Beauty in a Bag

Written By: Yvonne Galindo

As I was surfing through Twitter I came across a promotion for a website called “Beauty in the Bag” how about “Passport to Beauty”; secrets from throughout the world that women use for looking and feeling beautiful. Both these sights are associated with beauty necessities for a woman. It seems these days you can find what you need to feel beautiful by surfing the internet and YouTube. I should know, I myself learned a few beauty tips from YouTube. A friend and I were discussing handbags, I indicated to her the title of my next Blog; she then commented by saying “A purse can be such a Burden”. Now let’s think about this ??? A burden can be the amount of cargo that a vessel can carry. It can be if you look at most common items found in a woman’s purse. They are makeup, keys, wallet, cell phone, breath mints, gum and items needed for personal hygiene.

 Most recently women began to carry items for self-defense; such as  a knife, pepper spray, Taser/stun gun, not to mention women purchase larger bags to make room for an iPad or a light weight laptops. A burden can also be something that is emotionally difficult to bear, or a source of great worry like stress.  If you’re feeling burdened by what you carry like maybe a heavy burden of guilt, shame, unworthiness, then ladies I suggest it’s time to do some purging. Honestly, I don’t carry much in by bag; maybe wallet, keys, sunglasses, reading glasses and phone.  That’s it! NO MAKE-UP in my purse, tooo messy.

 I began to think about the importance of beauty within and not so much what’s in the bag. You can’t see what’s in the bag, right!  So I ask myself, do I need what’s in my bag to feel beautiful? NO! The beauty lies not in the content of bag; but in the content of our character, your intent and your desires.  1 Peter 3:3-4 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. I am not saying don’t wear make-up; of course not. I love the bling!  I am just saying don’t be affected by our culture today where people become shallow and our only focus is on the external.  This can be a dangerous to your soul. Let’s not forget what brought Satan down; Ezekiel 28:17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I found that no matter how plain a woman you are or what designer bag you carry, if truth and honesty are written across your face, you will be beautiful.

 If you recall in the movie “The Devil Wears Prada” Meryl Streep wore designer purses, clothes shoes and jewelry. She personified everything beautiful, yet was the epitome of rudeness.  She hid her unmet needs and unhealed hurts behind her designer lifestyle. I can relate so very well. I catch myself hiding at times even now, not wanting people to know what I am thinking or who I really am. I have come to realize I am getting in the way of me! I am a work in progress. Always growing, learning and finding new things in Christ. Realizing that people and things don’t define who I am.

 I can understand women today have so many expectations placed on them that it’s difficult for them to discern if they are successful in what they want or do in life.  Women are on overload most of time and it shows.  Don’t over think!  Everything in life is a process. Your load should, and can be light. Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. A woman should carry herself however she feels comfortable and happy. It’s about Growing into Grace. God created you in His Image. Don’t get caught up in the world’s image or people’s opinions.  Allow God to purge you, and you shall be clean; let him cleanse you, and you shall be whiter than snow. I know He can- He’s done it for me.

For more from Yvonne Galindo please visit: http://www.godspearl.com/

Inspire Each Other

Fun Quiz for Ladies

Written By: Remaliah Evans

QUIZ
1. Name the three richest people in the world
2. Name the last two winners of the Miss America contest
3. Name last person who won the Nobel Prize
4. Name the last three Academy Award winners for best actor
5. Name the last three World Series winners

How did you do? Not too good huh? Don’t worry, you will ace part two:

1. Name two teachers who helped you in school
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time
3. Name three people who have taught you something worthwhile
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel, appreciated and special
5. Think of three people you enjoy spending time with

Easier?

The Point: No one remembers the headliners of yesterday. Although these are highly accomplished people, the applause ends. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. The people that significantly impact our life are usually not the ones with the most achievements, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care. Have we shown how much we care lately? Perhaps with a phone call, a lunch invitation, running an errand, or praying with someone. A small act of kindness can truly brighten someone’s day, and in turn, encourage that person to do the same for someone else. Hebrews 10:24 Let us consider how to inspire each other to greater love and to righteous deeds.

