Christmas whirlwind

                  But Mary kept all these  things in her heart and thought of about them often.

                                                                                                                                        Luke 2:19

                         The Christmas shopping is almost done. You have to go to a couple Christmas parties over the weekend. Help decorate the church during the week. Make cookies for the Cookie exchange. Your going Caroling the day before Christmas Eve. Compile a list of who's coming for Christmas and where their going to stay. It just about makes you want to fall into a sugar cookie mess with tinsel on top huh?

                         Why is it the most enchanting time of year is the busiest time of year? Especially for us women. No matter if your married or single. You can still feel the holiday pressure. Even as I write this I'm going through a season of learning how to turn to God with my anxiety that has blown up over the last couple months. I knew I was a worry wort but golly. I didn't realize how deep the anxiety reached into my mind and heart. 

                         Let's take a look at Mary for a second. She was a teenager. Newly married and pregnant for the first time. Most of all she carried God's son in her belly. Talk about Stress of the whole world! People through the ages looked forward to the coming of the messiah. And God chose her to be the bearer of good news. She was the very first to know that Jesus was coming. What I don't like is how people make Mary out as an angelic non-human person. She was as human as you and me. She was a young woman full of hopes and dreams. She probably thought she'd live in Nazareth her whole life. Like her family. Everything changed when the angel came that day. And what did Mary do? She trusted God. She laid in His arms and found rest and peace. 

                       I chose to rest in my Fathers arms as well. To take in the enchantment and wonder of Christmas and take them into my heart and celebrate the birth of our Savior. Will you join me?   

                                                        

Salt or Clay?

     
                  The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. 
                                                                                                Genesis 19:1

                   All she could hear was the sound of her breathing.  Finally, they reached the town one of the two angels told them to flee to. The sun began to rise over the horizon. The long night was over! Behind her she could hear the sound of rumbling like heavy drums. Orange and yellow light like torchlight flicker'd eerily around herself, her husband and daughters. Then she thought of everything they left; the people, the food, the beautiful clothing, their comfortable life. "Just one last look," she thought to herself as her head turned toward the city. As soon as her eyes rested on the damned city, she herself was destroyed.

           
                  Run for your lives!!      

               When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the Lord was merciful.
                                                                                                                          Genesis 19:16

                   This story is disturbing in and of itself.  We see a glimpse of how vile the people of the city were. Young and old men wanted to have sex with two strangers (angels) that were visiting Lot. We know that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were sexually immoral, violent, thieves, murderers, and the list goes on. 

                   Have you noticed? The angels were urgent. They were even forceful. They demanded to know if Lot had family. They told him that the outcry against the place was so great that God sent them to destroy it. Lot told his sons-in-law. They thought he was joking! Sound familiar? During Noah's time it was the same except it was the whole world save Noah, his wife, sons and daughters-in-law. 

                  Lot's sons-in-law could have escaped the wrath that was coming but they didn't believe Lot. They had a window of hope.

                  Lot's wife escaped the city. She was safely away. She had to look back! Why a pillar of salt? What does that signify? God had mercy on her. How corrupted was Lot's wife? We see a glimpse of her heart through her daughters. In verses 30-36 we see their hearts were wicked. They did not trust or ask God to provide them husbands. They took the situation into their own hands. 

                 What about me? You? We are the same. Wicked hearts full of selfish intent. Sometimes, without realizing it, we prefer the heart of salt to a heart of clay. 

                  Lately, the thoughts that come into my mind shock and disgust me. I am not good apart from Jesus. I am so grateful for God's abundant mercy for me. There were many times He could have turned me into a pillar of salt as I turned back toward the sin I ran from. 

                 I'm so thankful for the gift of The Holy Spirit. He keeps my heart from becoming a block of salt. Have you ever put a chunk of salt into some water? Well, it doesn't last very long. It dissolves. God gave us that warning and so many more through the Bible. The actions and horrendous repercussions from that choice, though,...a glance. 

                How can I, you, we live our every day lives in step with God? By keeping Him in the forefront of our minds.  By choosing to surrender to Him.  And by asking Him to keep our hearts soft like clay.            

