Supporting our Troops

One of our sister blogs, Rosy Posy, is currently doing a project called Hats for Bobby to support a deployed soldier through crochet. Check it out!

Karissa

Today Karissa was able to leave the hospital to go to church. She is also expected to be discharged soon. Praise God for her recovery!

~Miri

Stop! Don't Spend Money on That!

If you are like me, and love delicious food, wait a moment before running over to your favorite chicken sandwich restaurant or the local supercenter. Budget101 has an entire list of recipes that are said to be copycats/clones of the originals, for mere pennies in cost. One of the things you learn as a grown-up, sometimes rather painfully as the rent/water/electric bill comes due - if you don't have to spend money on it, don't. And here is just one of the many ways you can "don't." Go ahead and try them - it's far less expensive than buying them, without sacrificing the yumminess. :)


http://www.budget101.com/frugal/copycat-clone-recipes-163/

~Elena~

I am Not Marrying Prince William

I found out today that I am most definitely not marrying Prince William. And was I ever relieved!

     Now, let me explain. You see, when I was about 12 years old, I heard a story about a Princess named Diana, who died suddenly and tragically. Being 12 years old, I was at the height of my daydreaming years, when princes and queens, make believe worlds, and Victorian dresses filled my mind. Cinderella was my favorite of all princesses, particularly because she was once poor yet still won the heart of the prince and went on to live happily ever after. Ah, to marry a prince.

     I soon discovered that Princess Diana had two sons, who were princes (of course). Real, live princes! And not much older than I! I immediately determined that here was my chance,  my Cinderella dream come true! I too could marry a prince! My imagination went wild. Of course, it would have to be Prince William, since he was next in line for the crown. I wanted to be queen someday, so Prince Harry would never do. And once I saw a picture of Prince William, I knew my fate was sealed. Not only was he a prince, but good-looking too! In my silly youthfulness, I decided he was not only good-looking, but the handsomest man I had ever seen! I dreamed on,  scheming up story after story of how I would meet this Crown Prince-to-be, how he would be instantly smitten, and we would then marry to live happily ever after, ruling Great Britain with grace and wisdom.

   There was just one small problem - I was neither gracious nor wise at this point in my life. But I couldn't see it. I only knew I wanted a prince, and he would be the one.

     Every girl wants a prince. It's hardwired into us, so much so that has become cliche. Countless books, movies, and fairy tales are based upon the girl-meets-prince-becomes-princess-and-all-her-trials-are-over-plot. Eleven years later, I have come to realize that just because a boy may be a prince, it does not guarantee he is worth waiting for. At all. Nor does marriage, to a prince or a pauper, guarantee and end to the trials of life. Ever.

     Recently I realized that Prince William had a serious girlfriend, who then became his fiance. I read up on them a little, wondering if he turned out to be the wonderful Prince Charming. As it turns out, I would have been miserable if I had dated (or rather, courted,) him. He met and "fell" for a girl wearing a see-through dress at a college fashion show. He partied with her, slept with her, did everything that I would not want my boyfriend to do with me.

     And so, I find myself relieved that I will not be the bride walking down the aisle on April 29th, 2011, to marry the Prince William of Great Britain. There lingers a twinge of remorse that I, like many girls, will never actually get to be royalty - just think of the beautiful dresses and hats!

     And yet - why can't I act with the grace and inner beauty expected of royalty? After all, my Father is the King of Kings. Why shouldn't I dress with care, and go out of my way to be friendly to all I come across during my day? Why shouldn't I be quick to share a smile, and to cheerfully serve those around me? And as the King's daughter, do I think that He will provide any less than a kingly prince for me to marry one day? Oh, he won't be a crown prince of some European country, nor will he necessarily be so good-looking I am instantly smitten - but those things don't matter. What is in his heart, his character when no one else is around - those are most important. You see, a prince worthy of your heart must possess in his own heart the character of Christ. Then, and only then, is he even worthy of your consideration.

Don't settle. Don't rush to secure your future to someone simply because he seems so perfect for you. Don't fear that if you don't get this one certain prince, no one else will ever do. Wait on the Lord.

~Elena~

Count to Three

This year, my soccer coaches decided to put me in a new position-goalie. I've never played this position before and if you had told me years ago when I started playing soccer that I would end up there, I would've quit then and there or told you that you were crazy. Playing goalie isn't for the timid-it requires aggressiveness, strength, stamina, and flexibility. The most important lesson I've learned from playing goalie is something Coach M. taught me-to count to three.

He was trying to teach me to punt, a skill needed by every goalie. After saving (catching) the ball, the goalie has six seconds to get rid of it again. However, they can't go past the eighteen yard line. Thus, in order to get it up to the midfield or offense, the goalie needs to kick it far up the field. Putting it on the ground for a kick, however, will only get it picked up by the other team's offense (plus the ref will tweet at you if you do). So the goalie has to drop the ball and kick it before it hits the ground. This is what is called a punt. One thing Coach M. realized when he was watching me was that I tended to try and rush my punt. And so he told me this-slow down and count to three before every kick. And it hasn't failed me yet.

Aside from the crash course in a basic goalie skill, I've found that this can also be applied to life (and luckily it wasn't a lesson that I had to learn the hard way). If you're like me, you tend to rush things to try and hurry up and get them done. And when you do, you miss certain steps, usually the boring, mundane ones that provide the framework for the whole entire thing. We get into such a rush to get things done that we don't realize that we're building our house without the foundation and we get disappointed when the whole things falls flat over with a little bit of hard wind and rain.

In America, we live in a culture that centered around "fast"-fast food, e-mail, microwaves, ect. We get frustrated when things take longer than we think they should. We get frustrated when we have to wait more than a few minutes for our Big Mac. So the point I'm driving at here is, maybe we need to take Coach M.'s advice and take a few seconds and count to three. In a literal sense, that could mean in the middle of a heated argument, taking a deep breath, counting to three to get our heads back, and then solving things the right way. In a broader sense, such as taking on a big project, that could mean laying out three (or more) things that we need to build the basic framework. Those things could be partners (alway recommended), financial support, and materials.

And I guarantee that if you take Coach M.'s advice, things will turn out a lot better for you. It hasn't failed me yet and my punts (when I apply the advice) always make it more than twenty yards.

So take a minute. 1...2...3...

~Miri

Do Something!

Johanna, a Honduran orphan

"You can't do everything, but you can refuse to do nothing."

~Author Unknown~

In This is Love

He knew.

Before any of us ever were, He knew. Knew that Eve would listen to the serpent. Knew that she would believe him and eat the forbidden fruit. Knew that Adam would stand alongside her and say nothing as he watched her take that first bite. He knew that Cain would kill Abel. He knew that the world would grow worse and worse, until He purged it with a flood.

But that would not defeat it. Sin had too tight a hold.  He knew it would once again grow worse and worse. He knew that all of the sacrifices, offered over thousands of years, would not be enough. He knew the nations would come that sacrificed children, alive. He knew the wars would come, destroying nations, families, and dreams. He knew that evil rulers would come, “purging” the imperfect and inferior races from their lands. He knew the evil men would come, selling other men for labor, and the women for pleasure. He knew, and He wept.

He knew what would be required to set things right. He knew just how difficult it would be, the sinless One bearing all the blame, all the punishment for the sin of every man and woman that would ever live. Death. He knew just how great the cost would be. He knew that even after the price was paid, only a few would accept the gift. That in the end the whole creation would be destroyed. He knew.

So He took a deep breath, a tear dropping silently into the shapeless waters beneath Him. His voice spoke softly into the darkness. “Let there be light.”

~An original essay by Sarai~