Check back soon!

Hey girls,
I know you've probably read a lot about a new template and such and we have some good news! On 12:01am (Central Standard Time) New Year's Day we will be releasing a new template including different pages along with a giveaway! :) Becky, Madi, and I are very excited to start off the New Year with some great changes, and we hope and pray that this will help us reach many more people. Have a wonderful day enjoying salvation in our Savior!

In His Love,
Jessica

Saracasm: it's one of my many talents

Ever seen someone with one of those shirts on before? "Sarcasm: it's one of my many talents." Some people may take a little pride in being sarcastic, but I'm not so sure that is something to be proud of.
I read this verse the other day and I thought it was very interesting what God's Word said about sarcasm, of all things.

1 Peter 3:8-9 (The Message)
Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing. (emphasis added)


You know, that really hit me hard, because I am like the queen of sarcasm. And sometimes that gets me into a little trouble. Being a little witty and fun every once in awhile is not wrong. But it's easy to say something at the wrong time and to the wrong person because you are so in the habit of being sarcastic. Ever happen to you?

Recently, I've especially taken notice of how I talk to guys. A lot of the time, something funny and sarcastic I would say to one of my girlfriends, doesn't effect them the same way. Instead it hurts them or makes them uncomfortable. Guys are so different than girls and we have to make sure the way we talk to them is uplifting and respectful. I cannot tell you how important it is for guys to be respected by us girls. (More to come on that later!)

Instead of being sarcastic, God says we are to bless with our words. A good way to moderate your sarcasm is to just ask yourself, "is what I'm saying going to bless this person, or bring them down?"
Surprisingly, you may find that some things you say in the midst of a conversation weren't as kind and funny as they sounded in your head.
All of our talk is to uplift, and maybe jokingly saying something witty to your girlfriends every once and awhile would be totally fine. But it's important for us, especially as girls who love to talk, to watch our mouths. We have to be careful how we use our words, and intentionally choose to bless others with them. I don't know about you, but I want people to think of me as the girl who was a blessing to everyone. Who never had anything bad to say, but always sought to say something kind and uplifting. The Lord says that by blessing others, we will receive the same back! But really, what better blessing is there than knowing that we are obeying the Lord?
Have a great day, and be a blessing to those around you! (:

In His Love,
Jessica

Loving the Unloveable

Hey Girlies!
I hope you had an amazing Christmas, I know I did! :)

Today I took my friend out to lunch as part of her Christmas gift. It was really fun and we had a great conversation. Sometimes my friend and I don't get along well. I sometimes find her annoying and get frustrated with her very easily. You could say our personalities kinda clash. I've been trying to make an effort to be completely kind and sweet to her, even when I don't feel like it. It's not easy, but it's going well so far!

I love her very much and I can learn a lot from her even when I don't realize it.

My challenge for you this week is to make a special effort to get to know someone you don't really get along with. It could be your brother, grandma, aunt, WHOEVER. If you specifically take time out of your day to be sweet to that person, it will totally catch them off guard.

Anyway, hope y'all have an amazing Christmas break and BE LOOKING FOR A NEW AMAZING TEMPLATE SOON! :)

Your sister in Christ,
♥♫•Madison

What Can I Give Him?

What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb.
If I were a wise man
I would do my part.
Yet what can I give Him?
Give my heart.

by Christina Rosetti

I remember memorizing this poem in kindergarten. Here I am, years later, and I still haven't forgotten it. I love this poem because it reminds me of what really matters. So often we forget whose birthday we are celebrating at Christmas. It's not our birthday and it's not about the gifts for us. Have you ever thought of giving Christ a gift? I mean, it is His birthday isn't it? Worldly, materialistic things are not going to be the best present for our Savior. He wants our heart; our mind; our life. This Christmas, my family has decided to give gifts to the Lord. We are each going to write down on a piece of paper something that we struggle with, or something that we know we need to give up. After wrapping and decorating our "gift" we will set it in a manger as a gift to our Savior. That may seem like a small, meaningless waste of time, but it will really help us focus on the true meaning of Christmas. Gifts are fun, and I enjoy giving and receiving them, but ultimately they are not what really matters.
Have a wonderful, joyous Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior! :)

