Helpful Hints for Senior (and other) Beaders 02/13/2012
I recently had a small article published about working with my senior beading students. I'm including the text and the link below. These hints also work well for children. "I have been in the jewelry design business for 6 years, and about 8 months ago I was blessed with the opportunity to start teaching jewelry design classes. The majority of my classes are held in senior centers and nursing homes. Because of the various physical limitations of my senior students, I have learned to alter my teaching techniques to adjust to their needs. Due to vision difficulties, we use large holed beads and simple elastic string found in the sewing/craft department. Many of my students suffer from severe arthritis, so it is hard to grip the string for long periods of time. It is crushing to them to drop their beads, especially when they have spent so much time working on them. I started tying a keyring (large silver split ring) on the end of the string. The keyring slips on their finger like a regular ring, giving them greater control over their string, and making it harder to drop. Any large sized ring, like drapery rings, will work. It has drastically reduced the amount of "drops" we have in class. When they are finished stringing their beads, we tie it in a traditional square knot and cut the keyring off. Just making these few adjustments has led to much happier students and larger class sizes."  You can read the article by going to: http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/helpful-hint-for-senior-beaders.html Add Comment I will walk by faith, not by sight 02/04/2012
This last 7 months has been a wild roller coaster ride for me. It has been a huge step of faith, and I'm afraid I haven't always walked as confidently as I could (or should) have. I have been a Christian since February 3, 1993 when the Lord spoke to me in during a powerful youth group service. For the first time in my young life, I heard Him call my name, and I answered. I had grown up in the church, and I vividly remember dear sweet Mrs. Choate bringing her elephant's tail to Sunday School and dreaming that God would call me to be a missionary in Africa just like her. I wanted to follow God to whatever ends of the earth He called me to and spent two summers as a short term missionary during college " in preparation" for that call. I spent my second summer building houses in Juarez, Mexico, and it was an incredible eye opener. After 8 years of what I would call "spirited conversations," I finally convinced my parents that I should go to Mexico and that I would be safe while I was there. Very quickly, I found myself in a country where English was not the primary language; where I was the minority; where it wasn't safe to walk alone; where I was called to lead high school students in building projects I was unsure of. Every morning I woke up physically exhausted, but happy to be where I was. I had fought for so long to get there, and I wanted to enjoy every minute of it. It was a very hard summer for me. I went believing I was fully fluent in Spanish, but after a 20 minute conversation with our site's caretakers telling them I couldn't find my "nails" to unlock the kitchen, I realized I wasn't. (That explains the looks they were giving the poor crazy American girl!) I learned the hard way that I wasn't strong enough to cut roofing aluminum with wire like the locals. Why was this so hard? I was supposed to be a natural at this missionary thing--it had been my dream for years. The most important lesson I learned that summer was that God had other plans for me than the life I had so carefully planed for myself. I had just graduated college and wasn't entirely sure of the next step. I was scheduled to move to Kentucky at the end of the summer to start Seminary, but I still had no idea what I wanted to study (kind of important when you get to graduate school). So I got in my little green bug with my meager belongings and drove to Kentucky. After a year and a half of school, I dropped out. I realized that I was supposed to move to Kentucky, and that the Seminary was the way God chose to bring me here. I took a full-time job, took a few more classes, and married the love of my life. I was unsure of the next step, but confident that I was walking in the right direction. I have learned over the years that one of the cool things about God is that He gets to see the big picture. He knows what the plan is, how its going to work, and will guide me every step of the way if I only "trust and obey." The problem is me. I'm impatient and greedy and want to see the big picture. I get bogged down in the tiny daily details and frustrated when I don't understand my current situation. I have been reading an amazing book with my friend Merrie called "Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence" by Sarah Young. Its a daily devotional we agreed to read together this year. And today's devotion convicted me royally. It says: "Bring me your weakness, and receive My Peace. Accept yourself and your circumstances just as they are, remembering that I am sovereign over everything. Do not wear yourself out with analyzing and planning. Instead, let thankfulness and trust be your guides through this day; they will keep you close to Me. As you live in the radiance of My Presence, My Peace shines upon you. You will cease to notice how weak or strong you feel, because you will be focusing on me. The best way to get through this day is step by step with Me. Continue this intimate journey, trusting that the path you are following is headed for heaven." ** I would like to say that I trust completely, walking in faith every step of the way. But that