The Race

My Bible study group is reading through a book called Becoming More than Just a Good Bible Study Girl.  Even just the title has had me thinking about pursuing God.  His nature is pursuant.  He is constantly pursuing our hearts and longing for our purity and sanctification.  Am I that committed to pursuing Him?
The temptation in our relationship with God is to decide we have come as far as we can...or want to be...or as far as we are willing to change...or as far as our parents went with God...to be just a good Bible study girl.  Stagnacy kills any relationship.  We call it a rut.  Doing the same thing over and over...standing still instead of growing...looking at an obstacle instead of moving beyond it.
The challenge is in never being satisfied with who we are in relation to Christ.  He constantly wants to know us more...He wants us to pursue Him the way He pursues us.  The Christian life is a race...a journey toward Zion.  You can't get where you are headed or win the race if you are standing still. 
Scripture talks about growing in our faith...moving from infancy to maturity.  Am I headed that way?  Am I constantly taking in the food of the mature? 

Hebrews 5:13-14 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good

I would hate to become content in my relationship with God...the point where conviction doesn't prick my heart or I turn from the change He is asking me to make...where I think that He is finished with me.  How prideful.  Conviction is painful...the starting point of pruning...the tool that leads to refining our faith.  But I welcome it...even ask for it.  After all, I am in this race to win it.

Hebrews 12:1 let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

FAB: Why We Should Care About What We Wear

I have been wondering about why women should care about what they wear.  Sometimes, I think it is about putting your best foot forward...which is definitely the case.  Sometimes, I think it is being taken seriously by the people you come into contact with...which is true.  Sometimes I think it is about trying to find the beauty in all women...which is a huge motivation. 
But I began to wonder about why I care.  I wonder why it matters to me that I look my best.  I really think it is about how I feel about myself.  When I have on an outfit that I love, I feel confident.  Confidence is a HUGE game changer in any one's appearance.  Most men, and women for that matter, will say that confidence is the most attractive quality a woman can have...but it is not a quality most women naturally possess.  A great outfit can give you that feeling of extra confidence because you are rocking an outfit that you love.
Like today, I love my outfit.  I don't necessarily think it is the best I have ever looked, but I am definitely rocking an outfit that I love.  I got a pedicure yesterday, and my toes are painted in a bright royal blue.  I have a dress that is the same color to which I added a great nude wedge sandal and white jean jacket.  Then my favorite thing...jewelry.  I added a pink touch with tons of silver and some pearl accents.  I LOVE it!
A great outfit makes me walk with purpose, smile more and approach people I might not when I am feeling less confident.  That is why we should care about what we wear...it can change how we feel.

Fashion Quick Hits:

• Think about proportion.  If you are heavier on top, think about how to balance out your bottom half, like with a brighter color or a trouser jean.  Mr. Gru (Despicable Me) or a lollipop should never be your fashion goal or style icon.  If you are heavier on the bottom, wearing a bright or form fitting top will balance you out better...save the blacks, browns and dark blues for your pants. 
• If you have fine hair, try this: condition your hair and then shampoo it.  Sounds backward, I know.  I need the conditioning help from my daily conditioner; shampooing second washes away the residue without the benefit of the conditioner.  It will make your hair feel healthier and give it the bounce you want in a volumizing shampoo/conditioner set.
• Nail colors that are crazy popular right now are bright fuchsia, coral and gray.  If you want a dark every season color other than black, try eggplant - OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark is a great one. 
• Remember nail polish is a great way to keep up with the colors or trends of the season without having to dump a ton of money into new wardrobe choices that will not be popular in a few months.  Your wardrobe should have colors that look great on you; accessorize with trends.
• A great haircut can make a world of difference in your appearance.  Take care of your hair!

Confessions

• I am loving Happy Endings.  It is not quite Friends good, but it fills my sitcom void...until Troy and I start watching 30 Rock this summer.  30 Rock is going to be the one show that Justin is always asking us if we watch that we are going to try.
• I am getting frustrated with the way women feel the need to compete.
• I am not thrilled with the thought of Troy fighting in the US Open this year.  Jason says he would not put him in the ring if he did not feel like Troy was ready...and I trust Jason...but still.
• I love some of the new friendships that I have the wonderful opportunity to begin.  I also feel like I have let a few intentional friendships become less intentional...to the betterment of one and detriment of the other.  I really want to learn the balance of that.
• Speaking of friends and Jason, I always forget how much I miss talking to him until I have the opportunity to say more than two words to him.  I wish that relationship didn't have so much drama around it.
• I realized one of the reasons I love Bible study and the girls in it so much is my love language, quality time.  I really don't think there is a way to spend time with other people that is of higher quality than discussing the Word of God.  So that time means tons to me...which translates into feeling love for the people there.  I just need to learn to reconcile the emotion when people don't come with my firm belief that God brings who He wants to each study.
• I wrote this in a blog awhile ago and was reminded of it when checking facebook today: The facebook status is a crazy thing. It is fun to update people on life's happenings and makes informing lots of people at once really easy. Sometimes we use them to share something we are learning or encourage someone specific. Unfortunately, so many people have begun using the status as a way to send a hurtful message to someone specific. Sometimes thinly veiled...sometimes thick with mystery. We are creating a passive aggressive way to attack people. God has really been teaching me how dangerous it is...how it can damage relationships. For the one person the message was meant, there are hundreds it wasn't...but they don't know that. If you don't have anything nice to say...

