Once again revisiting when I wrote to women in my life asking them for advice that they would give one thing that was said is forgiveness, and acceptance. Knowing and living as though you are forgiven and pardoned from all of your sin. That when there are more things in my life that God shows us that he wants, it is a joyful thing because he has already forgiven us everything and now wants to draw us closer to himself. So many times we go before God with our shame and guilt or we do not go before him at all because of our shame and guilt. He is never searching out more things that we are doing wrong instead he is looking inside of us to find more ways he can draw us closer to himself.
When we hold onto grudges or refuse to forgive others it breeds bitterness and hurts you a lot more than it can ever hurt the other person. This is something that we are told as Christians but it is also something that we rarely really hear. We think that the people saying that to us can never understand what we have gone through or are going through. They do not know what has happened to you, they do not know how insecure or small or worthless that other person has made you feel, or continues to make you feel. The truth is you are right they have no idea. They might try to relate and share what they have gone through and it might help but it might not. What they can understand and what I do know it that forgiveness always feels good. It is freeing and allows you to be so much closer to Jesus. Because you can not possible understand what he went through. His own father allowing him to die the most painful death, his friends all betraying and deserting him. But he forgave it all and he forgave you so when we forgive we are more like Christ and can draw closer to him. In him is all security and beauty and you know you are worth it all when you are near him. I do not know or understand what anyone else has gone through and I am old enough to know it does not do much good to pretend that you do.
So forgive others and yourself because Christ forgave you and draw closer to him through that.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
"Thinspiration" inspiration
So today I ventured into the internet world of thinspiration and have emerged wiser and more saddened than I will ever be able to communicate.
After reading blog after blog on these girls weight loss plans, journeys and goals I came to the conclusion that this world needs Jesus. Which might make you pause and say "well duh" to yourself it is the one thing that I just kept thinking.
One of the bloggers wrote that the desire to be skinny or thin is looked down upon as a disease and telling someone they need to gain weight is fine but, telling a obese person to loose weight is frowned upon. And while I do not know that I would totally agree with that, how many chubby kids or girls in school are made fun of. How many mom's have told an overweight daughter to go on a diet. Extremes of either one are no good and there are people on both sides defending their lifestyles and making excuses for it. In the end it comes down to this desire to be comfortable in their own skin.
These are quotes from 2 different blogs.
this was written as a consequence to slacking on the diet plan this girl had:
"Hate myself, loathe the mirror and be stuck in this body I feel holds some of my personality back"
I read this and it broke my heart. This is not w weight loss problem. This is not about whether these girls are doing this in a way that is healthy for their body. This is a heart issue. I am all about healthy lifestyle changes and losing weight in a healthy way. My criticism, my question is where are the hearts and minds of these girls. My question for both sides is why are they doing it?
"My goal is ultimately just to feel comfortable in my own skin, to be able to walk throughout my day without my own weight suffocating my bones."
This desire, this need in each woman is what leads to these dangerous behaviors. These un healthy coping mechanisms to try and accomplish something that is only possible with Jesus. Truly being confident, secure and comfortable in your own skin. We can manipulate it but ultimately he created it so only he knows how we can be comfortable in it.
The last quote that popped out at me throughout my reading was this
"you couldn't understand even if you tried because you don't know what it is like to cut, to puke and starve. To hate every inch of yourself.
One of the biggest lessons I learned a while back was no matter how much you can relate to another person, no matter how similair your expiriences are. You will never understand another person. That is why we have to rely on God for his words and guidance in what to say because again he created that skin that they long to be comfortable in.
Throughout my time online I saw girls bashing each other and their views. I saw the big and beautiful community rip on the skinny girls. The skinny girls call the fat girls cows. The healthy girls say who are the people who started this, who do they think they are?, what good do they think they are doing?.
As I read all I kept seeing was the question that they were all asking
"I want to be comfortable in my own skin, has anyone actually figured out how to do that?"
Shameless plug. If you read this and do your own research or even just read this and think. Man i want to tell girls that the designer of their skin can show them how to wear it comfortably then the Refined Beauty DTS might be the place for you. check us out at www.ywampittsburgh.org
After reading blog after blog on these girls weight loss plans, journeys and goals I came to the conclusion that this world needs Jesus. Which might make you pause and say "well duh" to yourself it is the one thing that I just kept thinking.