L.O.V.E.

                      Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud.

                                                                                                                      1 Corinthians 13: 4

                            I've talked about love before. I don't think you can ever get too much of hearing about how to love one another and God. I think, though, if it doesn't line up with  God's definition of love...then you have a problem.  

                 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs.  

                                                                                                                   1 Corinthians 13:5

                               In this day and age love almost seems harder to figure out. The world say's love is one way and God says love is this way. Then Christians can sometimes get some of the world's love and God's love and make something like the Frankenstein monster. It becomes more works based, like you have to earn your love from God. Remember, Jesus died for our sin. His love, the salvation He brought, is a gift. We just have to accept it. 

                            So what does the world's love look like?
      
                              The love of the world is limited; you can only be loved so much. If you keep getting into trouble you'll have to get out. If you do something nice for me, I'll do something nice for you. If you act like us we'll love you. 
                              Its is cruel, heartless and careless. 

                              What about God's love? It's kind, patient, slow to anger, always love and protects, It never fails and His love delights in the Truth. God's love does not delight in evil, does not keep records of wrongs, it is not boastful, or proud. It's not jealous or rude. God's love is so radical and foreign to us. 

                  "For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." 
                                                                                                          John 3:16

                              You may know that verse well. Too well as a matter of fact. You may know this verse so well that you have forgotten the meaning of it. The meat of it. Why would God give His only son to a world that doesn't care? As a girl I know once said; "That's stupid! Why would God do that?" At the time I got mad at her honesty. But, as the years go by, I have thought about her words and looking at God's sacrifice through the eyes of those who don't know Jesus or know very little. That is stupid! Why would someone give himself over to a people that would gladly kill Him? Would revel in the thought of seeing Him bleed? In feeling his skin give way under their hands? In watching His flesh bruise and swell. Well, He did. And aren't you glad for His amazing love? His Holy love? His sacrificial love? 

                              Could you do that? Think of your neighbor. The one you don't like. The one that gets under your skin and you just want to chew them out every single time you see them. What about those who are out to hurt others? Use them, abuse them. Kill them. Would you be willing to reach out to them? It's easy to think of helping a person you like. What about your enemy? Could you give him a glass of cold water? Make him a delicious meal? Remember this: We were God's enemies before He rescued us. We did not know the depths of our sin until He revealed it to us. He loved us while we were sinners.

                             Let's love like Jesus. Radical love. Love those who hate us. Give to the needy. Reach out to the hurting. The rejects. The losers.  If you ask Him. He will reveal to you how to love like Him. 

                                                       
                               

Praise Him

     
                     Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels, all his heavenly hosts. 
                                                                                        Psalm 148:1-2

                             It's easy to praise and worship God in Church. Singing the songs, you automatically think of God. What happens when you get home? As you enter the week? When you're in the middle of the week? Do you still praise God?

                                                    I can't focus!!

                  Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. 
                                                                                       Psalm 148:3-4

                        About two months ago I went though a month of fear and worry about my health. The first week the muscle over my ribs was pulled. I had to limit my movements because it would hurt if I moved in a certain way. I worried how long I would have to do this. 
                      The second week I was going to donate plasma. During the first appointment I had to stop the process of donating early because I began to panic (I've never seen that much of my blood outside my body before!). I scheduled another appointment to try again in the next three days. Those three days were agony. I had a lot of panic attacks. My heart raced through each night. I was a wreck.  The day I donated a second time it went better.
                    The third week I had multiple heart palpitations throughout the day; I felt so stressed from the past two weeks. That's when God got my attention.

                                   Be still, dear daughter
                  
             Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.
                                                                                 Psalm 148:5-6

                   That second day I donated plasma, God told me to focus on Him. Don't predict what could happen. Just focus on Me. I really had to focus hard and His peace passed through me. He was going to be with me. Of course He was. 

                  In that third week I looked back at the two stress-filled weeks and realized I was not relying on my Heavenly  Father. I didn't even cry out to my Father or think of Him during my first Plasma appointment. I was horrified. I began my journey of thanking God in my situations. Get this; I wasn't thanking God for the palpitations but was thanking Him that He was bringing my attention back to Him.

