Sisterchick Series

I love chick-flick books. A friend reccomended this series to me. How awesome to read some nice chick-flick books, that change the way you look at things. As I read through this series I found my heart changed, moved, and stirred. Funny moments abound, but the profound moments came more often, and stayed longer. This is from the last book (that I have read), called Sisterchicks In Gondolas. It is definitely my favorite, and the one that most impacted my life. May these next few days of quotes linger in your memory, and stir your heart, as they did mine.

Grace on you.

Extravagant hospitality can catch a person off guard. (As I’m learning at this moment in a very practical way!)

She was at peace, yet ready to go to war at the same time.

Is it possible to release too many endorphins and put your liver into overdrive?

A season of refreshment [is needed at times]

Such trust [is] a process that involved a lot of forgiveness

It doesn’t matter what goes wrong with the plan for life, does it? We can still start over. We can still go back to God anytime. (Hallelujah!!!!!)

“Repent therefore and be convereted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the prescence of the Lord.”

This isn’t the way my life was supposed to go. I never expected something like this. I never prepared for this. Nothing is ever going to be the same.

Shame off you…Don’t let even a pinch of shame settle on you. You’re doing the right thing by being honest with yourself…There’s nothing you need to apologize for. So shame off you.

Even though I didn’t recognize it at the time, the grace of His prescene was sufficient.

Over all the years as my circumstances changed, the only constant and unchanging truth was that God was with me.

A bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to a person who isn’t.

Now I knew grace was being extended to me. What made it different this time was that I was ready to reach out and take hold of the grace being offered.
I can’t decide which of these quotes is my favorite. I’m picking two favorites.

It could be well with our souls even when it might never be well with our circumstances.

Don’t you see how God has uniquely prepared you? You have been to dark places. You know what it is to lose hope. You know what it is to live with something you cannot change. Yet you have taken grace and filled your life with it. Now you have more than enough to give to others.

A Covenant…

On my sixteenth birthday I made a commitment. A covenant. A promise. A promise to myself, my father, and my future husband. It was witnessed by my parents and pastor. I have been thinking a lot about it lately. It is good to remember the promise, the meaning, and the reasons why I made it. To me it was so special because it wasn’t just a promise all on my part, my dad made this covenant with me, with different conditions and roles. It hangs on my wall as a remembrance, and a reminder.

Father Daughter
I will protect you                                                  I will keep myself
from unqualified men.                                          pure for my husband

I will teach you                                                    I will obtain your
God’s principles of life                                       blessing on my courtship

I will pray for you                                                   I will wait for your
and for God’s choice                                                full release before
of your life partner                                               entering into marriage

“Set me as a seal upon thine heart…” ~ Song of Solomon 8:6

Weird and Random – That’s Me

The instructions say: “write a blog of ten weird, random things, facts or habits about yourself.”

So here we go: weird, random, facts and habits?

1. I have an amazing memory (or so I’ve been told.) I also know that I have a horrible short term memory. Meaning I remember what someone was wearing the first time I saw them 10 years ago, but forget something you told me 4 hours ago.

2. I positively love pickles. They are the most wonderful food ever created. I am on a daily quest to convince my mom they count as veggies and I should be allowed to eat 10 a day. Somehow that seems to not be working. Wonder why?!

3. I am slightly ambidextrous. I can do most everything except write with my left hand, even though I’m right handed. When I played basketball the coaches knew I was right handed and during a drill asked me why was I dribbling with my left hand? Apparently I was, and it worked better than the right. It also worked the same in baseball! I have tried to write with my left hand but it does NOT work out at all.

4. Following the same lines, I was once on a basketball team. I was next to the shortest girl on the team, and the rest of the girls weren’t much taller. I did win a free-throw contest in warm-ups one time! I was probably the worst player on the team, and didn’t even understand all the rules. A friend was refereeing and called me on something. Apparently if you stand in one specific spot too long it’s baaaaaad. I heard this whistle blow, looked over, my friend shrugged, and I stuck my tongue out at him, but completely understood. In case anyone was wondering no, we never did win. The other girls were tall and violent.

5. I am not a tightwad, most of the time. That’s a little hard to do when your spiritual gift is giving, and that’s also your love language! If there weren’t things like college, cars, photography equipment, and plane tickets to my best friend’s weddings needing to be funded I would use up my entire paycheck buying stuff for my family and friends. I love love LOVE to give things away, and make people happy!

6. I love eating soup for breakfast. My family says my husband will have to be very understanding of my wierd habits. So maybe he will, but I betcha he’ll walk in, see me eating my soup, and think, wow, how did I get such a unique wife! RIIIIIGHT. Anyhoo, I love it.

