10 ways to be a blessing

hello, everyone!
here's a hint- if you want to stay up all night, come to our house tonight. ;) we are madly working to get ready for a huge sale this week for our business, and we are totally. not. ready. oh well, i'm just going to take a deep breath and take a quick break and write this post. oh, and excuse any spelling or grammatical errors, i'm so very tired. :)

since the blog is called "house on a hill" i thought i'd share a few ways that i try to be a house on a hill.

10 ways to be a blessing~

1) pray. you know that homeless guy on the corner or the stressed out mama at the grocery store? breathe a quick prayer up to heaven before you grab the next thing on the shopping list.

2)smile. be the sunshine in a dreary day and warm someone's heart with a cheerful attitude. you will also give yourself a better day. :)

3)sing. especially for your family. sing while you do the dishes and laundry- even if you are dreadfully out of tune- amazing grace, how sweet the sound

4)give. even a small gift- like a hand written "happy" note or a piece of chocolate- to friends and strangers alike- will brighten their day 

5)laugh. call your silly friend or sister up and just laugh. tell them of your crazy life and let the laughter work its healing effect.

6)praise. compliment others around you on their good work, let them know you care about them and their life.

7)encourage. teachers, bosses, this one is for you. maybe they didn't play their music perfectly or spell everything right, but tell them to keep going, press forward.

8)bake. oh yes, the age-old way of blessing- through food. new neighbors? new baby? bake them some lovely treats. (for ideas~ pinterest.com/sophfulton/for-the-kitchen) baking not your thing? even a treat picked up from the bakery is a blessing.

9)host. even if the house is a disaster, invite someone over for a cup of tea and a talk. (even if you do have a crazy house, just talk on the porch) or invite that shy family over for a meal, get to know them.

10) worship. when you are constantly praising God, others will see it in your attitude, and sense something different. who knows? maybe you will open the door to a salvation of a soul.

This is hope

life is crazy... as usual.

Human trafficking has been on my heart lately, and I though I would share a simple song I wrote trying to express my thoughts on the subject.

What is hope/ what is peace/ what is love and what is joy/
What is life without fear/ who is this God who cares/
These questions are asked every day/ 
By people living afraid/
And maybe these words don't belong in a song/
But they've been on my heart/

But what is it that I can do/ what is it that I can say/
I can't stand by and watch this world slip away/
What is it that I can do/ what is it that I can say /
How can I help and free them from their chains/
I need His grace/

What is faith/ what is trust/ what is believing in God's love/
How can I believe in God when it seems like His back is turned/
These questions are asked so many times/
By people living hurting lives/ 
And maybe these words don't belong in a song/
But they've been on my heart/

Jesus, use my life in ways I can't imagine/
Use my heart and soul for your eternal passion/
Use my hands and feet for your glory/
Use my songs, my words to tell this story/

What is it that you can do/ what is it that you can say/
you can't stand by and watch this world slip away/
What is it that you can do/ what is it that you can say /
How can you help and free them from their chains/
We need His grace/

This is hope.

{Sophia Fulton, 2013}

GenJ, Truth, and Very Little Sleep.

I am absolutely about to pass out, but I want to get this blog post done before the thoughts leave my brains.

I had one of the most amazing times this weekend. My friends and I and a bunch of other kids (around 200) had a fabulous time (at least, I had a fabulous time. I can't speak for the others) learning about legislation, advocacy, congress, and other things that I don't remember what they were called.

I have to admit, I'm NOT politics oriented. I also do not like public speaking, and when I think about it, I think this is why I love to perform piano- I don't have to speak.

When I first heard about the GenJ teen track (www.generationjoshua.org) I was on the opposing side for doing it because I felt like I would be out of my comfort zone. (that was supposed to sound smart but it didn't) But I had a fabulous time even though I told myself I wouldn't.

I think what drove me to have a fabulous weekend was really a heart matter. I felt that with this knowledge of politics, I could do things. I could make a difference based on my values.

One of the many things I learned this weekend was in a devotional this morning.

When we do not have truth, we do not have a basis for our beliefs, therefore we do not have a basis for our political, religious or any other view.

What is truth? Our truth does not come of this world. Our truth is The Truth. We can find the truth from the Word of God. This is key in developing a view that is pleasing to God. If you want to know God, read what is from God. Simple, right?

So maybe you can walk away with this~

When you are making decisions-big or small- base your decisions off of the Truth.
 A lot will fall in place after that.

Well, now I am going to go pass out. good night!

some of my great friends and I! we were very tired by the end, if
 you can't tell. two nights of very little sleep does that to you.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

I've been sadly ignorant of this little blog lately.
It has been a whirlwind month. (actually, more like a whirlwind life.) We have been working like crazy on our business, trying to clean out our house, and we have lots of lovely families staying with us for a couple days. Crazy!

God is good. Breathe in. Breathe out. 
This lovely reminder popped into my head this morning. And boy, did i need this reminder.

Because when life seems like a whirling storm, and you haven't finished you math and you have tons of things to do and your brothers are screaming you can forget to breathe. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Take a moment today and take a breath- remember that even in a whirlwind life, God is good.

"Be Still, my precious child. I am God. I will protect you and make sure you are safe"

on modest outfits...

Hey friends! Modesty is a definite challenge for christian girls. I thought it would be fun to show some fun outfits that are both modest and cute. Hope you like them!

So here is a fun, colorful outfit for the beach. Long, flowy skirts are both comfortable and cool (temperature wise) for the beach. 

Here is another colorful summer outfit. If there is a low neckline on a shirt, a scarf can help with that, and if you are uncomfortable with sleeveless shirts a funky cropped sweater can solve that problem.

I think coral and lime green go together really well... I love this dress, and you can dress it up or down with accessories.

So, tell me what you think! do you have any good modesty tips, or any ideas on how to make these outfits more modest?

Blessings,

Sophia

Easter weekend thoughts

I hope you had a blessed Easter.
We had such an Easter. The joining of three families whose friendships were made in college was amazing.
There were kiddos all over the place, the kitchen was never completely clean, and honestly, we were a bit chaotic. (twelve kids can do that to a home) But the laughs that we shared, the prayers said together, the meals...The egg hunt... And most of all the celebration of Christ's Resurrection... It was all so blessed.   

But what I really draw out of the weekend didn't happen on glorious Easter Sunday. What I really draw out of the weekend came on Friday.
I guess I never really saw the Crucifixion in this light. To hear about the pain, the hurt that was caused to Jesus, and to think I did that. I hurt Him even more when my heart is not where He wants it to be.
The good Friday service was haunting... thought-provoking... tear-filled...

To hear the pounding of a hammer... Thinking that nail went into my Jesus, it lodged something in my heart.
To hear what the thunder sounded like... see the flashes of lightning... It sent chills down my back.
To gaze on the cross bathed in a red glow... to sit in silence for moments... to take it all in.

Then to sing Hallelujah, what a Savior... It struck me to think of what Jesus had done. really. amazingly. powerfully.

Perhaps you can ponder this for a few moments. Hallelujah, what a Savior.