Finding True Joy

  Do a study on the word JOY. You will find that the word joy is found 167 times in God’s word. The word joy is often coupled with music, the playing of the instruments, gladness, and praise.

    Write down and memorize your favorite verses on joy. God’s word is effectual. As you read, memorize verses on joy, and ponder the word joy in God’s word, real joy will begin to be worked in your heart.

A Smile That Shines

   This morning, I pulled out Created to be His Help Meet and was inspired yet again. I consider myself to be a rather smiley person. My motto is Hacuna Matada — no worries, no cares. No matter how hard or difficult a task or situation seems to be, there IS (believe it or not) a brighter side! The hard work is just in finding that brighter side. You know, you’re not the only one who has it bad here, lots of people have to deal with tough things everyday but if everybody let themselves get down the world would be an extremely gloomy and dull place to exist.

   Proverbs 15:13  says  “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance.”

   Proverbs 17:22 says “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine; but a broken spirit drieth up the bones.”

   Everyone is drawn to a smile. Who and what you are is reflected in your face. The heart attitude will always come shining through no matter if you’d like it to or not — good or bad. I once heard someone say that what’s in your heart is on your face.

   As much as I smile and try to make the best of every situation, I had to stop and think to myself. Do people see me as a happy, thankful person? Within a matter of minutes I found myself examining my life and determining how I could do better. And since we’re here, you may be smiling on the outside but if you’re not joyful on the inside too you may fool others but there’s no fooling yourself. Have you ever heard anybody say of another person that the smile just reached their eyes? That person was probably joyful inside and when they smiled it even showed in their eyes. The whole countenance of a person can be consumed with joy and WILL bubble out, believe me.

   Now, I’m not saying that you won’t ever be sad, angry, hurt or dissapointed. Sometimes, I come home from work feeling too tired to smile. But as Christians, we do have more to find Joy in than most people around us.

   Applying this to the future, as far as dating and marriage are concerned, Mrs. Pearl asked a question that actually made me smile. It was kind of a sweet thing to think about, that I haven’t really considered even though its just simple musings. She said, “Does he see you as a happy, thankful woman? Does he find himself smiling when he looks at you, amused at the cheerful little grin on your face and completely delighted in the way you think and the things you say — even the dumb things?”

    Mrs. Pearl encourages establishing a new habit — What else can I do to make him smile? Learn to charm him with your mischievous only for him grin. And never demand that he love and cherish you just because he ought to! Earn every smile and shared moment.

    I haven’t really given SO much thought, but even a smile goes a long way. I want to please my husband that God will one day bless me with. I can’t wait to be there but this time of growing Spiritually and getting closer to my God is the best thing I can be doing right now.

For all you Southern Folks out there . . .

  Southern by birth or not, you should appreciate this. Every Tuesday or Wednesday our local paper The Rural Virginian is distributed to surrounding counties. Filled with ads and the usual helpful information — not to mention a big push for all the small local business in the area — the paper also contains an article called “Don’t Get Me Started” by Langden Mason.

  This week’s article:

                     

                 Family Functions Often Add Fuel To The Fire

 

   When the days get hot and hazy and you can barely breath outside because the humidity is as thick as Albemarle red clay, Southerners tend to do something a bit crazy. Instead of staying indoors and reading a book recommended by Oprah Winfrey or watching our favorite fishing show, we decide  to not only spend an afternoon in the backyard in the sweltering heat, but we feel inclined to invite a good portion of the family tree to join us. That’s right. It’s time for the all-American backyard barbeque with the kinfolk.

   Now first of all, a lot of families are already as volatile as a gas leak in a cigar shop, but add a  little heat and humidity , an old family grudge and some indigestion and you’ve got a recipe for an interesting afternoon.

   Overall, our families are pretty normal — by Southern Standards. But like all families, there are those member who tend to cause a ruckus that gives the rest of us family members something to talk about. I’m not saying they carry out heinous acts; they merely participate in quirky little activities that bring no blood shed, but are quite harmful all the same.

    Unfortunately, family’s tiny incidences tend to get blown all out of proportion and, inevitably, by the ned of the barbeque one person stews, another screams, another shuts up, and finally one of them says “Come on, Harold. We’re not wanted here” and throws gravel as their Buick pulls away and nearly sideswipes the mailbox at the end of the driveway. 

    Okay, so maybe things don’t always reach the boiling point, but there is always somebody in the family that causes enough friction to make the gatherin simmer at an uncomfrtable temperature.

