August 2013 Featured Girls: The Boyd Sisters

Alicia and Jharmaine are two girls on fire for the Lord! Through their blog and their passions for fitness and delicious food, these sisters are aiming to follow Jesus in every area of their lives. Let's hear a word or two from them about how God turned their lives around and made them a "new creation."

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where do you live? What is your family like?

The Boyd Sisters are two sisters from Chicago, but we live in the Washington, D.C. area. We grew up in a fairly big household with four girls, mom, dad, and three dogs for the most part. We are two people who are sisters by blood and friends by choice that strive to put Christ’s love on display. We love to spread His love through fitness, food, blogging, scholarships, community service, or just our everyday lives. If we are a part of it, Christ is the center of it. Why? Because He loved us first!

What is your passion?

Our passion is to put Christ's love on display and make disciples. It’s impossible for us to not bring up Christ when we talk about our passion, dreams, or even desires because we find out identity in Christ. He is our reason for living and He defines how we live. Our passions consist of His purpose for our lives by using the gifts He has given to us. We love spreading the gospel through food and fitness.

Jharmaine is currently working to be a self-made chef. She has taken many cooking classes and is working with an amazing chef weekly. She has a cooking website called Get Nourishment that is actually being featured on “Curly Nikki” continually. She believes God has given us food for the heart, as David sang to the Lord in Psalms. We are to break bread with our loved ones to fellowship and build intimacy for the glory of the Lord.

Alicia loves working out and taking care of her physical health. She is currently training to be a personal and group fitness trainer. Alicia loves helping people feel good about themselves because our temple and life is a blessing from God to be used to give Him glory. She believes working on our spiritual and mental man needs to come before the physical. However, our physical is a temple of the Holy Spirit and we have to be healthy to be able to do God’s work and fulfill His purpose!

You and your sister have a blog that's all about "old self, new creation." What does that mean?

When we took the time to read the New Testament and learn about Jesus Christ, we started to realize that Jesus wants the heart. Jesus Christ is not concerned about our works, but our heart. Once He changes our heart, all those other things will follow. That is exactly what happened with us. We searched God for ourselves and realized how broken we were. It is so easy to get wrapped up in this world. To think like the world, do what the world does, and to promote the world. When you learn about Christ and His journey of servitude, you learn that He wants your heart. We gave it to Him. We constantly ask him to wreck our heart and make it like His. During our journey with Christ, he has shown us how unforgiving, prideful, selfish, and greedy (the list goes on) we really were. With every layer He pulled and continues to pull back that is not like Him, we have come to realize that we weren't Christians. We were Christian Atheists--believing in God, but living as if He didn't exist. We asked God to make us over. In Paul’s letters to the church, he teaches us that when we learn and choose Christ we are no longer our former selves. We are to put off our old selves and be renewed in our mind and spirit. Then we are to put on our new selves that are created in the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24. This is what being a true Follower of Christ is all about: becoming new in mind and spirit.

Jesus Christ came down here on earth to die for us so that we may live as a new creation in Him. He sacrificed His life for us and we know in our hearts and in His word that He deserves the same thing. We are to die to this world and our selfish desires. We are to live for Christ, bold and unashamed. When we choose to live for Christ, that person who craves to live for the world starts to die. He gives you a new heart and your desires change from your own to His desires for you. You care more about being obedient than making your flesh happy and this world. We let go of our old self and became a new creation.

Do you have a story about how you became a "new creation"?

Honestly, that is our entire blog! We have posted about how we learned to become forgiving sinners (click here), stop punishing people for hurting us instead choosing to love them (click here), stop using harsh words (click here), checking the idols we can easily worship without realizing it (clickhere), realizing how our sinful actions harm the body of Christ (click here), and so much more!

Who is your favorite artist (could be a musician, painter, photographer, writer, etc.)?

It is so hard for us to choose one, so we'll name a few. :) In the music realm, we love Andy Mineo, S.O., Trip Lee, Chris Tomlin, Marvin Sapp. This goes on if you're praising God. We try to choose to follow artists that are staying biblical, challenging us to be more bold with Christ, and keeping the focus on Christ and not us (i.e. prosperity movement). We love it!

