A Ruby in God's Vault

Am I Wise In My Own Eyes?

2006-11-20T15:52:00.000-05:00

I was reading some blogs today and found this on Joshua Harris' blog...and it just hit home...HARD...

I am wise in my own eyes…
1. When I don’t pause to pray for God’s guidance on a decision.
2. When I fail to depend on God’s word and approach it as a daily “lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105).
3. When I assume a decision doesn’t need a second opinion, and I don't take the time to ask trusted friends for counsel.
4. When I am critical of another person’s practice or perspective without taking the time to understand it and ask questions.
5. When I am lax in fleeing temptation, assuming that I’m adult enough to “handle it.”
6. When I do something right and fail to acknowledge before God that it is only his grace that allowed me to do it right.
7. When I pat myself on the back about knowledge I have that I learned from someone else.
8. When I don’t draw out, or seek to understand, a person who is bringing criticism( (whether or not it’s being brought constructively).
9. When I assume that the truth of a sermon is for someone else, not my own life.

10. When I neglect to consistently plead to God for his wisdom.

Isn't this just a humbling list....how many times do I see myself wise in my own eyes...whether its b/c I assume something, or aren't listening to someone or am just too full of myself. This list really has hit me today. I pray that it will not only HIT me but truly AFFECT me so that my life is different as a result!!!

How are they getting away with this?

2006-11-12T23:37:00.000-05:00

On Saturday I had the priviledge of going to NYC with 25 other ladies from our church...our youth group ladies and some of their mothers. It was one of those days were things just refused to go according to plan...but then everyone knows that those are the days with the best memories. If everything went as planned, we would not remember the day nearly as well. And of course any day I can spent with Janet is always a winner in my book! Plus I saw live rats in the subway...not as exciting as elephants in Uganda but close!

But for me the most exciting part of the day was getting to see the Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall. The show was spectacular and while Santa was definitely the main character(and claimed to "listen to the prayers of boys and girls"...I guess he could listen, but what would he do about it?), it was so encouraging to see the birth of Christ shown as PIVOTAL to this show. In fact, the even included a poem in the show (and printed in the program) that is entitled...

"One Solitary Life".

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman, He grew up in another obscure village, where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never had a family or owned a home. He never set foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never wrote a book, or held an office. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness.

While He was still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. His friends deserted Him. He was turned over to His enemies, and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had -- His coat. When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave.

Over two thousand years have passed, and today He is the central figure for much of the human race. All the armies that ever marched and all the navies that ever sailed and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the akinds that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this eart as powerfuly as this "One Solitary Life".

OK--so let me see if I have this straight....in my job around my desk, I have to be careful what I post in regards to the "holiday season" and any group events we do at work have to be "Christmas Free" as to NOT offend anyone...but in the heart of NYC they are celebrating Christmas with it's true meaning. Sure they left out the most important part...THAT HE ROSE AGAIN and conquered sin and death once and for all, and sits at the right hand of GOD....but they at least admitted that Christmas is ABOUT Christ. I was shocked and sat there wondering how they were getting away with it. Isn't that sad? I'm at a Christmas show wondering how they are getting away with calling it "Christmas" and having a full nativity scene as the finale of the show.

My fear is...how much longer will this continue? When will they succumb to the world's committment (and yes it is a committment) to get Christ out of Christmas. I'm so thankful I got to see that show! My prayer--that I NEVER allow for a second for Christ to NOT be the absolute ONLY reason for Christmas! A good thing for me to start praying for as this incredible time of year get's closer!

Two Crazy Girls In Africa

2006-10-08T21:32:00.000-05:00

ok...we have our blog up and ready for our trip. It can be found at http://tcgia.blogspot.com//. We will hopefully be posting regularly to this blog, and will hopefully even get up some pictures. But obviously things happen, and we will need to be flexible over there...so if we dont' get something up every day, don't worry---as soon as we can we will post! Thanks for all of the prayers and the support!

I leave in 10 days!!!!

2006-10-05T07:59:00.000-05:00

I will board a plan in 10 days for Uganda! But God is once again incredible to me when I do not deserve it and I will have a travelling companion! Lauren will be going with me on the trip--she is excited as well!! But please be praying for both of us that we will accomplish our LONG "to-do" lists before we leave! We will hopefully be posting some blogs while we are there in Uganda..not sure if it will be on this site, or another, but if it is on another site I will post the link here!!!

Thanks for your prayers and support!!!!

We Expect More of Babies Than We Do of Teens

2006-09-22T10:02:00.000-05:00

Ok..before I start getting the emails from my small group, I took this quote from a blog on the Rebelution--so one of your own said it! I just happend to think it was really good :)

Here is an excerpt from "My First Shower Nearly Killed Me", an article posted in May of 2006 on The Rebelution:

The truth is that we are incredibly susceptible to cultural expectations and once we have satisfied our culture’s meager requirements we stop pushing ourselves.

Why does every healthy baby learn to walk while very few teenagers are sophisticated enough to have mastered the Waltz? One is expected, the other is not.

Why does every normal baby overcome communication barriers by learning to talk while very few teenagers overcome barriers between themselves and their parents by learning to communicate? One is expected, the other is not.

And why do we sympathize with the poor “non-math” teenager while we admonish the “non-toilet” six-year-old? Because using the toilet is a basic skill that is necessary for life, but unless they plan on becoming an engineer, most people never use Algebra.

We live in a culture that expects the basics, but nothing more. We live in a culture that expects for you to get by (i.e. be potty-trained), but not to thrive.

The Rebelution’s challenge to you is this: Have you really found your limits or have you merely reached a point where our culture’s expectations no longer demand that you succeed.

Want to be challenged--it was a really good article....http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2006/05/my-first-shower-nearly-killed-me/

Question of the Day

2006-09-21T13:26:00.000-05:00

"Are you following Jesus Christ, or do you just happen to be going the same direction for a while?”

Whom Do You Fear?

2006-09-19T16:19:00.000-05:00

"The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe." Proverbs 29:25

This verse is always one I would just skip over—b/c seriously what man do I fear? I’m not someone who generally “fears” too many people—I normally get along pretty well with everyone. Nice thought, except that my definition of “fear” is ALL WRONG. In my day to day reading of some blogs, I came across this…

"Being conscious of God's approval or His displeasure is what the Bible calls "fear of the Lord." It means to be in awe of, or to respect, more than merely to be afraid. Conversely, what we now call peer pressure, people-pleasing, or co-dependency is what the Bible calls "fear of man." In a nutshell, the fear of man can either be a fear of what others think of us or will do to us, or a craving for approval and a fear of rejection."