                 Now I am doing a lot better. I am still continually working on being thankful and praising Him. From time to time I still complain, whine and am negative. Thank God for His grace and mercy!    

7 Day Identity Challenge: Day Seven

                          A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer then a brother.
                                                                                                     Proverbs 18:24


                                              You made it through the week! The last day of the challenge.  Has God been working on your heart regarding all of these false identities that we believe makes us who we are? We've learned that we are deeply loved in spite of our past. We are valuable the way God made us. We are of God's love because of Christ and we don't have to earn it. We are clothed with righteousness because of Christ. No matter where we are emotionally we are accepted. And we are unique in the way God created our perspective on life and how we learn. 

                                         Which brings us to the last day. Friends are very important people in our lives. We can't live with them and we can't live without them. What has been going around now is that you have to surround yourself with people that make you happy. People that are rich. People that uplift you. People that make you feel good. We believe that our friends make up who we are. If we're surrounded by good and wholesome people then we will be good and wholesome. If we are surrounded by mean poor people then the same will go for us.

                                         Our identity is not based on people. We are then putting them in the place of God, more than just a human being. We have to remember that people are messed up. Were not going to meet each other's standards perfectly. Our identity in this area is that because of God's faithfulness we can be a good friend. Because we are loved, accepted and cherished we know that God loves us no matter what. It's not what we can do as a friend or how we perform that makes us lovable. Yes we do need to be careful who we are friends with because some people can be dangerous. But don't base who a person is off of how they look, act, dress or talk. Let God lead you. You may be surprised where you will find a good friend. 

                                        Now, apply theses Truths to yourself and others and continually surrender those lies to God.                         

                                           






                                   http://science-all.com/wallpapers/friends-images.html

7 Day Identity Challenge: Day Six

       For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mothers womb. 

                                                                                                                          Psalm 139:13

                                                                           
                                     Wow. Sixth day of the challenge already! What are you thinking about this day? I hope this challenge is changing your perspective of yourself and of God. Let's continue. 

                                     In this day and age, education is the biggest thing that can be obtained. America's god of choice seems to be education. It's not a choice whether you want to go to school or not. It's a part of life. Most of all going to college. Every senior in high school is asked the question of what college they are going to about a million times in their last year of school.  After grade school and college is done, everyone asks the question; "so...what school did you go to?" 

                                   Well, what about those who couldn't afford school? The high school drop out? The one who didn't want to go to school but now regrets it? Do we hold education in higher esteem than people? Than God? Sometimes I think so. We believe that when you are full of knowledge, that is where your worth comes from. No! And that brings us to today's identity in Christ. 

                                   Our identity in Christ in this area of our life is that to be in God's family we don't need to accumulate knowledge in order to belong.  We are unique. We all notice different things, have different perspectives. God created all of our minds to work at different levels and paces.  We shouldn't expect an artistic mind to come up with math  questions or a scientist to write a song and sing it (maybe there's someone who can do all of those!) .  The fact of the matter is, we are all unique. We need to remember that. Don't base your whole identity off of what you learn and how much you learn. Base it on who God made you to be in Him: A unique woman with a unique perspective on the world.        

7 Day Identity Challenge: Day Five

                    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. 
                                                                                                                
                                                                                                               Philippians 4:6-7

                              We've learned that our identity is that we are deeply loved by God in spite of our past. We're valuable  the way God made us. We're worthy of God's love and we don't have to earn it. And we are clothed with righteousness because of Christ!

                            Which brings us now to day five. Another lie we believe makes our identity is our emotions. We think that we're too angry, too happy, too serious, too sad. People may tell you that you need to tone down your ______. Fill in the blank of emotion. We may even tell people; "I'm the happy one in the family.I'm always staying happy for everyone!"We feel as women like we're volcanoes of emotional mush that could overflow at any minute!

