Closing a Chapter

Hi Girls,

I have learned a lot this year blogging with Altogether Separate and I've enjoyed getting to know all of you.  

However, at this point and after much deliberation I am going to have to step down as a writer for "AS".  God has been directing me in different directions and I am no longer able to spend the time needed to write/research for "AS" as I would like too.

You girls have been a blessing in my life and I pray God will continue to use you and your posts to encourage and exhort other young women.

In Him,

Femininity - Duchess, Cowgirl, or something else?

Femininity....

This is a word that I find conjures up many images in a girl's head when she hears it.  For some girls, they picture something from the "romantic" 1800's, or perhaps even early 1900's, or maybe you go even further back to medieval times.  Usually the image is of a young woman who is dressed in a beautiful dress doing something that we feel is a "feminine" activity.  For example, some would picture a woman sitting on a quilt at the beach with her parasol to shade her from the sun and book to engage her mind.  Perhaps you imagine a young lady on swing, her long hair softly moving in the breeze as she reads to a younger sibling.  Maybe it is a woman decorating a Christmas tree with a warm fire glow illuminating the room. Most of the time it a picture of someone who is "put together" in our expectations of femininity, doing something we think is feminine.

 

Which picture of Princess Kate is more feminine to you?  Each of us has our own view of femininity.

Whatever it is, it is usually NOT a woman cleaning out a barn with muck boots on, or scrubbing the kitchen floor with her arms covered in suds, or shoveling out a path way to the barn after a snow storm etc. :)  I know for me, I tend to romanticize my picture of femininity.  There is nothing wrong with the images I portrayed first, as long as we realize that that is not the only side of godly femininity.

Melinda, over at Radiant Purity and True Beauty did a short and sweet post on Femininity and I want to share a quote from her:

"Femininity is something that we develop inside. It's the quiet beauty of a meek and gentle spirit mingled with the robust strength of a Proverbs 31 woman. It's not talking softly, dressing like a southern belle, wearing pink, putting on lots of makeup and spending hours fixing ones hair. It's being a dignified woman of character and strength while instilling meekness, compassion, quietness, humility and sweetness of spirit in our hearts."

Colossians 3:12 says, ""Put on the garments that suit God's chosen people, His own, His beloved--compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience."

We can dress in beautiful "feminine" outfits, doing "feminine" things, but if our hearts and character are not focused on becoming more Christ like, then we are not exhibiting true femininity.

Femininity is about serving God and surrendering to the Holy Spirit's control in our lives.

To God, a feminine lady is one who puts on the armor of God.  One who displays the fruit of the Spirit in her life, because her heart is surrendered to Him.  She is loving, generous, humble, kind, gentle, willing to serve, careful with her words, shares the gospel.....a reflection of Jesus. 

Dressing to go to a Christmas concert, curling our hair, adding that hint of eye liner, taking great care to look "feminine" is not wrong, but how we act and think when unpleasant circumstances occur will show how feminine we really are.  Because femininity, I feel,  is in many ways another word for godliness/ Christ-likeness.

P.S. Jasmine Bauchmann wrote a beautiful post about femininity here, that I think you all would enjoy :)

~ Smile ~ What has God blessed us with?

As we enter this week and look ahead to Thanksgiving, I smile at what the Lord has been doing in my life and my family's life.

This past weekend has been a busy one for our family.  My dad, sister and I traveled down to NYC for a few days to help with a church and the food pantry that they run.  Wow!  What an eye opener!  Yes, we have all heard that story of how someone went somewhere, where the people were in serious need and there eyes were opened to how blessed they were.  But somehow, when it happens to you, it still hits you hard, right between the eyes.

How many times have I had to worry about where my next meal was coming from? Never.  How many times have I wondered if I would be warm enough when the snow comes? Never.  How many times have I wondered if there would be enough food left after looking at the 100 people in front of me in line at the food pantry? Never.  How many times have I gone looking through bags of donated clothes set out on a table hoping for a jacket for someone special? Never. How many times have I wished I could bake Christmas cookies with family members, but known that it would all depend on if a certain store donated the ingredients needed to make cookies? Never. How many times have I waited in line for hours in the cold to receive that days groceries? Never.  How many times have I thought about God, but not known how to get to know Him? Never.  How many times have I searched for peace, love, and joy, but not found it because I had never been taught where to find the Source of love, joy and peace? NEVER.  When have I ever had a hurricane come through and ruin ALL my posessions? Never. When have I ever had to wonder if the water I was drinking was actually hurting my body, more then helping it? Never.