So having “fear” for man instead of God is to be more concerned with man’s approval than God’s. I had to really ponder that question some and ask “what would that look like”? What are the signs of fearing man more than God. And the blog had some helpful suggestions especially concerning single women:

Do you change your normal behavior when you are around men you are attracted to?
Do you cancel plans because you feel you don't look very good that day?
Do you agonize over what to wear to an event?
Are you defensive when criticized, no matter how little or great the criticism?
Are you easily embarrassed? Do you find it hard to laugh at yourself?
Are you jealous of other people, their possessions, or their relationships?
Do you have trouble saying no to people when your resources (time, finances, health) are already maxed out?
Do you avoid some people?
Do you consistently second-guess your decisions?
Are you afraid of airing your true opinion about a decision?
Do you embellish certain stories or exaggerate the truth to make you look a little better than reality? Conversely, do you issue lots of little white lies?
Will you compromise standards of modesty or purity because you want to seem relevant or stylish?
Do you decline dates because you think others will not like or be impressed with the man who has asked you out?

Some of these were a very easy “no way”, but some I had to really struggle with. For one, the “are you jealous of other people, their possessions, or their relationships”. I remember some conversations with a very close friend in which I was upset over why God would bless someone else, BEFORE me…as if there was a limit to God’s blessings and He arbitrarily handed it to someone else and then ran out when He got to me. Instead of being happy for that person, I was upset and quite honestly jealous over their blessings. WRONG!!!!

And trust me, there are others on this list that I know I have done in past years (sometimes even past months). So—it is fairly clear that I have become trapped in the snare of fearing man more than God. Ok…so I’ve been honest and admitted that I’ve been trapped before, but how do I keep from falling into that trap over and over again?

This quote says it all:
The most radical treatment for the fear of man is the fear of the Lord. God must be bigger to you than people are.... Regarding other people, our problem is that we need them (for ourselves) more than we love them (for the glory of God). The task God sets for us is to need them less and love them more.

I need to learn to need God more and the only way I can do that is to continue to learn more and more about Him and his character. So, I have added another thing on my list in my pursuit to be a Godly woman…fear man less and love God more!! As I Peter 3:3-4 says, “Do not let your adorning be external — the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing — but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." That’s my goal!!!

So--to my girls in small group--who are you fearing? And be honest? I just was!!!

Trust the Blows of HIS Fist

2006-09-07T13:20:00.000-05:00

“Some have only learned to trust the smile of His face, but they must also learn to trust the blows of His fist” Beside Still Waters, C. H. Spurgeon

You would think by now that I would trust in an absolutely all powerful, all loving, all knowing Lord…but I still sit and wonder, crying sometimes, what is going on with different areas of my life. When will I learn that if I am feeling down, wondering what God has in store for me, and why it can’t be what I WANT, that I need to trust HIM!!! One of the mistakes that I make all too often when I am in those moods, is to go and curl up and watch TV…BIG MISTAKE. This past week, lucky me, "Beaches" was on—there’s a mood lifter. As soon as the song starts, “Did you ever know that you’re my hero”, the tears kick in…I’m having to hold them back right now even thinking about it (just kidding..but you know how I can be!). Now—how has this changed my focus from myself to anything else? IT HAS NOT…big problem. Now instead of wondering what is around the corner or why I haven’t met Mr. Right, I’m wondering who is going to go with me to the beach when I’m dying of a terminal illness and be with me on my death bed—if you haven’t seen Beaches, you wouldn’t understand. Never mind I DON’T HAVE A TERMINAL ILLNESS…nor for that matter a beach house just waiting for me to go to.

So what am I trying to say? I’m going to work on learning to “trust the blows”…and if nothing else to look UP when the blows come instead of just focusing once again on myself. It was amazing right after my “Beaches” episode, that I decided to work on my h/w for Wednesday night…and just that little bit of being in the Bible and studying Sarah a bit got the juices flowing. What a different scene then the one earlier of sobbing on the couch to a very melodramatic, not that specatacular,movie.

This quote is just a beautiful reminder that God truly is in ALL things…and I truly will not be peaceful or find true joy until I learn to trust both the “smile of His face” and the “blows of His fist”. Just thought I’d share that little tidbit :) !!!

And the story begins...

2006-08-25T20:15:00.000-05:00

I am officially headed to Uganda!!!! I leave October 14th and will return on October 31st. I am just floored that God is giving me this exciting opportunity and I just will be praying that I will be an encouragement and testimony to those I come in contact with!

The purpose of the trip is two fold...one to help me be a better leader for our 2007 Congo Teen Missions trip! SEcondly, just to spend my vacation wisely and in a God-honoring way by encouraging one of our missionary couples.

So...I will be blogging more I'm sure as the trip gets closer. I have so much to do and so much to learn!!! One thing I have already learned is that I MUST top watching lifetime television, as I have already had 2 dreams that I have been kidnapped while in Uganda and that my family and friends decide it's not worth it to pay the ransom :)...now don't misunderstand me...I do not think that this is in any way a sign that I'll be kidnapped for any reason...I have no fear of that. What I do think, is that its a sign that I need to stop watching sappy television before I head off to sleep!!!

More on Uganda later--but start praying for me!!! I'm SOOOOOOO excited :) :) :)

God's Will -- How in the world do I figure out what it is?

2006-08-15T15:34:00.000-05:00

I started reading a new book today. I'm a tad nervous about it, b/c it is definitely going to stretch me outside of my comfort zone, and will force me into God's Word to ensure that it is accurate and true. The name of the book is "Getting Serious About Getting Married", and before anyone starts the rumor I'm on a "man hunt", let me explain what the book is about. Well at least as much as I know.

I found out about the book because the author wrote an article for one of my blogs about the "dangers" of churches with singles groups. I had to read it b/c it intrigued me. I've always thought how wonderful it would be if Bethel were to establish a singles group. Just for fun and fellowship. So why was this author saying they were dangerous? So I got the book. I've only read the first chapter, but so far so good. In a nut shell this author truly believes that when it says in Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. " that that means that God created "man"--which consists of a man and a woman. Meaning, God did not create man to be alone...but to be with a woman and that most Christians should be married. Singleness is a gift that Paul talks about, but according to this author, this gift should be a much rarer gift then what we are seeing in churches today. While the church is not supposed to "run with society" when it comes to marriages happening later and later in life, we are neck and neck with the world...and this is NOT a good thing! Her problem with singles groups is that she feels that it does not encourage men and women to seek marriage, but insteads postpones it, masking their loneliness in singles events, mixers and bible studies. It's an interesting concept, and like I said I've only read the first chapter, so I'll have to share more later!

