isabel_paoloni 🙂 as always much love and God bless<3

Why I practice Lent?

Why do I, a non catholic, Christian, practice Lent? A lot of reasons!

One reason is remembering.
I have always loved how many traditions Jewish people take part in every year. It has always amazed me! The reason I love this so much is that they are marking space to honor and remember God. It made me wonder, why don’t Christians make more space to honor God?

Then my junior year of high school my mentor told me that she practices lent. I always thought that it was only something Catholics practiced. However, after she really explained it to me I wondered why Christians don’t celebrate lent??

Lent is a time to remember and reflect on Jesus. Now that may sound too simple but I’m serious. Jesus left heaven to come to earth for you! He died on the cross for you!! Isn’t that amazing?? But how many times have you stopped to think about that lately? I think we forget to relish in the fact that Jesus thought we were worth dying for.

To remember this, many people will fast from something for 46 days. That may sound long but it goes by fast! The point of the fast is that you would remember to dwell more with Jesus.
This part looks different for everyone. Practically speaking that can look like giving something up or adding something. Sometimes people give up lunch. Other times it is TV or social media. Whatever takes away time from you and Jesus. Whatever will make you remember to dwell with him when it is gone. Get rid of that!!

The last reason I want to share with you is this. We all go through seasons where we aren’t growing and don’t feel God. Maybe we even stop trying because we aren’t sure what God wants us to do next. This could be a restart for You today. If you need to refresh your relationship with God and focus on the one who made you, start today!

More:

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭77:11‬ ‭ESV‬‬- Lent provides you with time to pause and be in awe of God.

“Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning. I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and keep your law.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭119:54-55‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭143:5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’”
‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭1:8-9‬ ‭ESV‬‬ – Maybe this is your time to return to God. Maybe you have not been giving him 100% and you know you need to give him more. Start now!

If you want to talk about this more feel free to message me 😁 thanks for reading!

much love and God bless♥️- Isabel

p.s. If you are in a really good place with God DONT feel pressure to do this haha! I just want to encourage you to assess where you are in your walk and to keep growing!!

“Love is in the air” haha!

It’s February. You know what that means. “Love is in the air” haha! If you are single, here are some books you should be reading! You can grow so much before you are in a relationship, so don’t waste your single time. These books can help prepare you for your future relationship. If you know any couples in need of a little reboot they should read these too actually haha! Feel free to send it to them 😉

However, there are some people who know they aren’t supposed to get married. If you feel you are called to not get married or just aren’t sure yet if you even want to get married… that’s ok! This blog post isn’t for you but, I’m hoping to write another post this month that is totally unrelated to the topic of marriage. It will be under February so stay tuned 🙂 anyways lets get started

and the Bride Wore White

This is the only book on this list just for the ladies. It is fantastic! I kept reading half of it and never all the way through. However, I recently read it all the way. AMAZING stuff. If you don’t have a foundation of what purity should look like, this book is exactly what you need. REAL ways to stay pure and date smart. If you have a little sister or someone you know who is between the ages 12-16 ish this would be an awesome gift too.

In Search of the Proverbs 31 Man

This may sound like just a guy’s book or just a lady’s book, but it is BOTH! It is so good. EVERY chapter I was like Yes! 100%! I pray for my future husband and I found something new to pray over him with every chapter. Ladies if you want to know what to look for in a man this is for you! If you keep ending up with lame men, THIS is for you. I adore it. Men if you want to know how to win at marriage, this is for you! If you are single, dating, or even married this is a great way to grow. After each chapter, there is discussion questions for men, ladies, and couples. So good! Buy it now haha 🙂

Swipe Right by Levi Lusko

I am just starting this book so I might update this summary later but… WOW! I am so excited to see whats next. Levi Lusko is brilliant. If you haven’t heard him preach or read any of his books I highly recommend any of them. The sermon below is part two of a three-part sermon series he did with this book in mind. I choose this one just because I liked it the best haha! But I definitely encourage you to watch all three.. or go buy the book !!!!!

