Serving. Such a "churchy" word isn't it? Something you do maybe once or twice a year, most likely

because you feel like you have to. Or maybe it is required. Either way, when looked at it in this light, it carries a pretty negative connotation. It's not inviting, it's not exciting, nor does it carry love. It's more of a duty than a desire.

 "You have been called to live in freedom, but don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love." ~ Galations 5:13

The next verse is where the famous "Love your neighbor has yourself" comes from. Serve one another in LOVE. What a thought to chew on. When I serve, sure I probably could say that I love whatever IT is that i'm doing. For me it is serving with the kiddos in children's ministry. But when we serve are we serving IN love, or in obligation? Are we serving because its what naturally flows out of our hearts, or are we just checking another item off of our Sunday "To-Do" list?

This past weekend I traveled the 5 hour trip home to where I grew up. My parents still live in the same house and we still have the same neighbors. As I sat writing one morning, looking out the window, I experienced beauty. Utterly amazing, natural beauty. What I saw was a small neighborhood of people gather together to serve one another. I looked out the window and saw them mowing, raking, and cleaning up eachothers' yards. Some where on ladders up in the gutters, some were loading leaves up to be taken away, I even saw a little boy with rake in hand. Now this, I said to myself, is true serving. They didn't plan it, didn't need to make a Facebook event, didn't need to use any bribes to round up any willing souls; they simply saw a need and chose love. This is what serving looks like. It shouldn't be another mark in our schedules, it should flow out of us naturally. True serving is done in love, and love is an uncontrollable emotion that overflows out of us onto those around us. It doesn't take much effort, and doesn't put a damper in our schedules.

I read the book "Love Does" by Bob Goff and he pretty much took my perspective of living a christian lifestyle, crumpled it up and flushed it down the toilet. One of my favorite quotes is when he says something along the lines of- "Perhaps the reason our autocorrect so often changes the word "love" to "live" is to give us a gentle reminder to live love, not just type it". LIVE LOVE. I like that. I don't want to just talk about love, I don't just want to learn about Jesus and simply read His word, I want to live it out. I want to walk it. breathe it. have it overflow out of me uncontrollably. I want to look for ways to add love to my schedule instead of whitespace. (If you're anything like me and your schedule has everything but whitespace, you'll know exactly what I mean).

Now, I don't mean start saying "Yes" to every single need that places its ugly self in front of you. That will surely be enough to wear you out. It's ok to say "no" sometimes, we need rest for our souls too. But what I do mean is to stop "serving" out of duty and start serving out of desire. If you're not serving out of desire maybe it's time you step back and get on your knees and spend some time with your Papa. Because most likely, if you're serving out of duty, your prayer life has been suffering. Jesus doesn't want serving to be a burden. He came to take our burdens. Jesus served out of complete humbleness and compassion, and I don't know about you but my only real goal in life is to become more and more like Him. He wants to change your perspective of serving into something holy and beautiful. Serving that comes out of our heart in this way will never be a burden.

About the Author: Rebeccah Ahlrich is a 23-year-old college graduate from Minnesota where she is now a full time nanny and also involved in part time ministry in Africa during the summer. Rebeccah is growing a love for writing that she would like to share and encourages others with on her journey with Christ.

There was a time that I wasn't the person I am now...

There was a time when my smile masked internal tears...
...leaving room for those tears to flow on my pillow at night.

Now, I've overcome that hurt, nearly two years later after having a talk with God about guarding my heart. You're probably wondering guarding my heart against what? Well, obviously what most of you are going through at this very moment- being involved with a man that God had no intention of you being with. Someone that drags you through the mud day in and day out. Someone that takes full advantage of you. Someone that's undeserving of the husband benefits you're giving to them. Ladies I have one word for you, if you're in any of these situations.


                                                                     STOP!

Yes, I know it seems easier said than done. But trust me, it can be done and must be done! If not you're allowing yourself to be open to more wounds and a connection to ungodly soul ties that become more tangled than you can imagine. I only say this, because that girl was me. Being young and experiencing just a tad bit of freedom at 18, I fell for a guy that eventually treated me like the dirt under his shoe, after I'd been there for him through anything you could imagine. What did I end up with? Absolutely nothing! It was a lesson paid for not only with my heart but with stolen innocence, money, tears, and conviction from God, that allowed me to make up my mind that I didn't want anything to do with man not after God's own heart. I definitely had to take a step back and realize that giving my self away mentally and physically was NOT what God wanted from me. Needless to say the conviction was real and heavy on my shoulders.  After years of investing my heart into someone I thought would do the same and thinking I would mend my heart awhile later with yet another "boy" that was just another snake in the grass stringing me along, I finally said that's enough! You would think during the time I would have saw red flags in both of those situations and listened to God. But I didn't. I didn't learn my lesson, the first or second time of guarding my heart. Ladies the point of this post is, there has to be a time where you make up in your mind that you don't want to be hurt again. That you would rather save your body and heart for your future husband, not "randoms" as my favorite speaker, Heather Lindsey would say.

