Black Friday in All The Wrong Ways..

First off, our family is not materialistic at all- or at least we try not to be. So when Christmas comes around, we celebrate it a little differently. (more to come on that.)

But anyway, we went to Walmart Thanksgiving night, to get a good deal on some bikes for Jude and Zane because they were outgrowing theirs and we needed them for our camping trip next week.

I had never gone Black Friday/Thanksgiving shopping before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. It was around 9pm and we had just eaten wayyy too much so I was half awake. Which just added to the INSANity in that store. I had never seen a store so crowded in my life. There were huge lines through out the store, of people waiting for the release of some electronic. There were several moms with sleeping kids in their cart. But that's not what made my stomach turn. (and neither was the food.)

I think it just hit me while I was walking down the aisles full of toys and accessories. It hit me that hundreds of people will come out and spend hours shopping and standing in crazy long lines, while there are millions of orphans around the world, hanging on a thread. I was hit by the question, 'Would Jesus be pleased to see this?' Just because we may not see anything wrong with obsessing over these Black Friday deals and materialism, doesn't mean it's right.

I imagined millions of people flooding orphanage gates with toys and food and warm clothes. I saw families loving on orphaned kiddos. And THAT, is what I believe God made us to do.

We were made to live for and spread the word of God. To make disciples. To be Jesus in this desperate world. To love the least of these.

Think about it- If Jesus came to earth every Christmas, do you honestly think you would see Him standing in lines at stores? Do you think you would find Him writing letters to Santa? No. I think I would see Him spending the holiday with the homeless, and orphans. I think the greatest gift someone can give is love. Jesus gives that gift to us everyday, and never stops giving it. And I find that much more valuable than a plastic toy that a kid's going to get tired of in the next three weeks. Much more valuable than any laptop or tv that's going to brake or go out of season in a year or two. And much more valuable than any piece of clothing that's going to be outgrown and out of style before you know it.

I much rather spend my time advocating for orphans, and giving to the poor and hungry. I see the impact and memories lasting a life time. Verses a materialistic gift, lasting only a few months, if even.

I'm not trying to bash those who go Christmas shopping. I'm just saying, don't say you don't have the time or money to give to the less fortunate. Or to do outreach in your community, or donate to an adopting family, when you're standing in lines for hours or spending hundreds of dollars. I'm sharing my opinion, and my guess at what Jesus sees. I'm also hoping that when you're done reading this, you will be changed. Take a minute and ask God to break your heart for what brakes His. To open your eyes to the bigger picture, and to the lost and hopeless around the world. Ask Him to help guide you towards outreach. To show you the needs, and to help you love like He does. Go ahead. Do it right now.
 


Happy holidays,
Genesis

When Modesty Calls

A week ago, my mom and I went to Dannah Gresh's Pure Freedom conference. It was amazing. We went home with a few books in hand. One titled Graffiti (by Erin Davis) and another named, And The Bride Wore White, one of Dannah's best selling books. (click HERE to read more on the book)

So anyway, I'm half way through it, and I hit a familiar topic- Modesty.
At the end of every chapter, Dannah encourages the reader to journal and pray about the last chapter and what not. So, I pulled out my journal and a pen, and sat against my dresser on my bedroom floor. I did just as the she had asked, "go through your clothes and kick out whatever needs to go. Get rid of all immodesty. Then, tell God how good you feel..". It actually wasn't that bad. I turned on some music, prayed, and eventually, had a nice sized pile of clothing. Any short shorts, (that I wore around the house- don't worry, I would never actually wear those things out in public!) shoulder-showing shirts/sweaters, etc. I felt pretty great. As I sat there, continued to read and write in my journal, and give thanks to the Lord, I felt a sense of...freedom. I felt as if I was beginning a new life. A new life of modesty!

See, I have always thought modesty was important. So that's not what changed. It's just that since I've been reading And The Bride Wore White, my views on modesty have changed. I used to think certain things were okay, like you may see no harm in wearing mini skirts. That is your opinion and perspective. But Dannah and her book have helped me to realize that the deep, true reason for letting your shirt hang off your shoulder, is to fill your natural desire. The natural desire every girl has, to attractive a guy. Even if you don't admit it, it's most likely true. And it's okay! We all have it. In fact, we were created with it. God made each of us to one day desire attention from the opposite gender. Just, the right attention.

So long story short, I've realized that since we don't need to go out 'searching' for a guy, there is no need for us to dress immodestly. Plain and simple. 

