Where Are the Good Guys?!

I'm not going to sugarcoat this post today.

I often hear women (including my past self) ask the mind-boggling question: "Where are all the decent men in this world?"

Those desirable men's answer: Where are all the decent WOMEN?

Realizing that the revolting revolution of "ladies" giving into the "change in times" has literally created new, less-improved godly women, has made me develop a whole new mindset. I have truly been enlightened through much self-reflection and observation of my fellow comrades. This is a simple cause and effect scenario: Women aren't being what they were created to be-humble, loving, nurturing, submissive (hey, it's biblical) and resourceful, therefore, why should we be surprised that men, today, aren't being our Knights in Shining Armor? We can't even be the Cinderellas. We've become the crazy, self-indulged Stepsisters!

We have become the Rocky Balboas, the do-it-ourselves, the Miss Independents, the belchers and farters, the outspoken, masculinized figures. We have become power-hungry and self-satisfying monsters. Why would any man want to "rescue" or "serenade" a woman who gives off guy-pal vibes or thinks punching him in the arm is flirting? Where's the fun in that? I'm sure, to be frank, it's quite awkward for them and very unappealing.

Let's be straight here; I'm not making excuses for ill-mannered men who have no manly bones in their body, think chivalry is for pansies and would rather pay someone to fix something or mow their lawn because they simply are too good for laborious work. That's a whole 'nother blog post. Read Wild at Heart by John Eldredge! This will explain what a man needs, should be and was created to be! A must-read for every woman!

So, when you find yourself asking where are all the good ones and why are all the good ones taken, ask yourself what are you doing to attract those "good ones"? It may be extremely shameful, yet eye-opening.

There's nothing wrong with being independent, but there's also nothing wrong with being a bit soft and vulnerable. In order for you to find your Prince Charming, you must be the princess longing for your one true love! Proverbs 31 will show you how!


PS! I finally found my Prince Charming, girls! He came with a horse :) We are getting married June 9! God really does write your love story if you let him.

Follow Brynlea on Twitter @bryntayl and her blog, http://fabyoulousgals.blogspot.com/

What to do with your life??

Until recently in my older teenage years, I've always stressed out about how I was going to live my life and how my future was going to go. Namely, I wanted to make sure that I was doing God's will in my life, and I hoped, hoped, hoped that I would never make the mistake of going to the "wrong" college, getting the wrong career, marrying the wrong person, moving to the wrong city...I kind of waited for God to suddenly appear in a glowing figuration as I prayed and send me to a country as a missionary, or tell me to go to this college, or just give me some kind of mission for my future!

But what I never knew was that, although God certainly does choose to personally in a very direct way guide us on a specific path... most of the time, we should just focus on glorifying Him in our daily lives, loving others at least as much as ourselves, and doing what we desire.

Whoa... did I just say that?? Doing what we want in life?? Let me explain.

Something that changed my perspective on this concept was a book excerpt by John MacArthur called "Found: God's Will". I encourage you to find it and purchase the book - it's definitely worth it. But he described that if we simply find our delight in the Lord, He will shape the direct of our heart and we can simply go after what we want, whether that's being an artist, moving to California, or volunteering for something. This is not an unbiblical concept. You see Paul and the team of people he was doing missionary work with in Acts executing this philosophy. Check out how it turned out:

"Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them." Acts 16:6-10

Paul and his companions simply went from town to town, preaching the gospel everywhere, and where they want. They decided that they wanted to preach in a certain place of Asia - so they tried to get in. The Scripture doesn't say how the Spirit did it (perhaps it was by a closed door of opportunity?), but He kept them from going into the area. They kept trying, though! They didn't just give up and write it off as not God's will! In life, it's like we're all in a maze of walls, mirrors, and opened and closed doors, and we bump into these things and feel our way through until we find the right opening to continue on. And that's exactly what this missionary team did. They kept trying to get into Asia. Through that, it led them to other areas where they might not have gone otherwise to preach the gospel, but also they were led down a slightly different path - God wanted them to go to Europe! Christianity no longer would be an Asian cult, but spread throughout the globe through their missionary acts there.

