Happy New Year 🎉 I’m Back On YouTube!!

I can’t believe it’s 2022 now.

Wow!

Like…this year has gone by so fast. Hasn’t it?!

If I am truly honest, the last few years has gone by insanely fast for me and I don’t think my brain or heart has truly caught up yet. But this year is going to be different. I know it. I have this undeniable feeling in my gut.

The year ended so much better than I imagined in some ways–*ahem* I started my YouTube Channel up again–and in some ways ended in such tragedy and devastation that I can’t even discuss without my heart breaking. In all fairness, I can’t help but pick myself up from the ashes and wonder how many times the fire needs to be blazing before I turn into the promised diamond 👑 of said fires.

I found myself looking up towards the beautiful heavens on many occasion and asking God to return sooner, rather than later. Oh, how I still long for His glorious return. But until that day, we are in the pressure cooker called life and we have all experienced some crazy times this last year (or should I say two). However, there is something nudging me in the pit of my soul that tells me this year is the start of different. I am not sure in exactly how this will look, but my guess is that diamonds are going to start being revealed.

2022 will be different. There’s no doubt about it. It may be steeped in humility, but dazzled by His Glory. Appearing to be dirty and a lump of coal, but deeply forbearing of something–something so, so, brilliant! I hope you are going to experience it too!

But, back to the topic of me starting my YouTube channel…

YES, I did it and I am so happy! I truly missed the community and am amazed at how it’s grown. Some even don’t remember me and that is good! I started the community of Christian Book Content to get the ball rolling in March of 2016…to be a pioneer in a way. There was only a few of us at the time–Lindsey fromBFCG, Angela from Coffee&Chapters (which has passed on to be with the Lord), Sara Ella, Nadine Brandes and a few others. It was incredible to be apart of those early years establishing the Christian BookTube culture. It was very surreal.

And although some have moved to more of their writing content, exploring other Social Media platforms as their go-to, some have stuck around. Which is wonderful to see!

I didn’t have the best story as to why I left… It is quiet sad actually, which I will be touching on in the next Video (so be sure to subscribe to the Channel), but I didn’t come back just for BookTube.

You see, I changed my channel name from ChristianYABooksAndMore to me! Melanie.

I did that for a reason. I want to bring more of who I am. So that when things come up in my life–as they usually do–you can be apart of it. The early days of being absent from YouTube was the hardest. I just didn’t know how to involve you, what to say, how to portray what I was experiencing and how much information I wanted to show you. It posed many challenges. But, the biggest challenge I had was trying to connect to you with what was going on, when I only had books to relate and convey my message through.

Now, I want to bring you into my homemaking days, my journey as an artist, my journey in writing and the real life issues of having dyslexia and what that all means in my life, the books I read and my journey through the struggles I have because of things that have happened, my journey to being a godly women and virtuosity, as well as elegance–all the things that make me, me. Not just about reading the books I love.

To be frank, I want to be more authentic and real with you.

I am so amazed at those who have supported me and stayed subscribed all this time. My heart is overwhelmed thinking of it. I pray for each one of you and don’t take you as a number. I think of you as a friend. As I learn and catch up on all that I missed in creating content and the community I once was apart of, I hope you continue to follow along in the journey. I am sorry if it feels I turned my back on you. I never did, but in this new step forward, you will be more apart of my life in a unique way.

I am looking forward to this new experience with you and I hope you are too ❤️

Happy New Year!