God has given us so much and yet so often I fall short in my gratefulness.  As I look back on the weekend and think of the people that I met and talked with, I can think of so many other things I am thankful for.

A family that loves me! A genuine relationship with my Heavenly Father! The Gift of Salvation!
A whole copy of the Bible that is accurate!  The Fellowship of other Christians!  A wonderful Pastor and his family!  Clean, healthy food!  The opportunity I had to be homeschooled!  The ability to see, hear, touch, smell and taste!  That I was taught to read, write and study!  Ok, lets get closer to home here at the blog.....Computers, websites, blogs, meeting kindred spirits online, email, the internet, photographs, etc.

God is so good! This past fall my sister and volunteered at a Christian Camp in our neck of the woods and we made some wonderful friends or built even better relationships then we had already had.  One of my favorite memories from this fall was on the last night we got together (there are several people who work the camp, but six of us specifically had gotten close.)  We were sitting around a campfire late at night talking, roasting marshmallows, heating up chocolate and making s'mores and just talking.  How many people are able to do something like that....sure I can think of a lot who can, but there are even more who can't.  I think of the people who live in cities. They don't have the opportunity to build a warm fire, see the beautiful sparks, smell that wood smoke, roast those marshmallows and make s'mores.  Many of them don't have likeminded, Christian friends who encourage and uplift them.

I could go on and on....as I think most of us could.  What are you thankful for?  It would be so cool to have each person who reads this post to leave a comment and write down and LEAST ONE thing they are thankful for.  Your comments are always a blessing for us the authors but also to the rest of the reader as well :) - Another thing to be thankful for :} 

A Specific Reflection Needed

Holiness....

What does holiness mean to you?



Picture found on flikr and taken by   ~~~johnny~~~

 I know every time I hear the word "Holy" I think of the well know hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy" or I think of God's holiness and the passages in Isaiah or Revelation that speak of His holiness.  I have to say that rarely do I think of myself as holy, because I view holiness as "perfectness."....I am FAR from perfect so therefore REALLY far from holy.

However when Abby sent out the email reminding us about what our next topic is to be about for the next two weeks, she mentioned that "the fundamental meaning of the Greek word hágios (the root word for holy) is "different." It implies something "set apart" and therefore "different" because it is special to the Lord."

For example, a temple in the 1st century was hagios ("holy") because it was different from other buildings.

God is the only one who is truly holy, but as Christians he has called us to be holy as well.

"But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:15-16

"The idea of exactly how to be holy has suffered from many false concepts. In some circles, holiness is equated with a series of specific prohibitions - usually in such areas of smoking, drinking and dancing. The list of prohibitions varies depending on the group.  When we follow this approach to holiness, we are in danger of becoming like the Pharisees with their endless list's of trivial do's and don'ts and their self righteous attitude.  For others, holiness means a particular style of dress and mannerisms.  And for still others it means unattaniable perfection,......All of these ideas, while accurate to some degree, miss the true concept. To be holy is to be morally blameless.  It is to be separated from sin and, therefore, consecrated to God.  The word signifies "seperation to God, and the conduct befitting those so separated."[1]

As Ephesians 4:22-24 says "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

When we are born again and accept the gift of Salvation, we put off the old man, our old life style and put on the new man.  A new life style that has new purpose in Christ.  A life that becomes a living sacrifice for the One who gave His life that we might live.

Holiness....morally blameless, separated from sin, consecrated to God.

Oh dear,...again, I fall short with these definitions as well.  Unfortunately none of us will ever be perfectly holy, all the time, except for Christ.  However, he has called us to be set apart, consecrated to Him, a living sacrifice, and holy..........

How do we get there?



Picture credit given to  ~~~johnny~~~  of flikr



By living each moment in obedience and surrender to Him.  We can not be holy, but through yielding to the Holy Spirit's working in our lives, we can at least be a small reflection of Him.  

I so often think of myself as a clear pond.  When I am yielded to Him and allowing Him to work through me, the pond is still and people can see His reflection in the water.  However, when I am struggling and fighting the battle on my own, not yielding to the Holy Spirit, not surrendering in obedience, the water is in turmoil - waves crashing on the beach, ripples and waves causing not a spot on the water to be still....therefore no reflection can be seen.  

We are holy when His reflection can be seen in us.  Living lives set apart for Christ is what this blog is about.  Our lives are lived differently because Christ lives within us.  His Holy Spirit prompts us to make choices that honor Him.  Choices that often times set us apart from the world.  Choices in how we speak, dress and act.  In what we watch and listen to.  Where we spend our time and how we spend it.

