My Life As Madalyn

Well hello there! It has been a little over a month since I last posted and as I am sure you all have experienced, life has been a little unpredictable lately. With all that has continued to go on in the world, a few things have occurred in my life which led me to write this life update.

College Courses I started both of my summer courses (Texas Government and ASL 2) the first week of June and finished my government class about a week ago. My sign language course finishes in two weeks.

Work After being furloughed (along with all other part-time staff) from my YMCA/EAC position as a childcare counselor, they offered me a position to lead summer camp but I turned down the offer due to COVID.

Graduation Party My brother and cousin graduated high school so we hosted a graduation party with our family to celebrate their achievement. It was a lot of fun to plan and decorate and it was good to see all of our family.

Blogiversary June 25th was my 5-year Blogiversary!

4th of July The 4th of July was spent at home but it was still good nonetheless. Our neighborhood always has a lot of fireworks so we had a great view of them.

Photography I launched my photography brand! It is called Madalyn Dobbs Photography and has an Instagram account @madalyndobbsphotography and a website that you can view here. I am excited to officially put a name and image to it and see what happens with it.

COVID With the exponential growth of cases in our area, unfortunately, some of my close family members, as well as friends, have tested positive for COVID-19. Because of it going around, I myself have experienced symptoms for a few days but fortunately have not had any emergency symptoms.

Bible Study I have started studying the book of James for a summer Bible study. This study goes for six weeks and as of now, I am in the second week. If you are interested in the book that goes along with the study then you can purchase it here from For The Girl. So far I am liking it.

I think that is all the updates that I have for now. Thanks for reading! ♥

How has life been like for you recently? Leave a comment below letting me know!

Peace is something that a lot of us may be looking for right now. If you are struggling and are searching for a source of peace or words of encouragement during a peaceless time, then look no further than the Bible.

I encourage you to go back and read the full context for these verses and study them on your own. These would be great to add to your time in the Word. Allow His presence to be the peace that you desperately seek.

Here are 20 Bible verses for peace (in no particular order):

Numbers 6:26 - "May the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace."'

Luke 1:78-79 - "Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Job 22:21-22 - "Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you. Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart."

Luke 2:13-14 - "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!'"

Psalm 4:8 - "In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Matthew 5:9 - "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

Psalm 34:13–15 - "Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry."

Luke 2:28–30 - "He took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 'Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation.'"

Psalm 119:165 - "Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble."

John 14:27 - "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

Isaiah 9:6 - "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Romans 5:1-2 - "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

Isaiah 32:16-17 - "Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever."

Luke 24:36-37 - "As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace to you.' But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit."

Romans 12:17-18 - "Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."

2 Corinthians 13:11 - "Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you."

Philippians 4:6-7 - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Psalm 72:7 -"In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!"

Daniel 10:19 - "And he said, 'O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.' And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, 'Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.'"

John 16:33 - "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." ♥

April is over? It feels like it was just the first week. Does anyone else feel like time is going way faster in quarantine? I definitely do.

Over the past month, I have been accumulating a list of a few favorite things that I have either used or just enjoyed throughout the month of April. These items range from many categories including food, beauty, entertainment, and more, and today I thought it would be fun to share them with you.

Leave a comment down below if you also enjoy these items or have a favorite of your own that you would like to share with me. I thought it would be fun if I did these posts monthly or at least quarterly to see how my favorites change over time.

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and there are no affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

So, here are some of my current favorites from April divided into their categories:

Entertainment

"Radical" by David Platt - I am almost done with this book and it has been so good and convicting. If you haven't read this book yet then give it a try because it is very eye-opening.

Procreate - Procreate has been my go-to for all things hand-lettering and graphic design lately.

Spotify Disney Playlist - Unashamed to say that I recently came across this Spotify playlist and sometimes I will play it when I just want a little more happiness throughout my day or the opportunity to sing along to some of the best music.

The Chosen Series - My family and I recently stumbled across this series and have already binge-watched all of season 1. I HIGHLY recommend this.

Food

Mint M&M's - These have become one of my favorite candies recently.

The Greek Gods Black Cherry Yogurt - I tried this for the first time recently and will be getting it again. Black cherry is one of my favorite yogurt flavors.

K-Cup Caramel Starbucks Coffee - I decided to try out this flavor since I had never purchased it before and have really been enjoying it in the morning.

Fitness

Yoga Mat - I purchased this yoga mat at Ross a while ago and it has made my workouts so much more comfortable.

Blogilates - If you follow me on social media you probably would have seen that I have been following along with Blogilates monthly workout plans and have been really liking them.

Miscellaneous

Gamma Ray Bluelight Blocking Glasses - Since most of my days have consisted of constantly staring at a computer screen, these have helped lessen eye strain.

Love and Sunshine Candle - I got this candle a few years ago and finally finished it over the past month. I loved how it was a subtle but refreshing scent.

Apple Pencil - Using my Apple Pencil with Procreate has made the process a lot smoother.

Weekly Planner - I purchased this at Target at the beginning of this year and since school has been moved to all online it has helped me stay on track with what needs to be done.

Little Bible Plan - I followed along with this plan last month and found it really helpful. Each month is a different theme and each day has a short passage along with a challenge or question.

Beauty

Garnier Skin Active Micellar Cleansing Water - Ever since I ditched makeup wipes I have liked using this cleansing water because it is long-lasting and gets the job done.

CeraVe AM & PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion - These products have been my favorites for moisturizer and I love that there are two types for morning and night with the morning one having SPF.