7. I have this thing about textures. Foods that have different textures I greatly disdain. Allison thinks that this is terribly funny and quirky. Yeah, maybe so, but, it’s me. I don’t like foods like apple pie, different salads, peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches, just to name a few. Why? Apple pie has the crust and mushy apples, salads have different ingredients of varied crunchiness in creamy dressings, and peanut butter and jelly? Word. Talk about torture, when you take creamy and slimy textures, and slap ‘em together between bread. Yikes.

8. I can be quite contrary. I had a few friends that I knew how far I could push them, and they would push right back. Wit and sarcasm are my friends, and I pick on people I like (and those I don’t.) A friend once told me “you have a tongue like a sharp sword.” Hahaha, guess what he would say if he was my enemy.

9. I am fiercely protective over my family and loved ones. You know the saying “she’s my best friend. Break her heart and I’ll break your face”??? That’s me. You hurt my family you won’t know what happened to you. You try to mess with the people I care about and you will wish you never thought of it. I’m serious. You mess with my family and you’re messing with me. (Can you tell I grew up in a rough town?) My family members are the only people that will always no matter what love me. That kind of love deserves devotion and protection. If you stand beside me as a friend I will stand by you. There’s nothing hard about Christian love and loyalty. My name means Faithful and Steadfast, and I’m so glad, because that describes me perfectly. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable…” – 1 Corinthians 15:58. Jesus said it, those that betray and abuse are not followers of a loving God who never EVER gives up on someone. (Ok, so that was a nice little rant, next random fact).

10. I am slightly messy. Just an eensy weensy bit. (And don’t even think about asking my mom). But it’s all good, because I once won a cleaning contest with the best before and after pictures! My brother thought that was the funniest thing ever. I love my clutter, it makes me comfy!

The rules say I must tag 5 people soooo:

Kaysie, Marcie, Shawna, Felicia, Allison

Authentic Beauty 2

“His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.” – Song of Songs 5:16

Don’t ever settle for less

Romantic Mystique – Mystique means guarding what is sacred, protecting the essence of who we are from the inside out. …A woman with mystique preserves the treasure of who she is, keeping herself set apart for one who proves he is worthy of such a gift. Feminie mystique is a lost art.

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

“As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.” – Song of Songs 2:2
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” – Galatians 5:24

“Stop trying to fit me into your life instead build your life around me ” came the gentle request of my heroic Lord.

“Trust me with your love story” came His tender voice. “allow me to write each chapter of your future in my own time and my own perfect way.”

What are the things that consume my time, energy, and attention? In what practical ways could I restructure my life to center around intimacy with my Heavenly lover.

A set-apart young woman dreams differently than the rest of her (piers)

God’s dreams unlock the beauty of life itself.

It is a safe thing to trust Him to fufill the desire which He creates – Amy Carmichael

“Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory…” – Colossians 1:26-27

Authentic Beauty 1

“My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.” – Song of Songs 2:16

As we seek to live a set-apart life, we will not likely be understood or appreciated by the world around us, often even the Christian word…let’s live for His applause alone.

“Look at Jesus only” ~ Betsie Ten Boom

Practical steps for healing a broken heart:

• soul searching

• getting the prince’s perspective ( “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. ~ Psalm 39:13-16)

• talking with a teammate

Practical steps for spiritual oneness:

• savor a season of friendship

• keep an open hand

Practical steps for delighting in our Prince

• develop 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 wear fretting spirit b too rushed to dwell in peace” ~ Amy Carmichael)

• Cultivate a heart of worship

• learn the art of biblical meditation

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

Nurturing ongoing intimacy with our Prince produces an effortless outpouring of adoration for Him

Practical steps for cultivating intimacy with our Prince:

• become a student of His word

• Develop the art of journaling

• Discover Christian literature

Confident Sparkler: the un-wavering strength of the set-apart life

Seven awful steps downward:
1) Adopting a careless attitude towards sin
2) Giving in to sin
3) Habitually giving in to sin
4) Surrendering to sin
5)Abandoning God for a life of sin
6) Becoming a tool of Satan to tempt others to sin
7) Hell. Hell is a character as well as a location.

Seven Glorious Steps upward:
1) Developing a resistant attitude toward sin
2) Overcoming sin by faith in Christ
3) A lifestyle of victory over sin
4) Discovering the abiding life, victorious life, and the exchanged life.
5)Entrance into even deeper fellowship with Christ.
6) Becoming one whom God calls on to do great and mighty things for His kingdom.
7) Heaven. Heaven is character as well as location.

You are thinking that controlling your imagination does not depend on yourself…but it depends very much on yourself! When you cut off all the restless and unprofitable thoughts you can control, you will greatly reduce all those thoughts which are involuntary. God will guard your imagination if you do your part in not encouring your wayward thoughts.” – Francious Fenelon

Photoshop

Tragically this is so me.

