Pay It Forward and Liebster Award

     We've all heard it happening, and seen video's of people's lives sometimes changed by the "Pay-It-Forward" thing that goes around.
     I never thought that I'd ever be one of those people that someone paid for my drink/food..etc... This last week, I had some returns and exchanges to make. I also had to get my Driver's License and such changed, since getting married, and moving. So, it was a day that I wasn't really looking forward to, but I knew had to be done. I thought to myself, "I'll stop by Starbucks on the way down to run my errands, and I'll feel refreshed having a coffee in hand while running errands." I pulled through the Drive-Thru, and ordered my usual, "Iced Venti Vanilla Latte (light on the ice) coffee." The man told me to pull to the window, but didn't give me my total what I owed. I pulled up to the window, and was preparing to pay, when he opened the window, handed me my coffee, and said, "The lady in front of you just paid for your coffee, so you're all good to go!" :) You can imagine my delightful surprise! I was so astonished, that I just said, "Really?! Wow! Thank you!" And with that, I pulled away. I pulled over into a parking spot to take in what just happened. And then I thought, "I should've paid for the person's coffee behind me! Oh well, maybe next time."
     I never thought that something like that would've ever happened to me. It's something that I always saw that happened to other people, and that I always thought would be a good idea if I did it to someone.
     Have you ever had something happen to you that moved you in some way? It could be maybe someone offering to watch your kids or cook your dinners. A neighbor who mowed your lawn to surprise you, a child coming up to you, and handing you a flower, just because. :)
     " Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you." ~Deuteronomy 16:17 :)

I was nominated for the Liebster Award by: https://concealedfoundation.wordpress.com 
So here are the official rules of the LIEBSTER AWARD:

• Each nominee must have under 200 followers
• Thank and link to the nominating blog
• Answer their 10 questions and propose 10 new ones for your nominees
• Nominate 10 blogs and tell them that they've been nominated
• Write a post containing the questions
• Include these rules in the post

Here are the 10 questions I was asked:
1 What is the meaning behind your blog’s name? You can refer to my "What is a Daughter of Destiny" page for that meaning... it's long. ;) 
2. What’s the first thing you’d do if you got 5 feet of snow? When I was younger, I would've gone out to play in it, but now, probably sit with some music and a book, and snuggle on the couch with some hot coffee. ;)
3. What’s your favorite way to style your hair? My hairs pretty stubborn... so, probably just let it down. It's thick and Curly, so, it has a lot to it. ;)
4. Would you rather wear a skirt or pants? It depends on the Weather Outside. Usually skirts though. I wear pants usually when I have a lot of running around to do, or when it's cold outside. ;)
5. How often do you wear makeup? Probably about every day. 
6. What’s your blogs main focus? To encourage and Inspire other like-minded believers in Christ. 
7. What’s the last book of the Bible that you read? Psalms
8. Which do you like better, apple or pumpkin pie? Hmm... tough one... Pumpkin Pie if there's lots of Whip Cream, but usually Apple pie taste better. ;)
9. How many siblings do you have? 5... 4 brothers, and 1 sister. :) 
10. How many things have you made in the past week? As far as cooking and baking, too many things to count... maybe 15? 
I'm going to open this up to anyone who'd like to do it... it's fun! :)Here are my 10 questions to the nominees:
1. What Type of Church do you go to?
2. Do you Play any instruments? Why or Why not?
3. What interesting studies have you done that you find fascinating? 
4. Do you live in the Country, Suburbs, Apartment, or other? 
5. What's your Favorite Kind of music? Why?
6. Coffee or tea? Hot or cold?
7. Do you like Baking or Cooking better? 
8. When's your Birthday?
9. What's your Middle Name?
10. What's your Favorite Bible verse? Why? 

Serving without Complaining

This past week, I've been helping at a Conference for men. The girls, are in charge of the cooking, cleaning, and getting the drinks all ready for breakfast/lunch/dinner, and keeping them filled throughout the day.
As fun it is when you have friends fellowshipping with you while working, there's also a seriousness to it. The laughs and giggles are good, but what about the heart of the matter? When we cook and serve others in the kitchen with friends, we're joyful about it... but what about in the moments when we're tired, sweaty, and running low on energy and sleep?
On our afternoon devotions that one of the girls prepared, we talked about complaining. Sometimes we complain without even realizing it, and sometimes we complain because we want people to know how we feel, and how much work we're doing.
We complain about the little things, like, all the flies in the kitchen, or, how many times we've already cleaned the restrooms. What is our heart in the matter? Even when no one else sees all the hard-work we do, God sees it, and He can see the heart. For instance, I was in charge of making sure that all the drinks we're always filled... most of the preparations for the coffee and such, went on in the back-room, where no one could see me. To be honest with you, I didn't really seem to care. I was in so much of a rush to get the coffee done any way, that I didn't notice that my work... in a way, went unnoticed. No one saw how I make coffee, or even if I made coffee. Now, of course, we'd get a lot of men telling us how grateful they were that we took all this time to prepare some awesome cooked food, and that was great! But, what if they hadn't thanked us? Would we still be serving without complaint?
Colossians 3:23-24 tells us, "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."
So, the next time you're in the kitchen cooking meals or serving someone in some way, remember to think of it as service to God! God appreciates a cheerful servants heart! And you know what else? Everyone around you notices a cheerful heart too! ;)
But remember, while serving, don't forget to sit down, at the foot of the cross, and pray and talk to God.