Can Age Keep Us From Pursuing Our Dreams?

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I'VE ALWAYS LOOKED YOUNG FOR MY AGE.

At twenty-three years old, I'm often mistaken for a teenager. A fifteen-year-old. Fortunately, this doesn't bother me as much as it used to, especially not in the way it did when I actually was a teen. But growing up, I often felt older, more mature, than my peers; perhaps it's because I'm the youngest in my family and the youngest of thirteen cousins.

I felt older, yet my appearance gave the false impression that I was younger. And because of that, I resented my youth. I wanted to be older. To be treated with more respect. 

Especially when it came to pursuing my passions.

{Continue reading on my new blog for readers!}

Why I Refuse to Relent in Pursuit of My Dreams {+ Amazing Giveaway!}

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Write fiction books. Write non-fiction books. Act in Christian films. Work behind the camera of a Christian film. Screenwrite. Become a literary agent. Become an acquisitions editor. Launch a Christian magazine/ministry for teens. Own or work at a coffee shop.
I recently found a couple of old journal entries and blog posts of mine in which I gave the above list in response to the question, "What are your greatest dreams?" Although there is no definite destination along the path to pursuing dreams, it's crazy to look at this list and strikethrough the dreams that have already become a reality. Especially since I imagined the process of pursuing would take much longer than it has. (Side note: I am not yet a literary agent, but I work at a literary agency as a Jr. Agent.) Being an author was my absolute #1 dream; the others were simply ideas. Possibilities. Yet I've refused to settle for less. I've refused to relent in pursuit of my dreams for the sake of having a predictable and safe lifestyle. 

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Friends and family members often tell me that how amazed they are that I've been able to "achieve my dreams". But why is this so crazy? It's as though dreams were simply meant to remain just that: a dream. A wish. An idea. It's never made much sense to me to pursue a life that's anything less than a life I love. To pursue occupations that don't suit my gifts, talents, and strengths.
This is why it's a desire of mine to instill within the hearts of teens a determination to pursue the calling God has placed on their lives. Because when they become who God has created them to be, when they develop their gifts and talents -- all the while seeking Him first -- then the direction of their future may become more clear. 
This is my heart behind creating PURSUE Magazine. When a teen reads this magazine, I hope she will have a longing to draw closer to God. I hope she will be challenged to view herself the way He sees her. To embrace her uniqueness. To pursue her God-given purpose. To rise to new levels with her gifts and learn how she can use them to minister to others.

So why do I refuse to relent in pursuit of my dreams? Simply put: Life is too short to not live a life I love. It's too short to not fully cultivate and tap into the potential God has given me and live out His perfect plan for my life. Because it's in the center of that perfect plan that I will have the opportunity to speak into the lives of others as well.
If you, too, want to become awakened to the dreams that have been birthed inside your heart -- if you want to learn how you can understand God's unique calling on your life and BECOME the young woman He has destined for you to be -- then I encourage you to consider picking up a Kindle copy of our first issue of PURSUE Magazine. 
The first issue of PURSUE releases on Amazon Kindle tomorrow, April 15th! However, it is now available for pre-order. {Click here to read the back cover or purchase on Amazon.} 
Giveaway!

In effort to spread buzz of this release, four lucky winners will receive one of the following prizes...

• free digital copy of PURSUE Magazine
• $15 Starbucks gift card
• $15 Amazon gift card
• your choice of an Erin Condren notebook

Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Do you want to help us spread the word?

Do you support our vision and mission statement? If so, please consider helping us spread the word. You can start by entering the giveaway above. Then, open this "Marketing Plan" PDF and you'll have another opportunity to win a $10 Starbucks gift card! (The winner of this giveaway will be selected on May 1st. This is a separate giveaway from the one above.)


Blog Swap



Would you be interested in participating in a blog swap with me? (Blog swap = Guest post in return for a guest post.) If so, please email me at christiswrite (at) gmail (dot) com for more details!

Are you a believer in pursuing dreams as well? Why do you think some people choose to neglect their dreams and settle for a safe and predictable life? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Is It Sinful for Christians to Pursue Their Dreams?

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If you’ve yet to notice, I’m passionate about talking on the topic of pursuing dreams. I believe God has given each of us a gift. We all contain a desire that consumes every fiber of our being — a dream that has our hearts racing when we talk about it, when we imagine the dream coming to pass in our lives. 

And yet, the Bible says that the heart is deceitful (Jer. 17:9). Because of this, there are some Christians who believe it's sinful to follow the dreams that God has placed on our hearts.

My question is this: How does pursuing our dreams keep us from following Jesus? What if pursuing our dreams actually led us into a deeper relationship with Him and gave us the opportunity to spread the gospel?