You're probably asking how do I overcome? How did you overcome years of hurt? Easy-Surrender everything to God. Stop running to your friends that you think have expert advice and start casting all your cares in the one that knows you best-God Almighty. Realize your worth in Christ. You're the daughter of the king. Believe it or not, I was called everything but a child of God at one point from a guy because I wouldn't do as told. Ladies you're special and random guys that aren't serious about you (but serious about ruining you) shouldn't be getting close to you. When you truly realize your worth, you'll begin to let go of some guy that wasn't worth your time. You'll know that God has something better for you.  Let me remind you God is Love and he's not a God of confusion. So the next time, you're tempted to answer calls or text messages from someone that doesn't have your best interest at heart, think about that. Trust and believe it will save you  plenty of headaches. God wants you to be at peace not lingering around in hurt. If you don't overcome, that wound will never heal leaving you scarred with bitterness, scaring off blessings. If you're someone reading this and doesn't truly realize what love is, I encourage you to read my post, "Love Is..." here. Furthermore, I pray you have the strength to move past your hurt. Brighter days are ahead for you. God already has your story written. You only need to let go...of the past.

"He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."~Mark 5:34

Its your body right? You can do as you please...you can place as many souls in it and look for an abortion when things just don't go right. Right? Think again. Your body is a temple and should be treated as such...A baby shouldn't have to pay the price for your one night of pleasure...


I say this as an adoptee. Because I had the chance for life 27 years ago. I was adopted by my amazing parents straight from the hospital and sometimes I think what if the birth mother wouldn't have given me the chance of life? What if my parent's heart didn't yearn to do something noble? Well, for one, I wouldn't  be spreading God's word through this site to countless young ladies. There's no doubt in my mind that I'm here for a purpose, yet sometimes I wonder what if I didn't exist.

What if the woman that chose adoption for me was the next patient in line for a quick fix to her life's problems?

Each time I hear of someone getting an abortion, not only doesn't my stomach cringe but I'm crying on the inside to my heavenly Father wondering how could someone do something so cruel to an innocent human being. Ladies there has got to be a point where you stop and reflect on your actions. Stop listening to yourself when you're suddenly pregnant and don't want the baby or the guy you're involved with doesn't. Its time to be responsible. If you feel as though you can't take care of a child at the moment, do the right thing and seek adoption agencies that will assist you in finding a good home for the child. Anything, but abortion or other methods that leave a child's life gone. I can assure you that there are plenty of loving families on waiting lists around the world eager to invite a child into their home.

I recently read an article that said, people should stop saying a mother is "giving up" her

child for adoption.Ladies giving up sounds like you've been defeated by the enemy. If you choose adoption for your unborn baby you're being responsible. You're not a failure if you choose adoption. I pray you choose wisely. Because it truly saddens me as I look at statistics from the Guttmacher Institute that reports, "half of pregnancies among American women are unintended, and about four in 10 of these end in abortion. Also, "Nine in 10 abortions occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy."

Ladies choose wisely! Save a precious life!

For more information or statistics on abortion visit the Guttmacher Institute at www.guttmacher.org.

If you're seeking to find a family for your unborn baby, as stated before SEEK adoption agencies that can assist you in your area. 

If you're a family searching for information on adoption visit www.adopt.org. I love their motto, "There are no unwanted children, just unfound families." Their mission is to find homes for children in foster care. I applaud this organization and others similar to it, because not only did my parent's adopt me but our home was also a home for several foster children while I was growing up.

I'll leave with the following scripture, as it reminds me we were all brought into this world with a purpose:

 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."~Psalm 139:13-16


 Love and blessings,
      

The following is a contributed article from Kelly Detzel, reminding you patience is a virtue. Continue to wait on God's best. 

Please. Another wedding invitation? Gag
me. Another Facebook status announcing her engagement? Lady, stop tooting your own horn. I mean, it isn’t that big a deal. Everyone and I mean everyone and her best friend was either married or already had an engagement ring on that pretty little finger of hers. Except me.  And I know what you’re thinking. Please girl, shut up and stop while you’re ahead. Not another single me, single you sob story. Go away. I am perfectly fine with eating my feelings and drowning in Netflix episodes. Hold on, okay? Pull up a chair and stay a while.

Anyway, it was 2012, May 5th to be exact when a message buzzed on my phone.

“I’M ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It read in all caps.

I knew. I knew it was coming before she even sent the text. And I won’t lie. I was still a discontented single pringle of a gal who didn’t have a clue. There she was sitting in a South Carolina restaurant with the love of her life without a care in the world. I should have been happy for her. And sure, I was happy for her. Of course I was. Happy as I text back “Congrats.” while sitting with my best friend in her living room trying to push back the tears. Happy as I scrolled through her engagement ring pics on Facebook trying to push back frustration. Happy as I tried desperately punching that green eyed monster sucker smack dab in the face. Envy-10 points, Kelly-0.

But being happy and being genuinely joyful for someone are two different things completely. Because it was her time for love. It was her time to be joined together with the one God chose for her before she was even born. Who was I to be jealous just because she got to walk down the aisle before I did?

Selfish girl bitter attitude. Single girl lonely girl. Angry girl who desperately needed a heart and soul check. The grass is always greener on the other side. Isn’t that how life just seems to go sometimes? I’d be happier, more content if I just had. . . I’d be on fire for God, believe you me if I just attained. Lord, you know this is what I need. It’s the best thing for me really. Or is it?

Clenched fist, tears in my eyes. Stones in my pocket when God longed to give me gems. My whole life ahead of me and I was stuck in a standstill. “God’s forgotten about you.” Satan whispered. “He’s withholding what you want most because He doesn’t love you.”

And at the time, I believed those lies. Swallowed them hook line and sinker Maybe I had been wrong. Perhaps I had been deceived all along. I wasn’t getting what I thought I needed when I needed it. So I selfishly blamed God for a season. It was his fault for making me wait. It was his fault I was alone. Or was it?

