Choose a Good Apple husband/wife....---by, Leah

SO! I realize that the title of this blog is slightly strange :) all will make sense (hopefully...!) by the end of this post! (all thats entended for THIS post anyhow) This "blog" if you will, has been rolling around in my mind like a juicy apple in your hands that you just cant wait to devour. The sweet crisp refreshing sensation of Gods awesome majestic genious penetrating your taste buds.(that was so right on with what I wanted that sentense to come out like....sweet!)

In the matter of picking a Good apple (aka: GUY/GIRL)

I say "picking" but I think its more like God hands you an apple...ANYHOW...different blog post there.

You have to be pretty observing, you cant just glance over and be like "oh gee, they are good looking, Im going to ask them out, cause i suddenly feel overwhelmed by the outright charming appearence of that individual" Because if thats how you are "choosing" your possible mate...you'll be in for a lot of heartbrake. Figure out what they are like, in a way, by observing them in different situations, before they even know your intentions. Just watch how they treat people, how they handle stressful moments, how they look out for others, if they hunger and thirst after rightiousness! if they ARDANTLY WANT God! Get some sturdy guidelines in what kind of guy/girl you want. Im not talking hair color and eye color etc, but do they need to be on a God mission? Or even know God? I hope your standards get some meat on them instead of fickle wishy washy stuff.

You need the real deal, "he/she needs to WANT to see God mold him MORE, to WANT to have tons of kids (you may or may not want that one, i personally do...haha!), to WANT to let God make the BIG choices in his life (relates to last one actually...haha), has to WANT to and have PROOF of reaching the lost!. etc." BIG stuff.

Also, keep an eye out for the type of "APPLE" they are. (heres where the apple thing comes in. haha.) I was at work one day (organic food store) and i was putting out apples, I realized that as I put out the apples an incredibly large amount of Fuji Appples were bruised, and clearly needed removed from the good apples. But that hardly any Staymans needed removed, by first glance. Thing is, Stayman apples dont rot on the outside like other apples do, NEARLY as fast. All the rotting they do. is on the inside. So they may LOOK really great, and pretty much in perfect condition, but until you pick them up and it explodes in a soggy mess in your hands, you are clueless. Yeah, a lot of people are like Staymans, they ignore whats going on inside, they pretend they are "just fine" but really, they are falling apart! You have to be observing of this!! Its not enough to just glance through and see nothing looks messed up, but you have to be patient, and not only that pray it through! Pray that you will be able to discern Staymans and Fuji apples from eachother! The thing about Fuji apples is, you can see exactly whats wrong with them, pretty much the moment they get wounded. If you drop it, a bruise will appear pretty much right away. Its hard to be vulnerable, to let your flaws be known (Im not talking about standing on the side of the road screaming out whats wrong with you at that very moment by the way) to you, and to God. Dont pretend you arent struggling, see the hurt, research the hurt, let the hurt heal.

Stay away from staymans, "but staymans are so sneaky though!"

Yeah, thats very true! And you may marry a stayman and not even realize it until later, unfortunately. But God is sufficiant, to cover a multitude of wrongs! The reality is, once you know what kind of apple They (partner to be, partnet at present) are, and what kind of apple YOU are, you can better handle the situation.



FUJI APPLES-- Can easily see where they are having problems, but need to start addressing them, let God mold you into something more complete and perfect (and juicy...haha) than you have ever been! Dont just look at your bruises and point saying "oh sigh, this is so ugly" Get it taken care of, its equally unattractive to be a cry baby about your problems. Get some people you can talk to about them, get accountability in other words, and with prayer and God strength YOU CAN over come whatever areas these are!


STYAMAN APPLES-- Hate to brake it to the staymans, but they need to WAKE UP and smell the ROTTING SMELL OF A MUSHY CORE in their innerds. Its nasty, and it WILL be found out. You will sit pretty for a time, but when you fall, you will explode in a mushy pile of applesauce, it'll be disgusting. You need to get God help, by acknowledging you NEED IT. Dont put it off till tomorrow, or till 10 years from now, DO IT NOW! Its painful stepping down from the shelf and turning yourself in as "rotten produce" but better now than when someone picks you up and their hand pokes holes right through you! God will handle you gently, and teach you how to heal, but first, admit your need.


