Felicity

FYI...

2010-10-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

For your information, dear readers, I've moved ALL of my post (not just the crazy ones) to my other blog.

Check it out me lovees!

xoxo

Life, when lived by faith...

2010-02-24T10:55:00.000-08:00

"But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction,

but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul."

Hebrews 10:39

We can be like our forefathers,
who lived and died in the name of the Lord,

"...who by faith conquered kingdoms,

performed acts of righteousness,

obtained promises,

shut the mouths of lions,

quenched the power of fire,

escaped the edge of the sword,

from weakness were made strong,

became mighty in war

and put foreign armies to flight."

Hebrews 11:33-34

Life lived in faith is a life of POWER.

Be encouraged, my beloved friends, God can do all things.

Have faith in HIM.

A scriptural breakdown...

2010-02-17T21:03:00.001-08:00

Life has gotten a little more difficult lately.

Not phsyically.

For in reality, my life is soo wonderful. So much love in my family. I'm so blessed. My parents spoil me as much as they are able. They protect me. And teach me. And guide me.

I AM blessed.

And I know this.

But sometimes, without warning, my heart hurts.

That's when the spiritual battles begin.

Unable to be explained, except for an unrest festering in my soul.

My parents and I are visiting family in Utah, so my Bible reading and prayer has kind of gone on a back burner. Bad idea, especially when in the midst of a Spiritual battle.

Anyways, the unrest ensued. My heart hurt. And I wasn't seeking the Lord, His help, guidance and comfort. I wasn't taking up my Sword (God's Word) and using it in battle against the evil ones.

But then, I picked up my Bible...

and kept reading it.

1 Corinthians 4 jumped out at me:

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,
so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God
and not from ourselves;
we are afflicted in every way,
but not crushed;
perplexed,
but not despairing;
persecuted,
but not forsaken;
struck down
but not destroyed..."

I was feeling unworthy.
And God reminded me that yes, I am unworthy, but He loves me anyway.

I am the earthen vessel from this passage.
Ugly.
Disfigured.
Made out of the crudest of materials.
Used for the most degrading of tasks.

And God uses ME to hold his treasure.
If we go back a bit in the chapter and read the verse right before this passage we can find out what "this" treasure is.
Verse 6, "For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the one who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ."

The GLORY of God in the face of Christ.

What a marvelous treasure!

And we, as Christians, have this treasure, kept in our
ugly
disfigured
sinful
earthen vessels.

But...

Why?

Our question is answered in the next verse,
"...so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God
and not from ourselves..."

God knows that we are imperfect. We live in a sinful world. And we are sinful people with dreadfully sinful souls.

And God still uses us.

He wants to use us.

Because when He uses our unworthy, unable selves, His glory shines through.
Heh, because is so obvious to everyone else that it's not US that's done anything good, but only God working through us.

There's SO much more in this passage that I want to breakdown and talk about. But for now, remember, God wants to use you.

I was so encouraged by this.

I am imperfect.

Impatient.

Selfish.

Sinful.

And God, in His goodness and glory still wants to use me for His wondrous purposes.

Be encouraged.

You are an earthen vessel.

But God wants to fill You with the marvelous treasure of His glory in the face of Christ.

The Greatest of Kings, born in the most humblest of places...

2009-12-25T19:49:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas :)

Small Hard Things...

2009-12-23T06:20:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been feeling insignificant.

I'm sure you've heard me say before that I'm ready for my next adventure! And I am. But it's not coming. I'm still here, doing the dishes, visiting my great Aunt and doing secretarial work for my dad's business. All of these are good things, I know that fully, but sometimes they feel so...well, insignificant.

This morning I picked up Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris and read a chapter called Small Hard Things. It was so encouraging!

"In Rudyard Kipling's novel Captains Courageous, fifteen-year-old Harvey Cheyne, the son of a wealthy railroad tycoon, is washed overboard from a transatlantic steamship and rescued by fishermen.
Cold, wet, and forgotten for the first time in his spoiled existence, Harvey at first tries to convince the fishermen of his parents' great wealth. He wants them to abandon their fishing season and take him ashore, where he promises his father will reward them generously. But his please don't work. In the end he is forced to earn his keep mending nets and gutting fish.
At first Harvey can't believe his bad luck. The backbreaking work, the long hours, the stench, and the cold and wet disgust and overwhelm him. But over time, Harvey mysteriously changes. His body toughens. He learns to use his hands and his head to perform the tasks and weather the trials of fishing on the open sea. He begins to actually enjoy the hardships and to admire the strength and intelligence of his new companions.
When the boat finally returns to port, Harvey wires his parents who rush to the small town. Amazed, they find a transformed son. Their lazy, demanding boy has become an industrious, serious, and considerate young man. No longer needing or wanting his mother's constant doting, Harvey is ready to start a successful career in his father's shipping lines.
Maybe you feel forgotten and alone, grinding away at pointless routines that seem guaranteed to lead you nowhere...The truth is that your life (both now and later) will require you to invest a lot of time and energy into things that aren't big and that don't seem to make much of an impact. Some days they don't even make sense.

Sometimes the smallest things can be the hardest things of all."

Why are the small hard things so difficult? The book gives us a list of the top five reasons:

1. They don't usually go away after you do them. whew! I agree with this one. No sooner have I cleaned the living room, and it's messy again. Or if I exercise today, I still need to exercise tomorrow and the next day too.

2. They don't seem very important. Especially when "well meaning" strangers inform you of how important your life is. *sigh* does it never end?

3. They don't seem to make a difference. My mom is sweet and tells me how important my helping her and dad is, and I super appreciate it. But this point is still very true in my life, especially when I do something over and over and over.

4. They don't seem very glamorous. Yes.

5. No one is watching. Again, yes.

"Doing hard things is how we exercise our bodies, our minds and our faith. Small hard things are the individual repetitions - like a single push-up. They are seempingly insignificant by themselves but guaranteed to get results over time."

God even talks about this in His Word: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Colossians 3:23

I just LOVE this from Martin Luther King Jr. -

"If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music...Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well."

So now I'm encouraged. Ready to tackle my t0-do list for today with zest and vigor! Even if what I'm doing sounds silly and insignificant (doing the dishes, laundry, exercising...) I'm able to realize that being able to do those things with a sweet heart and for the glory of God will train my heart and mind, strengthening me day by day for whatever comes next.

Pursued...

2009-12-10T18:00:00.001-08:00

Today at Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) one of the ladies commented on how grounded I was in my faith. This isn't the first time that the ladies there have commented on my spiritual insight or knowledge in the scriptures, especially for my age. I giggle, remembering the time during fellowship when my group was talking about the lesson, our testimonies and how God is working in our lives. I had just finished talking about something God had been showing me, and one of the ladies looked at me with a smile and said, "Will you marry my son?!" LOL!

Why do I mention this? It's not to brag, I assure you, because it's not because of me that I have any knowledge, grounded-ness or spiritual insight. I fail soooooooooooooooo much. Please do not misunderstand me, I am a sinner (a wretched sinner for that matter, just ask my mom), yet loved still. Human hearts can't ever fully grasp the unconditional love of God, but we can certainly know a piece of it.

Here's the truth: Ever since I was a little girl, I have been pursued by God.

Not because I'm so great or awesome, but because I'm His daughter, His child, His beloved. (Your His beloved too, you know, check your heart, is He pursuing you tonight?) Every time I've strayed, He has been there to tenderly lead me back onto the right path, and into His loving, shepherding arms.

I haven't always desired to live for Jesus. When I was 12 or so I quite expected a rebellious teenage-hood, sexy clothes (and fights with my mom over those clothes), and a string of boyfriends. All of course, under the safe covering of calling myself a "Christian".

Then, by chance, a friend of ours told us about a week long camp in the mountains called Daughters of Destiny Camp. It was a Christian camp for girls, and that's really all we knew. It sounded cool, was only $35 and a bunch of my friends were going - I was there!

It was there during that week that Jesus captured my heart and soul.

I learned of a new way of life, of serving Christ with my all, and being completely Christian (not just on Sundays or when the situation called for religion). It was totally new. I learned about honoring my parents and truly serving them. The speaker, Shelly Hendry, spoke of going to your mom after she's had a hard day with some lotion, and rubbing your mothers dry hands with the wonderful smelling lotion, in a loving, humble way, just as Mary Magdalene used the good smelling perfume on Jesus' feet. She talked about being best friends to your siblings, and caring for your younger siblings, serving and loving them, not just "tolerating" them or worse, hating them. It was a whole new standard of living. One that God prepared and opened my heart for.

As the years past many people came in and out of my life. The "servant's heart and love for God" stuff I'd learned about at camp faded from my heart, and the World replaced it with sin and worldliness. I was pulled away from Jesus time and time again. And then time and time again God would call my heart back to Himself.

God has given me such a love for Him. He pursues me every single day. I feel His gentle whisper as I get ready in the morning, reminding me to take time to beautify my soul, more than to beautify my face and hair. I hear His voice as I reach for the fashion magazine or click on celebrity gossip sites, telling me that those things will only leave me feeling empty and inadequate. I feel His love, giving me butterflies on the inside, every time I feel alone.

When I was 14 I remember going out onto the front porch to get some air and some peace and quiet. It was Christmastime, and dinner time, so the house was a little crazy and I just needed some space. I sat in the cool night air, the Christmas lights twinkling above my head. I breathed in a deep sigh and waited to hear God's voice. Normally at these times He tells me something I need to work on, or someone I need to apologize to (with a mouth like mine, there's always someone to apologize to). But in the still of the night, with the breeze blowing onto my face, all I heard Him say was, I love you. The Creator of the Universe, The Lord of everything, He loved me!

(wasn't I just the nerdiest 15 year old?! glasses + braces + captain of the team, who had no idea what she was doing...lol)

Then I turned 15, I was playing volleyball and dealing with mean girls and hurtful friendships. One afternoon my heart and mind were a mess with problems and decisions, hurtful things people had said or done. I wanted to do right, but nothing made sense in my mind. It made me think of a big bowl of spaghetti, I didn't know where one problem started and the other ended. So I went down to our pond in the backyard and sat on a stump. It was here, bundled up in my mom's big red coat (with the fur trim around the hood) that I poured out my soul to God. I told Him everything, speaking in whispers, sometimes crying, sometimes praying silently. I told Him everything and I know He listened to everything. God took that knot in my heart and He untied it, gently, as always. I was at peace, a peace that only Christ can give. I've been back to the pond many times, sometimes with a hymnal, sometimes with my prayer journal and Bible, sometimes with just me, always with Jesus. He is my only source of true peace.

When I was 16 I got into a courtship (a fancy word for serious, discretionary dating) with a 19 year old young man. He was a good guy, but I was young and soooo unsure of who I was. It ended. But, wrongly, I didn't turn to God in my brokenheartedness, I turned to yet another relationship.

At 17 I met "him". Another one who broke my heart. I was rebellious. It doesn't seem to make sense that a girl so pursued by Christ and so loved by such a wonderful family would stray so many times, but I did. It wasn't a good situation. I gained a lot of heart-baggage.
It hurt.

My pain led me back to Christ.

Jesus took my broken heart and slowly and gently mended it back together. Never once chastising me, but 0nly rejoicing in me being back in His arms.

Now I'm 18. Sooo much has happened this past year. So much change. My brother (and best friend) went off to college. My sister got married and moved 8 hours away, taking her son (my beloved nephew) with her. I graduated from High School.

ah, Graduation.

Here's me and my mom at my graduation party. I had no idea the ride life would take me on in the next months.

What does one usually do after high school? One of two choices: go to college or go to work.

I did neither.

But what I did do is PRAY PRAY PRAY! In fact, I wasn't the only one praying. Many ladies, my older sisters in Christ, prayed for me too. We prayed that God would show me HIS will for my life. I didn't want to college unless God was sending me to college. Maybe He wanted to send me on a mission trip, I'd be ok with that. After all, I wanted to do something BIG! And in my mind, I hoped that God wanted me to do something big too.

I had an amazing summer full of beach trips, missions, parties, friends, and more beach trips! God really blessed me. At the end of the summer mom and I went on a silence retreat and the ladies who had been praying for me came over for my birthday. They told me what God told them. It was such an emotional day.

Here's some of the things God showed me in the Silence Retreat*:

"Behold, you will call a nation you do not know, a nation which knows you not will run to you, Because of the Lord your God..." (Is. 55:5)

"Do not fret because of evil doers, be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass, and fade like the green herb. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord... Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness...rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him..." Psalm 37:1-5, 7a
"Cease striving and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

"Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." Is 40:31

"For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness." Galatians 5:5

"Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:14

"Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season..." 2 Timothy 4:2

It's clear to see what God has called me to do in this season: Wait. No, I'm not waiting for a husband, I'm waiting on the Lord. But before I get into that I'll continue in what else God showed me...

Here's what the ladies heard from the Lord in my behalf:

Mrs. Liggitt said that the verse that kept coming into her mind as she prayed was Psalm 119:105, "Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." She said that when you walk with a lamp you can only see a few feet in front of you at a time, you can't see the whole way. It's the same with God's will for your life, you can only see a little ahead (if at all), but GOD knows what the entire path looks like and wants to cultivate faith in your heart as you trust Him, making Him a light unto your path. I don't know why God would have me wait, I don't know what's ahead, but I can have faith that God knows the path ahead and He lights my way.

The younger Mrs. Liggitt (daughter-in-law of the first) didn't have a verse, but she did encourage me and strengthen my resolve. She said that a decision to go against culture (not going to college or to work) is socially unacceptable. But, she said, get used to it. The life of a Christ-follower is never "acceptable" to the rest of the world, this step of following Christ's will for my life (instead of my own) is the first of many steps that everyone else are going to think is crazy. But it's right.

Mrs. Rauscher gave me a verse that I actually got from the silence retreat, "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday." Psalm 37:5-6. I received SO much from Psalm 37.

A few days later I got call from my recently married sister Erin. She gave me the verse Colossians 1:9, "For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding." I am SOOO blessed to have so many praying for me. My bro-in-law Dylan gave me the verse Ephesians 3:13, Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulation on your behalf, for they are your glory."

So here I am. Waiting. Sometimes I'll admit, it's not much fun. I'm the girl who wanted to do BIG things. You know, like end human trafficking or solve world hunger. But God has a different plan for me. I am, as Psalm 37 says (above) dwelling in the land and cultivating faithfulness. What does this mean? This means that I'm learning. I'm serving. I'm being behind the scenes. Growing up. Growing closer to God. Not the most glamorous in the eyes of the world (or in the eyes of many Christians for that matter), but it's right, and I can honestly say, as much as I struggled at first, I wouldn't want it any other way. God has given me this time to spend with Him. What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and love Him forever.

I've learned a lot, that's for sure. I've learned how to lean on God and not on the standards of others. Oh you'll learn real quick how to not lean on the standards of others when you tell them that you're not going to college. I've learned to say it real fast and then flinch, waiting for their rebuttal. Funny how people think they know more than God about how life should go.

Get this, one time at youth group I was talking to a (CHRISTIAN!) woman and she asked me where I was going to college now that I had graduated (she assumed that I was of course going to college). I told her that I wasn't going, but then I explained how I had prayed about what God wanted me to do and He told me to wait on Him and largely, to spend my time serving Him and serving others. Hoooowhee! the look she gave me. She just shook her head and spat out a bunch of reasons that I should go to college. Then it was my turn to shake my head! I wanted to say (but didn't, out of respect), "I'm sorry, maybe you didn't hear me correctly, GOD told me not to go to college. Yeah, you know, GOD...the guy who created the universe and knows everything..." lol I can laugh about it now, but it truly was a struggle to get so much scorn from people I hardly knew (or worse, people who's opinion I treasured!).

I even wrote about it in my journal, "Y'know, following this socially incorrect pattern God has ordained for me wouldn't be so hard if it weren't for other people and their pointed questions and comments. Serving is not a dumb or pointless occupation. I just hate the blank stares and judgemental looks I get when I tell people I'm not going to college..."

But my hope is in Him. He's taken me on many little "adventures", as I call them, since then. Different doors He's opened and places He's sent me. The other day I read this in the Bible, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you...Then I said, 'Alas, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth.' But the Lord said to me 'Do not say, I am a youth, because everywhere I send, you will go, and all that I command you, you shall speak, Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you.' Declares the Lord." Jeremiah 1:5-8. This is what I'm living right now, where He sends, I go, what He commands, I say (or, hopefully I'll be brave enough to say...I'm still struggling). God is sooo good to me. I have been blessed over and abundantly. Right now, a door has recently closed, and I think I see another opening, still praying about that.
(P.S. on this last little bit. Notice that the verse here in Jeremiah states "before you were born I consecrated you"? Interesting note, my name, Elisa, is derived from Elisabeth, which means, Consecrated to God. Chance? I think not. PTL)

Ok, where was I going with this post...Oh yes, in the end, my friends, as you can see, I have been SOO pursued by the Lord. He is my everything. Yes, I will fail again and again and again, but He'll still love me. Just the other day I experienced His love in the midst of my failures. Actually, love in the midst of my doing well. I had had a great day, full of serving and kindness, I thought I did quite well. I was lying on the couch, exhausted, and realized something. God loves me just as much on that day as the days before when I had been in a bad mood. God loves me just as much on that day when I did so well, as He does when I am rebellious. Mmm, don't we serve a merciful God!

So, I'm still here, dwelling in the land. Who knows how long I'll be here, but you know what? It's ok. For right now, I'm at peace in the will of the Lord, and there's no where else I'd rather be.

Unless, of course, God wants to send me on another adventure :)

"The clear cold wind,
Lord, You are there,
as the chill unwinds my ringlets of hair.
The sun glistens on the trees,
I feel the warmth on my face,
Closing my eyes,
as I bask in your embrace.
The ripples in the water, reflect blue sky above.
Your peace wells up inside me,
as I marvel at Your love.
The mourning dove sings,
It's eery song of praise,
Lord, I am waiting, please, don't delay."

(written down at the pond, sitting on the stump sometime after I learned that God wanted me to wait)

Another book...

2009-12-01T15:34:00.000-08:00

I just finished a fabulous book today: Wild at Heart by John Eldredge.

A very interesting and enlightening read.

This book is about the hearts of men and how they are wild and free and totally meant to be that way. God created men and women differently, inside and out, we're different creatures with different desires and inclinations. This book brings out those differences and sheds a godly and scriptural light on them.

A lot of times churches, societies and women try to feminize men and make them into something they're not (and never should be): safe, sweet and tame.

"That strength [that makes man wild and free] so essential to men is also what makes them heroes. If a neighborhood is safe, its because of the strength of men. Slavery was stopped by the strength of men, at a terrible price to them and their families. The Nazis were stopped by men. Apartheid wasn't defeated by women. Who gave up their seats on the lifeboats leaving the Titanic so that women and children would be saved? And have we forgotten - it was a man who let himself be nailed to calvary's cross. This isn't to say women can't be heroic. I know many heroic women. It's simply to remind us that God made men the way they are. Yes, a man is a dangerous thing.
So is a scalpel.
It can wound or it can save your life.
You don't make it safe by making it dull;
You put it in the hands of someone who knows what He's doing."

I love this. Such an awesome perspective! How many times I've squished the dangerousness out of the men in my life. My father, brother, brother-in-laws, friends, boyfriends...these men have a wild heart, God created them that way. And instead of trying to "tame" them and make them safe I need to encourage them to be the men God created them to be.

