The DeckDevotional Story
As much as I enjoy writing, the whole "About Me" section is always
a tough thing to write. What do people want to know about me?
I'm thinking the most important thing to write about here is why I started DeckDevotionals...
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2017 was a tough year. If you explore my blogs, it won't be long until you begin to learn why, and honestly what I've written about is only half of it.
By the time August rolled around, I was sitting in the middle of a mess of decisions. Relationship decisions, ministry decisions, career decisions and personal decisions - and they all had to be made; there was no more delaying. I had spent all summer trying to figure it out, and the longer I thought about it myself, the more decisions had piled up.
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It was a Sunday night (August 13, 2017) when I got home from a church BBQ, and felt the pull to go be alone with the Lord. I went right out to our deck and I remember saying to God, "I am not moving from this place until I hear from you. I want what you want for me." And I meant that more than I had ever meant it before.
I sat up there for about 2 hours listening to worship music, praying and just tuning in to the Lord. I decided I would commit to doing this in the morning before work, too, starting the next day.
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I met with the Lord out on the deck every morning for the rest of summer, and a good portion of the fall. My circumstances may not have changed, but everything inside of me certainly did. What I began to call my "deck devotional" time had radically impacted my prayer life, my perspective and my walk with the Lord.
I posted to Facebook about that experience, so the memory shown to the left popped up a year later. I had slacked off with my DeckDevotional time in the few months prior, but seeing that memory immediately brought to mind all that the Lord did that August. I started it up again, only this time it was different. This time, it stuck.
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I may not spend every single morning physically on the deck, but there is not a morning I don't have my DeckDevotional time. Some mornings it's at the kitchen table, others it's on the couch or even standing in the kitchen, coffee in hand, praying. When I miss this time, my whole day feels it.
So that is why I started the DeckDevotional blog! At the bottom of it all, I'm just a thirty-something year old Christian woman learning as I go. And, if what I've learned can not just encourage you, but bring you to a point where you have the desire to find your own DeckDevotional time, then this blog has served its purpose, your life will experience radical change and God will get all the glory.
~ Alyssa
A Few #FunFacts About Me
FUN FACT #1
My family is my everything. I'm the oldest of 4 and love that God gave me 3 built-in best friends. They're my constant support system. In the words of my brother, "It doesn't matter what you do, you'll have our support."
FUN FACT #2
One of my favorite places to escape to is Virginia, from the mountains around Bedford to the city life in Alexandria. Just put me near a pretty view with a good cup of coffee and it's like my heart is immediately at peace.
FUN FACT #3
Since I was a sophomore in high school, my dream has been to own a local coffee shop that hosts open mic nights regularly and supports the local nonprofit community. One day...