Walking in God’s Redeeming Love

Examples of great women who weren’t looking for Jesus…but were found by Him

Written By: Yvonne Galindo

When I began to write this blog, I thought about how shoes have always played a role in history and culture. Shoe design can indicate a person’s wealth and social position, as reflected in the quality of material or the complexity of workmanship used to make shoes. Many cultures and belief systems do not allow women to have a say in their circumstances. We are so fortunate and blessed to have the freedom to make choices through our journey in life.

The photo of the shoe in this blog shows a memorial of a shoe worn by un-known women who died during the Holocaust. These women had been violated, dehumanized, tortured and forced to walk to their death. The pain and heartache these women felt knowing that their dreams for the future had been shattered is unfathomable.

I began to think about the women in the bible and their shoes/sandals. These women were the un-notable women of the bible who struggled through their journey and walked a path that I could not fathom.

Let’s begin with Hagar who was a slave girl then a mistress. Hagar was rejected and disregarded. She was sent away to wander in the wilderness. Hagar was alone, full of hopelessness, and crying in the desert. Genesis 16:1-16 Imagine walking in her sandals; a single mom walking through the hot desert, feeling rejected, thirsty and abandoned.

Gomer is another example of a woman violated from her youth coming from a life of prostitution. She is dirty, broken by sin and the subject of slander and gossip. (Hosea 1:1-11)

One of my favorite stories is of the Samaritan woman, who probably was ostracized by other women in her village because of her checkered past. (John 4:1-27)

In these stories these women were walled by religion gender, race, and moral values.

So what do Hagar, Gomer and the Samaritan women have in common? Hagar, Gomer and the Samaritan are the champions of the hidden, the helpless, the betrayed and the needy. These women weren’t looking for Jesus; they were thirsty, feeling empty and all they wanted was water. Our God found them … and they found him.

God used Hosea to rescue Gomer from her life style; of course this was not an easy task. How many of us have had trouble letting go of past relationships or a lifestyle that we know is not the best choice.

Hagar went from bottled water to a well of water; God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water, and both she and her boy were saved from death. And finally the Samaritan women who encountered Jesus who I am quite sure in all her curiosity talked his ear off searching for truth and found it. I am sure we have all been there.

During my struggles with feeling emotional distress, wondering where the next meal would come from or where we would lay our heads for the night. I thought about my mother and realized these were the same struggles she went through raising our family. I did not want that life for my children and me. Like the Samaritan women, I sought men for provision. I realize now those relationships left my spirit wounded and blinded to Gods plan for my life. Christ provided a way out; He provided a spring of water for me- it was up to me to drink of it. All I needed was a sip, a small taste; Faith of a mustard seed and found He would turn my pain to passion; I now know my purpose. Yes! I have to say there are bumps along the road; Have I stumbled? Yes! However I have to say God smoothed out the path and I learned that no past sins can bar my acceptance with him. Not one! I stand grounded and find strength, comfort and encouragement with my Faith in Christ. I choose not to walk any other way.