How To Be Beautiful

If you were attracted by the title of this, How To Be Beautiful, then here is your answer- Be. YOU. God created you just the way you are, and He thinks you are absolutely beautiful. You may think at times, "why did God make me this way? Why can't I be pretty like those girls?" First off, God didn't see anything wrong with you when He created you in the first place. Second, He made you to fill a purpose only you can fill. That's why each of us look different. Like it says in Johny Diaz's song More Beautiful You, 'you were made with such a care, your skin, your body, and your hair.' Think about it. The King of Kings, the creater of heaven and earth, made YOU. He created every single person on this earth. Don't you think He knew what He was doing?

Some people may go through plastic surgeries, tanning beads, etc. to improve their looks. There is nothing wrong with "improving your look", but let me just say, there really is no need to. I don't believe in something like plastic surgery, because we were not made to be fake looking barbie dolls. God made us the way we are and loves us just the way we are. Why change that?

Here is a list of things for girls to remember-
1. Everyone on magazine covers uses photoshop. No one has perfectly smooth and tan skin, perfect light weight, perfectly straight or curly hair. (take a look at this photoshop before- and- after)

2. The world looks at the outside, while God looks at the heart.
3. The world measures everything differently than God does. He thinks our skin is perfect just the way it is. Zits and all.
4. Whatever it is you're doing, do it in honor of God. Just by being a loyal servant to Christ, you are becoming more and more beautiful. The amazing inside, will shine on the outside. Try it. You'll see.
5. The materialistic things on earth are the least important. God doesn't want you to stress over what you're going to wear tomorrow.
6. Don't get mad at your body. As you get older, your body changes and progresses. You'll realize your face isn't so clear anymore, or that you've put on a few pounds. Don't worry, it's natural. And everyone goes through it.
7. Never try to be anyone but you.
8. Always remember that 'modest is hottest'. If a guy is attracted to you for your pretty face, your legs, your hair, or any other outward appearence, let me just tell you now- That is NOT the right guy. A man should love you for your love of Christ, your pure heart, and your personality.
9. Stay pure. It's the best kind of beautiful.
10. Never reject Jesus. If you need anything or are hurting, run straight into the arms of Christ.

I hope this helped you today! I would encourage you to listen to this song above. Really listen to the lyrics. Take it as a message from God.


And remember.......
You are beautiful!

Genesis

Monday Insanity

Well today was a pretty good day... This morning I got up and read some Genesis (no, not just because I'm named after that book....) in the Bible, and prayed a nice long prayer. My favorite way to start off a day :) I then watched 19 Kids and Counting and Amish Out of Order with mom and dad. Afterwords, I hesitantly got out the laptop and worked on school. Oh, did I mention I'm over a month behind? :P Yyeeaahh.  So I have some major catching up to do. But once I finished school, Kara came over and we did Insanity. My mom, Kara, and I did it. If you don't know what Insanity is, it is a craaazy intense workout. And I mean crAzy. So I made it through about a quarter of the 30 minute workout. I was so incredibly nauseous, mainly because I hadn't eaten anything all day. The thing doesn't lie. It is truly INSANE.

Later we had my dad's famous enchiladas. And I made double chocolate chip bread. Two words-Chocolate. Heaven. And then, we finished off the night with an episode of The Voice=)

(Here are some pictures from the past week with Kolya!)

 

Just remember...
Jesus LOVES you!!

Genesis 

3, 2, 1, BLAST OFF!

As an adopting sister, I have been counting the days since the very beginning. And I'm sure, if you have ever adopted, you understand the feeling. Six months can feel like a year. So even though six months is actually a short time frame for an adoption, it felt like a lifetime of waiting, going through every day of Gabe and Levi's adoption. And since Kole's adoption process has hit it's 7 month mark already, and he's still not home, it's like going through torture. Butttt, the good news is, he will be home really soon! I know we keep saying that, but this time I mean it. My parents are traveling in 3 days!! Which is exciting and exhausting all at the same time. Because we only had nine days from the day we got our DAP appointment date, we (my mom) have been running around like madmen, trying to get all last minute shopping done, packing, and between us just now starting school, that's an extra 10 pounds of weight added to their shoulders. But man is God providing! Just a couple months ago, we were about $6,000 short and it took nothing but a small miracle, a big God, and amazing friends, family, and support to shrink that number. Not only did we shrink it, but we vanished it. Gone. Fully funded.

So, won't you join us in the count down?

3

2

1

BLAST OFF!!!!!!!!!!!  