But back to that first chapter...that is where I stumbled upon the thought of "God's Will".
Is it truly God's will for me to be single and to remain single. Man have I struggled with that. I want to know what God's will is for so many facets of my life so I can just live it and not wonder if I'm screwing it up all of the time. Of course, if anyone has been in Sunday school recently, that would be a pretty hard thing for me to do, b/c even with my imperfect actions, God's sovereignty always wins. So technically I can't "screw up" my life. But you know what I mean.

So...how do I find out what God's Will is? Its so stinking easy but I am SOOO bad at it! If someone told you that the answer you were looking for required no searching, no digging, no hard work, no frustration...you just had to READ IT...would you do it? The only way for me to know what God's will is is to READ HIS WORD. I can't know God's Will if I'm not willing to just sit at His feet, and just listen in anticipation as He unfolds how He created man and woman, and saved mankind by having Noah build a boat in a "rainless" world, and guided the Isrealites on a 40 year journey that should have taken less then 2, and then used a prostitute, a moabites, and an adulterer to finally send His son to the earth, so that He could eventually allow Himself to be brutally killed for our sins, and then gives us books and books about how to live our "new" lives. How do I keep missing this? Why do I honestly believe that an extra 40 minutes of "sleep" while my alarm goes off every 8 minutes is worth more then this? Why do I honestly believe that just sending one more email at night is worth skipping sitting at the feet of the one who WANTS to show me HIS will? How can I remember EVERY night to plug in my cell phone so that it is charged for the next morning, but can't remember to put out my bible so that it is the FIRST thing I pick up when waking up?

I'm so ashamed of myself.

I'll tell you more about the book later!

But every teenager does it????

2006-08-01T11:20:00.000-05:00

Romans 1:28-32
Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

I have decided to try and be an adult and actually read and study Romans on my own. I’ve always left that one to the professionals, b/c it was so full of doctrine and “hard stuff” that I figured I should just NOT attempt it without ‘adult supervision”…hmm….I’m guessing that’s just one of my many excuses J

So…today…August 1st, I started out with Romans 1 for my morning time with the Lord…and I got smacked! If you look above through verses 28-32, it lists just a wretched list of sins…murder, God-haters, slanderers…every KIND of wickedness. And then just right smack in the middle….they disobey their parents.

Whoa…wait a minute…disobeying your parents is just a rite of passage for a teenager..right? I mean come on…EVERYONE DISOBEYS their parents. But you know what…Paul put it in this list for a reason. And that reason still affects me today...Let me explain! ( I would be quirky and put in the funny quote from Princess Bride, but we all know I can't SUM UP very well...so here comes the brief novel!)

Why is it so important to obey our parents? Well, first, b/c God commands us to, and that is our ultimate, absolute authority. But another great reason is b/c it is great training for later in our life. When I was a child/teen I obeyed my father or else…he was not a mean man, he didn’t beat me or anything, but I got punished. And it was just known that I should obey, and do it quickly. Unfortunately with my mother, I was not as “angelic”. I got away with smart-mouthing my mom often. And then even when she would throw out the “dad card”, I might obey, but I certainly grumbled and did it with malice in my heart. I don’t think I learned to truly obey my parents JOYFULLY! And I was technically a “good kid”!

Ok…so you’re thinking, “so what Kelly…everyone does that”. Well, I think it affected me later in life. What I don’t think I learned was to JOYFULLY obey my mother even when I disagreed. I learned to obey to avoid certain punishments…and only when those punishments were threatened and followed through on. And at times, through my parents, I learned that it was ok to REVOLT against such authority. For instance when the umpire blew the call in a softball game, my dad was known to get VERY angry. Probably not a great example for me! So now, at age 23, I hit the real world, and I have a job at an investment firm. The job gets boring and I get frustrated…and I start to get haughty. My boss tries to warn me, but what does she know…this company would be lost without me…I’m key…

And like that…I was gone! I had similar situations at other companies…some initiated by bad bosses I will admit, but I sealed the deal—my own sin was greatly to blame instead of poor leadership. And its now 12 years later, and I think I am just truly learning my lesson. I have been in the same job for 4 years, and there are times when I truly want to scream at someone…but God has been patient and has been working in my heart. For that I am SOOO thankful!

So why is it so important to OBEY OUR PARENTS…b/c your whole life you will be under someone’s authority…your church’s, your boss’s, your husband’s, the volunteer organization that you work for…GOD….someone is always going to be higher up then you…and there are going to be times that just doing what is asked of you seems insane. Your boss will ask you to do something that seems beneath you, or may even seem to be idiotic. Your husband will ask something of you, that you will need to submit to, even tho it seems ridiculous or unfair. An organization will require something of you that just doesn’t make sense. And while you are an adult and are allowed to respectfully ask questions and maybe make your point, there are going to be times where you just have to SUBMIT…and do it with JOY!!!

Those Christians who have a hard time joyfully doing that…whether it is to your parents now, your boss, the umpire who blew the call, the teacher who didn’t see everything that happened….whatever the circumstance may be…this disobedience to authority is sinful and wicked!! And if you don’t break the pattern and acknowledge it now, it WILL have consequences in your life later on!
And Paul goes one step further to say, even those that approve of this kind of behavior….so maybe you submit joyfully to your parents all of the time (yeah right)…but you laugh when your friend talks about ignoring her parents rules, or you even help them sneak around those rules. Once again this is sin…and it is listed in with the attributes of men that will NOT see the kingdom of heaven. So, how are you going to obey your parents today…the teacher you can’t stand…the umpire who is clueless…the youth leader who drives you batty and is even wrong sometimes! (ah em)…. Just something to think about !

disclaimer: Just so there is NO confusion, I love my parents very much and am so thankful that I was brought up under God's word. In no way is anything in this post intended to say anything otherwise. Phew...just wanted to make that clear!

