The Quiet Quill

Mar 24
2 min

I Got Slapped in the Face Today (and Other Thoughts)

Don't you just love it when your daily devotion reaches out to slap you in the face? I certainly do. Well, mostly. Some of the time. It kind of depends on the slap. Sometimes a spiritual message targeted to what we're going through can be incredibly encouraging. Other times, that bible verse, song lyric, or line from a devotional is a hard wake-up call we need, but don't necessarily want. In both cases is evidence of God's intimate involvement in our lives, but if you ask me,

20 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Mar 15
3 min

Lifeboats and Tigers and Fears, Oh My!

“I must say a word about fear. It is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary ... It goes for your weakest spot, which it finds with unnerving ease. It begins in your mind, always ... so you must fight hard to express it. You must fight hard to shine the light of words upon it. Because if you don't ... you open yourself to further attacks of fear because you never truly fought the opponent who defeated you.” Why did I choose

9 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Mar 10
2 min

I Need You to Carry On

I'm trying to start a new habit. I love going for walks down my country road when my head feels crowded with the things of this big ol' world we're just passing through. Sometimes I pray while I walk, but sometimes, especially lately, I listen to worship music. And though part of me itches against the idea that I need tunes to go for a walk—(FYI, I don't always)—most of me is thrilled about a new discovery I've made. The discovery that worship can happen anywhere, anytime, to

21 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Mar 2
2 min

Life Lessons from a Rubber Band

Life threw me for a loop this week, y'all. One minute I'm rolling along, feeling reasonably in-control of my routine, and the next I'm buying a car, job-hunting, preparing for my driver's test, and frantically trying to ready my latest manuscript for this year's #PitMad event—just to name a few of the surprises that, of course, had to fall within the same seven days out of 365. Naturally. At various points in this week, I felt absolutely out of control. Even now, I'm not too

17 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Feb 25
2 min

Let's Talk Toast... and Jesus

Funny thing about toast—when you smell it, you want it. Ever notice that? I mean, there was a time when I would sooner eat dirt than toast, and I still can't deny its magical property of being appetizing in any and every context. It's just one of those things. Innately appealing, we need only to experience a whiff of it to crave it. Something in us just wants toast. What if I told you that Jesus and toast have a lot in common? See, the Word of God calls us to follow Jesus, bu

7 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Feb 22
2 min

I Will Seek Truth

I am a Truthwatcher. I know because the very thorough results from my "Official Knights Radiant Order Quiz" told me so, and we book nerds take our fictional quizzes rather seriously. Now, Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive (and its 10 orders of Knights with different attributes) may be fictional, but I can't deny that my results gave me a little thrill. Maybe because a Truthwatcher is exactly what I want to be. What does it mean to search for the Truth, to shun deceptions

12 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Feb 10
2 min

Jesus Laughed.

I can happily say that my new favourite show is officially The Chosen—not only marked by quality acting, sweet costumes, killer screenwriting, and loveable characters, but also featuring Jesus. Yeah, that's right. Jesus. Need I say more? As far as cinematic Jesus depictions go, The Chosen paints my favourite picture. Unlike in the original Ben-Hur film, he is not a faceless figure who floats through scenes on strings of otherworldly music. And, unlike in the film version of T

15 views0 comments

Troy, Gabriella, and the Terrifying Future

nikiflorica

Feb 1
3 min

Troy, Gabriella, and the Terrifying Future

Anyone who's watched High School Musical or the Teen Beach Movie or any such Disneylicious teen drama know that at some point or another, the heroes and heroines always get hung up on the idea of the future. I never got it before. I mean, I've seen High School Musical a bajillion times and for years, Troy and Gabriella's anxiety about the future never resonated with me like it does now. Because now, I find myself where they are—older, actually, which is too terrifying to even

14 views0 comments

The "Hammering Process:" Too Hard, Too Soft, or Just Right?

nikiflorica

Jan 26
3 min

The "Hammering Process:" Too Hard, Too Soft, or Just Right?

The 39 books of the Old Testament paint a picture of what C.S. Lewis calls the "hammering process—" centuries of God's hard-line training program to show Israel just what kind of God had chosen them and what He expected of them. "Hammering" seems like the right word. I mean, I'd be the first to admit that the Old Testament account, while bound together with the theme of God's tireless mercy and lovingkindness toward sinners, can also seem pretty, well . . . harsh. Those of us

15 views0 comments

The Squirrel Mentality (and Why We Need It)

nikiflorica

Jan 21
2 min

The Squirrel Mentality (and Why We Need It)

Squirrels get a bad rap. I know from experience—watching my family's ongoing bird-feeder vs. squirrel feud of feuds—but I can't help admiring their tenacity. Take my family's furry rival, for example. The bird food has switched branches, seen branches removed, been strung from the clothesline, from fishing wire, from the eaves, and the squirrel has always prevailed. Annoying as it is for those in my family who are not squirrel sympathizers, I happen to find it kind of awesome