And something that super applies to my life:
"There are no formulas with God. Period. So there are no formulas for the man who follows him. God is a Person, not a doctrine... The adventure begins and our real strength is released when we no longer rely on formulas. God is an immensely creative Person and he wants his sons [and daughters!] to live that way too... So there comes a time in a man's life when he's got to break away...and head off into the unknown with God. This is a vital part of our journey and if we balk here, the journey ends."

Some of my favorite quotes and passages...

Life is not a problem to be solved...it's an adventure to be lived.

--

Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

--

Don't ask yourself what the world needs, Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because the world needs more people who come alive.

If you read the book, take caution, it's got some certainly skip-able parts. But over-all I'm so glad I read it, this book gave me a great perspective on men (and women too, actually!) and how their minds and hearts work.

awesome video - be sure to watch :)

xoxo

I am so rich...

2009-11-13T05:10:00.000-08:00

I may not have my own car.

I buy my clothes at Marhsalls and Goodwill.

We may not get food at the Organic Market or go out to lunch at the coffee shop anymore.

{ But I am SO rich }

So blessed.

Last night, as I was drifting off to sleep, I heard the rain pour down and the wind whistle eerily through the trees. But I wasn't cold, nor wet, nor scared. Snuggled under my big, warm, comforter, with food in my belly and not one, but two soft pillows under my bed, I was perfectly fine.

I ate dinner with my two wonderful parents last night. They joked around as my mom made dinner, and my dad snuck a kiss. There was no fighting, no arguing, no heart-ache.

My closet is overflowing with clothes.

My tummy is always satisfied.

My shoes always shod.

My clothes always clean.

My hands are soft, not calloused from hard labor.

Thanksgiving is coming up, a time where everyone seems to stop for just a moment, and count their blessings.

Be thankful, because I'm pretty sure, you're rich too.

For ways to give this season, check out:
Samaritan's Purse
Compassion
and
Warm Blankets

{ I am so blessed }

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."
Ephesians 1:3

It seriously bugs me when...

2009-10-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

Parents talk about their kids as if they're some sort of infestation.

Parents being soooo excited for kids to go back to school so they can finally get some peace.

Parents who tell me how difficult their life with their teenagers is.

Ugh.

What I love, though, is when...

I see parents having fun with their kids.

Parents think their kids are funny and laugh at their silly jokes.

Other kid's parents are at all like my parents.

You see...

My parents are the BEST!

and i love them.

xoxo

the end.

I had a dream I could fly...

2009-10-25T17:46:00.001-07:00

This has kind of been my theme song lately. I love it.

What I am.

2009-10-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

Being a high-school graduate who is not going to college, working full time, or in a serious relationship, I had a difficult struggle dealing with my lack of "definition". I'm not a student. I'm not a wife or mother. There's really no socially correct definition for who I am.

But, then again, I never have been socially correct.

What I am...

A Christian.

A daughter.

A sister.

A friend.

A pianist.

A cook.

A blogger.

An artist.

A photographer, capturer of beauty.

A student and lover of life.

A worshiper of Christ.

A bit of sunshine.

An actress.

What are you?

What is truly beautiful?

2009-10-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

"How beautiful are the arms, which have embraced Christ-the eyes which have gazed upon Christ, the lips which have spoken with Christ, the feet which have followed Christ. How beautiful are the hands which have worked the works of Christ, the feet which are treading in His footsteps have gone about doing good, the lips which have spread abroad His Name, the lives which have been counted for Him."

Christina Rosetti, 1880

Peace in the face of lions...

2009-10-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

These pictures inspire me.

First of all, the art is beautiful.

Second, Daniel's peace in the face of such a terrible fate amazes me! In the first picture he is calmly standing, firmly, in front of the hungry lions. Yet, he doesn't seem to falter. He is trusting God.
The second picture, the lions are pacing all around him, seemingly ready to pounce, and Daniel doesn't even pay them any mind. He just looks up to God, with serene countenance.

We've all heard this story so many times, it often ceases to be interesting. But Daniel's faith and trust should be something we always remember. He didn't know he wasn't going to be saved, the lions could have eaten him. Many wonderful, godly Christians were killed for their faith. Daniel could have been one of them. Even still, in the face of danger and pain, he was surrendered to his Lord. Whatever happened, he knew that God was in control.

This pictures make me wonder, what are my "lions"? Probably not fatal, but things like: mean "friends", major decisions, a broken heart etc. And, as I stare those lions in the face, am I surrendering the outcome to Christ?

this touched my heart...sooo much...

2009-10-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

Check out Danita's website HERE.

How to pray for Danita's Children:

1. Pray for safety, health and protection of the children,staff and missionaries, and their property.

2. Pray for wisdom and discernment for Danita and the leadership for Danita's children.

3. Pray for financial provision that will make it possible for them to continue to rescue, love and care for orphans.

When God Writes Your Life Story - Book Review

2009-10-05T06:42:00.000-07:00

When people grow up and become adults, they tend to forget their big, seemingly impossible dreams and settle for a dull mundane life. This book, "When God Writes Your Life Story" by Eric and Leslie Ludy, encourages you to give your dreams over to God and let the author of true adventure take the pen and write out your life story. An amazing book, I'd really recommend it to anyone, no matter your station in life. I just graduated from HS, so this has been an awesome guide-book for my next couple years as I start making big decisions.

One of the things that I appreciated the most, was the emphasis on prayer.
"True prayer is a passionate encounter with the King of all kings. True prayer is the music of heaven, a beautiful symphony of adoration and supplication in the throne room of the almighty God." (all quotes in this post are from the book unless otherwise noted)

Some other favorite quotes (I underlined and made notes all over the book, lol, as I often do. How can I help it?):

"When we approach God with a child-like assurance that He is exactly who He claims to be, the adventure begins and never ends."

"It's not what man achieves, but what he believes in and strives for that makes him noble and great." - Oslwald Chambers

"When God asks us to say good-bye to the things we cling to most tightly, it doesn't necessarily mean those things are wrong in and of themselves. But often, those things have such a hold over us that they stand in the way of our ability to truly abide in Christ."

"Simply share the undiluted message of Christ with both your words and your actions and you will become a map that leads others to eternal life."

"One day, [D.L.] Moody discovered the secret to a God-scripted life. And his spiritual existence was forever altered. 'It is almost too sacred an experience to describe,' wrote Moody later. 'I can only say that God revealed Himself to me, and I had such an experience of His love that I had to ask Him to hold back His blessing.'" (emphasis mine)

Next up - Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris.

Happy Reading!

P.S. to see the rest of my book-list click HERE.

my stinging knees and perfect bangs...

2009-09-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

Ever since I've gotten new bangs, I have to spend about 30 minutes on my knees in front of the mirror blow drying and straightening my curly locks into sleek perfection. Including make-up and miscellaneous hair-dressing, this is about 45 minutes. As you can imagine, my knees have taken quite a scraping, they've turned dry and red and cracked.

The other night, I knelt down next to my bed to pray, my knees stinging with pain as they rubbed against the rough carpet.

But what stung more than my knees was the realization in my heart.

I'd spent hours upon hours that week on my knees trying to perfect my outward appearance.

How many hours did I spend on my knees in prayer?

"Edward Payson, a true inspiration to the church in his time, was known to have worn grooves into the floorboards where his knees pressed so often and so long during prayer."
- When God Writes Your Life Story, Eric and Leslie Ludy

Lord, please forgive me.

Ellerslie: School of Honor

2009-09-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

This past week I learned about a place called Ellerslie: School of Honor (hence the title of this post). I think God may be calling me to go here (not to mention I would LOVE to go here).

What is Ellerslie? Here's an excerpt from their website:

"Mighty men and women of God are desperately needed. Raising them up is what Ellerslie is all about!

In an age where spiritual mediocrity is praised within the corridors of the Christian faith, moral compromise is overlooked, and the post-modern silt of the Emergent Church is tacitly exonerated in our midst, rescuers are required – Christians strong and ready with faith as their shield, flint in their forehead, and steel in their spine.

There is a need in this day for souls polished pure by the fire of God, hearts built courageous by the training of the Spirit, and minds tempered and harnessed by the unchanging Truth of Scripture. After all, who will stand when all others subside into a seated silence? Who will fight for Truth when all others have determined fighting for Truth to be harmful and incorrect? And who will win the heroes crown in this age of slackness and selfishness?

Ellerslie School of Honor isn’t intended to be the entire answer to the modern decline of the Post-Modern Church – but it is designed to be a part of the answer.

Ellerslie has been constructed with the sole purpose of building such saints and soldiers – arming men and women with the stuff from heaven’s war chest, training them for spiritual battle, and sending them forth into this world to spend themselves on the lost, the weak, the dying, the orphaned, the poor, and the oppressed.

We are not a factory merely for theological scholars, but rather, we are a boot-camp for those called to the front-lines of this great spiritual war. A new kind of lion-hearted Christian missionary is arising, and Ellerslie is one of the training grounds.

The time has come for the Church to rise up and remove the spit from the face of Jesus Christ."

(If you go to the Ellerslie home page, be sure to watch the inspiring intro video. It's so amazing.)

It would be such a blessing to be able to go.
Here's where you all come in, I need your prayer:

1. As awesome as a 2 month session at Ellerslie would be (talk about life changing!), I only want to go if GOD wants me to go. So please pray that I will do His will regarding this.

2. If, then, God DOES want me to go, I'm going to need some serious financial help. It's $5,000 for the 2 month program (which is what I'd be doing). My mom was right when she said that we might not have $5,000, but God does. So please pray for that.

Thanks so much, wonderful blog readers. You all mean so much to me. :)

Also, if you'd like to read...

Eric's article on Ellerslie.

and...

Leslie's article on Ellerslie.

xoxo

He restores my soul...

2009-09-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

By Your Side

by Tenth Avenue North

(Listen to the song on you tube here.)

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go

Chapter One - Smart Love

2009-08-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

"It was finally here - Anna's wedding day, the day she had dreamed about and planned for months. The small, picturesque church was crowded with friends and family. Sunlight poured through the stained glass windows, and the gentle music of a stringed quartet filled the air. Anna walked down the aisle toward David.
Joy surged within her. This was the moment for which she had waited so long. He gently took her hand, and they turned toward the alter.
But as the minister began to lead Anna and David through their vows, the unthinkable happened. A girl stood up in the middle of the congregation, walked quietly to the altar, and took David's other hand. Another girl approached and stood next to the first, followed by another. Soon, a chain of six girls stood by him as he repeated his vows to Anna.
Anna felt her lip beginning to quiver as tears welled up in her eyes. "Is this some kind of joke?" she whispered to David.
"I'm...I'm sorry, Anna," he said, staring at the floor.
"Who are these girls, David? What is going on?" she gasped.
"They're girls from my past," he answered sadly. "Anna, they don't mean anything to me now...but I've given part of my heart to each of them."
"I thought your heart was mine," she said.
"It is, it is," he pleaded, "Everything that's left is yours."
A tear rolled down Anna's cheek. Then she woke up.

----

In the world around us dating and breaking up is part of everyday life. Kids as young as elementary school say they're "going out" with someone, only to drop them (or get dropped) within the week. In high school it gets worse as people date for several months, giving they're all emotionally, and sometimes physically, only to be callously dumped for someone else.

Josh Harris says in the book, "...I've come to understand that God's lordship doesn't merely tinker with my approach to romance - it completely transforms it. God not only wants me to act differently, He wants me to think differently - to view love, purity, and singleness from His perspective, to have a new lifestyle and attitude."

The Bible says in Philippians 1:9-10, "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be purse and blameless until the day of Christ."

To really love someone with smart love, we use our heads as well as our hearts. Is it love when a guy pressures her to sleep with him, when he knows she will be forever emotionally scarred because of it? Is it love that a girl dumps her boyfriend, simply because she thinks she can do better?
"Smart love looks beyond personal desires and the gratification of the moment. It looks at the big picture: serving others and glorifying God."

Everyone else may be playing the whole "dating game", but we don't answer to them. We answer to God. Is your love life now pleasing God or yourself and the world around you? The Bible calls us to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ with absolute purity. Are you obeying that command in your life? "Let's make purity and blamelessness our priority before our all-seeing, all-knowing God."

New Book!

2009-08-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned for the first chapter!

a beautiful garden...

2009-08-01T14:36:00.000-07:00

Aubrey had some of her friends over for tea this afternoon, and I read the girls this story:

Once upon a time, a kind and wise Gardener created a beautiful garden – a sanctuary of splendor with lush, deep green foliage and rich, colorful flowers of every shape, scent, and size. A lovely trellis spanned a cobblestone path, filled with dreamy-scented roses of the softest texture and deepest hues.

Along the quaint path were fragrant herbs, carefully chosen and planted so they would work and grow well together, all with different textures and shapes. Some had long, soft, feathery leaves; others were full and spiky; a few were bushy and short. Nonetheless, each one had its own unique beauty and purpose in his garden, and the sight and scent of the choreographed blend made it a treasure to visit and brought great joy and satisfaction to the gardener.

Next to the beautiful garden was a rock quarry, gray and cold. The flowers by the fence nearest to the quarry began to turn their faces down toward the rocks on the other side and wonder what it would be like to be strong and smooth. It was true that the rocks had no roots, but the flowers did not really care about roots. Who could see those? It would be much nicer to be big and strong so everyone could behold their powerful shape.

As they gazed upon the gray lifeless rocks, the flowers began to covet the rocks’ strength and coolness. They grew discontent with their purpose and design and began to despise the beautiful colors and delicate leaves and petals with which they were adorned. No longer were they satisfied with their own simple beauty. The wayward flowers rejected their delicate leaves and vibrant colors and instead wished to be made of stone – desiring only strength, weight, and power of the granite. These errant flowers became known as the fence dwellers.

The Fence Dwellers began to rip off their beautiful petals and leaves and refused to produce seed. After all, the rocks did not produce seed, so why should they sacrifice in such a selfless manner? The Fence Dwellers covered themselves in clay in order to hide their vibrant colors. Soon they began to crouch low to the ground, trying desperately to resemble the rocks they so deeply admired.

As the older herbs, ivies, and bushes that lived farther inside the garden began to notice the strange behavior of the flowers, they laughed. How foolish the flowers looked: barren of petals, covered in clay, attempting to be something that they were not.

But soon, the new seedlings within the garden began to listen to the stories of the Fence Dwellers. And as they grew, they too tore their own delicate petals and dusted themselves with clay – halfway up their stems; they were not yet as daring as the fence dwellers who were tempted daily with the sight of the rocks.

The young plants desperately wished they could uproot and live next to the quarry like the Fence Dwellers so they too could see the magnificent boulders and witness the impressive strength of stone. Something about the boldness of the Fence Dwellers and the stories they told the younger plants of the garden caused a strange spirit of yearning throughout the yard…and things began to change.

Resulting Anguish

Within a short period of time, the vibrant color and stunning beauty of the garden were covered in mire. Instead of the sweet perfume of lavender, rosemary, lemon verbena, and blooming flowers, the stench of decay prevailed. The birds looked elsewhere for a home. They were not interested in sheltering their young in a place void of greenery and lacking in beauty. The bees, butterflies, and other insects and wildlife found little nourishment here any more and visited the garden less and less often.

Surprisingly, the Fence Dwellers did not realize they were shriveled and dying. Their bald heads were stripped of petals, and the clay was suffocating their stems – yet they still yearned to be something they were never intended to be. They were blinded by their own vain desires and remained with their faces toward the quarry – turned forever from the Gardener.

The Gardener walked sadly through his creation and sighed. He noticed the tender plants with clay halfway up their stems and missing petals – the result of a self-imposed deed. He shook his head in dismay.

“Why have you covered yourselves in clay and removed your petals?” cried the Gardener. “I have created you in the way of my choosing – for my own purpose. But you have rejected my ways and set your eyes upon foreigners and have adorned yourself in mud and grime. You have ravaged and exposed your own bodies.
Do you not know that you belong to me? This was a wicked and foolish deed. You have emulated the Fence Dwellers and have followed after those preferring death. They have chosen cold and hard barrenness over the true beauty of a warm and tender life-giving existence. Do not attempt to mimic those of the quarry or their followers – those who never belonged to me. There you will find only death and desolation.”

The plants of the garden shivered and hid their faces; however, the Fence Dwellers did not hear the words of the Gardener, for they were no more. The plants who belonged to the Gardener solemnly watched as the last remnant of the Fence Dwellers’ decomposing stems blew quietly over the fence to rest upon a large boulder. Here the scorching sun would finish the job of destruction until nothing remained.

Joy in the Morning

The Gardener turned to his creation tenderly. Silently a raindrop landed on the fragile leaf of a basil plant. Three more brushed the buds of a rosebush. Soon a torrent of raindrops poured from the sky, cleansing and refreshing the filthy clay-covered plants. The dandelions wept with joy as the lovers of self repented and turned to the Gardener forevermore. Fresh blossoms opened and the scent of life and beauty filled the air.

The Gardener held out his arms, threw back his head, and laughed a deep, hearty laugh. He was overjoyed with the display of color and renewed health that he had granted his creation. After the rain subsided, the Gardener rested in the shade and summoned the birds to come and sing in the branches of a nearby pear tree. Soon more birds followed to nest in the profusion of greenery and scented blossoms. Bursting with life, the young flowers called to the bees to come share their nectar, and the butterflies joined them.

From that day forward, the plants rejoiced in who they were and did not desire to be anything other than what they were called to be. Their only desire and purpose was to please the Gardener and cause him joy forever.

Another Blog!

2009-07-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

Check it out!

-- Orange and Gray --

But also stay tuned with Felicity of the Heart, since I will be posting on both.

love!

I've been tagged!

2009-06-08T18:56:00.001-07:00

Tagged by Kirsten!

What's your current obsession? Hmm...healthy eating. I've really been focusing on what I eat and how much I eat. And learning about different exercises and running! We'll see how long this obsession lasts...lol. Pretty soon my healthiness obsession will be replaced with a junk food/movie obsession or something! haha

What's your weirdest obsession? perfectly sharpened pencils. I "stole" the electric pencil sharpener from the classroom and now it sits on my desk, well used...more like OVER used. Why someone *coughs* Ben! *coughs* would settle for rounded pointless pencil tips is waaay beyond me.

What are you wearing today? Today was a work day - gray tee, plaid shorts and bare feet. Sadly, I haven't left the house all day! (which was probably a good thing...considering what I look like, LOL!)

Why is today special? Because we're preparing for Kimberly and her 2 adorable sons to come visit tomorrow!! Oh! and it's my wonderful Brother-in-Law's birthday!

What would you like to learn to do? Oh goodness! Is "Everything" a legitimate answer? Some of the things would be ballroom dancing, how to play the guitar, banjo, drums and fiddle, learn how to dive (isn't it sad?! 17 and I STILL don't know how to dive!), swing dance, barn dance, gallop really fast on a horse (with the wind blowing through my hair!) and maybe even take a couple of jumps, sky-dive, how to not overanalyze... etc.

What's for dinner today? Tonight we had beef stew and cheesy bread. mmm...my mom is good cook!

What's the last thing you bought? pack of spearmint stride gum. :)

What's your favorite weather? Early spring, partly cloudy, lower 70's...with the windows and doors thrown wide open, dinner alfresco on the porch and surrounded by family.

