Planning Ahead with God & DaySpring

If y’all know me super well, you would definitely know that I am obsessed with organization and planning. I’m not insanely intense when it comes to that matter, but I still like to keep things in structure and plan ahead. Like when it comes to blog posts and schoolwork, I like to write down deadlines and goals I want to accomplish ahead of time, that way I’m on track with consistent posting. I’ll also write down upcoming events such as vacations, weddings, parties with my friends, etc. Basically, I write pretty much everything down in my planner so that I’m ahead of schedule!

However, keeping too busy with my schedule sometimes gets in the way of my personal time with God. And as a devoted Christian, my time with Him always comes before my workload, no matter how heavy or light. I’ve always been wanting to find ways to make more time dedicated to talking to God, as well as balancing all my deadlines and goals. I’m sure you busy Christian women are out there feeling the same way. Thankfully, there is a new and amazing solution!

I’m absolutely blessed to be collaborating with DaySpring to help them promote their brand new planners. They are so gorgeous! The stylish planners contain calendars for all eighteen months (starting at July 2019 and ending at December 2020), monthly tabs and to-do lists, but they also have so many unique features that differ from many regular agendas. One feature includes devotional pages for the beginning of every month! They also provide monthly reflections in which you can write down your favorite memories, challenges, gratitude, scriptures that spoke to you during that month, and prayers asked with God’s answers. Daily interaction with Him and a constant reminder of His faith and goodness every time you open your agenda - how about that??? I love the constant God winks I will receive on a daily basis!

Honestly, I’ve never owned a cooler planner in my life before. It’s amazing how it keeps me balanced with my busy schedule AND spirituality!

The artwork of the planners are absolutely stunning. They were created by Studio 71, a group of DaySpring artists and writers, who came together to create this special line. Their main goal is to create pretty designs and inspire those who purchase a planner. When it comes to creating the collection, they quote:

“When we created the Studio 71 collection, we wanted a place where she could lean into the moments in her life and express her faith, with style. Experience beauty, color, design, but is as playful as her style, and as rich as her faith. For the agenda planner, we felt like she needed a place where she could stop, gather thoughts, and plan her day; a place to combine faith with her planning.”

Well, they certainly delivered their promise. The planner is absolutely perfect for combing both my faith and planning! Plus, the radiant artwork fits so well with my style. Anything that’s pretty that I can also write in is a winner for me right there!

Pre-ordering for the agendas is happening now (click here to see the options), and they officially launch to the public on June 3rd (shipped on that day if ordered between May 20th and June 2nd). And if you pre-order, you’ll get a mystery goodie bag full of stickers, clips, washi tape and more handy dandy things valued at $25 or more, including FREE shipping!

Go order one now, you won’t regret it one bit. These DaySpring and Studio 71 planners are amazing and like no other planner you’ve ever seen before!

My Planner  

Top 10 Songs on My Worship Playlist

Happy Tuesday! I know Sunday was two days ago, but I’m still feeling the energy of the Holy Spirit within me like I always do! And I want to share that energy with y’all by sharing my love for worship music!

I used to not listen to Christian music in my spare time as much as I should’ve. Now I listen to it almost every single day. When I’m putting on makeup, when I’m studying, when I’m driving, and so on. It always puts me in a much better mood! I have my own playlist in Spotify with over seventy Christian songs. I’ll usually play it on repeat when I need some truth or just to have background noise.

For this week’s Tuesday Ten, here are my top ten favorite worship songs at the moment!

1.) “Living Water” by Gateway Worship

I love the lyrics and the instrumentation. What’s so powerful about this song is that Jesus is the living water being referred to. He is the One who can provide us when were thirsty, hungry, tired, or just in need of His presence. I could listen to this song over and over again without getting bored!

2.) “O Come to the Altar” by Elevation Worship

I first heard the band at the nondenominational church I attend play this song a while back. Since then, I’ve been listening to the Spotify version on repeat. I find so much comfort in it. It reminds me that I can come to the Father at the altar and leave behind all my anxieties and mistakes because He loves me. He loves you as well, and He’s waiting for you at the altar with His arms open wide!

