Only 11 days!

Praise the Lord! Christmas is almost here! I must say, I over shopped this year, but it was soo much fun!
    Often though, in enjoying the festivities, shopping, wrapping gifts and sending money to charities, we forget the real meaning of Christmas! why do we celebrate it? Christ's birth of course!
     Often I dwell on the great commission, hungry children, and the idea of giving a gift to a poor needy child on Christmas. (now,I need to find a good way to do it!)
       Christ is a gift you know. he was a gift for poor needy children, not only financially poor, or physically hungry, But without Christ, we are about as poor as a poverty stricken family, only in spirit, not flesh.
 I accepted Christ's gift to me a long time ago, and He is my sanctification, provider, and strength.
   as you think of what to give others this season, remember one thing, the gift God Gave to you, it is then best gift anyone could get. if you haven't received him yourself, here is how:
        1. realize you are a sinner "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23)
        2. realize you need Jesus. His grace is sufficient, and we can not go to heaven by works. "For by  grace   are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.(Ephesians 2:8-10)
        3. Confess your sins to Jesus, pray and ask him to become Lord of your life. by doing this, you are telling him to take you, form you, and to use you for his perfect plan."That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9)
        4. Realize that what you want to do and do do must change, because of your love for Jesus. "As he spake these words, many believed on him.Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."(John 8:30-32)
       Pray, ask God to forgive you, your sins will be forgiven, and your eternal home will be in heaven!
   What greater gift is there? If you received Jesus today, look for a good Bible (KJV is the best one) , Pray for fellowship with other believers, and search for a good church. read the Bible and pray everyday. don't be afraid to open up about trials or temptations, or for continual forgiveness, Because God cares for you, and will help you.
   Life as a christian isn't all bubbles, trials will come, and you will fail at times, But God will forgive you if you seek it with a repentant heart, and daily he will help you. He loves you!
      Why not share this wonderful gift with a friend? it is the most wonderful gift to share, (you can't give it. only God can do that!) or to receive!
      Merry Christmas! remember Him this year!
    - Delighted daughter



   

fall, where art thou fall?

  Fall is a beautiful time of the year, where the trees turn to a crisp brown, red, orange,and yellow ,and fall to the ground in a beautiful slow and gracious dance.  The air is crisp and cool, and apples are for sale everywhere.Pumpkins cover porches, and scarecrows stand guard. The corn stalks are tied, and lean against the stairs, and you walk slowly, and breathe in the fresh air, wearing your green cotton sweater, a turtle neck, a comfortable corduroy skirt, and beautiful brown boots. You feel like twirling around and around, looking to the sky of deep blue, and enjoying the masquerade of falling leaves.... but wait.. that didn't happen yet!
  Sometimes the things we deem perfect are not what God has planned. In my own "perfect" dream, I would have been married a month after I turned twenty, and had a house to care for, and perhaps by now have a baby on the way. I would be shopping for food and clothes the family needs, cleaning house, making bread and roast for my hard working husband. But God said that it was not time yet. Sometimes waiting can be hard. I love summer, it is one of my favorite three seasons (sometimes,winter is too cloudy and lasts too long !lol! But if it :) ) but the changes of the seasons, that is my favorite. I like to watch the snow melt and the birds congregate in the trees and "chat" about who is going to live where or how their trip was (perhaps they have a worship service too! lol!).  The warming of the air, the flowers and sounds of the summer, then , the colors, gentle cooling and quietness of a blue skied fall,  when the earth prepares to rest. Then of course, I like the signs of winter. the air gets colder, Christmas comes,and everyone decorates and goes shopping! (I think I will keep my decorations up all winter in my home, perhaps that would lighten the mood :) )
   This year, fall is coming slowly. The air is till pretty humid and warm, and rather cloudy. But soon, I know, fall will come. I just need to enjoy the now! :) 

  Keep on enjoying your season, because the seasons of life change, and in life, they don't go around again :)
  

are you ready?

