Max On Life

Yay! Last week I was able to read my first Max Lucado book. I was very excited because I have always liked him and admired his work.

Max On Life, is a question and answer book. Max answers over 150+ frequently asked questions, and the book is divided up into easy to find sections. The thing I loved about it was that each chapter was made up of 1 or 2 page answers, so you could be satisfied after reading only 5 minutes! 

It was very neat to here insights from a well-known "expert" on these questions that we all think. The questions were real life thing too. I felt like I could really relate to what Max was saying. I can easily say I throughly enjoyed reading this book. 

I love Max's writing style and with the organization of the book, it's a must read! It was a reassurance and a joy to read. Max writes in such a way that you feel like he is talking to you. It's very personal, and as a big fan of memoirs/ auto-biographies (Not from the olden days, but from modern people!) I found it fun to read. I've gained some reading tips, some writing tips, and overall I had a great experience reading a very insightful book! I would totally recommend it to you. :)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Godly Character Quality #9: Thriftiness!

Okay, so this isn't really the MOST godly character quality, but it is something that is constantly on everyone's minds! Character quality #9 is: Thriftiness vs. Extravagance: Not letting myself or others spend that which is not necessary. -Luke 16:11 

So, I know you are thinking, what in the world does thriftiness have to do with being a good Christian person? Luke 16:11 says,  "So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?"  Ah. That verse hits the nail right on the head, all right!

Let me just say this: I am usually one of the most frugal people around. I do not indulge myself when I get money. On my last birthday, my uncle sent me some money with the message, "Do something wild and reckless with it. Don't even THINK about saving it." I'm pretty sure you can guess exactly what I did: saved it!

My sister is a sucker for impulse buys. Money burns a hole in her pocket (Wow, I am really taking advantage of a lot of cliche's today, aren't I?). I'm the one in control, she's the more "reckless" one.

Lately, I've been feeling a little overwhelmed. My birthday is in December, so pretty much anytime I think of something I want I just put it on the list. I'm usually fine with that. However, December just seems like such a long time to have to wait! I want to buy a few particular things so bad!

Yesterday, I went to Barne's and Noble. I am in love with book stores; they are pretty much the bane of my existence! (The smell, the look, the feel, the endless possibility, the... yes, I know, I'm obsessed! Well, I went into the Christian books section and fell in love. (The Confident Woman Devotional, Reshaping it ALL, Any Minute, Battlefield of the Mind, need I say more?) Oh, and I fell even deeper in love with this Vera Bradley journal  (which I REALLY don't need)!

As challenging as it may have been, I did not buy anything. I'm not sure why the sudden onset of wanting to buy so many things. It's been hard, but I try to look at the big picture. I need to have money saved up in the bank... not a cute Vera Bradley journal.

No one NEEDS a sports car, no one NEEDS designer clothes, no one NEEDS to eat out a expensive restaurants... these are all WANTS. As much as we would like to have them, we can totally survive without them. Thriftiness is a battle; we all have to work together if we want to win the war!

I had seriously never even thought about thriftiness the way Luke 16:11 teaches us to think of it, until just a few minutes ago. Now I understand. My faith has steadily been growing stronger, and God always tests our faith in Him. He brought on all these sudden impulses to test how I would react. If I wasn't smart with mere money, how could God trust me with His word?

I understand know that my real wealth is my spiritual wealth. My relationship with God. Millions of dollars, even billions of dollars, couldn't buy a relationship with the Lord. That is something personal that has to be built. I realize that i must stay strong and wise with the little everyday things so that I will be strong and wise in God's word.

Lord, please give me the strength to withstand my Earthly desires and wait for what you have in store for me,  because I know that will be worth more than anything the world has to offer. Please guide me and help me to grow stronger through your Word. Thank you for loving me just as I am and for blessing me so greatly on your Earth. The real treasure is not coins buried in a chest; its being able to grow closer to you and abide by your desires for my life. I am yours.

God Bless,

Sydney

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world- the desire of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride on possessions- is not from the father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with it's desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." - John 2:15-17

Think about it: What does Thriftiness mean to YOU?

Wonderful Christians #4: Sarah Mally!

During the first few days of my blog, I posted about three wonderful Christians. It wasn't that they were the only wonderful Christians in existence, it was just that they were the first 3 that came to mind. There are many,many more examples of lovely Christian people, and I intend to find them!

Anyway, I have been waiting and waiting this past week to sneak a certain person in, and today is the day I finally get to share about her! Wonderful Christian #4 is (drum roll please!) : Sarah Mally!!!

Sarah Mally is my idol. She is the most awesome, personable, and godly girl you will ever meet! (Okay, I haven't exactly met her, but its feels like I have!)

The Mally family, Harold and Rebekah plus their three children, Sarah, Stephen, and Grace, has their own family ministry called Tomorrow's Forefathers. Their goal with their ministries is just to spread God's word and encourage/strengthen families in Him. Sarah is all about ministering to teen girls. She may be 30 years young, but she ministers as if she were 17 again (no Zac Efron movie reference intended!), living the teen struggles along with you.

