Be a blessing!!!

At ladies retreat, Myra shared with us some practical tips to being a blessing to others around us.  She told us first to open our eyes and see people.  See their needs.  Meet those needs.  One of the ways she suggested we do this is with cookies.  She said that her family would bake cookies on Saturday and then on Sunday, the children would look for someone who needed encouragement.  What a fun way to train children to be on the look out for people and their needs. 

This weekend, two of my friends were on my mind quite a bit.  Sooo this morning, after spending some time reading Psalms and praying, I made a triple batch of those easy pumpkin muffins that I told you about a couple weeks ago.  You know the ones with the cake mix, the can of pumpkin, and the smidge-bit o'spices???  Is this ringing a bell?  I wrote about how much I loved these because I could make them with a gluten-free cake mix....if you really can't remember, go back through my older posts.  It's there.  (The recipe is, also, in my Notes section on Facebook.)

I made a double batch of regular sized muffins and then I pulled out the gluten-free cake mix and made those as mini muffins.  There's something about snacking on a mini muffin....or two or three...or half-a-dozen that don't make me feel nearly as bad as eating a full-sized one...or two or three....so on and so forth.

While the muffins cooled, I went to my card stash and found two fall-ish cards and wrote notes to these very special gals in my life.  I do thank the Lord for their friendship and encouragement that they freely bestow on me. 

After sealing the cards and making the muffins transport-able (what a fun word!!!!), I headed out to share the love.  First stop - TerraLand where I dropped off 20-some muffins and a note for Misty.  Misty and I had a few minutes to chit-chat...I didn't want to keep her from her Monday duties.  I know how long that Monday list can be... :( 

Second stop - Starbucks to purchase two pumpkin spice lattes and then I headed to Freeport to visit with Barb.  Barb, also, has stressful Mondays.  She had no idea I was coming.  It was soo nice to surprise her!  I wonder if she was suspicious....but that's okay.  Either way -- it was wonderful taking her coffee and muffins. 

The drive-time to/from Freeport gave me time to apply another principle from ladies retreat.  We were encouraged by one of the M's to really consider the words of the hymns that we sing to the Lord.  Most of the time I do -- but since ladies retreat, I've really taken the time to consider them.  While I was singing along with "Great is Thy Faithfulness" -- I thought about the words to the second verse..."Winter and summer and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon and stars in their courses above..."  AMAZING!!!!!!!  I would not have had those 45 minutes of reflecting on the goodness of the Lord and on His love had I not been a blessing today!!!  I'm so thankful that I had a day off so that I could share the love of Jesus with these two fabulous friends!

~ Angie

Modesty

After Ladies Retreat, I took a moment to email Miriam to request a copy of a letter that she had made mention of in her session on modesty.  This letter is written from a single guy.  Please take a moment to read it.

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A Letter To Girls I Know on Modesty

(author’s name removed at his request)

Dear Girls,

There are two kinds of men: Godly men, and worldly men. What kind of man do you want? I’m betting most of you said “a Godly man.” Someday, you want to marry a man who loves God with every fiber of his being because he will be an excellent husband and father. He will honor and be true only to you. Most women want a Godly man or at least think they do. Well, I think I have found a way to tell you exactly what kind of guy you will get. I don’t even have to know you! All I have to do is look at you. The kind of guy you want or will get is advertised by the clothing you wear. I know what men want. Trust me, I am a guy. I know more guys than you do and I know them better. I know what we think, what we talk about, what we want, and what we look for, and it is different for each one of us depending on our relationship with God. I’m sure you already know this, but men were created differently than you. We have different desires and priorities. Our eyes and minds react very differently to some things than yours do. It isn’t disgusting, perverted, or wrong; it is wonderful and good! It is how God made us. It’s how we handle these differences that separate a Godly man from a worldly man.

A worldly man doesn’t control himself, rather, he looks at anything that attracts his attention or gets him excited. A worldly guy has no problem when girls wear clothes that show off skin, like boxers, high or low-cut shirts, low-rise jeans, and “cute” little swim-suits. He’s a fan of tight-fitting shirts and pants that show off your form, he thinks they’re fine! Worldly guy watches a lot of TV and R-rated movies, isn’t really offended by sexual content or nudity and secretly dabbles in pornography. He’s a “Christian” and makes up a significant portion of your church and youth group. He’s a really nice guy and sees you mainly for your body. If you were to marry worldly guy, he’d bring lots of baggage into the relationship, have intimacy problems, entertain thoughts of other women, and possibly cheat on you.