Don't be the "test drive"

2006-07-24T16:26:00.000-05:00

I was reading a blog today, and it was sooo good, that I had to share it. This particular article was actually more geared to single Christian men, but the concept can go both ways. The author, Michael Lawrence, wrote a blog entitled, "Stop Test-Driving Your Girlfriend". The article starts of with the question "How do I know if she is the right one". I won't retype the article, but will paste the link below so that you can read it yourself. But I can't help but think that so many of the principles in this article can be tweaked just a bit and apply to us girls!

One statement that comes out loud and clear is to NOT look for the perfect man, as you will NEVER be the perfect woman! Be praying for a man who will spur you to become more and more Christlike. This means, if a few years down the road (since I'm speaking to my high school small group, and we all know I' m not encourging them to "get involved" right now), a young man wants to pursue a relationship with you, and you find that once in this relationship you are spending less time with God, less time with your family and godly friends, less time at church building relationships and being fed, THEN YOU ARE WITH THE WRONG MAN!

I think the other key message is in the statement, "Stop looking for the right man, and start becoming the right woman!". Too many times, myself included, we are focused on looking for that right man. I cannot tell you how many times well-meaning people encourage me to find a church that has more single men..."honey you'll never find one, if your not around them". Well..I think I'm in exactly the right church...b/c its not about being AROUND single men, it's about being UNDER Godly teaching! And I am so thankful that I am at the church that I am!

Here is the rest of the article...I find it very interesting and encouraging...http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001306.cfm

Because I always said I would be honest with you...

2006-07-16T20:37:00.000-05:00

Girls--I'm having a rough time tonight. I'm not sure why...I had a great day at church, one of my old friends from highschool was there with her husband and kids, and giving an update on their mission work. God has blessed me immensely...I have no wants. I'm floored He still blesses me, after the numerous times I have just walked away from Him or dissapointed him..but I know He blesses me ultimately so that I can glorify Him...and I never get what I deserve :)

But...its still tough...and Satan is just alive and working right now and putting so many doubts into my head. so...if you happen to be on and see this, I would so appreciate prayers. I don't really want to give too many details b/c this is a public blog :)...but most of it is my own selfishness and wanting to be in a different stage of life than God has me in right now...not being truly content to serve Him and love life right where He has me.

So...I wanted to be honest and transparent...life is not always easy...and I certainly don't always see the bright side of life...but I do see God..and I know that while His way is not always easy or fun, it is always the best...so I'm going to go dig into His Word and try to switch the focus off of me, and back onto him :)

Why do we think we belong?

2006-07-11T10:25:00.000-05:00

Philippians 3:19-20 "Their Destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ."
This passage was in what I read this morning (PRAISE THE LORD, I awoke with the first beep of my alarm this morning, and got up and spent time with God and his word...my day since then has been a mess, so I am so thankful I started it off right!!!). I was out with 2 friends last night, and we were talking about all kinds of subjects--weight, guys, life in general. This morning as I was reading this passage, I got smacked again (I'm waiting for the permanent marks...I've been getting smacked so much recently you would think I would learn!! It may account for the memory loss tho?) Not that our conversation last night was bad...but it was centered all around EARTHLY THINGS. And we knew it. One of us, normally Amber, would center us back to God...and then we woudl start a new topic. Typical girl talk...only we are NOT TYPICAL GIRLS!!!
MY CITIZENSHIP IS IN HEAVEN. Why am I still living like I belong here? Why do I still live and get satisfication from what the world offers? I DON'T BELONG HERE. When you meet someone from another country--someone who has citizenship from another place--you know IMMEDIATELY. If they can speak english, it is normally with a very cute accent, and they normally do not have the "slang" down. They have different customs...they dress differently...they eat different things...and they normally have different values.
We spend so much of our Christian lives trying to "blend in" with the world. We are saddened when we don't fit in, we get mad when we can't wear certain clothing trends and styles, we fight with ourselves to watch every movie and tv show that comes down the pike saying, "it may not be a godly show, but it's not that bad".
Girls--if we are supposed to live as ALIENS, why do we fight so hard to fit in? Once again, I include myself in this question? There is certainly the other extreme, where people fight so hard not to have ANYTHING of this world, that their oddity almost becomes what they are fighting for...NOT Godliness. Girls--everything we do, we need to do as citizens of heaven--not earth. What do I think this means? Well--here are a few suggestions.
Clothing -- it can be stylish, it can be hip--but if it is immodest or immoral it has NO business being in our closets. So the world says the style right now is to show off our stomachs..that is sexy (well for me its just scary and no one wants to see that...but for some ofyou, it would be very cute and appealing I"m sure). But we don't answer to the world, b/c we are citizens of heaven. Anything that we put on our bodies--dress outfits, shorts, t-shirts, bathing suits--anything should be put on as if when we walked out that door God would be the first person we see...would he approve? And we can't dress one way for church people, and another way for friends/school. WE ARE ALIENS OF THIS WORLD. WE are not supposed to fit in.
Entertainment/Music -- the world is full of sin. Sin is glorified in everything--don't listen to your parents, sleep with whoever you want, eat/drink whatever you want, live in a way that pleases YOU. We know that, right? So why does it shock us when it is plastered all over TV and the movies. WE need to be careful of what we put into our brains. It DOES MATTER. When a movie is not glorifying to the Lord, but rather celebrates sin, we need to NOT watch it. When TV shows applaud sex outside of marriage, homosexuality, teens talking back to their parents, underage drinking and drunkeness, we need to NOT watch it. girls--please take it from me. You can say all you want that you will never do it--the more you allow it into your head (ie. watch it), the easier it is to fall in to it. TRUST ME!!!
Boys -- the world tells us that we are equals. You like someone--go after them. If you don't the boy may never know. What are our critieria? Cute, dress nice, funny, athletic, smart. GIRLS WE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD. You like someone--great...pray about that and give it to God. Continue to let God work in your heart. Don't constantly IM him, text him, call him, make yourself available. Don't even play sly and try to "create situations" so that you can be with him. Doing those things may "get you" your man--congrats--it will NOT end well trust me :) What is our criteria? Does he love God more than anything else? That is the morst important fact. His looks will change, he may not dress well in 5 years, he will definitely lose some athletic ability, and on and on. Girls--you may think what is the harm now...I'm a teenager, I"m not looking to get married. Trust me when I tell you the decisions that you make now WILL affect your future. My relationships in high school got me started every so slowly on a bad path...in fact I finally set things straight with one of my high school boyfriends about 3 months ago--I wish I had done things differently when I was 17/18. While that path curtailed a bit during college, when I got out of college, I started to go down all kinds of paths that led to destruction. In so many ways, I am still reaping the consequences of my poor decisions. And I didn't date ONE guy that did not attend church with me. START practicing Godly living now...WE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD!!
Parents/Authorities -- The new face of parenting in the world is to be buddies...moms and daughters going shopping, dads and sons hanging out at the gym. Don't get me wrong, these are not bad things. But God gave you parents to TRAIN YOU. So if your parents are living as Aliens of this world, DO NOT EXPECT THEM TO BE LIKE ANYTHING YOU SEE ON TV OR IN YOUR SCHOOLS. The best way for your parents to love you, may be to whip your butt into shape. God is my heavenly father--and let me tell you--sometimes I take a beating...b/c I DESERVE IT!!! But I'm so thankful that He loves me so much that he is willing to train me in this way. Ladies--be thankful when your parents put guidelines and restrictions on you. If your not thankful right when it happens, go back later and thank them. THIS IS TRUE LOVE. Be thankful that your small group leaders are willing to give you the tough answers--even if that means they will NOT be your favorite person. THIS IS TRUE LOVE. Please know that it is hard sometimes to be a leader--we truly like to have people like us...but we love God more and we love you more--so we are willing to be hated if it means doing what is GODLY. WE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD
Girls--I could go on and on..and I am working right along with you on this one....We need to help remind each other that we should NOT be comfortable in this world. WE should NOT blend. We have to keep learning to make the Bible our final authority, not fashion, tv, boys, friends or family.
WE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD!!! Wow...I will be praying today that God will continue to highlight things in my life that need to change as a result of these verses today! Anyone with me?