In His Love,
Jessica

The True Meaning

During a commercial I heard on the radio the other day, the speaker said "Merry Giftmas". That made me really sad. For people many people without Jesus, Christmas is just that--Giftmas. A busy time to spend hard earned money, get gifts and be around family you can't stand. They miss the true meaning of Christmas. You hear people saying, "Don't forget the true meaning of Christmas!" and "Jesus is the reason for the season!" Even many Christians, though, have forgotten what the true meaning of Christmas is. Yes, Jesus is the reason for the season, but not as a little baby. Christmas is not about a cute baby being born and people coming from miles away to see Him. That is the story, yes, but Christmas is about a Savior, God, being born in human form, born to die thirty-three years later for your sins and my sins. Christmas is about our Savior being born. There are so many hurting people around this time of year, just looking for hope and something to believe in. Perhaps you could share with them the true meaning of Christmas, and the hope it gives you. Look for ways to add grace to people's lives. Above all,

Merry Christmas!

In Him,
Becky :)

man + woman = together forever

Do you know anyone who has been divorced? Do you have friends whose parents are separated? Most likely you won't have to look far to find someone hurting from the consequences of divorce. It is a widespread sin among believers and lost people alike.
When I see families that I have known my whole life, friends I have grown up with, being torn apart by divorce, my heart breaks for them.
It makes me mad and frustrated to see people just give up on their marriage. How could they put their family through that? How could they be so selfish?
Seeing all the heartache and destruction divorce causes, it makes me even more sure that no matter who I marry or what situation I am in, I will not divorce my husband. God says in Malachi 2:16 that he hates divorce.

I'm sure you girls know what I'm talking. You see the the hurt, you see the pain, you see how many people give up on their marriage. This is why it is so important for us as young woman to make sure that we are careful when we choose our husbands. We can't just marry any man who tells us we are pretty and pays us attention. We have to wait and marry God's best. Don't settle for just the good or the okay, but the very best that God had chosen for you. When you marry in God's will, it will be hard, but it will be so fulfilling and worth it. I have never been married, but from what I've seen and heard, it's tough. It's not always a walk in the park. But you know what else I have seen? People who are committed to each other; who encourage each other in the Lord, who put the other person high above themselves, who look not to their desires and needs, but the desires and needs of the other; I have seen marriages like that work. I have seen fruit and blessing come from that, because they love God. Love is a choice. Marriage is a decision to come together with another person for life. It is not something to be taken lightly. Right now, we are to prepare ourselves for our future husbands by studying God's Word and growing in our relationship with Him. That we be key in your future marriage. The closer you are to the Lord, the closer you and your husband will be to each other.

1 Corinthians 13:8
Love never fails.


In His Love,
Jessica

Life without God

This morning I asked myself the question, "What would life be like without God?"
Well, obviously we wouldn't even be here if there was no God. I started looking deeper into the question and realized that if what the atheists said was true, honestly there wasn't any reason to live.

Life without God would mean we have NO purpose for our lives- no destiny.
Life without God would mean we could do whatever we want whenever we want.
Life without God would mean we could use all the cuss words all the time and feel no guilt.
Life without God would mean there would be no such thing as a happy family.
Life without God would mean that there would be no peace knowing that someone has everything under control.
Life without God would mean that we live to please ourselves because nothing else matters.
Life without God would mean we feared death and didn't know what was beyond it.
Life without God would mean that once we're dead, we're dead.
Life without God would mean there is NO hope. EVER.

Life without God is really scary, there is no way there ISN'T God.

Life WITH God means this:
We have a specific purpose and plan for our lives.
We have to be careful to follow God with all of our ways.
We shouldn't use those cuss words because they violate God's law.
We have happy family's serving God all across the world.
We know God is in CONTROL and holds everything in his hand.
We know that we live to please the Lord.
We know that we are going to heaven when we die.
We know there is eternal life.
We know that God is our hope and he will always be there for us.