This post is getting long, so I just want to encourage you girls about something I've learned and am learning. Abide in God, and prayerfully and intelligently go after what you want as long as it's holy, and don't give up. Pray, pray, pray, and worship Jesus, and live how He wants you to live - in kindness, in relationship, in strength, and in the Spirit, and don't worry about getting some grand vision from God about what to do with your future. If you are simply with Him, He is with you, and watching out for you - so go in life. Run. It's a short run until we reach eternity with our Father - let's live it to the fullest and to the glory of God.

31 Ways a Girl Can Spend Her Weekend

"Redeeming the time..." - Ephesians 5:16

1. Read and memorise Psalm 1
2. Send a greeting card to a friend or relative in another state or country
3. Pray for your future husband
4. Listen to worshipful music and sing to the Lord
5. Wake at sunrise and spend the first golden hour of the day at Jesus' feet
6. Tidy your space to reflect the order and peace of God
7. Watch an inspiring, God-honouring movie.
8. Print out a favourite Scripture or inspiring quote and frame it
9. Email an encouraging Scripture verse to a friend
10. Pray for your pastor and his family
11. Read a devotional by Oswald Chambers or Charles Spurgeon
12. Take a walk, communing with the Lord as you enjoy His beautiful Creation
13. Begin a knitting, sewing or craft project
14. Keep a thankfulness journal
15. Visit a thrift store and buy a modest outfit for under $10
16. Tell a Bible story to a smaller child at your church
17. Cook a meal for your family
18. Read a chapter of Proverbs slowly and ask God to help you apply it to your life
19. Take the time you normal spend watching TV or surfing the net and play with your siblings instead
20. Pray for your sisters in Christ in the persecuted church
21. Read a pure, God-honouring novel
22. Meditate on 1 Corinthians 13 and pray for these qualities to be cultivated in your life
23. Help out a neighbour
24. Read a book by Elisabeth Elliot, Corrie ten Boom or Leslie Ludy
25. Cut some fresh flowers to decorate your room
26. Complete a project you started
27. Volunteer at a local charity
28. Pray specifically for a missionary
29. Have a heart-to-heart talk with you mom
30. Start a Bible study group
31. Read (or re-read) a few articles from Passion Magazine's archives

Girl Talk: In what other creative ways can you spend your weekend?

Great Summer Reads

As the school year finishes and vacations begin, it's time to take a well-deserved break from study and homework...and refresh your mind and soul with some inspiring, timeless books. Here are some of my very favourites to get you started...

Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper
Christian biographies are one of my favourite genres to read. I am constantly in awe at the powerful, personal ways God worked through His faithful saints and soldiers in ages past. This book is one I'm sure to read and reread over and over again. It details the faithful lives of four amazing women: Sarah Edwards, Lilias Trotter, Gladys Alward and Esther Ahn Kim. And it's always so encouraging (and sometimes convicting) to remember that the same extraordinary God is my God today!
{If you aren't able to get your hands on a paper copy, this book is available free online here.}

When God Writes Your Love Story by Eric and Leslie Ludy
If you haven't already hear of Eric and Leslie's beautiful love story, I'd highly recommend this book! In this book, Eric and Leslie Ludy share God's design for true, lifelong romance -- a kind of love that far surpasses any worldly pattern for relationships. Even if you are not at an age where you're thinking of love and romance, this book shows how we can prepare for our future husbands before we even meet him. Interwoven through this book are glimpses of Eric and Leslie's own love story, which they share more fully in When Dreams Come True (which is highly recommended also!)

The Torn Veil by Gulshan Esther
This is a powerful testimony of God's wondrous grace to deliver, heal and set free. Gulshan, a crippled Pakistani girl, was born into an orthodox Muslim family, where she was brought up according to the strict Islamic code of the Shias. Having heard about Jesus in her late teen years, she began to pray to Him, and experienced a miraculous healing and deliverance from her life of captivity. This inspiring book tells of how, through God's grace, she endured many hardships and became a bold witness for Christ to many in Pakistan.
Note: This book does contain some accounts of persecution (although nothing too graphic) which may be disturbing to younger girls, so if you are under 13 or 14, you may want to ask your parents to read it first.

