Something to think about....

As Christian women, we are called to dress modestly, with decency and propriety. (1 Timothy 2:9) So, why is it that this command from God -- this wonderful way to love our brothers (and sisters, by setting an example) in Christ seems to get tossed out the window when we go to the beach? It’s a question I’ve always had swimming around in my mind, something that’s always bothered me. It just didn’t make sense, it didn’t line up. If I wouldn’t be caught dead in a mini-skirt, underwear, or (fill in the blank) at the mall, church, or any other public place, how come it was no big deal to wear it to the beach? Because culture says it’s ok? Well, everyone else is doing it. Christians are doing it, so that must make it okay, right? Not exactly. As my father has said many times through the years, “If everyone jumps off a cliff, are you going to do it, too!?” That one’s a bit extreme, but still the same principle. It’s tempting to follow others and live by their standards, but that’s wrong. Jesus Christ is the standard, and we are called to live by His Word.

 Although this issue has always bothered me, I’ve never questioned it. To be quite honest, I’ve never questioned it because I didn’t want to be the one to change.  My intent here is not to offend or condemn. I simply want to challenge you as my sisters in Christ. After all, isn’t that what living life for Christ together is about? To challenge one another, encourage one another, sharpen one another, and point each other to Christ in order for Him to receive all the glory? I challenge you, my sisters, to think about this, to pray about this, and to study this for yourselves. 

Summer goals

I love goals. I love lists. Pretty much anything that I can put a check mark beside or cross off to feel a sense of accomplishment! I've found that, for myself at least, when I make my goals known to others, I'm more likely to accomplish them :) I also love to inspire others! So, I came up with a fairly short list of summer goals that I'd like to achieve, starting May 1, and ending October 31. (OK, so it's more like Spring, Summer and Fall!)

1. Make 5 DIY projects on my Pinterest board.
2. Make 5 recipes on my Pinterest board.
3. Read the "Left Behind" series
4. Read 5 non-fictions books

• "It's Not That Complicated" - Elizabeth & Anna Sofia Botkin
• "So Much More" - Elizabeth & Anna Sofia Botkin
• "Crazy Love" - Francis Chan
• "Mere Christianity" - C. S. Lewis
• "Preparing To Be His Help Meet" - Debbie Pearl

5. Complete a scrapbook
6. Run a 5k
7. Have a picnic at Fort Williams
8. Visit Acadia National Park (I'd love to climb Cadillac mountain if I can find someone to climb it with me. Any takers!?)
9. Spend a day at Funtown
10. Learn 3 new songs on the piano
11. Memorize the book of Titus
12. Spend an entire Saturday morning going to yard sales
13. Make homemade salsa from our fresh garden veggies

Go for it! Make a summer goal list of your own. I'd love to hear some of your ideas :)

Gardening

My family has had a garden for the past 4 summers or so. Each year I'm a little more into it. This year, I'm diving in head first and trying to learn everything I can about gardening, and all that comes with it. My dad and I started our seedlings just five days ago, and they've already sprouted, and some are about 3 inches high! It's so neat to watch them grow from tiny little seeds to huge plants. It absolutely fascinates me! A few of the things we'll be growing this year are:

• Green beans
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Spinach
• Carrots
• Squash
• Green peppers
• Banana peppers
• Asparagus
• Beets

Carrots are my favorite. There's nothing like fresh garden carrots to go with a nice hot meal! Putting fresh raw veggies in my salad is quite a treat too :)

We're also starting to can this year, which I'm pretty excited about! Being able to have our home grown veggies year round would be amazing!

So since i'm fairly new to this whole gardening thing, I definitely welcome any helpful hints or tricks anyone has to offer :)

My latest project

I love throwing things away -- simplifying. In my family, I'm notorious for it. My motto is "if I don't use it, it goes in the trash!" (or, sometimes to Goodwill). It's not so much that I like throwing things away as much as I like simplifying. If I can find a good use for something, I'm glad to keep it. So, I was very excited to find a neat way to use my scrap fabric from sewing. A friend of mine told me save all my scrap fabric just in case! I was so tempted to throw it all away, but I've saved...well....most of it! I'm so glad I did, because the other day I learned how to make these cute flowers with them, and it's actually quite simple!

• Start out by tracing a circle on your scrap fabric. You can use any round household item that's about 5-7 inches in diameter.

• Next, cut the circle and press to get all the wrinkles out. 

• Fold the edge of the circle (about 1/4 inch) under to the wrong side of the fabric and press.

• Double thread a needle with enough thread to sew around the circle, and knot the end. Use a "gathering stitch" to sew around the edge of the circle through both layers of fabric. 

• Gently pull the thread to gather the fabric and close up the center. Sew a few stitches across the center to secure your gathers. Flatten and press. It should look like this when you're done.

You can sew or glue your flowers onto so many things. The possibilities are endless! I decided to sew mine to a stretch headband with a cute little button in the middle :)

Thankfulness

Thankfulness. It’s not just something we celebrate once every November. It’s not just listing all of our blessings and saying thank you for them in our daily prayers. It’s so much more than that! Paul tells us in Colossians to be “overflowing with thankfulness”. Wow! What does that look like? I think it’s more of an attitude – a way of living. It’s so encouraging to see a brother or sister who has a genuinely thankful heart! It’s something we all should be striving for. In our culture, it’s so easy to be ungrateful, even though we live in the wealthiest nation on the planet. How ironic! We have to battle against our flesh, and “be transformed by the renewing of our minds”. One of my favorite quotes is “Thankfulness is how you think; joy is the abundance it produces”. So, I’ll leave you with this one question: are you overflowing?

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 

Noah Andrew

Tuesday, my newest little nephew, Noah Andrew Nevers was born! He was 7 lbs. 2 oz. and 19 inches long. What joy to see him and hold him for the first time! I’m so excited to watch him grow and develop his own little personality! As I held him and studied his tiny features, I was truly amazed at the gift of life. What a gift it is, children are such a blessing! It really is incredible how He knits us together in the womb.

I look forward to holding my own little ones in my arms someday, Lord willing! Until then, being an auntie is pretty awesome J

Preparation for marriage: Encouragement for single ladies.

Preparing for marriage

To have any type of college degree, it requires a great deal of preparation. If you decide to become a doctor, you can’t just jump into the emergency room and start diagnosing people and handing out prescriptions. That would be preposterous! It requires years of intense study and training. I wonder, then, why is there not nearly enough emphasis on preparing for marriage? It is, after all, a lifelong commitment. I certainly do not claim to know everything about marriage. Not even close! But I do know that it’s hard, and a lot of work! Why, then, wouldn’t we be learning everything we possibly could while single? Studying Gods word to see what it says about marriage, reading books about marriage, and child rearing, sharpening homemaking skills such as cooking, frugality, cleaning, and budgeting. It’s never too early to start learning these things! I was so encouraged recently when I learned that a mother in our church had taught her young daughter how to sew! How precious.

  Another thing that is SO important in preparation, ladies, is prayer! Pray for your future husband! If you’d like, make a list of qualities and character traits that you’d like to have in a husband. Pray fervently that God will develop those qualities in him. Of course, they don’t all have to be spiritual. I have some pretty silly ones myself ;)

More importantly, though, do you have those qualities and character traits? Are you growing in humility and striving to be Christ-like? Preparing yourself spiritually is just as important, if not more!

 So, be encouraged, ladies! Let us prepare and learn together as we wait for our knights in shining armor!