Psalm 89:8 (New International Version, ©2010)
8 Who is like you, LORD God Almighty?
You, LORD, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

Aren't you so grateful there IS a God and we get to have the privilege of a personal relationship with him?! I know I am! :)

Your sister in Christ,
♥♫•Madison

Commited

Lately I have not had much motivation. Do you ever feel that way? Every Christian has days when they just aren't super excited to do the things they know they should. We are committed to Christ though, just as a husband and wife are committed to each other. We have to keep moving on, continue obeying, and have faith. During the Christmas season it is easy to get burned out with so much to do, but don't give up! You are committed to your Savior, and your obedience now will prove fruitful later.

Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Living the Blessed Life

Exodus 20:12
Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Ephesians 6:1
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Have you ever been around someone who constantly bashes their parents? Who has nothing nice to say about them; they are always complaining about something?
I have to tell you, I cannot stand it when people do that. To me, that shows me that you are immature and disrespectful. The sad thing is that so many teenagers in our society are like that. Our world labels young adults as rebellious, disobedient, and uncontrollable. They make it seem like we have some sort of "right" to be disrespectful, just because we are not quite to that adult stage yet.
I strongly believe that one of the biggest ways us as set-apart young woman can stand out and be different is to honor and obey our parents.
Not only should we obey our parents, we have to respect them, when we are around them, and when we aren't.
It is so easy to tell your friends how irritated you are with your parents because of something that has happened. I know I've done it before.
But do you know how rewarding a respectful, honoring relationship with your parents is? This time when you are underneath your parents house and rules is very fleeting and short. Pretty soon you will be on your own with your own family, yet even then, you still have to respect your parents. When you are an adult with children of your own, you will want to be able to have the opportunity to call your mom up and ask her for that delicious chocolate cake recipe. You will want to ask her what to do when your baby won't sleep through the night. You will want to ask your dad to come over to hang some pictures for you. You don't want your relationship with your parents to be hindered because of that time in your life where you didn't listen to them. Do you want to live a blessed, fruitful, God-honoring life? Honor your parents; hold them in high regard. Not only will you be obeying them, but you will also be obeying the Lord. And what better blessing is there than that?

In His Love,
Jessica

Resource Suggestions!

Hey girls, :)
We are looking for some suggestions! Hopefully, on New Year's Eve 2010 we will be releasing whole new template along with some other exciting things. One of our pages is going to be a resources page where we will collect a whole slew of Christian resources: books, music, magazines, blogs, modest fashion, etc.
If you have any suggestions leave a comment or email us letting us know.

Have a wonderful day!

~Becky, Madison, & Jessica

the Cure, the Key, the Answer

Proverbs 3:7-8
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.

Fear the Lord. You read a verse in Sunday School that says to "fear the Lord" and then your teacher asks you what that means. "Well you aren't supposed to be afraid of God; it means to honor and respect Him." While I do believe that fearing God does mean to honor and respect Him, I also believe that we should also have a healthy fear of Him if we are living in sin. When we sin, we are sinning against the Creator of the Universe, God Almighty, and that should induce some fear. I think that helps us not to sin. Because sin isn't as tempting when you know the consequences.

Do not be wise in your own eyes. That's a hard one. As Christians, it's easy to think of ourselves as "higher" or more "righteous" than others. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says, "Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous." We are all sinners; all in need of a Savior. I am just as bad any as any other person.

Shun evil; any and every hint of it. We are to keep ourselves pure and as sinless as possible. As children of God, we should not allow any kind of evil in our life. In forms of books, music, movies, friends, blogs; we are to purge that get rid of all of it to bring ourselves closer to the Lord.

The benefit? Health and nourishment to our body. God is serious and practical. When you are humble, fear the Lord, and shun evil, you stay away from harmful things. God says not to defile our bodies; our temples. When you do that, you won't get into drugs, alcohol, sex before marriage... and you will be healthy. I love that God is like that! He is so smart and He knows what He is talking about. God doesn't tell us to do things that don't make sense. He instructs us through His Word that is practical and for our good. The answer, the key to a long, fulfilled life is obeying Christ and His Word. What an amazing God we serve, who loves us enough to show us Truth.

