Beauty From Pain

Some days I wonder why God gives me pain.  Why He lets me walk through dark times.  My heart breaks at times and I beg Him to take away the aches that I feel, but He chooses to let them remain.

Why?

I don't mean why in an accusatory way.  I don't mean it in a "I'm mad and you make no sense" kind of way, either.  I'm asking "Why, God?  I don't understand, but I will trust You.  I will still love You.  I'm just so confused because I can't see what You are doing here."

Imagination and Fairytales: Good or Bad (part 2)

Due to recent discussions between myself and others, I decided to write a mini blog series consisting of two parts that addressed the importance not only of a child's imagination, but also the important role that fantasy and fairytales play in the life of both children and adults.  Part one of this series focused on the imagination, while part two will focus on the virtues of fantasy and fairytales. 

So, let us continue our series with part two.

Happy Belated Birthday

I feel like such a terrible person at the moment because I missed my blog’s first birthday by about 4 months!  Who does that?  I comfort myself by saying everyone does, but I really have no clue one way or the other.

Anyways, I decided that I wanted to commemorate my blogs birthday by looking back at all of the stats from the last year (and 4 months), that way when birthday number two comes around I will have new statistics to be able to compare the old ones to.

How am I going to do that if I missed the birthday?  I’ll be manually looking through all of the information and using mathematical equations (my mommy would be so proud) to take out any information (and blog posts) that came after the blog’s first year.  It’s better late than never, after all, isn’t it?

Imagination and Fairytales: Good or Bad (part 1)

Due to recent discussions between myself and others, I have decided to write a blog miniseries consisting of two parts that addresses the importance not only of a child's imagination, but also the important role that fantasy and fairy tales play in the life of both children and adults.  Part one of this series will focus on the imagination, while part two will focus on the virtues of fantasy and fairy tales. 

So, let us begin with part one.

Imagination doesn’t receive much respect in many Christian circles.  In fact, as we see fantasy and sci-fi on the rise once more in the culture, we have also seen a rise in the imagination being placed under siege by the church.  Perhaps this is because many cults and new age groups embrace the imagination and make it seem very mystic in nature.  Because of this, and because some people think the imagination is not rooted in reality, some Christians believe it must be bad. 

Hating Sin... And Sinners?

We must hate error, we must abhor falsehood; but we must not hate men, for God's warfare is against sin. May God help us always to make that distinction. -- Charles Spurgeon

That is the quote which not only inspired this blog post, but also started an in-depth discussion between myself and several of my friends.  The discussion came about because one of my friends said that he was surprised that even Spurgeon fell into this heresy, by which he meant the heresy of love the sinner hate the sin.

My friend’s comment surprised me and, to be honest, I didn’t really address it much.  My other friends were far more involved in the discussion than I, who merely sat on the sidelines and gave an occasional comment.  But, the longer I have thought about this, and the more I have conveyed my thoughts to others in discussions about the discussion, the more I feel like I need to actually say something and give my opinion on the matter.

The Influence of Fathers

When most men sign up to be fathers, few of them stop to read the “small print”.  Well, for those who are fathers, or plan to be at some point in your life, I have some small print for you today.

In 1994, the Swiss carried out an extensive survey in order to determine whether a person’s religious tendencies carried through to the next generation and, if so, why/ why not.  The information from this study went to the Federal Statistical Office in Neuchâtel, and was then published in Volume 2 of Population Studies No. 31. 

The results of this study shows there is one critical factor that plays into the religious practices of the next generation.  The father.  That’s right; it is the religious practice of the father of the family that, above all, determines the future attendance of, or absence of, the children that make up the next generation.

It's in the Valley I Grow

Wow... I needed this.  So, because I needed this so much, I thought I'd pass it on for all of you.

Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble, and woe
It's then I have to remember
That it's in the valleys I grow.

If I always stayed on the mountain top
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God's love
And would be living in vain.

I'm Not Good Enough

I’ve been working on this post now for a number of weeks, but it has never seemed quite right.  I’ve tweaked it and I’ve rearranged it, and I’ve placed it off to the side, but for some reason, I can no longer let it sit.  I feel like I need to post this now, so I hope it helps and blesses someone, and that the Lord has big plans for this post.

Over the course of my life, I have met many people.  Some of them are similar to me, others are vastly different.  But that is always what has made life interesting, from my perspective.  Amidst these differences, though, I see a common thread that links many people together, one that I think needs to be addressed head on.  It’s time to set the record straight and stop dancing around the subject.

Dear Low Self-Esteem

Dear Low Self-Esteem,

Listen close, because I have something to tell you, something every girl should know.  It is something that so few women make it into adulthood really believing, but is true nonetheless. You are beautiful.  Heart-wrenchingly so.  I know this in my very core, and I wish you did, too.  How do I know this, you might ask?  Because of the image you bear.

The Purpose of Suffering

Our world is full of pain and suffering.  Just today I was given the news that a family we know has lost their second child to death.  My heart broke.  I can only imagine the pain they must be enduring, even though their faith is strong and they have a wonderful support system around them.  I know how much my heart broke when my brother died.  I cannot imagine having to go through that a second time.

There have been many times in my life where I have questioned suffering.  In fact, I have discussed such things on this blog before, be it in passing or more in-depth.  Today, however, I want to revisit the subject of suffering.

Losing Joy

Several people have asked, as of late, what’s happened to me. I’ve scarcely said anything all year, and the two posts that I did make were not my typical type of posts. Well, for those who don’t know, earlier this year my family and I embarked on a new journey, one that was very difficult to begin. See, at the beginning of the year, I relocated to IL in order to serve as a live-in nanny to a little girl and her mother, who is a doctor.