In 1996, when Sarah was 17, she became concerned about many teen girls walk with the Lord. She desired to design a ministry to reach teens and draw them closer to God. She named her ministry Bright Lights, with Bright standing for Being Radiant In Godliness, Holiness, and Testimony.

Bright Lights, which was initially held right there in the Mally family living room, have grown into a nation wide phenomenon among godly teens and pre-teens. There are currently over 350 Bright Lights groups. In the beginning, Bright Lights was targeted towards girls ages 10-13. This is the age when real "dating" first comes into play. Some teens get their first kiss during these very early teen years. Sarah felt  like this was the opportune time to reach girls, because it is right when they are making these important decisions about dating. There are SO many worldly, negative and inappropriate influences  (Note: Post about this coming this week!) in the day-to-day life of a teenager, and Sarah longed to provide the positive, pure, and HOLY influence.

In Spring of 2001, Sarah organized the "Strong in the Lord" Conference. The purpose was to give the older girls involved in Bright Lights an opportunity to minister and teach to the younger girls. The first conference was a hit, with skits, stories, testimonies, and important topics like keeping a clear conscience, giving your heart to your parents, and staying Strong in the Lord.

Soon after beginning the Strong in the Lord conferences, Sarah began the Radiant Purity conferences. Sarah continues to share with teen girls the importance of saving your heart for that ONE special someone the Lord has for you. It can be challenging, but its is so worth it.

Strong in the Lord Conference: This conference, including practical teaching, insightful testimonies, humorous skits, a chalk talk, harp music, singing, hands-on activities, and small group times with sharing and interaction will encourage young ladies to seek the Lord with all of their heart. It will challenge and prepare girls to stay strong for the Lord all the way through their teen years, and provide these girls with the friendship, fellowship, and godly influence of young ladies who are bright lights for the Lord.

 Radiant Purity Conference: This conference will encourage young ladies to be committed to emotional purity, to walk by faith, and to wait for God’s best in marriage. Creatively presented through stories and testimonies, practical instruction, skits, and real-life examples, this conference gives Biblical answers to everyday questions and deep life struggles. The material is discreet and appropriate for twelve year olds and yet relevant to all ages. Includes testimonies from young ladies who serve as Bright Lights staff, chalk drawings, and harp music.

Sarah and her siblings wrote a book entitled Making Brothers and Sister's Best Friends. The purpose of this book was to share that siblings can overcome all of their challenges and become friends. Family harmony is very important to the Mally's.

"This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. -John 15:12

Sarah's second book, Before You Meet Prince Charming: A Guide To Radiant Purity, is amazing. It is my very favorite book in the whole world! It took me a long time to find it because it wasn't at any local libraries or book stores! I had to order it on Amazon, but it was well worth it! She combines the story of a princess committed to staying pure with her own real life examples and advice. She encourages everyone not to be afraid of being single. The hardest task the Lord asks us to do is wait, wait for our perfect spouse, but if we do wait and stay strong in Him, then we will prosper. Sarah is still single, but she is proud. The most important years of your life are before marriage and relationships when you are growing closer to God. Sarah has obviously done marvelously at encouraging this. She isn't just sitting around daydreaming about that perfect man (again, not a Hilary Duff movie reference either!). She is touching the hearts of all those faithful girls out there, and encouraging them to follow God's way.

Sarah Mally continues to impact my life every single day.I know that I am completely willing and completely over the moon bursting with joy that I can wait for the Lord to pick my future "Prince Charming". I've already made my commitments to the Lord and he has blessed me for that. My first kiss was not at 10-13 years old. My first kiss will be on my wedding day! I want to stay a pure rose spreading His word to others until God decides it's the time for me to marry.  I'm so happy to share the ways that this wonderful woman has changed my life and drawn me closer to God.

If I end up being even half the truly wonderful Christian Sarah Mally is, I would be honored. I'm the oldest in my family, and I look to up to Sarah is a big all-knowing sister, just as I know so m any other girls do. I'm committed to staying radiantly pure, until I meet that special someone. I'm completely willing to wait for God's best. He has fantastic things in store for me, for ALL of us, if we will just put our faith, trust, and hope in Him. Be unwavering in your faith and commitments!

"I solemnly tell you," said Jesus, "that if you have an unwavering faith, you shall not only perform such a miracle as this of the fig-tree, but that even if you say to this mountain, 'Be thou lifted up and hurled into the sea,' it shall be done." -Matthew 21:21

Sarah is awesome, so please check her out! She is a most wonderful Christian. God bless her!!!

God Bless (Don't worry, I didn't forget about you guys!),

Sydney

FYI: Starting two weeks from today, on February 13th, I will be hosting a read along of Before You Meet Price Charming! Get your copies bought so you can follow along!!! I will review a chapter of the book each Sunday. Don't miss out on this awesome opportunity to fellowship with others and gain some great knowledge about staying pure in this not so pure world. It's going to be fun, and I'm really excited to read through my favorite book with everyone!!! Be there!

Serving God and... Guitar Hero?

Vs.

Okay, so I was just reading my book, Third Time's A Charm by Virginia Smith (as mentioned here), when I came across something I just had to share.