Twenty three and clueless. I was nowhere near even close to being ready. Cooking? Forget about it. Household skills? Don’t make me laugh. See, what we fail to remember is that God is the orchestrator of all things in His timing alone. He’s not going to just hand over what we want or think we need just because we pout and scream and cry.  If it isn’t your time to fulfill your calling, be it a nurse or teacher or doctor it’s not going to happen. Period.

Dreams put on hold for a season aren’t necessarily meant to die.I wanted to become a writer.  Man oh man did I want to write. Ladies I waited over three and a half years and God finally answered that prayer this past Friday. Three and a half years of tears and doubt and wailing and petitions out to God. See, it wasn’t that God was saying no, He was saying “My ways are not your ways; my thoughts are not your thoughts. You need to wait. You need to trust. Even if I say no.”

Do you know how long Sarah and Abraham desired and waited for a son? Can you imagine the countless tears that were shed during the wait? Twenty five years of waiting. Twenty five years of prayers and cries out to Jehovah.

But God in his perfect timing does finally answer. Genesis 21:2-3 reads “For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.”
And then God throws a curveball.

Genesis 22:2 reads: “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”

It gets me every single time I read this account. How much do you love me Abraham?
Hey, how much do you love me, Kelly? How much? Are you, are we willing to give up what we treasure and or desire the most and put it on the altar as a sacrifice to God?

Genesis 22:10 reads: “And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.”

His precious son, his only son which he had prayed for so long. The point is he loved God more. He had faith that God would intervene right on time. He trusted and God answered.  May I encourage you tonight to follow hard after God and allow Him to become your first love? Don’t be afraid to trust God, even if He says no. Don’t be afraid to trust God even when He says yes! It’s finally time!
He knows best.

 About the Author: Kelly has been a writer since the age of twelve, and is on a mission to reach souls for Jesus through the art of written word. A blogger since 2011, she adores charming her readers with a unique outlook on anything and everything from works of pure fiction to simple truths of Jesus Christ, life, and love.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          

I don’t know about you but I love 

personality tests. You know those things where you pick an option that best describes you or your feelings in particular situations and at the end of the test you get an idea of your temperament or personality? I love those things. When I first started doing them I truly was at a loss and wanted to know me. Like some online test could magically tell me about my past, present and future. Growing up seemed like a lot of work. Could I just learn, grow and be an adult without all the drama? Haha! These days I just do it for the fun of it. In those tests I would get questions like:

You have been asked to make an impromptu speech in front of many people.
Which situation best describes your reaction?

                                      A. You would beg someone else to do it for you
                                      B. You will get very nervous but do it anyway
                                      C. You would jump out of your seat eager to start talking

Now these questions were difficult for me at first because I normally would gravitate towards the reaction I would want to have, not the one I would certainly have. I wanted to be the happy-go-lucky girl who would start talking even before she jumped out of her seat. Unfortunately, I was NOT. It took me years to accept the person that looked back at me when I stared in the mirror. But I finally did. And boy was it a freeing experience.

The business of understanding and accepting our real selves is one that cannot be left to chance. You are the way you are for a reason. You have a specific purpose that can only be achieved by you, just the way you are.

Society tells us ever so subtly that certain traits of characteristics are better than others. Certain skills are more important than others. This is not a new concept. To tell you to accept who you are without societal prejudices will make me sound like a broken record. Unfortunately, even though we hear it often it is somehow a hard concept to grasp and fully adsorb. Why?

Ever wished you could trade your gift of organizing and leading for someone else’s singing talent? After all there are hardly any reality shows that celebrate the organized woman but the girl with the sultry voice? She’s a star!
Ever wish you were the girl in the office who could organize office parties with the efficiency of a drill sergeant so all the dudes could talk about what a wife material you were? But you’re stuck with your working knowledge of Excel and accounting packages as if that was enough to secure you a second look from that tall fine brother who just joined the management team.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be better than you are but wanting to be someone else, so you could have someone else results, life, popularity? Now that is nothing but a wild goose chase. Give it up. It’s hard? I understand.

The truth is this, even if your real self wasn’t all that and you wanted to be better in one way or another, you’re never going to get there by denying what you are. All you’ll get is that constant feeing of inadequacy, trying so hard to be better in the eyes of others so they will accept you or see you as fitting into their world. Complete waste of time!

Ok. So you’ve tried it all -A lot of advice has been given about how to get over these issues and accept yourself the way you are. I believe the main problem with people with a less than stellar self-esteem is this. They are too self-conscious. Believe me I’ve been there.

It’s not all about you. Everyone isn’t looking at you when you walk into the room. Everyone isn’t wondering why you’re not married with seven children already. And, listen to this, even if they were, it doesn’t matter! To buy the lie that you have to live according to people’s thoughts and opinions of you is to remain forever in a cage of limitation. It’s like staying home all day every day because you’re afraid of breathing contaminated air. Or deciding not to ever walk again because someone else broke their leg... well, you get the point. Yes, it is totally pointless. I think when we realize that spending every waking moment wondering and bothering is a complete waste of our precious life and time, that is when we really begin to live.