                             Take heart, sisters! That doesn't define who we are. Our identity in this area is that we are accepted where we are. Yes, God calls us to surrender emotional baggage that weighs us down spiritually, emotionally and even physically. It's okay if you are sad, mad, happy etc. during seasons in your life. That's the way it is! But, don't let it define you. Remember that God loves you where you are. 







                   http://www.careeraddict.com/avoid-having-a-meltdown-at-the-office

7 Day Identity Challenge: Day Four

                              Put on then, as God's chosen one's, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness,  and patience.
                                                                                  Colossians 3:12

                          As women, what is usually our biggest focus? Clothing. Whether you care greatly or care little we put our identity into the clothes we wear. 

                         We believe that the clothes make the girl. If your clothes are frumpy, dirty and dingy then that is the kind of woman you are. Lazy, boring and low hygienic. If you are a sophisticated, classy and fashionable dressing woman it means your intelligent, hardworking and worth getting to know. Yes, clothes can make a first oppression but hey, come on! Lets not be so shallow as that.

                      The truth of our identity in this area is that we're clothed with righteousness. Because of Jesus, He has made us right and fit to be able to be in God's presence. The King! No matter where you go, no matter what you're wearing, you are dressed spiritually like a princess with grace, hope and joy. It won't matter what clothes you have on your frame because people will see it in your eyes. They even may catch a glimpse of that royal dress you're walking around in.          

7 Day Identity Challenge: Day Three

                   

             So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 

                                                                                                      1 Corinthians 10:31

                   
                    The next aspect of life that influences our identity is work.  If we have a well-paying job, one that shows off our intellect, our riches and material wealth then we're valuable. We teach our children that having a good paying job deems we're worthy of anything. 

                   What are we thinking? This makes us exhausted and grouchy. We end up not wanting to have anything to do with our family because we want to be alone. Having a full time career isn't a bad thing. What's bad is if our heart is filled with selfish ambition. We want to work harder and prove that we're a part of  the team. Or we have to prove that we're worth other's time.

                  You know what's the next thing that influences our identity in Christ? Our sense of our own worth. We are worthy of God's love simply because we exist. We don't have to have a career to prove ourselves. What God wants from us is full surrender. He wants to show us how precious we are to Him. We are worthy of love and we are valuable because each of us is the daughter of God. 

7 Day Identity Challenge: Day Two

                        "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
                                                    1 Samuel 16:7

                           The next belief that influences our identity is our body. We get messages from all angles that say to be the best you is to be skinny, have clear, flawless skin and curves to die for. We believe that how we look is a part of what makes us...us. Yes, part of how we are identified is by our face and our finger prints and such but there's so much more to our identity. We focus on our outward appearance as identifying us as beautiful, ugly, strong, weak, etc.

                           In truth, our identity is that we are valuable. God has made you just the way you are. You are valuable because you belong to The King! No matter what lies people say, they can change your view of yourself but they can't change the reality of who you are.  You are a beautiful creation. If you don't believe that, I know it sounds like a bunch of bologna. I used to think badly about myself ( I still do at times). When I look in the mirror and start to beat down or criticize myself I would close my eyes and ask God to show me what I look like in His eyes. Or I would tell myself that I am beautiful and valuable.  

                               Remember, the hardest critic of your own body is yourself.

    

See yourself as God sees you: a beautiful masterpiece!

                               

                              

                          

                               

7 Day Identity Challenge: Day one

         
                                  To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. 
                                                                                                     Isaiah 61:3

                 For the next seven days I will challenge you about what you base your identity on.

                 As women we base our identity on many things. It puts so much pressure on us. It can become overwhelming and it can make our lives confusing. And if someone were to ask, "who are you?" would you be able to answer?

                  Do you base who you are on what has happened to you? Abused, made fun of, raped, looked down upon, neglected, molested, etc. Whether or not what happened to you played a big or small part in your life; it shaped your character. It did not, however, shape your identity. You could be fearful, stubborn, bitter, angry, anxious, depressed and just plain hurt. But that can change! Your identity, though, can never change. 

                 God can redeem your past. All He wants from you is your trust and for you to surrender to Him. Now that is tough. If you've been holding onto hurt for a long time, it will be like peeling an old dirt covered band-aid off your skin. Now that hurts!! It's needed though. He will clean that wound with His truth and cover it with his grace and mercy. 
           
                Your true identity is based on the fact that you are loved deeply. The bad things that happened to you were not necessarily your fault. Someone wronged you. But, if you are continuing a sin pattern because of the bad experience, let it go. That sin does not define you, either. Believe me, it will be hard to let go of that addiction that has comforted or soothed you so it's better to let Christ be your only source of eternal comfort. Talk to Jesus today. He is your Wonderful Counselor.       

                           Here is a website that has helped me greatly. If you are struggling with sexual addiction there is hope for you. 

http://dirtygirlsministries.com/    

Contradiction

 

             Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

                                                                                                                     Galatians 1:10

               Our culture is so harsh and cruel. Wouldn't you agree? For example, here is the contradicting message that comes across from fashion, movies, magazines and T.V.:

              You must be skinny like a model and starve yourself to keep that way; NO, that is so un-healthy you have to accept your curves! Oh no, that is so fat. You have to workout and eat right and be lean and active, etc.

              So many different voices. It's making all of us confused.  What is the right way to look? What's healthy? Am I better looking then my sister/friend? Is our society right in the mind? 

   

                         Walking Contradiction      

   

   Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.   

                                Romans 12:2

             Logically we all know that no one is the same. It would completely boring. But, why do we want it to be so?  We long for the thin frame of that actress. The athletic body of that woman in the gym. The voluptuous curves of the woman we saw passing by on the street. Why do we compare ourselves so much? Why do we listen to the media so intently? 

            Like what the verse directly above says, we cannot think like the world anymore. We have to let our thinking be renewed.  There are a million reasons why we listen to the contradicting voice of the world. The one big reason I believe we listen to that voice is because we long to be noticed. To be known for our beauty. To be valued. And for others to see us and admire the uniqueness of who we are. Even though our physical appearance is one part of who we are it is still important. 

            I've heard so many times, mostly from the Christian community in my teen years and early 20's, that the physical is not important. We must focus on the inside. That is where true beauty comes from.  That would hurt and confuse me. Why did God make woman so beautiful? Why have men captured the beauty of a woman's body over the centuries through words, drawings and paintings? Esther in the Bible was said to be beautiful. Job's daughters were described as the fairest in the land. Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister, Tamar.  And so on. There were many beautiful woman in the Bible. So, there are even contradictions in the church.

         The one voice we need to listen to is God's. He can see our beauty on the outside and the inside. Now, what we do need to be careful of is using our beauty for the wrong reasons. The world says to seduce men and use your beauty to get what you want. To dress a certain way and move a certain way to attract attention to yourself. What if you let God renew your mind to not let yourself get all the glory but to point to God?  What if you took care of yourself, dressed in a way and did everything to the glory of God? You may want to show off parts of your body because you "can." Is that really right? Would you be a walking contradiction? An example might be if you daily dressed in a way that didn't show off more skin then you should yet on the beach you wear just enough to cover what needs to be covered. Do you really think people turn off their lust and thinking at the pool or at the beach? Wherever you go do, whatever you're doing, may it be for the glory of God. 

            Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 

                      Philippians 2:3

        Whadya' say? Why don't we stop comparing and contradicting and surrender ourselves to Christ. To give up that way of thinking and not look through the eyes of the world at ourselves but to look at ourselves and others through God's eyes. Let's ask God for a heavenly perspective on each other and ourselves.                  

           http://chedva.org/2011/08/10/comparing-children-an-impediment-to-growth/

Slow your roll

                           As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him.

                                                                      Luke 10:38

                        Ladies, you've probably heard this term before. 'Sometimes you feel more like a Martha then a Mary.' Who are you feeling like now?

                                                     I can't stop!!!

                             She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lords feet listening to what He had to say. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that  had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

                                      Luke 10:39-40

                       Last week I was a Martha. I was running from place to place. working on my graphic novel, writing letters to friends, cooking, baking etc. Like I just told a friend,  "I almost can't remember what I did last week!" I know a lot of you had those days, weeks or even months. Your life is just on the fast track and you want to find the button to make it stop! Or just slow down. We run ourselves down physically, spiritually and mentally. Is that okay? Is it necessary? 

                      "Martha, Martha," The Lord answered. "You are worried and upset about many things,..."

                  Luke 10:41

                      A couple years ago a movie called 'I Don't know how she does it." came out. My mom, sister and I were flying back home from visiting my grandparents. My mom and I wanted to watch one of the movies that was on the plane. That was an option. We laughed so hard. It portrayed the mind of a woman so well. One scene is she's laying awake in bed and she begins to make a list in her mind of all the things she has to do for the next coming day or week. We're all like that. Married or not we all have multi-tasking crazy computer minds! We can think of so many things and do so many things at the same time. 

                     Martha was most likely the exact same way we are. The only difference was technology did not exist and things were more quite and ...slow? Maybe things were fast in their own way during their time. In Luke 10:39-42 we see that Martha was focused on having everything ready. She had tunnel vision for being a good hostess. As Jesus said to Martha, "You are worried and upset about many things." So are we as well. 

                 "... But only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

                                Luke 10:42

               How many times have we complained to God; "So and so isn't doing as much as I do for you! And she seems so much more at peace, or not so stressed out or she seems to know more about you then I do." 

                Jesus quietly says our name and smiles. Then He tells us to slow down. Take a deep breath. Sit with me for awhile. Lets talk. 

               What have you been focused on? Do you need to slow down more? Refocus and sit at the feet of Jesus. 

New is better

     
                              Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
                                                                                                             Hebrews 13:8

                     We've all been like this at least a couple times in our lives, when we're not exactly happy with what we have. We want new things, new people in our lives or even a new family to replace the crazy one we have now. And we may want to replace ourselves, whether it be physically, spiritually or/and mentally.  Is it good to desire and want to replace the old with the new?

                                                New creation 
Therefore , if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
                                                                                                                     2 Corinthians 5:17

                  What if I gave you two choices?  Lets say the first option would be one million dollars. The second option would be a brand spankin' new Bible to replace the one at home that's falling apart. Honestly, think for a moment. Which would you choose? For me, my Bible is still in pretty good condition. I would say the million dollars. Why? Well, I would love to buy a house for my family, have enough money for groceries, all the necessities you'd need for the next couple years. But, of course as a woman, thoughts of having money to change things about myself crosses my mind: Getting rid of scars, stretch marks, unwanted birthmarks, defects that could be reversed. And the biggest thing that some woman would want is to change their breast size, the shape of their lips, etc. 

                 Why do we want to replace what we already have? Get something new to replace the "old?" I think it's part of our sinful nature. We aren't content at times with what we have. Sometimes what we have doesn't look as great as what our neighbor has. How can we overcome this problem? Why is it that we want to buy more new things, have new things and wear new things? I don't know about you, but for me there is a feeling of satisfaction when I buy something new, a curiosity for the new object and even an exhilaration. 

                  Do you think the reason we feel this way is because it's hard seeing the things we have break down? Or we get bored with it. When I get caught up in this way of thinking, God reminds me to step back and take a deep breath. My purpose in life is not to buy more and replace the old. My purpose is to glorify God and give Him the honor and glory. If God wants to give me something new, okay. But if not, that's okay, too. The biggest thing is, I'm glad God doesn't get bored with us or replace us. He could have destroyed the whole earth and started over (like back in Genesis with Noah). Nope, He waited patiently until the time was ready to send His son Jesus down to rescue us from our sin. So, even though we won't be getting new bodies yet; it's good to know that because of Jesus, we're a new creation apart from our sin.  
                     

A Book on Modesty

                                                                         

    Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God with your body. 

                  1 Corinthians 6:19-20

                         I finished reading a book called Modest men and women clothed in the Gospel. By R W Glenn and Tim Challies. I know that the word modest could be a scary word to you. Even as Christians the topic of modesty can make your eyes roll. 

                        I saw this book at the library when I was browsing around for a book to read. I plucked it from the shelf. I was pleasantly surprised to read that authors said that they wanted to address modesty to men as well as women. I knew that men had to look away if they saw a sparsely dressed women but, I thought it was ultimately the woman who had to take care of the modesty issue. They actually pointed out areas where men are immodest too! 

                      I don't want to give anything away about this book. You should definitely read it for yourself. It has brought me to a greater understanding of this issue. I don't see modesty as a have too. But as a want to. Because of Jesus I want to dress modestly to honor him and thoughtfully be aware of my brothers in Christ (and I don't want the wrong attention).

                    The biggest point they touched was that the issue of modesty all comes from the heart. So, I will leave you with that. I strongly encourage you to read this book. I assure you will be surprised. And pleasantly so.  

                 http://a5.files.xojane.com/image/upload/c_fit,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTI0ODY0MDE0NTQyMDIwNjgw.jpg

Words that Sting

               
                                                                           

                            Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 
                                                                                                     Ephesians 4:29

                          Let's face it. As woman we can be so harsh to each other.  We really know how to hit where it hurts. Sometimes I would rather hang out with guys then be with my own kind!

                       This girl talk needs to stop!

    There is one who's rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.   
                     Proverbs 12:18

                            All of us woman can be hard and cruel. But, this post will be focused on the audience of middle, high school and collage age ladies. 

                            Have any of you seen the movie 'Mean Girls' ? I watched it when I was an 8th or 9th grader. The point that really stuck out to me was how scary mean girls are and how words can ruin your life! 

                            I was home schooled through out grade school. But the crazy thing is. I still felt the effects of public school! I grew up living on a Military base. My Dad was in the Army. I had plenty of friends. My sisters and our friends played together and became close with many other fellow "Army Brats" and their families. Of course I'm a triplet so people talked about us a lot. I was able to ignore it. But it just bothered me that people talked about me. It still does. I actually feel creep'd out at times thinking about that. 

                           Ladies, think about it. Why do you slander, make fun of and put down other girls? To make yourself feel better? That's the big one. Or is it because their annoying? Their weird? Their dumb? Whatever the case may be STOP! I won't say "oh, treat them as you would want to be treated." You've probably heard that plenty of times. Even though it's true. Just stop it. You girls are spiritually killing yourselves. And it's literally killing girls. Have you noticed? There has been a rise of suicides in recent years. You may even think 'what does that have to do with me? If they kill themselves that's their problem.' That's not the case.

                        I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak. 
                                    Matthew 12:36

                     As a young person your probably just focusing on the hear and now. Doing and saying whatever you want. Eating and drinking whatever you like and Wearing whatever is in  now. Have you ever thought of your future? Not collage (for you middle and high schooler's) And not what you're life will be like after collage. I'm talking about the next couple days, weeks, and even years. How will the now affect you later? 

                 When I was about 12 or 13 some of my friends came to my house. They told me about this girl that pretended she was a werewolf and she only chased girls. At first I was like 'so that's just how she plays.' But then they told me more things that made her sound really weird. I got caught up in their uproar and all of us girls went to give her a tongue lashing on her weird behavior. We crowded that poor girl and were nasty and mean. She ran and we chased her. She got to her house. She was on the steps crying. Her friend cradled her in her arms and glared at us as we approached. She told us that we should be ashamed and that we had no imagination. That snapped me out of the mob thinking. It cut me to the core. I realized this girl could have been a friend! I regret getting caught up in my friends perception of that girl. I wish those words could be taken back. I hate to think how that affected that girl. What lies does she believe about herself now? 

               Let this be a warning to you. Every word you say is recorded. God takes into account all your careless and cruel words. And, He takes into account all the good too. 

               Choose today to surrender your words, your tongue to Jesus. Lay it at the foot of the cross and let God work a new thing in you. You won't believe how a kind word can turn someones day around. Even a simple hello can bring a beautiful smile to a frowning face. Words hold great power. What do you choose? Words of destruction or words of life?