One of the bloggers wrote that the desire to be skinny or thin is looked down upon as a disease and telling someone they need to gain weight is fine but, telling a obese person to loose weight is frowned upon. And while I do not know that I would totally agree with that, how many chubby kids or girls in school are made fun of. How many mom's have told an overweight daughter to go on a diet. Extremes of either one are no good and there are people on both sides defending their lifestyles and making excuses for it. In the end it comes down to this desire to be comfortable in their own skin.
These are quotes from 2 different blogs.
this was written as a consequence to slacking on the diet plan this girl had:
"Hate myself, loathe the mirror and be stuck in this body I feel holds some of my personality back"
I read this and it broke my heart. This is not w weight loss problem. This is not about whether these girls are doing this in a way that is healthy for their body. This is a heart issue. I am all about healthy lifestyle changes and losing weight in a healthy way. My criticism, my question is where are the hearts and minds of these girls. My question for both sides is why are they doing it?
"My goal is ultimately just to feel comfortable in my own skin, to be able to walk throughout my day without my own weight suffocating my bones."
This desire, this need in each woman is what leads to these dangerous behaviors. These un healthy coping mechanisms to try and accomplish something that is only possible with Jesus. Truly being confident, secure and comfortable in your own skin. We can manipulate it but ultimately he created it so only he knows how we can be comfortable in it.
The last quote that popped out at me throughout my reading was this
"you couldn't understand even if you tried because you don't know what it is like to cut, to puke and starve. To hate every inch of yourself.
One of the biggest lessons I learned a while back was no matter how much you can relate to another person, no matter how similair your expiriences are. You will never understand another person. That is why we have to rely on God for his words and guidance in what to say because again he created that skin that they long to be comfortable in.
Throughout my time online I saw girls bashing each other and their views. I saw the big and beautiful community rip on the skinny girls. The skinny girls call the fat girls cows. The healthy girls say who are the people who started this, who do they think they are?, what good do they think they are doing?.
As I read all I kept seeing was the question that they were all asking
"I want to be comfortable in my own skin, has anyone actually figured out how to do that?"
Shameless plug. If you read this and do your own research or even just read this and think. Man i want to tell girls that the designer of their skin can show them how to wear it comfortably then the Refined Beauty DTS might be the place for you. check us out at www.ywampittsburgh.org
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Gal Pals
So I have been reading through the stories of women in the bible lately and I just wanted to talk about the story of Hagar and Sarai for a minute today. Now some of this reflection is purely my speculation, this isn't meant to be scholarly as much as my reflections.
So a few weeks ago we went to a Youth Group and after the service we were talking to girls in small groups. I had a group and three of them were friends who hung out all of the time except when they were fighting. I asked them what they fought about and they said "boys". Shocker I know. The thing is we sit here and laugh to ourselves and think of course middle school girls what else would it be. But the fact is this continually is what comes between friendships, when our contentment is not completely founded in Christ. When we do not trust him for our every need. We allow our insecurities to take over and allow boys to come between us.
I think this is what happened with Sarai and Hagar. Hagar was her servant but I think they were friends or at least close if Sarai was willing to allow her to bear her husband a son I don't think she would choose just any maid for that. Maybe I am wrong but I think also that is why it hurt Sarai so badly when Hagar started to treat her with contempt. Hagar who had never had something her mistress did not was in a position of having something Sarai wanted. It was a relationship shift, one that neither handled well. I believe because there were boys involved both Abram and the son Hagar carried. They changed the dynamic of who these two women were and what they had before. Sarai let her insecurity rule, rather than placing all of her trust in him and seeking him on what she should do.
Insecurity not the man himself is what destroys the relationship. One of the two wanting what the other has, and the other not being sensitive to where the other is in life. Far too often we treat others insecurities with contempt instead of empathy, prayer and encouragement. When our gal pals have a new male relationship in their life how do we take it? Do we take these emotions to God? Do we immediately begin judging this boyfriend as unfit for our friend? Do we talk amongst our other girlfriends about how she has abandoned us? I will admit at different points in my life with different friendships I have reacted in all of these ways. In the end security in Christ is the place we need to operate out of. It is central to everything we do and every relationship we have. Although we are always told getting married doesn't fix everything, it isn't the answer. Many times we single girls still think it will solve some things right? In the end though I look at this story and have a fresh revelation that security in Christ is where it is at.