Like I said, I’ve been there. The thoughts of what people would think of me made me not do things I thought so strongly that I could do. I was always afraid of criticism and judgment. I discovered my love for writing sometime after I finished up my Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology. Funny, huh? Well not to me. I had finally found something I really loved to do. Something that made me feel like a creator. Like I could create something for other people to enjoy. Well, the ‘other people’ part came much, much later. I couldn’t bear to have anyone read what I wrote, mainly because I wondered if it was good enough. There was my wondering-bothering-self, getting the better of me. Maybe if I had a great self-esteem and I hadn’t picked up tiny little mean messages as I grew up that I wasn’t good enough and smart enough and hard-working enough, just maybe I would have been willing to push my articles and stories in people’s faces as soon as they were done. But no. I hid them, because I didn’t want any critics telling me what I already knew. I wasn’t good enough.

Somehow I found a website online that encouraged people to write, share their work and get encouragement to become better writers. I thought to myself, it’s an online thing, I can hide behind that. No one knows me anyway, so even if they say something mean, it won’t bother me. Boy was I wrong. The first writing competition I entered was a blow to the face! The judge, a lady whom I have truly forgiven, cross my heart, said something about my trying hard to string words together, but they made no sense.
Now I can’t tell you how bad a blow that was. I was ready to give up for good. It was almost like a sign; a bad omen to let me know how bad I could screw up if I kept trying to work up the nerve to call myself a writer. Those were hard days I tell you. Being young and trying to discover and validate oneself is a tough job but the gains only come to those who hang in there. Somehow that’s what I did.
I kept on trying, hard as it was. A few months later I wrote a story on that same platform that earned me the title of Featured writer of the month. Now that was a small feat in hindsight, really, but at the time I felt like I had won the Grammy for writers or something. I thought, phew! There’s something going on between me and this writing thing after all.

So I share this story because I realize that apart from the general knowledge that we are loved by God and indeed the apple of his eyes our hearts yearn for relevance and significance. We want to feel needed and useful in some way or the other, and this comes in no other way than doing something with ourselves. Something tangible that can set us apart, make us able to help and reach others. Now, while we do not look to our achievements and intellectual attributes to determine our self-esteem and value we sure should be doing something significant in this world. Give yourself the opportunity to be versatile at something. Learn, study, go back to school take a course, start a business. Cast off those limitations and do something new. You’ll be better for it.

About the Author: Remi Roy is a writer, author and media content professional. Her book, "Ms. Unlikely," is the story of a young woman’s search for meaning, fulfillment and love. Her second book, "From the Sidelines" is a collection of historical fiction. She can be reached at http://thelightedgirl.com

Jacob left His father Isaac's house to run from His brother Esau  who wanted to kill him, as a result of taking His blessings,

and also to find His wife in His mothers hometown. But on His way there he had nowhere to sleep and found a certain place and laid there with His head on a stone. God spoke to Jacob and told Him about the promises and inheritance he would bless Him with.

The place where Jacob laid his head was a certain place(an unknown place to Him). Jacob did not have a house there, it was just a stone he laid His head on and slept. In the unknown place, all alone that's where God spoke to Him.

The fact that where you are right now is an unstable place, abusive home, doesn't mean God is not there.You may be at an unknown place, a certain place where everything does not add up. But God is right there. God is with you. Its not the place where everything looks intact, its the place that is not in order. Understand that God is there to put it in order. Because there is nothing there to be seen with your eyes, doesn't mean God is not there.

Through the deserted place in the deserted looking situation, that's where God is releasing His promise and blessings. So you will remember where you were before the blessing. So Glory will belong to God. God is close to the broken hearted. He is right there where you are. God is releasing His blessing in the confused situation. But are our eyes on the situation or on God? Because if we focus on the situation we miss God.

Its not when Jacob was in His father's house surrounded with his family and friends that God spoke. He spoke when Jacob was all alone in an unknown place without even a roof over his head. Without a pillow to lay his head on. God is speaking please lets make time and listen. You may feel you are alone, but believe and understand and know that Almighty God has His eyes on you.

There have been times in my life where I felt like no one was around. Then I went down on my knees and prayed and thats the time  I started to hear God and He revealed to me and assured me that everything is gonna be ok.And everything happened as He revealed to me.  So when you feel like you are alone, know that you are not. Spend time seeking His face. God is always by your side, you are never alone.

About the Author: Amanda Ofori is a 23-year-old young lady from London, England. She graduated college with a degree in Diagnostic Radiography a year and a half ago. Amanda currently works in Ashford and St Peter's Hospital as a Diagnostc Radiographer. She says she's only come this far because of God's favour. She loves singing and enjoys being part of her church's youth choir. Amanda also enjoys writing, speaking and  encouraging others and spreading the word of God.

Photo Credit: Shelby Steckbaur
shelbyraephotographs.com

                       

The following was contributed from Micaela Adams.

This afternoon I began cleaning out my room . As I did it the thought occurred to me how often do we leave our messes to accumulate . Now I could've attempted to clean earlier in the week before it got overly messy but I chose to wait and let it become so overwhelming that it has taken me the whole day to unclutter and make presentable.

I could hear God saying to me, this is what I'm doing with your life when you come to me. I'm removing the big messes and the small messes that you add on.In order to do that I have to get to the root of the problem. I have to get to where the mess began.

Now, we all know when cleaning it can be tedious and overbearing even sometimes causing aches and pain sometimes we walk away from it just to get rest and get back at it again.