 

Purity Comes at Costs

Like it or not, especially this day in age, in order to stay pure and follow the Lord, you sometimes have to give up stuff you love. Because this world is full of sin, almost everything we do has a string of sin attached to it. Like Facebook. The internet is a great invention, and it is a blessing. But unfortunately it can often be miss-used. There are so many inappropriate pictures, videos, comments, etc. out there that we as followers of Christ should be ignoring. The Bible tells us to guard our our eyes, ears, hearts. We may not realize it, but those things are very important. We can accidentally see the wrong thing, or hear a bad song, or give our heart away to someone we hardly even know. The past few days I have really taken that into consideration. As this was all on my mind, I decided to get out my handy Before You Meet Prince Charming book. Little did I know that the chapter I was about to read, would make that decision for me. They covered the exact subject. I felt that was a pure sign from God. I couldn't ignore it. Therefore, I prayed and asked God for his guidance. The next morning I made the announcement. I was overwhelmed with the positive feedback I got. Several people told me I would be missed, but they highly respected my decision. I felt that was also a God moment. He is constantly reminding us that if we follow in His foot steps, we will be blessed. That He will take care of the rest. No worries or harm will come our way. And I really felt that reminder that day. 

So this afternoon, I took what may seem like a little step, but in God's eyes, a leap of faith. I deactivated my account. Which means no more temptations or time consuming activity. Of course there will still be many temptations and traps that Satan casts, along the way. They aren't just online. But by getting rid of the online temptations I am slowly erasing them. And I can proudly say that I am doing that with God by my side :)  

Before You Meet Prince Charming: Week 1

I am currently reading the new book my parents bought me, called Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally. I am only 7 chapters into it, and man has it changed me for the better! Sarah is a young woman who has a heart and a gift in the area of educating young ladies in pure, wholesome, God oriented love. She even appeared on an episode of TLC's 19 Kids & Counting, after several of the Duggar girls read her book. They were all inspired and challenged by her amazing book and testimonies, and so am I. Even though I'm only half way through it. But any way, since I think every girl in the WORLD should read this incredible book, I have decided to keep you all up to speed about some of the things we cover. So tune in every week, to get a little update on where I'm at in the book, and what speaks loudest to me.

Week 1- first 7 chapters

Sarah talks a lot about saving your whole heart for your husband, and committing to not dating. Now you might be thinking, "Not dating!?!? How would I get to know a person, or find out which guy is right for me?" There are plenty of other ways to get to know a guy/girl, without the dangers of dating. Sarah covers this topic, in her chapter Dangers With the Dating System. This chapter really made me realize that I don't want to be one of those girls that goes through boyfriends every month. And she showed me that I don't have to be! I never really knew how pointless dating was until now. I know I'm only 12, and surely things will change when the times comes for me to even think about marriage, but I have committed to not date. When I am of the age my parents and God think is the right time for me to start looking for a husband, if the right (godly, strong Christian, devoted, selfless, etc.) man comes along and asks permission from my mom and dad to court and my family and I see he's the right one, then I would agree to get to know him better. But this is not a game. You don't go around trying out and experimenting on a dozen different guys just for fun. I don't want to give away little bits and pieces to different guys, instead I want my future husband to have my whole heart. Sarah also uses the pure white rose as a metaphor of our heart. She says to picture our hearts as a white rosebud. It hasn't nearly bloomed yet, and if we try to force it open, we will break apart the little pedals, that could eventually be big, soft, beautiful, white pedals to a fully blossomed rose. Our heart is not yet ready. God has our whole entire life planned out, and he is telling us to wait. Wait until our hearts have fully blossomed and are pure and white, with Jesus. Don't try to force it open, and tear little pedals off of it. 

She also talks about the waiting season. And how difficult it can be for young ladies to wait for Mr. Right. But how the time of waiting is the most important time of all. There are many Scriptures on waiting in the Lord, and serving Him while we wait. She points out that waiting is the best time to look into ministries. That while God keeps us single, He has work for us to do. Many young ladies have given their testimonies on how they've done things through ministering, things that they would have never been able to do married. That makes me even more excited about advocating and doing outreach now. Think about it, if God wants me to get married in my twenties, then that leaves me about another 12 years to do what I love- speak up for the silent, reach out to the orphans, and the poor. Now I could be completely off, I don't know God's plan, but as we're commanded to do I will let go and let God. I won't get in His way, I surely do NOT want to mess up His marvelous plan for me. I will stay out of His way, and do everything I can to bring glory to Him.