So now my plug if you want to hear some amazing speakers with much wisdom and insight about relationships with people and your relationship with Jesus and if you want to make some amazing new gal pals check out the refined beauty DTS at www.ywampittsburgh.com
Insecurity not the man himself is what destroys the relationship. One of the two wanting what the other has, and the other not being sensitive to where the other is in life. Far too often we treat others insecurities with contempt instead of empathy, prayer and encouragement. When our gal pals have a new male relationship in their life how do we take it? Do we take these emotions to God? Do we immediately begin judging this boyfriend as unfit for our friend? Do we talk amongst our other girlfriends about how she has abandoned us? I will admit at different points in my life with different friendships I have reacted in all of these ways. In the end security in Christ is the place we need to operate out of. It is central to everything we do and every relationship we have. Although we are always told getting married doesn't fix everything, it isn't the answer. Many times we single girls still think it will solve some things right? In the end though I look at this story and have a fresh revelation that security in Christ is where it is at.
So now my plug if you want to hear some amazing speakers with much wisdom and insight about relationships with people and your relationship with Jesus and if you want to make some amazing new gal pals check out the refined beauty DTS at www.ywampittsburgh.com
Monday, December 17, 2012
Conditioner Success and Whipped Cream Failure
Hello all so today I want to talk to you about success and failure, with my semi-curly hair.
I have semi- curly hair and about a month and a half ago my housemate introduced me to this book called Curly Girl. It is by a woman who had devoted herself to cutting, styling and passing on her wisdom, knowledge and experience with curly hair.
So my success from this book is that I no longer use shampoo, only conditioner. When I first read this I was like won't I feel dirty but the truth is no you just scrub your scalp well with the conditioner rinse all of that out apply conditioner to just your hair rinse most of it out leave some in and voila! My hair looks pretty good and it isn't nearly as dry and poofy
The failure happened when I turned to a page about some home remedies for curly hair. It said for a dry scalp you can use redi whip and put it on your head let it sit and rinse it out with warm water.
Well I did this... or I attempted this.
I thought I rinsed it out really well but the next day when my hair smelled like milk that had been left out I thought maybe I didn't. Not only did my hair smell but it was greasy. Not only did it smell and was it greasy but my scalp looked worse. Needless to say I would not recommend this and although I still had the redi-whip in my fridge and from time to time thought about trying it again. In the end I am scarred and instead decided to make crepes with fruit and redi- whip.
All of this to say that things do not always work out the way you want them to. When this happens it can leave a scar. What we do with that scar and that experience is what matters. It is cliche but true. I could have scrapped the whole thing and tossed out the whipped cream and pretended that I had never done something like that. Or I could have tried again and rinsed better and shared a success story. Instead I decided to share my failure with you. Just in case you thought I was a brilliant home remedy person that this stuff always worked for, now you know that I win some and I loose some, also to use it as a teachable moment. Not of if at first you don't succeed try, try again. But if at first you don't succeed use your failure to warn others against the same mistake and then make crepes!
No quite as catchy but you get the drift. The whole idea behind the Refined Beauty DTS and ministry is that we have all made mistakes and had misconceptions of what beauty is and who Jesus is and how he views us. The challenge is are you willing to give it all up to him. To allow him to show you that all of those failures he wants to turn into successes. Maybe in a way you never would have thought of on your own. When my head first smelled like sour milk the last thing I was thinking of was eating that whipped cream. However if that whipped cream hadn't have been in my fridge I never would have thought of making crepes and it was a delightful Saturday morning treat!
So Shameless plug time. If you have curly hair and want more direction on using only conditioner shoot me an email. If you too have a home remedy horror story email me or comment here get some conversation going. But more importantly if you think that giving 5 months of your life and dedicating it to Jesus so he can turn you sour milk moments into Saturday morning Crepes email me here or visit www.ywampittsburgh.org. Thanks so much
I thought I rinsed it out really well but the next day when my hair smelled like milk that had been left out I thought maybe I didn't. Not only did my hair smell but it was greasy. Not only did it smell and was it greasy but my scalp looked worse. Needless to say I would not recommend this and although I still had the redi-whip in my fridge and from time to time thought about trying it again. In the end I am scarred and instead decided to make crepes with fruit and redi- whip.