Footnotes: 1. Jerry Bridges in his book "Pursuing Holiness"

"These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things......"

Hobby: n.,
1. an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure
2. a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation

Hmmm...What do I do for a hobby? Well, I'm one of those that has several :] Kind of a "Jack of all trades but master of none." I love athletic hobbies that include: hiking/walking, canoeing/kayaking, skiing, skating, snowmobiling, horseback riding, traveling and shooting.  Yet I also enjoy hobbies that can be done inside the house as well, like: scrapbooking, card designing, knitting, weaving, making jewelry, sewing, pinning on pinterest :), reading, watching movies, listening to music, drawing and blogging. 

Could I choose a favorite? Probably not. Each one brings excitement to my heart at different times of the year and seasons of my life.  The exhilerating feeling that you get when you are swishing your way over a freshly groomed ski trail is like nothing I have ever done!  The feeling I get when I am ice skating is one that evades me most of the time; graceful.  Riding a horse in an arena and finally learning how to collect them (tuck there head and pay attention to me) and going from a walk to a canter in one step is something special every time. Hiking in the White Mountains during the autumn when the air is cool and crisp and seeing the glorious, brilliant fall colors of New England makes you feel glad to be alive.

What about feeling that soft fiber in your hand and watching a new pattern become visible as you knit a scarf.  Seeing a scrapbook page filled with pictures that all coordinate and bring back wonderful memories. Reading that thick book you have been saving for a day that implores you to sit by a woodstove with a cup of hot tea. Pinning those pictures on Pinterest that stimulate my creative juices or help me to dream or encourage my heart with special words. - It's amazing what a simple picture can do to stir the heart and its emotions. Picking up a set of knitting needles and remembering my Nana.  Sitting at a sewing table and thinking back to the first quilt I made with my Gramy. 

I think for me, a hobby is something that often times helps me to count my blessings and realize how much I have and how God has blessed me.  Hobbies are often times the way we express the extra special gifts God gives each of us.  Some people have been given opportunites to train under masters in music, art, a sport or something else and God is able to use the love for that interest in an incredible way. Some have just picked it up because they were interested.  Either way, God placed the interest and directed the love. 

What do you like to do?  What do your hobbies mean to you?  Did someone special teach you or is it something you just picked up?

Following By Example....

How can we serve others?  How do you serve others?  How does Christ want us to serve?

“But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many”  (Matthew 20:26–28).

The life of Jesus Christ was one of complete service and surrender.  There was no task that he looked down upon, no person that he lifted his nose up at and no circumstance that He did not see as part of a bigger plan.

His example of how we as Christians are to live, was one of a true servant.  Almost everything that Jesus did was in regards to serving others.  He prayed for them, helped them, healed them, listened to them, spoke with them, encouraged them, fed them, trained them and set example that they might live by while he was on earth.

So, how are some ways we can serve others?  Here are two ideas that I think are sometimes the most important.



This photo was taken by  life is good (pete) and I found it on flikr

 1. Pray for others ~ Holding others up in prayer is one of the best ways to serve.  I think often times we use prayer as a last resort when we want to help someone, because our thoughts are always "How can I help them?".  There is nothing wrong with that thought, but there is Someone who can help far better then we can.  I know this is something that I need to really make a habit of doing and make the first question I think of "How can Christ help them?".  He can do what we can only dream of doing.

"Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:" ~ Isaiah 42:5

2. Pray with  them ~ I can't  tell you how many times someone has offered to sit down and pray with me and when we finished praying, whatever the situation was, I felt better about it. 
Praying with others helps:
a. The other person get their focus back on Christ
b. It helps you both to place the matter in God's hands and trust him
c. To bring a peace to both of your hearts

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them". ~ Matthew 18:20

I'm sure all of you have favorite ways you love to serve!  For some of you it may be making meals for those who are sick.  For some it might be babysitting for friends and family.  Others might enjoy cleaning or maybe even just spending an afternoon listening to someone share their heart. 

As I looked at some of the Commands of Christ , I realized that several of them have to do with service.

(Helping the Poor) "Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just”  (Luke 14:12–14).

(Helping Children)“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven”  (Matthew 18:10).

(Denying Ourselves) “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it”  (Luke 9:23–24).

(Do Unto Others) “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets”  (Matthew 7:12).

(Feed His Sheep) “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep”   (John 21:15–17).

I would like to finish this post with a quote by J. Hudson Taylor.

