7 Things Women need to hear often

                This life is hard and we need an encouraging word every now and then. So here are 7 ways we can encourage the woman in our life.

   1)      You are beautiful
To many magazines, TV shows and commercials tell us women that we are not beautiful till we have that size 0 waist, have no blemishes, and dress immodestly. So tell us women that we are beautiful because we need it.

1 Peter 3:3-4 “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

   2)      You are enough
This one goes along with the last one. When we hear your ugly we also hear your not wanted, you’re not accepted here, you’re not good enough. So do your best to lift your sisters in Christ up with things like, you did a great job, keep up the good work, your amazing.

 I Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

   3)      You are Loved
We all need love, and some women do not feel loved. Whether by an indent that happened in their past or from a relationship they are in now.  I don’t feel like I have to explain to you all that everyone deserves to feel loved. We should all show love to one another and tell each other often.

Jeremiah 31:3 “the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”

1 John 4:10 “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

   4)      you are valuable
Every person on earth is valuable so tell them what they mean to you, we all need to know after all we are not mind readers.

Psalm 139:13-16 “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them”

   5)      You are smart
“you is kind you is smart you is important”-the help. Everyone has something they are good at, never let anyone tell you anything different. In fact God has given each and every one of us a gift to build the kingdom of God with.

1 Peter 4:10 “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms”

1 Corinthians 7:7 “I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.”

   6)      You are unique
There is no one else on earth that is like you, and being different is not a bad thing. Each of us has a purpose on this earth and that purpose is found in God. God has a plain for your life.

Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  your works are wonderful,  I know that full well.”

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

   7)      You are worth dying for
Yes you! You are worth dying for; in fact the creator of the universe already has dyed for you.

Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Romans 3:2 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Ephesians 2:8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I(Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

There is no I in love

There is no I in love

                The world tells us that love is a chemical reaction between two people, but what happens when there is only a reaction on one side or when the chemical reaction goes away are we still in love. Could love be more than a feeling? I say yes.

-          If this is what love is I don’t want to love.

If love is just a chemical reaction then, then why do people stay together through hard times? Is there a chemical reaction then?

A friend of mine shared a song with me the other day, its about someone asking his parents what is love? His parents are getting a divorce he asks is love giving up because if it is he doesn't know what love is.

Nevershoutnever - WHAT IS LOVE?

And what is love?

What is love?

Love-e-e-e-e

See, I don't know anymore;

I used to look up to that love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA62IuYI6gs&feature=kp

-          The author of love. God is love

The bible is God’s word and in 1 John 4:8 it says “God is love” so what better why to discover what love is than to read a book by the one who is love.

1 Corinthians 13 4-7 (The Message) “If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.”

(Normally I will not use the message as a translation because it is more of a paraphrase but in this case I feel like it is written in a beautiful way and gets my point across more clearly)

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

New International Version (NIV)

 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love

Love is Patient……. even when that person won’t shut up. Even when your brother still drinks right out of the milk carton, even when this is the 100^th time you told your kids to clean their room and it’s still not done.

Love is kind…….. to your mother and father, to that kid who sits alone at lunch, to the old man on the side of the street begging for food.

Love does not envy…….. Your neighbors car, your friends cloths, your brothers family.

Love does not boast…….. About your grades, your promotion, your child’s achievements

Love is not Proud………. You’re not better than that person in jail, the person with no job, or the person who struggles through school.

Love does not dishonor others……. Even when they make us mad, don’t do what we want, or hurt us.

Love is not self-seeking……. It looks to serve your wife/husband, puts your child’s needs before your own, giving of yourself to make someone else happy.

Love is not easily angered……. At your boss, your friend who keeps on rubbing that win in your face, your wife who keeps on nagging, your husband who won’t listen.

Love does not keep record of wrong……. Of all the time you were hurt, of the times you were wronged.

 Love does not delight in evil……. Even if you don’t like that person, even when they deserve it.

