Unfading Beauty

Father's Heart

2008-09-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

2007-07-18T03:33:00.001-07:00

I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.

The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.

Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.

~Author Unknown~

Oh, youth!

2007-06-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

I came across my "list" today. It is titled "Things I look for in guys to like..." From it's place in my notebook I believe it came from early 2001. I've decided to post it because I have some things to change about it now.

1. A personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ

2. Not afraid of what people will think

3. Sings in church

4. Is worshipful when singing at church

5. Acts the same with church friends and school friends

6. Be humble and not proud

7. Strives to be more and more like Jesus Christ

8. Trys his hardest at whatever he does

9. Kind and gentle to women

10. Asks God for direction and let's Him lead his life

I copied the spelling exactly. One thing I think it very interesting is how I thought I would be able to see the heart through the outward behavior. Now, behavior is one good way to tell what is going on in a heart, but people can do the right thing without having the right heart. Obviously singing in church was a big deal to me. :) Of course, all of these things are still important to me. I just know of many other important things now too. I think I'll keep my new "list" in my mind! :)

2007-05-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

I found this article awhile ago and wanted to post it. It is by Noel Piper and it is from World Magazine.

Bicycle built for two

Learning about marriage is a tandem sport | Noel Piper

Sunscreen on, helmets buckled, pedals in sync, and we were on our way. After a few minutes my husband Johnny called to me over his shoulder, "You're doing great for your first time on a tandem." I replied: "I guess 35 years of marriage have been good practice."

Here are some lessons I learned recently, riding along Minnesota's Cannon Valley Trail behind my husband on a bicycle built for two:

• If I throw my weight around, we wobble and swerve. "Just stay centered and steady," he says.

• My initial "seasickness" eases when I quit fighting the tilt and let him lean the bike into curves and turns in the path.

• But a couple of times I have to remind him, "Remember I'm back here. If you take the turns so sharply, you bump me against the curb."

• My instinct is to press harder on the downstroke to ensure I'm carrying my share. But when I do, he says, "Slow down. Don't push me so fast."

• Looking over his shoulder, I have almost the same view as he does, but I can't see what's directly in front of us. Good thing he's the one steering, braking, and changing gears. On the other hand, I can look around and point out turtles basking on a log or warn him of the faster rider overtaking us.

• I can't brake or steer, but I do have the power to stop the bike and ruin the ride. If I stand still on the pedals and refuse to move, he can't make them turn.

• I love it when we're on level ground and using a gear that sets a slow, steady pedaling that surges us forward. But I need warning when he changes to a setting that requires fast foot strokes. When I'm caught off guard, my feet are slung from the pedals and it's a trick to get them back in place without snarling the progress up a steep hill.

• When I realize I'm clenching the handlebars, I remind myself, "Let go! You've always wanted to ride ‘no hands.' Now you can!"

• Ready for lunch, I suggest heading back, but he wants "just one more mile marker." In a few minutes we've gone further than I thought I could.

• After that push for "just one more," I assume we'll mosey on back. That's when he leans forward and calls, "Let's see if we can beat our record!" and rams his pistons, I mean feet, against his pedals. When his feet go, so do mine. With that kind of encouragement, I do what I never would have on my own.

• Near the end, at the sight of one more hill, I open my mouth to say, "Let me off. I'll walk up." Then I imagine how foolish we'd look, me plodding alone and him trying to keep the bike going by himself. So I shut up and keep pedaling.

• And I discover that when we pedal together, impossible inclines become possible.

• On top of everything, when people see us riding together, they smile.

—Noël Piper co-authored Treasuring God in Our Traditions with her husband, John.

Modesty

2006-11-21T19:25:00.000-08:00

1 Timothy 2:9

I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.

Unfading Beauty

2006-11-09T21:27:00.000-08:00

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

I hope to use this blog as a place to encourage women to develop a gentle and quiet spirit. I pray that the things that I am learning will be an encouragement to others.

Unfading Beauty

Father's Heart

Oh, youth!

I found this article awhile ago and wanted to post it. It is by Noel Piper and it is from World Magazine.

Bicycle built for two

Copyright © 2007 WORLD Magazine September 18, 2004, Vol. 19, No. 36

Modesty

Unfading Beauty

Copyright © 2007 WORLD Magazine
September 18, 2004, Vol. 19, No. 36