Tori was at her regular Sunday school class, bright and early on Sunday morning. However, she quickly found out that the teacher was not available, so a student would be filling in. The student was not who she expected: it was Gordy, a shy and eccentric young man with a very interesting message to share.

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned
to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You
call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord', and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I,
your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger
greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be
blessed if you do them. - John 13:12-17

This is the verse they were studying for the day. Gordy explained that he didn't think Jesus really wanted him to get down on his knees and scrub peopled feet. It's a symbol for serving others.


Taken from Third Time's A Charm: "When I first read that piece in the Bible, I couldn't stop thinking about Jesus saying He set us an example. I mean, that's large, you know? That's like, Whoa, Dude. How am I supposed to do all the stuff You did, you know? So I got to thinking, what Jesus was telling us to do is like playing Guitar Hero. Now, I know it's weird, but stay with me on this. When I'm on lead guitar and I play a song for the first time, I pretty much stink. Since we're in church, let's say I'm playing 'Living on a Prayer' by Bon Jovi. I know the song, but I've never played it, you know? So at first I bomb big time. I get booed off the stage. But I'm just learning. I'm trying to act out what I'm seeing and hearing. And the more practice, the better I get.
I think that's what Jesus is saying here. We're the ones with the arms and legs and hands and feet. We're the ones holding the guitar. But He's the one who wrote the song. Unless we're watching for Him to tell us what chords to play, we can stand up there and strum all we want, but we're gonna crash and burn. And the Bible is like our video screen. It's got all the notes of His song already laid out. We've just got to read them, and then act them out."

FYI, I don't even like Guitar Hero! I have played it, but I'm really just not a rock music person. However, when I read this passage in the book, I was just wowed. I mean, this is actually a great way to relate to the message John 13:12-17 is trying to get across. That is often the problem: you can read the Bible all you want, and that's great, but it all comes down to applying what you've learned. Sometimes it can be challenging to determine the meaning of a certain passage in the Bible, but when you can make a connection to something you are familiar with (Guitar Hero, for instance!) the meaning will really sink in.

We are here on Earth to serve Jesus. He has given us a mission (or a song) to complete. We are God's messengers. No matter how often we say that we don't need God to help us, we do. We ALWAYS need Him. He longs to be needed. God wants to make us happy, and the best way to righteously to become happy is to serve others. You are happy when you are making others happy. It's so true. That is the only way to be truly fulfilled in life. Always serve others before treating yourself.

Live by J.O.Y: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last. That is the road to becoming righteous fulfilled. Love your Father up in heaven, Love your neighbors, Love yourself.

You have the key to His Word right at your fingertips: your Bible. Read it, live by it, love it! Everything we need is in there. Seek God's guidance constantly, and find it in your Bible.

Pray that an opportunity to serve others will come your way soon. Never pass up the opportunity to be a blessing.

God Bless,

Sydney

P.S: If you have made any connections similar to this John 13:12-17 and Guitar Hero one, please comment to let me know! I find these connections so interesting and though provoking!

A Fantastic Christian Read!

I think I would have to say that my favorite pastime of all is reading. I'm addicted to books! I can read 400 page novels in a day! I'm always looking for a great read, and when its a great Christian read, that even better!

My new favorite Christian fiction book is: Stuck in the Middle by Virginia Smith!

Stuck in the Middle is the first novel in the Sister-to-Sister series. There are two other novels in the series as well, called Age before Beauty and Third Time's a Charm. They are each told from a different sisters point of view.

The main character is 25-year-old Joan Sanderson. Joan is the middle sibling. While her eldest sister, Allie, is married and pregnant, her youngest sister, Tori, is going to college and living alone in a nice apartment. Joan is still at home with her Mom and Gram. She has always been the quiet, soft-spoken, and rational one of the family.

Just last year Joan broke up with her boyfriend of 9 years, known as Roger the Rat, and has not gotten together with anyone since. However, all this changes when a young doctor, Ken Fletcher, moved into Joan's neighborhood.

Joan is interested in Ken, but she doesn't know how to go about any of it. At first, she and Tori are battling to see who Ken will choose, but Tori quickly drops out of the race. Why? Well, Tori says that Ken is way to religious for her. Ken talks openly about his faith and relationship with God. The Sanderson's' attend a traditional church every Sunday, but that's all. Joan has never had a real relationship with God before now, but a guest speaker at her church causes Joan to question why not.

Joan and Ken''s relationship progresses, as does Joan's personal relationship with God. Does Joan end up with Ken? Does Joan find God? Who is this mystery guest speaker that really impacted Joan and how did she do it? All of these are great questions that you will have to read the book to find out!

I would highly recommend this book to any young adults trying to find their place in life. It can be confusing, but just know that the Lord is always there, and he will guide you. This book is a wonderful realistic depiction of God's will at work. He is our own personal God, and He loves us more than anyone on Earth. Isn't it divine to think that there will always be someone who loves you so dearly and is with you every step of the way? I know it is for me!

Sneak Peek!: An excerpt of the mystery guest speakers sermon. "'...The Almighty God is our Father. He loves us. He delights in delighting us. He wants to give us treats and enjoys hearing our joyful laughter in return.'"

God Bless,
Sydney