Thankfully, our God never takes breaks never leaves messes and works through our problems even when we can't feel him cleaning out our system . Thank you Jesus for your consistency ! Being a wife, a woman of God, or just even a soldier of faith requires consistency . That's what God is doing with his Queens . Before he decides to give you a spouse or even a life of abundance we first must learn to be content with him in all things and trust that he is cleaning up our messy situations.

So if your struggling and feeling like God I need you too fix me up trust me that he is. He is working all things out for your good. He loves his leading ladies and sometimes transitioning to his will takes a little stretching pulling and rearranging but you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you . He will never leave you forsake you or give up on you . You are permanently his and he yours.


Connect with Micaela on Instagram at Micaela_thelioness_

Even the magicians of Egypt and all the wise men could not interpret the dream

for pharaoh. Only God could and  God put the treasure in Joseph to accomplish that. Nobody has the treasure God has put inside of you and can use it like you. Only you can use the treasure to change the world.

So, you don't need to compare yourself to anyone. 


Seek God and let Him reveal what He has put inside of you. God has appointed just you for a particular calling. For a particular purpose. Nobody can be you , you are unique and designed specially to suit this purpose. They can go to wise men and scientist and all sorts but no one can do it like you can. But how is anyone going to know if you don’t step out?

If you say "I am shy?"  "Or I haven’t got the resources," or "I will wait till next year." You're waiting too late because, someone, somewhere is waiting to hear the words God has put in your mouth to step back from suicide.

                  Someone is waiting to hear your testimony to stop the abortion.
                   Someone is waiting to hear your song so they know all hope is not lost.
                   Someone is waiting to read your book so they can step out of the sick bed.

As a result of Joseph stepping out and using the treasure God has placed in him, he saved a whole nation from famine. If Joseph did not use what God had placed in him, a whole nation would have been severely devastated.

In Joseph's story its very clear that the treasure God has put in you is not just about you. Its about saving a lost nation, its about glorifying God. The treasure is not from you so give glory to who it belongs to ; GOD.

When Pharaoh asked Joseph to the interpret the dream . Joseph said "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace. Joseph made it very clear that he could not interpret Pharaoh’s dream without God.

God is the one standing behind you and will direct you to release that dream, that idea, not you. So why are you afraid? Its not going to be in your own strength.

But you don't have to wait to be rich to use that treasure. Or own the biggest house. Your age , level of education, whether you have children or not, should not stop you. Just step out. Joseph was not a king before he interpreted pharaoh's dream, he was coming from prison. He was a prisoner. God will do the rest if you step out. God's treasure is not measured by your circumstance. It is measured by the ability of God. And am sure you already know nothing is impossible for God.

Even the surrounding nations came to Egypt for food. The treasure God put inside Joseph was to deliver not just people from Egypt from famine, but even outside of Egypt. The treasure God has put inside you may be singing, writing, speaking, directing, drawing, sowing, designing ,dreaming, interpreting dreams,prophesying. Even if the list here does not link to you God still has something very specific for you.

Your treasure will take you to places you haven't seen. You treasure will be a blessing to you and others. You may not see how now. But Joseph didn’t see how either. He just stepped out. Joseph's dream came to pass as a result of  using the treasure placed in Him. He became head over pharaoh’s house and all the people were ruled according to His word. He became wealthy and successful.

The treasure God has put inside you will lead you to your purpose. May God give us the strength to step out and accomplish His purpose for our lives.

About the Author: Amanda Ofori is a 23-year-old young lady from London, England. She graduated college with a degree in Diagnostic Radiography a year and a half ago. Amanda currently works in Ashford and St Peter's Hospital as a Diagnostc Radiographer. She says she's only come this far because of God's favour. She loves singing and enjoys being part of her church's youth choir. Amanda also enjoys writing, speaking and  encouraging others and spreading the word of God.

Isaiah 54:1

God instructs the woman, who is unable to bare children, to rejoice, sing, shout for joy and worship! Now why would He say that? Sometimes we ask God the same question. How can I worship when the very thing that I want, I can not have?

The barren women of that time were considered useless, basically not women at all. If a woman could not bare children for her husband they were considered of no value, but Inspite of all that God instructs the woman to rejoice. Why? "More are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband."

We may go through the unimaginable, even, the unspeakable, yet God says to rejoice. Why? To worship is to be obedient, and people are attached to our very obedience to Him. The barren woman, of whose name we do not know, would raise more soldiers for the Kingdom of Heaven than she could ever naturally bare. She could spiritually bore children of God by showing and teaching them how to overcome such pain and rejection. We can not teach what we do not know.

In the bible it says that Jesus became flesh. (John 1:14). He endured all that we have to endured, yet He did it without sinning. (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus is our ultimate example, our spiritual Teacher. I personally would not be able to trust the words of advice or guidance of someone who has never experienced what I've been through.

Growing up, I experienced immeasurable amounts of rejection, which I carried on into my adulthood. Those feelings of rejection would often times become too heavy and unbearable. Yet now when those feelings arise, I know I can go to Jesus.

The very God of our existence turned His back on Jesus as He hung there on the cross for our salvation. (Matthew 27:45-46). So, Jesus was the ultimate reject! He endured. He is victorious, and if He can do it, by His grace and strength, so can I (Phil. 4:13).

Don't sulk, become weary, or be embarrassed of your story

                                                                Oh! How I've there! 

You go through the fire to assist the ones, some of whose names you do not know, to glorious victory and freedom! Rejoice, burst into song because God has hand selected you to reach others for His glory.  