would be a lie. I come from a long line of worriers. I have always been a worrier. And what has all that worry done for me? Honestly, it has left me in a cranky mood with the ones I love, it has affected my health, interrupted my sleep, and it has damaged my walk with God. And all because I can't seem to trust that the Creator of the universe has it under control. This is the One who said in Isaiah 43:4 that He loves me; the One who said in John 3:16 that because He loved me, that if I believed in Him, I could have eternal life. He's got me taken care of. So what the heck is wrong with me?! I have promises like that and I still doubt? I'm a mess. But I am a mess who is trying, one day at a time, to remind myself to trust my Savior in those darkest hours when Satan is whispering in my ears that doubt and worry are better than trust and obedience. I might stumble and I might fall, but I decided today that I am not going down without a fight. I will walk by faith and not by sight. I will trust that my Savior has this all under control, and that even though I may have gotten myself in a messy situation, He can lead me safely out of it. I will trust that His plan for my life is better than my plan, and that His way is worth waiting for Even if I have to take it one small scary step at a time, I will walk by faith and not by sight.  **Excerpt taken from "Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence" by Sarah Young. Published by Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2004 Happy Happy Joy Joy 10/16/2011
I have been teaching jewelry making classes for the last three and a half months, and I think I have learned more from my girls than they have from me. A vast majority of them are hesitant to join us. I can't tell you how many times I have heard them say "Oh I can't do that" or "I wouldn't be any good at that" or "I wouldn't even know what to do even if I came." Only a few are willing to even try. So those brave few start making their jewelry, and they realize that its fun... and they can do it. And then a few more join us, and before you know it, even the nay-sayers are elbow deep in beads having the time of their life. All it takes is just one girl with a happy smile to convince the others that maybe they can do it after all. Its fun to watch their creative process as well. Some of them (myself included) are very particular about their designs...it has to be with certain beads, of a certain color, in a certain pattern. Others are happy to put whatever beads strike their fancy on their string. They are just happy to be making jewelry and less concerned with the pattern as they are enjoying the process. These are the ones I am most envious of. They haven't allowed themselves to become wrapped up with deadlines or creating the next big thing, instead they wholeheartedly enjoy what they are doing. I forget that sometimes...to just enjoy what I am doing. My favorite part of our classes are the smiles of complete joy that cover their faces as they realize that they were able to make something beautiful after all. As we are cleaning up, you can often hear them going down the hall showing everyone they see what they have made. To the naked eye, their creations may not look like anything special--just beads on a string--but to each one of them, it is a priceless work created by their hands. And it brings them (and me!) so much happiness. I love watching their joy. Its contagious. When I was in college, I was given the task of leading the pre-school aged children's choir during Vacation Bible School. It was up to us to come up with the songs, and we had so much fun that week singing with the little ones. They didn't care what they were singing (although it seemed like we sang an awful lot of Barney songs), they were just happy to be singing. I'm sure that the night of the program, that parents and other audience members wondered at how off-key some of them sang. But the children didn't care. They were happily singing from their little hearts. Not to0 long before our concert, I had run across some verses in Psalms that blew my mind. "...Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens..." Psalms 148: 7-13 (NIV) My first thought was how on earth do cattle praise God? I mean they are cows!! The more I thought about it, I realized that cattle praise God by just being what they are. They don't try to change themselves. They are who God created them to be, and by doing what they were created to do, they praise God. It totally changed the way I looked at myself and the way I approached things. Was I really praising God by doing what I was created to be, or was I following what I thought society wanted me to do instead? I think this is one of the things that is lacking in society today. We get so caught up in what others think of us that we forget to allow ourselves to be what God created us to be. We are so concerned with how we sound that we forget to sing (or dance or bead) with abandon. When was the last time that you just let loose and sang because you were happy? Or danced like a fool because it was fun? God wants us to praise Him. He wants us to come to Him with a child-like faith...to praise Him in our own special way. He has given us each special talents and gifts, and by using those gifts we are praising Him. So what if we are off key when we sing, as long as we are singing with our hearts?! My prayer for you this week is that you will allow yourself to find that one thing that makes you happy and then do that with a happy heart, to use your gifts to praise Him. Summer 2011 09/25/2011