These are just some basic thoughts, I was pretty excited about sharing. the picture was just so vivid in my mind. If all this APPLES TO APPLES business has scrambled your head, just ask God to give you a clear picture in a way YOU can grasp it clearly! Ask Him to reveal YOUR place, and how to be observant!


KEEP IT REAL! (REALLY GOD CENTERED, REALLY CLEAR, AND REALLY UNFORGETABLE TOO...)
-leah

The One Left Behind-- by Remmy

The one left behind- relationships, relational pressures, and how to survive when the world around you is getting married and you aren’t!

There are advantages to having married friends! Though at times you may feel left out because you are not in the same time of life as your friends, there are definite advantages. This is very similar to being the youngest sibling. If you are observative, you can watch what your friends do and use them as a model of what to and not to do. I find that one of the greatest advantages is that you have a wealth of information, support, and experience in those friends! It’s like having a spy into the male world. I have often found myself asking my friends “what does it mean when a guy does this?” sometimes they can offer insight that us single girls just would not know…and other times they do reply “I don’t know…I live with a man, and I don’t understand them!” I’ve also found that they are full of advice about relationsihps. Almost every time I have talked to my married or engaged friends they have told me that if they could go back through the whole process again that they would have taken it slower. Some of them started “officially dating” within a period of two days, others weeks, others months, and yet they all told me to take it slow. One of the areas of slowness was getting to know the person. They expressed that they wish they had really gotten to know them before the pressures of relationships. In other words, carefree innocent “hanging out” is something to be valued! Another area was the physical stuff. Yes, you know what I mean. Physical intimacy complicates things, and once you cross a boundary it is hard to go back! Song of Solomon 2:7, 3:5, and 8:4 all warn you daughters of Jerusalem to “not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” Those verses are reiterated three times for a purpose! Chemicals may be telling you to go ahead, but common sense and many other things say to wait for those things until God’s perfect timing. I’m not talking about sex, that is solely for married people to embrace as a sign of their covenant 1 Cor. 6: 12-18. This passage also states that 12 “everything is permissible for me--but not everything is beneficial” as Christians we should seek whichever is most beneficial instead of trying to push the limits to satisfy our cravings for physical intimacy through flirting, touching, or kissing. Verses 19-20 explain that your body is a temple of God and that you were purchased at a very high price, so it’s the duty of Christians to keep the temple clean. God has perfect timing and beautiful plans for each part of your dating relationships, don’t ruin it by running through it…you just may miss something beautiful!

“So there’s this guy…”