 It’s usually Uncle Bob who gets the ball rolling. He’s the male relative who is the expert on outdoor cooking. His critical grilling can send any host or hostess over the edge.

   “Daggone it, ” he usually begins. “You got those cheap charcoat briquetts. You couldn’t get them things lit if you were in Hell with hight blowers on. Shoot, by the time you get that sucker goin’ we’ll be ready to cook a Thanksgivin turkey. That’s what’s wrong with all you young people. You never think. You never plan!”

    Oh yeah? I’m doing a little planning right now, the host contemplates. I’m planning on dragging you out of that chairs lounge and beating the heck out of you as only a young person can.

    “I see you’re gonna try an’ cook those burger and dogs right on the grill’s rack without puttin’ foil on it,” he adds. “You”ll be sorry. They’re gonna drop right down through the slits and into your charcoal. It takes no time at all tro put a little foil on your grill rack and poke some holes in it. shoot, we might as well order pizza ’cause all the ground  beef will be sizzlin’ down in the charcoal. Of course you don’t have a thing worry about ’cause you’ll never get those cheap briquettes lit any time this year.”

    As the host considers tossing Uncle Bob through the slits in the grill rack, Old Aunt Abigail continues her loud talking to anyone who will listen. Old Aunt Abigail is the member in the family who insists she can hear just bit rarely answers her front foor because she is watching “The Young and the Restless” with the sound on her television turned up so loud the tea cups in her dining room hutch are rattling as they would during a major earthquake.

  She enjoys narrating the entrances of each family memer into the backyward barbeque. Thinking the whole time that she is merely whispering, she lets half the town know what’s goingon in our young and restless family.

  “Would you look at sweet little Cindy” Old Aunt Abigail announces as Cindy gets out of her car. “She looks like a cow. I betcha she’s put on fifty pounds. Is she pregnant? I don’t wanna be the one to ask on account I don’t wanna embarrass her.”

  Of course sweet little Cindy has turned beet red since she has heard the whole thing still standing in the driveway.

  “Would you look at Andy’s hair,” she continues. “When did he become an Elvis impersonator? He looks like a clown with those stupid sideburns. Somebody outghta tell him to see a barber. I don’t wanna get in his business, though.”

   “I’ll get one first thing Monday mornin’, deaf lady,” Andy yells angrily from the driveway.

    “Not bad at all, ” Old Aunt Abigail answers him. “And how are you, dear?”

     A little while later, the last guests arrive. “Well here comes my wonderful son Billy Lin’ and his rent-a-tramp wife Bernice. Can’t believe he took her back aftter findin’ her and her therapist together at the Monticello Motel. He needs to put her in a pillow case qith a cinder block and throw her butt in the river like a cat. Then he’d be done with her.”

  Of course the rest of the family had heard nothing of this incident. Neither had the neighbors. But everybody knows now. After the grill had suprisingly lit up and Old Aunt Abigail had poped down, there are plenty of other family members left to add stress to the occasion.

  There is Cousin Keith who is training for the Boston Marathon. He spends the afternoon giving everyone how little he eats, how far he runs and how firm his stomach is. Someone be sure to give that guy a box of Twinkies for Christmas, ya’ll hear?

  Cousin Russel’s wife complains about her ailments from the time she arrives until the time she aches her way to the car. From the voices she hears in her head to the bunions and corns on her feet, she is such a joy to be around. Bless her Heart.

   Aunt Shirle is the one who irritates everybody by staying busy snapping photos of everything under the sun. When the adrenaline starts flwoing in her photo snapping finger, the bathroom isn’t even a safe haven.

   Last but not least, there are the two family members who have been holding a grudge for so long that not a soul can remember when it began. Aunt Barb and Aunt Beulah have been feuding for years. Some say it was over a man. Others say it was over some money a great uncle left them that somehow never got fairly distributed. Others of us know it all started over fifteen years ago when they both showed up at the same family reunion with the same three bean casserole they both insisted was an original recipe. Old Aunt Abigail swore it was a back issue of Southern Living.

   Anyway, it seems that Aunt Barb left with a clean disah while Aunt Beulah had to leave in shame with one-fourth of her casserole remaining in her Pyrex. Aunt Barb now brings that daggone three bean casserole to every get-together. Aunt Beulah opts for potato salad.

