Blessings to you and your family~
Jennifer
Uncategorized
"O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy & loving-kindness endure forever." Ps118:29 Have a great Wednesday everyone. đ
Personal hair and wardrobe styling by The Designer, Himself.
Iâm getting ready to do this â hoping to switch out the clothes this week or next. Along with the process of making the switch, Iâll be trying on things (hoping they still fit, or are even a little big this year⌠a girl can dream, canât she???). And, I’ll be doing the ONE MOST IMPORTANT FASHION TIP EVER â praying. I’m serious!
Hereâs how I stumbled upon this amazing fashion secret:
Years ago, when I was in the 6th grade, I had one of those âluminescent momentsâ and realized that since God made my hair, and kept count of the numbers of hairs on my head (Matthew 10:30), He could help me fix it every day. (Iâm thankful for it now, but I have difficult hair â curly, thick, coarse, and especially back then, totally big.) It took about 30 minutes to blow it dry each day, and I couldnât communicate with anyone during that time, so I started spending that time talking to the Lord. One day I asked Him if He would help me fix my hair⌠and He did! I started having good hair days on a frequent basis.
By the time I got in the 7th grade, I promised the Lord that if He would fix my hair, Iâd give Him the glory for it. He has kept His end of the bargain, and Iâve tried to keep mine. For all of these years, God has helped me fix my hair each morning â in giving me ideas, or by just plain making it move a certain way. I get hair compliments from strangers almost every time I go out of the house. Theyâll say something like âI love your hair⌠who does it?â and Iâll say something like âThank you so much. Actually, Kellye cuts and colors it and God helps me fix it every day.â
That usually gets one of three responses â Sometimes they get it â and we rejoice in how wonderful the Lord is that He cares about us â to the tiniest detail, OR, they look at me with this glazed expression and say âhow niceâ and walk away. OR they look puzzled and want to know more. I then get to tell them about how God cares about the things that we care about, because He loves us so much. I can promise them that God is big enough to take care of the major needs of the world and still keep count of the number of hairs on each of our heads, and that there is nothing too small to bring to Him.
God has used my hair to draw me into many deep conversations with strangers that become all about Him and His care of our lives. Often those strangers and I have ended up crying together and bowing our heads in the middle of grocery store aisles while they lay burdens before the Lord. God can use anything, canât He??? PTL!
SO, when I realized that the Lord was doing such a great job of fixing my hair, I started asking Him to dress me, too. Listen⌠I truly believe that whatever is on our minds, we need to invite Him to be a part of it, and let Him help guide us as we mentally process whatever it is. For me and this time of year, Iâve got fall fashion on a portion of my brain. If you do too, hereâs how the Lord helps me dress and stay âcurrentâ:
1. I look through fashion magazines in waiting rooms, the library, or wherever I find them, and try to get a feel for the common denominators in the clothing and accessories trends.
2. I check the internet fashion websites to see what was on the runway for the season. {updated for 2009}Here is a summary of 10 fall fashion trends from Elle Magazine. (And can I just say – I’m thrilled about the shoulder pads coming back, but not so much a lot of the other “80’s looks). Also, I’m not endorsing anything you happen to see while you’re there… Just letting you know a few of the fashion trends.) đ
3. Realizing that what is in the magazines and on the runways is not what will look ânormalâ in my middle-class-suburban-stay-at-home-wife-mom-Bible-teacher-life, I classify the trends in categories of clothing I would actually wear.
While Iâm doing this, Iâm doing it with the Lord, often talking through these things out-loud to Him, as if Heâs sitting with me (which actually⌠He is right there with me).
4. Then WE (He and I) go through my clothes for the new season. He totally does this with me. We pull out the clothes and I try them on.
5. Remembering the trend categories, Iâll pray for wisdom to make ânewâ outfits out of old clothes. I donât audibly hear this, but the Lord will put ideas in my mind, and Iâll try them on, with shoes and accessories.
6. Usually, Iâll “need” a few pieces to update my wardrobe from the previous year. Iâll write down what I need in my prayer journal on a page called âRequests and Wish Listsâ. Then I let it go. I give it to the Lord, and ask Him to provide those pieces of clothing / shoes / accessories IF He will be glorified through them. Sometimes I feel led to write a price beside the item. Itâs so much fun to see the Lord provide in such specific ways. Sometimes He’ll provide what I’ve asked for, and sometimes He doesn’t. When He doesn’t provide, I find that I really didn’t need it anyway.