What is the direction of my heart?

2006-07-04T22:45:00.000-05:00

"It is the heart's direction that is always the central issue. God knows what the heart is set on. We can deceive others. We can easily deceive ourselves. The humble and honest heart will always be shown the truth" . Elizabeth Elliott

What is my heart set on? Ladies--everytime I have a "bummer" day I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt--it is a heart issue. My heart is going in the WRONG direction. Whether its that I want a different body, or a different job, or whether I'm scared again about being single for the rest of my life...my heart's direction is so focused on ME ME ME...and I end up struggling until my heart becomes humble and wants to hear the truth of God's Word.

I'm not sure how many of my girls in my small group are even reading this blog...but once again, I want to make sure that I am honest and not just deceiving you. While I am so thankful that I am following after God 100%, I have days that it is very hard to be excited about that. There are days when I wonder what I am "missing", b/c I am following the Lord's plan instead of going after my own plan. And there are days when quite honestly, I quit God's plan and start out on my own again. On those days, it ends up being an absolute disaster. Sure...I may find momentary happiness, in whatever--but it is fleeting...and it leaves me absolutely empty and aching inside.

God's word is absolutely full of reasons why I should stay on HIS path. It is full of encouragement and wisdom. It is full of great advice, like the fact that we are to be strangers of this world--so why sometimes is it so hard for me to live for God? Why do I try so many times to be a friend to the world AND to God...it JUST WON'T WORK!!!!

Ladies--this is my prayer...that I will have a humble and honest heart....so that I will not only be shown truth, but accept it. God has such an incredible plan for each of our lives...and its ok that it doesn't make sense to us...its even ok that His plan is not comfortable or "fun" for us....b/c His plan is NOT ABOUT ME....but all about HIM!!!!

Man--How old am I going to have to be before I get that :) :) :) I'm a slow learner I tell you! I hope you all bear with me...and I'm so thankful that my heavenly father is patient and loving and will continue to bring me back to HIS plan!!!!

The dangers...I mean blessings of growing up in Christian Home!!!

2006-06-26T08:59:00.000-05:00

I am still reeling a bit from my weekend movie fiasco!!! Although I have to say that going to see "Nacho Libre" yesterday was definitely an uplifting thing...while the movie was absolutely absurd and ridiculous (and therefore I laughed through most of the movie....I think even guffawed at one point!), it was relatively clean. No cursing, no sexual inuendos--unless you count a rather unattractive man in blue tights offensive, it was just a funny movie!

But my movie disaster of Saturday night, still has me just wondering some things!! Why doesn't sin offend us? Why does the world hold such a hold on our lives? Why are we more concerned with our actions being considered "cool" then godly? Why are we more concerned that our dress matches the latest style instead of matching the modesty that God asks for in the Bible?

Ladies--I struggle with this just as much as you do....so I'm just being open and honest with you all! How have I "grown up" Christian, and yet I'm so far from truly being what God calls us to be --

Romans 12:2 "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

How many times do we say "I just wish I knew what God's will is"? Well, there's our answer right there...by NOT conforming to this world and being transformed by the renewal of our minds, we will PROVE what God's will is. And it says that it is GOOD, ACCEPTABLE and PERFECT...what more could we want?

When things in the world stop shocking us, we are in REAL trouble! And they can't just shock us...and then we continue on! They must repel us, and cause us to go the other direction! It's not enough to just notice the pile of dog dirt in the yard....you have to make sure NOT to step in it--noticing it does NOTHING!!! Talking about it does nothing!!! Unless you actively avoid stepping in it...you will end up with dog poop on your shoe! While its a gross analogy (and obviously one of my own, since it lacks any grace or dignity!!! I apologize for offending anyone), this sinful world and our sinful attraction to it are NO different! And those of us who have grown up in church are certainly walking around with some dog dirt on our shoes...and denying it even tho the stench makes it absolutely undeniable!!

I'm intrigued by a book by Karl Graustein called 'Growing up Christian"...another youth pastor has outlined the book as this:

The dangers of growing up Christian:
1. False assurance
2. Lack of appreciation for the saving and forgiving grace of God
3. Loving the world
4. Pride or self-righteousness
5. Mimicking our parent's convictions
6. Forgetting the familiar (taking blessings for granted)
7. Being too shallow
8. Trusting in ourselves and others instead of trusting God
9. Not taking sin seriously
10. Lack of discipline (laziness)
11. Lack of faithfulness (not using our gifts and talents)

How many of us know someone who was the "model" teenager growing up, and then somehow between college and adult-life has just fallen away from God? Or how many of us have been that person--maybe even hiding it for YEARS from people, until finally you realize that you are so far away from God that it takes a total about-turn to come back? How many of us are doing that right now? Ladies--your teen years are not your years to play and experiment. They are not even truly your "fun" years with no responsibility! They are the years that God has graciously given you, most of you, to spend in a christian home to prepare you for life without your parents. Don't waste them by falling in love with the world, complaining about your parents and their love for you (translation: rules), or even half heartedly following Christ on Wednesday and Sundays while chasing sin every other day of the week! Start living your radical life NOW!!! It won't get any easier--and you won't ever again have the loving support of christian parents and christian youth pastors and youth workers to help you navigate through this world!!! Soak it up now!!!