All of this to say that things do not always work out the way you want them to. When this happens it can leave a scar. What we do with that scar and that experience is what matters. It is cliche but true. I could have scrapped the whole thing and tossed out the whipped cream and pretended that I had never done something like that. Or I could have tried again and rinsed better and shared a success story. Instead I decided to share my failure with you. Just in case you thought I was a brilliant home remedy person that this stuff always worked for, now you know that I win some and I loose some, also to use it as a teachable moment. Not of if at first you don't succeed try, try again. But if at first you don't succeed use your failure to warn others against the same mistake and then make crepes!
No quite as catchy but you get the drift. The whole idea behind the Refined Beauty DTS and ministry is that we have all made mistakes and had misconceptions of what beauty is and who Jesus is and how he views us. The challenge is are you willing to give it all up to him. To allow him to show you that all of those failures he wants to turn into successes. Maybe in a way you never would have thought of on your own. When my head first smelled like sour milk the last thing I was thinking of was eating that whipped cream. However if that whipped cream hadn't have been in my fridge I never would have thought of making crepes and it was a delightful Saturday morning treat!
So Shameless plug time. If you have curly hair and want more direction on using only conditioner shoot me an email. If you too have a home remedy horror story email me or comment here get some conversation going. But more importantly if you think that giving 5 months of your life and dedicating it to Jesus so he can turn you sour milk moments into Saturday morning Crepes email me here or visit www.ywampittsburgh.org. Thanks so much
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Intimacy with Christ
So as I said before I asked many of the women in my life if they had one piece of advice to give young women today what would it be.
One of the posts was intimacy with Christ and the importance and necessity of healing.
This is something that is near and dear to my heart. When we hear the word intimacy often it is an uncomfortable word. It is a level of closeness and transparency that says all of me is for you to see. Many of us have been hurt. By family, friends or boyfriends in one way or another that makes it hard for us to have a healthy view of God because he is our father, friend and lover. But he is perfect he won't hurt you, he wants to heal you. Through an intimacy with him he shows you how much he desires you, all of you.
I am 24 and I have never had a boyfriend so while I have never been hurt I had my own insecurities. I struggled with thinking that God was going to one day find something that he didn't like in me and then we wouldn't be as close or that he would find someone that he liked better and wanted to be closer to and I would somehow loose touch with him. It was a fear that I couldn't put words to or understand until after he showed it to me, and began the healing process. Through that healing I know that everything he sees and shows me, everything I obey him in is only going to draw me closer because he already sees everything I am. was and will be and desires to be intimate with me not simply in spite of it all but because of it all.
I think I wrote a similar blog earlier but decided to reflect on this thought again because it was brilliant advice. Be intimate with Jesus no matter how uncomfortable it will only make your life richer and relationships deeper. He desires to heal you because he desires you.
One of the posts was intimacy with Christ and the importance and necessity of healing.
This is something that is near and dear to my heart. When we hear the word intimacy often it is an uncomfortable word. It is a level of closeness and transparency that says all of me is for you to see. Many of us have been hurt. By family, friends or boyfriends in one way or another that makes it hard for us to have a healthy view of God because he is our father, friend and lover. But he is perfect he won't hurt you, he wants to heal you. Through an intimacy with him he shows you how much he desires you, all of you.
I am 24 and I have never had a boyfriend so while I have never been hurt I had my own insecurities. I struggled with thinking that God was going to one day find something that he didn't like in me and then we wouldn't be as close or that he would find someone that he liked better and wanted to be closer to and I would somehow loose touch with him. It was a fear that I couldn't put words to or understand until after he showed it to me, and began the healing process. Through that healing I know that everything he sees and shows me, everything I obey him in is only going to draw me closer because he already sees everything I am. was and will be and desires to be intimate with me not simply in spite of it all but because of it all.