What's your most challenging goal right now? So many! My MOST challenging goal at this very moment is getting everything finished for graduation this Saturday. Then after that it will be figuring out what God wants me to do with my life. If you think of it, please pray for me as I decide where and what God will have me do. :)

What do you think about the person who tagged you? AMAZING! I love reading Kirsten's blog, she seems totally on fire for God! I love that! I haven't seen her in absolutely FOREVER but she seems super fun!

What hobbies do you enjoy? Music, reading, decorating, cooking, sewing, writing songs...

Favorite vacation spot? Hmm...that I've been or where I want to go?
That I've been to: Florida! I loved seeing (and smelling!) the beautiful orange orchards, and the Gulf coast is breathtaking!
That I'd like to go to: Italy :) the culture, dining, people, relaxed way of life...mmm...my vacation would probably end up being extended...forever.

What would you like to have in your hands right now? Money. Sounds materialistic (and probably is), but if I had a bunch of money in my hands I could place it in my emergency fund, or place it in an account with a high interest rate. That way I wouldn't have to get a job and I could spend all my time learning all of those things I want to learn (see above question).

What would you like to get rid of? My desire to do things my own way and not God's. If I would just do what God wanted me to do, then life would be sooo much better. I know this and STILL I hold onto my own will...*sigh*

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Hawaii, watching one of those gorgeous sunsets my mom is always telling me about.

What's your favorite thing about the city you live in? Yanceyville? oh dear...slim pickin's around here, lol. My favorite thing about Yanceyville is the annual Spring Fling (in the spring, obviously) and Bright Leaf Hoedown (in the fall). They are fun country festivals with fabulous southern barbeque (nothing like the northern stuff), interesting booths selling a variety of merchandise, small rides, the usual fair treats (snow cones, funnel cakes, lemonade...), hay rides, and a country music show. The Spring Fling even has a tractor pull! As redneck as these festivals sound, they are SO much fun. I like to get on my jeans, t-shirt and cowgirl hat and let the southern sights, smells and sounds bring out my inner country girl!

If you had $150 now what would you spend it on? Clothes, sheet music, or put it toward some sort of musical instrument. Oh, actually, I'm in the process of re-decorating my room, so I'd probably purchase a pretty duvet cover to match my new creamsicle colored walls and some new pillows.

Do you admire anyone's style? Yes, I like the style of people who don't necessarily follow the fads, fashions or trends but still look amazing and different and dress for who they are not for who people say they should be. My friend Charity's personality is dramatic and daring, and she dresses in dramatic clothing - long black jackets, red scarves and even black gloves with the fingers cut off. I may not wear it, but it's SO her and I love it on her! My friend Jay is a free-spirit, fun loving crazy man and he dresses hippie-style complete with a Tye-dye tee, flip-flops and bandana headband- love it! Another friend of mine, Angel, is a fun loving, crazy girl with a hint of drama, her sleek hairstyle, skinny jeans, heels and funky tees are totally her!

Describe your personal style. My style? Hm, still working on that one. I am tryng to go for the boho look, and my gigantic mane of free-flying curls can totally pull it off. I guess I would describe my looks as a Bohemian Classic - if that's possible. lol

Who is someone your heart is missing right now? My sisters. I TOTALLY took them for granted when they lived with us (Kimberly is in Utah and Erin in Georgia, both married and happily thriving) and now that they're far I miss them terribly. :( I just love being around them and spending time with them. I love my friends, don't get me wrong, but there's something special about spending time and hanging out with your sisters. They are my kin, my blood. We have the same memories and inside jokes. Aw...now I miss them even more!! But I will see them both this week, Kimberly is coming tomorrow and Erin on Friday! Yay!

Are you good at painting your toe nails? Usually, but lately I've really been slacking off in the nice-nails department. But summer time is rolling around...wait! summer is here! So nice nails are kinda necessary...ugh! I'm just so lazzzzzy, and who has time to paint toe-nails!! lol

Oh and here's a beautiful french song I found today. The one linked here is sung by Louis Armstrong in english, but along the side bar you can find it sung in French by Edith Piaf. It's very nice :) appréciez la chanson!

random bursts of elisa

2009-05-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

I love life - automatic-flush toilets scare me - thunder is one of the best things ever, especially when it's so powerful that the floor shakes - i love the smell of fireworks, especially sparklers - i don't really like animals, yeah, i know that makes me some sort of creep, but it's the truth - without music...my life would be very quiet and gray. music is the color on my canvas. - i like fun-to-say-words, like "squeegee" or "theodolite" (survey tool...) - i love seasonal activities: picking strawberries in the summer, making applesauce in autumn - i have a gigantic mane of light brown curls, of which i hold an ever-changing love/hate relationship - i love alfresco dining - and the smell of sprinklers and wet grass - sitting cozily by a crackling bonfire makes me very happy - i love the stars - and big, heavenly, billowing clouds - i like road trips that include lots of fun stops, and if we stop at a gas station (and i have money...) i will be buying a three course meal of candy, soda and beef jerky - i like good food. if i'm going to have macaroni and cheese, i want homemade delicious cheesiness, not noodles-and-powder-in-a-box - coffee makes me sleepy, really. every afternoon i make myself a cup a'joe to wake myself up, and every afternoon i drink it and fall into a deep, late afternoon slumber - i loooove the beach - i love the smell of honeysuckle - jesus is most definitely my best friend - i have a phobia/adoration of gigantic storms, their power both terrifies and fascinates me - i hate math with utmost passion and think my big brother is crazy for majoring in it at college - i love ambiance - i am too easily charmed - my mom has cultured in me a deep love and enjoyment of beauty in my surroundings - i love spontaneous dance moves - i can't watch scary or violent movies without covering my eyes - i tend to have an immature sense of humor - i get queasy at the sight of blood - my favorite color changes every day, at the moment it's grayish blue - super-quiet people get on my nerves - i tend to be bossy - i love being outside - i love to dance, even though i'm no good at it - i like it when people pay me sweet, sincere compliments - i love to love people and be loved unconditionally - i am not perfect - i like to be crazy - laughing is one of my most favorite things to do in the whole entire world, if you can make me laugh, i like you :) - sunrises are the only reason to wake up early in the morning - sunday is my favorite day - inside jokes are the best - i'm definitely one of those silly girls who bursts out laughing in the middle of complete silence because of something that happened yesterday (or last week...) - i don't really like to talk on the phone - i love walking in the rain - i love to see fog over rolling hills - flowers make me smile - i am uber tall, and wish i was short - my favorite kind of people are those who see me at my craziest/stupidest/bossiest/whatever-ist and love me all the more for it - i need a convertible car, hair blowing in the breeze is the only way to go - music is definitely better when it's loud - i like big sunglasses, but i'm not brave enough to wear them - i care to much about what people think of me - i spend to much time on facebook - i write songs - one of the things i want most in my life is to be utterly, 100% in love with a man who loves me back just as much - one of my dreams is to go skydiving - i want to be good at hard-core extreme sports, but i'm to much of a wimp to learn how - i love to make things beautiful - ...

YOU'RE turn!! I want to see what makes you, YOU! what makes you happy? or sad? or just makes your world go round? comment and let me know!

Great Blog

2009-04-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a great blog for ya: The Empowered Traditionalist

Check it out!

Beautiful Verses

2009-04-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

I was going through Isaiah and Psalms last night and came across some of my favorite verses.

"O Lord, I am oppressed, be my security." Isaiah 38:14 (when I'm feeling insecure, HE is my security. Well, He should always be my security, but especially when I'm feeling insecure)

"It is You who has kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, For You have cast all my sins behind your back." Isaiah 38:17

"I have called you by name; you are Mine!" Isaiah 43:1 (its not very often that you find exclamation points on a verse like this)

"I am the first and the last, and there is no God besides me." 44:6

"We are the clay, and You are the potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand." 64:8

"O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with PERFECT faithfulness." 25:1

"Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Your wings." Psalm 17:8

"He makes my feet like hinds' feet and sets me upon my high places." Psalm 18:33

"When he [man] falls, he will no be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the one who holds his hand." 37:24

2009-03-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

This is Your Time
by Michael W. Smith

It was a test we could all hope to pass
But none of us would want to take.
Faced with the choice to deny God to live,
For her, there was one choice to make.

This was her time. this was her dance.
She lived every moment; left nothing to chance.
She swam in the sea; drank of the deep;
Embraced the mystery of all she could be.

This was her time...

Though you are mourning and grieving with us,
Death died a long time ago;
Swallowed in life so that life carries on.
Still its so hard to let go.

This was her time. this was her dance.
She lived every moment; left nothing to chance.
She swam in the sea; drank of the deep;
Embraced the mystery of all she could be.

What if tomorrow, and what if today,
Faced with the question,
Oh what would you say?

This is your time. this is your dance.
Live every moment. leave nothing to chance.
Swim in the sea. drink of the deep.
Follow the mercy and hear yourself praying.

Wont you save me?
Wont you save me?

This is your time. this is your dance.
Live every moment. leave nothing to chance.
Swim in the sea. drink of the deep.
Embrace the mystery of all you can be.

This is your time. this is your dance.

Live every moment. leave nothing to chance.

Swim in the sea. drink of the deep.

Embrace the mystery of all you can be.

This is Your time.

A Woman of Action

2009-03-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

I watched Second Chance (with Michael W. Smith) the other day and it ignited a fire within me that had been smoldering for quite a while. All my life I've wanted to be a WOMAN OF ACTION. Actually, for the longest time I couldn't verbalize my thoughts, then I read Sister Freaks (by Rebecca St. James) and read a story about a woman who was sold out for God. The book referred to her as a woman of ACTION. I was intrigued. More than intrigued, I was set on fire. Finally, a title for who I want to become. After a few moments of excitement and desire for sold-out-ness for Christ, I realized that I wasn't exactly sure what a woman of action was. I had an idea, a feeling of who she was. So I grabbed my journal and pen and set out to write down, for later reference, encouragement and reminder, exactly what a woman of action was.

So - here it goes. (coming straight from my journal...you should feel special ;-) )

What is a Woman of Action?

- A servant. Practically this could mean doing things around the house, helping out at church etc. Servants are RARELY out in the middle being the center of attention, they hide in the back room doing random acts of kindness for others: emptying the trash, cleaning up after a meal, making a family member's bed, etc.

- A Woman of Action reaches out to others. I'm so often stuck in my own world and littl group of friends that I miss out on everyone else around me. Littler girls who could use a hug, a peice of encouragement or, even better, a listening ear. The elderly who could use someone to talk to or simply someone to care about them. The woman of action just looks around, and opens her eyes to the people around her. (I fail at this miserably, but I'm going to try to do better)

- She loves. I've seen young women like this. They just absolutely shine with the love of Jesus. They show love to all, not just those who are easy to love. Lord, please help me to love. TRULY love. Not simply outward actions but deep within my heart. A woman o faction is usually surrounded by people because of this very trait. People hunger for love. It's the Christian's job to show them true love, the love of Jesus.

- The Woman of Action sees a need then fulfills it. Actually seeing a need is almost half the battle. It means taking our eyes off of ourself and looking outward and upward. Fulfilling that need is the tougher of the two (for me, at least). Sure, I can recognize needs pretty easily. But figuring out how to fulfill it, then actually doing it is extremely difficult. Fulfilling needs of others is a strange thing in this world. You will be deemed "different" because of it. But don't let that stop you. Go ahead, change the world.

- A Woman of Action is head-over-heels, in love with, crazy-about, completely, 100% obsessed about JESUS. She realizes that without HIM, she is nothing. He is the whole reason she is a woman of action. It's because of Jesus that she sacrifices spending time with friends to talk to the new quiet girl or help in the kitchen. It's because of HIM that she sacrifices that new outfit she's been wanting to give her $ to an important ministry. The woman of action is NOT perfect and she knows it. You can't fake her kind of spirit and love. If you try to forge them from inside yourself people will see right through you. It only comes form Christ. It is Him, the woman of action is trying to please. She gives all honor and glory to Jesus and HIM ALONE! Because, as I said before, without Him, she is nothing.

- She is set apart. Holy. Different (in a good and godly way, not pink hair and peircings kinda way). She's not afraid to be shunned by her friends, family, pop-culture or guys. Frankly, all she cares about is pleasing her Savior. If we make that TRULY our focus, then its almost impossible not to be holy and set apart. She loves to love and spend time with people (as we've previously seen), but her focus isn't on social events or making sure she has a party or get-together every weekend. She thinks and lives for eternity.

- She embraces her god-given role as a woman. She embraces her femininity with all of her heart. She delights in being a woman of God. She doesn't wish she was a man able to do masculine things. I personally LOVE this kind of thing. I love when men are men and women are women. There's a reason we were created differently. Just as an example, take a glance at a woman's hands and a man's hands. Men's hands are big, rough and calloused. They are used to work, however, if needed, they can be gentle too. Women's hands are soft and lovely. They are used mainly to nurture and care for, but if need be, they can work HARD too. I once heard the difference between men and women put this way: Men are PROTECTERS of life. And women are the NURTURERS of life. What a beautiful picture.

"Be with me, Jesus and change me into a woman of action for YOU." Amen.

God's Providence

2009-03-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

"The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst; I, the Lord, will answer them myself, As the God of Israel I will not forsake them. I will open the rivers on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water."

Isaiah 41:17-18

This morning I had planned to read Isaiah 40 (an amazing chapter) but, by God's grace, I glanced over to the next page and read this passage. I've read this chapter several times, but this time, it jumped out at me. I love that.

This verse can be applied to most anything. Young women, such as myself, are thirsty for a beloved. A good and godly young man who loves the Lord as much as they do. So sometimes, we desire that, and look around to see that there is none. Just as the needy in this passage look around for water and see that there is none. But, because He can do anything, God CREATES the water where there was never water before! He opens rivers on the bare heights. Where people thought water would NEVER be, it was.

HE WILL PROVIDE!

Of course, there are many other applications to this section, but I chose this one because I've seen with my own eyes it come to pass.

My sister Erin has had a desire to be married her entire life. However, growing up in Utah where there were few Christians to be found and then moving to the middle of nowhere, where there were few people to be found, she had slim pickins'. If you want to hear her entire testimony, I'm sure she'd be glad to tell you herself. But in a nutshell, she took a ride on the wild side and came home with a souveneir, her son, Ethan. ;-)
Through much prayer, my dear sister came back to Jesus, her first love. She got her life back together and became a WONDERFUL example of Christ. I am so blessed to have her as a sister!

This didn't change the fact that she still wasn't married, and there weren't young men around who were her age and interested in starting a family. From a human's perspective, there was no beloved in sight.

God's perspective, of course, is much larger (thankfully!). Last fall my mom felt called to pray that Erin would be married by the summer of 2009. She asked me to pray also. Here's where things get complicated and SO God filled.
We have some friends, the Davis family, who had moved to Georgia in early 2008. Mrs. Davis has always keeping an eye out for any good catches for Erin, called around July or August telling Erin that she had a man for her. (I'm not sure of all the dates and details so you'd have to ask Erin for sure) She gave the guy Erin's email address and the two (Erin and Dylan) started emailing each other back and forth. This man lived in Georgia and went to the same church as the Davis'. He had a 14 year old daughter and was a very strong Christian and godly man. As the two continued their contacts they realized how much they had in common and how exact their core beliefs were. Dylan asked Erin if he could give her a call. Then they started their phone call stage. OH was it a stage! haha. My family had a running joke, "Hey, where'd Erin go?" "Oh, she's on the PHONE?! what a surprise!" (note the sarcasm).
I think it was November or December that Dylan came up for his first visit. And it just went from there!

So to make a long story short, last Saturday, March 7, 2009, Erin and Dylan joined their hearts together in marriage!!! <3

God provided for Erin in His mysterious ways. And He can most definitely provide for you. Where Erin thought there was only dry and parched land, God opened the rivers and the waters of God's goodness flowed. PTL.

The Tuggle Family :)

Set Apart Femininity - Chapter 9

2009-01-26T07:52:00.000-08:00

Sacred Ceremony

Joining the Fellowship of Set-Apart Femininity

"This sacred work demands, not lukewarm, selfish, slack souls, but hearts more finely tempered than steel, wills purer and harder than the diamond."
- Pere Henri Louis Didon

Holy Kinship

"When Amy Carmichael began her work of rescuing children from temple prostitution in India, she longed for other women to join her - women who were 'wholly devoted to Christ and separate in spirit from the world.' Not surprisingly, women like this were hard to find, and Amy labored alone for many years. But eventually, God drew seven young women to join her in fulfilling the sacred claim of the set-apart life. Amy wrote, 'These girls were seeking to live a life of unreserved devotion, a life without fences.' They formed a sacred fellowship, covenanting together to live in unity, prayer, and absolute devotion to Jesus Christ."

These women formed the fellowship called "The Sisters of the Common Life." In March of 1916 they went into the forest for a time of prayer and consecration. It was during this time that they drafted their written covenant, signed it solemnly before God and each other and committed themselves to live by its principles. Their covenant was as follows:

My Vow - Whatsoever Thou sayest unto me, by Thy grace I will do it
My Constraint - Thy love, O Christ, my Lord
My Confidence - Thou art able to keep that which I have committed unto Thee.
My Joy - To do Thy will, O God
My discipline - That which I would not choose, but which Thy love appoints
My Prayer - Conform my will to thine
My Motto - Love to live: Live to love
My Portion - The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance.

When hard times came for these women, and the world's allurements seemed to much to thwart, they remembered their sacred ceremony, and held fast to the creed they had sworn to uphold. It was an accountability before man and God that they would keep forever.

Leslie Ludy complied a Set-Apart Femininity covenant for you to sign, to remember as you face trials and to keep you accountable when tempted by the world around us.
"Remember that in signing the following confession, you aren't merely committing to the principles expressed in this book, but you are joining the ranks of set-apart women throughout history - Vibia Perpetua, Catherine Booth, Gladys Aylward, Amy Carmichael, Elizabeth Fry, Sabina Wurmbrand, Jackie Pullenger, and countless more."

"Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."
Hebrews 12:1

You may be alone physically as you sign this covenant, but you are not spiritually alone. Our great cloud of witnesses is cheering you on. There is a remnant of young women in todays culture also who are signing. On top of all that, Jesus Christ is standing beside you, joyfully welcoming you to join the priveleged few who are called to be His true ambassadors of light in a dark and perverse generation.

The Creed of the Set-Apart Young Woman
Taken word-for-word from the book Set-Apart Femininity by Leslie Ludy. Emphasis added.

As a young woman submitted to the ruling grace of Jesus Christ, I acknowledge that my life is not my own. I have been purchased by the spilling of my Messiah's blood. I surrender this earthly feminine vessel unto my Lord and proclaim that He may do with my life as He sees fit in order to establish His kingdom here on earth, make ready His bride, and bring about His glory.