As for writers, we love Gary Chapman and Francis Chan. They challenge us to put Christ’s love on display and not live for the world, but God.

Thank you for joining us, girls! 

Head over to The Boyd Sisters' blog to hear more of what they have to say.

March 2013 Featured Girl: Melinda P.

This month's featured follower is a special girl named Melinda. She is the authoress of the blog Radiant Purity and True Beauty. She is a twenty-something homeschool graduate, living at home and enjoying farming, writing, government, cooking, creating recipes, and volleyball. She's a girl with big dreams, big faith, and big ideas.

Let's hear what she has to say.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your family. What is life like around your house?

I'm the youngest of seven children. Most of the older ones have left, except my Down's syndrome sister, Rachel and my brother just older than me, Jonathan. We live on a farm in Oklahoma. I was taught at home by my parents for my entire education, something I am truly grateful for! Life on a farm in Oklahoma has its daily ups and downs, joys and sorrows. Since we're a self-employed family, the "typical" moments of our days are doing farm chores, eating, cleaning, and sleeping...and the work we get done in between often differs from day to day. :-)

As a twenty-something single girl, how are you supporting yourself/preparing for the future?

I graduated from being home educated in 2007, but even before that I was working for my dad who is an accountant. During the tax season months (January through February), I do quite a bit of work for him. During the rest of the year, I help with bookkeeping and accounting for our business and family. I also have done some things around here on the farm (including milking) which brings me some income. My brother and I have also had a history book business which has taken us to several states for home education conferences. We're actually planning on putting it aside for now as we've both gotten too busy to give it the attention it needs.

Since I don't know what the future holds, I'm preparing both for married life if it is in God's plan for me, and for potential singleness if that is what I'm called to. Since my graduation, I've studied a lot about nutrition, which is a big interest for me (you can see some of my own recipes and insights from my nutrition study from my other blog, Healthy, Witty, and Whole. I occasionally blog there too). I've learned how to cook, bake, sew, and do some gardening. I've also been able to learn how to manage money and run a business, something is useful whether I'm going to be married or not! Right now, I'm praying about some options for starting a business of my own, something I'm nervous and excited about at the same time! :-)

From your blog it looks like you are passionate about Christian femininity. Do you have any help for us on how to be truly feminine from the inside out?

Femininity is one of my favorite things to talk about as you can probably tell! My views on femininity have changed so much over the past few years. One of the main things I've learned about femininity is that it isn't complicated as we usually make it out to be. It's not some legalistic moral code we have to follow. It's not even something we put on by ourselves. 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.True femininity for me is being a hard-working woman of God who trusts in Jesus to develop His humility, love, meekness, quietness and compassion in me. It's allowing myself to be changed from the loud, clamoring woman that Proverbs warns about to the Spirit-filled, meek and quiet woman of 1 Peter. Obviously, this will affect how I live out my days, how I dress, how I talk, what I listen to and watch, and how I relate to others. However, it all starts with me abandoning my ideals of womanhood and trading them for what Christ has called me to do...abide in Him. It's very freeing! :-)

Who is your favorite woman in the Bible?

Mary, the mother of Jesus is probably the woman I've learned the most from over the years from the Bible. Her example of humility and faithfulness despite very trying circumstances is a convicting inspiration to me. She had to know that she dealing with all manner of rejection and hate from her own people when she was found to be with child, and yet she willing to do what God had called her to do anyway. In fact, she magnified the Lord in spite of her trials! It's such a good example for my life. When I'm faced with rejection and trials, I want to be able to praise the Lord for His goodness in my life!

Visit Melinda's blog at radiantpurityandbeauty.blogspot.com, and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

You can be featured too! Just drop us a line via our contact form to nominate yourself or another homeschool girl who is living large with Jesus.

