{Unmet Expectations // Church}

I recently shared this on Facebook but wanted to have it here on my blog also. I know that I may need to see this reminder again one day.

{THREE APPS FOR THE CHRISTIAN WOMAN}

 Lately, I have been sharing posts on Instagram and Facebook during my quiet/Bible study time. Usually, I will share a photo of my Bible wherever I am reading from and include a scripture (and sometimes a short devotional). I have gotten so many messages from friends asking questions like what Bible I have, what I use for Bible study, how to get started, etc. I thought I would make a post sharing the apps I use and how I use them.   

{CHASING SUNSETS 2021 //VOL.2}

 I'm going to let you in on a little secret...if you want to win over my heart, just invite me to go chase the sunset with you! haha! But seriously. I could never grow tired of chasing the sunset. I mean, it's such an incredible gift that God shares with us every evening.  And if you really think about it, chasing the sunset is quite like our walk with the Lord and spending time with Him. You get away from the world and experience something much bigger. Something more beautiful. Something incredible and so indescribable. I'm sure the exact same could be said about the sunrise, but lets be honest, I'm not a 'rise before the sun' kind of girl. There's very few things I will wake that early for! Anyhow, I am so thankful for a husband that supports my crave for chasing the sunset and I am even more thankful for that time I get to spend with him. 

{FIVE ON FRIDAY // DIY SHELVING & STORAGE, MASON'S WELL CHECK, HOME}

It's been forever since I have written a Five on Friday post! Since I'm no longer writing the "Our Quarantined Life" posts, I thought this would be a good way to dump out some of the week's randomness. So, here goes...

{Chasing Sunsets 2020 // vol. 2}

God’s timing is always so absolutely perfect!! Tonight I asked Nate if we could take a drive through the backroads...a little sunset cruise with the top down on the Jeep. The weight of the world was starting to get overwhelming and I just needed to get out of the house. Driving the backroads and chasing the sunset is so, so good for my soul. It always resets my mood and I can literally feel the stress and worries melt away. As we were driving I saw something I have never really seen or paid attention to before. We have passed by this rodeo arena a hundred times, but tonight I saw it so clear - “In God we Trust”. And then we decided to take a backroad we have never taken before and then I see “Be Still and Know”!! God put us right where we needed to be right when I needed it most. Thank you, Lord

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God’s timing is always so absolutely perfect!! Tonight I asked Nate if we could take a drive through the backroads...a little sunset cruise with the top down. The weight of the world was starting to get overwhelming and I just needed to get out of the house. Driving the backroads and chasing the sunset is so, so good for my soul. It always resets my mood and I can literally feel the stress and worries melt away. As we were driving I saw something I have never really seen or paid attention to before. We have passed by this rodeo arena a hundred times, but tonight I saw it so clear - “In God we Trust”. And then we decided to take a backroad we have never taken before and then I see “Be Still and Know”!! God put us right where we needed to be right when I needed it most. Thank you, Lord. 🤍

A post shared by Crystal 🌵 Hall Around Texas (@hallaroundtexas) on Mar 24, 2020 at 6:46pm PDT

{We tried a new church...}

The past two Sundays Nathan, Mason and I visited a new {to us} church. I have really felt the Lord pressing on my heart to give this church a try and, well, we did just that...

{Prayers for the new school year}

As the new school year approaches I often find myself praying over Mason, his teachers and his school. I pray that he loves his new teacher, that he is able to get his lunchbox off of his backpack, that he easily makes new friends, that he adjusts well to the new schedule and routine, etc. There are so many worries and anxieties that come along with a new school year and I just want to hand those all over to God through prayer. Today I am sharing 10 of those prayers with you.

{Five on Friday // Bible, Farmluck, Snow Cones, Dieting}

Happy Friday! It has been almost a month since I have written a Five on Friday post. Y'all...it has been so dang busy around these parts! First was vacation {gone for 10 days}, then I came back to the Photobucket fiasco {I've already updated 136 blog posts and counting}, trying to catch up on Bible studies {personal, study with my girlfriends, Wednesday nights at church, and Sunday school}, going through the 1400+ photos I took while on vacation, trying to get the house back in order, etc. And then this week Nate's Step Grandfather was taken by ambulance to the hospital for low oxygen levels, Nathan had jury duty all week, my sister lost her father in law, and a family friend's 11 year old was diagnosed with the mumps. His family went on vacation with us and the kid and Mason played together a lot. I had to contact Mason's doctor to see if she wanted him to come in. But, he's fully vaccinated and the incubation period would have been towards the end of our vacay {and the kid left 2 days before us} so we should be in the clear. Whew! Other than all  of that, life has been pretty dang grand over here. Nathan and I have had a bunch of unexpected date nights {Praise Jesus, Hallelujah} and we've had a ton of family time. We are trying to soak up every last drop of summer and making so many memories. We hope to squeeze in a few more little adventures before school starts back. One of these days I will be able to answer emails and  I will blog about our vacation and all of the other little things we have done! But for today it's a Five on Friday...a little bit of what we've been up to this week.