The Sacred Intent of Femininity:
I acknowledge the sacred intent of set-apart femininity. I acknowledge that my life is to be spent wholly on the establishment of Christ's kingdom and glory. I have been asked by the Most High God to be the bearer of His holy name, the house of His holy presence, and a demonstration of a clear, undiluted, and unmarred picture of His kingly beauty for all the people of this earth to see. I acknowledge this sacred intent and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Design of Femininity:
I acknowledge the sacred design of set-apart femininity. I understand that in and of myself, I possess no true beauty or piety, but that in covenant exchange with the Almighty, I have yielded my body unto Jesus and He desired to adorn me with His spectacular, heavenly beauty. I will no longer allow the voice of my selfish, sinful side to rule my actions and daily decisions; rather, I will submit to the voice of God's Spirit within, leaning on His enabling grace to live the radiant, victorious, supernatural existence that I could never achieve in my own strength. May He instruct me, correct me, train me, and tenderly shepherd me in the hallowed art of being set apart for His pleasure and glory. I acknowledge this sacred design and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Priority of Femininity:
I acknowledge the sacred priority of set-apart femininity. I understand that I am made to love intimately and be loved intimately. But I choose to no pervert this innate need by seeking its fulfillment from men, but rather, that I would find this hunger satisfied in the intimate embrace of Jesus Christ. I acknowledge Him as my Prince and Bridegroom, my dearest heart-friend. I claim that my life, my faith, my hope, and my love spring forth from this wellspring, this reality. And whereas God may choose to give me an earthly groom, a mere man can never and must never replace the position Christ holds within my heart. I acknowledge this sacred priority and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Decorum of Feminity
I acknowledge the sacred decorum of set-apart femininity. I understand that my body is the temple of the Most High God, not to be tainted or defiled by what is unclean. I choose this day to agree with God and to never willfully profane His truth by attempting to make it fit my self-agenda. By God's enabling grace, I will love the things that God loves and hate the things that God hates. I will not love the world or the things in the world, but will give my thoughts, time, energy, and attention to the sacred things of His kingdom rather than the profane things of pop culture. I acknowledge this sacred decorum and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Mystique of Feminity
I acknowledge the sacred mystique of set-apart femininity. I realize that there are dimensions of the feminine nature intended to be kept contained and hidden from all but Christ and my future spouse in the context of marriage. I understand that by maintaining the beautiful mystery of the "hidden person of the heart," I am demonstrating the beautiful mystery of the Gospel. I choose to allow the Almighty to hide me, quiet me, and jealously guard me in accordance with His sacred sense of dignity and mystery. I acknowledge this sacred mystique and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Ardor of Femininity
I acknowledge the sacred ardor of set-apart femininity. I understand that to truly love my future husband well, I must love Him with the very love of Christ. As Christ loved me and gave Himself for me, I will seek to sacrificially love and serve my future husband both now and after marriage. Rather than fighting for my own needs and rights, my goal will be to lay my life down on behalf of my spouse. And even if no earthly love story comes my way, it will be my supreme joy and privilege to serve others and wash their feet, doing for others what Christ has done for me. I acknowledge this sacred ardor and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Cultivtion of Feminity
I acknowledge the sacred cultivation of set-apart femininity. I realize that the work of God must progress and not stagnate within my soul. I understand that I must wrestle in prayer for the fullness of Christ's work to be made manifest in my life and in the lives of others around me. I will not accept breaches in the walls surrounding my soul, but will seek, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to place brick upon brick until every last access point in my life is sealed off for Christ's glory. I uderstand that the Almighty must prepare me for the holy work of Christ's kingdom by diminishing my flesh and cultivating His strength and spiritual authority in my life. I acknowledge this sacred cultivation and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Claim on Femininity:
I acknowledge the sacred claim on set-apart femininity. Christ's blood has purchased me and is making me whole so thatI, like my Messiah, might become broken bread and poured out wine for this world. Just as the Holy Spirit has claim on my spirit, soul, and body and is authroized to do with my life as He wills, so too the Holy Spirit has asked me to become willing to allow Him to lend "His claim over me" to the lost in the world, the poor, the orphan, the widow, the blind, the lame, the deaf, the naked, the imprisoned, the outcase, the oppressed, and the lonely - that my life might become bread and drink for them, and that through my willingness to be broken and spilled, they might see, comprehend, and place their trust in the person and glory of God. I acknowledge this sacred claim and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Ceremony
I hereby state that my body and my blood are my God's to spend and that He has both an "intent for" and a "claim on" my feminine existence. I recognize that without the enabling power of God's grace I am incapable of living out his high and holy pattern for femininity and, therefore, such a life and testimony of sacred set-apartness can only be achieved through a constant abiding in Christ's life, love, and strength. Therefore, I hereby beckon the Spirit of God to tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist me with this holiest of endeavors, that by His almighty power I might demonstrate clearly to the world His grand kingdom and His great glory.

Signiature _______________________

Date ________________

"Comrades, let us be resolute. Let us, by whatever name we are called, be Soldiers, Nazarites, Priests. Some will praise us, some will blame us; let us not care too much about either praise or blame. Let us live looking up, looking on, stading true by the grace of Him who has called us."
Amy Carmichael, 1867-1961

(A printable version of this creed is available at Leslie's website: www.setapartgirl.com)

Set Apart Femininity - Chapter 8

2009-01-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

Sacred Claim

Awakening Femininity's Greatest Call

Leslie Ludy was asked by one of her readers why she constantly references Christian heroes like Amy Carmichael and Gladys Aylward. The reader wondered why Leslie never talked about normal, everyday Christians living in America. Leslie's reason? Most average American Christians are living self-serving, pleasure-seeking lives. We don't need any more average Christians. We need more Elisabeth Elliots and Amy Carmichaels.

Most of modern Christianity goes out of its way to convince us that the Christian life is all about us. And it doesn't take much for them to get us convinced, either. Here's the publisher's description of that popular woman's book Captivating. "The message of Captivating is this: Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation." What is meant by the term "your heart"? According to Captivating's author, "The heart is who we are. The real self. Me. My heart is me. The real me. Your heart is you."

So, in other words, you matter more than anything else in Creation? Is that true?

"Do you matter more than the 143 million orphans around the world, starving, scared, abandoned, and alone? Do you matter more than the millions of Latin American street children who hide in alleys and old buildings to escape the "death squads" of corrupt policemen who hunt them down for sport? Do you matter more than the millions of elementary school-aged girls kept as slave prostitutes in South America? Do you matter more than millions of starving kids who live in dumps and eat buzzard soup or dead dogs to survive? Do you matter more than the countless African boys who have seen their parents killed and been forced to rape or kill to stay alive? Do you matter more than the scores of six-year-old African girls who have been repeatedly brutalized and raped by HIV-infected men?"

I think you know the answer to those questions. We are so protected and free here in America. Especially those of us who have grown up in Christian homes. I, personally, have been SO blessed to grow up in a Christian home. Jesus Christ is a household word in our family (and not used in vain). My parent's rules (though seemingly overly strict and horrible at times ;-) ) have protected me beyond my imagination. I'll admit, sometimes (most of the time!) its hard for me to think about the starving children in Africa, when I'm having a bad day. Or even when I'm having a good day! I'm in my own world, many American Christians are. We are so wrapped up in our own little lives, our own little issues that we forget about the rest of the world. How many times have I obsessed about some sort of drama amongst my friends, and not even thought about the abused girls in the slave trade, who would do anything to have a life as good as mine.

"We do not live in a world of peace and harmony. There are urgent battles for injustice waiting to be rescued. There are millions of precious children facing unspeakable suffering."

And I sit here, thinking about my shopping trip later this afternoon, what I'm going to wear on Sunday and how I'm going to deal with a girl I don't like but have to be nice to anyway.

"And like Jackie Pullenger said, if Christ's set-apart ones do not act as His hands and feet to them...who will?"

During the Holocaust, wealthy Christians sat comfortably in their church singing hymns at the top of their lungs only to drown out the anguished cries of the thousands of Jews who passed by in cattle cars on their way to death camps.
"Most of us would be horrified at the thought of ignoring a cattle car of screaming Jews as they were hauled away to their deaths. But we do it every single day when we turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to the millions of destitute and dying who urgently need our help. We do it when we spend all our living on self-indulgent pleasures instead of on rescuing abandoned children. We do it when we go on luxury cruises instead of outreaches to the poor. We do it when we have movie marathons instead of prayer vigils for the oppressed. We do it ever time we make our own comforts and happiness the highest priority. We do it whenever we fall for the idea that we are the most important people in all creation."

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." Luke 9:23-24

Our hearts are not the most important thing in the world. The pattern of the gospel is to do as Christ did, to seek and save the lost.

"Our hearts are valuable to Christ, yes. He loved us to intensely that He gave up His very life to rescue us and set us free. But why does He set us free? Why does he make us whole? Why does He protect us, heal us, bless us, and provide for us? Why does He make us into strong, valiant, virtuous women? So that we can spend our lives living in selfish pleasure, comfort and ease? So that we can selfishly soak up the benefits and blessings of Christ while the rest of the world is dying?"

He sets us free so we can be like Him. He set us free so that we can be fore others as He was for us - a poured-out living sacrifice that places others' needs above our own.

"If you have chosen the set-apart path of a woman who fears the Lord, your life is not your own. The Spirit of Christ has a claim upon you. You have a call upon your life. You have a job to do. He has called you to minister His love to those in need. This sacred claim is the highest privilege we could ever receive. We can never repay what Christ did for us on the cross. But because He has made us His hands and feet to this world, we have the incredibly opportunity to give to other the very same astounding, transforming love that He gave to us."

Our act of worship is offering our bodies to Him as living sacrifices. This isn't sitting around in a church building singing about how much we love Him (though that is good, too). It is demonstrating Christ's never ending love to those who so desperately need it.

"And the King will answer and say to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."

- Jesus Christ

(P.S. Check out www.braveheartedgospel.com to learn about more opportunities to become part of an international rescue mission for orphans and enslaved chidren around the world)

Feminine Inspiration

2009-01-20T17:49:00.000-08:00

(once again, compliments to the sartorialist)

Set Apart Femininity - Chapter 7

2009-01-19T09:59:00.000-08:00

Sacred Ardor

Femininity that makes marriage dreams come true.

Marriage is a depressing thing these days. People marry on a whim, or because of attraction. Decide a year or so later that they really hate each other. Then get a divorce. Only to "fall in love" all over again and re-start the whole process. Even the Christian church declares "Happily Ever After" a myth. Leslie Ludy recounts in her book a time when she saw a banner hanging outside a mega-church in her area. The banner read "Divorce Recovery Seminar This Weekend!". This church was declaring that they had the same problems as the rest of the world, so much so, that they have seminars about it.

"Christian marriages should be the example to the rest of the world, demonstrating that following God's ways brings abundant life, joy, peace, and supernatural victory. Instead, we are training our young people to take dismal expectations into marriage and cautioning them not get their hopes up to high."

Make Jesus Christ your first Love

It's true that marriage isn't always perfect. Troubles come. Hard times seem never ending. Marriage will let you down, if thats where you think you'll find your true fulfillment. If you think you'll never be happy until you meet Prince Charming, then you can forget it, because one day, Prince Charming is going to fall off the pedestal you put him on, and reality will slap you in the face.
Leslie Ludy says, that as a married woman, she has a choice to make. "I could either gripe, complain, nag, and nitpick until my ideal picture of married life was finally met (which might be never), or I could turn to the true Lover of my soul, Jesus Christ, and find my happiness and fulfillment in Him alone. I chose the latter. Though it wasn't easy, I allowed Jesus Christ to be enough - to be everything I could ever want or need - even if none of my marriage dreams ever came true..."

An amazing thing happened when Leslie sought her joy, peace and fulfillment in Christ, instead of in her married "ideal". She no longer looked to her husband to meet the needs that only her Prince could fulfill in her life.
"Instead of always worrying about whether he was meeting my needs or fulfilling my romantic ideals, I was able to focus on serving him and giving to him."

Thus, she was able to start a pattern in her marriage of servanthood instead of selfishness.

"The reason our Love story thrives is because we make Jesus Christ our first love."

In the end of this chapter Leslie Ludy presents a historical account of the romance betweene Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand. Throughout their marriage, their love for Christ came first. Richard was sent to prison for 10 years (sorry, no date nights or counseling sessions for these folks). During that time the only communication they had was a single note, scribbled in Richard's distinct handwriting. With only a moment to write, Richard wrote: "Time and distance quench small love , but makes a great love grow stronger." Their hardships and trials they suffered during their marriage were enough to divorce thousands of celebrities today. And still their marriage and their love for one another thrived because it was founded on CHRIST, not themselves. I highly suggest you pick up a copy of "Set Apart Femininity" and read this amazing account. <3

"If you pour out yourself for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom shall be as the noonday. (Is 58) Here, I think, lies the answer to the barrenness of a single life, or of a life that might be otherwise selfish or lonely... You yourself will be given light in exchange for pouring yourself out, you yourself will get guidance, the satisfaction of your longings and the strength when you pour yourself out; when you make the satisfaction of somebody else's desire your own concern."

- Elisabeth Elliot

Set Apart Femininity - Chapter 6, Part III

2009-01-14T12:36:00.000-08:00

Sacred Cultivation

Unearthing Femininity's Valiant Strength

What Christ Says About Prayer:

He asks us to be relentlessly persistent.

Matthew 15:21-28 tells a story about a woman who persisted in asking Jesus for something, and was rewarded for her faithfulness.
"Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, 'Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon possessed." But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, "Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us." But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and began to bow down before Him saying, "Lord, help me!" And He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she said, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from the Master's table." Then Jesus said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at once."

Instead of rebuking the woman for pestering Him, Jesus rewarded her for her faith.
Here's what E.M. Bounds wote on this story:

"The case of the Syrophoenician woman...is a notable instance of successful importunity (persistence)... At first, Jesus appears to pay no attention to her agony, and ignores her cry for relief. He gives neither eye, nor ear, nor word. Silence, deep and childding, greets her impassioned cry. But she is not turned aside, or disheartened. She holds on. The disciples, offended at her unseemly clamor, intercede for her, but are silenced by the Lord's declaring that the woman is entirely outside the scope of His mission and ministry. But neither the failure of the disciples to gain her a hearing nor the knowledge - despairing in its very nature - that she is barred from the benefits of His mission, daunt her, and serve only to lend intensity and increased boldness to her approach to Christ. She came closer... falling at His feet, worshiping Him and making her daughter's case her own, cries, with pointed brevity, "Lord, help me!" This last cry won her case; her daughter was healed in the self-same hour. Hopeful, urgent and unwearied, she stays near the master, insisting and praying until the answer is given. What a study in importunity, in earnestness, in persistence, promoted and propelled under conditions which would have disheartened any but a heroic, constant soul."

He delights to give good gifts to His children.

Christians are often afraid to pray about the things that we need or want because we think we're praying to some scary guy in the sky, not our loving Father who longs to care for us. He wants to bless us far beyond what we could ever imagine.
We often pray, "Lord, if its your will, will you please do this or that?" However, this keeps us from being bold and specific in our prayers. Leslie relates her uncomfortableness when she first began to pray with boldness:
"To be honest, it makes me a little uncomfortable to make such bold statements about the manifold blessings of God because I have seen many professing Christians abuse this principle, asking God to give them the selfish cravings of their flesh...Scripture makes it clear that if we are living for selfish pleasure instead of for Christ, we will not receive the things we ask for."

He wants us to ask for big things - and have faith that He will answer.

"Jesus said to him, "...all things are possible to him who believes." (Mark 9:23)

God wants us to be bold enough to ask for specific things. Charles Spurgeon said, "There is a general kind of praying which fails for lack of precision. It is as if a regiment of soldiers should all fire off their guns anywhere. Possibly somebody would be killed, but the majority of the enemy would be missed."

He asks us to pray "day and night" without ceasing.

When our spiritual lives are thriving, and our prayer becomes the foundation of our existence, every other area of our lives begins to thrive as a result. We will not only have victory in our personal lives, but we, like the virtuous women in 1 Timothy 5 and Proverbs 31, will be strong in order to pray on behalf of others.
When prayer is missing in our lives, we spend countless time nad energy trying to make our lives work in our own strength. But, as Psalm 1 says, when we meditate on the Lord day and night we become like a tree that brings forth much fruit - and everything we do just works out.
"Our time is multiplied. Our effectiveness is multiplied. Our energy is multiplied. Life becomes fruitful instead of frustrating."
I think all Christians have experienced this at one time or another. I know I have.
One time, several years ago, I was feeling very confused inside. My mind was like a bowl of spaghetti, all of my problems and issues so twisted around one another that I couldn't decipher one from the other. I decided I needed some time of quiet. I bundled up in one of my mom's coats and walked down the path to our pond. Sitting on an old stump, I sat, the wind blowing my hair, the leaves floating through the air. It was a beautiful fall day. I started pouring out my heart to God, sometimes with tears, sometimes so quiet, that only God's ears heard my words. I spent over an hour down there praying, and when I finished, it was as if my mind was completly clear. I had given all of my burdens to God, and in his majesty, he took them on himself. It was an awesome experience, because I have an awesome God.
He wants to do the same thing for me every time I have a problem. Imagine how much time and suffering I would've saved if I had gone to God when my problems first started. We are called to "Pray without ceasing." (1 Thess 5:17). That isn't impossible, or a exaggeration. You can pray before you wake up, pray as you brush your teeth, as you're making and eating meals, riding in the car, during the shower, while playing music, etc. Make prayer the highest priority in your life.
"Don't get bogged down with complicated formulas. Don't wait until prayer seems convenient. And, as Corrie ten Boom said, "Don't pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it."

My Bread...

2009-01-12T10:02:00.000-08:00

Here's the bread that I made the other day. It turned out! And with butter and my mom's homemade strawberry jam on the side - it was perfect.

The Art of Breadmaking

2009-01-10T08:01:00.000-08:00

This morning I was able to do something that I've sorely missed - bake a homemade loaf of bread. Its a wonderful art that makes me feel like a true homemaker. Nothing makes me want to care for my own home more than kneading a slab of warm bread dough and baking it into something special.

Bread making can be difficult at first, but once you learn the little details it becomes much easier. If you're really interested in making a good loaf, I highly suggest this website. Not only does it have a fabulous white bread recipe (its the one I use), it also goes through all the little details that come along with baking bread. For example, you learn about how eggs and salt affect one another in the mixing process and the order you should add ingredients to make sure that none of them incorrectly react with another ingredient.

Here's the bread I made this morning, its a great, super-easy recipe and the bread is delicious.

Classic 100% Whole Wheat Bread:

2 1/2 tsp. instant yeast OR 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tlb water
1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey, molasses, or maple syrup
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup nonfat dried milk
1 1/4 tsp salt

Mixing: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, flour your hands and knead the dough for about 10 minutes. This kneading process is very important, sometimes 10 minutes seems like a LONG time to knead, but it will be worth it. I tried to skimp and knead for only 5 minutes or so but the bread just doesn't turn out correctly. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with a damp cloth. I found a great way to get a good rise. Put the bowl of dough in the oven with the oven turned off. Fill a baking pan with boiling water and place in the oven with your bread. Close the oven door quickly so the steam doesn't come out. This will create a little warm, damp oasis, a perfect place for your dough to rise. The directions say to let your bread rise for an hour, but you need to let it rise till its double in bulk, sometimes that can take about an hour and a half.

Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 - inch loaf pan, cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and allow bread to rise for about 30-60 minutes in an oasis oven (with boiled water in baking pan), it should rise 1 to 1 1/2 inches above the pan. Don't let it over rise. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.

Baking: Bake the bread in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, tenting lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. Test it for doneness by tapping the top of the loaf lightly, it should sound hollow. Remove from oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Don't let it sit too long in the pan or it will be difficult to get it out. Remove from pan and cool it on a rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.
~
I'll post a picture of the bread I'm making now, if it turns out. ;-) I do love to make bread and have made some good loaves, but I still do mess up and my poor family has to eat a brick loaf.
I hope this recipe works for you!
~
Here' s a quick little article I found from the Ladies Against Feminism website.