Love rejoices with the truth…….. even if it hurts

 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

-Love is a sacrifice

                Jesus died on the cross so that we can have life and have it to the fullest. And this was no easy death either, he was wiped till his skin was falling off, a crown of thorns was placed on his head, he was nailed to the cross and hung there, they broke his legs and stabbed him in the side. And he did that after we spat in his face and told him how much we hate him. If that doesn't speak volumes to you I don’t know what will.

                Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for us, and for that we should be eternally grateful.  The bible tell us to be imitators of God Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.  And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

So let my life be the proof,

The proof of Your love

Let my love look like You and what You're made of

How You lived, how You died

Love is sacrifice

So let my life be the proof,

The proof of Your love

FOR KING & COUNTRY-The Proof Of Your Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-2dKOfbC9c

-Bible verses on love

Romans 8:37-39  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 13:8  Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Ephesians 4:2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

1 John 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

Ephesians 4:2-3 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Philippians 2:2  complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Psalm 63:3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.

Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

Proverbs 17:17  A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

God is not a white Man-Gungor   

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WybvhRu9KU

Growing up with dyslexia

Growing up with dyslexia

this is my story of growing up as a dyslexic so please keep in mind just as every person is different so is each person with dyslexia. Also I want to state that church played a big part in my life, if it wasn't for Jesus, my parents and the church I would be a much different person.  

-life’s normal then you go to school.

Before I went to school I remember having a normal life as a kid, but things changed drastically when I went to school. Unfortunately when I went to school I had some bad kindergarten teachers. It started of ok I had some trouble keeping up in things like numbers and litters but I loved art and making new friends. I had a very outgoing personality. One day the teacher wrote a paragraph on the chalk board and told us to copy it in a short amount of time. Everyone else was able to do it in time but I couldn't, the letters kept on moving around on the board and I just couldn't get the letters to look right. So as a punishment my teachers sent the class to recess and I had to skip. This started happening more often, and not only at recess I also had to skip lunch from time to time. During the time I was alone in the class with the teacher she would tell me that I was stupid and lazy and that is why I was not with the other kids. What I learned in kindergarten was that I was different and that was bad.

-so confused why are the letters moving?

                As I continued with school I begin to notice that no one else had problems like I did. I would ask myself and I would ask God why do my letters and numbers move around and why can’t I learn like the other kids? I was and still am to this day an analytical thinker, but I just couldn't put the puzzle of school together.

-did I get dealt the stupid card in life?

                After about 2^nd grade I began to think well everyone has to play the hand they are dealt in life, and I just so happened to get dealt the stupid card. No one really likes people who aren't intelligent so I keep to myself mostly at school. Did my best at my school work yet I could make the grades I wanted. I did my very best to avoid reading out loud or writing on the board because if I did people would know how stupid I was, and they would start treating me different; even the teachers. I remember specifically a time when a teacher was helping me with school work in 3^rd grade and she was spelling all the words out loud so I would spell them right even the word the (which I already knew how to spell at that time), but the thing is she was doing it out loud for the whole class to hear; I was so embarrassed.

-what’s wrong with me?

                I knew there was something wrong with me but I just didn't have a name for it. I would sit for some times an hour or more trying to come up with some explanation for why I could not learn and why I just could not make a good friend at school. I had a good set of friends at church and I am very thankful for that.

-test results and relief.

                At the end of my 8^th grade year I went to children’s hospital to get tested, and to my relief I was tested positive for dyslexia and short term memory loss. Yes I said relived, I had been searching for so long to find out why it was so hard for me to learn and now I had the answer. Since then I have studied and research about different ways that I can learn and have made some great progress.

-more frustrations.

                With the diagnosis also come a special education teacher and IEP (individual education plain) meetings. Teachers who once were not interested in me at all (or so I though) were now at these meetings asking questions like where I want to go in life and how they can help. Now you may be thinking that sounds awesome, not for me I had learned to do it all on my own and I did not need to bug others with helping me. I had learned not to trust anyone till they have proven to me that I can trust them. So for me these meetings were hard and the questions were even harder to answer. The 1^st special education teacher I had was terrible she treated me like I was stupid, that was the last thing I needed. Thank goodness I only had her for 2 years. The 2^nd special education teacher I had was much better.