I think I wrote a similar blog earlier but decided to reflect on this thought again because it was brilliant advice. Be intimate with Jesus no matter how uncomfortable it will only make your life richer and relationships deeper. He desires to heal you because he desires you.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Pass the Petroleum Jelly Please.
Today is time for a much over due beauty tip. Today's topic is petroleum jelly and the 2 things that I have used it for although there are so many uses you can find on the internet the two things that i use it on are my lips and nails.
So First is the lips. I read this trick in a magazine a while ago and have been using it ever since when my lips need a little TLC
Step 1 exfoliate. If you haven't figured it out by now I am a huge advocate of off with the old on with the new. So there are a few options on how to go about this.
Option 1 go to the store and pick up a lip exfoliant. My personal favorite is Bath and Body works sugar scrub but you can use any your heart desires.
Option 2 use some sugar and olive oil and rub it circles on your lips for about a min.
Option 3 take your tooth brush get it wet and then rub it in a circular motion on your lips for about a min.
Then rinse and dry your lips wiping away all of those dead skin cells.
Step 2 take your petroleum Jelly and coat your lips in it using it like a lip mask. Leave them be for 10 min. Then take a tissue and dab it off of your lips and then apply whatever lip balm, chap stick, lip gloss or lipstick your heart desires. You will love your lips!
The Second thing I like to use Petroleum Jelly for is my nails and cuticles. I learned this from the women in Thailand. Many of them have strong beautiful nails, now part of this is the climate and food because my nails improved while I was there. However one day I was giving a manicure to a woman and I told her she had beautiful nails and that mine chipped and broke and were weak and she told me to rub petroleum Jelly on my nails in between painting them and so I started and it worked!! Plus it is good for the cuticles too.
So for this just rub a generous amount of petroleum jelly on your nails and cuticles and let is sit for as long as you have time for. It is best to do this before bed but if you are in a hurry or wanting to paint your nails before bed let it sit for 15 min. Then push back and/or cut your cuticles. rub more of the Jelly into your nail. Then if you are going to paint them use a little nail polish remover o each nail to get rid of the oils and paint away.
Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. This is true with beauty tips and tricks. I was looking in the magazine and found the lip mask idea. I told a girl in Thailand she had nice nails and mine were terrible and she shared her trick with me. A lot of the time we look at women with a better complexion or prettier hands or lips than us and we get insecure or intimidated. We think that they are so much prettier than us and so they would never share with us how. Or if they do it is going to be something that there is no way we can do that. When the truth is it could be as simple as petroleum jelly. The kingdom of God is the same way. Sometimes we get intimidated by people who seem so holy or a God who is so perfection. We think I am so messed up how could he care about my inquiry or my problem. The truth is it is as simple as receiving a free gift.
The reality is he is not only dying to share his tips, tricks and answers with us, he did Die to be our answer.
So if you have your own tips and tricks share them in the comments section or email them to me and I will make a blog post out of them. If you have read this and other entries and would like more information send me an email at refinedbeautyywam@gmail.com or check out our website
www.ywampittsburgh.org
Thanks for reading!
So First is the lips. I read this trick in a magazine a while ago and have been using it ever since when my lips need a little TLC
Step 1 exfoliate. If you haven't figured it out by now I am a huge advocate of off with the old on with the new. So there are a few options on how to go about this.
Option 1 go to the store and pick up a lip exfoliant. My personal favorite is Bath and Body works sugar scrub but you can use any your heart desires.
Option 2 use some sugar and olive oil and rub it circles on your lips for about a min.
Option 3 take your tooth brush get it wet and then rub it in a circular motion on your lips for about a min.
Then rinse and dry your lips wiping away all of those dead skin cells.
Step 2 take your petroleum Jelly and coat your lips in it using it like a lip mask. Leave them be for 10 min. Then take a tissue and dab it off of your lips and then apply whatever lip balm, chap stick, lip gloss or lipstick your heart desires. You will love your lips!
The Second thing I like to use Petroleum Jelly for is my nails and cuticles. I learned this from the women in Thailand. Many of them have strong beautiful nails, now part of this is the climate and food because my nails improved while I was there. However one day I was giving a manicure to a woman and I told her she had beautiful nails and that mine chipped and broke and were weak and she told me to rub petroleum Jelly on my nails in between painting them and so I started and it worked!! Plus it is good for the cuticles too.