About the Author: Chelsea Hill is from Adairsville, GA and currently resides in Atlanta, GA. The Lord found her at the age of 16 and enhanced her passion for writing and for people. Now at 23, Chelsea will be returning to school in the fall of 2015 to pursue a degree in Communications for Psychology."The Barren Woman"  is from her blog "Signature of the Redeemer. Read more of Chelsea's words at http://www.signatureoftheredeemer.blogspot.com/,

The only explanation I've concluded

about women who give their bodies to undeserving men time after time, is a lack in knowing the value of their virtue. In my opinion it is that, and the possible neglect of being properly admonished as a child.

It's human nature to waste things we have no appreciation of. Hence the reason why we teach our children from toddlers responsibility. Pick up after yourself. Don't destroy your property or somebody else's. Say please and thank you. But what about the area of self respect? Do we stress to our little girls and boys the importance of their purity? Do we emphasize its importance and rehearse often to them why? Do they understand why they shouldn't waste water, more than they understand why they shouldn't waste themselves?

I know for me growing up in my household, the extent of a chastity conversation was, "Don't do it because YOU WILL get pregnant, and I'm not taking care of no mo' babies!" This was well understood. However, there was no value placed anywhere before, after or in between those warnings. Only the consequences. I think it should also be stated here that our parents and guardians did the best they could for us. A lot, if not all of what was taught to my generation, was passed down from the previous ones before. However, we were robbed of some vital jewels and pearls of wisdom. I think this had everything to do with the fact that certain conversations were off limits!

In certain cultures, sex is not discussed in detail. It is simply skimmed over and abbreviated. It's usually attached to threats of pregnancy, disease and homelessness. Ok well that takes care of the fear part, but what about the beauty of waiting? It has also been proven that it takes more than the fear of God to lead someone in the right direction. It takes love. Teach me to love myself and I will do whatever you ask of me. Why? Because now I trust you. You have my best interest at heart, and I can believe in whatever you tell me.

One definition of virtue is--- the good result that comes from something. Are we teaching our children the good results that comes from staying pure and chaste in their body, soul and mind? Or are we calling down fire and brimstone from heaven, hoping this will keep them away from normal human curiosity? If we as adults, Christian or not, know the consequences of not waiting to partake in sexual activity before marriage, we should work hard to rescue our kids from those same consequences. But not through the doom and gloom of fear. But by emphasizing the worth of a chaste woman and man. Yeah so what, nobody did it for us, we had to fend for ourselves! But if you could go back wouldn't you have wanted someone who cared enough to say something? I know I would've. I wish I'd had the perfect balance of admonition and why I should wait. Unfortunately like so many, I didn't get that until many mistakes later. But thanks be to God, the cycle can stop with me! If one day I'm blessed to become a mother, my children WILL get, "the talk", and they will know and understand early on, the value of them holding onto their purity.

This is all to say, don't be so quick to judge them who waste their virtue. It's obvious they weren't taught its value and therefore they're wasting themselves without any care of  the consequences. There's many deficiencies there, but with the help of Jesus it can be cured if desired. Teach them the value of self. Start with self-worth and end by telling them God has a purpose for their bodies that's greater than sex.

About the Author: Virtue is written by Shan Mahogany. She is also the author of "Emphasis on Love: A Compilation of Poems."

From time to time, you may

read me referencing to my late father and that's because, even though my time with him was limited, I learned important things that every little girl should learn from her father.

Another memory of him, is in 6th grade as he drove me to school, we saw a girl a little older than me all alone on a bench to herself with her head down reading. The other crowds of kids were far from her. To some it may seem like she didn't have any friends but to others like my father, it may have meant sometimes its good to stay to yourself instead of being surrounded by a big circle of friends whom may mean you harm. I remember him saying, "See, ain't nothing wrong with being by yourself sometimes. Its good to be different. Its good to be set apart."

Those words bring me to this post. Being set apart. But are you missing out if you do? Are you missing out on the latest gossip or drama? Are you missing out on weekend plans in clubs or bars? I will confidently answer questions with absolutely not.

If you're a young lady in Christ reading this, I want you to know there is nothing wrong with being different. Being different to some may mean you're weird. But remember your worth in Christ. Remember you're striving for a crown of life and that crown is far more precious than anything on this earth. Yes, anything! Careers, relationships, friendships, material possessions. Remember this world will pass away. These things are only temporary. Earthly titles and achievements don't matter. There won't be a celebration in heaven for those, but instead a meeting around the throne to meet the King. Also, if you're a young lady that's not in the body of Christ I encourage you to seek others walking the narrow path. Be encouraged that being a Christian doesn't mean you're missing out.  Be encouraged that our souls are not a game and be reminded of where your soul may be if Christ returns and you're in the middle of sin.

Ladies I encourage you to be an example to other young women. You may be the only bible someone reads which may have a great impact on their lives. You have the ability to lead another young woman to Christ by your words and actions. So be content in your decisions to be set apart and about your heavenly father's business on a Friday or Saturday night versus being in someone's club, asking for that next drink or feigning for that next ounce of drugs. Romans 12:2 reminds us not to be conformed to this world. Its simply not worth it. Its not worth the pain or tears the world offers and its certainly not worth eternal separation from our Lord and Savior.

Where are you the most beautiful?

That was the question of an article I chose this blog topic from titled, "Words from a Father to His Daughter from the Makeup Aisle."

So, where are you the most beautiful? On the inside? Or on the outside? What has society made you believe about the essence of true beauty? Is it bound within the self-conscious makeup aisles or within the strands of your latest extensions?