 Now, this comes as something of a shock, I am sure, for some of you. It certainly did to many of the people in my life. The reason for this shock is because I have never made a secret of the fact that, though I am in my early 20s, I fully intend to stay under the direction and authority of my Father and work alongside my parents to help mould my younger siblings and care for my Father’s house, as well as be an extension of his ministry until such a time when the Lord would transfer my talents to helping my future husband, a path which is very different from most young women my age.

The Liebster Award

Well, apparently my blog has been nominated for the Liebster Award.  What is the Liebster Award, you might ask?  Truth is, I have not a clue.  Your guess is as good as mine.  But it is a nice gesture, none the less, and I am very flattered to have received the nomination.

Best as I can judge, the Liebster Award is an award given by bloggers to other bloggers.  So, since I have been nominated, I apparently have to list eleven facts about myself (it will be harder for me to limit myself to eleven, than it will be to find eleven random facts about me) and answer the eleven questions submitted by my nominator, the incorrigible E (or perhaps better known to the common man as Elizabeth Liberty). 
So, eleven facts about me…

Beauty in the Depths

"You are Lord alone; You have created heaven, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and you preserve them all." Nehemiah 9:6

You know, many people think I am crazy because of some of my hobbies.  I mean, I have some of the more socially acceptable hobbies, but those sometimes get overlooked when people learn that I have an eccentric side… like going into caves on purpose.  People find it odd when I talk about Cave Rescue as if it were something to strive to attain certification in.  They think it’s weird that I have done repelling, and even a few people think it is weird that I love rock climbing, though this is a bit more socially acceptable.  Not just the upper limits type rock climbing, either (though that is awesome!), but actually rock climbing.

The Detriment of Modesty

That title got your attention, didn’t it?  Well, it was supposed to.

I think we can all agree that a fixation on anything can be a bad thing, and a fixation can make a good thing bad, right?   Good.  With that in mind, I am going to make my startling statement of the day, one many people will probably not appreciate but needs to be said regardless.

Modesty has become a bad thing. 

Now wait and hear me out before you all flood my inbox or the comment section below.  I haven’t lost my mind.  In fact, I have been dwelling on this topic for a while now, which is why I’ve been a bit silent on the blog, as of late.    

Declaration of Chivalry

Men, as a whole, are under attack, and tragically young men and women alike—older, too, for that matter—are simply accepting it. But not everyone. Some men and women are still willing to stand up and challenge the cultural mindsets of our day.

One such man is the writer of today’s blog post. That’s right, I may be introducing the blog post, but I didn’t write it. Luke Alistar (fondly known as Matt),  is a friend of mine who wrote a Declaration of Chivalry early last year. It spread like wildfire through our circle of friends and was signed by many young men in various locations.

New Blog Features

That’s right; I have some new blog features!!  If you look over to your right, you will see a list of links.  In that list I have added the Contact Me and Guest Post links.  These are the new features I have added.  So, let’s look each of these features individually.

The Contact Me page:

I have received multiple e-mails from friends about my blog posts, be that in the form of a positive response, a challenge concerning a point I made, or just to sends me a “hey, can you write about this?”. But, as my blog has continued to grow, I have realized that the people who are now reading it are no longer confined to people who know me and know how to get in contact with me through my multiple online venues. There are many new people, and I want to hear from them just as much as I want to hear from my friends. Which is why I have created this page for you all.  Read the Contact Me page for more info.

A Butterfly Story

There once was a little girl who loved to run through the fields and play.  One day, amidst her wanderings, she stumbled across the cocoon of a butterfly.   Delighted at her find she raced home with it and watched for the beautiful creature within to emerge. 

One day a small opening appeared along the shell.  Crouching down over the butterfly home which she had created, the little girl prepared to wait and watch as a new life came into the world.  For several hours she waited patiently and watched as her butterfly struggled to break out of its confines.  With great effort it struggled to force its body through that little hole, its progress painfully slow.  Then, after some time, the butterfly seemed to give up, as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no further.

A Study on Virtue

Proverbs 31:10 says "Who can find a virtuous woman? Her price is far above rubies."

It’s a good question, to be honest. Many women can’t even name off a list of virtues- or what they mean to her as a woman- let alone live them out. Over and over again I have run into women who say they want to be Godly women, and men who say they want to marry a Godly wife, but neither of them can tell me what that means. How can you be or find something you know little about?

Meet my Friends

 Hey, guys.  It is no surprise, I am sure, that I have some awesome friends!  They really are.  I could ramble about them and never grow tired, but I realize you will lose interest pretty fast, since they are not your friends and you know nothing about them.  So, I decided if I want to ramble about them, I should share them with you!!!  After all, it is selfish to keep them all to myself, right?  I mean, after all, you all are missing out on their awesomeness. 

So, make way for the introductions, guys!  We are going to have a blast!!  Aren’t you excited? 

Drum roll, please!  Introducing….

Live Every Moment

No words can grab hold of the emotions, questions, and thoughts that swirl around in my heart and mind at the moment.  For me and my family, my brother’s death 2 years ago today wasn’t “news”.  It was the most glaring, life-changing reality that sent me one a roller-coaster of emotions and gnawing emptiness.  I’ve come to see those feelings as being okay, though.  I can have those feelings, and at the same time, fully, deeply trust in the God whom I love.  The God who wept.  The God who mourned the destructiveness of sin and how much it infects our world. 

I’ve learned a lot about grief over the last 2 years… Time doesn’t take it away, either, as we are led to believe.  But it does make the pain more bearable as you learn how to live with it.