Love-ology by John Mark Comer

This one I have actually not read yet. However, the sermons I have seen about it have been awesome. I adore John Mark Comer and his wife. If you don’t know John Mark ( I say that like we are friends. We aren’t but he is fantastic. I hope he will hire me at his church one day.) go watch one of his sermons. Maybe one on Love-ology. If not any of his sermons are great!

This one is on Love ology!

I hope you found this helpful! If you like this I wrote a whole blog on books that can grow you and another on different books of the bible to read. I would love it if you would share this and leave a comment below <3 Much love and God bless – Isabel

The Next Right Thing…

Just incase you havent seen this brilliant movie

Do the next right thing in Frozen 2 is a tear-jerker! As someone who has been in some really dark spaces, I would even call it therapeutic. Disney captured the raw emotion of when you are at a loss and don’t know what possibly be next. I was blown away by it. Anyway, let’s break it down to apply to our faith.

For this blog post, I want to talk to two groups of people. One might be a big group of people, while the other may be a much smaller group. The first includes everyone who is struggling to go into this new year. 2020 hit everyone in the face. Everyone coped with it in different ways and may still be affected by 2020. Thus this group includes anyone coming out of a trial. The second group is the people who have been crushed and run over too many times. They don’t know what to do next because this world just seems too dark. I am sure there are some people in both groups.

I will be referring to the book of Philippians and the book of James mostly. Philippians is four chapters and James is five. I ALWAYS suggest reading these books. If you have struggled with what practical faith looks like in ANY season, good or bad, James is for you. If you need new goals for this year I highly recommend it. James will call you out in ways that you can apply to everyday life.

If you are in a hard season and want to be able to see an example of walking in joy, Philippians is where I would go. Paul writes this book in jail but still tells us how we should keep walking in faith. If you want another good example of being consistent in trials, I would suggest Joseph. His story is found in Genisis 37-50. He went through so much but still choose to serve God every chance he got. He may have cried and yelled but he still chooses God at the end of the day. ANYWAY, let’s get started !!!

You are lost, hope is gone
But you must go on
And do the next right thing
Can there be a day beyond this night?
I don’t know anymore what is true
I can’t find my direction, I’m all alone

I think that in life everyone will feel this way at some point. If you haven’t yet I am so glad! If you want to skip this part you can. However, if you have… Same. In fact, that is why I started this blog. My life has been wild (see my testimony for more haha). The one thing I know is that you will need a lil something extra from time to time. Hope, strength, something to keep you steady. For me, I have found that in Jesus.

Philippians 1:6 has defined that further. God isn’t going to leave us in this space of hopelessness. He says he will bring everything to completion. We just need to believe what he says. This can be easier said than done. (!!!) I will encourage people to hold on to hope constantly but that doesn’t mean I am always a super hopeful person. There might be seasons where it is harder to be confident in God’s ability to bring everything to completion. The important part is to always come back to that knowledge and faith we already have in him.

It can be helpful to look back at your life and write down all of the trials that have been brought into completion. At first, it will seem pointless. It can be helpful later when walking through trials.

I won’t look too far ahead
It’s too much for me to take
But break it down to this next breath, this next step
This next choice is one that I can make

No matter if you are in a trial or recovering from one, the Lord wants to be our comfort. But he also doesn’t want us to get too far ahead. James 4:13-15 we are encouraged to lean into the fact that we don’t know what will happen next. Personally, I think we were ever supposed to know what would happen after every step. While at first, that might seem scary, the more you get to know God the more you know he will take care of you, even when you don’t know what will happen next. So, you take one step at a time.

This is also restated in Philippians 3 more specifically in verses 13-14. It reads ” Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”. I would 100% suggest reading it right now!