So I'm wondering ladies...and yes this means I have to hear from my small group....should we add this to the list of books what we would want to read for the book club this summer? Here is the description from CBD...

Do you know teens that appeared to be Christians in high school, but later walked away from their faith? Young Christians that party on Saturday night and put on their Sunday best for church the next morning? High school students that are attracted to the values and practices of the world? This book is a unique resource that addresses the many issues that challenge teens growing up in a Christian environment. Packed full of practical suggestions, this book will help teens overcome these dangers and grow in their faith and love for God. Youth ministers, teachers, and parents will find here a helpful resource to use with 15 to 18 year olds.

Start praying about this!

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=52611X&netp_id=381535&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW

I had a little chunk of the "poisin pill" tonight

2006-06-24T22:43:00.000-05:00

So I just returned from the movies with some of the youth group girls and Amber and Aileen. What a HUGE mistake..and I'm feeling very guilty about it. We went to see "Click"...DON'T GO SEE IT. It's a horrible movie--full of profanity and sexual innuendos. I will NEVER look at a stuff duck the same again. And I just sat there thinking, "how can I sit through this movie with these girls, and then try and tell them to live a life worthy of Christ...I am partly responsible for them seeing this smut". Aileen, Amber and I even discussed walking out...but we had already watched so much, we were assuming the worst was over. I think we may have been wrong.

So..what did I learn? Well first--ALWAYS check the review before you go to a movie. The previews of this movie looked very cute..and while Adam Sandler has been none to have some real raunchy movies, he also has put out some really cute ones as well.

It also just illustrated for me how callous we have become to SIN....Why do we allow such sin to enter into in our mind...NO..PAY for such sin to enter into our mind, and call it entertainment. I as a Christian have just become callous...I don't see sin for all of its ugliness and wretchedness...and I certainly do not allow myself to dwell on how much it grieves my heavenly father.

As Joshua Harris put it...

"But the greatest danger of the popular media is not a one-time exposure to a particular instance of sin (as serious as that can be). It's how long-term exposure to worldliness -- little chunks of poison pill, day after day, week after week -- can deaden our hearts to the ugliness of sin. What God calls the lust of the eyes and the sinful cravings of the heart are typically portrayed by the popular media as natural and harmless. The eventual effect of all those bits of poison pill is to deaden the conscience by trivializing the very things that God's Word calls the enemies of our souls."

To the 5 young ladies that we took to the movies tonight, I apologize. I never want to be an ambassador of sin the way I was tonight. What a wake up call...

What am I thankful for? Well--the 2 other adults that went with me--we were of the same mindset...we were all broken over the fact that we had not only allowed, but made it possible, for these 5 youth to sit through 2 hours of smut. I am SOOOOO thankful that I have Godly friends that will stand up for truth with me! Thank you Aileen and Amber.

I only wish we had walked out...but hopefully this is a lesson that I can learn from! For now...I can't wait to be in God's house tomorrow and just soak it all up!!!!!

So what are these bread crumbs?

2006-06-22T12:38:00.000-05:00

So now that you all know my view on dating and you have hopefully read the post about “trapping a man”, I want to take some time to just be honest. What I do NOT want this to be is a legalistic list…you CAN do this, but you SHOULDN’T do this….so I’m not going to give you some comprehensive list of what bread crumbs we are good at dropping! What I’m praying is that we will each look at how we interact with the guys in our lives, whether they be in youth group, school, neighborhood or just friends in general and ask God to show us any bread crumbs we may be letting fall!

So…what do I mean by bread crumbs? It’s a story that is as old as ME….yes..that old!! We start off being just friends with a guy. We start to notice certain things that we admire about him. We then let that admiration grow into true feelings, but we tell ourselves that we are JUST still friends. Our actions betray us tho…we leave “bread crumbs” trying to attract this boy into noticing us. These “bread crumbs” are just little ways to hopefully make these boys sit up and think, “wow..she is special…I think I may want to get to know her better”. NOW REMEMBER—we SHOULD be back in the vault (if your confused read yesterday’s blog about the vault!). We don’t want to be the cheaper jewelry left out on the counter to be admired and worn by all. It is still beautiful jewelry but it is NOT the most precious of jewels. But many times we fall into the trap of thinking the counter is really the best place to be, and we stray from God’s PERFECT plan for us!

Why do we do this? There may be multiple answers—maybe we have watched other girls do this and it has been “successful”, or maybe we think that this boy will never develop feelings for us if we don’t let him know we already have feelings or even do special things to show him how wonderful we are, or maybe things are just moving too slowly and we think we need to “jump start it”. The main root problem with all of this—is that we are not truly living our lives demonstrating our faith in a sovereign God! He is totally in control of our lives and does NOT need our help! Jeremiah says, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Why would we take it out of God’s PERFECT hands?

I think many times it seems harmless. We say that we know God is in control, but it won’t hurt to just make ourselves available to this boy—sort of advertise our Godly qualities. And for many of us—it has become a habit! We don’t even realize we are doing it. Now is the time ladies…if you are looking to be a Godly woman, and live your life 100% for God and therefore wait on Him to bring a Godly man to CHASE you, then lets get real honest about what we should NOT be doing! Carolyn Mahaney used to tell her daughters that they needed to view each and every guy as SOMEONE ELSE’S husband. Doesn’t that make you think about it a little differently. Until that man is ready to come and redeem you from the vault, he is NOT your husband—he is someone else’s. That surely was an eye-opener for me!

Lest we make this totally about us, and as BH will say we know that it is “NOT ABOUT ME”, lets also stop to think a moment what you are doing to these guys in your life. Maybe they are not in the place that they need to be spiritually, and so they enter into a relationship with you, b/c you’ve made it irresistible, but in the end they were NOT the Godly man they needed to be. Now you’ve caused them to stumble, and maybe even gotten yourself into some trouble. Or maybe they are obliviously going along(yes ladies, sometimes guys just are that oblivious) and so you spend months reading into signals, creating situations to be with them, emailing them, texting them and low and behold they ask out one of your friends. Now you’re upset and have a hard time being friends with this guy, much less the strain it puts onto your friendship. Or what if they are NOT clueless, and are fully aware of your feelings, and then are trying to figure out desperately how to let you know they have no feelings for you without hurting you. The scenarios are endless ladies—the truth remains the same. If we follow God’s plan and remain in the vault until someone who is ready and able to redeem us comes, we not only guard our own hearts, but the hearts of the young men around us.