I'm not saying we all deserve to live the lives we envision, or that we were only created to receive wonderful gifts from God and live a perfect and worry-free life. That's far from the truth. Anyone who knows The Word understands that we, as sinful human beings, never deserved Christ dying for us. And anyone who reads The Word knows that we live in a far from perfect world and will live imperfect lives.

But what if I told you that pursuing our dreams didn't have to do with us at all? What if I told you that it could actually be a part of the ministry work God has assigned for us to accomplish? 

1 Peter 4:10-11 says this (emphasis mine) --

Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God’s various gifts of grace. Anyone who speaks should speak words from God. Anyone who serves should serve with the strength God gives so that in everything God will be praised through Jesus Christ. Power and glory belong to him forever and ever. Amen.

The Bible makes it clear that God has given us gifts that can help build His Kingdom — but the only way that's possible is it the gift is put to use. If the gift remains idle, then it's useless. It isn't fulfilling its purpose or reaching its fullest potential. If we don't serve in the areas that God has gifted us to serve, then we aren't fulfilling the calling He has placed on our lives. 

Of course the enemy would want to make us feel guilty for pursuing our God-given desires. Of course he would want to make us believe that it's a waste of time. Satan knows that, if our gift is put to use, God's Kingdom could expand like wildfire. 

What would happen if, as a body, each of us tapped into the potential God has birthed within each of us and used it to spread His Kingdom? How many non-believers could we reach if we refused to settle for a passive lifestyle and instead we invested our time, money, and talents into making God famous?  

We aren't on this earth to simply make money, survive, and eventually pass away. God has given us work to do. How can we know what that work consists of? Often, it is stemmed to the dream placed within; the one that has grasped our hearts and refuses to let go.

That isn't to say that it's possible to become led astray by our heart's desires. This is why we do need to be careful and ask God which dream is the one He has placed on our hearts. Ask Him to give you the desires He wants you to have, and to remove the ones that are not from Him. 

Usually, the work He's given us to do will lie within our Sweet Spot: The area that combines our desires and our strengths. {If you aren't sure where your Sweet Spot lies, this free 7-page ebook might help.} 

Psalm 139:16 (NCV) says,

You saw my body as it was formed. All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old.

Maybe the reason you’ve been drawn to writing is because it’s part of the story God has planned for you, the one that was written before you were born. And perhaps the pen will be the very tool that will allow you to spread His love throughout the entire earth.

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When we have a heavenly perspective of this earth — and when we tap into the gifts and desires and dreams God has planted within us — our God-given purpose will become more clear.  We might not know exactly what He has planned for us ten years down the road, but when we ask Him to give us His vision for our lives, He will allow the fog to dim just enough for us to know which step to take next. And then the next step. And then the one after that.

I challenge you to tap into the potential God has birthed inside of you. Discover those unique tools, strengths, and skills of yours.

Ephesians 3:20 (NCV) says, "With God’s power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine."

Notice that it doesn't say "With God's power working in us, WE can do...". It says with His power working in us, HE can do "much more than anything we can ask or imagine."


Perhaps the error isn't in Christians pursuing their heart's desires but in Christians pursuing their dreams for the wrong reasons. To glorify themselves. To make their own name known throughout the earth.  

But according to this scripture, it's not us who do the work, but Christ within us. We are nothing without Him. It has never been about us, our talents, our recognition, or our success. The whole purpose of this whole dream-chasing thing should be to accomplish the work God has assigned for us to do, the work that is going to make Him known throughout the earth. Because honestly? We would be nothing -- dust and ashes -- if it weren't for Him.

So those desires God's given you? Those strengths of yours? They are your Sweet Spots. And it's there that God’s ministry begins. Don’t ignore the fire He’s placed on your heart or the path He’s laid before you. Instead, ask Him to give you the desires He wants you to have and to remove the ones that aren't of Him. Ask Him to show you how you can use your Sweet Spot for His glory.


Then, watch and see how He takes your gifts and dreams and strengths and uses them to accomplish "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..." (NIV, emphasis mine).


Tweetable:

Is It Sinful for Christians to Pursue Their Dreams? #amblogging #faith http://bit.ly/2cz0VpJ @TessaEmilyHall 

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Speaking of dreams . . . 

If you’ve been following my blog for a while now, you might know that the dream I held since I was 3-years-old was to become an author. I launched this blog in January 2010, at the age of 16, hoping to meet other writers journeying along the same path. I wanted an outlet to share what I was learning about the craft, encourage others in pursuit of their dreams, and to discuss scripture.

You can read more about my writing journey in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. 