"I used to ask God to help me.  Then I asked if I might help Him. 

I ended up by asking Him to do His work through me."



Battle Partners or the Enemy?

Siblings....they can be your best friends or your worst enemies.

What are your siblings to you? 

I personally, have a brother that is five years older than me and a sister that is two years younger.  The older we have gotten the better our relationships have become.  My brother is from my Dad's first marriage, so throughout my childhood my brother would live most of the time at his mom's house and occasionally at our house.  As the years went by we saw less and less of him as he became involved with sports, boy scouts and other things.  However, my sister and I adored our older brother and I can honestly say I only remember having one fight with him when I was really young.  My sister and I however, have grown up side by side.  We did everything together and knew the other one as well as we knew ourselves.  We were each others best friends....but there were times we wished the other one lived on another planet. 

This summer, for those of you who remember, Altogether Separate took a blogging break as we the writers were going on vacation.  Part of my vacation consisted of attending a "Whatever It Takes" conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.  We started the conference out by discussing the false beliefs that many of us.  Satan has uses these false beliefs to cloud our minds and keep us in bondage.  One of the false beliefs that was mentioned was: "My Parents/siblings Are My Enemy".  Ouch!  How many times had I viewed my sister as my enemy.  After all, she was the one saying or doing something to me that hurt...right?  As Paul and Jenny Speed (The speakers) discussed this false belief, I realized that I had spent my life believing this lie and it has brought such destruction to my relationships.  Even though I grew up knowing we live in a spiritual daily battle, I still saw my sister as my enemy, when in fact, the true enemy was Satan.  I know this sounds so simple, but it hit me hard.  Every time I say something mean, or treat someone with disrespect I am allowing Satan to use what I say or do in the lives of other people and vice versa.  Yes, my siblings (and myself included) made the decision to say or do whatever we did and are responsible to God for them, but Satan knows that the person who the words were said to, now has a choice to make and that is when he starts to work on the other person.  He plants assumptions, thoughts and ideas in our heads to encourage us to fail.  He uses the failings and struggles of someone else to make us sin and therefore two people (at the very least) are rendered ineffective to Christ in that short period of time.

As I sit here trying to type this out.  I'm trying to figure out how to make this as simple as possible.  When our siblings are battling the enemy and they fail (sin), we need to realize that at that moment it is not our siblings who are our enemy but Satan who is using them as a tool. I know how hard it is to view it this way.  When someone says something that hurts me deeply, all I see is that person who said it.  But what I need to see is the enemy behind the person.

In the workbook we were given at the conference, the false belief "My Parents/siblings Are My Enemies" had some bullet points that I would like to share with you.

* This belief will later become "My spouse is my enemy."  This lie does not just stay with our siblings, because it is a part of how we view people when they say or do something that hurts us.  Therefore, this lie will transfer to your future spouse if we do not make efforts to change our outlook now! 

* Our Parents/Siblings are our battle partners - not enemies.  For those of us who have christian siblings and parents we are fortunate to have God-given battle partners in our own homes.  However, Satan has blinded so many of us to that fact because we view our family as the enemy when we are struggling with something.   When either a parent, sibling or even friend strike out at us, it is a sign that they are battling and starting to fail. 

When you watch those action movies and a battle is being acted out before our eyes, usually there is a scene where one of the heroes is being beaten by the enemy, but the heroes friend steps in to help and together they defeat the enemy. 

As Christians in a spiritual battle, we need to see our family as our spiritual battle partners.  We need to see our sibling (battle partner) failing and jump to the rescue. - not just hear the hurtful words and see them as the enemy!

by foodpr0n.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlunar/228650018/sizes/n/in/photostream/

*See our Parents/Siblings as God's gifts - we will see our spouses the same way.  Cultivating this response to hurtful words and actions will help us in every relationship that God brings into our lives, including our future spouses.  I know I do not want to to view my spouse as my enemy and I do not want Satan to be able to work through him to get at me, therefore I need to be cultivating this response now, at the training ground God has placed me at.

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."  Ephesians 6:12   

Rainbow Sprinkles!

