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/

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!

Trusting The King of Kings

Hi girls,

I am going to be honest with you guys. A struggle I have been going through these past few weeks, and possibly even months, has been trusting in God. I tend to want to take control of my own life, as many of us tend to do, and not let God run the show. I think this boils down to a trust issue. We sit back and go, "Uh God? I don't know if you can handle this problem...it's kinda big after all..." So we decide to take the problem on ourselves. Instead of handing our problems over to the Creator of the Universe, we decide to take the problem into our own hands. Do you want to guess what happens when we do that? We fail. Every time. The truth is girls, we can not tackle these life difficulties and problems by ourselves! God is calling out to you. He wants to take these problems and give us peace, rest, comfort and love. But girls, he can NOT take our problems for us unless we give them to him. I am going to repeat this again. God can not take our problems for us and give us peace, love, comfort and joy...unless we GIVE THEM to HIM!

I know you might be thinking. "Okay, Okay...this sounds great. But don't you know it's hard to give up something to God?" Yes, girls. I know. Honestly, I am still fighting to try to give up certain things to God. I think some things are easier then others. It really all depends on you. But spend time praying about it. I have found the more I have gotten to know who Jesus was, the more and more I give up things to him. It all goes back to that trust thing again. Think about it. When you meet someone for the first time are you going to sit down and tell them every little bit of your life, and even more....trust them with difficult problems and situations in your life? No! This is because we want to make sure we can trust them first. But it all takes time to get to know someone, God included. So girls, take some time getting to know God, your amazing father. Trust him to be able to handle these problems you give him. He cares and loves you more then you can ever imagine. All we need to do is trust him. Remember he is the King of Kings, no problem is too big or to small. He wants to hear them all.

Girl Talk: What is one thing you have trouble giving up to God?

Delights and Desires

"Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart." -Psalm 37:4

"Looking back on the whirlwind of the past few months and all the amazing things that have happened to bring us to this place, this is what I know to be true:  God takes good care of His children. He places dreams–His dreams–in our hearts. Then in His own way and in His own time, as we delight ourselves in God alone He gives us those desires of our hearts. Why are we always so surprised when extraordinary things happen? The desires of our heart have been His dreams for us all along. The real goal seems to be that we let go of our fears and find our delight in the Lord." -Robin Jones Gunn (from her February 2011 e-newsletter)

Another note I wanted to add is if we aim the focus of our affection onto Jesus, He will surely shape what we want to be aligned to what He wants. That's one of the joys of our relationship with Jesus. He gives us His eyes, and fashions our hearts to beat like His. When He becomes our first desire, the subsequent desires will be authored and accomplished by Him.

Girl Talk: What are some of the desires of your heart? What have been some in the past that have changed as you've followed God?

Looking Back

Hi girls,
Sitting here in the 2011 year it really is hard to believe that time has gone by oh so fast! It almost seems like yesterday that school was just starting and I was taking baby steps closer and closer to being in the 9th grade. Well now the first semester is over and I am starting the second! Sometimes I can get really discouraged, and I think we all have our moments. Have you ever stopped to look back wondering why you are doing what you are or how you even got to where you are today? I sure have, and have been doing a lot of that this year in 2011. Although it's only been a few days since the year started, looking back I can see just how much God did in my life. One of the biggest things he did in 2010 was have me find the Passion Mag. That was a blessing to me in more then one area! :) He allowed my love of writing to grow as well. I just wanted to encourage you. I know life as a teenage girl can be hard, and frustrating at times. But taking the time to look back on some of the things that God has done for you in the past year is a great way to start the year off feeling refreshed and encouraged!

Girl Talk: What has God done in your life this past year?

In His Love,
Angelica

Quiet Time. Vs. Love Time

"Most Christians have been taught in church or by their parents to set aside a daily time for prayer and Scripture reading. It's what we are supposed to do, and so for a long time it's what I valiantly attempted. When I didn't, I felt guilty.

Over time I realized that when we love God, we naturally run to Him--frequently and zealously. Jesus didn't command that we have a regular time with Him each day. Rather, He tells us to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." He called this the "first and greatest commandment" (Matt. 23:37-38). The results are intimate prayer and study of His Word. Our motivation changes from guilt to love.

This is how God longs for us to respond to His extravagant, unending love; not with a cursory "quiet time" plagued by guilt, but with true love expressed through our lives. Like my little girl running out to the driveway to hug me each night because she loves me."

Francis Chan, Crazy Love, pgs. 55-56

Girl talk: Do you agree? Should we set aside time for God each day, or should we naturally go to Him out of our love for Him?

Asking God for Cake?

"[Jesus said,] 'Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.

Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone?

Or is he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!'" (Matthew 7:7-11)

Some Christians interpret that whatever you ask God for, He will give you, from peace to boyfriends, from a college acceptance to a good hair day. I read this passage and only just realized that little phrase in there that I emphasized in the quote: what is good!

When we ask our parents for fish and bread--food--we are asking them for something that we need. Now, how about if we asked them point-blank for cake? Or the extension of a curfew? A car? If they're wise, they're going to give us what they believe is good for us. Isn't it the same way with God? He'll absolutely provide us with EVERY necessity we need and everything He promised us in His word--peace, for instance--and He will also give us what He knows is going to be good for us.

Girl talk: What's some evidence of this you've seen in your life?