Feminine Inspiration

2009-01-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

(compliments of the sartorialist)

Set Apart Femininity - Chapter 6, Part II

2009-01-08T12:56:00.000-08:00

Sacred Cultivation

Unearthing Femininity's Valiant Strength

Fortification
The Impervious Christian Life

"Despite the popular notion today that it is more spiritual to remain weak, struggling, and vulnerable, God desires to build us into valiant, valorous, fortified warriors who fear none but Him alone and are vulnerable to none but Him alone... the chief word that characterizes the Proverbs 31 woman is strength."

But how do we obtain this unshakable confidence when all around us people are wallowing in their insecurities? The answer is that we must become fortified Christians.
"A fortified Christian woman has an impenetrable barrier between her and the enemy. She has put on the full armor of God and is able to resist the devil, no matter what fiery dart he tries to throw at her."

Many of us live our lives defenseless against the devil's attacks because the walls to our strongholds have been broken down and are in shambles. In order to truly be able to defend ourselves we must be made strong and secure.
"You may feel weak, frail, and vulnerable, but He is ready to make you stronger than you ever thought possible."
The strength and god-given power that we read about in scriptures is not impossible to have today. God is still the same as He was all those years ago, it is us who've changed. Take David, for example. He was a lowly shepherd boy. I imagine him as scrawny and gangly with hardly an ounce of muscle on him as he played the harp and help sheep in his arms. But God turned him into such a valiant warrior that he killed lions and bears with his are hands and slay a giant with a slingshot. What God did for David he also wants to do with you.

Fortification Step 1: Identifying Breaches

The first thing Leslie Ludy did to begin her fortification process was to pray. She asked God to show her the breaches in her spiritual wall.
"Was there anything I was allowing into my life, no matter how small, that was providing the enemy access?... Lovingly and faithfully He helped me close off all enemy access points. As my breaches were identified and dealt with, I found that my prayers were more effective, the Word of God was more alive, and my intimacy with Christ was more vibrant. Instead of constantly warding off enemy attacks, I now had two hands free to being rebuilding the wall around my spiritual life."

Some breaches in your spiritual wall might include:
Past Sins
Sinful Strongholds
Satanic Objects or Activities

Fortification Step 2: Making a Sacred List

A sacred list is a listing of all of the things in your life which don't reflect the glory and triumph of Jesus Christ. If you struggle with insecurity or self-pity, put that on your list. If you don't sleep well at night, put that on your list. If there's someone you have a difficulty getting along with, put it on your list.
When you've finished prayerfully making this list, go back over it and give these issues special attention as you read your Bible, pray or simply live your life from day to day.

Fortification Step 3: Wrestling Until Break of Day

Prayer is our secret weapon. "If we desire to be free from enemy stronghold over our lives and fully fortified to live the superhuman existences God intended us to live, then we must learn how to pray."

Chapter 6, Part III coming soon! This last section of this chapter is about the mighty power and understand of prayer.

Set Apart Femininity - Chapter 6, Part I

2009-01-07T11:32:00.000-08:00

Sacred Cultivation

Unearthing Femininity's Valiant Strength

"One of these days some simple soul will pick up the Book of God, read it and believe it."
- Leonard Ravenhill

Pain - Friend or Foe?

One of the main reasons that so many of us are burdened with our troubles is that we don't take them to Jesus. He wants to carry all of our burdens, big and little, important and fleeting. The help that Jesus gives us is not only spiritual, but practical. He doesn't just want to be our Savior, he wants to be our everything.

He is my Portion (Psalm 73:26)
my Maker, my Husband (Isaiah 54:5)
my Well-beloved (Song of Solomon 1:13)
my Savior (2 Peter 3:18)
my Hope (1 Timothy 1:1)
my Brother (Mark 3:35)
my Helper (Hebrews 13:6)
my Physician (Jeremiah 8:22)
my Healer (Luke 9:11)
my Refiner (Malachi 3:3)
my Purifier (Malachi 3:3)
my Lord, Master (John 13:13)
my Servant (Luke 12:37)
my Example (John 13:15)
my Teacher (John 3:2)
my Shepherd (Psalm 23:1)
my Keeper (John 17:12)
my Feeder (Ezekiel 34:23)
my Leader (Isaiah 40:11)
my Restorer (Psalm 23:3)
my Resting-place (Jeremiah 50:6)
my Meat (John 6:55)
my Drink (John 6:55)
my Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7)
my Peace (Ephesians 2:14)
my Wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30)
my Righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30)
my Sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30)
my Redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30)
and my All in All (Colossians 3:11).

~

We often claim that God is causing our troubles. He's beating down on us, making our life terrible. We think that its God's fault that our life is full of trouble, but its not God, the Bible states:

"If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me." Isaiah 54:15

Leslie shares about a time in her life when troubles seemed to come from all sides and she learned that it was the evil one and not God who was attacking her.

"As I prayed about the fierce attacks upon my life, God gently opened m eyes to realize that the hits were not coming from Him - they were coming from the enemy of my soul. God did not want me to resign myself to accepting these attacks. Rather, He wanted me to call upon His name and allow Him to come to my rescue... I hadn't been resisting the enemy's blows because I had assumed they were coming form God - or at least being allowed by God for the purpose of discipline... [However] He didn't want me to accept it. He wanted me to stand up and fight by the power of His spirit."

We need to realize the stark differences between the way God works in our lives and the way Satan works.

Light versus Darkness: First Peter 2:9 says that God calls us out of the darkness into His marvelous light. Light has distinct qualities: clear, not confused, not blurry, but instead its bright, cheerful and hopeful. If the devil is the prince of darkness, he is the prince of all things that are fearful, confused, indistinct, dim and forbidding. Therefore, remember that anything of confusion, fear or darkness is not from God.

Life versus Death: John 10:10 says that Christ came to give us life that we might have it more abundantly. The qualities of that abundant life include: happiness, health, wholeness, strength, purity, spiritual success and multiplication of blessings. Death's characteristics are disease, sickness, blindness, deafness, muteness, lameness, disorder, feebleness, erosion of strength, erosion of blessings and erosion of resources. Anything breeding these qualities of death in our lives is NOT from God.

Father of Lights versus Father of Lies: According to James 1:17 God is the Father of lights in whom there is no shadow of turning. Scripturally, the Father of Lights is defined as the giver of good and perfect gifts, who is merciful, long-suffering, gentle, quick to forgive, strong to protect, able and eager to rescue us, and a tender deliverer from the world that is so quick to ensnare us. On the other hand, the enemy, the father of lies is a snuffer of life and hope, a condemner, a whisperer of fault, a noisome critic of the soul, a doubter of God's ability, a persecutor of the spirit, an advocate for the flesh, a constant diminisher of God's name. So, anything that causes us to lose hope or diminishes our confidence in God is not from our Lord.

Discipline versus Abuse: Hebrews 12:5-7 compares godly discipline to that of a loving, devoted father. This discipline is expressed in love. The enemy works only with abuse. "He is cruel, angry, harsh, extreme, and breathes threats of abandonment and forsaking." Satan's abuse makes one sick, breaks down the spirit and disrupts intimacy with God. Anything of an abusive nature that comes against us is not from God.

Bridegroom versus Harsh Husband: All throughout scripture Christ is referred to as our loving Bridegroom. This Bridegroom is a patient listener, affectionate, an advocate and rescuer, willing to give up his life to save and quick to respond to the needs of his bride. The enemy's ways are like a harsh husband - cold, impatient, haughty, never pleased, distant, demanding controlling, verbally and physically abusive and selfish. Anything of the nature of a harsh husband that comes against us is not from God.

This list from the book is meant to serve as a guide to distinguish attacks from the devil from God molding our lives and our character. "We are to gladly embrace any hardship that truly comes from God, while firmly resisting any difficulty that comes from the enemy."

Catherine Booth (founder of the Salvation Army) wrote in a letter, "Do not give way to lowness while you are young. Rise up on the strength of God and resolve to conquer!"

Don't let the evil acts of Satan bring you down. "Rather, we should rise up on the strength of God and resolve to conquer all that stands in the way of abundant, thriving, victorious, set-apart lives He has called us to live."

Feminine Inspiration

2009-01-06T09:03:00.000-08:00

Set Apart Femininity - Chapter 5

2009-01-05T11:30:00.000-08:00

Sacred Mystique

Femininity that Changes Men into Princes

1. Physical and Emotional Boundaries

The politics of guy friendships can be terribly confusing and even hurtful at times. Leslie has come up with an illustration, the Holy Hebrew Temple, to mirror how deep our relationships should go with different people.

Some Guidelines for Keeping Sacred Things Sacred:

The Holy of Holies: This area should never be shared with the public, even to those in your most intimate circle. This section of your life includes sexual expression, sexual touch, sexual body parts and the deepest, most personal dimensions of the heart and mind.
This most personal area of your heart, soul and body is saved for God and your spouse solely under the parameters of the holy marriage covenant.

The Holy Place: This domain also should not be shared with the public.
"Those of the most trustworthy character are allowed to share in this sacred arena. Family and intimate friends can be allowed into this holy sector if they first prove honorable and upright." The holy place includes deep personal expression (nonsexual), deeply personal touch (nonsexual) as well as deep dimensions of the heart, your hurts, vulnerabilities, fears, weaknesses, dreams, desires and longings.

The Outer Court: This section is not quite as guarded as the holy place or holy of holies, however the sacred things within this domain still deserve a good level of guardedness and protection. This includes things like friendly touch, words of specific encouragement, character endorsements, intercessory prayers, friendships with believers, the teaching and discussing of doctrine and communion.

2. Letting Guys Initiate

While you may think that your initiating a relationship with a young man is the best idea, it actually violates the pattern of our Creator's design. Our earthly relationships should mirror Christ's relationship with the Church. He is our bridegroom. 1 John 4:19 says,
"We love Him because He first loved us."
Christ initiated the relationship with us, just as earthly grooms should initiate the relationship with their bride.
"A strong, confident, heroic man who rises to the challenge of winning a woman's heart, then carefully protects and preserves his hard-won prize...this is the ultimate romantic desire of nearly every woman I have ever talked to. And yet, ironically, all too many women are actually robbing men of these very qualities, simply by their own impatience. The are in such a hurry to snag a man that they don't wait for him to initiate - they take the lead, become the pursuer instead of the pursued, and in doing so, strip their man of all the strong masculine qualities they so desire him to have."

3. Flirting

"Flirting, at its core, is based in selfishness."

Ask yourself, how your future spouse would feel if they saw you interact with the opposite sex. Proverbs 31 says that the woman of God will do her husband good and not harm all the days of her life, that includes before and after marriage. Are you doing your future husband good or harm in your conversation and manners with your guy friends?

"And remember that God is perfectly capable of bringing a relationship to you in His perfect time and way, without your using flirtatious feminine powers to manipulate the situation. If you allow Him to hold the pen and write your story, you'll be astounded at His perfect faithfulness."

Set Apart Femininity - Chapter 4

2008-12-08T11:10:00.000-08:00

~ Sacred Decorum ~

"There are some who would have Christ cheap. They would have Him without the Cross. But the price will not come down."
- Samuel Rutherford -

Raising Femininity to Heavenly Heights

Many young women have the problem of a lack of intimacy with Christ. We desire to be close to Him, sensitive to His every word. But we're simply...not. Why are some women so full of Christ's love that people stop to ask them why they're so happy and others long to know Christ like that but are sorely lacking?

Amy Carmichael says it so well, "We must look upon the world, with all its delights and all its attractions, with suspicion and reserve. We are called to a higher Kingdom, we are touched with a divine Spirit. It is not that He forbids us this or that comfort or indulgence; it is not that He is stern, demanding us to follow a narrow path. But we who love our Lord and whose affections are set on Heavenly things voluntarily and gladly lay aside the things that charm and ravish the world, that, for our part, our hearts may be ravished with the things of Heaven that our whole being may be poured forth in constant and unreserved devotion in the service of the Lord who died to save us."

There is no such thing as too extreme when it comes to selling out to Christ. It's when you lay aside everything else to give your all to Christ that you shine with the light of Christ. That's when your intimacy with your Prince truly begins.

Laying Down Idols

A life without the pleasures of this world, even pleasures that don't seem that bad, sounds radical and even ridiculous. Watching movies or being interested in the latest celebrity gossip isn't necessarily sinful. However, worldly entertainment has a strong hold on most young Christians.

A good way to tell if you consider something an idol in your life is if you are unwilling to let it go - if you can't picture your life without it. Would you be ok giving up all of your TV time to spend time along with God? Would you be willing to dress plainly if that would help you get your mind off your looks and onto serving the Lord?

Sadly, even though we are supposed to have everything we could ever want or need in Christ alone, we still look to worldly entertainment for peace, joy and refreshment that He himself wants to give us. We are willing to settle for the counterfeit version of that peace and joy, through the movie screen, because we aren't willing to let Him give us the real thing.

"Most of us are far more influenced by pop culture than we are by the Word of God. We can quote our favorite lines from a hundred different chick flicks, but the only Scripture we know is John 3:16...

And we wonder why Christ feels distant."

We are so obsessed with things of this world that we have completely replaced Christ in our hearts. How can He thrive in our lives if we indulge in everything except Him? By loving what God loves and hating what God hates.

"A truly set apart woman is makred by this sacred decorum. She hates the things that God hates and loves the things that God loves, and she reflects this attitude in ever dimension of her daily life. Does God stand up and cheer over American Idol? Does He smile with delight over the new Harry Potter movie? Does He get excited about the latest Coldplay album?

Or does he grieve over our distracted, wandering, divided hearts?"

Other Christian girls may watch the same movies, listen to the same music, wear the same clothes and have all of the culture addictions as the rest of the world, but God has called us to a higher standard - the standard of Christ.

Set Apart Femininity - Chapter 3

2008-12-03T11:10:00.000-08:00

~ Sacred Priority ~

Femininity that Captivates the Masculine Heart

Becoming Attractive to the Right Kind of Guy:

When we choose not to participate in the world's way of getting guys: flirting, flaunting, manipulation etc. We put ourselves in a position to be scorned and misunderstood by those of this world.

A set-apart young woman does not seek to win male favor through enhancing her sex appeal or drawing all attention to herself.

"Rather, she builds her life around Jesus Christ. And this requires major sacrifice when it comes to scoring male approval because the purity and righteousness that radiates from a set-apart young woman will not appeal to self-focused, sex-obsessed modern men."

Being disregarded like that can easily make us cringe and return to the world's path. But we have to ask ourselves, what kind of man are we trying to attract? Do we really desire a sex-obsessed modern man? "Or do we want to win the heart of a man who has been captured by Jesus Christ, a guy who sees the priceless value of a woman who shines with His spectacular, radiant loveliness?"

The majority of modern men won't appreciate or honor your purity and your desire to be set-apart. But why would you want a man like that anyway?

Finding the Right Guy:

1. Build your existence around Christ

Jesus Christ must be enough, even if the earthly love story you've always dreamed of never comes your way. Rather than searching for a human love to fill your needs of fulfillment and security - find your security and fulfillment in your romance with the Prince of your soul.

"As beautiful as a God-scripted earthly love story might be, it pales in comparison to the breathtaking romance Jesus Christ desires to have with you, His precious Princess."

2. Be transformed by true beauty

*important*
"Rather than seeking after his own popularity or self-gratification, a true warrior-poet is busy pouring out his life for his King. He is not chasing after women. He is following hard after Christ. The best way to find a truly Christ-built man is to stop hunting for one and, instead, pour all of your time and energy into a lily among thorns. Allow Him to transform you with His radiant beauty; the kind of beauty that will ravish the heart of your King and captivate a Christ-built-warrior-poet.

A set-apart existence may not turn the head of a typical American guy, but it will capture the heart of a Christlike man."

Check out this great article: here

Set Apart Femininity - Chapter 2

2008-11-26T10:56:00.000-08:00

~ Sacred Design ~

Discovering Femininity's Blueprint for Beauty:

"The preoccupations of young women don't seem to change much from generation to generation. But in every generation there seem to be a few who make other choices."

- Elisabeth Elliot -

The Modern "Inner-Beauty" Myth

Why do we sell ourselves short, and not grasp the incredible vision of radiant, set-apart femininity that Christ so greatly desires to showcase in and through our lives? The answer is that we don't truly grasp our hopeless, sinful state. "We don't understand that apart from Him, we have nothing, we are nothing, and we can accomplish nothing." We continue to search within ourselves to find the beauty and strength that only comes from Jesus Christ.

Countless Christian books written to young ladies encourage them to find their "inner beauty".

The Christian book Captivating puts it this way: "The beauty of a woman is first a soulful beauty. And yes, as we live it out, inhabit our beauty, we do become more lovely. More alluring...We want you to hear clearly that beauty is an essence every woman carries from the moment of her creation. The only things standing in the way of our beauty are our doubts and fears and the hiding and striving we fall to as a result."

I haven't personally read the book, Captivating, but I know for sure that if I had read this paragraph on my own I probably would've thought, "Aw, how nice. It's so true!" However, Leslie says something different.

"It sounds so right. But the Bible makes it very clear that we were born into sin, to beauty. Yes, we were created in the image of God. But sin has warped and twisted all the goodness and loveliness we were originally designed to posses. As a result of sin's defilement, we no longer carry an essence of beauty from the moment of our creation - we carry an essence of sin and selfishness. Our womanly souls are no longer beautiful. They are revolting, ugly, and deformed. That's why we need to be completely and wholly redeemed and remade by the power of Christ's blood."

We need to realize our own wretchedness in order to realize the extent of our forgiveness. In order to grasp the amazing sacrifice of God and love Him for it, we need to grasp the great sin of ours that needed that sacrifice in order to be forgiven.

We do have an inward beauty, that can shine and radiate in our faces and through our actions. But that beauty is not our own. It's the beauty of Jesus Christ shining through us. It's HIM inside us that shines so brightly. Nothing of our own.

Charles Spurgeon says, "If a soul has any beauty, it is because Christ has endowed that soul with His own, for in ourselves we are deformed and defiled! There is no beauty in any of us but what our Lord has worked in us."

Any beauty that we posess is only rags compared to the limitless beauty of Christ. His beauty is beyond perfection. We don't deserve it, but by His amazing grace, He desires to showcase His beauty in us! It is not our unique and special beauty that we want the world to see - it's His.

2008-11-24T10:01:00.000-08:00

Sacred Intent

Elusive Allure

According to a recent survey by Dove, only 2% of women think they're beautiful. In this day and age when beauty is at its easiest to posses (through plastic surgery and "special" diets) that women feel the worst about themselves.

"As women, the desire to be beautiful is innate. We long to be seen as attractive, appealing, and desirable. We dream of capturing the heart of a noble prince with out stunning beauty, like the princesses in our childhood fairy tales. But our longing to be loved and wooed by a heroic groom didn't originate with Cinderella - it's actually a Biblical concept...Jesus is the only one who can truly satisfy the deepest desires of our hearts. And yet, most of us turn to everything but Him in a desperate attempt to find the approval we crave. And pop culture preys upon our longing for love like a relentless vulture. They keep dangling the carrot temptingly in front of us, urging us to spend our time, money, and energy pursuing the "next great thing" that will bring us one step closer to the dream."