Keep a Quiet Heart 3

Thou art the Lord who slept upon a pillow
Thou art the Lord who soothed the furious sea,
What matter beating wind and tossing billow
If only we are in the boat with thee

Hold us in quiet through the age-long minute. While thou art silent, and the wind is shrill: can the boat sink while Thou dear Lord art in it? Can the heart faint that waiteth on Thy will? – Amy Carmichael

The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. – Psalm 16:5

Can we say that there are things which happen to us which do not belong to our lovingly assigned portions? Are some things then out of the control of the almighty?

As I accept the given portion other options are cancelled.

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. – Psalm. 27:4

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. – Philipians 3:13-14

A quiet heart is content with what God gives. It is enough. All is grace.

Shall I charge Him with a mistake in His measurements? Or with misjudging the sphere in which I can best learn to trust Him?

Keep A Quiet Heart 2

Six answers to the question What If:
1 Pet. 4:12-13
Rom. 5:3-4
2 Cor. 12:9
John 14:31
Rom. 8:17
Col. 1:24

The very pleasures of human life men aquire by difficulties – Augustine

Dificulty opens our eyes to pleaseures we had taken for granted.

Life is absurd -on the surface of things- but every bit of it is planned.

2 Cor. 4:15

Our true happiness is to be realized precisely through His refusals, which are always mercies .

Lord, give me a quiet heart
That does not ask to understand
But confident steps for word in
The darkness guided by Thy hand.

Prov. 25:2

All the past I believe is a part of God’s story…a mystery of love and sovereignty…

Be quiet, why this anxious heed
About thy tangled ways?
God knows them alll, He giveth speed,
And He allows delayes – EW

Heaven is not here, it’s There…God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisibly kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for.

The worst pains we experience are not those of the suffering itself, but of our stubborn resistance to it, our resulute instetnce on our independence.

This quote stood out to me. It reminded me of my story. What is the worst thing that could happen? What if it does happen? Would you turn it into beauty and uniqueness???:

What we judge to be ‘tragic- the most dreaded thing that could happen’, I expect we’ll one day see as the awesome reason for the beauty and uniqueness of our life” Judy Squier

A Time For Quotes

I have been reading so many good books lately, and kept a quote journal, I have quite a few posts coming, of strictly quotes. Not to mention the articles these books have inspired. Starting off, Keep A Quiet Heart by Elizabeth Elliot.

If we reject this cross we will not find it in this world again. Here is the opportunity offered.

I’ve many a cross to take up now,
And many left begind;
But present troubles move me not,
Nor shake my quiet mind.
And what may be tomorrow’s cross
I never seek to find;
My Father says, “Leave that to me,
And keep a quiet mind”

Today is mine. Tomorrow is none of my business. If I peer anxiously into the fog of the future I will strain my spiritual eyes so that I will not see clearly what is required of me now.

God chains the dog till night,
will thou loose the chain
And wake thy sorry?
Wilt thou forestall it: and now grieve tomorrow:
and then again
Grieve over freshly all thy pain?

Either grief will not come, of if it must, do not forecast. And while it cometh, it is almost past. Away distrust; My God has promised, He is just” – George Herbert, “The Discharge”

And only Heaven is better than to walk with Christ at midnight, over moonless seas.” – Amy Carmichael

Trouble may help to incline us – that is it may tip us over, put some pressure on us, lean us in the right direction.

If through losing what this word prizes we are enabled to gain what it despises – treasures in Heaven, invisible and incorruptible – isn’t it worth any kind of sufferring?

A Devoted Life: Felicia Edition

(a few years old picture of Felicia, myself, and my brother)

Felicia is a very old friend of mine. She has been there for me through the good times and bad, and hung in there at the toughest times. I will always love her for her udonditional love, and loyalty to me and my family. I love you Feliciana!

What is your greatest concern for girls today—what do you think they “don’t get”? I think today it’s hard for girls to know what true love is. Young girls have unrealistic expectations about love, looking to get swept off their feet and getting warm fuzzies whenever a boy looks at them. I wish for all of them to realize that God is the source of true love, and we can learn what that is through Him, not through our feelings.

What are you currently studying in your times with the Lord? What is one aspect of God’s character you’ve learned about this past year? Right now I’m going through the New Testament very thoroughly, since I realized I have the tendency to breeze past the stories I have heard time and time before. God has shown me really awesome things in Jesus’ parables that I haven’t noticed before.
One of the biggest things I have learned about God is what an efficient God He is. When we cry out for Him, He’s not going to watch us drown. His response is immediate. Why would we ever doubt Him?

