Stop and Take a Moment

In life we usually take every day things for granted.  I am guilty of it too.  Sometimes we just need to slow down and take a moment and say Thank You God for this beautiful day and for being able to live in this beautiful world.  Let me tell you a story.  Last year at on Christmas I was sick I was really sick.  I had the flu an aggressive form of strep and an aggressive form of pneumonia (a triple threat).  I went to the hospital on December 26.  I was so weak I could not stand for more than five seconds without collapsing.  I had so much toxic in my body that I got an infection in my blood (which mean my blood was literally poisonous) it was so bad that I got toxic shock.  It has a 50/50 survival rate.  I was released was released from the hospital January 1^st 2015.  When I found out the survival rate of the toxic shock I felt so blessed and thanked God for being alive.  I realized how I took everyday day things for granted.  If we are sick we can go to the doctors, but you never really think about what it would be like if we did not have doctors.  Here are some things we sometimes take for granted.  Siblings (I know I know siblings really, but think about it no matter what you are going through your siblings are always there for you.), medicine (back in the day doctors did not have the medicine we have now a days.), and internet (we did not always have the internet if someone wanted to know about something they had to ask someone who knew about it or read about it.  They did not have Google.).  I cannot stress enough how important it is to slow and think thank you God.  It could be about anything your family and friends, the day, or even just being alive.  I thank God for being able to help run this blog with this amazing group of girls.  Merry Christmas

Trust in the Lord

     Typically, I am a shy person.  I don't enjoy talking to strangers, saying speeches, or performing in front of a crowd.  I have been trying to overcome this weakness (and yes, being shy is a weakness, not a personality trait exactly), but it doesn't always feel like it gets easier.  

     Anyway, one day I was in town with my mom and sisters shopping at a consignment store.  (my kind of shopping) =) I felt like God wanted me to talk to someone I saw across the store!  My first instinct was, "No way!  I can't do that!  What would I say?  We are about to leave anyway, so my family would have to wait for me.  There is NO way I am going to do this!" 

     But then I remembered.  I thought about the times that I have said no.  I realized that when I got home, I would feel bad that I had disobeyed.  I would always remember how I failed.  And I would be ashamed that I had really just said "No" to God, the One who had given me the very air I was breathing!  It was a hard struggle, but eventually, I forced my feet forward and walked over to where the elderly, African-American woman stood with her daughter trying on shoes.

     "I just wanted to tell you that God loves you."  It was more of a whisper than anything else, and I am not even sure that she heard me.  But I do know that she felt the hug I gave her and the smile I forced to my lips.  My heart was pounding harder than it ever had, I think, but I did it.  I obeyed God and was glad that I did.  Even as I walked out of the store, I could see the woman staring at me in wonder.  I don't know what she thought, or if she even heard my words, but it doesn't matter. I trusted God, and I am so glad that I did.  Even a month later, it makes me smile to remember how scared I was and how I relied on God.  That is all that matters.

     Next time remember that.  All that matters is that you obey God.  You don't have to be scared, and you don't have to hesitate.  You just have to trust.  It sounds so easy doesn't it?

Run to Jesus When You Are Scared

Hello, everyone!  It's Alea posting today.  :)

Recently there was a shooting at my school.  It was the most terrifying experience of my life.  I was just down the hallway from where it was.  The teacher whose classroom it happened in ran into our room, telling us to lock our door.  The look on her face was indescribable.  The entire class ran into the corner, silent as we had ever been.  Everyone would have screamed if a pen had dropped.

My heart pounded.  I didn't know if these were my last moments alive.

I started praying.  My prayers went something like, "God help me."  I am still not entirely sure what I actually meant by that.  I just knew I needed to pray.

I ran to Jesus and He wrapped me in His arms.

I recited Psalm 23 over and over.

"He leads me beside quiet waters.  He restores my soul." Psalm 23:2-3.  He used those words to comfort me.  I was not walking (or hiding in a corner) outside of His will.  There was no safer place to be.

I didn't have my family with me to hold on to.  I didn't even have a close friend in the class.  It was just me and God.  My faith grew tremendously that day.

Take this to your heart, dear readers, and run to Jesus for comfort.  He can comfort you like no other.  Yes, I was scared, but somehow, deep down, I knew that if I died that day, it would be His will.

Cling to Jesus at all times.  He is truly the Great Comforter.