Girl Talk: Truly Set-Apart

Hey girls!

This is Ariel. I've been reading Set-Apart Femininity by Leslie Ludy and God has been convicting me in very deep places in my heart. I'm not afraid to confess it--I am not fully dedicated to Him. Recently, I've been letting entertainment, friends, looking beautiful, and hobbies give me refreshment or value, and I've been spending a lot more time on Facebook, watching TV, listening to music, and other worthless, worldly things than making a valuable heart-to-heart connection with God and growing in Him. I'm guilty of being a hypocrite, but I've made the decision to start throwing away these worldly distractions so I can focus on seeking Jesus with all my heart!

I know I'm not the only one who has had these thoughts flitting through my mind; I've been thinking about how big and amazing God is, and how temporary and useless all these things that our culture distracts itself with today is. Is anyone else getting the feeling that maybe Christians should be different because we're not caught up in what the world is--looking attractive for the opposite sex, hanging out with our most popular friends, drinking in pop culture's poisonous messages, spending significant daily time watching TV or going on the internet, having all the hottest or musically superior artists on your iPod--but we're caught up in the King of the Ages, and Him alone?

I'd recommend Set-Apart Femininity to all of you girls--what I've been learning through this book isn't enough to fit into one post!

But again, I know I'm not alone in my thinking--what are you girls doing to un-conform yourself from the patterns of this world and sticking to Jesus' pattern for true, lasting joy, peace, and love instead?? Share in the comments below!!! Let's start a meaningful discussion.

In Him,
Ariel

Holy

Girl Talk: When is the last time you sat down for a few minutes to just contemplate how holy and glorious God is, and how He is?

A Productive Summer

Summer's coming!

Isn't it exciting?? I really can't wait for school to be done with. What is your summer going to be like? Some of us are going to have jobs and tons of activities to bog us down and keep us busy the entire summer. But a lot of us also will just have time, time, time on our hands with school out of the way.

Commit to using all your new free time this summer to spend growing deeper in God! The best hope we have for our lives is to be close to Him, so utilize all this extra time in the summer to prayer and growing in the Word. Also, look for places to volunteer and serve Him. His heart is for the orphaned, poor, and widowed, so don't turn a blind eye to them. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, entertain the folks at a nursery home, or just grab a few friends, make some sandwiches, and go downtown in your city to serve the homeless for Christ! Ask God how you can serve Him this summer and allow Him to guide you to the answer.

Girl Talk: How are you going to serve God this summer? What ideas do you have for your sisters in Christ who want to serve Him by helping those in need, but don't know how?

Sole Rest

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken." (Psalm 62:1-2)

Is it a tall order to find rest and strength alone in the Creator of the universe, the King of life, the Redeemer of our souls who has an endless love for His creation? It shouldn't be. But it is. We rest in the fact that we are well off, or we have a lot of friends, or our social status in school or church, or even silly things, like how we are having a good hair day. But God wants to be our SOLE source of rest, peace, and protection. He wants us to reach the point where He is our everything. We'll never be perfect because of our sin nature, but with His help, we can get really close to it. And when we are snatched away into heaven, His glory will be the only thing there and truly our Everything.


Girl Talk: What do you find rest in? What makes it tough to lean on God instead of this?

Thieves in the Temple

Growing closer to God is a big goal in our lives as Christians. But a question that many will have is how do you? How do you grow closer to God?

One thing I would like to clarify is getting to know God is not about feelings. You'll always go through seasons when the presence of God feels far or it feels like God might not care about you, but feelings are fickle. Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Our walk with God is and will always be about faith in Him and following Him. Have faith that God knows, loves, and hears you. Our first priority is to follow Him. Often feelings will come after that. Just know that in a relationship with God, the foundation is not how your heart feels, but faith in Him and His Word.

That aside, how do we grow closer to God? What's the heart of all this Christian talk about a relationship with Christ? We can literally (well, spiritually) move closer to Him. But...

We live in the world, and the world is a dark, cluttered place. God's on the other end, and though we're sanctified with His holiness so that we glow in the dark, I'd go as far as to say that pretty much all of us have obstacles between Him and us. They could be sins. They could be habits. They could be interests. They could be activities. They could be people and relationships. They're not necessarily bad things!! Just things that we place before God or close to Him. (For instance: school, friends, Facebook.) We often have junk standing between us and God, and I'd bet it's not one item -- there's quite a few.

Think of it like this. There are large obstacles in a line, in between you and your Father. I named some of the things they could be. When you remove one, you have the space to move one step closer to Him! Truly, our life with God and growing closer to God is locating and kicking aside these objects to get closer to the heart of our Lord.

The obstacles in our lives steal away attention from the Holy One. Go grab your Bible and read John 2:13-17. Read Mark's version of the narrative, too, found in Mark 11:15-17. The Bible says our hearts are a temple for God. We want it to be as pure and vacant as possible in order to be filled to its full extent with His glory and love! But there are those thieves we all have in our personal courtyards. Pray to God right now and ask Him to reveal to you any robbers in your heart. Spend some time with your King requesting Him to chase them out, and then truly work to place Him above them, trusting and having faith that the Holy Spirit will help you. Then, you will grow closer to God.

Girl Talk:

What are the robbers in your heart? How do you plan to drive them out? Post your comments sharing with your sisters.