In His Love,
Jessica

This is an awareness test.

Hey girls! There are a bunch of changes happening at iheart right now! We are SO excited about it. Be looking for a new template and some awesome new posts! :)
I hope ya'll watch this video, it really shows how we sometimes can't be aware of things:

Your sister in Christ,
♥♫•Madison

Would you allow a stranger to take a glimpse inside your heart? What would they find? Jealousy, anger, deceit, hypocrisy? Maybe that is not all they would find. Perhaps love, patience, compassion, and mercy would be mixed in, but the sin would be overpowering. We can fool people. It is easy to make people believe we have it all together, even to make them believe that we are nearly perfect. Only the Lord knows the nasty attitudes inside your heart. He is the only one that can change them. You may be able to fake the actions, to look like you are what you say, but only Christ can make it genuine, take away the sin. Let Him in your heart and allow Him to do some cleaning.

Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

John 14:3

My aunt passed away last week. She was only 47 years old. She didn't die from natural causes. She died because of addiction- addiction to alcohol. What breaks my heart is that she didn't overcome and let her drinking problem beat her. It took over her life. What started out as as little bit became more and more and finally way too much. I loved her. I cannot believe she is gone. I can clearly picture her in front of me right now. To me, what I find most sad is that she could have accomplished so much more in this life had she not had an addiction. She was a beautiful lady with a heart that longed to do good. However, God could have used her in more powerful ways if only she had said no to the devil. Through this dark hour my heart is very heavy for my uncle and cousins. They lost their wife/mom and even though she hurt them because of her disease, they loved her. Satan did not win this battle because I believe my aunt is in heaven rejoicing with Jesus. Through all this I have learned that addiction is strong, but you can't let it beat you. God's plans are so much higher than that. My aunt will be missed and was loved by my family.

John 14:2-4 (New International Version,
2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Your sister in Christ,
♥♫•Madison

Favorites: Christmas Music

It's Christmas time! (: This is definitely one of my favorite times of the year. The cozy warm fires, freezing cold weather, hot delicious coffee, school break (yes!), and time celebrating with my friends and family about the birth of our Savior. It's such a beautiful time and I enjoy making special memories with my family. What I really love is turning on the radio and listening to some Christmas music! Who doesn't? Here are some of my favorites Christmas tunes right now. (;

How Many Kings? -Downhere

Do You Hear What I Hear? - Third Day

While You Were Sleeping - Casting Crowns

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day - Casting Crowns

O Come, O Come Emmanuel - Casting Crowns (I really like them, ok?? :)

Carol of the Bells / Sing We Now of Christmas- Barlow Girl

Drummer Boy - Jars of Clay

Joseph's Lullaby - Mercy Me

I Believe - Amy Grant

When Love Came Down - Point of Grace

One King - Point of Grace

Enjoy! (:

The little, annoying, obnoxious things. (Sound like your sister?)

Dear Lord, my mission today is to serve you in everything I do. Please test my faith and put me in situations that will require me to act out my faith and obedience to you. As soon as she stepped out of her room, she was presented with a list of chores from her mother and bombarded with annoyances from her siblings. She meant the prayer she had prayed just minutes before. Couldn't they see she was on a mission? Today was obviously not the day for petty problems; she did not have the patience for them; she was going to do something great for God today.

Before you serve God in big things you must be diligent in the small. I have prayed this prayer many times. The thing is, when we ask God to test us, grow us, stretch us, He will often do it with the little things, such as a boring school project you have to complete, or your pestering little brother. We have to make it through the small before we can take on the big things!