Adventure: an unusual and exciting activity or experience

What does the word adventure mean to you?  Does it mean climbing Mt. Everest? Maybe it means striving to get on the Olympic Swimming Team for you.  Or could it be exploring inactive Lava Tubes in Hawaii?  Perhaps these are way out of you comfort zone and your idea of adventure could be going trail riding on your horse or exploring in an old forest.  What about riding in a horse drawn sleigh at Christmas time or learning to fly a helicopter?  Could it be trying new recipes or learning a new game?  Maybe it's going on a mission trip to the next state over from you or going overseas? What do you consider an adventure to be?  Do you make every day life an adventure or do you wait for that once-in-a-life-time-adventure to come along and that is it?



http://www.flickr.com/photos/never_house/7723841642/sizes/m/in/photostream/
by Never House

 As I thought about what adventure means to me some of the things listed above came to mind.  I enjoy canoeing or kayaking in new lakes and rivers, visiting waterfalls and the ocean. Someday I hope to visit Great Britain and see the castles, tea shops, country towns, busy seaside ports and so many other places that I've only ever read about.  I can honestly say that in the past few years my devotions have become a sort of adventure - digging into God's Word and seeking out treasures that He has for me each day.  Reading devotional books and finding special nuggets that inspire me to live a life set on fire for Christ.

However, as I ruminated on what I do for "adventures" to brighten up or spice up my day I was only drawing up blanks.  What do I do that brings some excitement into my day.  After thinking about it over night and still not coming up with anything, I realized it was time to talk to Mom.  She knows me better than anyone and sometimes helps me to see what I can not see even if it is right in front of my nose :}



http://www.flickr.com/photos/missmeng/7722312018/
by missmeng



So...we talked and she asked me what I enjoyed doing and try to do almost everyday....I realized that I try to spread "rainbow sprinkles" into at least one persons life everyday.  You're probably wondering what "rainbow sprinkles" are.  It is a term coined be Leslie Ludy when she saw her son ask for rainbow sprinkles on his ice cream.  She saw a parallel between the bright colored and beautiful sprinkles on her sons ice cream and the beautiful blessings that God sprinkles into our lives everyday. 

For those of us who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and been born again, earth is not our home, but rather a place that we are journeying through.  Living with Christ in heaven is our destination and earth is our training ground for things to come.  Life is an adventure!  Finding ways to "sprinkle blessings" or bring "rainbow sprinkles" into people's lives is exciting and adventurous.  It's almost like being on a quest for joy.  Looking for ways to bring joy into other people lives.

Some examples of "rainbow sprinkles" could be:

* Emailing a friend an e-card

* Sending a friend a handwritten note

* Writing my family little notes to let them know how much I love them

* Making my parent's or sister's beds

* Doing someone else's chores :)

* Buying a little gift for someone

* Sending someone flowers or picking some of our own if they're are in season

* Sending postcards

* Giving a hug when they are not expected

* Baking some treats for others to enjoy

* Putting something special in a lunchbox

* One year I wrote to each of my parents and my sister one note each day from February 1st through the 14th, telling them why I loved them.

* ....and there are so many other things to do.  It's an adventure to find what makes different people smile and laugh.

What do you do to bring adventure into your life? 

Niagara Falls! A place filled with examples of our Creator's Creativity!

Hello Friends!  It is good to be back with all of you!  I know all of us Bloggirls had wonderful vacations and are looking forward to sharing what the Lord, taught, shared and showed us on our trips.

I've been trying to figure out how to fit our vacation into a short blog post and it just isn't possible :] Therefore, I'm going to focus on just one of the many highlights of our families trip......Niagara Falls!

Have you ever been somewhere where the power of something just overwhelms you?  Where something so enormous is hard to comprehend?  Well Niagara had that affect on me :o)

As I wrote this post the following verse came to mind.  "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."  ~ Isaiah 43:2

When I put the context of this verse next to Niagara Falls and realize that no trial, no matter how hard, even if it is as powerful and overwhelming as a raging, forceful river in early spring, it "shall not overwhelm you" because God is with us and is bigger than the trial! Praise God.

The first falls we visited were American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.  Both of them fall inside the United States and were beautiful to see.  Here are some pictures:

Standing next to the observation tower looking at
American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.

Standing on Goat Island looking at Amereican Falls.
At the bottom left hand corner you can just a small portion of
Bridal Veil Falls.

We then walked to the other side of Goat Island to view Canadian "Horseshoe" Falls.  1/3 of Horseshoe Falls falls inside the U.S. border and therefore the fall is considered Canadian. The falls make a "U" shape hence its name, but because of that feature it is hard to get a good picture unless you are on the Canadian side....however I thought you might enjoy a couple pictures anyway!



Looking over at the Canadian side with the mist from the falls
rising up.

I though you all might enjoy these quick facts about the falls:

150,000 gallons of water flow over the American Falls every second!! - (Give or take what time of year it is)
600,000 gallons of water flow over Horseshoe Falls every second!! - (Again the amount may change depending on the time of year it is.)