11 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Jan 18
3 min

It's Not All Your Brain's Fault

I don't abide by everything in my psychology course, but here's a fun fact (at least as I understand it): between ages 15 and 25, the limbic system of the human brain is maturing more rapidly than surrounding sections. The result? Until roughly age 25, we tend to be ruled by our emotions. I don't know about you guys, but I'm pretty sure Mr. Psychologist is talking about me. What rules you? Is it your goals? Your logic? Your morals? Your personality? Or is it your emotions? Th

14 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Jan 12
3 min

When Caring Is Inconvenient

It's remarkably easy to give someone the impression that we care about them. We all know the proper protocol: paint our faces in the right shade of empathy with just a stroke of melancholy, give hugs when the moment demands it, promise prayers, leave our friend with that oh-so-vague offer of, "If you ever need anything . . ." before going about our lives and promptly forgetting. I know, it sounds callous when worded that way. Maybe it is. Or maybe it's true. This phenomenon h

14 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Jan 4
3 min

Here's What We Know About 2021

So, I could write an entire post on the ups and downs of 2020 and its multiple dimensions of weird/difficult/sobering/painful/illuminating, but I think we've got that topic pretty much covered, haven't we? The trials of 2020 aren't over, and we must continue to be in prayer for those who are suffering, grieving, struggling to make ends meet, or physically/mentally/spiritually burdened as a result of those ongoing trials. But, though the difficulties may be ongoing, one thing

19 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Dec 17, 2020
2 min

Snowmen Smiles

Meet Dudley, Myrtle, and Rudy, the three happy snowmen mascots of this Thankful Thursday post. Technically, I should be studying for my final exam tomorrow, but thankfulness waits for no exam, and I think we could all use a reminder that there is always something to smile about, especially at this time of year. Christmas is in just over a week and I catch myself wondering how it's snuck up so fast. It doesn't feel like Christmas at all, and part of me is feeling that little p

19 views0 comments

The Adventures of Robin Hood, by Roger Lancelyn Green: Review

nikiflorica

Dec 5, 2020
2 min

The Adventures of Robin Hood, by Roger Lancelyn Green: Review

Once a lord, now an infamous outlaw, Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest seeks justice for the poor by robbing the rich and cruel. Along with his Merry Men, fair Maid Marian, and those who have found his help in need, he seals his place in legend as the great yeoman who foils his enemies and shoots true, time and time again. Robin Hood is an antique figure in English literature, so it's unsurprising that different authors' retellings overlap. Like the Howard Pyle version of The Adv

25 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Nov 30, 2020
3 min

Joy to the World

God's was the first voice I heard when I woke up this morning. He didn't speak through words, but He was among the first thoughts in my head, and as I threw back the covers, I felt joy bubbling close to the surface, risen from the deep place in me where it normally simmers under my other emotions. I have things to say today and I'm not sure what they are yet. I'm just pounding on my keys and asking God to speak through me, asking you to follow where it goes. Joy is a beautifu

13 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Nov 12, 2020
2 min

And Bob's Your Uncle

I do not have a spontaneous bone in my body. I mean that in the most literal sense. I am not impulsive. I hate making decisions and usually go out of my way to leave the big ones up to other people, and most of my life happens within a comfortable status quo that I have no problem with 90% of the time. When the idea of a bob haircut first struck me, it was almost laughable. Inspired by one of my favourite characters from Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles, and later by anot

60 views0 comments

Strength and Endurance . . . But Mostly Endurance

nikiflorica

Oct 26, 2020
3 min

Strength and Endurance . . . But Mostly Endurance

One of my favourite verses in the New Testament is: "The one who endures to the end will be saved." (Matthew 24:14) Not because it's poetic or flowery in its language, not because of its spiritual complexity, but because of its clarity, the simplicity of its promise. Endure to the end. Keep the faith to the end. Cross the finish line and don't stop or turn around or give up on the race before it's over. Endurance. I don't consider myself to be an insanely strong person, physi

12 views0 comments

nikiflorica

Oct 21, 2020
3 min

For the Introvert: Better than One

I used to be a social butterfly. I know—GASP. There was a time when I would get together with friends at least once a week, back when we could spend hours in far-off fantasy worlds together without coming up for air. Now, I go to my fantasy worlds alone. In fact, I do a lot of things alone. If you had asked me to predict what kind of person I'd become at 18 years old, I don't think I ever would have predicted introversion to the degree I now know it. I mean, I can go for mont

15 views0 comments

NIKI FLORICA

I Got Slapped in the Face Today (and Other Thoughts)

Lifeboats and Tigers and Fears, Oh My!

I Need You to Carry On

Life Lessons from a Rubber Band

Let's Talk Toast... and Jesus

I Will Seek Truth

Jesus Laughed.

Troy, Gabriella, and the Terrifying Future

The "Hammering Process:" Too Hard, Too Soft, or Just Right?

The Squirrel Mentality (and Why We Need It)

It's Not All Your Brain's Fault

When Caring Is Inconvenient

Here's What We Know About 2021

Snowmen Smiles

The Adventures of Robin Hood, by Roger Lancelyn Green: Review

Joy to the World

And Bob's Your Uncle

Strength and Endurance . . . But Mostly Endurance

For the Introvert: Better than One

Gimme a Boost?