Proverbs 31:12 says, “She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.” It’s interesting that it says ALL of the days of her life…indicating even the days BEFORE she met him. Are you harming your future husband by being foolish and impatient now?

So will you do this with me? Will you carefully pray over each of your relationships and ask God to show you if there is anything that you should change? How will you know…go back to the truth: Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. Ephesians 5:1-4

Why I think the Vault is the place to be!!! -- June 21

2006-06-22T10:01:00.000-05:00

Here is the next one...

I realized that I should probably give you what my view on dating/courtship is before we go any further--b/c it would help you understand where I am coming from. Of course, your view on dating/courtship needs to be formed by much prayer, going to God's word and open and honest communication WITH YOUR PARENTS. It is truly up to your Godly parents to set the definition of what these words will mean for you. For some of you, they may allow you to date at a certain age or maturity level, but with certain guidelines. For some of you, they may guide you into a courtship style of thinking, and therefore romantic relationships with someone of the opposite sex are limited to those who could potentially be your husband. Most people that are going to court are therefore NOT going to start doing this until maybe the college years (since I dont think any of you want to get married before you graduate high school). For some of you, there may be NO restrictions, and your parents are trusting you to work it out on your own. And for some of you, this topic has not been discussed.

I would first encourage you to TALK WITH YOUR PARENTS!!! If your parents are not Christian, then pray about a relationship with a couple in the church that you respect and admire their marriage, and ask them for guidance. But this is something that must be agreed on with your parents!

From here on out, is JUST my opinion--and it is not the opinion that I have lived out most of my life, so bear with me. But since I feel that I have made so many large mistakes, one's that can never be taken back, I thought I would share! If nothing else I'd love to just make you guys think about this, and go back to God's Word to see what really matches up with HIS plan!

After many years of doing it my own way, I truly do believe that the ONLY reason to have a non-friendship relationship with a boy (in other words to date or court or whatever you call it), is in preparation for marriage. If you are thinking marriage--I havent even gotten my license yet--guess what, then you shouldn't be thinking about a seriously relationship with a boy. Now, before some of my high school girls get bent out of shape--listen to why. (I read this illustration and it just hit home for me!)

Proverbs 31: 10 says "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." God says that a godly wife..a wife of noble character is worth FAR MORE than rubies. How many of you ladies actually OWN a ruby? I don't or any precious stones for that matter. For the majority of us, we own basically costume jewelry. It has SOME value, but certainly nothing like rubies. If you were to go into a high end jewelry store and ask to see their best jewelry, where do they go? Do they motion to you that it is laying out on the counter for all to handle, touch, try on? NOOOOO! They will go in the back to a vault, where it is being kept because it is SOOO valuable. Too many of us use our single years (jr. High up through and past college) to display ourselves like cheap costume jewelry--when what we should be doing, is being kept secure in a safe, allowing God to refine us and mold us into HIS image.

Now--being attracted to boys is a NATURAL thing. It's how we handle that attraction that can lead us to sin. If you are attractedto someone, take some time to think "what attracts me about them? Are these Godly attributes are mearly popular or physical traits?" As Carolyn Mahaney writes, "Being attracted isn't a sin, but indulging in thoughts about them, going out of your way to be around them, allowing them to distract from your pursuit of God and service of others is wrong."

So I would not encourage girlfriend/boyfriend relationships in high school. And I would even caution you to guard your hearts in your friendships with boys. These years are great years to just observe, have fun, keep things simple. Over the past 2 years, I have been forced to really look at what GOD would have me do, not what is normal in the world If you choose NOT to let yourself be out on display for everyone to see, handle, and try on, you will most likely be labeled as odd by the world..or maybe even some in this youth group. Thats ok--for Ephesians 4 says, "So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more." So know right now, most won't understandand that is just fine! Keep going back to God's Word to approve your actions--not to those around you!

Girls, take this time in high school (and even some years in college) to enjoy being in God's VAULT!! It is lonely at times, but that is when you will be forced to turn to God and lean totally on Him! No man will ever be able to make you happy until you are completely 100 satisfied in the Lord and living day in and out for HIM!!! If you take this time in the vault to allow God to do amazing things with you, focusing on serving Him and knowing Him, then someday God may bring a man to the vault who will request to have you brought out--and when that man sees God's beauty in you, he will know that THIS is his RUBY.

Ok...now tomorrow--bread crumbs :)

Trapping a Man -- June 20th Blog

2006-06-22T09:58:00.000-05:00

To get those who are NOT on myspace caught up...here was Tuesday's Blog

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Trapping a man
Ok girls, once again, I hope that you will allow me to try to work this out here on paper, knowing full well that I am neither a writer or a very good thinker even sometimes!! But I have been hit again with some incredible Biblical truths (I am so thankful God still HITS me with theseI need to be smacked around sometimes!) and so I felt the need to share.

And yes..its about boys--so get ready--be prepared to be mad, confused, but most importantly excited that your life is in the hands of a sovereign God, a God who is intimately involved in your life!!! So no matter how mad or confused you get, take it back to Gods word and wrestle it out with Him! And I want to emphasize once again, that I only share to make you think and to help you discuss these things with your parents. My hope and prayer is that these will help foster discussions with those of you who have Godly parents, so that together you and your parents can work through this!!!! If you do not have Godly parents, then start praying for God to bring a Godly couple into your life so that you can go to them with these issues to help guide you. We ALL need to be getting guidance for older, wiser Christians!

This is for all of you who have said to me, whether it be 6 days ago, or 6 months ago, that you really were developing feelings for a guy, and you wanted to know what to do! You want to tell him how you feel, even if it means being rejected, just so that you will know where you stand. Or you think that if you tell him, it would help him to see you, notice you, or make some kind of move towards a relationship.

Maybe for some of you, its to the next phase--feelings have already been communicated by both parties but nothing else has happened yet and your getting frustrated. You're thinking he may need some help with this whole "relationship" thing.