  So are you planning on getting together with family this upcoming Fourth of July weekend? You might want to consider Oprah’s recommended book list or taking in a fishing show on cable instead. Otherwise, at least start off on a good foot by paying a little extra for thos Quick Lighting Charcoal Briquettes.  

 

Getting Serious with God

    Locate in the Bible (King James Version) the following words or traits as they relate to a woman of God today. Write them down and ask God to work these attributes into your life and cement them into your character.

•   Virtue
• Graciousnes
• Wisdom
• Prudence
• Goodness

  “A Virtuous Woman is a Crown to her Husband.” ~ Proverbs 12:4

The Best Wife that I can Be.

  As many of you know, I’m not dating. But yesterday, I picked up a book by Debi Pearl entitled Created to Be His Help Meet. While I’m waiting, I thought it would be a good idea to make the most of these next few years.

                                                 

  This morning, I finished the Introduction and First Chapter. I have incorporated it into my Devotions and found it really helpful. The first thing that really hit me this morning was:

   ~ No matter how much better I think I can do something myself, it is my husband’s role as the leader of our home to do what needs to be done. It is better for him to do something poorly (in my opinion) than for me to assume the role of leader. God put the husband in the marriage to LEAD, not FOLLOW. Women love to be controlling but they just need to step back and let their husband’s take care of things.

  I am a perfectionist. In the past year or so, I have attempted to become less crazed about anything short of Perfection. Honestly, I think I have found a happy balance. I don’t have to make people miserable because something is out of place and bothering me terribly, I can enjoy the simple — sometimes slightly out of order — course of life.

  Note:  This doesn’t mean, however, that the wife is Inferior. Both husband and wife have their God-given roles in the home and need to accept it.

  When I become a wife, I want to be the best wife that I can be. I want to encourage my husband, be his perfect help meet. Mrs. Pearl asked a simple, yet powerful question in her book. She said, “If God has already made a perfect help meet for your husband, then are you that help meet?” What she meant by this was that if God had designed a woman just for your husband that would be everything he needed, and you had to shake your head sadly in the negative that you needed to surrender to God and let Him have his perfect will in you until you ARE that perfect mate.

   ~ Secondly, almost like the first, I don’t always need to be giving my opinion on what is said or done. If my husband trusts and values my opinion, then he will feel that I am the one he can always turn to and confide in. No man likes to hear negativity about what he has chosen to do or feels directed by God to accomplish. I tend to be controlling at times, no thanks to my desire for perfection, so I find this entirely applicable to myself.

  ~ Thirdly, just a minor side note here . . . but a perfect help meet doesn’t need a list of chores. You may be wondering what on Earth I’m talking about. I’ll explain, in Mrs. Pearl’s own words. “If a wife’s desire is to please her husband, she will be motivated to look around the house for things that her husband would like to see done.”

  Okay, here is a point that I have argued recently — The wife is at home all day long. What has she been doing with her 8 hours? Yes, sometimes when the kids are bawling and supper isn’t ready and the wife looks frazzled to the core, the husband feels the perfect right to ask this. While the house should most definitely be in order, the wife might have been doing some hard-core cleaning/organizing. Come on, girls, you know what I’m talking about. We’ve helped our mom’s do this often enough for it to make sense!

  The thing to remember is that we have to cover all the bases; take care of the basic things at hand before digging deep to organize the silverware drawer and arrange the spice rack in alphabetical order while the floors go unswept and dirty dishes fill both sides of the sink.

Modesty: Inside and Out

  I found this checklist on Modesty quite helpful. A lot of times, even as meticulous as we girls are, we dont think about some of these things. My Daddy often stresses to me the difference between the way guys and girls think. Its so vital to take into consideration the way guys think because we might cause them to stumble because of what we wear or by the way we act in WHAT we are wearing.

     ~ We may be modestly dressed but if we’re not acting modestly as well, then our clothing is a wasted effort. 

 

  THE HEART CHECK:

 Do my highheels make my dress or skirt look shorter? If so, grab a different pair. Highheel shoes can be consider “racy” so make sure you’re wearing a modest pair that the heels aren’t too high.

   First thing is to pray and ask the Lord to show and convict you of any immodesty of the heart. The WORD calls us to be pure of heart for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8). See God? I think this means they shall see God, not just in Heaven, but here on earth. We will be able to see and know God with spiritual understanding because we are of “pure of heart” and nothing clouds our spiritual judgment.