3.) “You Say” by Lauren Daigle

Y’all, this song is amazing. I honestly have never related to a song more than this one. The words speak so clearly to my school, and I just know God is singing the song to me through Lauren’s beautiful voice. I’m a huge Lauren Daigle fan, and I definitely recommend listening to all the songs on her Look Up Child album. I would’ve totally put a lot of her other songs on this list (“Look Up Child”, “Your Wings”, “Still Rolling Stones”, and “Rescue” especially), but I didn’t want to leave out all the other songs on this list obviously. You’ll just have to check out the album for yourself!

4.) “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” by Hillsong UNITED

I hear this played at almost every worship night I’ve attended, but I’m not complaining about it one bit. It’s very calming but so powerful at the same time. The theme revolves around Peter having walk on water while being blind, and learning how to trust God in the process. Hillsong is for sure one of my top favorite music bands. I was blessed enough to see them in concert almost a year ago, and they included this song. It was so amazing seeing them perform it live!

5.) “Tremble” by Mosaic MSC

I always have chills listening to this song. It’s so powerful and full of truth. Jesus always makes the darkness tremble! It’s one of my absolute favorite worship songs and it always uplifts me whenever I’m feeling down. You should definitely listening to this if you need a really upbeat worship song! 

6.) “The Passion” by Hillsong Worship

I attended the same Hillsong concert that I went to almost a year ago and this was one of my favorite songs they performed. After that, I was listening to it on Spotify almost every day during my summer internship (don’t worry, we were allowed to listen to music during work). It’s so calming and such a perfect song for worship. I never get sick of listening to it.

7.) “Glory Roaring” by Fresh Life Worship

My friend Madison introduced me to this song and got me so emotional. It’s sooooooo powerful! I’ve listened to it so many times, but I  find it so reassuring every time. God always is and always will be glorified, and glory will roar all over!

8.) “New Wine” by Hillsong Worship

This song reminds me that Jesus always refreshes our souls. The wine also happens to represent His blood. Therefore, our souls are rejuvenated by His love through new wine. Can I get an amen?! 🙌🏻

9.) “WALKING ON WATER” by NEEDTOBREATHE

I mean, the title of the song is pretty self-explanatory. It also has the same concept as “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)”. This one; however, is more of an upbeat dance tune. Either way, they’re both equally amazing songs!

10.) “Yes I Will” by Vertical Worship

YES I WILL recommend this song because it is PREACH WORTHY!

What are your favorite worship songs (if you’re a Christian)? Comment down below and share!

Here is my current worship playlist for you to check out and listen to my recommended songs, as well as many other songs. Enjoy!

Trusting God During Difficult Times

“This is my comfort, my consolidation and my breath of fresh air in the midst of sorrow and loss. Your Word nourishes and repairs me. It revives my life, and Your promises restore me and make me whole.” - Psalm 119:50

Hey y’all, it’s been a while. These past few weeks have been crazy … and emotional. I don’t like being super dramatic and I promise I am not going to be super dramatic in this post. However, I do believe it’s important for me to be vulnerable and transparent whenever I can. And I want my readers to feel like they can do the same as well. There was a recent event in my life that shattered my heart. With that being said, I thought it might be important to share, especially for anyone who may have or are currently experiencing a similar situation.

My grandmother suddenly passed away exactly one week ago. As soon as I received the heartbreaking news that morning, my whole world changed and my heart sank down to my belly. It was a sickening feeling, and I still am sick to my stomach thinking about it. My family and I are incredibly heartbroken. I obviously knew that I was going to lose her at some point in my life, but I wasn’t expecting it to happen so soon. This is also the first death of a loved one that I was extremely close with. It makes me sad to think that I can never again give her a call if I want to tell her what’s happening in my life. It makes me even more sad to think that I won’t get to see or speak with her in-person again. The conversations I had with her were always something I looked forward to whenever I visited her.