I had such lofty goals of really developing my blog this year. I wanted it to be a place where you could come to find out what was going on with Simply Beadiful, to learn some new information about jewelry design or craft projects, and to be filled with wonderful words from guest bloggers. Well, no surprise here that I haven't done such a great job of it. I have never really been one to journal much, so I'm not sure what made me think that this project would turn out differently. Several times I thought of things I should share, or some great jewelry idea, but those thoughts stayed in my head. Or I told them to my husband Chris, who being a wonderful husband, smiled and nodded and acted interested. I do want to fill you in on what has been going on, because God has been doing some pretty cool stuff in my life and with Simply Beadiful. In June, after much thought and prayer, I quit my full-time job to stay home and focus on my jewelry business and on being a better wife. It has been a wild three months, and I have learned lots about myself along the way. One of the hardest things to admit to myself is that I am not as disciplined as I would like to be. I have great aspirations and dreams of things I want to accomplish every day, but actually making myself complete them is a whole other story. And it doesn't help that I am easily distracted by Looney Tunes. I'm a sucker for a good Bugs Bunny cartoon. As any small business owner can tell you, it is at times humbling (and scary) to think that all of the business decisions rest solely on your shoulders. I don't completely know what direction I want my business to take, and therefore struggle at times to know what direction to walk towards. I try to pray and leave it to God to guide, but I am not always good at that. I'm one who wants to lay it all down in prayer and trust, but when I think that I know better, I snatch it back up and end up making things worse.I'm working on that. Knowing myself, I think this will be a lifetime project :) If you didn't know, I spent the past three years working in a doctor's office. I wondered regularly what God was doing through that experience. I mean, its no secret that I am squeamish, and have no medical experience whatsoever. I now know that He was allowing me to uncover an unbelievable love for the elderly. Being a family practice, the majority of our patients were senior citizens. I loved the opportunity to serve them, and am lucky enough to now count several of them as dear, dear friends. That love of seniors and my passion for crafts came together in a most unexpected way in mid-June. I was discussing with a friend my two great passions and that my dream job would be teaching crafts to seniors. Well, she wasted no time in making a few calls on my behalf, and I soon found myself scheduled at several local nursing homes and senior centers to teach jewelry design. I freely admit that while I was excited about this new opportunity, that I was also terrified. What if they didn't like my random stories? Or what if I was a terrible teacher? About five minutes into my first class, I was absolutely hooked! I had before me 15 women who, weary at first, were having a blast creating their own jewelry. It didn't matter what techniques we used, they were just happy I was there and helping them to create something they could show their friends. They had amazing stories, brilliant smiles, and I left that class grinning so hard I thought my face might break. Three months later, I have several local senior centers and nursing homes that I regularly teach classes in. And every time I leave a class, I can't believe that I actually get paid to do this. I mean, my dream job, and I get to do it!!! God is so amazingly good! I am also attempting to further develop my skills as a housewife and homemaker. This has been quite the challenge. My baking skills are getting a good workout. I have learned several new recipes (chocolate buttercream icing and homemade cinnamon rolls anyone!?!) and am slowly getting better. My friend Merrie challenged me with the Proverbs 31 passage outlining a godly wife and I am learning to put those verses into practice. Again, I think this will a lifetime project for me, but that's ok. I like a good challenge. Thanks for reading this and for supporting Simply Beadiful. I hope to have lots of new things to show you in the coming weeks, and hopefully I will get some more fun stories from my classes posted. And if you get a chance, please support your local businesses. God Bless! Paula  The board outside one of my classes. I love the title "Professional Designer!"  Homemade cinnamon rolls. Today's interview is with the amazing Ann Widner of Little Visions Photo & Jewelry Art. Tell us a little bit about yourself….who you are, where you’re from, what kind of cereal you like, etc? My name is Ann and I live in St. Louis, Missouri with my hubby, my rescue beagle, and my orange tabby cat. I love photography and making the glory of God more visible to people. When I’m behind a camera, I feel alive! After years of taking and accumulating lots and lots of photos, I didn’t know what to do with them anymore. My favorite cousin suggested I make my pictures little and put them on jewelry. That’s how Little Visions Photo & Jewelry Art came to be born. Tell us a little bit about your journey to this point in your life. At times it seems as if I’ve travelled a long road, even though I’ve literally never lived outside of a three mile radius in South St. Louis. It’s been a sometimes smooth and at times treacherous journey. Growing up with an abusive father affected me deeply, and I’m still healing and learning and growing from my rough childhood and adolescence. One thing I’ve always known, deep inside myself, is that I’ve never had to journey alone. “I will hold you in my heart forever, Annie,” are the