   Questions to ask yourself…

1. What do my clothes say about my heart? Do they show that I have inward modesty?
2. What are my heart’s intentions when I put on clothes? Is it to be fashionable or to impress others or to get attention?
3. Do my clothes reflect my Biblical values of modesty, self-control, and respectable apparel or do they reflect indoctrination of the culture I live in?
4. Do my clothes reflect rebellion of the heart?
5. Am I trying to identify with God through my dress or the latest and greatest fashion?
6. Have I asked my parents, elderly women, or other godly individuals to evaluate my wardrobe?
7. Do my clothes reveal my zeal to seek and please God or do they reveal that God comes after my comfort and lifestyle?
8. If I were standing in a crowd of worldly people would I feel embarrassed because I am dressing femininely modest?

  I hope the above will really help you if you are having any struggles with listening to God in your heart, even if you already dress modestly and femininely. You can also apply this to how you wear make-up and your heart’s intentions there.

THE WARDROBE CHECK

  When you put something on you should always do a check to see whether it exposes your backside, your lower back, your shoulders, or cleavage. There are also many other things to check. You should check your outfit whether you’re staying home or going out as modesty should be something you display all the time.

  Questions to ask yourself…

1. When I bend down or over does my shirt scoop down exposing anything? If so, should I change it or can I use a safety-pin on the inside? Or is it indecent for anyone and should be thrown out all together?
2. If I wear a button-up shirt can you see anything from the side in between the buttons? If so add a few more buttons or wear an undershirt.
3. If I put on a spaghetti-strap, tanktop, halter, or sheer blouse can I…. uh, nothing can help with this. Go back to the closet and throw out the halter and sheer blouse. You may be able to wear the sleeveless shirts as undershirts but should not be worn by themselves as they expose too much skin.
4. Can I see the lining of my bra through my shirt or by my collar?
5. Can you see any part of my midriff when I raise my hands or bend over?
6. Can you see any part of my cleavage, bending or not?
7. Is my shirt just plain too tight? Does it tuck under or hug my bust? Do the buttons on the front scrunch to give the affect of a tight shirt around my bust? Remember: Your shirts should be tight enough to show you’re a woman, but loose enough to show you’re a lady.

  At the bottom…

1. Does my midriff show when I bend over? If so, is my skirt just too low? Do I need to change into a longer shirt or higher skirt? No one can help to look when either your backside or underwear shows when you bend over. Don’t embarrass yourself by wearing something that you may forget to “watch”.
2. Can I see my underwear lines through my skirt or pants? If so, it’s too tight. Change into something looser.
3. Is my skirt too short? To check, you don’t need to stand up to see if they hit the knees, but sit down. Can someone see above my knees? If so, change, and always remember to cross one leg under the other if you’re a lady.
4. Is my skirt too see-through? Stand in front of a light or the sun to see. If so, put a slip on.
5. Is my skirt too flamboyant? Does it jingle, sway, or draw too much attention to me? The WORD says to be shamefaced (overly modest and shy) as to not draw attention to ourselves in such a way.

  

     * Thanks to Jocelyn from www.aponderingheart.com for the checklist.

A Summer Day

 This morning I got up before the rest of my family, had time to do my devotions and get my day started before they got up. After finishing up a few things I took a book and some VBS work out to the back patio for awhile. Then, realizing suddenly that I had been very badly beat the last time I had played Wii Tenni, much to my shame . . . I went inside and wasted no time getting the Wii up and running.

  First, I warmed up with some hula. Yes, hula. Laugh. I used to hula with Sarah all the time when we were little. We would have hula competitions and drop *dead* with exhaustion and fits of giggles at how silly we both looked.

  But anyhow, from there I slipped in the Wii Sports disk. My mother laughed at me. She knows how competitive her daughter is, and how badly I need to win this weekend when our friends from North Carolina come. We are talking some serious point difference. Maybe the fact that I lost all but five games had something to due with a previous boast that I could “knock their socks off“. . . I don’t know. =/

  Two of the girls offered to play against me. Knowing they were nowhere near as good as my friend is, I had to decline. Instead, I decided to play against the Wii.  For two solid hours I battled back and forth with a few different Champions  . . . one game lasted so long, I wondered how many deuces one could actually get in a game. I haven’t reached PRO yet but I am only 26 away from my goal. I also beat a 1300 player which is pretty awesome!

  By the time my arm was too tensed to play any longer, I had to pry my fingers off the Wii remote. All in all, it was an awesome game and I’m rather pleased with my heightened scores.