Prayerfully, I hope its deep within your soul. A soul submitted to Christ rather than the desires of the world. There have been quite a few times, that I've heard from the mouths of young women how they just weren't happy physically with themselves so they spend hours in the mirror, painting a canvas of beauty on their face overlooking the reflection of what God has already blessed them with. Or other young ladies that have it embedded in their minds that longer hair with do society justice as well as themselves.

Yes, I wear makeup myself but not to an extent where it defines me. Ladies, when will there become a time when you're comfortable with yourself whether it be the skin you're in or the roots of our hair?

As I write this, I'm reminded of 1 Peter 3:4 that says, "Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

Ladies if you're reading this as woman in the body of Christ but still dealing with insecurities physically, I encourage you to remember your goal is to turn the hearts of others to Christ with your beautiful spirit, rather than turn heads with materialistic desires for yourself. Someone that you may call plain Jane may have the best spirit in the world versus a young lady with a horrible attitude with a face of model. Of course, everyone wants look and feel nice, but those things are only temporary, just as the things of this earth. Make-up shouldn't define who you are. The best concealer in the world for a woman is her soul, redeemed and bound in Christ.

Pursue God's kind of beauty. Stay encouraged ladies.~Danielle

Some say, "there's nothing wrong with with a little bump and grind" but in reality there's A LOT wrong with it and unfortunately many college bound girls will face that harsh reality as

they enter the beginnings of a new journey all around the world. A time of new experiences, friends, classes, locations-a time of freedom! For most freedom, for the first time in their lives. That freedom can be filled with nervousness or it can be filled with the desires to be wild outside of parental supervision. Either way, its a time of a change with big decisions on the path ahead of you. Along that path, you can either stray away from God's word and promise or you choose to stay on the narrow path. 
      
"Narrow is the path, that leads to life & only few find it."~Matt 7:14

If you're reading this and you're a professed Christian, I get it-you want to have fun. But having fun, can turn into more than you bargained for if your fun involves the pleasures of the world. Remember you body is a temple! I know its easy to get off track, if it weren't I wouldn't be writing this. Simply because I remember my freshman year as if it were yesterday, filled with innocence but unfortunately life brings us tests. The purpose of this post is to show you how to stay on the right track of keeping your promise to God, concerning your bodies. I honestly look back at the things I deemed "ok" and I'm disgusted by those things now. 

There's a reason why sex was meant for marriage and that's to protect us from detrimental soul-ties. I want to encourage you not to feed your fantasies with your boyfriends, not to listen to your friends that whisper to you how great sex is, in order to make you curious. Trust me, its not worth it. However, if you're one of those young women that have bought the hype, there's still another chance and God is the same God he's always been. He's a merciful God, so never be afraid to kneel and ask for forgiveness. Stay in his word and I promise he'll reveal things beyond what you've imagined. Trust me when I say, conviction is real. I'm not telling you what I heard, I'm telling you what I know and there's absolutely no person on this earth that is worth sinning your soul to the pits of hell for.

 I encourage you to stay away from the idea of friends with benefits. Stay away from the games that are meant to string your heart along the way, that you on the other hand think are cute. Once you've given up something so precious that belongs to your future spouse to a boyfriend, it will always be expected of you. So remember, don't start something that you can't finish so easily, to desire love at the end of the road. While you're thinking love, he's thinking lust. Stick to your standards! Know you are worth the wait! As always, you're urged to pray for discernment, in order to identify counterfeit people that enter your life. Those that take advantage of you, targeting you for sex and could care less about your mind or heart.  After you've read this post, search this blog for two other related posts, I've written titled, " The Unbearable Weight of Soul Ties" and "Have You Killed Your Flesh." 

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."~1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Stay encouraged and don't give up fighting the enemy!

   

How many times have you heard a woman mention she's a Proverbs 31 woman? Whether on social

media or from your closest friends? But, how many of these women really understand the portrait of the Proverbs 31 woman? Better yet, how many of these women, know that her journey doesn't stop there, instead its just beginning and should flourish into the portrait of the Titus 2 woman. It amazes me how I see so many quotes about being a virtuous woman, yet no actual knowledge of the concept if you ask a young lady.


I began thinking about this post when I entered one of the classrooms at Girls Inc. to teach my creative writing workshop. For the most part, the experience teaching these girls has been great. I'm definitely using a gift I've been blessed with for the right purpose.

Before entering the classroom, I noticed several scriptures arranged creatively and bright on the door. Of course, that made me smile. Because obviously, its not everyday you see scriptures in the same vicinity as students. I already admired this organization for what it stands for, as a place outside of school, where girls can continue learning educationally and referring to our Lord and Savior makes it all the better! While teaching the class, I noticed a scripture on the board from 1 Peter 1:25, but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that has been preached to you." While helping one of the girls with their activities, I referred back to this scripture to show her the meaning of the word endure. You're probably wondering what does this have to do with Titus 2. Well for me, these classes are more than just a creative writing class, teaching the elements of poetry and storytelling. Its teaching with a PURPOSE. A purpose of leading these girls into women of far beyond confidence, but of faith.

Honestly, before beginning my lessons, I was thinking how can I ease my faith into my lessons. After all, my Lord goes with me everywhere, how could I not include him into an opportunity he's blessed me with? (Matt 10:33) It wasn't hard, because my faith was already welcomed at the door.

