Time to Grow

To change things up with your time with the Lord :)

Back to school tips

isabeljohns

Going into the new school year can be stressful!  Here are some tips to help this year to be as stress-free as possible! 

1. Make goals for this semester

  • It is best if these goals put your relationships first. Ex: one goal might be this  semester I want to go to the drive-ins with my friends 
  • This can also look like I want to get to know a couple of teachers so that I have a mentor and reference letter 🙂

2. Start with gratitude 

  • There are studies that show there are many health benefits to being intentionally grateful. If you can wake up every morning and write 5 -10 things you are grateful for every day it could significantly boost your mood! 
  • For more benefits, you could practice this again at night or journal your closing thoughts that the day

3. Know your top study methods and top coping methods 

This may take a bit of time and require you to get to know yourself better. Maybe you have these from last year, maybe you don’t. I will attach some helpful links 🙂 some study help :

UNC has a great article if you click here

There is also the following

https://www.howlifeunfolds.com/learning-education/get-empowered-taking-notes-paper?&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Powered+By+Paper+-+Productive+Learning+-+Phrase&utm_keyword=learning+techniques&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9ZGYBhCEARIsAEUXITUmWIg-xpqLLmdKSCh8OqmolD6Nnrnkma1fZlW5WmHgtpf_nnKq4pEaAl9zEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Some types of coping are problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, social support, religious coping, and meaning-making. Figure out your top form of coping and then find plenty of activities that can help you whenever you need them. Here are two articles that might help: to review coping as a whole and some ideas to try .

For both of these skills, it might take time to get into the rhythm. Yet, if you can find the skills that work best for you it will make your life so much easier!!

4. Sleep

Sadly, sleep is a big part of mental stability. Haha, I say sadly because many students would claim they don’t need it! :\ 7 hours is best <3. Aim for 7 hours or more at least 4 days a week. Preferably more but if not that’s ok 🙂

5. Be kind to your mind and go out of your way to be kind to others! 

  • Make it a goal to have one day off a week(sabbath is a command in the Bible and it is 110% for human benefit) 
  • Make sure the way you talk to yourself aligns with what you would tell a friend. You wouldn’t say “wow you are awful at that” you would say “you got this!” “I am sure you can do better next time” 
  • When we go out of our way to be kind to others our own happiness levels go up 🙂 It can be as easy as trying to compliment one person per day(let’s be real everyone loves a compliment so no one is going to think you are crazy). If that’s not your style maybe write your friends lil notes or send them memes 😉 whatever their love language is.

How to talk to people

isabeljohns

For many people talking to others can even cause great anxiety. A lot of my friends dont know how to talk to people. While that is not my typical problem, I am here to remind you we are all human! We all have off days, and we all can be awkward sometimes. With that in mind, I wanted to give some tips on talking to others and some conversation starters when making new friends.

1. Find the common ground

Common ground can be as easy as, hey, how are you today? For example, you are at a coffee shop and ask the barista their favorite drink! Great start, and you might find out a new drink you want to order. Or the next time you are waiting for class to start, ask the person sitting next to you what they thought of the homework this weekend. Share if you’re nervous about the next test or not.

2. Follow up 🙂

If you enjoy talking to someone, don’t be afraid to ask to hang out! I have never met anyone who didn’t want more friends. Whenever I asked anyone for their Instagram or phone number or to study after class, no one has ever looked at me weirdly and said “no.” Every time the person is excited and wants to make plans. Everyone wants to feel like they are good at making friends.

3.Be intentional

If you enjoy studying with someone or talking to them: tell them! Be the first one to text or the first one to make plans sometimes. I don’t know a single person who doesn’t love being appreciated, haha! Ultimately, as humans, we long for connection. I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t want to be included and thought of. Reach out to friends and be intentional to create meaningful relationships.

Side note: I am not crazy. These tips have been proven to work by psychologists 🙂 I will link a podcast I just found this week at the bottom of this post.

I also wanted to give some conversation starters to get you started with these tips. 🙂

Deep 

What is a dream of yours to accomplish in life? 

If God could open any door right now in your life what would you want it to be and why?

What was your childhood like?/Where did you grow up? 

What is something that makes you really happy?

What is your love language?

What are your friends like?

What would you want your ten-year plan to include?

What is your relationship with God like?

What is your relationship with church?

What is your relationship with your family like ?

Not deep

Favorite music genre 

Three favorite songs at the moment

Marvel or DC?(controversial I know haha)

Favorite movie 

Favorite pastime 

Where do you work? If you could choose anywhere at all where would you work?

What is your perfect day off?

If you go anywhere in the world where would you go? 

If you could live anywhere in the world where would you live?

Coffee or tea?

Boba or no boba?

What is something you want to learn in the next year?

Best book you have ever read?

I hope these can help you grow your friendships and make it easier to make new friends 🙂 Much love and God bless! -Isabel

Time

isabeljohns

Time. To me, time is super important. If you know me, you know I don’t like to waste my time. I’m a huge multitasker, and I’m always doing something. Right now, I am in class, writing a blog and taking notes. I want to think I’m not doing half bad in any of the tasks either! Haha! While I love the time-efficient things in life, I have recently started to surrender my time to God. (Now that can be vague so that I will explain further later) What has stood out to me is how much God uses you when you surrender! If you want to be used by God, keep reading.