   I will definitely have to post an update on the Tennis match this weekend. I plan to get back on again tonight and practice my heart out. I’ve got two more days to practice and then we’ll see if all that practice was worth the effort. =)

Ode to the Sun . . .

  A friend of mine emailed me today, slightly frustrated at her countless attempts to get a nice Suntan with NO results. Her little sisters, as you will soon hear about, have no trouble tanning in the slightest. The problem? The fact that they don’t care if they’ve got nice tans or not; they’re out there just having fun while my friend is out burning up in the oh-so-HOT sunshine in vain.

   So after spending several hours outside, she earned a lovely burn which she is finally getting over. Last night, in a more-than-usual moment of Inspiration she wrote “Ode to the Sun” to the tune of The Little Mermaid’s  “Part of Your World”.  Enjoy!

 

         I wanna be like my sisters are . . . I wanna be tanned just like them,

           I wanna have that lovely sunkissed glow. Those little girls, 

            they don’t try too hard, But they still look so nice and sun.

      Not like their big sister, Burnt, and red as could be. Out where they play,                    

   Out where they run, Out where they swim all day in the sun, Tan as can be.

                  Wish I could be Tanned and not burnt.

  What would I give If I could live Tanned without trying. What would I pay 

  To spend just a day And get a tan Betcha I would (if I only could) Look as lovely

   as my sisters.  Looking summery And so lovely In my new tan . . .

  So I’m ready to do what my sisters do But I can’t understand why it doesn’t work .

           Why do they tan and I only– oh my word– Burn!!!! When’s it my turn?

   Wouldn’t I love, Love to look just as dark as they do! Tan as could be. (sigh)

                                     Wish I could be Tan and not burnt.

Old Friends that Stick . . .

  I’ve been meaning to mention that my wonderfully awesome, girlhood friend from North Carolina also has a blog. I met her eleven years ago when my dad attended Ambassador Baptist College in Lattimore. We clicked  instantly and have been great friends ever since!

   Ally and I share a fascination for anything involving WEDDINGS! We have stacks of Bridal Magazines, Wedding Samples and just about everything under the sun collected in our room. I think we’ve exchanged countless photos for different ideas for our own weddings in the unknown future and exhausted multitudes of Wedding Websites! And I cringe to think of how many times we’ve “coordinated” our weddings on davidsbridal.com! But its definitely a fun, and very girly thing to do.

   She and I also love writing books. We have discussed different ideas for stories over the years, I believe since we first met! I was eight and she was ten. We would get together and find some shady tree and talk stories and Borrowers for enjoyable hours on end! Maybe I can post an old short story or two on here sometime . . . That is, if Ally doesn’t beat me to it!

   Okay, so there’s a brief  little bit about Ally for you. You can meet her yourself by checking out her blog at thevalueofone.com . She has bits of stories she’s working on, pictures, movie opinions, book reviews, and all sorts of fun and interesting things for you to take a peak at. Enjoy!

In my Absence . . .

 Wow! Its been a week since I’ve posted. It has been one of the craziest weeks of my life so far.

  Last Wednesday morning, around nine o’clock I had my first car wreck ever. I was on my way to work, and well . . . needless to say, within five minutes time the Excursion had been pretty much totaled. Can you believe it?

   Now, that’s pretty much a bad thing. Period. But try something to nine o’clock in the morning and then you tend to be really unimpressed, to say the least. Thankfully, everyone was okay. I called my dad and he came over and took care of changing the tire that had blown out somewhere in the midst of it all. Then I spent the rest of the day in town with my parents dealing with Insurance whatnot, getting a Rental Vehicle and taking the truck to the shop.

   Thursday, my Mom took my sister and I to North Carolina for a friend’s wedding. We stayed until Wednesday and had an awesome time! I would have blogged but unfortunately, didn’t have Internet. But don’t worry, I enjoyed every second of my week away from home.

    And as for the past few days, we’ve been running around like crazy! We’ve done everything from clothes shopping for college (a plus, in my opinion) to finishing up graduation stuff. Its kind of funny, you never realize how much work goes into graduation until you’ve suddenly reached that point and you just have to sit back for a second and think, “Wow! Is all this REALLY necessary? Can’t I just grab my diploma and run?!!!!”

    But I’m here, and its less than a week away. Some family and a few friends from North Carolina will be coming too, so I’m basically just thinking about hanging out with everybody rather than getting my super,  fantastic  diploma . . . but I’m sure when I get up on the platform I’ll find some sort of pleasure in receiving it. 0:-)