As I mentioned in Part 3, my YA contemporary romance novel, UNWRITTEN MELODY, will be released this November by Clean Reads! I’m thrilled to share this story with the public. It’s a story that sparked in me when I was 17-years-old. I went into my bedroom, sat in my favorite writing chair, opened up my notebook, and spent an hour or so brainstorming what would become the first version of UNWRITTEN MELODY.

I'm humbled and beyond grateful to have met so many of you who have supported and encouraged me along the way. THANK YOU to all of my readers!


If you'd like to help me further this dream of mine ministry work — and possibly win gifts and prizes along the way — here's what you can do:

• Join Tessa's Team (my street team). Members receive exclusive, early updates on the publishing process, extra giveaways and contests, etc. 
• Join my mailing list. In the mailing list, you'll receive updates on the book's journey delivered straight to your inbox! (Don't worry, I never spam inboxes or share contact info.)
• Host a book/author spotlight on your blog. I can provide a pre-made interview and the blog materials for you to include in a post. Send an email if you're interested!
• Pin quotes from Unwritten Melody to a Pinterest board. Want sneak previews of the book? Check out its Pinterest board, and don't forget to re-pin the book's quotes! Every week, I'll add at least one new quote from the book. (The street team will always receive first look!)
• Tell your friends! There's nothing that helps an author's book release more than word-of-mouth promotion. If you enjoy my blog and/or Purple Moon, it'd be awesome if you could let your friends know about Unwritten Melody! The book releases in Kindle format on November 10th. They can follow this blog and my social media accounts (@tessaemilyhall) for updates!

A special thank you to all my readers!

Remaining Faithful Through Sickness

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Before I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, it was fairly easy for me to view the trials I experienced as temporary. I knew they were seasons that would soon pass. 

I guess that was the writer in me: I tend to view my life through the lens of a story. And in a story, characters have to go through hardships, because without those training periods, the characters would never grow. Without that conflict, there would be no story. 

However, this perspective became harder for me to maintain after I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes about a year and a half ago. 

{Continue reading on page 4 of Broken But Priceless Magazine, and check out the feature of my diagnosis on page 21}

What's God Doing In Your Life? ~ Jeremy's Story

Today my awesome cousin Jeremy is here to share a bit of what God has been teaching him about overcoming the mountains in his life through faith and hard-work. And just so you all know, this guy has a lot of faith. Seriously. And he is probably one of the most hard-working 19-year-olds that I know. God has blessed him for this, too. So when he tells us about what God has taught him on "heading up the mountains", he knows what he's talking about! (And yes, that is me in the picture with him.)

Heading High

You know that exhausted feeling you get while you're doing a strenuous task or workout, when you feel as if you can no longer continue? Yes, that one. The one that cuts the time of your task almost in half.

Okay, I know you know what I'm taking about because I believe we've all tried it at some point or another. We run, but when we reach a mountain we try to go around it. We become fearful when we see our enemy face to face. We get discouraged when we see how big and vast his armies are. Not only do we go around them, but the speed we once had - our confidence - is gone. How could we ever charge up that mountain, let alone run again? I'll tell you - when you reach a mountain in your life, instead of backing away, run up!

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

~Joshua 1:9

Whenever temptation is placed in front of you, withstand it! You have to submit yourselves to God, as James 4:7 says, and resist the devil so that he can flee from you. If you start thinking that you can't do it, read Philippians 4:13~

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

With God on our side, we won't just be jogging up mountains. We'll be charging up them! Whenever you feel like you cannot face whatever task is set before you, clear your mind of the negative thoughts and equip yourself with your new confidence - God. Equip yourselves with His armor. Remember these verses so you'll be equipped the next time an obstacle is in the way. Don't run around it.

"Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."

~Ephesians 6:11

So the next time your enemies are mocking you and blocking your path, go the extra mile - show your confidence. Sure, your enemies may be strong, but God is much stronger. He's got your back! Don't listen to the voices, the thoughts, or whatever it may be that keeps telling you that you can't do it. Listen to your heart, and let God's confidence burst through you. Give your all for God! I mean come on, didn't he give His all for you? Don't make excuses or find quick shortcuts. Do as Colossians 3:32 says and work as if you're doing it for God, not for people.

Ever since I've taken this mentality I've gotten a lot more accomplished, have had no problem overcoming temptations, and have traveled up many mountains that I myself would never have been able to go up alone. Don't think twice about heading up a mountains' steepness. Just charge up. God won't just be leading you to the top, but He'll lead you to victory and high-soaring rewards. You can be sure of that!

~~~

Visit Jeremy's blog
"The Storms Within".

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