  Recently we were hit by a horrible storm. we were warned it was coming, and that flooding could ensue for low lying areas. we have experiecned flooding before,and did not want to have the losses again. we prepared.  our basement was emptied, and we could relax.
     I knew some people who said it would not be anything,and nothing would happen.
   They were wrong. we fled to another state to watch the storm from a distance. when we returned, there was a lake in our back yard, and very wet basement.
    many houses in our area were destroyed and are no longer livable.  the warnings were there, and many people did not heed the warnings.
    Listen, thereis a warning now. it is in your heart. do you hear it?
     the warning says that if you don't acccept christ, you will end up in a flood of fire. Will you heed the warning? will you prepare for the future by accepting Jesus Christ as your saviour today? by living his way, and not your own?
     if you are ready to make the most important descision you will ever make?  if you are ready to accept christ, i will tell you how.
         1) realize you have sinned "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. " (Romans3:23)
        2) realize that you cannot save yourself "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God  not by works, lest any man should boast."
(Ephesians 2:8-9)
         3) realize your descision to follow Christ means surrendering your life to Him , to serve Him and obey Him "If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed." (John 8:31)
        4) confess your sins to Jesus, tell Him that you dedicate your life to Him, and that you accept His gift of salvation. "that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10)
    I will not leave you a prayer to say here, because I believe what you say should come from you,not a paper.  But do remember to close with Jesus' name. He said: "And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." (John 14:13)
    Be sure to share the gospel with others too! "and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." (Luke 24:47)
     Christ will bring you  ever lasting joy, if you would receive him today " Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." (Matthew 29-30)

       Remember, Christ alone can save you from the flood of fire to come. Will you trust Him today?

lies women believe part 1

  Think of the many lies christian women are lead to believe:  "clothes don't matter, once saved always saved." or "Real women have careers.", "femininity is weak!", "Music doesn't affect me", "flirting is a necessary evil", "Men have Low IQ's" , " I should go far away to school so I can learn how to live my own life","You can have multiple boyfriends and get the guy you think is cute's attention because you are not married." , "I have to make difference and prove myself" , "I can't prove myself while i am unmarried unless i get somewhere in a career.", Lastly, "I can be a missionary to a foreign country in my twenties until i get married"
   These are modern philosophies that especially women are taught.  Women need to be extra able to care for themselves in case an emergency happens, at least that is the message I hear. In fact, if you don't do that, people may be lead to think that you are oppressed, indoctrinated against your will, or old fashioned and useless. I hear it all the time. The strangest thing is, that people always tell you to do what you want to do with your life, but that does not include "learning to be a homemaker". That is already taught you, or suppresses you from your potential, perhaps it even can be done when mommy makes dinner and you watch sometimes. She learned it on her own after marriage, why can't you? there just has to be something or some kind of goal and outside activity going on up until you are married. It is, in fact, true. But how can one do that while preforming within the sphere God gave us? 
    1. We must know the sphere God placed us in. Women are Men's assistants. that is what God made women for. That is God's perfect plan and purpose for women! Their domain is the home. just read the beginning of Genesis and Titus 2. The purpose for women is defined there. it is further added to in Proverbs 31: A domestic entrepreneur! she works, yes. To be rich? no. to get a nice car? no. to benefit yourself?  while it does in fact benefit you, i have to say , NO! a "home business" is meant to benefit your home and to benefit the people of God.  read proverbs 31! She gives help to the needy! Through her work, she helps her home, and makes a good name for her husband, or in our case, her father!
    Getting out of the house will be touched up on in a future post. Sayonara sisters!

Stay at home daughterhood: is it in the Bible?