As our family discovered different parts of Niagara State Park, we were overwhelmed by the amazing creativity of our Creator and the power that He has and uses on our small planet, in our country, in the state of New York, in the park of Niagara!


I would definitely recommend visiting Niagara and our family hopes to return someday!  We thank God for the opportunity He gave us!

Freedom Is Never More Than One Generation Away!

"Freedom is never more than one generation away
from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children
in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and
handed on  for them to do the same." ~ Ronald Reagan

Our theme for the next two weeks will be focusing on things in our culture that we feel very strongly about.....My mind has been filled with several things; the abortion issue, apologetics, homeschooling, health, evangelism, the slave trade, orphans and freedoms in our beloved country, the U.S.A.

I decided to go with the Parental Rights Amendment.  An amendment that I have posted about on my private blog and feel is so very important for everyone in our country to know about. 

On Tuesday, June 5, 2012 Representative Trent Franks and Senator Jim DeMint introduced the Parental Rights Amendment in the U.S. House and Senate as HJRes 110 and SJRes 42!

The Amendment will be heading to the House Constitutional sub-committee on July 19, 2012.

Here is the post that I wrote on my blog, explaining what the amendment is about:

As a monumental presidential election looms in our future it has caused many different issues to come to the surface. All of the issues hit close to home as they relate to our jobs, families, homes, economy, education and many other areas of our lives.


However, there is one issue that does not seem to surface too often and yet it is so critical to our continuation of freedom in the United States.


That issue is in regards to the Parental Rights Amendment. Our Founding Fathers fought for the freedom of this country. That we the people would have the right to decide how we want to live, how we raise our children, how we worship our God, how we spend our money and in so many other ways. Yet those freedoms are slowly being chipped away. Over the years the government has stepped farther and farther into our private lives and has made laws that take away parts of our freedom and has instead given more control to the government.


We must not allow that to happen in regards to our parental rights. Currently, the role of raising, guiding, training and deciding what their children do, hear and see is being quickly usurped by faceless bureaucrats.


Our freedoms are slowly being taken away. Freedoms that made this nation strong and great. United families that had the liberty to raise their children in a way that they felt was best for each individual child created a country that had strong morals, strong families, and love of country.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is a treaty that, if signed, would dictate that the federal government must enter each and every persons home and decide for itself if what is going on is acceptable. The rights of the parent would be replaced by "the best interests of the child" and the people deciding what is best for those children are 18 people on an international committee in Switzerland. The vast majority of parents know and love their children better than anyone. Our government should be supporting the parents and their rights.


If signed, we would be bound to this treaty and under the direction of the whim of these 18 people who will interpret "the best interests of the child" in whatever way they see fit.


In the United States, any treaty signed and ratified by congress is considered the law of the land and trumps an other laws already in place.


The ParentalRights.org is an organization that is desperately concerned with the future of the families in the United States. They have drafted a bill that already has sponsors and co-sponsors in the house and senate.


The Amendment is as follows:

Draft Parental Rights Amendment

For The United States Constitution

Section 1

The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right.

Section 2

Neither the United States nor any state shall infringe upon this right without the demonstrating that its governmental

interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served.

Section 3

No treaty may be adopted nor shall any source of international law be employed to supersede,

modify, interpret, or apply to the rights guaranteed by this article.

We the people of the United States have been given inalienable rights. It is our duty and responsibility as citizens to make a stand and support those who desire our country to be a nation of liberty and freedom.

You can go to ParentalRights.org and find out more information about the treaty, the amendment, as well as additional information. You can also sign the petition if you believe that protecting parental rights is important. Please, share this information with your family, friends, neighbours, co-workers.

There are so many things you can do to help support parental rights and become involved.  Here is just a small list that I have compiled for those of you might be interested.

1. Pray - God can do anything and He wants us to come to Him in prayer.  Nothing we do can compare to what God can do. 

2. Sign the Petition - The more people who sign the petition in support of the amendment, the more people will know about it and congressman, senators and our president will know that we the people do care.

3. Read the different articles on ParentalRights.org and familiarize yourself with the pros and cons of the treaty and the amendment.  There are also lots videos that give you information as well.

4. Tell your family, friends, co-workers, neighbours and anyone else you come across about the treaty and how it would hurt this country.  Then tell them about the petition :]

5. Write to your Senators, Congressman, and let them know that you would like them to sponsor this amendment.

6. Write to your local papers or even your statewide papers and get the word out.

7. Post about it on your blog :]


Thank you for spending the time to read this whole post :]  I know it was long, but my prayer is that others will see the need and step forward and make a difference. 