comforting and hope-filled words that God has always spoken to me and still speaks to me now. What kinds of challenges have you faced through your journey, what you did do to get through them? I’ve had clinical depression and severe anxiety on and off since I was in my early teens. My mom, who passed away last year, was my biggest supporter back then. She sacrificed so much to keep me in school and leading a fairly functional life. Her faith in God was strong, and I think that is her greatest legacy to me. She taught me that God never gives up on us, even if we give up on ourselves. She instilled in me a sense of hope and the knowledge that even when I’m despairing, if I only cry out to the Lord, He will answer, me, comfort me, and give me His hope and light. Throughout my life He has sent so many people to encourage and support me… friends, doctors and therapists, teachers and professors, and co-workers. Medication was also important in getting me through; I used to think that it was a sign of weakness to take medicine for a mental illness. But I know it has helped save my life. The greatest gift God has entrusted me with is my husband, Greg. Being in a good relationship is a blessing but it is also hard work. Through the years, we’ve learned to always talk things through and to give each other enough space to be ourselves. What advice do you have for others going through this kind of situation? Know that things will get better. They always do. When I was a teenager, teachers would tell me, these are the best years of your life. Well, they’re not. They’re probably some of the most difficult years you’ll live through. If you’re feeling depressed or lonely or desperate or trapped, please know it does get better. Hope is alive! Be proactive about getting help and support for yourself. Don’t give up! Keep asking for help until someone hears you. And when your family, friends, or teachers offer help and support, accept it. Know and utilize your resources! We’re all here in this world together to help each other. Who / what inspires you when the going gets tough? Two things help me. One is that I’ve got a very strong support network which includes my husband, friends, family, doctors, and my pets. And the other thing that keeps me going is my faith. Sometimes I get angry with God and myself and don’t want to rely on Him. When I’m in distress and finally do call out to Him, He always, always, always brings me His peace and hope. I’m so very grateful for this gift. I don’t deserve it, but He loves each one of us so much that He always remains with us, even when we don’t want Him around or think we don’t want Him around. He’s a faithful God, that’s for sure. What do you think is the hardest thing that young girls today face? I think that the constant barrage of messages that young people get from the media is the most challenging thing that they face today. And there is so much busyness and lack of quiet and stillness in life that they don’t have the chance to really get to know themselves. Many adults have this problem, too. And when you don’t know yourself, it’s difficult to learn to be grounded and make good and healthy decisions. What advice do you have to help them through it? Try to turn off your computers, cell phones, ipods, tv’s, radios, etc. Even for a few minutes a day, simply be still and listen. Many times it is in silence that God speaks to us the loudest. Even a few minutes of silence gives us room enough inside to discover ourselves. If you could go back in time and give yourself a message about your future, what would you say? Don’t rush. Be patient. Bad times pass. Reach out for help when you need it. Be grateful for what you have rather than focusing on what you don’t have. And be sure to give back. The world needs you! You can check out her work by going to the following sites: Website: www.annwidner.com Etsy shop: www.annwidner.etsy.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/littlevisions  Today's interview is with my dear friend and Christian author Merrie Hansen. Her friendship (and her writing) have been very inspirational to me. I hope her interview touches you as it has me. Tell us a little bit about yourself….who you are, where you’re from, what kind of cereal you like, etc? My name is Merrie Hansen. I am a child of the King – a wife, mother, grandmother – a daughter, sister, friend and neighbor. I love to sing, write, and read. I enjoy walking, backpacking, and roller-skating. Spring is my favorite season, yet Christmas is my favorite holiday. I call Nebraska home, but have also lived in Texas, Alaska, Missouri, and Kansas. I am not perfect…I’m forgiven by the King’s mercy and grace. My sassy mouth requires a Holy Spirit muzzle. I am self-conscious about my appearance. Eating healthy and exercising are permanent items on my New Year’s resolutions. This is not my final home…so I press on toward the goal God has set for me, humbly straining forward to reach His highest calling to take my place in His Heavenly Kingdom. Tell us a little bit about your journey to this point in your life. The spelling of my name gets lots of notice and has had an impact on the person I have become. My maternal grandmother’s name was Mary, but Mom liked the spelling she saw daily as my older sister and brother watched cartoons—Merrie Melody Productions. (She tells me I was lucky they didn’t name me Looney Tunes!) The spelling’s origin reminds me to be happy, joyous, and cheerful. As a wife and mother, this optimistic attitude helps me set the tone for our household. The attention to my special name along with being the youngest member of my family however invoked a bit of problem. What kinds of challenges have you faced through your