So for this just rub a generous amount of petroleum jelly on your nails and cuticles and let is sit for as long as you have time for. It is best to do this before bed but if you are in a hurry or wanting to paint your nails before bed let it sit for 15 min. Then push back and/or cut your cuticles. rub more of the Jelly into your nail. Then if you are going to paint them use a little nail polish remover o each nail to get rid of the oils and paint away.
Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. This is true with beauty tips and tricks. I was looking in the magazine and found the lip mask idea. I told a girl in Thailand she had nice nails and mine were terrible and she shared her trick with me. A lot of the time we look at women with a better complexion or prettier hands or lips than us and we get insecure or intimidated. We think that they are so much prettier than us and so they would never share with us how. Or if they do it is going to be something that there is no way we can do that. When the truth is it could be as simple as petroleum jelly. The kingdom of God is the same way. Sometimes we get intimidated by people who seem so holy or a God who is so perfection. We think I am so messed up how could he care about my inquiry or my problem. The truth is it is as simple as receiving a free gift.
The reality is he is not only dying to share his tips, tricks and answers with us, he did Die to be our answer.
So if you have your own tips and tricks share them in the comments section or email them to me and I will make a blog post out of them. If you have read this and other entries and would like more information send me an email at refinedbeautyywam@gmail.com or check out our website
www.ywampittsburgh.org
Thanks for reading!
Holy Fitness!
Hey all this is a blog post from one of our accepted DTS students for the March 2013 Refined Beauty DTS Mallery. As you will see she has a passion for fitness as well as for women and girls to really know who they are in Christ. I am so pumped to have my very first guest blogger Enjoy!!!About 4 months ago the Lord called me to YWAM Pittsburgh.I remember walking off the campus "base" thinking " Lord, I am way too old, I am self employed and I have responsibilities"How could this happen? Fear of sacrifice played in my mind and I said nope it's not Gods will."For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT"I then said ok Lord, open up opportunities for local ministry. Where do you want me? USE ME JESUS!While serving at local churches and ministries in my area, God kept tugging at my hear saying "Are you ALL IN"I thought I was, I was reading the word daily, taking biblical classes, and praying every chance I got!This scripture below came to my mind, read carefully..Matt 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.HE SAID TO ME "NO MALLERY, SURRENDER IT ALL, ARE YOU GOING TO DO MY WILL OR YOURS?"Now, let me share a a bit of my heart with you. I am 26 (27 Feb 11th) enjoy working out, giving animals/friends/family love, shopping, fellowship and some down time to read the word. Let's just say that list is not in the correct order but yes that sums Mallery up. My daily routine consist of about 1 to 2 hours of strength training, running (outside if it's nice) and stretching. I am very set on doing this daily. Working out is my passion.There are more than 4 reason why... Can I share with you my top FOUR?1. You are what you eat 1 Corinthians 10:31So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.2. Endorphins (I call them happy cells) this scripture always comes to my mind after a workout..Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.3. Look great on the outside to match what's on the outside Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.4. Strive to be the best that I can, continue to run4Jesus!1 Corinthians Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.Ok. Now that you know a bit about me and my passion for fitness. The Lord really dealt with me a few months ago when he said SURRENDER! Think about this, what does that word mean to you? Give up everything? Right? So, obviously I was on the defense side and cautious that I might be misinterpreting the Lords guiding. I continued to pray because really that was all I could do. I said if this is your will, how can this possibly happen? He then placed this scripture right in-front of me Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.BAM! God is good. I then picked up the phone and started reaching out to YWAM. I sat in on a lecture class in the a.m, fellowed with the staff, went on an outreach and all I have to say is this ministry is amazing!April and Courtney (Staff leaders for the Refined Beauty) have such a heart for Christ and use cosmetology as a platform to share Gods love.I knew after meeting these two Godly ladies and seeing how YWAM operated I was ALL in! Yes, I am stepping out in full faith that God will provide. In life I want to be a Christ follower, change lives and help people to grow in their relationship with Christ! When times get tough, PUSH THROUGH knowing God's got me. My prayer is to be challenged & stretched.I am truly honored and excited to be a part of the first DTS Refined Beauty! Hey, who knows I might just have to add some fitness classes at the Pittsburgh location. Ok... After reading this let's sum it all up for you..- IF YOU WANT TO GROW A DEEPER MORE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS- LEARN MANY GREAT BEAUTY TIPS :)- GET IN PHENOMENAL SHAPEThen YWAM Refined Beauty is for you! BAM, just what you needed confirmation...You can contact me (Mallery Schaffer) directly at Inspiremefitness@gmail.com LOVE YOU SISTA!!!