When it’s clear that everything will never be the same again
Then I’ll make the choice to hear that voice
And do the next right thing

For this last bit I just want to state that if this is the case for you, I am praying for you. When there are permanent changes and losses in life, it feels impossible to recover. Maybe you need a minute to sit in the weight of the grief of your loss. After you sit and acknowledge the pain, get up. One step at a time choose to keep going, to do better, and to keep growing. Do the next right thing.

If you need advice or prayer feel free to contact me 🙂 I would love to point you in the right direction. Much love and God bless -Isabel

Books, books, books…part 1

When I was younger I struggled with reading a lot. Once I got better at it, I would never put my books down. I was obsessed. Now that I have a job, an internship, and full-time college, I don’t have much time to myself. However, over the last year, I wanted to start to read books that would help me grow. This is a mini-book review of each! I adore these books and hope you might want to read one as well.

Book 1

Life. Changing. That sounds dramatic but it’s kinda true. I started 2020 not at all myself. One of my mentors had given me this book and I told myself I had to start it. Now or never! I am so glad I did !!! Girl, stop apologizing revamped me. I am such a Rachel Hollis. I am a go-getter, a people person, and so is Rachel. I was inspired! My dreams have always been big and outlandish. At times this has made me feel so small. Rachel Hollis helps you unpack your dreams so that you can achieve them, all while helping you not feel bad about having them. I have always felt like my dreams were somehow a burden. This book helped me realize they aren’t a burden. They can be accomplished.

If you need some help setting goals in a non-intimidating way. This is for you. If you want to improve your work and personal life. This is for you! I recommend it to everyone and no one has ever had a bad review haha 🙂

Book 2

I will sound dramatic again…..GAME-CHANGING !! Peter Scazzero unpacks so much in this book! If you have been hurt by the church, if you are burnt out from serving, or just burnt out from life! If you have experienced trauma but have never dealt with it with Jesus. THIS. THIS. I send it to people literally all the time and I don’t have a lot of money at all, haha! That shows how much I believe in it!

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality will help you see where you need to grow in your faith and reveal places where you might be living unhealthy. It will show all the ways that you need to grow to be a more healthy and mature individual. Of course, the idea of being called out in a book is possibly why you wouldn’t buy it. However, I would challenge you to. The only way to find healing and to grow is to be shown where you need it the most. This would be a great first step in a journey of healing.

Book 3

Everyone is reading this right now but I just want to say….. I decided to read it without that knowledge. Promise haha! None the less, I am glad I read it! It is amazing. CS Lewis is brilliant. So brilliant it might be hard to read at first, but still worth it. It is a mix of apologetics and healthy correction to your walk. He explains our faith in deeper ways and calls out the church in areas we need to grow. If you want a new apologetics book and desire more wisdom all around, this is the book for you!

Book 4

Day by day was so rejuvenating. This 40 day devotional will grow you in so many ways. Everyday starts with stillness, just sitting with the Lord. This is something I feel like no one ever really mentions but is so neat. Also, it is such an encouraging devotional. I typically don’t do devotionals. I have mostly always read straight from the bible. However, this devotional made me feel like I should keep an open mind. If you are looking for your next great devotional, this would be perfect!

Book 5

Brilliant. This book is convicting and inspiring all at the same time. It has been a long time since A.W. Tozer wrote this however, I feel it applies now more than ever! If you have been a Christian for a while. You NEED to read this. If you haven’t been a Christian for a while, you should read this. Then you won’t make the mistakes that many Christians make their whole lives! How you view God, the world, and others, are all addressed here. However, as with CS Lewis, it is hard to fully process at first. Still totally worth it!! If they don’t make everyone in the seminary read it, they really should. AMAZING

This one is FREE on the kindle app !!!

I hope this encourages you to read something that helps you grow this next year! Let’s start 2021 strong!! If you have any prayer requests DM me @isabel_paoloni on Instagram. Much love and God Bless -Isabel 🙂