7. I donât go out and spend lots of money on clothing. I give the needs to the Lord, and then I wait to see how He leads me to find the items I need. Often, I can pick something up at Target or Wal Mart, or Rossâ or Khols on sale or clearance. One piece at a time, the Lord builds my âcurrentâ wardrobe. Sometimes Iâll be drawn to go to Goodwill and look around. When I obey and go when the Lord leads me to, I find just what was on the list. Occasionally someone will share their “hand me overs” with me, and something I’ve prayed for will be among those clothes. Our God is creative with His provisions!
8. Everyday (or night), I stand at my closet and ask the Lord to help me know what to wear. He guides my eyes and hands and helps me choose the outfit de jour.
I may not look âperfectâ to everyone else, but when the Lord has helped me dress and fix my hair, the responsibility for how I look is up to Him, and I donât have to worry over it anymore. I can leave my house knowing that He has dressed me spiritually (in my quiet time with Him), and physically.
After I get ready with His help, having done the best I can with what Iâve been given, I say Psalm 90:17 to the Lord: Let Your beauty be upon me, and establish the work of my hands. Iâm then free to go about my day, confident of His handiwork in and upon my life.
Matthew 6:24-34 sums up what Iâve taken way too many paragraphs to say. No matter how big or little it seems, God can take care of it. Our job is to seek Him first, and all these other things will fall into place. Seeking Him first â even for our fall wardrobes â takes all of the worry out of it. We can trust Him to dress us in the way where He receives the glory â and weâll be current and beautiful like the lilies.
(24) âNo one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (25) Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? (26) Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (27) Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
(28) And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. (29) Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. (30) If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
(31) So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ (32) For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. (33) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (34) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.â
Question: Do you ask the Lord to help you do things like this? Does He help you dress, shop, cook, drive, park, etc? If so, please leave a comment and letâs celebrate how God helps us in the details of daily life.
If you’ve never thought that God cared about these things before, or you never wanted to “bother” Him with the little stuff, I challange you to try it. You’re not bothering Him. Ask Him to help you in the little things, and you’ll see Him being involved in your life in a big way! (Then, please come back and tell us about it! đ )
Much love to you beautiful and fashionable lilies~
(Reposted from September 22, 2008)
What TYPE of man do you have?
This is the BEST help in understanding our husbands that I’ve ever read (except from the Bible). If you’ve been struggling with wondering why your husband acts the way he does, or why he isn’t like “so and so’s” husband, this might be your answer, and what you can do about it!
I’ve reprinted a condensed exerpt from a book called CREATED TO BE HIS HELP MEET by Debi Pearl. The whole book is wonderful, and can be ordered here on Amazon.
Read… enjoy… and love your man for who he was created to be. And let me know if it makes a difference in your marriage. (I’m so excited for you – because I already KNOW that it will!)
Condensed excerpt of Created to Be His Help Meet, chapter 8:
3 Types of Men
God is dominant â a sovereign and all-powerful God. He is also visionary â omniscient and desirous of carrying out his plans. And, God is steady â the same yesterday, and today, and forever, our faithful High Priest. Most men epitomize one of these three aspects of God. No single man completely expresses the well-rounded image of God.
Mr. Command Man
A few men are born with more than their share of dominance and, on the surface, a deficit in gentleness. They often end up in positions that command other men. We will call them Command Men. They are born leaders. They are often chosen by other men to be military commanders, politicians, preachers, heads of corporations, and managers of businesses. Winston Churchill, George Patton, and Ronald Reagan are examples of dominant men. Since our world needs only a few leaders, God seems to limit the number of these Command Men. These men see life as if they are looking from a high mountain, they see the big picture rather than individual needs.
They are known for expecting their wives to wait on them hand and foot. A Command Man does not want his wife involved in any project that prevents her from serving him. If you are blessed to be married to a strong, forceful, bossy man, as I am, then it is very important for you learn how to make an appeal without challenging his authority. We will discuss how to make an appeal later in this book.
Command Men have less tolerance, so they will often walk off and leave their clamoring wife before she has a chance to realize that she is even close to losing her marriage. By the time she realizes that there is a serious problem, she is already a divorced mother seeking help in how to raise her children alone. A woman can fight until she is blue in the face, yet the Command Man will not yield. Yielding would be against his personhood. He is not as intimate or vulnerable as are other men in sharing hi s personal feelings or vocation with his wife. He seems to be sufficient unto himself. It is awful being shut out. A woman married to a Command Man has to earn her place in his heart by proving that she will stand by her man, faithful, loyal, and obedient. When she has won his confidence, he will treasure her to the extreme.