Friday, December 7, 2012
Experimental Baking
I love to bake, and I love to eat the things that I bake, its a problem. I don't really use recipes or at least I don't follow them to the letter because well I think that is boring. This might say something about a lack of taking direction but it also results in some pretty fabulous creations, and large messes I then I have to clean up.
A friend of mine shared a recipe for cake batter puppy chow with me. For those of you who do not know me this could not have been more exciting news. Puppy chow is one of the things in this world that I sit and eat until I am sick every time it is in front of me and I still love it and think it is worth it, and eat eat cake batter by the spoon full. Now for all of you who are not completely grossed out I want to share a red velvet puppy chow recipe I came up with.
1/2 cup cream cheese frosting
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 t vanilla
9 cups Chex
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups red velvet cake mix
So you melt the chocolate chips and cream cheese and frosting together over the stove or in the microwave. Then add the vanilla
In a separate bowl mix your powdered sugar and cake mix together.
Then pour your melted mixture over the chex and mix until they are all evenly coated.
Put your coated chex in a large tupperware or gallon plastic bag pour in the cake mix and shake it all up until they are all evenly coated then enjoy!
The thing about this is when we do things our own way we make a mess that we have to clean up I had cake mix from one end of the kitchen to the other and all over myself. I burnt chocolate chips and had frosting all over the table and the microwave. It was a hot mess. Although it ended in something I can share with you, had I just known my measurements and exactly what I would need I could have been much neater about everything.
While I will never stop expiramental baking I think far too often I take this approach in my own life and walk with the Lord as well. I read the bible or I know what is right or what he wants from me but I make my own plan thinking it will be better than whatever it is he had and will get the same if not better results. I wind up making a hot mess out of everything and then I have to clean it all up or rather I turn to Jesus and say How on earth am I going to clean this up?
He is faithful to show me every time, and then the next time I listen to him more I add less and less of my own tweaks to his perfection. Because if we love him,if we truly choose him every single day whether we feel like it or not. Whether it sounds like it is going to be fun or exciting or turn out the way we think it should. We will follow his commands and his plan. Unlike experimental baking, experimental living is never better than the original perfect recipe.
Shameless plug if you think experimental baking with me sounds like a blast you should come to this school because I will be here all day everyday! But in all seriousness if you read this and thought sounds like fun check out the first blog entry to hear what it is all about. Or just shoot me an email at refinedbeautyywam@gmail.com.
A friend of mine shared a recipe for cake batter puppy chow with me. For those of you who do not know me this could not have been more exciting news. Puppy chow is one of the things in this world that I sit and eat until I am sick every time it is in front of me and I still love it and think it is worth it, and eat eat cake batter by the spoon full. Now for all of you who are not completely grossed out I want to share a red velvet puppy chow recipe I came up with.
1/2 cup cream cheese frosting
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 t vanilla
9 cups Chex
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups red velvet cake mix
So you melt the chocolate chips and cream cheese and frosting together over the stove or in the microwave. Then add the vanilla
In a separate bowl mix your powdered sugar and cake mix together.
Then pour your melted mixture over the chex and mix until they are all evenly coated.
Put your coated chex in a large tupperware or gallon plastic bag pour in the cake mix and shake it all up until they are all evenly coated then enjoy!
The thing about this is when we do things our own way we make a mess that we have to clean up I had cake mix from one end of the kitchen to the other and all over myself. I burnt chocolate chips and had frosting all over the table and the microwave. It was a hot mess. Although it ended in something I can share with you, had I just known my measurements and exactly what I would need I could have been much neater about everything.