Choosing Gratitude

Quiet time.  Devotions. Time with God.  A very important and special part of the day.

What do you use in your devotions?  Do you have a favorite book that you go back to all the time?  Is there a special book in the Bible that you love to study?

The girls of Altogether Seperate will be writing reviews on books that we are currently reading in our devotions.  Will it be a book of the Bible we are studying or a devotional that we use using or a book that we are reading through during our devotional time?  Well, that will depend on the authoress for that blog post =)

I chose to do a review on a book that I am reading through during my devotional time.  This book was truly a God-send as I had been looking for books on gratitude, but had yet to find one that I was sure would be doctrinally sound.  I've been casually looking for the past couple months at different ones and then I came across a giveaway of the book "Choosing Gratitude" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.   I've read a few of her books/devotionals and really enjoyed them so I thought I would enter just for fun as there were several entries.  Well, it was the one God wanted me to be reading, as I ended up winning the book!!  I've only gotten into it a few chapters, but it has been so convicting and yet encouraging as well - after all, it is a book on gratitude, which brings to mind things to be thankful for.

So, here is the review:

Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy

By Nancy Leigh DeMoss

    Gratitude is not a distinctive Christian character quality.  Although we live in a culture that is rampant with ingratitude, you will find that amongst most families, the words "thank you" are among the first words learned by a young child.  It is not uncommon to hear an unsaved person express the words "thank you" when they find a parking space in an overflowing parking lot, or when a family member comes out of surgery successfully.

However, when these people say "thank you" the "you" means nothing to them.  To us Christians, that little word "You" should mean everything.  When each of us realized our need of a Savior and asked the Lord into our hearts, our lives radically changed.  No longer are we bound by the chains of our sins, living for ourselves (or in reality, serving Satan), living without a purpose and headed for an eternity in hell without our Lord.  That gift of Salvation we accepted did not bring a life of ease without pain, suffering and trials, but rather, it brought the God of the universe, who loves us more than we can imagine, right to our side to guide and help us through each step along the way.  It brought purpose to our life and assurance that our future would not be spent in hell, but rather in heaven with our Lord for eternity!!

The gift of Salvation is free for all who would receive it.  However, someone had to pay for it and that is where our gratitude starts.  Remembering who sacrificed EVERYTHING for you and me.

Here are some excerpts from the book:

"Undeniable guilt, plus undeserved grace, should equal unbridled gratitude."

"Being humbly thankful to God for our salvation - the most undeserved transaction in our personal history - is the starting point for the purest form of gratitude: God-ward, Christ-centered gratitude.  True gratitude, Christian gratitude, doesn't exist in a vacum; it has an object."

And that is what this book is about.  Choosing Christian gratitude.

"Where does gratitude rank on your list of Christian virtues?

In an arsenal that's supposed to include things like mountain-moving faith, radical obedience, patient long-suffering, and second-mile self denial, for many, gratitude feels like an optional add-on."

"The issue of gratitude is far more significant than its lightweight reputation would suggest......Try, for example, to sustain persevering faith - without gratitude - and your faith will eventually forget the whole point of its faithfulness, hardening into a practice of religion that's hollow and ineffective.

Try being a person who exudes and exhibits Christian love - without gratitude - and over time your love will crash hard on the sharp rocks of disappointment and disillusionment.

Try being a person who sacrificially gives of yourself - without the offering being accompanied by gratitude - and you'll find every ounce of joy drained by a martyr complex......gratitude has a big job to do in us and in our hearts.  And it is one of the chief ways that God infuses joy and resilience into the daily struggle of life."

There is no limit to the amount of grace, love, forgiveness etc. that God gives us. 

"Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.  Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgements are like the great deep" Psalm 36:5-6

"His grace super-abounding from the far reaches of His dominion, filling the depths of our needy lives."

"The beauty of Christian gratitude is that one little act of thanks  - giving on our part - when directed toward or inspired by its rightful Recipient - can abound and rebound from one end of the kingdom to the other, not only blessing God, not only benefiting us, but even lodging itself in places and in people where God's love might never have been received any other way."

"Gratitude is a lifestyle.  A hard-fought, grace infused, biblical lifestyle."

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I've only gotten into the first few chapters, but there is so much to chew on in those first few!

I enthusiastically recommend this book!  It's pages are filled with life-changing material on how to draw from the limitless amount of grace God has given us and use it to share with others in our gratitude.