November 2012 Featured Girl: Micaela Wood

The Bloggirls have been talking, and we've come up with something to get excited about: featured girls! We love the little community of Christian homeschooled girls that has grown up around this blog, and to help you gals get to know each other a bit better we plan to feature a girl from the Altogether Separate community once a month. 

So without further ado, let's welcome November's pick: Micaela Wood!


Altogether Separate: Tell us a little bit about yourself. How old are you? Where do you live? How big is your family?

Micaela: I am 18 and I live in Downeast Maine. I'm a PK (pastor's kid), the oldest of four children, and a homeschool high school graduate. When I was 16, the Lord led me to start a ministry called Hearts for Purity, which is especially for teen girls and encourages them to live for the Lord, surrendering every area of their life to Him and His purpose. 

Who is your closest friend? Why?

My closest friend is Jesus Christ. Growing up, I had a lot of kids say that they were my friend—my best friend, even—and then they would either be extremely mean to me, or nice part of the time, indifferent toward me the rest of the time. Being homeschooled and in a church that had no other kids my age, I got very lonely. It wasn't until May of 2011 that God got my attention and reminded me that He wanted to be my best friend, that He would never leave me or forsake me, that He loved me, and wanted to be a part of every area of my life. That day I let go of my longings for friends and determined to make Jesus my Best Friend. A few months later, the Lord blessed me with several dear, godly friends. I thank God daily for their friendship, but Jesus is truly the best Friend I have. 

How has God been working in your life lately?

God has been working in my life the past few months, getting me to let go of things that I cling to so much. I'm not willing to let go and be patient for His timing; I want it right now. God has been showing me that I must let go of everything and place it all in His hands. I've done it before, but I have a tendency to take it right back. Yet in His hands it must stay. I recently heard a message about laying down the things in our lives that have become idols, just as Abraham laid Isaac down on the altar. I knew this was what God wanted me to do, so I did it—tearfully and willingly. The next day, I got an email from a friend, in which she shared a poem about waiting and patience. God used that poem to remind me that, now I have laid down my "Isaac," I must wait and be patient for His timing.

What has your biggest struggle with homeschooling been, and how are you overcoming it?

My biggest struggle with homeschooling has always been the lack of friends. I grew up in a church in which I was the only kid my age; everyone else was either at least 5 years younger or already an adult. I was extremely lonely, and at one point I wanted to go to a regular school, so that I could have friends. I did not yet realize just how much of a friendship I had with my Savior (see above).

What are your passions? 

I love writing and reading. Photography is more of a passionate hobby than just a passion (i.e. I wouldn't want to do it professionally). I love to work with little kids, and I enjoy ministering to others. And I would count my ministry, Hearts for Purity, to be a passion of mine.

Hopes and dreams for the future?

I would dearly love to be a pastor's wife and homeschool mom of at least 5 children, though however many kids the Lord would give me would be fine. For several months I have also felt the desire to start a Bible camp for kids/teens someday. If any of these desires ever come to be, then I will rejoice. But if they don't, it's because God has given me something even grander and more amazing than what I might have thought up. :-)

What advice would you give to Christian homeschool girls like us? 

The best advice I can give comes from a book I am currently writing: “Don't hold back from God. He has a plan for your life. Everything and everyone in your life is part of His perfect plan. Don't struggle and resist it. Don't fight Him, or say He can only have certain areas of your life. He wants all or none. Give Him all of you.” {As a homeschool girl, you have so many opportunities to serve others, that most other kids don't have. Let God use you. Give Him your all.}

Finally, what is your ideal pizza?

My ideal pizza has a not too thick but not too thin crust, and is topped with pepperoni, cheese, ham, onion, and green peppers. YUM =D


Thank you so much, Micaela! We really appreciate the chance to get to know you a little better. 

Micaela blogs at www.everydayencouragements.wordpress.com, and has a website(blog) for her ministry at www.heartsforpurity.wordpress.com.

Can you identify with Micaela's hopes and struggles? What's your ideal pizza? Answer some of these questions for yourself in the comment section below.

P.S. If you want to introduce yourself to the community, just leave your name and email!