HAPPY V-DAY

Happy Valentine's day peeps!

So I was reading FB today, and came across this post. (It was truly my favorite of all)

"You say you want a boy who is kind, trustworthy, hard working, etc, but what are you doing to gain these qualities yourself? Use being single as a beautiful opportunity to be the best you. You do not need a boy or girl in your life to make you worth something. And you are not forever alone, by the way. This is high school. And love is patient" ~my friend.

Not only does it reference to my favorite verse from the bible, but encourages us singles to not dislike this holiday but enjoy it.

Hope everyone had a great day!
Luv ya lots! <3 <3 <3
~Selina~

Prayers needed for 3 families

So this year hasn't been a great start for some of my friends. Ava lost her dad a week before Christmas, and this past week I heard about two more deaths. First one was an old friend of mine from dance. Her youngest sister died in a freak car accident. She was barley 3yrs old. The funeral was today. Another one of my friend's grandfather died of cancer. So if you could please keep all three of them in your prayers it would mean a great deal to them.
Rest in peace.
~Selina~

End? or Beginning?

"What appears to be the end may really be a new beginning." -Author Unknown

~Selina~

New Year's Eve

If you don't know this already, New Year's Eve is my favorite holiday. To me it means a new beginning. The start of a new chapter in life. Another year of gaining wisdom. Another journey with God. Another year to experience God's word, beauty, and just learn about him. So as we go through this year, try to learn something new everyday about God, his creation, or even your relationship with the Heavenly Father.  That's my challenge for all of you this year. 
Have a Happy New Year!
~Walk With God Team~

Birthday

Merry Christmas Everyone!
Today we celebrate the liberating king's birthday.
He died on the cross for us and bears our sins 24/7.
~Selina~ 

prayer's needed!

Today I found out that my friend's, Ava, dad died this morning. So if you all could please pray for her and her family that would be great.
~Selina~ 

One of my Favorite Christmas Songs EVER!

I love BarlowGirl and I LOVE this song!! It's from Mary's point of view and seeing how Mary is one of my role models and heroines, it makes sense that I would love this song, right?

A Measure of Christmas Innocence #1

Do you remember the first time you heard the Christmas Story? I don't, but I'm pretty sure I have heard it every single year for my entire sixteen years of life.

It's my favorite story. Of all time.

This past Sunday, I was the teacher of the lesson for the four and five year olds at my church. The lesson focused on Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem and the birth of Baby Jesus.

I think we sometimes get so caught up in the busyness of Christmas, preparing presents, decorating, making sure everything is getting into the Christmas cheer that we forget about the reason why everything is happening.

I think this Christmas, we need to get back into the mindset of that child again. You know, the one who is fascinated by the story of a girl, a man, and a Baby. Shepherds and sheep angels. Wise kings and a foolish king. A star. And a God Who loves us so much that He sent His only Son to save us from certain death.

~noelle

(the first in a series of posts that will lead up to Christmas Day)

Happy Thanksgiving!

"O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever." ~1Ch 16:34
Happy Thanksgiving!
Don't forget what we are truly thankful for today; God's mercy and provision to us and to our nation. It's so easy to forget that every breath we take, every day that we live is a gift from God. Thank God today for all that He has done for us!

:)

Hello everyone!

It's been a while since I posted, but I thought I would check in and see how everyone is doing with the Bible reading challenge.

I have fallen way behind, and so I will be catching up at some point in the future.......

In the mean time, I've been reading a really good book/devotional entitled True Princess by Erin Davis. It's about embracing humility in an all-about-me world.

From the back of the book.....

"In recent years, there's been a powerful movement aimed at convincing girls and young women that they are princesses, valued and prized by their Heavenly Father, God the King. But in the wake of this desire to infuse girls with a sense of self-worth that is based in God and not in culture, many girls have embraced an attitude of entitlement, selfishness, and arrogance.

Our society may lead girls to believe that princesses can do what they want whenever they want with no accountability or authority in their lives, but this simply isn't the case. Being a princess comes with great responsiblity. A true princess is special because she is the daughter of someone special. Everything she does points back toward her father. If a princess acts recklessly, it isn't just her reputation that suffers. The honor and image of the throne is at stake.

This Bible study will help teen girls shift their focus from being pampered princesses to being servants of the King who has saved them."

I'm really big on the whole princess thing, so this book is perfect for me. One thing though: you can't get the book on Amazon.....it's only being sold through Lifeway. :/ I picked this up at a conference I was at.

-Noelle :)

You love is strong

~Selina~

A story to share about relationships

Relationships.