And too often, we fall for it. I know I have. I've bought the clothes. Read the articles. Seen the billboards. Watched the commercials (and believed that I actually could have that absolutely perfect hair just by washing my hair with the special shampoo). We may not want to admit it, but more often than not, we allow our beauty to be measured by the world.

"We've been looking for beauty in the wrong place. And our incessant search for beauty has stripped us of all that is truly beautiful."

The Guy Problem

We try to accept ourselves for who God made us to be and appreciate our own unique beauty we are, meanwhile, we are completely assaulted by the world with lies that we aren't pretty enough, alluring enough or sexy enough. And the fashion industry isn't the only one to blame. Guys are a huge part of the problem.

"Most of today's guys - even Christian ones - have bought into Hollywood's standards of beauty, drooling over sex queens and scorning all things pure, innocent and uncorrupted. And living among them, we become convinced that we must scrape and claw to be noticed by guys, to cheapen ourselves to become desirable to anything male that moves."

The Secret Source of True Beauty

According to the world, beauty is gained through diets, tanning and lots of makeup. Well-meaning, but somewhat misguided, Christian voices tell us that beauty comes from within, all we need to do is accept ourselves the way we are.

Following the world's version of beauty gives us momentary applause, but as Proverbs 31:30 says, "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting..." worldly beauty only lasts for a time. Then it's gone, leaving us empty and broken, pretty to look at for a time, but hollow and fake on the inside. "Loving ourselves" and "embracing our own beauty" tends to be more of a cover up, for our deep longings, like a band-aid covering a head ache.

"Neither the world's version of beauty nor the modern self-esteem message truly fulfills our longings to shine with enchanting grace and princess-like dignity. And neither avenue meets that deeper inner desire to radiate with feminine beauty that never fades. But there's another kind of womanly beauty - one that we don't hear much about in today's world. It's the dazzling loveliness of set-apart femininity."

Being set apart doesn't automatically enlist you into the ranks of quiet librarians with humungous glasses and a book under their arm. It's not shunning all society. Or hiding from the opposite sex.

"Set-apart femininity blends the classic womanly grace and dignity of an Audrey Hepburn with the sacrificial, poured-out-for-Christ lifestyle of an Amy Carmichael. It's true feminine beauty merged with absolute abandonment to Jesus Christ. It's the sparkling, vibrant, world-altering, Christlike version of femininity that your King created you to exude."

"What is the secret to great living? Entire separation to Christ and devotion to Him. Thus speaks every man and woman whose life has made more than a passing flicker in the spiritual realm. It is the life that has no time for trifling that counts."

- Amy Carmichal -

Arise, O Patriot

2008-11-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

by Elisa Abele

O God, have mercy on this United Nation,
Being founded on You is my one consolation.

We are all so foolish, I know this full well,
Without You our sweet haven would soon be a hell.
This “messiah” in power will begin our downward fall
America will fail, once and for all.

O Lord, would you save this country in need
If there were 10 believers in the land of the free?
We trust you, dear Jesus, we gave you our hearts,
In the home of the brave, we form a great part.

Founded on You, In God alone we trust
In our broken up schools, prayer is a must.
Your 10 commandments should stay in town halls,
We know who to blame if this great country falls.

Pride and glory, our great flag waves proudly through the air,
To stomp on our symbol, some Americans would dare!

Rise up, Patriot, Rise up Man of God,
We need you more than ever on this down-trodden sod.

Rise up Faithful women, rise and take your place.
The only hope we have is in the glory of God’s face.

Together we stand, united on that sweet hope
With our God on our side, not only will we cope,

We will fight for our King, for our rights for our Freedom.

We will fight for the honor of God’s glorious kingdom.

Arise, faithful ones, our time has finally come,
To defend this mighty nation, we will forever know as Home.

Audrey Hepburn Quotes

2008-10-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."

"I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it."

"Pick the day. Enjoy it - to the hilt. The day as it comes. People as they come... The past, I think, has helped me appreciate the present - and I don't want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future."

"I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person."

Mere Christianity

2008-10-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

Book 1:
Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe

Chapters 4 and 5

Ever since the beginning of time, man have been wondering what this universe really is, and how it came to be. There are two main views on the matter. The first, is what's called the materialistic view, which is very similar to the evolutionary theory.

"People who take that view think that matter and space just happen to exist, and always have existed, nobody knows why;and that the matter, behaving in certain fixed ways, has just happened..."

The other view, Lewis called the religious view. "According to it, what is behind the universe is more like a mind that it is like anything else we know. That is to say, it is conscious, and has purposes, and prefers one thing to another."

Science, Lewis says, works by experiment. My high-school science courses (which were Christian textbooks) said that science, is, in essence, a series of experimentation used to interpret God's world around us. Many things can be determined through science: how far away is that star? what is this substance made of? what happens when we heat this up to such-and-such temperature?

"But why anything comes to be there at all, and whether there is anything behind the things science observes - something of a different kind - this is not a scientific question."

There are some things God has allowed us to know, others, we will never know. Lewis used the analogy of a postman who gives packages to each person on the street. We know that others got packages, but we are only allowed to open our own. The others aren't ours to open. The only package we are allowed to open is that of Man. We can't open the package belonging to the ocean. Or the one addressed to the trees. We open the package that was sent to us.

"But I should expect to find that there was, so to speak, a sender of letters in both cases, a Power behind the facts, a Director, a Guide."

You may think that Lewis has quickly gone through everything and pointed straight to the God of Christianity. But, actually, we've only gotten to a "certain something" out there, a conscience of sorts, a mind over all.

"Of course, I quite agree that the Christian religion is, in the long run, a thing of unspeakable comfort. But id does not being in comfort; it begins in the dismay I have been describing, and it is not use at all trying to go on to that comfort without first going through that dismay. In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth - only soft soap and wishful thinking to being with and, in the end, despair."

My favorite - Books!

2008-10-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

My friend Suzanne requested a list of some of my favorite books. I didn't realize how many there were! I truly love to read, sometimes I forget how much. Books are special to me, rich treasures are held between their pages.

Of course, my #1 book is the Bible. I love it more than any other book available. Its the absolute, perfect Word of God. His love letter to His bride, the church. And the guidebook given to us, His children.

But other than the Bible, my top 30 books are:

Biblical Womanhood:

1. Aunt Jane's Hero By Elizabeth Prentiss

2. Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss

3. So Much More by Elizabeth and Anna Sophia Botkin

4. Raising Maidens of Virtue by Stacy McDonald
http://www.raisingmaidens.com/

5. Beautiful Girlhood by M. Hale, revised by Karen Andreola

6. Authentic Beauty Leslie Ludy

7. Set Apart Femininity by Leslie Ludy

Spiritual:

8. His Chosen Bride by Jennifer Lamp

9. Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado

10. When God Whispers Your Name by Max Lucado

11. He Chose the Nails by Max Lucado

(can you tell I like Max Lucado? In fact, while I was looking at the books on the shelf I found another book of his that I want to read called Just Like Jesus.)

12. Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally

13. A Place of Quiet Rest by Nancy Leigh Demoss

14. Jesus Freaks by dcTalk

15. Sister Freaks by Rebecca St. James

Relationships:

16. I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris

17. Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris

18. Created to be His Help-meet by Debi Pearl

19. Emotional Purity by Heather Arnel Paulsen

20. Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends by the Mally siblings

Fun:

21. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (it must be the unabridged version!)

22. Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott

My favorite of Jane Austen:

23. Pride and Prejudice

24. Emma

25. Ten P's in a Pod by Arnold Pent III

26. Autumn by Susan Branch

27. Summer by Susan Branch

28. Just David by Eleanor Porter

Misc:

29. Be Intolerant by Ryan Dobson

30. Our Country's Founders by William J. Bennett

What are some of your favorites?

<3

Mere Christianity

2008-10-03T06:06:00.000-07:00

Book One:
Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe

Chapters 1, 2 and 3

We've all heard people quarrel and fight. And they do that because of the Law of Human Nature. If you're not being fair, and I call you out on it you won't reply with "Who cares about this fairness thing." You will most likely try to explain why you were being fair. That is because we both have ingrained in our hearts that fairness is right and unfairness is wrong.

"It looks, in fact, very much as if both parties had in mind some kind of Law or Rule of fair play or decent behavior or morality or whatever you like to call it, about which they really agreed. And they have. If they had not, they might, of course, fight like animals...Quarreling means trying to show that the other man is wrong."

That law or rule that both parties have in their mind is the Law of Human Nature. A basic set or morals set inside of each and every one of us. Natives in savage countries or people in ancient times may have had different morals than we do today, but they were not completely different. A total different morality would mean that people we admired for running away in a battle or where people felt proud to back-stab someone who had been so kind to them.

C.S. Lewis said something that caught my attention, "Selfishness is never admired." This struck me kind of funny because I thought about all of the celebrities whose lives are practically built on selfishness. But then I remembered that even in the worldliness of Hollywood people are deeply admired who care for the orphans or give their money to an important cause. The celebrities who are purely selfish may be admired for their good acting or singing, but everyone knows that if they don't help and care for others they are sorely lacking.

We don't have to follow the rules of nature. They are often ignored and soon people become callous to the urge to do the right thing and continue to do wrong. While gravitational law is not a choice (you'll fall if you jump off a building, whether you want to or not), the Law of Human nature is a choice (you can kill that person or not, its ultimately your choice).

"These, then, are the two points I wanted to make. First, that human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it. Secondly, that they do not in fact behave in that way. They know the Law of Nature; they break it. These two facts are the foundation of all clear thinking about ourselves and the universe we live in."

According to Lewis, many people argue about this Moral Law saying that its merely instinct, like an animal would have. But that is simply not true. Lewis gave the example of a person who hears a cry for help from a man in danger. When you hear that call you will most likely feel two desires: one to go as far away from danger as you can, and the other to go and help the person calling for help. These are your instincts. The Law of Human nature helps you to decide which one is right (obviously helping the person). Here, though, you still have a choice. You know whats right and you may or may not do that. So the Moral Law is not itself an instinct, its a tool to decipher which of those instincts you should win.

"Consequently, this Rule of Right and Wrong, or Law of Human Nature, or whatever you call it, must somehow or other be a real thing - a thing that is really there, not made up by ourselves. And yet it is not a fact in the ordinary sense, in the same way as our actual behavior is fact. It beings to look as if we shall have to admit that there is more than one kind of reality; that, in this particular case, there is something above and beyond the ordinary facts of men's behavior, and yet quite differently real - a real law, which none of us made, but which we find pressing on us."

(Whew, that was a deep one. Let's not give up, though! I was tempted to several times, but the fact that this was school work and not optional kept me from it. ;-) This stuff is rich. So stretch your mind and keep reading, even if you normally wouldn't read this kind of stuff. You'll be glad you did.)

Mere Christianity

2008-10-03T05:52:00.000-07:00

I'm starting a new book!

"Mere Christianity"

by C.S. Lewis.

2008-10-02T04:56:00.000-07:00

A Challenge to Women

By John Piper
January 1, 1995

1. That all of your life—in whatever calling—be devoted to the glory of God.

2. That the promises of Christ be trusted so fully that peace and joy and strength fill your soul to overflowing.

3. That this fullness of God overflow in daily acts of love so that people might see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in heaven.

4. That you be women of the Book, who love and study and obey the Bible in every area of its teaching. That meditation on Biblical truth be the source of hope and faith. And that you continue to grow in understanding through all the chapters of your life, never thinking that study and growth are only for others.

5. That you be women of prayer, so that the Word of God would open to you; and the power of faith and holiness would descend upon you; and your spiritual influence would increase at home and at church and in the world.

6. That you be women who have a deep grasp of the sovereign grace of God under girding all these spiritual processes, that you be deep thinkers about the doctrines of grace, and even deeper lovers and believers of these things.

7. That you be totally committed to ministry, whatever your specific role, that you not fritter your time away on soaps or ladies magazines or aimless hobbies, any more than men should fritter theirs away on excessive sports or aimless diddling in the garage. That you redeem the time for Christ and his Kingdom.

8. That, if you are single, you exploit your singleness to the full in devotion to Christ and not be paralyzed by the desire to be married.

9. That, if you are married, you creatively and intelligently and sincerely support the leadership of your husband as deeply as obedience to Christ will allow; that you encourage him in his God-appointed role as head; that you influence him spiritually primarily through your fearless tranquility and holiness and prayer.

10. That, if you have children, you accept responsibility with your husband (or alone if necessary) to raise up children who hope in the triumph of God, sharing with him the teaching and discipline of the children, and giving to the children that special nurturing touch and care that you are uniquely fitted to give.

11. That you not assume that secular employment is a greater challenge or a better use of your life than the countless opportunities of service and witness in the home the neighborhood, the community, the church, and the world. That you not only pose the question: Career vs. full time mom? But that you ask as seriously: Full time career vs. freedom for ministry? That you ask: Which would be greater for the Kingdom— to be in the employ of someone telling you what to do to make his business prosper, or to be God's free agent dreaming your own dream about how your time and your home and your creativity could make God's business prosper? And that in all this you make your choices not on the basis of secular trends or yuppie lifestyle expectations, but on the basis of what will strengthen the family and advance the cause of Christ.

12. That you step back and (with your husband, if you are married) plan the various forms of your life's ministry in chapters. Chapters are divided by various things—age, strength, singleness, marriage, employment choices, children at home, children in college, grandchildren, retirement, etc. No chapter has all the joys. Finite life is a series of trade offs. Finding God's will, and living for the glory of Christ to the full in every chapter is what makes it a success, not whether it reads like somebody else's chapter or whether it has in it what chapter five will have.

13. That you develop a wartime mentality and lifestyle; that you never forget that life is short, that billions of people hang in the balance of heaven and hell every day, that the love of money is spiritual suicide, that the goals of upward mobility (nicer clothes, cars, houses, vacations, food, hobbies) are a poor and dangerous substitute for the goals of living for Christ with all your might, and maximizing your joy in ministry to people's needs.

14. That in all your relationships with men you seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in applying the Biblical vision of manhood and womanhood; that you develop a style and demeanor that does justice to the unique role God has given to man to feel responsible for gracious leadership in relation to women—a leadership which involves elements of protection and care and initiative. That you think creatively and with cultural sensitivity (just as he must do) in shaping the style and setting the tone of your interaction with men.

15. That you see Biblical guidelines for what is appropriate and inappropriate for men and women in relation to each other not as arbitrary constraints on freedom but as wise and gracious prescriptions for how to discover the true freedom of God's ideal of complementarity. That you not measure your potential by the few roles withheld but by the countless roles offered. That you turn off the TV and Radio and think about...

The awesome significance of motherhood

Complementing a man's life as his wife

Ministries to the handicapped

* hearing impaired
* blind
* lame
* retarded

Ministries to the sick:

* nursing
* physician
* hospice care—cancer, AIDS, etc.
* community health

Ministries to the socially estranged:

* emotionally impaired
* recovering alcoholics
* recovering drug users
* escaping prostitutes
* abused children, women
* runaways, problem children
* orphans

Prison ministries:

* women's prisons!
* families of prisoners
* rehabilitation to society

Ministries to youth:

* teaching
* sponsoring
* open houses and recreation
* outings and trips
* counseling
* academic assistance

Sports ministries:

* neighborhood teams
* church teams

Therapeutic counseling:

* independent
* church based
* institutional

Audio visual ministries:

* composition
* design
* production
* distribution

Writing ministries:

* free lance
* curriculum development
* fiction
* non-fiction
* editing
* institutional communications
* journalistic skills for publications

Teaching ministries:

* Sunday school: children, youth, students, women
* grade school
* high school
* college

Music ministries:

* composition
* training
* performance
* voice
* choir
* instrumentalist

Evangelistic ministries:

* personal witnessing
* Inter Varsity
* Campus Crusade
* Navigators
* Home Bible Studies
* outreach to children
* Visitation teams
* Counseling at meetings
* Billy Graham phone bank

Radio and TV ministries:

* technical assistance
* writing
* announcing
* producing

Theater and drama ministries:

* acting
* directing
* writing
* scheduling

Social ministries:

* literacy
* pro-life
* pro-decency
* housing
* safety
* beautification

Pastoral care assistance:

* visitation
* newcomer welcoming and assistance
* hospitality
* food and clothing and transportation

Prayer ministries:

* praying!!!
* mobilizing for major Concerts of Prayer
* helping with small groups of prayer
* coordinating prayer chains
* promoting prayer days and weeks and vigils

Missions:

* all of the above across cultures

Support ministries:

* countless jobs that undergird major ministries

Chapter 12 - Preparing For Intimacy

2008-09-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

Future Husband Application

" My Beloved is mine and I am His."

Song of Songs 2:16

Is it even possible to go through life in this day and age without getting your heart broken at least once? Very rarely I'm sure. As much as we know we're not supposed to, girls are apt to give away their heart way too soon. And while some of you are better with keeping your emotions under control (you are extremely blessed!) the rest of us must try to heal our broken hearts with the help of our ever-loving Prince.

"If you have ever had your heart broken, recently or in the past, it is crucial that you allow your Prince to fully heal the traumatic effects of that experience before you can be ready for true intimacy - both with Him and with your future spouse...And yet, if you let Him, your Prince is able to fully restore you, to completely mend each fragment of your fractured heart."

Practical Steps for a Broken Heart

Healing of a broken heart is a personal issue, however Leslie Ludy gives a couple of suggestions (they're good ones!). With your Prince's help, the insecurity and doubt that comes with a broken heart will be replaced with an unshakable confidence and beautiful radiance.

Soul Searching.

A good place to start is to prayerfully think through each aspect of the painful experience. She lists some questions in the book to ask yourself, a couple of them are:
- Did I ever cling to tightly to the relationship for security or affirmation?
- Did I ever put the relationship before Jesus Christ?
- Did I allow my emotions to lead the way?

Asking yourself these questions will help you see if there was anything in your part of the relationship that needs to be made right. This is a very important step, understanding that the other person is not completely to blame will help keep us from bitterness and anger.

Getting the Prince's Perspective.

An amazing step toward healing can be to spend some time focused on finding Christ's perspective on things rather than be blinded by your own emotional view. Leslie suggests finding a secluded place, quieting your mind and reading the tender words that the bridegroom speaks to his bride, found in the Song of Songs. I can't wait to try this. When you read the words, realize that your Prince is speaking to you, His cherished princess.

"Instead of allowing the careless actions or words of others to shape your perception of who you are, allow your self-image to be shaped only by the reality of your Prince's sacrificial, unconditional, timeless love for you...Allow your Prince's perspective to become yours as well."

Talking with a Teammate.

Another wonderful act of healing is to ask God to show you someone who can help you work through any emotions that you may have. For me, this is my mom. We work through things together. I'm not very good at verbalizing my feelings, so often I just go without, but my mom knows how to get it out of me so that I don't bottle it up, which can be dangerous.

"Often the simple act of verbalizing the pain you are going through can go a long way in helping you heal."

Your teammate should be someone you trust, someone you respect and someone who has built their life around Christ. This person needs to be someone that you want to take advice from. And someone to listen.

Relational Intimacy

The word "intimacy" often means different things to different people. Some look at intimacy as a real emotional connection, others may think of a good physical relationship, while still others consider intimacy only being "with" someone longer than a month. But there is so much more to true intimacy than the emotional, physical or mental aspects of a relationship. Intimacy is knowing someone at the deepest level possible.

"True intimacy is sharing life with someone at the deepest level, knowing someone completely, and being known completely in return."