And since I have NO wisdom of my own..and I surely have not made good decisions in the past, I only can take you to one place--the source of all wisdom--and that is God's word!

1. God has created us as women to be responsive to mens leadership. This is clear throughout Scripture, not only in the created order and our calling to be helpers (Gen. 2:18-23), but in the commands for a wife to submit to her husband (Eph. 5:22-23) . If we seek to take matters into our own hands and do something about a situation such as this, we are depriving a man of an opportunity to fulfill his God-given calling to lead. Truly believing in the importance and significance of our femininity means living it out, even in the pressure cooker of strong desires. We must resist the temptation to allow our feelings and desires and not Gods Word dictate our direction. Dont you ultimately want a guy who is attracted enough to pursue you, without needing hints from you?

2. God is sovereign, loving, and wise. But this guy I like hasn't pursued me. How do I resolve the fear that he won't notice me unless I take some initiative? You may ask. Enter: the character of God. Human reasoning would say that this is incentive enough to buck the created order. However, we must hold fast to Gods Word and trust in His character. God is intimately involved in every detail of our lives (down to the hairs on our head). We must trust that His sovereignty is more than powerful enough, His love is more than true enough, and His wisdom more than knowledgeable enough to fulfill His perfect plan for us. This perfect plan may or may not include the desired relationship. But it will most definitely be for our good. Here is a great theme verse for all single women Psalm 84:10-12 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!

3. God rewards our trust in Him. We don't say no to our feelings and yes to Gods Word without a fight. And yet, there is joy and peace and freedom to be had. Waiting and responding instead of initiating romantic relationships is not some kind of manipulative trick. It is the path to true attractiveness, the miraculous kind that only comes by the grace of God producing trust in God. For truly blessed is the woman who does not sinfully strive after a relationship, but quietly rests in the goodness of God!

The answer--KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT, KEEP YOUR ACTIONS PURE, AND KEEP YOUR MIND FROM DREAMING OF WHAT IF?

Ladies, I know this seems counter intuitive to what you want to do. I'm sure you will have friends who will tell you that this guidance is wrong. I know I do! I had a well meaning friend just last night once again encourage me to find a church with a large singles group in it, just so that I could meet someone. Is that really the purpose of the church? Is God really dependent on me scouting out a man to fulfill HIS will in me?

Don't get caught in the trap of leaving a trail of bread crumbs, so that some poor boy is walking along grabbing the crumbs and stuffing his face, and next things he knows he's your man--all you've managed to do is lure and trap a guy. You need to be spending time in God's Word, spending time serving others, spending time building your relationships with your GIRL friends, spending time with your FAMILY--if you engross yourself in these things, youll be deep in the FOREST of God's will for you and any man that sees you in that forest and wants to pursue you, should have to CUT HIS WAY THROUGH. HIS Effort not yours. Thats the Godly man that you want!

So what bread crumbs do we girls tend to drop? more on that tomorrow!

A Ruby in God's Vault????

2006-06-22T09:15:00.000-05:00

Why has this eblog been created? Well for 2 reasons -- first, I thought it would be helpful to my high school girl's small group to write out some thoughts and struggles that I was going through to demonstrate how God was working in my life. Sort of living by example if you will. Sometimes it's a reaction to something I've read that day and sometimes it's just something that God is using that day to refine me.

Second -- I was writing these blogs on my "myspace" account. Now, let me be clear -- I ABHOR myspace. I think that in a perfect sinless environment it may be a nice feature, but in our flawed, sinful world it has been used to promote some of the most filthy things I've ever seen. So, why am I on it? B/c my girls are on it...and I want to watch out for them. Many of my girls have chosen to use their myspace accounts to glorify the Lord...and for that I am so thankful. But some are still using them to glorify themselves, which is our natural tendency! And no matter who they are glorifying, these girls are clicks away from filth, sin, and sinful people who want to hurt them. So I have stayed on myspace, and thought the blog would be a positive aspect of it. But then I found out that only myspace members can read your blogs, and the LAST thing I want to do is to encourage someone to join myspace. So it was necessary to move the blog to a more neutral site. Hence why I have created this blog.

Why is it entitled "A Ruby in God's Vault"? This is my latest visual picture of single women...and it comes from Proverbs 31:10 -- " A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." If you were to go into Tiffany's and ask to see their most precious piece of jewerly. Would they motion you to the counter, and show you a piece that has been laid out for everyone to touch, try on, etc? NO--they would first most likely ascertain whether or not you had the means to even purchase such a piece. Then once it was deemed that you were actually a viable customer, they would go into the back and bring out a priceless piece from the vault--a Ruby that would sparkle and you couldn't take your eyes off of it. That is how we single women should be living our lives. Being content and happy in God's vault--knowing full well that there are pieces that are out in the showroom that are getting the attention we so desire, being ooed and ahhed and tried on, and maybe even being taken home with someone. But that is ok...b/c when God finally has prepared our future husband, and he's ready to ask for us, the time spent in the vault being polished, and worked on and being protected by God will be so worth it! And if no such "buyer" ever comes to retrieve us from the vault, are we still not an incredibly valuable jewel? We have lost NO value, but just serve a different purpose in our lives spent glorifying the Lord!!!

I love this illustration. For someone who "escaped" the vault for years, I am so happy to have come back home! I am praying that God can work a miracle in me, cleaning me up to be a beautiful Ruby...b/c my time spent out on the "counter", pursuing my own selfish desires, certainly did a number on my beauty. I am praying that I am totally satisfied with remaining in the vault until the Lord has polished and refined me into the Proverbs 31 woman and finds a husband that is prepared to handle such a "gem" (and I say that loosely as sometimes I can be quite a handful!). Of course if it would please God for me to remain in the vault for this lifetime, then I must rest in the fact that I am still a valuable jewel to the Lord, and be excited to see how He will use me in his singleness to glorify Him. That will be something that will take a lot of prayer I know!

So--that is the reason for the title. My prayer is that this Blog will cause my girls to think...it may even make them mad sometimes...and that is ok!!!! My goal is to glorify the Lord through whatever is written in this Blog and use only ONE authority--and that is scripture. So as I write some thoughts, observations and maybe even some suggestions, realize that these are my views based on God's word--you can always question my views, and in fact I welcome it! But God's word is unquestionable, and I pray that my views will continue to be in line with His Word!!

One last thought--I am NOT a writer...so bear with me. This will not be eloquent..it will certainly not have any of the style of so many blogs that I read...but it will be real :)