We know you don’t have much spare time, but what is one extracurricular activity that you make time for at this stage of life? Lately I’ve been getting into having big adventures, and since I make my own money and have my own vehicle now, I have more freedom to go and do crazy things… like climb mountains and go to Africa.

What in your opinion, is the most urgent challenge that Evangelical Christian women face today? Well, for those who have families, I think the biggest challenge would be raising up godly children. With today’s society, it is easy for children to get lost in the flow of the world. It is difficult for children to fight against the pull and walk the straight and narrow, so therefore mothers feel the need to protect their children from the world, but many times when that happens, once their child is grown and expected to lead their own lives, they go crazy. So I think finding that balance between informing your child while still protecting and sheltering and raising a naive child will always prove to be a difficult task.

What are your opinions on modesty? I can’t stand it when girls talk about how guys don’t respect them when they’re sitting there with microscopic shorts on and a tiny top!! If they’re going to dress like that, they don’t need to be whinin’! Girls need to dress like they respect themselves and their bodies if they want to really be respected by other people.

Starting from the very beginning: where did you grow up and how would you describe your family and childhood years? I think I did most of my growing up about 4 years ago… but we wont get technical. My family moved to Florida from Illinois when I was 7. My family is crazy, but we all know without a doubt that we love each other. With my mom being in and out of the hospital or bedridden, my childhood was difficult at times, and not much of a childhood, but I learned a lot about endurance and perseverance from her and she was always and continues to be an encouragement to me in my faith.

We would love to hear your conversion story—when and how did God reveal Jesus Christ to you? Well I was told that my mother prayed with me to receive Christ when I was 7, but I can’t remember that at all. Though I lived a normal Christian life at the church I was attending, and knew everything there was about being a typical Christian kid, I didn’t have that intimate relationship with God. To me He was just someone I said sorry to when I had done something I knew I was wrong. When I was 13, my church had a seminar and a man spoke to our youth about rededicating our lives to Christ, and it was then I realized I didn’t remember any prayer I had said to make Jesus the Lord of my life, so it was then that I surrendered my life, truly and wholeheartedly, to Him. It has been a long process, but I really feel that God is more than just a forgiver of my sins, He is also my friend and I can have a relationship with Him.

You probably know me as: a little quiet before you get to know me, but once I open up, very sarcastic with the people I like the most. I’m kind of unorganized and a bit unreliable with some things… but I’m always ready for an adventure!

I was born in: Harvey, Illinois… in 1986! I’m ooooold!

The best “spiritual” book I’ve ever read (besides the Bible) is: This is silly, but I can’t remember the name of it. It’s a book about the fruits of the Spirit and how we can live our lives by demonstrating them. It’s really hard to do sometimes!!

Right now I am reading: Acts (in the Bible), and Sanctuary by Beverly Lewis.

The movie I’ve watched more times than any other: Little Women. That movie will never ever grow old. I break it out every few weeks or so… (editor’s note: I can agree with that…everytime we get toghther it’s “of course we coooould watch Little Women!”)

The music you’re most likely to find me listening to: Oh boy… it varies. One of my recent favorite songs is “Mighty To Save”. I reminds me of how powerful and awesome God is, and it makes me thankful that I have the freedom to worship that kind of God. But these days I’m mostly listening to Chris Rice, he’s very plain and simple and to the point.

My favorite food: I’ve lost sight of good food since going to college, but I think I’ll always love mac and cheese.

In the morning I drink: Every once in a while I grab a coffee or tea to go, but my roommate makes horrible coffee, so only if I have money do I drink a morning beverage.

If I have free time, you’ll most likely find me: Snuggled up somewhere cozy re-reading one of my many favorite books.

My favorite place in the world: Barnes and Noble.

A Bible verse I return to often: Ecclesiastes 3:11: “He hath made everything beautiful in His time: also He hath set the world in their hearts, so that no man can find the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.”
It reminds me that even though sometimes I don’t understand what God is doing, in His time it will be beautiful, not in my time. So I have to be patient and trust!

Woman I most want to be like: I really admire one of my FACS teachers, Wendy Stratton. She is very wise, godly, and humble and very easy to approach. I want to exuberate kindness and genuine interest in in enhancing other people’s lives.

What is a “typical” day like for you? Now that I am home, I wake up, read my Bible and shower, dread going to work, then go to work, deposit money in the bank, go home and raid the fridge and grab a good book!

I know that you work extremely hard. What are some of your favorite ways to rest and relax? Coming home and reading, or drinking a capri sun and eating cheez-its on the couch while watching shows like “What Not To Wear”, “Jon and Kate Plus 8″ and “Little People, Big World”.