-is there an end to this madness.

                 I still had a hard time learning and hated the fact that I just couldn't seem to do certain things. That lie that I was told all the way back in kindergarten keep coming back to me. Your stupid your lazy, I thought even with the help I have I still won’t be as good as my peers, so why even bother. I had decided that after high school I was never going to return to school ever, I was for sure never going to go to college that was just a joke. So for 2 years I got jobs in child care. God had been there for me for all the hard times when I was little and even though I was never going to be the best, I was going to do my best to serve God though children’s ministry.

-the choice I never thought I would make.

                 Well about a year after I graduated from high school I felt God calling me to go to school. I immediately said absolutely not going to happen God I made a promise a year ago don’t you remember that. Then he said Carissa I want you to go to college. So after about 3 months of me saying no and God saying yes, I said fine but only if you find me a college where almost everything is free and then go there. About a week later my youth pastor tells me about a school where everything is free and you get to study about mission’s ministry. If that’s not a clear sign for you I don’t know what is. So I applied got accepted and now I’m in college.

- School finally starting to get good.

                School has never been easier for me than it is now. Never in my life have I ever been able to say that I love school (besides homeschooling. love ya mom and dad :)) but I can now. I’m learning that you might not be good at academics but in no way does that make you stupid or unloved. I’m learning more and more about how God can use me to help others and build his kingdom here on earth. Do I still struggle with learning academically? Absolutely it’s hard, but now its ok and it doesn't bug me as much anymore. I know god has a plain for me and it’s a good one.

10 Ways you can help people with a learning disability

1.       Don’t treat them like they are stupid

2.       Challenge them to do their best

3.       Tell them they can do it

4.    Don’t give up on them

5.       Don’t let them give up

6.       Listen to them

7.       Love them

8.       Tell them and show them they are smart

9.       Don’t jokingly tease them about their disability

10.   Be their friend

These rules can even apply to people who don’t have a disability. Everyone needs to be loved; everyone needs a good friend.

Here’s a video to help you understand what it is like to be dyslexic. (its rather funny I think :-))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEpBujdee8M

and here is an educational one

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m1fCz3ohMw

3 reasons to have a family bible study

3 reasons to have a family bible study

1) Teaching your kids

-About Jesus and God

Most of the stories in the New Testament are Jesus’s life on earth and about who he is, also about the early church. The Old Testament is about God and how he interacts with his people, also there are a lot of wise words in proverbs. Growing up I memorized verses from the bible, and because of that in times of need I can recall them with ease. Getting in to Gods word when you’re young can do you a lot of good as you grow older. 

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it”

-How to live life

As a young teen I was taught an acrostic for the bible

Basic

Instructions

Before

Leaving

Earth

And that is what the bible is, its our instruction book for life. If we don’t read it how can we know what God has in store for us, how can we have that life abundantly that God promise’s us in John.

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I come that they may have life and have it abundantly”

-Good habits’

We all know that we should be in the word every day, and I know that most of us are not good at this. Now imagine with me for a second if we were taught from a young age how to have a good and consistent time with God, how much easier would it be for us to be in our word every day? As a parent we should lead by example what a walk with God looks like to our children. In no way am I saying that you have to be perfect but show your kids regularly what it looks like to have time with God. And you and your child will be truly blessed.

Psalms 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart”

2) Family bonding

-Leaning about each other

By studying the bible together you will learn about each of your children. Things like what is there favorite bible story which bible character inspires them the most. This also opens up a time where you can talk to your kids about hard things in life. This will help keep an open communication between you and your children, which will be very helpful as you enter the teen years.

Deuteronomy 6:7 “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

-Learning together

There will be a sense of unity as you explore the bible together, and learn about who Jesus is and how it applies to our life. Encourage each other to bring questions to the family bible study and search the word together to find the answer. As a family you are a team working to make each other the best that you can be.

Proverbs 1:8-9 “Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.  They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.”

-Family accountability

We all have a struggle, as a family you can work though them together. Share areas you need help in and let your family members help keep you accountable. Be careful and set some ground rules for how to help keep people accountable like, no yelling, talking negative, and never in front of other people and first and foremost do it in love.

James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

3) A stronger marriage

-Learning together

The closer you grow to God the closer you and your spouse will be. The core of your marriage should be to seek the face of God and his plains for your family. Doing a bible study will keep you both seeking after God.

Matthew 6:33 “but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”

-Learning about each other

As you share life together and the struggles you face you will learn about each other. You can never stop learning about your spouse. Day to day you can see how your spouse respond to situations and how they can apply what they learned in the family bible study to that situation.

Ephesians 5:33 “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

-Learning how to better love each other

The bible is full of love stories just read the song of solemn. What better way to learn to love then to read and study the book written buy the one who knows what true love is. The bible tells us how a man should love his wife and how a woman should love her husband.

John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

1 John 4:8 “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

7 things you should know before babysitting.

7 things you should know about babysitting.

                Before you decide to make a quick buck babysitting someone’s kids know that there is a lot of responsibility and work to do. Babysitting is not for everyone and in no way an easy task, but if done right, babysitting can be enjoyable and very rewarding. Here are 7 things you should know before babysitting.

1)      Be prepared

-expectations: some parents will have high expectations for you such as feeding the children dinner and putting them to bed, others will just want you to make sure they don’t destroy the house.

-get digits: get the parent’s number so that you can contact them in case of emergency.

-routines: some family’s will have a strict routine for you to follow, others will be more relaxed, and yet others will have no routines at all. (you probably wont want to babysit that family again)

2)      safety, safety, safety

- In the house: when using the stove have the kids busy with another activity preferably in the other room. Keep an eye out for unsafe things like broken toys.

- Outside: make sure you dress the children properly before you go outside. Do they need gloves and a hat? Do they need sunscreen? Look out for insect nests like beehives or a fire ant hill. Is the play set safe to play on?

- Child safety: a growing number of children now have allergies. Some have asthma, or other miner medical problems. Make sure you know if the children have any medical problems and how to deal with them.

3)      house rules

- TV and Electronics: when parents go out on a date night they will normally have a movie for you to watch with the kids after dinner. Some parents want the kids to have no TV while they are gone this is when you have to get creative, and some kids just don’t care for TV or electronics at all.

- rooms off-limits: are there certain rooms that the kids are not allowed in, for example mom and dads bedroom.

-food: what are the kids allowed to have? Can they have that piece of candy they keep on asking for or is candy a no while mom and dad are gone? Do they need to have a glass of milk with dinner or can they have juice?

4)      discipline

                                -the do’s: follow the instructions of the parents.

                                -the don’ts : yell, hit, or be abusive in any way be careful with your words.

5)      keeping kids happy

-plan activities: when you bring something fun to do with the kids you automatically become the best babysitter they have had. It could be simply bringing new crayons and a coloring book.

                        

                     -watch a movie: when in doubt pop in a movie.

-be the boss: yes you are the boss, and when the kids know this it will make for a better babysitting experience for everyone.

                6)  let’s talk money

-how much to charge: are you new to babysitting, then the going rate is $7.25-$8 an hour, some will pay more because of multiple children. Some family's have a flat rate for the night. When you get more experience you can charge more.

-tabs: if you consistently babysit for a family you can run a tab for them that they can pay at the end of the month.

-payment method: make sure you know how you will be paid. Cash or check?

6)      extra extra extra

-clean up after yourself: if you and the children make a mess clean it up, and if your feeling really nice do a little extra.

- a days report: give the parents a report on how your time with the kids went. Did Jonny eat all his dinner, or did sue play nice with her brother.

- tell the truth: be honest if something got broke or Sam has been throwing tantrums all night tell them. No one likes or trusts a lying babysitter.