Use your God given strengths

One of the things that was really stressed at the teen track "secrets of the world changers" was to find out what your God-given talents are and to use them to His glory. They were saying that doing that will give you energy, and it will be much more productive and fun then trying to learn some other thing because you think you won't make enough money with whatever it is that you are gifted in. So if you are good at something, continue to improve in it and use to the glory of God.

While I'm waiting

I recently posted this video on my other blog. It is a song/video about waiting on the Lord. It is from the movie "Fireproof". Go ahead and listen to it, so we'll be on the same song. :) Here, I just wanted to point out a few key things in the song that really spoke to me. (I'm sure you can gain something from it, even if you don't listen, but I recommend listening, too)

It talks about waiting on the Lord in the these ways:

• Hopefully
• Patiently
• Even though it's painful
• And maybe more, don't have time to listen right now- if you find more, please leave a comment with it. :D

And it also talks about doing these things while you're waiting:

• Worshipping God
• Serving God

I think those things can apply to this period of "waiting" in my life, and in many of yours. Waiting for a husband, waiting for children, waiting for college, graduation, etc... I'm sure most of you are waiting for something!

The above actions and attitudes are so important! We are not to just sit around and "wait". We need to be worshipping, serving and so on.

We are going to a homeschool convention today!! So I need to go help finishing preparations soon. I will probably have learned some things that I can post on here when I get back, so stay tuned. :)

Things I have learned from the women in my life

I am incredibly blessed to have had the influence of many amazing ladies in my life. I have thought of this sort of post for a long time, and now that it's around (well, a bit after) Mother's Day, I thought it would be a good time to write about it.

Katrina

What blessed me most about Katrina was her very evident love for God. She had a wonderful way of praying... you could really tell she was talking to God, and that she really loved and knew Him. She told stories in such an interesting way. My brother Josiah always said that he liked it when she would do the "Devotion" part of our homeschool coop. She was also very fun-- she likes to play games and do crafts. They used to be neighbors, but moved away. So that's why I talking in past tense... Right before they left, she had us girls over for a sleepover, and stayed up talking to Hannah and I. She told us very funny stories of when she was a girl. She is very humble! I also admired her for not complaining about her health. (She has hip problems.) Also, she had an amazing garden, with pretty much all the edible tropical plants that can grow here. Which is pretty amazing!

Jeanne

One of the things that stands out to me about her is that she listens really well. She always is interested in what you have to say and offers good advice if you need it, goes along with crazy ideas, is ready to "philosophize" with you about anything, and so on. Another thing that is really amazing about her is her faithfulness and love for her unsaved husband. This is a good problem, because when they were married, they were both unsaved. Now she is saved, and her husband is not. So prayers for him would be appreciated. She is curious, and willing to learn. She is a "technology mom". They have 6 children, from 20 to 6, whom she loves very much. She also has many, many animals in her house and on their other property. We're talking 3 dogs, 4 or more cats, tons of fish, a snake, bearded dragon, 6 cattle, 4 hives of bees, and I'm sure there's more. So that in and of it self is pretty amazing. :) Well, there's more I could say about her, but I have to stop sometime.

Carol

Just the fact that she is a Pastor's wife and mother of 8 children under 13 is enough to make me admire her! She is a very happy, friendly person who is easy to talk to and to like. Her love for the Lord and desire to serve Him are a real encouragement to me and I'm sure many others. She is also a great cook on top of all that. I really like her potato casserole, sloppy joes, and cheese bread. And the cookies. :) I also admire her hospitality and heart for families. And of course, there's so much more...

Yuko

Yuko, as you may have guessed, is from Japan. I admire her for her adapting to America, for her enthusiasm, her hospitality, her amazing cooking (sushi [no raw fish], miso soup, and much more!) her creativity, economy (when they were first married, she lived on popcorn for most of the day and made a nicer meal for her husband! She also washed clothes in the sink) and also for honoring her husband, who isn't the easiest person to honor.

Well, there are many more... perhaps I will do a part two sometime. :) But I wanted to get this up, since I actually wrote it last year. I know, terrible. :P

Modesty tips!

My mother has always been big on modesty, so naturally, she had us dress modestly. Then, I hit about 14, and began wondering, "Why?" Why dress modestly? What is the point? Not that I didn't want to dress modestly... I just wanted to know why.

Well, my mother, being a smart mother, bought the book "Secret Keeper" by Dannah Gresh. In that book, I learned how immodesty affects a guy's mind, whether he wants it to or not. After the initial thoughts, of course, he can chose to entertain those thoughts or throw them out. I learned many other things, as well. She has a test that is helpful. You can see the test here: http://secretkeepergirl.com/Truth_or_Bare.aspx. It looks a bit young, but the tests are still helpful. :)

So... a few tips that I've learned about modesty:

1. Have you ever bought an undershirt, and then found out that it did not come up high enough to be of much use? Well, I have. One day, I finally had the brilliant idea to wear it backwards. I know it sounds weird, but it works! And you usually can't tell that it is backwards.
2. Ask your Dad if you have any doubts on whether you should wear something
3. When you wear a shirt that is button down, it is a good idea to wear an undershirt underneath. Why? Because when you are in certain positions, the holes gap open and people can see in. So, unless that is something you want, you may want to put on that undershirt. :)
4. Safety pins!
5. Often, when we stand in front of the mirror, everything looks great... But raise your arms, sit down cross legged, bend over... and some nasty things can happen. Make sure you are aware of what happens when you move!
6. When you wear a skirt...
7. If you don't want people seeing up it when you sit down, it's a good idea to have it fall below the knee. A few inches below is best.
8. It is good to wear a "slip" underneath to prevent it from becoming see through.
9. If you are going to be active while wearing one, you should obviously wear shorts underneath!
10. Really tight skirts are probably not a good idea... they make moving difficult, for one thing, and also, they clearly outline, well, your backside. Not the best idea. :)
11. When you swim...
12. Well, I'm sure you all know this, but if you wear a white shirt over a swimsuit, it's not really going to help. :)
13. Probably the more modest and least expensive swim attire is a swimsuit with a dark t-shirt and longer shorts over it. (see the modesty survey)

If you are really interested in modesty, I recommend going to http://www.therebelution.com/modestysurvey/. Seriously, you must go there! It is a bunch of guys who are answered some of our questions about modesty. Very, very good!!

It can be a bit confusing at first, so I recommend looking at it like this:

First, look at the modesty petition.

Then, read how to read the results of the survey.

Next look at some of the really encouraging posts, such as: "Guys notice whether girls dress modestly or not", "Modesty is an important quality for your future wife to have" and "Despite rampant immodesty all around us, girls who choose to dress modestly do make a difference."

After that look at whatever topics interest you!

I hope this post made sense, and that you can find something useful here. I am very visual, meaning that I can sometimes get an idea of how clothes would affect a guy. So this is a big deal to me. :) I don't feel that everyone should dress like I do or anything (I wear dresses daily!), but I just want to encourage girls to dress modestly. And guys! :)

Truth Project

We have been going through focus on the family's "The Truth Project". It is excellent, highly recommended. Last Tuesday, the thing that really stood out to me was that our search for significance is what has caused so many of the problems in history and in our lives today. In trying to appear important, we become like the pharisees. We do things to bring glory to ourselves, rather than to bring glory to God. And in doing that, we lose sight of why we are even doing these things, and it becomes a meaningless show. I hope and pray that God will help me to only do things for His glory, not mine. This is a fault that I have recognized in myself!

Soli Deo Gloria! "To God Alone be the Glory!"