True intimacy is complete trust and vulnerability. Christ doesn't approach us with the "temporary relationship" mentality used by so many around us. He won't leave us when we fail, when we show our imperfections. He will not stay with us for 10 years or so and then leave us for something new. His love is unconditional and it is on that love that a marriage should be based. The marriage that lasts is the one that is based on the unconditional marriage between Christ and his bride, us, the Church.

"It is not based on our performance. It is not based on our perfection. It is not based on fleeting emotion or feeling. It is based on His choice, His decision to be completely faithful to us no matter what - even at the expense of His blood. True intimacy can only be discovered with this kind of commitment at the core."

The Beauty of Spiritual Oneness

A good rule of thumb when developing intimacy in a relationship:

"To experience intimacy in its fullness, it should be built in three stages - spiritual oneness, emotional oneness, and then physical oneness in marriage. It is important not to rush to the next stage until the previous one has been previously established."

Practical Steps for Spiritual Oneness

Savor a Season of Friendship.

Let Christ lead your relationship, not emotions. When emotions run rampant, two things happen. One, spiritual oneness cannot be developed. And two, physical temptation becomes harder to control.

Keep an Open Hand

One of the best ways to keep Christ at the center is to keep an open hand at all times.

"Whenever we start to cling to tightly to a friendship, a relationship, or even the desire for a relationship, we must take a step back, examine our hearts, and entrust the pen back to the Author of romance."

The Making of Poets by Eric Ludy

Last time Eric wrote in the book, he talked about the making of warriors. There are two parts of a man, the warrior and the poet. Here's the part about the man who is a poet.

A poet, in this sense, is more than just a writer of rhymes and prose. A true poet is more than just a man with a pen writing down verses.

"A true poet writes poetry with his very life. A true poet doesn't use poetic devices to con the heart of a woman but uses the beauty of all that is poetic to serve, cherish, and express love to the heart of a woman."

Just as the warrior is not a conqueror of femininity but a protector, a poet isn't a just a wooer of a woman's heart, but knows hot to nurture and plant love in a woman's heart.

"Simply put, a true poet is a man who knows how to be intimate with a lover - first a foremost with Christ."

Intimacy involves the blending of five very important ingredients: the ability to listen, the ability to be tender, the ability to enjoy the journey (move at Christ's pace, not his own), the ability to be thoughtful, and the ability to cultivate stillness.

The Art of Guy-Nudging

For a woman to train a guy to be a poet, she must use the rare (and sometimes difficult) art of guy-nudging. Guy-nudging is completely different from nagging (Proverbs says its better to live in the corner of your roof than with a nagging wife) and pressuring; its understanding how a man works and blending that knowledge with patience, gentleness, and quite a bit of creativity (sweetness while your at it is always a plus!).

Putting It Into Action

Four things we can do right now to help our brothers in Christ to be true poets:

1. Be tender.

Tenderness is giving to someone what they need the most in the moment they most need it.

2. Be a guy-nudger

3. Be willing to be unappreciated.

After a guy makes that leap and does that thing you've been encouraging them in, don't turn around and give them an "I told you so". They will either backslide or just shun you out of their life. Allow yourself to be unappreciated. He may thank you, but if not, that's OK, our security and confidence comes from our Prince, right?

4. Be a defender of masculinity.

Warrior-poets may be scarce, but that doesn't mean they can't reemerge into society. We as young women can help make that happen. C'mon, sisters, lets take the challenge!

Epilogue

Yes, this wonderful book is over. But you, my blog friends, should read it yourself! I wish I could've just copied the whole book down for you, it was so rich with encouragement and wisdom. However, plagerism is not something I wanted to dip into, so I had to pick and choose what I would say. But PLEASE read it yourself. I would also suggest Leslie Ludy's new book, Set Apart Femininity. I'm in chapter one and already super encouraged!

Here is Leslie's final challenge:

"My challenge to you is to become one of those few in this generation: a set-apart young woman who allows the passionate intimacy she experiences with her Prince to completely transform every other area of her life. This kind of fairy-tale romance between a young woman and her true Prince does not come without sacrifice. It does not come without pain. But it is the most priceless gift we will ever be offered. And it is the most beautiful, fulfilling existence we could ever know or imagine.

Our heroic Prince is with us. He is tenderly shaping us into His princess - lilies among thorns in this generation. In His presence is the fullness of joy. Let's live for His applause alone."

What is Set-apart femininity?

2008-09-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

"Set-apart femininity blends the classic womanly grace and dignity of an Audrey Hepburn with the sacrificial, poured-out-for-Christ lifestyle of an Amy Carmichael. It's true feminine beauty merged with absolute abandonment to Jesus Christ. It's the sparkling, vibrant, world-altering, Christlike version of femininity that your King created you to exude."

- An excerpt from Leslie Ludy's new book, "Set-Apart Femininity"

Chapter 11 - Confident Sparkle

2008-09-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

The Unwavering Strength of the Set-Apart Life

"I ask that God, out of His infinite supply of spiritual riches, would mightily supply your inner life with His Spirit's enabling power, so that Christ, your heavenly Prince, might make your inner sanctuary His sacred residence as you lean more and more on Him. And I also desire that you would be able to comprehend, along with all God's set-apart children, the extraordinary and life-altering dimensions of Christ's love. But even more than comprehending this love in your mind, I want you to know it experientially, deep within your heart, so that you may have every ounce of God within you that is humanly possible to have."

Ephesians 3:16-19 (Paraphrase)

The Applause of Heaven

"In this day and age of self-consideration, our society exhorts us to have plenty of self-esteem with inspiring statements such as "believe in yourself" or "be true to yourself". And yet the same society that encourages us to believe in ourselves also holds up unattainable standards of physical perfection in the form of flawless models and actresses who grace the covers of magazines or the screens of movie theaters...

Our Culture breeds insecurity."

But what gives women like Amy Carmichal their sparkle? What makes them not seem to care what the world thinks of them?

As Oswald Chambers would say, they have gotten rid of every peice of their self-focused hearts and built their lives around Jesus. Their Prince is all that matter to them. They dwell on Him and Him alone. They put Christ above all else. They aren't living for the applause of the world but only for the applause of heaven.

Practical Steps for Delighting in Our Prince

Developing A Quiet Mind

"Having a quiet mind is not a question of choice - if we are to go on at all, we must have a quiet mind. All too many Christians break down, not because of their circumstances, but because of a weary, fretting spirit too rushed to dwell in peace."
Amy Carmichael

From the time we are five and watching Sesame Street to our adult years of rushing around running errands and making phone calls our mind is trained to never be still. However, it is crucial to be still and listen to God's voice.

"I needed to keep my thoughts still enough to hear his gentle voice."

This takes practice, and in a world of non-stop action, it takes quite a bit of effort. Eric Ludy has a saying, "It is only when the waters are perfectly still that they can reflect the glories of the heavens." Its only when our hearts are peaceful and quiet that we can truly reflect a Christ-like spirit.

Cultivating a Heart of Worship

"Experiencing focused times of sincere worship helps us develop lifestyles of worship throughout our daily existence."

Leslie suggests taking time to worship God in private. Find songs that focus on God's attributes rather than your personal needs and desires. Make private worship a habitual practice.

Learning the Art of Biblical Meditation

Scripture memorization is super important, it fills our mind with truth. However, its crucial to take that truth and transfer it from our mind to our Hearts. That is where scripture meditation comes in. Actually breaking down the verse and understanding it. Digesting its message. Praying it. Speaking it aloud. Dwelling on it. Applying what it says to your life. That is meditation.

"The words of Scripture were not meant to just be quickly skimmed and easily digested - they were meant to change every aspect of our lives."

As we learn to walk through each day with our Prince, rather than just representing Him, we will be "...marked by an unshakable peace and unwavering strength - no matter what circumstances come our way."

I love the picture above of Bethany Dillon (singer). She seems to radiate the spirit of God. Do you see her confident sparkle?

Proverbs 31 - Skills and Character Traits

2008-09-26T04:03:00.001-07:00

For school my mom had me go through Proverbs 31:10-31 and write down all of the obvious and implied character traits that I found there. There's a lot, lemme tell you. But I wanted to share it with you, because its pretty encouraging and definitely challenging.

"(10)An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. (11)The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain. (12) She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. (13) She looks for wool and flax And works with her hands in delight. (14) She is like merchant ships; She brings her food from afar. (15) She rises also while it is still night And gives food to her household And portions to her maidens. (16) She considers a field and buys it; From her earnings she plants a vineyard. (17) She girds herself with strength And makes her arms strong. (18) She senses that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out at night. (19) She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hands grasp the spindle. (20) She extends her hand to the poor, And she stretches out her hands to the needy. (21) She is not afraid of the snow for her household, For all her household are clothed with scarlet. (22) She makes coverings for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. (23) Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. (24) She makes linen garments and sells {them,} And supplies belts to the tradesmen. (25) Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future. (26) She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. (27) She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. (28) Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband {also,} and he praises her, {saying:} (29) "Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all." (30) Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, {But} a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. (31) Give her the product of her hands, And let her works praise her in the gates."
Proverbs 31:10-31

v. 10 - Excellent
Worthy
Capable (amplified)
Intelligent (amplified)
Precious
Valued

v. 11 - Trustworthy
Helpful

v. 12 - Encouraging (amplified)
Comforting (amplified)

v. 13 -
Industrious
Work seeking
Happy worker
Hard worker

v. 14 -
Desires the very best for her family and strives to make it so.

v. 15 -
Early riser
Able to cook
Delegating (amplified)

v. 16 -
Entrepreneur
Industrialist
Manager
Considerate (she didn't just go out and buy the field, she considered it first)
Resourceful
Investing
A saver of money (amplified)
Gardener

v. 17 -
Strong (spiritually, mentally and physically)
Fit for her task

v. 18 -
Always ready for whatever might happen (her lamp does not go out).
Caring for her household was more important than sleep, it was her first priority.

v. 19 -
Makes her own clothes
Makes things with her hands
Skilled

v. 20 -
Compassionate
Caring
She's not afraid to get a little dirty to help someone in need.

v. 21 -
Prepared
She and her family are well dressed (in scarlet)

v. 22 -
Well dressed
Makes things with her hands (skilled fingers)
Her clothing is pure white and fine as the priests' clothes - implying that she is holy and pure (amplified)

v. 23 -
She has a good husband - important and respected
Her respectability is mirrored in her husband.

v. 24 -
Businesswoman
Skilled
Entrepreneurial
Her work is fine. (amplified)

v. 25 -
Prepared
Not Worrisome
Content
Strong
Dignified
Noble
Graceful
Elegant

v. 26 -
Wise
Intelligent
Tactful
Kind
Well Spoken
Her words are full of grace, not harsh and judgmental
Giver of counsel and instruction (amplified)

v. 27 -
Does her work well
Overseer
Busy
Fruitful
Diligent
Worker
Skilled Manager of the Home

v. 28 -
Good Parent
Has her children's hearts
She's the source of Wisdom that made her children godly.
Honorable

v. 29 -
Noble
Excellent
Admirable
Worthy
Virtuous

v. 30 -
Fears the Lord
Reverent (amplified)

After reading Proverbs 31 yourself, do you have any that you'd like to add? There is so much in the Bible when you go deeper. I had the thesaurus, my regular Bible and the amplified Bible as I did this and having those other references helped me to dig deeper into God's Word and find things that I may have normally not seen. Try it! You'll love what you find. <3

Chapter 10 - Cultivating Intimacy

2008-09-26T03:59:00.000-07:00

Going Deeper With Your Prince
"You will ask me, are you satisfied? Have you got all you want? God forbid. With the deepest feeling of my soul I can say that I am satisfied with Jesus now; but there is also the consciousness of how much fuller the revelation can be of the exceeding abundance of His grace. Let us never hesitate to say, this is only the beginning." Andrew Murray

Don't Settle For Less

"...We do not have to live according to the mediocre standards of the world around us."

The world around us (TV, magazines etc.) say that husbands are simply cavemen and singleness is a disease that MUST be cured, no matter cost. However, marriage and singleness can be a bit of heaven on earth if we persue the best that God has for us and never settle for less.

"When our Prince is the center of our existence, the possibilities are fathomless. Life becomes an exciting, endless adventure. Don't ever settle for less."

Come Closer

"The [one] who would know God must give time to Him." A.W. Tozer

Preparing and protecting our inner sanctuary, as we have discussed in the past chapters, is only the beginning of nurturing true intimacy with our prince. Just as it takes effort to nurture intimacy in a marriage, we must make the effort to grow closer to our Lord.

Practical Steps for Cultivating Intimacy With Our Prince:

Become a Student of His Word. Truly study the Bible. Leslie Ludy suggests cross referenceing Bible versions, or looking up significant-sounding words in a Bible concordance.

Develop the Art of Journaling. Often times when I pray (and Leslie said she had this problem too) I start off ok, then my prayers gradually morph into mental lists of what I should be doing that day, or replaying events in my head. Its hard to stay on track! A prayer journal is a wonderful way to keep your prayers strong and you'll even be able to look back later and see where God has answered your prayers.

Discover Christian Literature. The older the better, find encouragement through Christian biographies from people who have gone before you.

Chapter 9 - Feminine Mystique and Romance

2008-09-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

Future Husband Application

"The unmarried young woman centers her earthly existence around the affairs of her heavenly Prince, and her aim in life is to be completely set apart for Him, in body and in spirit."
I Corinthians 7:34, Paraphrase

This was a good one!

Something Worth Waiting For

"Feminine mystique is the steady, unyielding strength and confidence that flows from knowing our Prince intimately and protecting our relationship with Him at all costs."

A young woman with feminine mystique doesn't guard her inner sanctuary out of duty or only in hope of someday finding someone who will appreciate it. A set apart young woman does so as a natural outflow of her love for Jesus Christ, her true Prince. Many girls pose the question, "Are there really any guys out there worth waiting for?" while the true question should be "Am I willing to keep my inner sanctuary sacred and live a set-apart life out of love for my Prince, even if I never find a man who is worth waiting for?" Until you develop the attitude that everything you do is for your Prince and him alone, you cannot develop the true art of feminine mystique.

The Modern-Day Jerk Epidemic

However, going back to the question, "Are there really any guys out there worth waiting for?" the answer is YES! Just because the world says that the gentlemen are gone, doesn't mean there are none to be found. When girls flirt around with jerks, they will catch the attention of the jerks.

"But when I began to guard my femininity and live differently than the other young women of the culture, guys who were committed to living differently started to appear in my life."

The young men worth waiting for are busy falling in love with their Savior to be flirting around with you (and every other girl they come into contact with) as you should be too! A friend of my family says it like this: "When you're running after God, one day you'll look to the side and see the man of your dreams running along with you."

"Young women often ask me what they should look for in a man. I tell them to settle for nothing less than a man who reflects the very attitude and character of their Prince, Jesus Christ. Our Prince protects and honors our femininity, and so will a Christlike man. To a Christlike Warrior Poet, feminine mystique is not something to be conquered or mocked; it is a beautiful, fascinating quality to be valued and cherished forever."

Testing True Love

The best test for any relationship in our lives (friendship or otherwise) is to ask ourselves: "Does this person help me to protect my inner sanctuary? Does this relationship draw me closer to my Prince?"

"Every stage of a love story that is truly initiated by our Prince - both the friendship and the romance - only enhances our intimacy with Him."

Practical Steps for Guarding Feminine Mystique

We must be willing to do whatever it takes to protect our inner sanctuary. If your friends bring you down, maybe its time to make some new ones. If that music you listen to draws you away from your Prince, stop listening to it.

"It is not from being around un-Christlike people or influences that our sanctuary is compromised; it is from allowing those un-Christlike people or influences to affect how we act or think."

The Making of Warriors by Eric Ludy

How to win a woman's heart? You would be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't be!) to know that many men often have no idea the way to a woman's heart. In fact, they believe women are totally confused. Sounds quite a bit like what we think of them, doesn't it?

According to Eric there are two huge reasons women are so confusing:

1. Women have a desire their heart for a strong warrior-poet, while quite often the world offers them the second best jerks that we see so often. This is a confusing situation. We wonder, are our expectations to high?

2. Women assume that men should know what we want without having to tell them. (yes, I'm completely guilty of this!)

Two Missing Ingredients

"Manhood, in its most polished form, is the perfectly built advocate of blossoming and radiant womanhood. When men become true men, they set women free to be everything that God intended them to be rather than oppressing femininity through their own selfishness."

We as young women can help our brothers, fathers and friends discover two all important aspects of their masculinity:

1. How to be a warrior. "A warrior is more than just a defender of truth and justice and a champion for the weak. A warrior is also one trained to protect what is sacred and innocent in a woman."

2. How to be a poet. "A true poet is trained to understand the intimate and sacred sanctuary of a woman's heart and to cultivate the same intimacy with Christ in his own heart."

The Making of Warriors

Just as girls always dream of becoming princesses, boys dream of becoming warriors. Men have been given everything to be made warriors except for one important part: basic training.

There are four categories of basic training:

1. Standing up for the little people.

2. Befriending the outcasts. To offer love rather than disdain.

3. Protecting mothers and sisters.

4. Defending innocence. "A true warrior guards his own heart for intimacy with Christ and for the enjoyment of his future spouse. But beyond that, he also protects the purity and innocence of all young women."

Protecting Emotional Needs

Manhood is at its best when it can make a woman feel protected in her purity and innocence as well as secure in the slow warming of her heart. A woman's love isn't a five minute endearment, it takes time to warm her heart. It's all a part of becoming the warriors God calls men to be.

Putting it Into Action

We, as women, are not the only tool God uses to shape men into godly warriors, but we are certainly one of the most important. Here are four ways a young woman can be more effective as an encourager for the up-and-coming warriors in her life:

1. Be an inspiration. "When a man encounters the rare beauty of a set-apart young woman, he is inspired to defend what makes her beautiful and what is sacred at the core of her being."

2. Be a talker. Men can't read our minds, so we have to communicate with them, not play guessing games. A good time to practice this is with your brothers and father. When you want to be comforted instead of having your problem solved, let them know. When they're being insensitive, tell them how you're feeling. Then, when Prince Charming comes along, you will be practiced up.

3. Be rescuable. "Men today have lost their sense of valor mainly because they lack the opportunities to cultivate it." Let the men be your hero!

4. Be an encourager. The encouragement of a young woman has the power to raise a man from feeling like nothing to being a Warrior-Poet.

"Help shape the men in your life into true Christ-built warriors, and you will help redefine manhood as we know it."

Chapter 10 - coming soon!

Chapter 8 - Battle Secrets

2008-09-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

Winning the War Against Compromise

"[Spiritual growth] is a question of obedience...turn away for one second from obedience, and instantly darkness and death are at work." - Oswald Chambers

The Sudden Death Technique

Sin doesn't just jump on us in a sudden rush of energy. It sneaks up, makes us comfortable with it, then strikes. We allow it into our lives each time we choose not to flee from temptation. "Temptation, like a potted plant, cannot grow without our help." The moment we allow temptation to take root in our hearts and feed it with our weak choices, it flourishes. And before we know it, this little root has grown into a thriving, ugly plant of sin, controlling all space in our inner sanctuary. Only when we flatly refuse temptation will the sin suffocate. "This is the sudden-death technique: never even giving temptation a chance to live inside us." As soon as temptation seeps into our brain we have the crucial moment of decision to let it grow or throw it out. "That first moment of decision is the time to flee - not to wait or hesitate but to turn and run in the opposite direction."