A King wants a Queen, which is why a man in command wants a faithful wife to share his fame and glory. Without a womanâs admiration, his victories are muted. If a wife learns early to enjoy the benefits of taking the second seat, and if she does not take offense to his headstrong aggressiveness, she will be the one sitting at his right side being adored, because this kind of man will totally adore his woman and exalt her. She will be his closest, and sometimes his only, confidante. Over the years, the Command Man can become more yielding and gentle. His wife will discover secret portals to his heart.
If you are married to a king, honor and reverence is something you must give him on a daily basis if you want him to be a benevolent, honest, strong, and fulfilled man of God. He has the potential to become an amazing leader. Never shame him, and do not belittle him or ignore his accomplishments. Make it your lifeâs goal to become his queen.
Mr. Visionary
God is a Visionary as seen in his person, the Holy Spirit. He made some men in the image of that part of his nature. Prophets, be they true or false, are usually of this type. Some of you are married to men who are shakers, changers, and dreamers. These men get the entire family upset about peripheral issues, such as: do we believe in Christmas? Should we use state marriage licenses? Should a Christian opt out of the Social Security system? The issues may be serious and worthy of oneâs commitment, but , in varying degrees, these men have tunnel vision, tenaciously focusing on single issues. They are often the church splitters and the ones who demand doctrinal purity and proper dress and conduct. Like a prophet, they call people to task for their inconsistencies. If they are not wise, they can be real jerks who push their agendas, forcing others to go their way.
Visionaries are often gifted men or inventors, and I am sure it was men of this caliber that conquered the Wild West, though they would not have been the farmers who settled it. Today, Visionary men are street preachers, political activists, organizers and instigators of any front-line social issue. They love confrontation, and hate the status quo. âWhy leave it the way it is when you can change it?â They are the men who keep the rest of the world from getting stagnant or dull. The Visionary is consumed with a need to communicate with his words, music, writing, voice, art, or actions. He is the âvoice crying out in the wildernessâ striving to change the way humanity is behaving or thinking. Good intentions donât always keep Visionaries from causing great harm. They can stir up pudding and end up with toxic waste if they are not wise. An unwise wife can add to the poison with negative words, or she can, with simple words of caution, bring attention to the goodness of the pudding and the wisdom in leaving it alone. Every Mr.Visionary needs a good, wise, prudent, stable wife who has a positive outlook on life.
The wife of Mr.Visionary should be just a little bit reckless and blind in one eye if she is going to enjoy the ride. If this is your man, you need to learn two very important things (beyond how to make an appeal). Learn how to be flexible, and learn how to always be loyal to your man. You will be amazed at how much happier you will be and how much fun life can be if you learn to just go with the flow â his flow. Life will become an adventure. You will actually begin to feel sorry for the gals married to the stick-in-the-mud, steady type. And once you get it into your head that your husband does not have to be ârightâ for you to follow him, you will FINALLY be able to say âbye byeâ to your overwrought parents, even when they are screaming that you are married to a crazy man. People looking on will marvel that you are able to love and appreciate your husband, but you will know better because you will see his greatness.
Greatness is a state of soul, not certain accomplishments. Over time, this type of man will become more practical. If you are a young wife married to a man whom your mama thinks is totally crazy â then you may be married to Mr. Visionary. Right now, purpose in your heart to be loyal to him, and to be flexible; then, let your dreamer dream. Lean back and enjoy the ride; it should prove interesting. Visionary Man will talk and talk and talk to his honey if she approves of him. He will be subjective, thinking about feelings, moods, and spiritual insights. One of his greatest needs will be for his wife to think objectively (proven truth) and use common sense, which will help keep his feet from flying too far from solid ground. He spends his life looking through a telescope or microscope, and he will be stunned that what he sees (or thinks he sees), others do not seem to notice or care about.
Mr. Steady
God is as steady as an eternal rock, caring, providing, and faithful, like a priest like Jesus Christ. He created many men in that image. We will call him Mr. Steady â âin the middle, not given to extremes.â The Steady Man does not make snap decisions or spend his last dime on a new idea, and he doesnât try to tell other people what to do. He avoids controversy.