journey, what you did do to get through them? Living within a safe, loving, church-attending family environment was wonderful. It gave space for my confidence to expand beyond the usual boundaries. Growing up in a small town “where everybody knows your name” enlarged my self-assured attitude. Add all that to my sassy personality and you’ll get a curious, competitive, confident female. Curiosity is said to “have killed the cat.” Competitiveness can turn aggressive. Confidence is a good thing, but there’s a fine line between self-confidence and God-confidence. When out of control, the combination can be explosive. God exposed this ticking bomb to me through singing. At the age of 14, three years after accepting Jesus as my personal Savior, I began singing solos in our church choir. Unknowingly, the flurry of compliments from the congregation initiated the distortion of my self-assurance into pride. Years later, when my husband and I moved from state to state, choir-to-choir, flattering remarks continued to inflate my bighead. After about 10 years of this, following an episode of my mouth shooting off grievances about the current music minister not giving me solos, God pulled me aside. Let me restate that: He grabbed me by the collar making sure to get my attention, and said, “I gave you that voice for my pleasure, my ministry, and my glory.” This was the first time I actually heard the Holy Spirit of God speak to my spirit. It also instilled the meaning of “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of the instruction for wisdom.” Moreover, it was the day Jesus became Lord of my life and not just the one who saved me. From that time forward, singing became my offering to the Lord, a service for His kingdom and splendor—as it should be. I learned to sing “about, for, and to” the lord of Lords and king of Kings. Plus, I discovered humble and gracious ways to accept compliments while giving God the glory. What advice do you have for others going through this kind of situation? Now, when I hear a beautiful voice singing, see someone teaching a Sunday school class, or hear another preaching a great sermon, I thank them for offering their talents to serve the Lord. I don’t want to be about inflating egos. I wish someone had taught me these humble lessons in my growing up days because receiving such a reprimand from God is a sad story to tell. Yet, it is a lesson engrained in my heart. What do you think is the hardest thing that young girls today face? Proverbs 119:9 asks a similar question; “How can a young person stay on the path of purity?” and simply answers it with, “By living according to your word.” (niv) Centuries or decades may change, but the problems of this world do not. Today, yesterday, or tomorrow, the pressures are still the same. Purity of the body, heart, and mind—the core of ones soul—the compass that leads our decisions is under attack. Society mocks and does all it can to sabotage God’s instruction for holy living. While developing the talents and abilities of the young person, society often discourages, even undermines, the maturity of character and teachings according to The Word. Jesus said, “I have given them your teaching. And the world has hated them, because they don't belong to the world… I am not asking you to take them out of the world but to keep them safe from the Evil One…” John 17:14-15 (ncv) What advice do you have to help them through it? Seek and find. Let the hunt for God’s Word be as a quest for treasures of gold, silver, and precious gems. Hide each token in the depths of your memory
Psalm 139:23, 24 inspires me to check all areas of my life where pride or other sin sneaks in. I think of my heart as a child’s bedroom where a parent carrying a flashlight looks under the bed, opens the closet, pulls the dresser away from the wall and exposes the depth of my filth. I invite God to search the dark, hidden crevices for sin leeching to my life. “Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life.” Psalm 139:23, 24 (message) I hope you will check out Merrie's work by going to her website. She has some amazing work I know you will just love. Livin’ Out Loud for Jesus - www.MerrieHansen.com Easter Egg Flower Garden Instructions 04/19/2011
Are you overrun with easter eggs and don’t know what to do with them? Try making a cheery flower garden with your leftover eggs. Its simple and easy, and a great activity for little hands.  I found this really cute flower pattern by googling flower clip-art, but you can use any flower shape you want. This one just happened to be the size I was looking for. You can find it by going to http://www.clker.com/clipart-14008.html I found that I could fit six flowers comfortably on one sheet of 8 ½” x 11” paper. I photocopied several different colors of flowers for my “garden.” Cut out around the outside edges of your flowers leaving the black trim visible.  I used colorful plastic easter eggs that are approximately 1 ¾” x ¾”. These particular eggs did not have a hinge (they can pop apart into two pieces). If you have the kind with hinges, simply trim the hinge off with a pair of scissors (be careful!!). If you have the standard sized easter eggs (about double the size that I used for this project) simply make your paper flower bigger   Take a plastic egg and pop it into two pieces. Placing the shorter of the two ends on the top, line up the top and bottom of the eggs, sandwiching the flower in the middle. **Keep in mind that which ever side you put the smaller end on is the way that your flower petals will turn towards. If you want your flower petals to turn out, then put the small end on the back.**  When you have your flower centered to your liking, carefully press the egg together. You may have to use a little creativity and force to get the two pieces to stick together. Just be careful not to press too hard…I have crushed more than one by pressing too hard, and on occasion, sent one flying across the room.  Once your flower is completely secured, you can arrange them in a basket, make a flower arrangement or arrange them individually on the table. For even more fun, you can mix and match colors, add glitter, stems...the possibilities are endless. If you use this pattern, send me pictures. I would love to see what fun ideas you can come up with.  Interview with Nikki Mannen of Kniffty Knits 04/19/2011