John Stam, a missionary who gave his life for Christ in China, once wrote about the two roads we choose from when faced with temptation: "Seven Awful Steps Downward" and "Seven glorious Steps Upward".

The following is a paraphrase of the "Seven Awful Steps Downward":

Step One: Adopting a careless attitude to sin.
Step Two: Giving in to sin.
Step Three: Habitually giving in to sin.
Step Four: Surrendering to si.
Step Five: Abandoning God for a life of sin.
Step Six: Becoming a tool of Satan to tempt others to sin.
Step Seven: Hell. And you do not have to die to go to Hell. Hell is a character as well as a location. The person who hates everything that God loves is in hell now, and hell is in him.

"Seven Glorious Steps Upward" (paraphrase):
Step One: Develping a resistant attitude toward sin - determining that sin will not gain control over you.
Step Two: Overcoming sin by faith in Christ. Successfully fleeing from temptation - saying no to the desire or opportunity to sin.
Step Three: A lifestyle of victory over sin. Habitually saying no to the desire to sin. The strength that comes from one victory helps in overcoming the next temptation.
Step Four: Discovering the "abiding life", the "victorious life," the "exchanged life."
Step Five: Entrance into even deeper fellowship with Christ. It started with you trusting God - now God entrusts His kingdom treasures to you.
Step Six: Becoming one whom God calls on to do great and mighty things for His kingdom. A set-apart existence that values Christ over life itself and is willing even to suffer and die to carry out the King's bidding.
Step Seven: Heaven!

Practical Steps for Resisting Temptation

Many times, fleeing from temptation entails a physical act: an alchoholic not going into the bar, a young man looking away from the perverse bilboards, etc. Its important to be ready to flee form these physical temptations, but many temptations are mental and a little harder to run away from.

"You can't stop the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair." - Martin Luther.

We may not be able to keep the sinful or tempting thoughts from entering our mind, but we can certainly keep them from staying in our minds. Often, when we kick-out a sinful thought it turns right around and tries to get right back in our mind. Its then that we have to pull out the big guns.

Big Gun #1: Truth Serum. If we fill our mind so full of God's truth, His holy Word, there won't be any more room for the temptation to fit. "Lies are destroyed by truth."

Big Gun #2: Hitting Below the Belt. When Satan tempts you about something, turn around and start praying for someone. "When our enemy is attacking us, one of the very best ways to hit him below the belt is to pray specifically for unsaved people in our lives to discover Jesus Christ." I tried this once, and it really works. I was trying to get my mind off of a guy, so every time the thought of him entered my mind, I started to pray for Him - that he would grow closer to Christ, that God would do great things through him etc.. Who knows how many of those prayers went up! lol.

A pure white Lily for her Savior

"A lily does not try to resemble or imitate the thorns around her. She is focused on being who she was created to be - completly set apart for her heroic Lover."

2008-09-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

"I am determined that nothing but the deepest love could ever induce me into matrimony."

-Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 7 - Feminine Mystique

2008-09-10T08:54:00.000-07:00

Discovering the Lost Art of Mystery

"The world-altering and life-giving secret that was kept hidden through the ages, but is now made known to Christ's set-apart ones, is simply this: Jesus Christ, your heavenly Prince, will actually make your earthly body His royal residence! Yes, it's true! The Prince is coming to live within your sanctuary - this is the world-altering secret that ushers in His kingdom."
-Colossians 1:26-27, Paraphrase

The Lost Art of Mystique

"What is romantic mystique? Mystique means guarding what is sacred, protecting the essence of who we are from the inside out - our hearts, emotions, intimate thoughts, and physical bodies."
Keep a little mystery! There's more to protecting your mystique than just staying a virgin. Many girls remain "technically virgin" while blindly giving away pieces of their heart to any guy who asks! Even Christians carelessly give themselves to guys physically and emotionally (while still remaining a "virgin") only to end up feeling used and heartbroken in the end.

Where Mystique Begins

"Feminine mystique begins with guarding the most precious part of our existence: our intimacy with our Prince."
As cherished princesses we must learn to protect the essence of who we are (Daughters of the King) rather than letting it be trampled in the mud. We must keep the most intimate aspects of our heart set apart for our Prince alone.

Protecting Our Sanctuary

Just like knights in shining armor guard a castle, we also need to guard our own sacred sanctuary within our hearts. We need to keep watch for sins that may try to sneak into our lives. We must develop eagle eyes. "Developing eagle eyes meant sharpening my ability to notice any hint of compromise in my life and dealing with sin instantly and completely."

Don't compare yourself to others in this world:
"at least I don't listen to the music that she listens to..."
"at least my pants aren't as tight as hers..."
"well, what I said wasn't really a lie, not like the lie that he said..." etc.

We should compare ourselves only to God and His Word.

Some subtle sins that like to creep into a Christian's heart:
Gossip - you may not be bashing someone's latest move or outfit, but talking about someone in a way that they might not appreciate does not glorify God. Its easy to get sucked in, especially for girls! But we must keep on our guard.

Selfishness - The world tells us that we must "make time for yourself" or "have some 'me' time". But the Bible says differently:
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship."
Romans 12:1, NIV

Selfishness is one of the things I struggle with in my life. Just last night I was sitting on the couch watching mindless TV and I heard my dad washing something in the sink. I was pretty sure he was doing the dishes, and in my selfishness I didn't want to get up and help. I wanted to stay and watch TV. That's just one example of many times where selfishness reigns in my life.

Materialism - "I want, I want, I want!!" Need I say more?
Laziness - "lack of discipline, not lack of opportunity, keeps us from spending time alone with our Prince." Is laziness keeping you from spending time with Jesus?
Self Pity - Its one thing to be sad or disappointed once in a while, but continually wallowing in our misfortune is self pity. "I learned that when I invested myself in serving people (especially those who had far worse problems than I did!), my self-pity quickly faded into oblivion."

Practical Steps for Protecting Our Sanctuary

"I have learned that setting aside times for soul searching is extremely helpful. Just a few moments of stillness with my Prince, asking Him to search my heart and gently point to any area of compromise that has been allowed to sneak in."

Its vital to address any un-Christlike thought, action or motive as soon as we notice it. We must deal with it immediately by repenting, and asking God to wash us clean. Keep your eagle eyes on, girls, the enemy wants to take you down. Keep your eyes on your Prince, studying His word and spending time with Him, so that your inner sanctuary will be protected.

Chapter 8 - coming soon!
Leslie's Blog
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Lily Whiteness and Romance - Future Husband Application

2008-09-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

"It is a safe thing to trust Him to fulfill the desire which He creates." - Amy Carmichael

Set Apart for my Future Husband

Just as we are set apart for Christ, we must also be set apart for our future husband. Many Christians have committed to be physically pure for their husbands, but Leslie instead encourages living a lifestyle of lily-whiteness for your Prince. "my commitment to my future husband needed to go far beyond the physical realm."

Proverbs 31:12, "She does [her husband] good and not evil ALL the days of her life."

Practical Steps for Loving Your Future Husband:

Set-Apartness:
- Do I seek male affirmation through flirting, hugging, touching, etc? - Do I draw guy's attention by showing off my body? "(you know, bending down to pick something up at just the right moment, or wearing that oh-so-cute top that also happens to leave little to the imagination)" - Do I casually offer my heart, mind, emotions, and body to guys by jumping into short term flings? - Do I allow my mind to fantasize about guys I'm attracted to? - Do I offer to much of myself to guy, even in friendship? - Am I willing to sacrifice pleasure, attention, affirmation, and temporary fulfillment to live a lifestyle of lily whiteness for the man I will spend the rest of my life with? -Am I willing to allow my faithful Lord to bring a love story into my life in His own perfect time and way? - Am I willing to hand over the pen of my love story to Christ and trust him completely?

A Vision of Warrior Poets by Eric Ludy

Leslie's husband, Eric, wrote several chapters within the book "Authentic Beauty" addressing the Study of Manhood for young ladies. "A Key ingredient to a girl becoming a woman is learning to truly understand the manhood of Christ, and then learning to help the males in her life transform into Christ-like princes."

Eric references the great Scottish Hero, William Wallace. "My generation of men rarely sees the blend of courage and kindness, of strength and sensitivity, of bravery and servanthood that we see in the fiery eyes of Sir William Wallace...He was the epitome of fearlessness in the face of the gravest danger. Yet, at the same time, he was the embodiment of heartfelt compassion."

How Warrior Poets are Made

Many women wonder if warrior poets even exist. Was William Wallace just a once-every-seven-hundred-years kinda guy? Eric doesn't think so. He says:

"A dominant force behind the quality of modern masculinity in our culture is the expectations of modern women. The feminist movement led to great freedom for women, but not without cost. The great tragedy of feminism is that it has locked masculinity in a perverted cellar where it is nearly impossible for masculinity to transform itself." "It would be misleading to say to you that men don't have a weakness in the sexual-preoccupation department. But this weakness has been turned into an expectation." "Men need someone to believe in them. They need someone to tell them that they can rise above this mediocrity." "The words of my princess make me a prince."

Possible-Warrior-Poets are all around us, waiting for that word of encouragement from his sister in Christ, or from his Princess, or his sister, or his daughter for them to go that extra mile.

Putting It Into Action:

1. Practice making princes out of the men in your life. "Start with your dad and brother(s). If you can learn to be a prince maker in your relationships with them, you will be off-the-charts amazing in your potential future relationship with your groom. Go out of your way to mention that you notice things they have done well...or the times you see them modeling a picture of manhood that you respect."

2. Challenge men to a higher standard. "If you simply have a sweet, cheerful confidence in the standard you are holding out for, it can cause a guy to stop and think twice about his behavior."
Some examples:
a. "If they burp or do anything else in the gross family, say very sweetly something like, "I've heard that burping is considered very attractive to the bearded, one-eyed, yak worshiping women of Hanalei, but unfortunately most girls don't find it very charming!" b. "If they hesitate to help someone in need, comment (again very sweetly) something akin to, "This job demands a man with great strength and massive biceps," then look his way and, with a tilt of your head and adding a slight lilt to your voice, say, "Ahhh, here is the man of bulging biceps who will surely save the day!" c. "If they refer to womanhood in a derogatory fashion, be quick to gently add, "I've heard that the men who speak highly of femininity are the ones who end up with the most beautiful wives." d. If they attempt to pressure you to sacrifice your sacred innocence, quickly leave them in the dust, and in your parting, say something like, "You have the potential to be a great man. And when you are, you will be a protector rather than a conqueror of a woman's innocence."

3. Ponder the manhood of Christ. Eric suggests the book of Song of Solomon and the book of Revelation together with, "the sole intention of seeing a picture of what Christlike manhood looks like...Song of Solomon gives a picture of Christ as a poet, a gentle encourager, and a servant-lover. Revelation provides a picture of Christ as a conqueror, a hero, a Warrior of warriors, and a King of kings. As a young woman, acquaint yourself with hte ultimate warrior poet, Jesus Christ, and then you will know better what manhood is supposed to look like."

4. Become a student of manhood.

Leslie's Blog

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Beautiful Reflection - shaping the outward lifestyle

2008-09-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

Authentic Beauty - Chapter 5

"I eagerly give up all my prized possessions, I unhesitatingly forgo the pleasure of my most intimate friendships, and, without reservation, I void all my greatest achievements for the amazing and priceless opportunity to intimately know, love, and serve my heavenly Prince, Jesus Christ." - Philippians 3:8, Paraphrase

This chapter was about shaping your life around your time with Christ, instead of your life shaping your time with Christ. Young ladies in this day and have schedules filled to the brim with friends, school, boys and extra-curricular activities. Often, we find ourselves squeezing in some Bible time before bed, or saying a quick prayer as we rush out the door.

"Friends, guys, and career pursuits completely dominated my time. I had been trying to fit Him in here and there, whenever I had a spare moment. Though a lot of my time was spent with Christian friends doing Christian things, He was not the center of my world. My life was not built around my Prince."

As God's lily-white princess, we should never expect to live a "normal life". God has so much more for you than "normal".
"He had so much more in mind for me than the expected pattern for today's typical young woman. And He wanted to teach me to think outside the assumptions I had never questioned - assumptions that controlled the way I lived my life."

Looking Beyond Assumptions:

Assumption #1: To be well adjusted and healthy, a young woman must have plenty of friends her own age and must spend a large amount of her time and energy maintaining that energy.
In her book, Leslie says that when she gave up her old shallow friendships, God replaced them with true friends, friends who were pursuing Christ the same way she was. They weren't all "typical" friends either. She became friends with godly adults, much older and wiser then she was. And God blessed her abundantly more through those friendships then she could have ever imagined.

Assumption #2: To have a successful future, a young woman must carefully follow society's pattern for success.

Trust God with your life! When a decision needs to be made about your future, go to God, not to the culture around you, when deciding which road to take. Don't you think the Creator of the Universe and the Orchestrator of all Creation knows what He's doing?

Assumption #3: To find true love, a young woman must put a huge amount of effort into the pursuit of romantic relationships.
"He wanted me to stop building my life around the pursuit of the opposite sex and instead build my life completely around the pursuit of Him. I was to concern myself not with finding human love but with falling more deeply in love with Jesus Christ. In His won perfect way, when He was ready, He would write my love story for me."
I can't imagine a better hand to write my love story than the Hand of God Almighty!

Practical Steps for Pursuing Intimacy with Christ

Leslie gives this analogy as an encouragement to really pursue Christ:

"A young figure skater with the dream of winning and Olympic gold medal does not just read about skating, watch videos about skating, sing songs about skating, listen to advice about skating, and hang out with other skaters. She devotes her heart, soul, mind, body, energy, and time to skating. She gets up before dawn, practices tirelessly for countless hours, and spends every spare moment of her days, nights, and weekends on the ice. That kind of passionate, unyielding dedication is a picture of what it means to build our lives around intimacy with our Prince in the inner sanctuary of our hearts. Don't settle for hearing about intimacy with Him, singing about intimacy with Him, or reading about intimacy with Him; really discover true intimacy with Him by building your entire life around Him. A life built around our Prince is the essence of what it means to be His lily-white princess."

Chapter 6 - Coming Soon!

Leslie's Web site

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I'm Reading...

2008-09-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

My friend Brittany gave me this book for my 17th birthday. Its been really encouraging. I enjoy the parts about feminine mystique and mystery (something I need to learn a little about! lol).

You should read it too!!

Pool Party!!

2008-08-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

The tree...ah, yes...the tree

Showing off their mad breath-holding-while-laying-under-water skills...

Wheee!

If one is good...four MUST be better...

And the epic battle continues...Hannah: You killed my father! Charity: No, I AM your father.

Hannah: NOOOOOOOOOO!

I call this picture: "The Red Popsicle: Bethany stuffing her face"

Sarah-Marie!!

We Are...

Dramatic...

Mischievous... (you tried to fool us, Charity, with that innocent look)

Intelligent...

Yes, quite intelligent...

Psychotic at times...

Weird only on the weekends...oh wait! this was a Tuesday...
Ok, ok, weird ALL the time!!

Sweet as candy... ;-)

Yes, I quite often take pictures of my food...

Hello to YOU... ;-)

Yes, yes, we know we're absolutely FA-bulous!!

Did I mention how intelligent we are??

Hey, Hey, We're the Monkees....

2008-08-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, I finally got my new Monkees CD!! They are one of my new favorite bands. So awesome. The guys are crazy! I love it!!

Here are some of my favorite music videos:

I'm a Beliver

Daydream Beliver (the lead singer for this song, Davy Jones, is my favorite)

Theme Song

A Little Bit of Me, A little bit of You

Randy Scouse Git

Look Out (here comes tomorrow)

hmm...addiction? or borderline obsession?

Either way, I love The Monkees.

I'm Reading.....

2008-07-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

The Pure Bride

2008-07-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

What is a pure bride? My mom and I were talking about this today. One of my dreams is to walk down the aisle someday, a pure bride, radiant and joyful, toward my beloved. But I had to ask myself, what is a pure bride? It goes deeper than the wedding day. One person can walk down the aisle a pure bride, while another, as a wilted creature.

A Pure Bride blooms for her husband.

I know a sad story about a girl who bloomed early. At 11 and 12 years old she was the belle of the ball. She had a trail of boys just crazy about her. She was fun and cute, and of course, had lots of drama-queen-ish stuff in her life. Not long ago I saw this same girl again at Wal-Mart. I didn't get a chance to talk to her, but what I saw saddened me. This young girl, (she was probably 15 or 16 by then) who had been so full of life, had wilted. When a flower blooms early, it wilts early. This is what happened to this young lady, she bloomed early. She looked worn and tired. Like a wilted lily, still beautiful, but so broken.

"'Papa,' said Mary one day, 'I'm as old as Bessie Wilson; I am in a higher class in school; and I am as tall as she is, yet I am not allowed to do the things she does, but have to look and act like a child. When are you going to let me grow up?'
'Mary, do you remember that lily that blossomed here in the window so early this spring?'
'Yes, but it is dead now. It seemed to give its whole strenght to make than one blossom. It looked pretty then, but really those that blossomed later at the proper time were prettier,' said Mary.
'That is just what I wanted you to remember. That lily was pretty, but it was forced along too fast, blossomed before its time, and died. That is the way with many girls. They blossom before their time. I want my daughter to come to her full, mature beauty.'
'Do you mean that Bessie is blossoming too young?' asked Mary.
'When you come to the fullness of your youth, when you are like a rose in full bloom, poor Bessie will already be fading.'"

- Beautiful Girlhood, by M. Hale

The Pure bride is under her father's protection.

When a daughter moves form under her father's protection (either physically or emotionally) she becomes hard, because the weight of the world is on her shoulders. We don't realize how much our father's take, they take the hardships so that we won't become coarse and hard. A pure bride is gentle, and un-tainted by the world.

A Pure Bride saved her heart for her husband.

She didn't give her heart away frivolously to any young man who asked. A pure bride was careful before giving away her heart. Past relationships, if any, were gone into with prayer, wisdom, discretion and the purpose of marriage. She didn't give peices of her heart away for fun.
She kept all she could for her Beloved.

A Pure bride is filled with love for her groom.

The Pure Bride receives her value and security from God, so from her beloved, she only needs love. When there is no baggage in a relationship, there's room for all the overflowing joy and love that comes when two hearts are knit together.

A Pure bride is at peace with God, herself and others.

When the pure bride walks down the aisle, her heart is free. She is at peace with God. She is free to love with her whole heart. Through prayer, scripture meditation and wisdom from her parents, she knows that the man at the end of the aisle is the One whom God created especially for her. She has no doubts. They were made for one another.

"I, take you, my beloved, to be my wedded husband. With deepest joy I come into my new life with you. As you have pledged to me your life and love, so I too happily give you my life, and in confidence submit myself to your headship as to the Lord. As is the church in her relationship to Christ, so I will be to you..."

I will live first unto our God and then unto you, loving you, obeying you, caring for you and ever seeking to please you. God has prepared me for you and so I will ever strengthen, help, comfort, and encourage you.

Therefore, throughout life, no matter what may be ahead of us, I pledge to you my life as an obedient and faithful wife."

- A Wedding Vow

A Pure Bride has God at the center of her life.

When God is at the center of your life, everything else will fall into place. Trust in Him.

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless..."
- Ephesians 5:25-27