Being married to a Steady Man has its rewards and its trials. On the good side, your husband never puts undue pressure on you to perform miracles. He doesnât expect you to be his servant. You do not spend your days putting out emotional fires, because he doesnât create tension in the family. You rarely feel hurried, pushed, pressured, or forced. The women married to Visionary Men look at you in wonder that your husband seems so balanced and stable. The wife of Command Man marvels at the free time you seem to have. If your dad happened to be a Steady Man, then chances are you will appreciate your husbandâs down-to-earth, practical life for the wonderful treasure it is.
When you are married to a man who is steady and cautious, and you have a bit of the impatient romantic in you, you may not see his worth and readily honor him. You may be discontent because he is slow and cautious to take authority or make quick decisions. A bossy woman sees her husbandâs lack of hasty judgment and calls her Steady husband âwishy-washy.â His steadiness makes him the last to change, so he seems to be a follower because he is seldom out front forming up the troops. There is no exciting rush in him, just a slow, steady climb with no bells or whistles. You wish he would just make up his mind, and that he would take a stand in the church. He seems to just let people use him. There are times you wish he would boldly tell you what to do so you would not have to carry all the burden of decision-making.
Some women equate their husbandâs wise caution and lack of open passion as being unspiritual. His lack of spontaneity and open boldness may look like indifference to spiritual things. However, he is like deep, deep water. The very depth makes the movement almost imperceptible, but it is, nevertheless, very strong.
He will be confused with your unhappiness and try to serve you more, which may further diminish your respect for his masculinity. Disappointment and unthankfulness can make you wearier than any amount of duties. His very steadiness keeps him on his middle-of-the-road course, and it will drive a controlling woman crazy.
This is why many disgruntled ladies married to Mr. Steadies fall victim to hormonal imbalance, physical illness, or emotional problems.
Know Your Man
Wives are very much flesh and blood, and as young women, we donât come to marriage with all the skills needed to make it start out good, let alone perfect. When you come to know your man for whom God created him to be, you will stop trying to change him into what you think he should be. The key is to know your man. If he is Mr. Steady, you need to learn to be thankful and to honor him as the one created for you in the image of God. Your husbandâs gentleness is not a weakness; it is his strength. Your husbandâs hesitation is not indecision; it is cautious wisdom. Your husbandâs lack of deep spiritual conversation is not a lack of caring; it is simply the cap on a mountain of intense emotions.
If this describes your man, you need to learn how to stand still and listen; then let God move your husband in his own good time. Ask God for wisdom and patience. Seek to always have a gentle spirit. Stop expecting him to perform for you, to pray with the family, to speak out in witnessing, or to take a bold stand at church. Stop trying to stir him up to anger toward the children in order to get him to feel as though he understands how badly you are being treated. Let him be the one God made him to be: a still, quiet, thoughtful presence â for you!
A Steady Man likes a woman to walk beside him, yet grow in her own right before God and him.
He needs a resourceful, hardworking woman with dignity and honor. It is important to Mr. Steady that his wife is able to be self-sufficient in all the mundane tasks of daily living.
These men can be some of the most important men in the church, because their steadfastness is sure, and their loyalty is strong. They make wise, well-thought-out decisions.
Typically, Steady Men do not become as well known as Command or Visionary Men. They are not odd or stand-out men. They are not loud. They are neither irritating nor particularly magnificent. Women and men alike envy and desire a Command Man. People are often drawn and compelled by the Visionary. But the Steady Man is taken for granted
Much of this book has been written to help young wives learn to honor, obey, and appreciate the Steady Man just as he is.
Mr. Steady will enjoy the company of others and be most comfortable spending time in small talk with whoever is around. Of the three types, he is the one that will be most liked by everyone. Mr. Steady is always in demand. He belongs to people. He does not focus on the eternal picture like Mr. Command, nor is he looking through a microscope as Mr. Visionary, but he does respect both views as important. His vision is as a man seeing life just as it is. He can shift his sights to the sky and know there is more up there than he can see, and he wonders about it. Or, he can stare into a muddy pond and appreciate that there is a whole world in there that he knows nothing about. In most of life, he is a bridge between the other two types of men. He is a very necessary expression of Godâs image. Of the three different kinds of men, it is more important that Mr. Steady have a help meet who likes him just as he is.
I’m praying for you and your marriages today. Love to you all…
Ps. 33:20 "We wait in hope for the Lord, He is our help & our shield." Yours, too! May the Lord bless you today as in Isaiah 40:31. đ