In our society today, it is easy to say, ” I am so busy,” “I don’t have any free time”. Trust me; I get it. In fact, I say those phrases way more than I should. Then a couple of weeks ago, I had a thought what if I gave God my time? What would it look like if my time, my day, wasn’t mine but God’s….. The craziest thing happened when I did that. God used me. He used me to encourage people and to guide them through difficult situations. He led me to great fellowship. He led me to a great time with him. What is even more brilliant is this didn’t just happen when I had my bible in my hand or just on Sunday. God can be everywhere and in everything, if we would only invite Him. Jesus is a gentleman, and He doesn’t force us to do anything with Him. However, when we invite him into everything, there is so much more beauty in mundane things.

How to find Jesus in everything? Well, that’s for a different post, but for now, let’s stick to how to put God in the center of your time.

1.Ask Him

I feel like this should be self-explanatory. We should already ask God to be with us every day. But if we are honest, many of the “shoulds” get lost in the sauce of everyday life. Can I get an Amen??

To be as straightforward as possible, this is step one. When you start to plan out every month, every week, every day, ask God that He would use your time to bring Him glory. Ask Him to use you to bring a little bit more of heaven down to earth. This might sound too churchy and not fun. I challenge you to do it anyway. I can say it’s a blast every day, but until you experience it yourself, you won’t believe me. Try it tomorrow and see what happens.

2.Leave room

We love to budget every second of every day for something. I am very guilty of doing that. At some point in all of the clutter in our day, we take the focus off of God and on to us. Our needs, our wants, and that is super normal. But I don’t want to be ‘normal.’ I want to thrive. I want joy, peace, and patience. I want to walk into a room, and people say, “wow! She is doing it.” Whatever it is, I hope you do it well! However, to do well, you need to give yourself room to do well.

Hear me: I am not saying drop a class or don’t go to Wednesday night church or don’t do your homework. No, dear, I am saying drop social media one day a week. I am saying don’t watch so much tv. I am saying maybe take a day off at the gym and make time for real friendships. I am saying put yourself in a position to grow in whatever way God has for you in this next season.

3.Sabbath

This last one is something long forgotten. A day of rest?? A whole day??? How could I ever find the time??

People actually did it for years. The world wasn’t always 24/7. It use to be 24/6, and before that, even less. However, with so much “good” technology we are now busier than ever! Wild, right?

Not only did people once practice taking a sabbath but God did too. The God of the entire universe work for six days and rested on the seventh. (Check out the beginning of Genisis 2 if you need a reminder) I don’t know about you, but if the God of the entire universe can rest, I think I can too. In fact, I think I need it infinitely more.

At first, Sabbath will feel daunting, but slowly it will become the best part of your week. I am a person always on the go, but man is my Sabbaths the best! I can write a whole post on ideas of how to spend your sabbath, but for now, be encouraged to start. This practice will refresh you. All you need to do is begin.

I think this is something I will continue to grow in, so I plan to update this. I want everyone to know the tips I have found helpful to begin to connect with Jesus authentically. I hope you found this helpful, and I will post on social media when I update this. That said, follow me if you haven’t @isabel_paoloni on Instagram. As always, message me any prayer requests. Much love and God bless – Isabel 🙂

How to plan Bible studies

isabeljohns

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.

Philippians Chapter 1

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

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

isabeljohns

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?

isabeljohns

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!

isabeljohns

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

Books, books, books…part 1

isabeljohns

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 🙂

The Old Testament Part 1…

isabeljohns

Hello! I hope you are having a great week! The Old testament is not often talked about so if you are reading this you are already taking a step of faith haha! I would tell you why you should read the Old Testament however, I would rather give you places to start in this post. I love to give advice to help others but, Gods word speaks for itself. I know most of the Old Testament can be intimidating so let’s start simple!

First if you haven’t read all of Genesis... Start there! There are 50 chapters which sounds like a lot but it goes pretty fast. It also has everything!

Second – The Wisdom Books – Some of my favorites any time of life. These would be Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. If you are being technical a couple other books would be considered wisdom books. However, for the purpose of beginners I would start with these three. Even if you know nothing about any of the books of the bible this is another great way to get warmed up. A Proverbs a day keeps the Devil away! Haha I love each of the books for different reasons. They all have different great things to offer! To explain them further I suggest this video :

Third – Pick a person 🙂 – There are SO many different great believers. My favorite right now is Moses, especially in the wilderness. Joshua took over after Moses and I adore him too. Job, Esther, Ruth, all have their own books. However, there are so many others that don’t have their own books. They all have different things to teach us that are so valuable!

Forth- Minor Prophets – There are twelve. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. I hope this picture isn’t blurry 🙂

These are typically only a couple chapters long and will always teach you something!

Fifth- Read the whole Old testament.… Some of it will seem point less at the time. However, as someone who has read it multiple times I can say it is full of purpose. I have been encouraged by the Old Testament more times than I can count. I have been encouraged as a follower of Christ, as a leader, as a women, and encouraged to do more. One of the things that I am convicted of every time is we don’t set enough time apart from other things to worship God.

I hope this encourages you to open your bible. PERIOD. Hahaha! The God of the universe and my bestest friend Jesus wants to hang out with YOU! If that means you trying something I suggest … YAY! If not thats ok too! Just spend time with Him 🙂

HE loves you SO MUCH! Dm me prayer requests. Much love and God bless- Isabel 🙂