Soon

Soon and very soon
My King is coming
Robed in righteousness
And crowned in love
When I see Him
I shall be made like Him
Soon and very soon

Soon and very soon
See the procession
The angels and the elders
Round the throne
At His feet I lay
My crowns my worship
Soon and very soon

Soon, Hillsong

Sometimes I forget how soon I will see my Savior. Very soon, I will be in Heaven with my King; sooner than I really think. Taking that into perspective... I have less than 100 years left on this earth. Am I ready? What will I have to place before my King? Each of us who have accepted Christ as our Savior will go to Heaven, but only some of us will have crowns to lie at His feet. Your salvation isn't in peril by your works here on this earth, but your works do affect what you lay before God's throne. I know I don't want to stand in front of the Lord of the universe empty-handed.
What will I bring Him? Is there anything in my life that I have done that brings Him glory? Looking back at my life right now, I don't have much to give Him. Yeah, I've read my Bible, prayed... all the usual stuff. But have I seriously made a difference in this world? Have I really devoted my all to Christ? Has anything I've done brought Him infinite honor? Have I taken credit and praise when I should have given it all to God? Have I neglected opportunities to share God's love? Considering all that makes me want to drop any useless, worldly obligations or desires I've ever had and give all my attention to the Lord. I want to bow before my Father's throne and say, "I surrendered all to you, Lord. I didn't waste my life; I made a difference for You; because You are worthy."

Revelation 4:10-11

They lay there crowns before the throne and say:

"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for You created all things,
and by Your will they were created
and have their being."


In His Love,
Jessica

Lord of All, Being Throned Afar

by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

Lord of all being, throned afar,
Thy glory flames from sun and star;
Center and soul of every sphere,
Yet to each loving heart, how near!

Sun of our life, thy quickening ray
Sheds on our path the glow of day,
Star of our hope, thy softened light
Cheers the long watches of the night.

Our midnight is thy smile withdrawn,
Our noontide is thy gracious dawn,
Our rainbow arch thy mercy's sign;
All, save the clouds of sin, are thine.

Lord of all life, below, above,
Whose light is truth, whose warmth is love,
Before thy ever-blazing throne
We ask no luster of our won.

Grant us truth to make us free,
And kindling hearts that burn for thee,
Till all thy living altars claim
One holy light, one heavenly flame.

My Comforter

Jeremiah 8:18 (New International Version)

18 You who are my Comforter in sorrow,
my heart is faint within me.

Girls, my heart is heavy right now...my aunt passed away this morning.
I'm sorry this is short, but I honestly don't have the words to say anything else.
Please pray for my family.
Love y'all!
♥♫•Madison

Not what they thought.

They were looking for a King, coming with wealth and riches; but instead, a meek and poor child was born to them. They expected a man with strength and power, yet they were given a helpless baby. God's chosen people had expectations for this King that was to come save them. They were so caught up in their own desires and premonitions that they didn't even know their own Savior when He came to them. Sometimes I wonder if it is not the very same way with us.
So often we ask God for something, and we expect that very thing to happen. Yet our dreams and our ways are nothing compared to God's. His plans always far exceed anything we could conjure up. From a materialistic and human point of view, a humble, lowly baby was not anything close to a Savior for the Jews.

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 (NLT) says: "Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God."

Jesus was everything our world doesn't put value in. But He was everything we should put value in. Our Savior came to this earth as a mere human. He came and worked as a carpenter; a mediocre job. He gave up His royal throne in Heaven. Christ gave up never-ending praise from His angels, to live a humble life as our Savior. He died a despised and lowly death, given to the worst of men, so that we might have everlasting life with Him! The Lord died to pay the sins of this world, for you, for me, and for everyone on this earth. If we only accept Him and His gift of eternal life, we can spend eternity with Him in Heaven.

Although many people did not recognize or accept the fact that Jesus had come to them as a baby, there were also those who did. Just think of the people who did recognize Jesus; who did pay Him the honor and tribute He deserved. How blessed they must be because of that! Wise men, held in high esteem, came and bowed down to a child, because God Almighty said so. They brought Him gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh. Shepherds, told by angels that the Son of God was born, gave Jesus glory and praise! What a wonderful experience it must have been to actually see Jesus.

What we expect is not always God's plan. But sometimes, the unexpected is far more amazing and perfect than anything else.

Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.


Your Sister in Christ,
Jessica

Good is always legal.

Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" He said to them, "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
--Matthew 12:9-12