Do Your Homework

7 Practical Ways to put God first in Your Life

Written by Kim Gutierrez

Do you remember the days when you would come home from school and your parents made sure you did your homework first before you played outside? Now-a-days playing outside seems so archaic, like really…walk outside right now do you really see kids playing outside?
Not many!
Well anyways, when I started to think about “Do your homework first” I thought about all the things I’d like to do for the Lord, bible school, memorize more scripture, post more frequent on my blog, and get involved in a critique group and the list goes on. My problem is when to do it, my days seem so full. I’m sure a lot of you feel the same way. How can we possibly squeeze in another thing to our schedules?
My prayers have been “Lord, tell me what I should be doing and when.”
The answer was…”Do your homework first!”
“Oh yeah!” I answered quickly.
I was always pretty good about doing that as a kid, so I should have no problem doing it as an adult right? Wrong! Nowadays we have so many more distractions! We have our cell phones, IM, emailing, texting, facebook, twittering and thousands of tv channels!
I’m going to date myself but when I was a kid we had 12 channels, and a corded phone that barely reached around the kitchen wall enough for me to say “I’ll talk to you tomorrow at school.” and to play outside was a privilege I didn’t want to jeopardize.
So now I’m being asked to go back to when I was a kid and Do my Homework first? What does that mean to me? It means to me that the Lord is saying “do it FIRST!”
I’m taking this as a challenge!
Matthew 6:33 (Amplified Bible)
But seek ([a]aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness ([b]His way of doing and being right), and then all these things [c]taken together will be given you besides.
Challenge?
The challenge is to daily do that what the Lord has called me and you to do FIRST,
then do everything else after!

Now I’m not saying go quit your day job…but here are some examples I can think of:
Let your Instant Message be to God first
Don’t read your emails till you’ve read the bible
Don’t change your status on facebook till you know your status with Him
Don’t follow someone else on twitter, unless you follow Him first!
Wake up earlier if you don’t have time in the day.
Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Put aside time at night, instead of watching TV for a couple hours.
Study the word of God for the same amount of time it takes you to put on your makeup

I know that if we seek him first he will be so excited, remember he is a jealous God and He Loves You!
Can you think of anymore ideas that could help someone seek God first?
What do you do, Homework first or Play first and how do you plan on changing that?

You can read more of Kimmy’s thoughts here.

Choices

Insights into a solid Marriage

Written by: Yvonne Galindo

I wanted to share my thoughts on intimacy in marriage. I am not talking about sex; that’s not all that makes a marriage. First let’s start with the definition of intimacy; togetherness, affinity, friendship, affection and warmth. That all sounds wonderful, right! It can be. Just know that the most important part of your relationship with your husband is communication. If you have communication than you have a friend in your husband and everything else will follow. I say this because friendship is a big part of an emotional bond and closeness that both can share. You should be able to share just about anything with your spouse in spite of your differences. Married now five years; I have come to a new prospective on marriage and relationships Am I an expert? Far from it. But I will say my husband and I are the best of friends. We have our differences and I can be very opinionated at times, ok all the time. I will say it makes for good conversation and I love it; the best part is we work through those differences. My stubbornness and opinions may have to do with my independence for many years. I know that’s no excuse! Anytime there is disagreement, he will always quote a poem by Howard Simon “Choose the (your) mountain” he is such a philosopher! Well I know a little about climbing so I decide not to choose any mountain because it takes too much time and sweat to climb. Meaning disagreeing all the time can become more of emotional burden. We have learned and have grown from those differences and sometimes accept those small imperfections.

I have heard people say you can agree to disagree; I don’t buy it. That just means nothing is ever resolved. Just my opinion! There is so much more I can write on marriage & romance etc. The photo on your left tells a story of choices, it shows a box of wedding rings from married couples that were not given a choice during the Holocaust. “Food for thought.” Let me just end with this: when I look in the mirror I see my flaws, but when my husband looks at me he sees God’s Grace. Now I wrote this to point out the one thing we do agree on is our faith in Jesus Christ. We have developed a deeper relationship & togetherness through prayer and knowing who we are in Christ. We never pray for one’s own agenda; we always pray for the solution never the problem. We laugh, we cry, and yes disagree. I think the key here is to accept the one you love and all their imperfections whatever they may be, and don’t try to change each other.
Note for the single ladies
During the years of my single life I had a lot of time to figure out who I am and most of all learn to love myself. That’s very important in a marriage; there are so many women who are not confident in who they are and become very insecure. If you can be confident in who you are then you can feel comfortable with the one you love.

For more from Yvonne Galindo, please visit her blog.