And the purpose of this post is to inform those that may not know, that being a Titus 2 woman is training younger women unto biblical standards. As we get older, we learn and its only right to lead by example and teach the path for our younger generations.  You may say, "Oh you're still young. How can you teach in the manner of Titus 2?" Well, the answer to that is, I may not be old but with anything you're striving for, you conduct yourself as if you already are in "that" position. For example, when attending a job interview of course you want to walk and talk the part as if you have the part. The same applies to Titus 2-Walk It. Live It. Teach It. The journey within the pages of Proverbs 31 are leading you there. Start your transformation now. There are many young girls and women out there that need your wisdom. Open up and mentor the teenager that may mimic Proverbs 7, whose trying to forget her past and live up to the expectations of the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. Mentor the young believer, that has just accepted Christ. Encourage the young lady in high school or college, in the midst of many trials and tests of life.  There are many older women that have done the same for us and its only right to set our selves aside and get on our knees to pray for our youth and reach out into our families and communities to help a young lady, facing the same things we've faced.  The Titus 2 woman deserves a pedestal alongside the Proverbs 31 woman, showing just how great generations of women can be, if we continue to teach by being. And by teach, I mean teach from a biblical perspective.

Stay encouraged and remember the Proverbs 31 women of today are the Titus 2 women of tomorrow.

Recently, I began teaching creative writing workshops for Girls Inc. of Dothan, Ala. Maybe you've heard of the organization from other cities. Needless to say, it stands for something great for our young girls.

Even though, I've done one class so far, the feeling of inspiring our youth is awesome! I'm grateful for the opportunity and of course I'm looking forward to the rest of the classes this summer. It really took me back to the days when I was a child with a pen in my hand and dreams in my head.  I'm aiming to make these classes flow with a purpose-a purpose of believing, achieving, and most importantly thinking outside of the box. 

I'm sure you would like to know the activities that I planned for them, during our first lesson. So, first on deck was self-esteem combined with fiction and nonfiction writing. Prior to our class, I came up with 50 questions that could be used as writing prompts (each relating to self-esteem) After typing those questions up and printing them. I cut each one into individual strips and placed them in a jar.  During the class, the girls would reach in for their own question and write accordingly. There answers from this activity were amazing. Some of them shared their fears, hopes, and memories. 

Afterwards, I allowed them to pick between two story prompts. 1.) I dream of________ (job, home, school, pet, ) or 2.) Diving into the past and reflecting on their greatest memory with family, friends, school, and if there was a lesson learned in those memories. 

Both story prompts allowed the girls to think outside the box, while either using their imagination and creating a future of their own or sticking to their own lives in a world of nonfiction. 

It put a smile on my face as I walked across the room, to see that the girls were writing paragraph after paragraph of wonderful stories. Not only that but after each activity they were eager to share, raising their hands before I could get my words out. After the class, was over each participant wanted me to keep their stories for myself. I'm sure I'll look over these and smile knowing that I've made a difference in a child's life with words, even for a small moment. For the most part my goal was achieved for our first lesson. The girls were honest about their fears, hopes, dreams, and concerns of the future. There's no doubt in my mind, that my gift to write, wasn't for me alone, but to inspire others that dream of a future as bright as the sun. I've been blessed and I just want to let my light shine to be a blessing to others. I also encourage you to do the same on your journey.

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."~1 Peter 4:10

As far as I can remember I've always been a light sleeper, but a heavy dreamer. What exactly does that mean? Simply, that I've believed whole heartedly that anything that I've had my mind on achieving was worth striving after. In my world, there's no "can't, if, should, or could." Instead, there's only "PRAY, FAITH, AND JUST DO."

Back-up plans never existed for me. Never once throughout college or afterwards did I have the mentality of thinking what would happen if nothing worked out for me with my degree. First of all, God didn't bring me that far to fail on my dreams that I'd prayed to him about since I was a kid and secondly education is too expensive to not actually run after your goals. Why settle? Why not put your best foot forward?

 In everything you have a purpose-a vision. Have faith in yourself and claim it! I can remember one of the simplest things I can give you as an example. During my sophomore year of high school, I was asked to tryout for an all-star competition at a UCA cheer camp we attended each year. I knew in my heart that I would definitely succeed.  Besides the obvious, of practicing and preparing for the day of tryouts, I completely envisioned myself and the whole routine perfectly in my head. I'd already claimed my victory in my mind and talking to God about it course made the upcoming day much better. There wasn't a thought that filtered through my mind of "what if." Why live on thoughts what you could have done when you could have just did it in the first place. In everything remind yourself to do your absolute best! No the road won't be easy, but don't give up! Press on! Don't stray off the plan A and take the easy way out with plan B. Your plans weren't meant to be easy. Why? Because they're God's plan instead and trust me, his plan is much better. Stay encouraged!

"I give myself away
 So You can use me
 Take my heart
 Take my life
As a living sacrifice
All my dreams, all my plans
Lord I place them in your hands"

Recently I entered the mind of a 17-year-old. That mind belonged to me. I opened a journal from 2005 that I wrote in everyday. Each page had reflections from a prompt for the day and a scripture. I sat on my floor immersed in reading pages from a teenage girl that had just entered Christ with many prayers and dreams of the future. Some pages were filled with fear but most were filled with joy! Yes, there were moments since, in the past that I fell off path but I thank the Lord for deliverance! I'm also thankful for everything my parents have taught me.

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." ~ Proverbs 22:6