If you think about it, they're way different than what they used to be in two centuries ago. Relationships are part of history, life, and for some an everyday thought. The following story is from Lucia's blog Umbrella Girl. 

standing out // my story.

   

"Are your parents, like, really strict or something?"
We were sitting in a booth at Ixtapa, waiting for our orders to arrive. Laughter and chatter were audible all about us; the sounds of giddy excitement over our Cross Country Districts championship. I sipped my water slowly and gazed at Melissa,* who continued not rudely, but with a genuine curiosity.
"I mean, if you really really wanted to have a boyfriend, would they let you?"
It is somewhat known on my Cross Country team that I don't date, don't own a phone for texting, etc. Now, waiting for my food with four of my teammate girlfriends, we had been talking about relationships and how quickly they can end. I was a little taken aback at the question, but I tried to gather my thoughts and answer in a clear and logical way.

"I wouldn't say they are strict..at least, in my standards," I began, twisting my napkin a little nervously. "And yes, I think if I wanted to have a "boyfriend" they would allow me to. But I would need to be old enough, and he would need to meet their standards."
I let out a breath. Whew. That was going to shock them.
It did. I tried to clarify a little.
"Uh...see, I'm sorta trying to save myself for one person. Like, it's kinda hard to explain, but--I don't want to give my heart to tons of different guys, only to see them all disappear for one reason or another. I mean, it doesn't really make sense. Why not just wait for the one guy, and have everything saved up already for him?"
"So," my friend Carli joined the conversation. "..You're saying you're going to wait to date until you find the guy you're actually going to marry?"
I nodded. "Yup. Pretty much." I didn't bother explaining the courtship process; I knew that would be digging a little too deep for this conversation. "I mean, Carli, now that you've been dating Seth for three years and things seem to be pretty serious, do you ever regret dating all of those people before him? Do you wish you had saved it all for Seth?"
Carli laughed a little. "Uhh...I dunno. It doesn't really matter to me."
Maya looked up from her menu, across the table. "I think dating a lot of guys has given me more insight then I would have had without them. How else would I know which type of guy I really like, and which I don't? For me, dating alot helps me to "try out" everyone and see who I am really best with. You know?"
I bit back a long comment, and instead just shrugged. "Well, all I know is, I haven't met a single guy yet whom I would consider 'dating,' if I were into that."
Melissa jutted back in with, "Well, obviously since you're homeschooled, you wouldn't know many people."
I choked a little on my water, but still managed a light laugh. "Uh, you'd be surprised! I know a ton of guys, actually. And there are quite a few that I admire and think of as brothers, but..relationship-wise? Nada."

The conversation ended as our food arrived, but I sat silent for a moment while the other girls moved on in their chatter, thinking. I felt like I'd just been through a brain exercise, and I realized it was because for the first time in my life, I'd actually had to explain to someone oblivious and of a different mindset what my convictions were regarding relationships. It felt good, and healthy. I gave a silent prayer of thanks to my Lord for helping me to be kind, gentle and un-judgemental.
I need to do this more often. :]

Have your beliefs/convictions ever been challenged, or simply questioned?
 
* all names have been changed. 

 Confided by Lucia Marie

 So? How many of you have had a similar conversation with your friends? I know I have. 
Now, my family doesn't do courting in our house, but that doesn't mean I'm not waiting for the right guy to date. Personally, I'm glad my family doesn't do courtship. My parents would allow me to date if the guy and I were mature, and meet up to the parent's standards. My parents do have the rule of no dating till your 18. This rule applies to me even though, my brothers both dated before the age of 18. 
Parents learn from their mistakes so if you're a younger child that's not allowed to date or whatever, remember your parents may have had some problem with your older sibling and they're trying to prevent that from happening to you. 

Also peeps, ask yourself this: To you, what's the point of dating at such a young age? If you have an answer, please post it in the comment box. I'd love to here your answer.

So guys/girls think about it for awhile. Do you date for fun? Just to have a status on your Facebook page or for your friends? Or are you waiting for the person God want you to go out with? 


***
Sorry, went to take a break. Ok So after typing the above ^... It got me thinking. God does many things to test us for our beliefs and ourselves. I always believed a relationship was one of those things that God uses to test us. 

So, Guys and Girls out there reading this post, I hope this makes you think about your past/future relationships. Ask God is this the person you want me to be with? Or is this a test God?  


Alright, that's all I have to say for now. If you have a favorite verse you want to share, questions, answers, or anything please comment. 

Thanks! 

~Selina~