A ridiculous amount of sentences are started in this manner… some oblivious stranger, acquaintance, relative, cabbie on the other end and a bubbly, excited girl/woman with a twinkle in her eye on the other relaying the wonderful attributes of the said male and the blissful details of their blooming romance. Who knows whether the guy even knows about any of the things that he apparently said to encourage such affection, but his “signals” sure were received. It is so tempting to jump to conclusions and to fill in the gaps in relationships, especially when they first begin. I know that it is hard to wait for guys to make the first move in each different stage of relationships, but it is so important to wait on God’s timing instead of taking control of a situation. I’m not saying that guys are always attuned to what God wants in their lives, but neither is it the girl’s job to show them “God’s will” for their lives. A guy that jumps into a relationship may not value that relationship, or may not have given real thought or prayer towards that relationship, or may often do things impulsively. Additinoally, they may be too impatient to wait for God’s perfect timing. It might be more exciting or rewarding that way, but ultimately, a man who makes hasty decisions in his dating life may also make hasty decisions in other areas. You will not be satisfied or happy with a guy that does not value your relationship, and A guy that does not pray about this decision might not pray about or seek God’s will for anything in His life. Certainly these are black and white options, that are not always true, but you get the point… In the end it’s worth the wait. You want someone that will think through decisions and the consequences, wait patiently on the Lord, and seek His will through prayer. These attributes make up a great leader who will try to make conscious and careful decisions. These end up being pretty important if you want to have a meaningful relationship with them. [all assuming that he’s not just too afraid or too lazy to make a move, if this is the case, then the same thing applies…do you really want a relationship with someone like that?]
As a girl, one of the most difficult areas for me to handle in this situation is my emotions. Just like the girl I described in the beginning, girls often let their emotions get ahold of them without basing them reason or facts. I think the movie, “Hairspray” does a pretty good rendition of this female phenomenon. Tracy has been mooning over Link [dreamy dancing star on her favorite tv show who does not know that she exists] for some time when suddenly they talk and he touches her arm. She then sings a pretty accurate and yet comical depiction of how us girls think “ I can hear the bells, Well don’tcha hear them chime? Can’t ‘cha feel my heartbeat keeping perfect time, All because he… touched me, He looked at me and stared, yes he bumped me, my heart was unprepared when he tapped me, and knocked me off my feet, one little touch, now my life’s complete ‘cause when he nudged me love put me in a fix, yet it hit me just like a ton of bricks, yes my heart burst, now I know what life’s about one little touch and love’s knocked me out..” it goes on.. You get the point. It’s hilarious! WHy? Because I know that I’ve been guilty of that myself on many occasions. You have one good conversation with a guy and already you are trying on his last name and envisioning whether your children will have his dreamy green eyes. This fantasizing leaves us emotionally vulnerable because the next day when we see him engaging in another meaningful conversation with someone else or if he doesn’t immediately reply to our face book postings we become hurt, betrayed, and depressed…and ready to make the mistake again. But even when the guy is interested, this is still something to be careful of. You know for a fact he’s interested, he’s paying for things, it’s exciting and your head is whirling around filled with the newest Chris Rice sappy love song… It is a temptation to let the emotional guards down because you really aren’t crazy this time..he really IS interested, but now it just gets harder. Now the fantasy item is imagining you officially dating, you telling your friends and all of the other girls that are all secretly envious of your “awesome catch” Your friends and family will now know that you will NOT be the crazy cat lady, you are NOT joining a nunnery, and you are not becoming the next Mary Poppins..there is hOPE! The enemy definitely knows this…which is why he uses all of this as a distraction of the true point which is to find God’s will in this situation, to evaluate what type of person he is, to really get to know him and appreciate him as a human being, to look for red flags and to enjoy being his friend. I know it is hard because I want to look ahead and fast forward, to skip this stage and get the label “girlfriend”, BUT if this is the focus, then how will we see God’s will if it is anything that contradicts our “wonderful plans” ? If our thoughts are clouded with emotional fluff and dreams of the future then we cannot accurately see the present. This is a crucial period! If we remain objective as possible in this situation and truly seek God’s will then you can lay a great foundation for a beautiful strong relationship to emerge! Or.. You can keep from getting into a relationship that you know is wrong and against God’s will and save yourself future heart ache. Getting into a relatinoship that you know God does not approve of is never a good idea.. Guilt, shame, and problems will follow, and you will end up being miserable and shut off from the one who loves you the most! This stage truly sets a foundation of whether or not you put God first or make an idol after the person, whether or not you seek God’s will, and whether or not you have a God glorifying relationship. Again… restraint ends up being rewarding. No, you cannot be serious all of the time…allow yourself to giggle, but just don’t get so caught up in planning for the next step that you miss the purpose of the current one.

Love you....

I Love You-Truly-

At work yesterday a woman began to leave after purchasing something and as she did, she turned her head slightly, looking not at me, but at soaps on her right, and confidently proclaimed "God Bless You!" and as it always does, though I didnt take note until this time, I got a rush of love and my face turned red, not in embarrassment or shame, but in thankfulness. Then I began to think about that statement, I have no doubt that her intentions were loving! But I began to ponder my own, do i give those words, the name of my Lord, enough credit? Have I let it become a casual clique? What about "I love you" is it simply a mandatory response? Or do I feel it, hold it, fully take responsibility and joy for these powerful words?! As its valentines day today, I am renewed by the awesome and fulfilling Love of my King of Kings! I am thankful for the people I love in my life, and the people that Love me! But I want them to know, that I dont say "I Love You" without understanding, or for some kind of acclimation from them. I say it....because its true!
Do you?
The tongue is SOOO POWERFUL!

Jeremiah 9:3
"They make ready their tongue like a bow, to shoot lies; it is not by truth that they triumph in the land. They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge me," declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 9:8
Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks with deceit. With his mouth each speaks cordially to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him.