  The truth is, I am not a full time stay at home daughter,I have a job at a local pizza store for 8 hours a week. it is hard to figure out exactly how to apply stay at home daughterhood. while there is freedom in the Bible to live as a stay at home daughter through different applications, I often find myself and people wondering about my social abilities and laziness that could come about through "being home" all the time. personally, I can see why.I have a history of complaining and sitting around doing nothing. I want that to change. Currently, I am in the "early stages" of stay at home daughterhood. My time is spent now on trying to figure out where it is found in the Bible. My family is very theological, and often has discussions in which I have a hard time backing up my points. this is the reason why it is important to show exact backup for my points from the Bible. People want to see me telling them from the Bible, not just from so and so's reasoning .(not that it is wrong to read books on the subject: i am a advocate of such things!)
     Truth #1- In the Bible, women stayed home and were commanded to be taught to be "keepers at home". Isn't it amazing how silent the bible is on unmarried women? it says "young women", which people always take to mean  "wife". It does not say "wife" though?does it?  My sister points out that the Greek word (used in Titus 2 verse 4) generally means "woman" and could mean old, or married, or young woman, or just plain woman. the verse before it, which says older "women" also is the same word. Perhaps the Greek word is general. But when we say "woman" in English, it also can mean any of those things. ("the woman down the street" could be old, or young, or married, or unmarried...etc) but by translation, throughout multiple translations, including modern ones like NIV or ESV, "young" or "younger"woman is always used. Why not "wives"?  I looked at Bible gateway at many translations, I even Google translated the Chinese verses in Titus 2, and still, it says "young woman". many of them say "admonish" or "train" or "teach" all of these skills to them. it is a little late to "teach" someone or "train" someone for something they already have to be able to do, wouldn't you say?
     Truth # 2- the Bible never really mentions a "godly woman" who went out and made a life for herself. Dinah went out of her house and went out into the town: She was given to fornication. there is nothing indicating she was raped. this happens to many women who go out to see "the daughters of the land" (worldly friends, worldly entertainment etc).  Jezebel also wanted to make a name for herself: she was said to be an evil woman.  many people come to a few contradictions with these thoughts.
     Firstly, they recall Ruth. the Girl who worked in the fields and randomly came across a relative. well, first, she collected donations, she had to "go out" to get them, but she did not work for wages as a man would. she did not get a job. she accepted donations. she was protected by Boaz, now, this did happen By Grace,but one thing is true, she was donated to, and was protected under the Biblical laws of gleaning. after she found her kinsman, she did not leave his protection. later, she married him.
   next, they may recall the women who followed Jesus. they were all married, but "wondering about" with Christ. they were like female missionaries. these women, though traveling about, were ina feminine role. they did not teach or preach, but they prepared him food and care while he was around. they also came from somewhat unbiblical situations. one of them was possessed by demons, the other was the wife of Chuza, who served Herod,(if Chuza really loved Christ, would he not leave that high position? perhaps his wife had been persecuted and she needed the safety of Christ to protect her)  Susanna is the only one that we do not know much about. But in general, things were different While Christ was on earth, in the New Testament, men were told not to leave their wives for long periods of time (1Corinthians 7:5), But the disciples, some whom were married, traveled all of the time. these are not contradictions, but things which needed happen during this time to teach the people God's plan of salvation.
     Fact#3: The idea of women leaving their homes for a "job" is not condoned in the Bible, But a woman working from her home is, and is in fact, encouraged (proverbs 31).

   Does this mean a woman can never go outside her home? NO!
  It means, in general, her Job is her family.God gave her that job, While God gave men the job to provide for their families physically, spiritually, and emotionally. men is any male, married or unmarried, and woman means any woman, married or unmarried. God is a God of order, he does not give commands for unmarried men with married men, and not do the same for woman.
   are you not married? Not in the Business of raising children? Serve your mother and father. help with your siblings. assist a new mother with her child and house work. you can get out and do things, but in a different sphere. go grocery shopping for mom, be a hostess to your neighbors by having them over for dinner and some fun. we are living Bibles. Have tea parties with ladies at church in your home or their homes. there are lots of social opportunities! (you can even write a blog as a ministry where ministry opportunities are limited.lol!)
   Remember too, that when it comes to marriage, you will not likely meet your husband in the world. the best place to find a drunkard is a bar, and the best place to find a godly man is through ministry. get involved in a church if one is available to you.My family is trying to find a godly Church now, but for now, the only opportunities for ministry is in My home. but I know God has perfect timing, and one perfect man for me. he will bring him to me in his timing, no matter where! so going to church and having godly friends is important!
 
  Titus 2 also says that we are to live this way so that the world has no reason to blaspheme God. That is a big assignment!
    So remember, it is a Biblical command. How we apply it may vary, but it must be applied, with all dilligence!