Honestly??!!

Hello friends,

The next two weeks we will be having random posts about different things that are important to us.  Whether they be personal lessons we are learning, things we are passionate about, things that excite us or whatever else that the Lord lays on our hearts.

I've been reading lots of posts lately that talk about being honest and personal with you, our readers.  I can understand where these bloggers are coming from, as I can relate to so many of them that open their hearts and let the world see that they are not perfect and I'm thankful that they shared with their readers.  However, I've always struggled with sharing personal things on posts and today was no different as I struggled to figure out what to share with all of you.   I try so hard to look the part of a perfectly content, patient, kind, loving, purposeful, thankful and you can add whatever else you want that fits what you think is the steryotype of a Stay-At-Home-Daughter.  I may be the only homeschooled person most of the people I see, may come into contact with and I want them to have a positive picture in their mind.  I want people to see Christ's reflection in me and desire it for themselves.  I want to live a life that is filled with purpose and have a relationship with my heavenly Father that is never shaken.  I want to wake up every morning with a smile in my heart that comes from thoughts that are focused on Him.  My problem is that only God is perfect and I fail every single day at being that "perfect person."

Today was one of those days that I woke up very depressed.  There was not a smile in my heart and it wasn't a morning that I was looking forward to having devotions with my heavenly Father.  The sun may have been shining outside, but there was a thunderstorm brewing in my soul.  I think we all have days like that, but it's not something that we want to share, because it is not supposed to happen!  Even though we all know in our hearts that no one is perfect, our flesh and Satan make us feel like we are the only ones this happens to and that if anyone knew what we were thinking or how we were feeling they would think we were failures and horrible people.

Even though I knew in my heart and I knew what the Bible said, I was struggling with thoughts about God's love for me.  I felt like He knew everything that was going to happen in my life and that my prayers didn't even matter.  That although He made me, He was not fulfilling His promise of being a personal God......I know, NOT TRUE!, but it was how I was feeling!!

To top if off, I had a post to write for all of you about something that was personal.....Have you tried to write something that is supposed to be heartfelt and "spiritual" and you know that your heart isn't right?  It just isn't possible.  So I put off writing all day and God quietly worked in my life throughout the day.

First off, I was able to have the rain shower those thunder clouds were holding in my soul, with my Mom and shed the tears and release the tension that was building up inside of me.  She pointed me to Him, but the thunderclouds still stayed despite their being fully emptied. However, the release of tension was the start of His plan in calming me down. 

As we worked on different projects throughout the day, my mind calmed down and I saw the different lies I was believing about myself and then the Lord led me to watch the video posted below.  It was posted by a fellow Pinterest/Blogger friend and was such an incredible blessing to me.  The title of the video is "Father's Love Letter" and is truly beautiful.   I'm sure it has different versions of the Bible used in it, but the message is still the same.

It used all those verses that reminded me of His love, care, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness.  His forgiveness, His example, His guidance, His personal plan for each of us, His working in our lives and His promises to us.  It was exactly what this imperfect, fearful sinner needed to hear.

Then guess what happened....I got on my blogger dashboard to see what the people I follow have been writing and "Journey in the South" had a post titled "Why Live?"......The titled intrigued me as it was exactly what I had been asking myself.

Here is an excerpt from the post:

"There are things I have to do.

Questions I have to answer.

People I need to see.

People who NEED me: my little sister, my Mom, the kids at RU.

There's a life I need to live and a purpose that still needs to be fulfilled.

There's an adventure waiting just around the bend.

There's a Bible waiting for me to open it and gain wisdom and knowledge.

There are people who need my prayers - need me to get out of bed and get on my knees.

There's a reason for everything, so there must be a reason I'm here, and I don't want to miss it.

There is God, who wants me to follow Him. Because no one has the same journey as me that He has mapped out Himself and made me for."

God gave me what I needed to bring my focus back on Him and I'm thankful that He did.  He gave me the courage to share this with you and I'm thankful He did :]  I'm not perfect, but God still loves me.  I'm not perfect and never will be on this earth, but He still treasures me and I can cling to His promises that never fail.  Will I still fail? Yes, every day.  Will He still be there to help me stand?  Yes, every day.

Photo Credit: icanthrugod.tumblr.com

I found a quote on Pinterest that I thought expressed my feelings exactly and it is what I want to close with.

"I can't brag about my love for God because I fail Him daily.  But I can brag about

 His love for me because it never fails." 

 Praise the Lord!