My Top Ten Favorite Posts to Date (And the Giveaway Winner!)

It has been a joy to celebrate my four-year anniversary with all of you! Part of that celebration was, of course, the giveaway that started at the beginning of the month. The winner is…

Emily

Congratulations! I've emailed you about the details of your win. Now on to today's post.

---

I have been blogging for four years. Which blows my mind a bit. And though I haven't been a steady, weekly blogger for those four years, I've amassed more posts than I would have expected. In looking back over my old posts, I decided to count down my top ten favorite posts for all of you.

Happenings of the Month: September 2016

Entertainment of the Month:

• Movies/TV

To be perfectly honest, I can't think of a single movie that I watched this month, beyond one that I watched for school but don't really want to talk about. I've been so busy that I've hardly watched anything, which is depressing. So I don't have much for you. I will tell you that I'm excited for Hacksaw Ridge, releasing November 4th.

Sunday Psalms: Chapters 32-34

Psalm 32:3 "When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long."

Hiding sin will destroy you from the inside out. By its very nature, sin craves darkness; Satan wants it to stay buried deep in your heart where no one can see and intervene. When we let God's Light in, though, the devil flees. He can't stand in the presence of the Truth; the Father of Lies has no place there.

Why You Should Change Up Your Writing Process: A Guest Post by Katie Grace

I'm very excited to welcome the lovely Katie Grace to The Ink Loft for the first time! She just celebrated her two-year blog anniversary, and I fondly remember helping her get connected way back then.

---

Katie Grace is a writer, blogger, child of the King, enfp, spreader of smiles, and a firm believer of hope in this messy world. (isn't that a mouthful?) She has a bad habit of writing 20,000 words in one day, staying up until two in the morning, and eating a whole pizza in one sitting (as well as using too many parenthesis in her bio).

She blogs at A Writer's Faith, and tweets constantly on her Twitter account.

---

Before I start my post, a HUGE thanks to Rachelle for letting me guest post! (and patiently reminding me when I forgot that I was supposed to send it to her.) Happy blogging anniversary to one of my first online writing friends! <3

I've been writing for 15.625% of my life. (Look at me math.) I've written four books and am getting ready to write my fifth. Each time I write a book, it's a different adventure. Obstacles to overcome, writer's block at different moments, and with each book I like to switch up my writing process.

I Have An Announcement

Hey, everyone. Well, I had intended to give you a video post today. Unfortunately, I've been having some technical difficulties and won't be able to do that. The video discussed 9/11 and an announcement I have. Unfortunately, without it, I'm only going to get to the announcement.

However, I am very excited about said announcement!

I'm starting a Youtube channel.

Yep. I'm going to be starting a Youtube channel for book reviews. I will occasionally link to the videos here on The Ink Loft, but not always. The channel will be its own project, connected, in some ways, to this blog, but separate.

For now, I'm planning to post a review once a month, and I'm intending to have it up and running by the beginning of October. I'll let you know when it's active. I'm very excited about this new endeavor, and I hope all of you will be, as well!

Sunday Psalms: Chapters 28 & 30

Today is the fifteenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and I'd just to take a moment to remember the tragedy and its victims, to say that I am praying for those affected, and to remind us that God is still God. September 11, 2001 was one of the worst days in American history, in which thousands of people died and our country was irrevocably changed. I'll be talking more about 9/11 on Friday, but I think it's important that we remember the tragedy and the victims on this anniversary.

The Psalms are, in my mind, particularly applicable to a day like this, because they remind us that, even in tragedy, our God is faithful. He's still present. He's still working. And we can trust in that.

Psalm 28:1 “To You I call, O Lord my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if You remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.”

The Way Life Changes: A Guest Post by Olivia Flewelling

I am very pleased to present for you all the first of two guest posts that you'll be receiving this month. The idea with each post was to hear from a blogger 1) whom I am friends with, and 2) whose blog came after mine. Here is the first!

---

Change only ever came to me in an eyedropper. Little by little, the circumstances I feared or hoped for have eked into my life. Or change has not come at all.

Reading Through My Bookshelf: August's Reads

I've started a new project, in which I've decided to read all the books on my shelves (and on my new Kindle), with a few exceptions (such as my history timelines book). I don't usually buy fiction unless I've read it before (again, with a few exceptions, like Lynn Austin books), but every now and then I buy a new one or get one as a gift. In addition, I do tend to buy nonfiction, often for history research but sometimes just because it peaks my interest, that goes on my shelves but doesn't get read. There's a lot of stuff there that I've meant to read without following through or haven't read in a long time. So, I want to read what I own.

I have a few library books to finish, and then I'm planning not to get any library books unless they're needed for a series.

Dear Younger Me: What I've Learned in Four Years of Blogging (+ Giveaway)

So, September 15th will mark the four-year anniversary of The Ink Loft! Can you believe that I’ve been blogging for four years? I was amazed when I discovered that a couple months ago. I haven’t always been a steady blogger, but I have cherished this blog and the wonderful people I have met because of it.

The fifteenth doesn’t actually fall on a Friday this month, but rather on a Thursday. Thus, I won’t have a post specifically on the anniversary date itself. However, I’m celebrating all month long! Instead of the usual two Friday posts, you will be getting one every Friday this month! They will include a couple of guest posts that I’m very excited about. This post marks the kick-off of the celebration and will include a giveaway (at the bottom). Since an anniversary is, by its very nature, a bit nostalgic, I decided to discuss some of the things I've learned over these past years in the form of a letter to my younger self.