God Bless!
-Delighted daughter

Tips from Mama on procrastination

Sometimes I too struggle with procrastination. I find that one of the best remedies to procrastination is to just do the next thing. Most of our household tasks do not require hours of preparation and organization. You don't need a plan of attack, just pick up those dirty clothes, make that bed and sweep that floor. and before you know it the room is clean. Just a little lesson learned, from a former procrastinator. :-)

dealing with Mount Fuji

    Let me warn you... this article has nothing to do with the beautiful mountain in Japan. though you may have hoped to read about the geography of a mountain with the sun rising against it's soft grey rock, you aren't going to.. at least, not now.
     Sometimes one can sit and wonder what to do. They may plan to do something, prepare to do it, rev themselves up for it, but then, run out of time to actually do it. I have this problem. I can only count how many times i wanted to read, and I would prepare by fixing my bed to make it comfy, getting a cup of tea, picking the book up and putting it on the bed in a attractive way, perhaps with a pencil lined up beside it in an artistic way before i even sit down to read. then it is too late, and I learn nothing.  the same with cleaning my room. I might read about cleaning, put an apron on, pick out a nice work dress, fix my hair in such a way, pose with the broom, and "motivate myself"; in the end, however, i still need to get the room clean,  and the day is far spent. so i put it off till later.  the root of this really is procrastination.
    I tend to procrastinate, especially on cleaning my room. that little room makes me crazy! (in fact, the  mount Fuji of stuff is sitting in my room right now...) there is only one thing I could do about it though... do it!
   Another thing that turns me away from doing my work is my sometimes negative attitude.  I will go in, look at mount Fuji (the mess) , then decide that it wasn't my fault the room is a mess. the room is small, and little ants probably carry stuff out of their place at night while I'm sleeping (well, I'm not that crazy! LOL!). sometimes I decide to dwell on problems and blame the mess for my negative attitude.  it is really a cycle, isn't it?
     I am sure there are lots of girls who have the same struggle ( at least, I hope so! Otherwise I'm crazy!). The best thing you can do when you are stressed out about this is pray and take some time to read the Bible. (don't let yourself get out of your job though!) then , look at the mess and say "We are more than conquerors through him that loved us, And I'm going to conquer this mountain, and defeat it once and for all!" (well, at least until next time the mountain rises up again.)
   Another thing you can do is put nice music in the radio and let it play while you work. make sure it's nice music though, like soft instruments or classical. the whole loud singing thing doesn't help a stressed out mind.
    it may help to have a to do list as well, especially with big projects. for example, you need to clean your room, so, first you will go through the stuff the right corner of the room, then you will tidy the dresser, and put all the clothes away that are laying on the floor. etc.
     lastly, don't let your mind fill up with negative thoughts. that is one of my biggest distractions. the thoughts that God must have forgotten about you because he let your room get messy (which He didn't), or that your mom should have told you to clean it four weeks ago when it wasn't so bad (and, again, you could have done that yourself!), or that your brother made the mess when he borrowed your Bible yesterday (now, maybe a part of the mess, but Mount Fuji isn't rising because of  a borrowed Bible unless you have bad organizational skills.. then that needs to be fixed..)
     So, Just remember, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13), and defeat the Mount Fuji before you, because you can in Christ.
  

Spring Is sprung!

ahh, Nothing makes me happier than nice 65 degree weather, with sunshine and plenty of garden work! sometimes I like to compare myself with a flower, I need warm sunshine to keep me motivated! this can't possibly be true, because no matter what the weather is, you have got to keep going! i am the worst culprit for making excuses. "i feel tired today" or "ugh, the sun is behind the clouds, so I can't think.." These things are NOT excuses to keep me from going! my issue is one that i am sure that is universal and a common issue with many girls. How do we overcome this?
      Firstly, we must remember that God never gave up on His goals and purposes. He asked us to work hard, He didn't make excuses for cloudy skies. If He had done that, we would surely suffer! This is enough motivation to help us keep going: We do it to bring glory to Our Heavenly Father!
     Second, Remember that other people depend on us to do our work. Messy bedroom (my worst enemy!)?
  Well, what if mama want's to show her friends the house, how embarrassing it is to show off a messy room!
it may seem to be a "selfish" endeavor, believe me! I am one to put that off for any reason under the sun.
      Thirdly, It gives us a feeling of accomplishment. one sleeps better and is happier if they have worked hard. they know they got what they needed to get done, done. I always feel better and healthier when i finish a goal! what a relief!
         Remember, we must keep going! even when it is cold and cloudy and you'd rather stay in bed all day.
    God bless!
   -Dedicated Daughter