A Letter to Girls I Know (on Modesty)

Hello!  Hosanna here!  This is an article that my mom found several years ago.  I did not write this!!  I know it is long, but if you have the time, this is a great read!!

(author’s name removed at his request)
A Letter to the Girls I Know:
Dear Girls, 

There are two kinds of men: Godly men, and worldly men. What kind of man do you want? I’m betting most of you said “a Godly man.” Someday, you want to marry a man who loves God with every fiber of his being because he will be an excellent husband and father. He will honor and be true only to you. Most women want a Godly man or at least think they do. Well, I think I have found a way to tell you exactly what kind of guy you will get. I don’t even have to know you! All I have to do is look at you. The kind of guy you want or will get is advertised by the clothing you wear. I know what men want. Trust me, I am a guy. I know more guys than you do and I know them better. I know what we think, what we talk about, what we want, and what we look for, and it is different for each one of us depending on our relationship with God. I’m sure you already know this, but men were created differently than you. We have different desires and priorities. Our eyes and minds react very differently to some things than yours do. It isn’t disgusting, perverted, or wrong; it is wonderful and good! It is how God made us. It’s how we handle these differences that separate a Godly man from a worldly man.

A worldly man doesn’t control himself, rather, he looks at anything that attracts his attention or gets him excited. A worldly guy has no problem when girls wear clothes that show off skin, like boxers, high or low-cut shirts, low-rise jeans, and “cute” little swim-suits. He’s a fan of tight-fitting shirts and pants that show off your form, he thinks they’re fine! Worldly guy watches a lot of TV and R-rated movies, isn’t really offended by sexual content or nudity and secretly dabbles in pornography. He’s a “Christian” and makes up a significant portion of your church and youth group. He’s a really nice guy and sees you mainly for your body. If you were to marry worldly guy, he’d bring lots of baggage into the relationship, have intimacy problems, entertain thoughts of other women, and possibly cheat on you.

A Godly man is in control of his drives and desires. He constantly seeks God and reads his Bible. He “walks in the Spirit” and isn’t set off by everything he sees. When immodestly-dressed girls, magazine covers, or risqué advertisements come into view, Godly guy quickly “bounces his eyes” away from the image. He’s constantly guarding his thoughts and what he allows into his mind. He hates being around girls that disrespect him and his struggles by wearing inappropriate attire. Godly guy doesn’t watch much TV and is selective about the movies he sees. He views you as a person, knows you and respects you. He has your best interests in mind and guards against inappropriate thoughts of you. If you were to marry Godly guy, he would give you the emotional attention you need, he would ignore other women and remain faithful to you no matter what.

Unfortunately, there are more worldly men than Godly men. And to make matters worse, to the untrained eye, a worldly man can look a lot like a Godly man. So what can you do to only attract a Godly man? An important way of delineating between them lies in how you dress. As mentioned before, the clothes you wear advertise what kind of guy you are looking for. If you dress immodestly, you will attract worldly guys and scare away the Godly ones. It all comes down to the kind of man you want to spend your time around and eventually marry. You cannot afford to be complacent in this area of your life! You will pay the price someday.

This issue isn’t limited strictly to you and your future relationship. The way you dress directly affects other men and women and their relationships. You don’t see the struggles, the pain, the tears and the sin that you cause, but I can promise that you would be shocked if you did! Ask any Christian young man; we’ve all seen it. It’s kept hidden but it is definitely there. By dressing immodestly, you effectually spit on the struggles of our weaker ranks, appearing to care more about toying with us than helping us. You’ll never know how many broken relationships and lifestyles of sin you’ve contributed to simply by the way you dress. You want to marry a Godly man someday, well so do many other women. Don’t just help yourself and your future, help all women and their relationships by showing discretion in your dress.

Of course, I understand the desire to look stylish, attractive, and “cute.” It’s important to fit in and get attention. Trust me, it can be done modestly! I also understand that it is easier for some girls to find stylish and well-fitting clothes than it is for others. This is an area where guys really don’t understand what you are up against. But just remember, for every sacrifice you make to honor God with your image, Godly men are making sacrifices in their lives that are just as hard, if not harder! They will and do respect you so much for choosing to be modest! A real lady is conscientious of the image she presents, and real men want a real lady. And you can forget about any guys missing out on how attractive you are because you don’t wear revealing clothing. You could wear a circus tent and we would still know; it’s a gift we have.

And so the question still remains: What kind of man do you want? Answer me with your clothes.