A Godly man is in control of his drives and desires. He constantly seeks God and reads his Bible. He “walks in the Spirit” and isn’t set off by everything he sees. When immodestly-dressed girls, magazine covers, or risqué advertisements come into view, Godly guy quickly “bounces his eyes” away from the image. He’s constantly guarding his thoughts and what he allows into his mind. He hates being around girls that disrespect him and his struggles by wearing inappropriate attire. Godly guy doesn’t watch much TV and is selective about the movies he sees. He views you as a person, knows you and respects you. He has your best interests in mind and guards against inappropriate thoughts of you. If you were to marry Godly guy, he would give you the emotional attention you need, he would ignore other women and remain faithful to you no matter what.

Unfortunately, there are more worldly men than Godly men. And to make matters worse, to the untrained eye, a worldly man can look a lot like a Godly man. So what can you do to only attract a Godly man? An important way of delineating between them lies in how you dress. As mentioned before, the clothes you wear advertise what kind of guy you are looking for. If you dress immodestly, you will attract worldly guys and scare away the Godly ones. It all comes down to the kind of man you want to spend your time around and eventually marry. You cannot afford to be complacent in this area of your life! You will pay the price someday.

This issue isn’t limited strictly to you and your future relationship. The way you dress directly affects other men and women and their relationships. You don’t see the struggles, the pain, the tears and the sin that you cause, but I can promise that you would be shocked if you did! Ask any Christian young man; we’ve all seen it. It’s kept hidden but it is definitely there. By dressing immodestly, you effectually spit on the struggles of our weaker ranks, appearing to care more about toying with us than helping us. You’ll never know how many broken relationships and lifestyles of sin you’ve contributed to simply by the way you dress. You want to marry a Godly man someday, well so do many other women. Don’t just help yourself and your future, help all women and their relationships by showing discretion in your dress.

Of course, I understand the desire to look stylish, attractive, and “cute.” It’s important to fit in and get attention. Trust me, it can be done modestly! I also understand that it is easier for some girls to find stylish and well-fitting clothes than it is for others. This is an area where guys really don’t understand what you are up against. But just remember, for every sacrifice you make to honor God with your image, Godly men are making sacrifices in their lives that are just as hard, if not harder! They will and do respect you so much for choosing to be modest! A real lady is conscientious of the image she presents, and real men want a real lady. And you can forget about any guys missing out on how attractive you are because you don’t wear revealing clothing. You could wear a circus tent and we would still know; it’s a gift we have.

And so the question still remains: What kind of man do you want? Answer me with your clothes.

The message that spoke to me the most...

On the way home from retreat, Ginger and I were discussing what spoke to us the most.  For me, I think the message that convicted to my heart and challenged me was the message titled, "Work Boots Aren't Just for Stompin'!"  In this message, Myra directed our thoughts to the story of Mary and Martha. 

Luke 10:38 - 42
Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word.  But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said "Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?  Bid her therefore that she help me."  And Jesus answered and said unto her, "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:  But one thing is needful and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

Myra pointed out Martha wasn't doing anything wrong.  She was serving.  She was doing something good...she was just doing that good thing at the wrong time. 

I appreciate the fact that to get Martha's attention, Jesus said her name twice.  I have a feeling that Martha might've been rather frazzled. I know that when I am frazzled and running about doing "good" things that I have to stop and re-group and ask the Lord for help.  In the Bible, it says that Jesus said Martha's name twice.  I like to think that perhaps Martha was kind of frazzled.  I can relate. 

This story reminded me of a principle that I am trying to implement in my life. Before I just say, "YES!" to some particular ministry opportunity...I ask the questioning individual if I may have some time to pray about it.  Nine times our of ten, the answer is a resounding, "YES!" 

Lord, help me not to get so wrapped up in

serving that I don't take time to worship You!