While I will never stop expiramental baking I think far too often I take this approach in my own life and walk with the Lord as well. I read the bible or I know what is right or what he wants from me but I make my own plan thinking it will be better than whatever it is he had and will get the same if not better results. I wind up making a hot mess out of everything and then I have to clean it all up or rather I turn to Jesus and say How on earth am I going to clean this up?
He is faithful to show me every time, and then the next time I listen to him more I add less and less of my own tweaks to his perfection. Because if we love him,if we truly choose him every single day whether we feel like it or not. Whether it sounds like it is going to be fun or exciting or turn out the way we think it should. We will follow his commands and his plan. Unlike experimental baking, experimental living is never better than the original perfect recipe.
Shameless plug if you think experimental baking with me sounds like a blast you should come to this school because I will be here all day everyday! But in all seriousness if you read this and thought sounds like fun check out the first blog entry to hear what it is all about. Or just shoot me an email at refinedbeautyywam@gmail.com.
Captivating
So I recently made the choice to share some other women's thoughts and advice to women everywhere. So I did what any savvy girl would do and sent out one of those annoying mass facebook messages that asked if there was one piece of advice you would give girls today what would it be. The first woman to respond back said that it would be to read the book Captivating.
This is a good book about who we are as women and how God created us. There are parts of it I personally struggled through and other parts I will admit I have forgotten but there was one thing that really stood out to me.
It said that the bible talks about satan as a beautiful angel, more beautiful that the rest. This is why it is something that he preys on in women. We were created the fairer sex that shows off the beauty of God and Satan doesn't like that so he goes after it. He knows how to make us feel fat, ugly and insecure and we bow to his pressure so often. When the truth that he knows full well is that we show off the beauty of God's creating more than anything else in the world. So I would encourage you to think about that the next day you look in the mirror sigh and say well its a fat day or a bad hair day or whatever else you say to yourself after you sigh at the mirror. Even at your worst you are God's beautiful best. Also I would encourage you to read the whole book something else might stick out to you more.
Shameless plug, if you are interested in more information about the Refined Beauty DTS check out the very first blog entry and/or send me an email at refinedbeautyywam@bgmail.com thanks so much.
This is a good book about who we are as women and how God created us. There are parts of it I personally struggled through and other parts I will admit I have forgotten but there was one thing that really stood out to me.
It said that the bible talks about satan as a beautiful angel, more beautiful that the rest. This is why it is something that he preys on in women. We were created the fairer sex that shows off the beauty of God and Satan doesn't like that so he goes after it. He knows how to make us feel fat, ugly and insecure and we bow to his pressure so often. When the truth that he knows full well is that we show off the beauty of God's creating more than anything else in the world. So I would encourage you to think about that the next day you look in the mirror sigh and say well its a fat day or a bad hair day or whatever else you say to yourself after you sigh at the mirror. Even at your worst you are God's beautiful best. Also I would encourage you to read the whole book something else might stick out to you more.
Shameless plug, if you are interested in more information about the Refined Beauty DTS check out the very first blog entry and/or send me an email at refinedbeautyywam@bgmail.com thanks so much.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Writing.
For the past few days all I have been doing is writing. Writing about who Youth with a Mission Pittsburgh is and all of our programs. Writing about the Refined Beauty DTS and what it is and why we are doing it. Writing, writing, writing.
So today as I sit down to write about women's ministry and Refined Beauty and fashion or whatever else I thought would connect all I can think about is Psalm 3:5 I lay down and sleep yet I awake in safety for the Lord is watching over me.
I can write all about who God is and what he is doing, who ywam is and what they are doing and who Refined Beauty is and what we are doing but if I do not live as though the only reason I wake up in the morning is Jesus then what's the point?
God created us, he made us in his image, he made us perfect and he made us for relationship. First and foremost a relationship with him. We are completely dependent people. The goal of Refined Beauty is to raise up women leaders who know who they are. The mantra of our society for women has been respect me I am independent, there are songs, books and posters that communicate this message. The message we want to communicate is Love me I am completely dependent. That is really all I have to say today I don't want to justify that statement, or explain it just think about it, pray about it, ask me about it.
Love me I am completely dependent.
Shameless plug time if you are interested in Refined Beauty at all even just to ask some questions about anything written here. Write to me refinedbeautyywam@gmail.com. Share this blog get some internet buzz going. Thanks so much!
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