FAB: Things I Love

InStyle

I am loving InStyle right now.  I have a subscription (that I got at a great price through the Girl Scouts yearly magazine sales), but I am also loving their facebook page and website.  If you are interested in fashion, beauty or keeping up with trends, these are great resources.  All three sources have tips and fun things to learn or participate in.  The website even has a game that lets you play fashion stylist!  For me, it is a great escape from things that can weigh me down.  It is pure fun and ends up teaching me tons also.

The Grace of God by Andy Stanley

Our Sunday school class just read through this book together.  I like Andy a lot.  I have heard him speak both live and on video several times.  He is well spoken and very knowledgeable.  This is the first book of his that I have read.  I really loved his writing style.  He weaves the Bible with present day issues.  Each chapter takes a look at the grace of God in the life of a Bible character.  He reminds us that we are not so different than those characters in the Word that we look up to or down on.  God's grace extends to all and covers all.  Stanley brings up aspects of grace that I have not thought about before and reminded me of my favorite parts of God's gift that is grace.  I did not always agree with what he says, but I appreciate being challenged to think.

Biolage Daily Leave-in Tonic

My hair is very fine, but I have tons of it...which is wonderful, but it gets very tangled.  I went through a time when combing my hair was my least favorite part of my day.  I broke several combs trying to tame this crazy head of hair.  I was talking to my mom about it, and she recommended this fabulous product.  A few sprays on wet hair makes it so easy to comb through.  I don't even need conditioner every day.  Sometimes, I shampoo and use the daily tonic in place of traditional conditioner.  I love the product because I don't really put styling products in my hair.  Fine hair does not handle product residue well.  My hair can also tend toward being oily...which also does not take product well.  It will get oily and fall flat quickly so any product is iffy in my hair anyway.  This one works great!  I can comb through my hair easily and not have a greasy feeling in my hair all day.

SOME TIPS TO THINK ABOUT FOR READING THE BIBLE…

Troy found these and shared them with the group at our church that is reading Thru the Bible this year.  I loved them and wanted to share!

• Adopt the motto, “No Bible - No food.” Don’t allow yourself to eat breakfast until you have first read at least a verse from the Bible.
• Take a small Bible with you to the gym…before you start your rigorous workout sit on a stationary bike, pedal lightly and read a few verses during your warm up.
• When your wife asks you to go shopping with her, instead of letting it ruin your day, slide a Bible into your back pocket and find a nice comfortable place to sit and read while she decides between the black pants or the white ones or maybe the red ones. Ladies can also adopt this tactic when asked to go to a gun show.
• Give up one T.V. show to read the Bible
• Go to a place you like and look forward to each week and read your Bible there. For example, go to Starbucks every Monday afternoon, get a tall white chocolate mocha, and read a chapter of the Bible. Great for getting through those dreadful Mondays. Reward yourself with a treat and with God’s truth.
• Download an audio Bible to your iPod
• Write a Bible verse on a 3×5 card and keep the card in your back pocket, occasionally pull it out during the day and memorize the verse. I did this in college while walking across campus from one class to the next, it was a great way to focus on the Bible throughout the day.
• The Bible tells us one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to teach us the Word of God. Pray that the Spirit would help you see and live out what you read.
• Give it time to soak. Meditation is an important aspect of Bible reading. Read over the same portion of Scripture many times during one sitting for deeper understanding.
• Find someone who seems to know and live out the Bible better than you do and then ask that person questions.
• If you are reading the Bible with a friend or with a spouse, talk about what you are each interested in right now. These topics can really help guide you into what portions of the Bible to read.
• Christian book stores are filled with Bible study guides on a plethora of topics. Some of them are centered on certain topics while others walk you through studying a certain book of the Bible or a certain larger section of Scripture.
• Keep it fresh. Shake things up, instead of reading from the NIV like every other morning spend the week reading from The Message or from the New Living Translation. Or spend a day doing your reading at a park instead of at your kitchen table.
• Set up a consistent time every day to read the Bible. If you try to read through the Bible every year without a consistent time it just won’t happen. If you shoot for nothing you’ll hit it every time.
• Pick out a Bible that will fit your lifestyle. If you are constantly on the go, make sure you have a Bible that will fit in your back pocket or purse. If you are at home and do a lot of your reading at home, get a larger Bible that lays nice and flat with some helpful study notes. If your eyes aren’t that good, don’t buy a Bible with small print, you’ll never read it. Get a Bible that fits your lifestyle and is easy for you to read and understand. 

FAB: Met Gala Fashion

So I don't really know what the purpose of the Metropolitan Costume Institute Gala is but, every year, tons of stars go and fashion is why. So here is my take on the nights big winners and losers.

Big trend of the night was long sleeve dresses.  I liked most of the attempts to pull this off.  Here is my top three:

I love when people have personal style.  I wanted to hate this dress until I realized it is what I should expect from Christina Ricci.

So I also generally appreciate Michelle Williams style even if I don't like it because she is true to herself.  But this time I can't like it because I HATE birds.

I think I would love Alicia's dress if she wasn't wearing the jacket.  I am not sure that I understand what she is going for.

So I looked at this dress for a long time because I think she looks beautiful but at the same time I did not like the over all dress that much.  I tried to decide why and came up with the fact that I think she could have done without giving the illusion that she is showing the world half of her naked body.  She can look beautiful without that.

Ok.  I have to admit that to only choose three worst dressed ladies I had to remove the people who were wearing just plain crazy things and assume that these people were actually trying and missed the mark.

Now for Best Dressed of the night.  Here are my top five looks!