I went to visit my family in Lima (where she lived) this past weekend and it was so heartbreaking not seeing her there. We actually didn’t have a funeral for her because she would always tell us that she didn’t want us to hold her one after she died. So instead, we celebrated her the whole weekend together by watching home videos of her and drinking margaritas (her favorite drink) at La Charreada (her favorite restaurant). It felt super weird though, with her not being there to celebrate with us. It just didn’t feel right. She deserved to be there with us to drink those margaritas!

It’s already been one week since she’s passed and I’m doing a bit better, but it ain’t easy. Trying to cope with the fact that she’s no longer here is really unbearable, along with balancing my schedule consisting of classes and blogging. I’ve been constantly feeling overwhelmed with all of these things happening at once. How I would love to call Nana right now and become in a better mood just by hearing her voice. But unfortunately, that is not an option. In difficult times like this, I tend to ask God, “Why did this have to happen? Are you trying teach me something? What’s going to happen now?” My anxiety will start to get the best of me. I’ll overthink from one thing to another to the point where I just want to stop thinking period. Though I love God more than anything, times like this is when I tend to feel impatient and frustrated with what He’s trying to teach me. It can be quite the challenge.

However, I think it’s times like this when I have to put more trust in God. He’s the only One who can truly take away my sorrow and comfort me in the darkness. Ironically, the day after my grandmother died, I was reading a devotional about grief. The crazy thing is that it’s a 100-day devotional book, yet I didn’t start it until a few days after the New Year. It’s almost as if Jesus had intended me to read that devotional on that exact day! It was a sign from God telling me to trust Him when dealing with grief. The page was titled “Life, an Undeserved Gift” and the Bible verse used was Matthew 7:11, which says, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father  who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him?” The devotional talked about how life instantly changes when we lose someone we love, and that’s exactly how I felt when I found out about my grandma’s death. The author also wrote about how we forget about how precious life is until we experience loss or tragedy. I believe it was a message from God telling me to put my trust in Him and to enjoy life while it lasts. After all, there’s only one opportunity to live and I’m getting older rather than younger. I hear His Word and I trust it. Therefore, I trust Him. I’m going to make sure to spend as much time with my relatives and friends as much as possible before life keeps changing. I won’t take anything for granted. Instead, I’ll live every day like its the last. I know my grandmother would’ve wanted me to do that.

I also think God has been reminding me about all the precious moments I’ve had in my life so far. I look back at the wonderful memories I have made with my grandmother, and they truly were precious. They are for sure memories that I will forever be grateful for. I also am certain that my grandmother lived her life to the fullest and made so many wonderful memories to make it complete. She was truly a happy, beautiful, and loving woman. As much as I wish my grandmother were still alive, it comforts me to know that she is resting peacefully in heaven now with her angel parents and friends. I also know someday when my time comes, I’ll be reunited with her. That is another thing I can trust God with. For now, I will cherish the memories I have of her and remember the happy times whenever I feel gloomy. I also encourage you to do the same and to love your relatives and friends while they’re still here. Life is a blessing with so many things to be grateful for. It’s too precious to waste your time for.

If you’ve dealt with loss previously or are currently dealing with it like I am, just know that it gets better. Of course the sorrow of losing a loved one will never go away, but neither will the love or precious memories. Just know that putting trust in God will take you out of the everlasting darkness and misery. Also remember to live your life to the fullest and make every moment count. Then before you know it, you will be reunited with your loved one(s) in heaven someday. They’ll be waiting patiently for you, just like how my grandma is waiting for me and the rest of my family. God promises everlasting life and love in eternity. In the meantime, be grateful for your life, memories and living loved ones!

I love you forevermore, Nana. I am thinking of you every single day ❤️ XOXO

If you want to check out the devotional book that I mentioned, here it is: 100 Days of Thanks