It gets pretty serious, as we see in James:

James 1:26
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

However there is hope! If we are submitting our words to God and letting Him rule us through Love!

Acts 2:26
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope,

Psalm 37:30
The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just

Proverbs 10:19
When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Psalm 139:4
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD


I am so thankful that God loves us so dearly, that even though he knows we will tell lies, cause pain, and deception, he still loves us!!! I am learning, be it ever so slowly, to sacrifice my words to him. Its a challenge, and I dont doubt I will make mistakes. But this valentines day I am reminded of the beauty of speaking the truth. In Love, with Praise and Thankfulness!!!!

LAUREN-Thoughts on singleness and contentment this Valentine's Day

As each passing February day has brought Valentine's Day closer and closer, I will admit that I have been thinking a lot about love, romance, and relationships. I am what you would call a "hopeless romantic". I sigh over romantic movies...whether the hero of the day is Mr. Darcy or Gilbert Blythe. As the movie credits roll and some inspiring film score plays, I am filled with hope and excitement for the future.

While I don't believe that it is wrong to look forward to that time in our lives, I do believe that oftentimes singles are guilty of wasting time. And I am including myself in this! I have noticed that we as singles are often looking to the next big thing in our lives to bring us happiness and contentment....finishing school, getting that job, starting a career, beginning a relationship, etc. We focus our time and energies towards that point in time and forget to invest in today.

This can also be applied to the romantic relationships area of our lives. I have known many young people who are so discontent with their lives simply because they do not have that special someone in their lives. They feel incomplete with the intimate companionship of the opposite sex. And yet, when they are finally in that much-desired relationship, they are rarely truly happy, because either the relationship should have never began, or it was started for selfish reasons.

Don't waste time! If God has marriage in your future, then this time is precious! You will never have this time back again. This is preparation time for us. There are so many things that you are free to do while you are single that you may not have the opportunity to do once you are married, if God so desires. Don't waste time longing for the future to come--it will come soon enough. I encourage you to use your singleness to serve God with passion. Use your singleness to serve others....family, friends, and church. Focus on growing and building godly friendships with other singles, and encouraging one another in their relationship with Jesus.

We as singles will never be truly content in any relationship until we have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. And no, I am not talking about going to church on Sundays, or reading our Bibles for a few minutes and then mumbling a prayer for the day. I am not even talking about missions trips and ministry. I am talking about a intimate, personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe, the One who's mighty hands formed us. The One who knew us before we were even a thought in our parent's minds. Paul writes in Philippians 4:11, "...for I have learned to be content with whatever I have." This is so true. For those who long for romantic relationships and marriage and are not content with their present situation, they will likely be discontent in a relationship or marriage.

The romantic earthly love of another person can never compare the love of Jesus. He is the Lover of our souls. He desires to be close to us! We don't deserve His love, yet He longs to be one with us. Jeremiah 31:3 says "I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself." I love that! His unfailing love draws us to Him! His love will never fail and never end. Even in good, godly relationships, we will face disappointment at times. Those we love will let us down and hurt. But God promises unfailing love.

Let's not be discontent this Valentine's Day! I would encourage you to get alone with the Lord, spend some time talking the King of your heart. He is the greatest romantic...He died so that we might know the beauty and hope of His unfailing love. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you (James 4:8).

Lauren

LEAH- BLUEPRINT OF THE ULTIMATE MAN

This is a follow up blog after the “Manly Man” Blog Miriam wrote. If you haven’t read it…READ IT, then read this one afterwards. Haha (its just down a few posts).

BLUEPRINT+ULTIMATE+PERFECT+MAN=JESUS!

---------Jesus was Compassionate, Wise, Understanding, Witty, Humble, Forgiving, Bold, Strong, Brave, Good at listening, Wise in word choice, Unafraid to hurt feelings, To the point, Rugged, Selfless, Constant, Determined, Narrow minded,Ambitious, Fierce, Gentle, Benevolent, Took notice of every detail, And yet always saw the bigger picture, Didn’t mind getting dirty, Always cleansed others, Challenging, Unpopular (in a sense), Had interesting friends (not just the cool people), Put God above all else, Found quiet time, Calm, Hated Sin (!!!!), pure, