Scripture Saturday

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

I like this version as well.

Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. (The Message)

May you be encouraged today by His glorious Word!

Blessings,

Fashion Friday

A good general rule of thumb from our 'ole buddy, Tim Gunn..."The desire to save a favorite item for a 'special occasion' means that one often ends up not wearing the very things one loves most. Stop saving and start wearing!"

And another goody from Tim, which is a trend I see now that drives me crazy!

"If you wear something to sleep in, you should not wear it out." (meaning outside the house)

Click on this link to find out how to determine your face-shape and what hair style looks best on you.

Finally, my friend, Shari Braendel, has recently posted on the hot, new fashion trends for spring. You will want to check this out so you can begin doing some "pre-shopping" as Shari calls it.

Happy Fashion Friday!

Something to Think About

I heard this read on K-Love today and thought it was kind of cool. I came home and Googled it and thought I would share. The only author name was "snopes" on the forum where I found it, so I am unsure to whom credit needs to be given.

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to Kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go ... hmmm, where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.

Makes you stop and think "Where are my priorities?"

And no dropped calls!

Blessings,

A Hymn of Praise

This week in my Bible study we were to write a hymn of praise. We have been learning about God's love, which has been a theme in my life the last few weeks. I will share more about that another time, but for now, here is my own hymn of praise to the One whose love blows me away.

All glory and honor and power
To Him who knew me before time began.
Who knit me together in my mother's womb
And is enthralled by my beauty.
Who sees my sin
And loves me anyway.
Who sent His Son
As an atoning sacrifice for that sin
Because His love is too high and wide and deep and long
For me to ever fully comprehend.
Who rescued me from the pit of despair
And loves me with an unfailing love.
Who calls me the apple of His eye
And washes me white as snow.
To Him I give all the glory and honor
Because my cup overflows with His love.

Wishing you a day filled with His love.

Sweet Blessings,

No Greater Love

(photo credit: www.spiritlessons.com)

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

There is no greater love.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Fashion Friday

For today's edition of Fashion Friday, I think it would be remiss of me to not mention that while I love fashion, I also believe that we have a commitment as Christians to honor God with our dress. We are making a statement to God, ourselves, and others by choosing to adhere to some of the immodest fashion trends of the day that the value that God places on modesty and purity is not important to us. This should not be the case if we truly desire to honor God in all facets of our lives.

As mothers, we can not expect our daughters to model this example if we are not first setting the example for them.

Therefore, I would like to suggest the following guidelines when choosing clothing for ourselves and our daughters.

The Five B's of Modesty (as originally set forth by my friend, Shari Braendel)

1. No Belly - think bare midriff shirts. However, this also includes shirts that are too short in general. If you raise your hands above your head and your stomach shows, then the shirt needs to be longer.

2. No Bra straps - this includes clear bra straps. Bra straps of any kind are a distraction and draw unwanted attention.

3. No Bottom - Think pants or shorts that show your underwear or when wearing a thong, worse. You get the idea.

4. No Breasts - Cleavage of any kind does not adhere to the 5 B's. This means even the top of the crease where the breasts are pushed together should not be showing. Men/boys are visual creatures, and it is a natural tendency to wonder what is there when seeing cleavage of any kind.

A note about this. While men have a responsibility to custody of the eyes, we, as women, also have a responsibility to help them in this regard. 1 Corinthians 10:32, "Do not cause anyone to stumble..." We must also teach our daughters the same thing. More on this topic another time.

5. No Bubbling - this refers to whether or not pants are too tight. A little "bubbling" underneath the bottom (one's rear-end) is okay. The rule of thumb should be if when pulling on the fabric at the base of the behind, it stays put, then the pants are not too tight. However, if the fabric springs back into place...you guessed it...too tight.

I hope you find this helpful, and I wish you a Happy Fashion Friday!

Blessings,

Was This Conforming?

A few weeks ago, I finally caved and read the Twilight series..all four books..some 2600 pages (this is an estimate)..in FIVE days.

I had not planned to read them. As a matter of fact, for the longest time, I had no idea who "Edward" was. I admit I was sure there was something I was missing, some new icon of pop culture about which I had no idea. I was uncool..unhip. Although, I understand "hip" is not even the word anymore further showing my total uncoolness. :-)

The only thing I knew about the series was that it was about vampires. Such was the extent of my very limited knowledge about what I did not even know was an apparent phenomenon. Being a Christian, I assumed if it was about vampires, it was not something I should further investigate, and that was the end of my wonderings about Edward and all things Twilight-related.

And then, I had lunch with a friend...who was reading the series. As were several other friends. Apparently, they were passing the series around, and they were all totally into it.

Of course, in my very limited knowledge, I asked, "Isn't that about vampires?" The reply was, "Well, yes, but it's not like that."

Oh, well, what exactly is it?

And so, after hearing an explanation, my curiosity was piqued. After all, if all of my friends were reading them and thought they were so wonderful, why not? They couldn't be that bad, right?

Now, before I go any further, let me just make clear that I am not saying a Christian should or should not read the Twilight series. I do not have an opinion on this one way or the other.

I read them. I enjoyed them. I will probably read them again which is unusual for me because it is rare that I reread books.

The content of the books is not the point of my post. The question of whether or not I conformed when I should not have IS the point.

As Christians we are called to "be in the world but not of the world." The truth is, that is often easier said than done.

I had heard the Twilight series was about vampires and as a Christian decided that it was not something I needed to know about, but when I found out others were reading it whom I felt had values the same as mine, I thought, "Well, maybe it is okay after all."

But was it really?

Again, this is an individual decision. I do think sometimes we as Christians can become too legalistic about things. Meaning, that we adhere to a certain set of rules that may not necessarily be in accordance with the Word, which should be our standard for all things.

However, we are also to be set apart. Our salvation and forgiveness were bought at a price. A very high price. Jesus' blood on the cross. Anti-conformity is a very small price to pay in comparison.

To read the books or not? To watch the TV show or not? To listen to the music or not? The list goes on.

Only you and God through the power of His Holy Spirit and time spent in prayer and the Word can answer the questions. The important thing is to remember to ask and to then be obedient when the answer is given...even if it is not the one you would have liked.

Blessings,

Be Still Sunday

Wishing you a blessed and restful Sunday filled with His Presence.

Scripture Saturday

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

Blessings,

Fashion Friday

I am just about recovered from the stomach flu. Sorry I have been unable to post the follow-up to Monday's post. Unfortunately, I am going out of town later today, so that will have to wait until next week. Until then, as promised last week, if the occasional need for covering up an unwanted pimple is ever a problem for you (as it sometimes is for me), then check out the following video.



Happy Fashion Friday, Ya'll!

Sick

Sorry about today's post. I have the flu. I will hopefully be back in a couple of days.

Blessings,

"What If They Reject Me?"

I recently had a conversation with several women concerning being on facebook. If you have not yet joined the craze or do not know what I am talking about, you can learn more here.

One woman, whom I had never seen before this particular conversation, was saying how she had put off adding a facebook profile because she feared that she would not have any friends. She said, "What if I put myself out there and no one wants to be my friend? What if they reject me?"

This young woman looked to be in her early to mid-twenties, and in my opinion, was absolutely beautiful.

I admit I was surprised by her comments. The truth is, though, I do not know her. I do not know what her life looks like. However, in that brief encounter, I think I learned something about her. I saw something in her with which I, myself, have struggled.

Lack of self-confidence. Poor self-esteem.

I was relaying this conversation to my husband, and he said, "What WOULD happen? Would the earth stop spinning on its axis? Would life as you know it come to an end? Would it really be that bad?"

Well, no. No, none of those things would happen. No, I do not suppose it would be that bad, but when the opinions of others drive your opinion of yourself, it certainly can seem like it is "that bad."

I felt sad for that young woman. I saw myself at her young age...I saw myself sometimes now.

I have grown a lot. God is working with me...still. I am better than I used to be, but I am not there yet. I am learning to find my identity in who I am in Christ and not who the world says that I am, but it has been a slow, sometimes painful process.

Tomorrow we will talk more about esteem. Self-esteem and what it means to be esteemed by God.

Until then,

Blessings,

Be Still Sunday

Wishing you a restful Sunday filled with His Presence.