Today's blog interview is with the amazing Nikki Mannen of Kniffty Knits. My name is Nikki McGinnis and I am from North Carolina. I began making jewelry in a jewelry class my junior year in high school. I started my business the next year. Over the years I found out that it is hard work to make this a full time business. For every situation, I had to pray and turn it over to God. When we go through these types of problems, we just need to stop and pray. When things get tough my husband, and family really give me encouragement. My friends have always been there for me too. Young girls today need a good support structure because of all the peer pressure and beauty images that they face. A piece of jewelry they make can tell everyone, "I'm me and I'm not going to be in the same mold." All young girls need to take a step back and evaluate their life and see that if their friends aren't there to encourage them and be supportive, then they aren't a true friend. Looking back at my life then compared to today, I would have told myself to not give up so easily. You can check Nikki's work out by going to her etsy shop knittstergirl426, or her facebook page kniffty knitts. If you are in the the Charlotte, NC area, you can check out her work in person at Mack and Mack of Charlotte.  Here it goes...our first of many fascinating interviews. Welcome to the lovely and talented Christina Winchester. Tell us a little bit about yourself….who you are, where you’re from, what kind of cereal you like, etc? A little bit about me... Hmmmm. I am a junior at Friends University, majoring in Religion. I have absolutely no idea what I am going to do when I graduate, only a few slight ideas. I love to write. My favorite color is pink and purple... And I don't like spiders.... Yep. That pretty much sums me up. :P Tell us a little bit about your journey to this point in your life. My journey has been crazy. From moving from Florida to Kansas at 15, to being diagnosed with Diabetes and Lymphacitic Colitis within a year of each other. And then a few years later getting an anxiety problem. It is never boring with me. But if I hadn't of had these things happen, I would not be the person I am today. I have realized through all of this how strong I actually am, and what I am capable of doing. What kinds of challenges have you faced through your journey, what you did do to get through them? Haha, It kind of seems like since I turned 17 my life has been a challenge. But no, that's not true. While yes, I have had more issues than a normal person my age, I am so blessed. With everything that I have been through I just continue to remind myself that none of my suffering is in vain, that God has all of this in hand, and He sees this, and will use my story and my suffering for His glory. And if that is the only thing that I can accomplish through this, I would not change a thing. What advice do you have for others going through this kind of situation? Trust that you aren't alone. That God sees you, and knows how you feel, and what you are going through. And that he does not delight in your suffering. He's got this. Who / what inspires you when the going gets tough? If the things ever do get tough I just open my Bible to the book of Job. In the last few chapters when it is God talking. Where he points out everything he has done. "Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it" It's kind of a reminder, God is awesome. And if He can do all that and more, surely he can and will be there for me when I am struggling. What do you think is the hardest thing that young girls today face? Society is horrible to girls today. Telling them that you have to look like this, act like this, wear this. Sex has permeated things, and it is seeming to be more and more ok for younger and younger girls to do this. And that's not true. What advice do you have to help them through it? Don't doubt your value, you are a beautiful and special daughter of God. And you were created for a special and unique purpose to you, and only you can accomplish that purpose. So embrace it. If you could go back in time and give yourself a message about your future, what would you say? Pretty much the same thing. Don't doubt your value. Thanks Christina! Great words that have given us lots to think about. We'll continue our series with a new blog post next week. new blog series coming!!! 04/13/2011
I am really excited to announce that we are going to start running a new blog series!! Each blog post will feature an interview from a strong woman who has an encouraging story to share. These women come from all walks of life and have some amazing stories to share. I hope you will take the time to read them and to share them with others. They have some amazing stories and I have been blessed by each and every one of them!!! If you know of someone who has a great story to share, let me know. I would love to include their (or your) story in this series. You can send their / your information in an email to: simply_beadiful@hotmail.com. Enjoy! |
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