summer time=happy time

Everyone has their "list of things to do for the summer".
And I definitely have mine.


But, this morning as I was settling into some time with my Jesus I was reminded how insignificant most of those things are compared to knowing Him even more deeply.
I was moved to begin to read through the Gospels.


For those that are maybe less familiar with the Bible, those are the first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and give accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus.


I wanted to begin to read through these books this summer like I had never read them before in my life. I wanted to be reintroduced to this man named Jesus and be completely captivated by His life and His love.


I didn't even get past Matthew Chapter 1.

Yes, it does kick off with the exciting genealogy of Jesus.
I usually skip that part.
All the way from Abraham to Uzziah to Hezekiah to Jacob to the Man Himself. That passage doesn't usually stir my soul.

However, I began to think about how God perfectly orchestrated this moment in history. Generation to generation, He was preparing the universe for Himself on this earth. God didn't just haphazardly decide when He would plop baby Jesus down in a manger. Every historical event and scenario was planned around this.
Just an example of how our God perfectly puts the details into place. In the big things like sending His Son to this earth and the seemingly small situations in our lives.


For those that may have been followers for awhile, it is very possible for our time in God's Word to lose its luster, beauty and mystery.
But just like in an earthly romance, we have to continue to find new, exciting ways to keep the romance alive! That could be having time with Him in a new place or setting, finding some like-minded friends to study the Word with or choosing a specific book or topic to study.

May we not allow this love to grow cold or weak. Rather, fight to protect it and put it above everthing that life tries to put in its place.
I'm hoping to discover some new things that were not apparent to me before. I want to venture farther into the endless frontier that is knowing and experiencing Him!

How great that we are called to "press forward" and "look to what is ahead" in our journey with Him(Philippians 3)!

Dressing With Selfless Style Part 1

Mystique.
That's not a word we hear used very often in our society today.
Mystique simply means keeping the sacred things sacred.
When a woman carelessly exposes her body, her heart and her most intimate secrets to just anyone, she strips herself of all mystery, intrigue and fascination.
Feminine mystique is something that is severely lacking in our world today and in most Christian circles. But our King is stirring many to reclaim what was once dragged through the mud and raise it to heavenly heights.

I'm talking about much more than just being "modest".
Some think that being modest means you have to wear baggy, frumpy clothes that cover up any feminine beauty that is there.
A woman who exudes true feminine beauty dresses to reflect the joy and radiance that is overflowing from her heart.
She dresses to honor the men around her.
Her outward beauty is an expression of the transformation that has taken place inside of her.
Her goal is to point people's eyes to Jesus, not herself.

Here is the key principle to dressing selflessly-to dress as a daughter of the King rather than a product of pop culture. To lay down the pursuit of gaining the applause and approval of the world and to live for His smile alone.

I know that I have definitely struggled through the many practicalities of what is pleasing to Him and what is not but before you get into the logistics of it, here are some questions to prayerfully ask yourself.

-Does the way I dress place value on the status symbols and materialism of the world?
-Am I so consumed with keeping my look up to date that I spend a large amount of time and energy shopping for the latest trends? Am I insecure and uncomfortable if I'm not wearing the latest fads?
-Do I secretly look down on people that are not wearing the current styles?
-Is there anything in my appearance that is sending the wrong message to the world about what my true priorities are?

Remember, it is more than possible to dress stylishly without being enslaved to the world's trends and status symbols. However, it's important to recognize thatit is not a woman's clothing or sense of style that gives her grace and dignity-but the Christlike radiance that exudes from her inner being.

The true gentleman of yesteryear were not enticed by sensual outfits but were captivated by true feminine beauty and grace. When a lady walked into the room, he noticed the sparkle of her eyes and the radiance of her smile, not the outline of her body. You can encourage this outlook in our generation by dressing with selfless dignity.

Showing Skin. Here is the most helpful standard I have found when it comes to showing skin: any area of your body that can be associated with sensuality is not to be touched or seen by anyone except your husband or future husband. For example, there's nothing sensual about touching someone's elbow. Many times a gentleman may take a woman by the arm if he is escorting her. However, places like upper thighs or stomach are associated with sensuality therefore are not appropriate places for touch or to be seen. Upper chest, thighs, stomach-these might seem like harmless areas to show off but if you were married and wanted to stay that way, you wouldn't allow another guy to touch you in any of those places? So why would you allow another guy to have the privilege of loooking at what was meant for your husband alone?

Tight and Form-Fitting. Clothes that are worn tightly can be just as sensual as clothes that reveal alot of skin. It's really the same rule of thumb. A turtleneck might not show any skin whatsoever, but if it is extrememly tight in the chest area, you are leaving very little to the imagination for any guy who happens to look your way. The same goes with skirts and pants. They might cover every inch of skin, but if they cling too snugly to your figure, you are allowing guys to view what is only meant for your husband.

"Make it your goal that when a guy looks at you, he will notice the light of Christ in your eyes and the radiance of your smile rather than being distracted by the outline of your body." ~Leslie Ludy


While we don't want to get carried away with a whole list of rules, as representatives of King Jesus, we must be held to higher standards than what this world might call "normal".

When our chief aim is to bring glory to Christ; when we are far more consumed with Him than the trivial things of the world; and when we learn to put others above ourselves-we will excel at the lost art of social grace and dressing with dignity.

What are some helpful tips or standards that have assisted you in dressing for your King and not for the world?

To go a little deeper and find some helpful resources, here are some great websites to check out.
www.setapartgirl.com
www.girlsgonewise.com
www.purefashion.com
www.beautifullymodest.com

The Endless Frontier.

So many times in Christianity we are comparing ourselves to the people around us with a self-righteous attitude that sounds something like:
"Well, at least I'm not dressing like that."
"At least my boyfriend and I didn't go that far."
"I could be listening to worse music."

This is a miserable counterfeit for the standard that as followers of Christ we should be striving for. We are looking at what everyones else (the world and other Christians) is doing and saying that looks "good enough".

This is not what Christ followers are supposed to look like.
We are supposed to be representing a Kingdom.
Living lives of dignity and honor that are literally a picture of heaven on earth.

This can be summed up in a picture called "The Endless Frontier".
This is a topic preached on by Eric Ludy and you can hear his full sermon at www.ellerslie.com.

Basically, most Christians live their lives as if we were standing on the edge of the cliff. We're trying to see how close we can get to the edge without falling over. We watch as our friends jump off and go way beyond what we would so we look pretty good because we're still standing there.

But Jesus is behind you. He is the opposite direction completely away from what the world is going for. And He wants you to run in that direction! You need to have a constant holy discontentment in your faith-to never be satisfied with what you have learned and experienced but always be after MORE of Jesus!

Many times, we've taken one step toward Him and we want to stop. We want to say "Look, how far I've come!" But in reality, that's just ONE step! Jesus has 10,000 more steps He wants you to take toward Him. Sure, you're one step ahead of 99% of the rest of the population but don't pitch your tent! There's no tent pitching in the Christ life! If you stop here, what about the other 9,999 steps He has waiting for you! Imagine what you're going to miss! Hebrews 4:1, "Let us fear lest we fall short of the promise being left us!"

We never reach a point of "arrival" as believers. There is always more to go!
This thing doesn't end when you've reached some spiritual level.
There's more of Him to be experienced, depths of His Word yet to be discovered, and more of our lives to lay at His feet.


Here's the secret: give up your life. All of it. And never take it back.
When you give up your life, you get all of Him!

"Not that I have obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Jesus Christ has made me His own. Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way..only let us hold true to what we already know."-Philippians 3:12-16

So, take off with all that you have and don't look back.

Acts 20:24

I do not count this life as my own
Only to be Yours, Lord
Only to be Yours

I won't hold to the things of this world
Only to be Yours, Lord
Only to be Yours

This is my confession
You're my one only obsession
I wanna be Yours, Lord
I wanna be Yours

I will do what You've called me to
Only to be Yours, Lord
Only to be Yours

And I'll give my life as You asked me to
Only to be Yours, Lord
Only to be Yours

Would you take it, hold it
Please make and mold it
Until it's Yours
Until I'm Yours

Philippians 3:8

Oh, there is much that could be blogged about. These past few months have been full of the Lord digging deep, me resisting, Him pursuing, and me finally letting Him go there with me.

I am acutely aware at this moment of my desperate need for Christ. Period.
To be in a right relationship with my Heavenly Father, yes. But even beyond, in the smallest corners of my life, it is evident.
He has been quick to remind me who is running this show and it certainly isn't me.
This quote from one of my favorite authors presents this truth:

“Why do we stop short of the incredible vision of radiant, set-apart femininity(or masculinity) He desires to showcase in and through our lives? Because we don’t truly grasp our utter helplessness; our absolute desperate need for all that He is. We don’t understand that apart from Him, we have nothing, we are nothing, and we can accomplish nothing. We are still lookingwithin ourselves to find beauty and strength that can come only from Him.”

On my own abilities, determination, will-power, knowledge, goodness, I really can't do much.

Apart from Him, I can do NOTHING.

I have learned that when I try, things fall apart completely. But when I am quick to lay on my face before Him every morning, hand it all back to Him and say "Do what you want with it", life just works.

There IS pain and resistance when He tries to loosen my grip on things I have held so dear. But I want to count it all as garbage for the sake of Christ! I truly want my feelings, needs, wants, comforts and conveniences to take a backseat so that Christ may be proclaimed!

she's in love.

Found these song lyrics today by a band called According to John. May the Lover of our soul captivate us so completely that it is so evident in our life to others!



What a beautiful smile
A radiant girl
Fell in love first time I saw her
She stays on my mind
I’d give anything
To know everything about her

There’s light in her eyes
And I know it’s all for Him
She carries on and on
Like He was her best friend

Chorus:

She’s in love
It’s not hard to see
But I would like to believe it was with me
Someone got a hold of her heart
And He won’t let go

And I know
She’s in love
She looks to the sky
When she talks about Him

She believes He hung the moon
Said He had to go away
She waits for his return
Says He’s coming for her soon

How can this be fair?
This guy can walk on water
Don’t guess I’ve got a prayer
He’s written love letters to reach her

She worships the ground He walks on
She just smiles when she says His name
It’s a match made in heaven
I can’t compete with the King of Kings

AND....

After much interviewing, waiting and praying, the Lord has made it clear that I am to be serving Him in West Africa this coming summer!! Waaaaaaahooooooo!!! Much more about this to come later! For now, I just want to praise Him for His sovereignty in this decision and am pumped to see all that He is going to do! Praying now that He would give be brokeness, compassion and anguish over the people I will encounter.