{Never made the blog // Volume 1 // Bday, Well Check, Cops & Kids, Father's Day, Child Dedication}

My friend Sarah has been doing these posts on "things that never made it to the blog" and I have loved reading them. Life gets away from you so quick and then blog posts keep piling up. I have so many things that never made it to the blog, but I want them to. So, I thought this would be the best way to catch up. Here is a bunch of random things that never made this blog...

{Five things that are bringing me joy right now}

We wrapped up a bible study at church about true joy and how it's God's will for us to experience joy. It is so easy to feel weighed down by drudgery & everyday things and so I want to document the things that are bringing me joy right now. I hope to do this every so often. Today I am sharing five things that are currently bringing me joy.

{Scripture // In the Waiting // Vol. 1}

Back in January I shared my one little word for the year {Hope} and then a few weeks ago I shared a really heavy post on loss and heartache. Today I wanted to share some scripture that I am clinging to. Scripture that gives me hope and faith in God's plan and His perfect timing.

{Hope}

Earlier this year I shared about my word of the year, hope and thought I would share some of my favorite scriptures on hope. These scriptures have been blessing me and reminding me of the hope we have in Jesus. I made these using some of my sunrise pictures that I have taken, mostly from my porch. 

{A Grateful Heart // Church}

Good morning and Happy Monday!!

Another good weekend in the books for the Hall Family! Friday night we had a nice little dinner with just the three of us. Saturday we had lunch and then went to the Red Barn antiques store in our town and then to Home Depot. We had planned to come home and work in the shop a bit before we had to leave for a birthday party, but those plans changed. Mason's little friends from next door came over to play. It's been months since Mason has gotten to play with them due to the holidays, winter, and it getting so dark so early. He was ecstatic. Nate also visited with their dad for a while. I did a couple of loads of laundry and then ran to town to get a birthday gift. That evening we went to a birthday party at Pump it Up. It was our first time to ever go there. Mason had a complete blast, of course. The party wasn't over until 9pm so we had a late Whataburger supper and then called it a night.

Sunday morning I set an alarm to get up and go to the grocery store at 7 am before church because #superbowl. I knew the stores were going to be insane all day and I needed to get there early to miss the crowd {and so that the shelves weren't picked over}. It was a complete success.

When I got home at 9:00 I fully expected both of my boys to still be in bed and fast asleep. But, they were both awake. And Nate was 3/4 of the way dressed and ready for church!! I can't even tell you how happy that made me. Mason and I got ready and then we were on our way.

We visited the new {to us} church again. And, it was great. It feels like home.

It is my heart's desire for my family to be rooted in a church. To know the Gospel. And to have a community that offers wisdom, gives grace, prays for and with us, and is the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. A church family. For Mason to grow up knowing Jesus. A church where we can plug-in and grow in faith. A place where we have a group of people pointing us to Jesus. It's all so important to me.

So grateful for family, friends, weekends and church!

{Duck Commander Devotions for Kids}

Earlier this year I went on a mission to find a kids devotional that Mason would love and understand. I wanted one that would engage him and keep his attention all the while teaching him about Jesus. I researched different ones for weeks before deciding on Duck Commander Devotions for Kids. It's perfect and Mason and I have loved it. It's everything I had dreamed of in a devotion and more. Each devotion starts with a scripture, then tells a story about someone in the Robertson family that pertains to the lesson and then closes with a prayer. As a bonus there is an "action" for each lesson which is an activity or craft. Mason and I haven't gotten to do any of the actions because we read the devotional at night just before bed.

Mason and I finished the devotional in a quarter of the time that we probably should have. He loved the devotions and each night would ask for "just one more" a few times each night. So instead of reading one each night we would read 3 or 4. He would ask me the title for the next one and then say, "Oh yeah Mama we need to read that one" and who was I to tell him no? And he says that we always "leave the best for last" meaning his devotional. We read a lot of books each night, but always save our devotional for last.

I do suggest one thing - at one point in the devotional there is a story about "obeying" and then close to that one is a devotion on "grace"...if you have a smart kid like I have then do not read these on the same night!!! haha.

Also, I've had friends ask me if you need to be familiar with the whole Duck Dynasty and their crew to read this devotional and the answer is no. Not at all. The devotions are real life lessons that anyone can relate to.


We love this one so much that we have actually started re-reading the devotional and plan to go back and complete the actions too. It's that amazing.

This is post is in no way, shape or form sponsored, just wanted to share something that we love so much with all of you. If you're looking for a devotional for a young child I cannot recommend this one enough.

Also, do you have a kids devotional that you love? I've tried to find another one similar to this and I just can't find one. I've searched everywhere, but cannot find one with a similar structure. I bought a Boys devotional, but it hasn't engaged Mason yet. I think it's for older boys.