The Scottish Chiefs by Jane Porter
This novel is at the top of my to-read list as well. I've heard it contains an amazing blend of honour, heroism, nobility and grand adventure. Sounds right up my alley! It is the story of William Wallace, and though I can't tell you much more about it, I'm sure it's going to be an awesome read!
{This book is available free online here.}

The Bible by the King of kings, Jesus Christ
Of course, the best read of all time is the Love Letter handscripted by our Heavenly King. If you haven't been reading regularly over these past few weeks, I'd encourage you to start digging into the Bible again. (It's never to late in the year to start a reading plan, or you can make your own!) One particular reading plan I really like is Prof. Grant Horner's Bible Reading System. If 10 chapters sounds too much for you, I can say from experience that it only takes around 30-40 minutes to read, however you can feel free to split each day's reading in half and read 5 chapters a day. Pretty soon the Word of God will truly come alive!

Hope you enjoy these books, and enjoy a wonderful summer (or winter, if you, like me, are a Southern-Hemisphere-ian)!

Girl Talk: What great books have you read and would recommend? Share them with us below!

Flame of God

Amy Carmichael is one of my greatest spiritual heroes. She was an Irish missionary in the 19th century to Japan, China and India, where she rescued over a thousand children from slavery. Her life was truly one that was poured out without reserve at the feet of her Beloved Jesus. Not only was she a faithful missionary, but a talented writer and poet. I have been inspired again and again by her commitment expressed through her writing. In particular, I am continually challenged and uplifted by this prayer-poem, from her book Toward Jerusalem, which I hope will also encourage you today:

From prayer that asks that I may be

Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,

From fearing when I should aspire,

From faltering when I should climb higher

From silken self, O Captain, free

Thy soldier who would follow Thee.

From subtle love of softening things,

From easy choices, weakenings,

(Not thus are spirits fortified,

Not this way went the Crucified)

From all that dims Thy Calvary

O Lamb of God, deliver me.

Give me the love that leads the way,

The faith that nothing can dismay

The hope no disappointments tire,

The passion that will burn like fire;

Let me not sink to be a clod;

Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.

- Amy Carmichael

To read more about this amazing woman of God, I'd highly recommend A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot.

Like a Child

The moon is made of cottage cheese.

No, really. The moon has been scientifically proven to be made up of a clotted cream-like substance that is soft to the touch and totally cottage-cheesy to the taste. Samples are sitting in the NASA museum...no really! I'm serious!

Fine. Don't believe me, then. ;) But what if I had told that to a classful of preschoolers?

What about Santa, or the tooth fairy, or the fact that you'll blow up if you sneeze, burp, and poke your belly button at the same exact time?

My point is, kids believe stuff that's completely outrageous, that with any logical reasoning would immediately be proven false. Why?

Simple. They have faith.

They have faith in the people that tell them "Of COURSE there's such a thing as the tooth fairy." "Haven't you SEEN the color of the moon? Obviously it's made of cottage cheese, because only cottage cheese is that color."

"Ohhhhhhhh." Their eyes fill with wonder as the impossible suddenly becomes possible, simply because you say so.

Now here's a thought.....

What if we believed God when he told us that he would do stuff?

What if we ACTUALLY believed him with all our hearts, just like as a kid you put your tooth under your pillow, or put cookies out for Santa, or told all your friends that you knew someone who had accidentally exploded?

We would change the world, that's what would happen.

Nothing would be impossible:

"'You don't have enough faith,' Jesus told them. 'I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it would move. Nothing would be impossible'" (Matthew 17:20, NLT).

The Father would give us everything we ask for inside His will:

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:12-14, NLT)

He will show you what life truly is:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart

      and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

      and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV).

He will never, ever leave you alone.

". . .and be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20b, NLT).

Let's start taking God at His word.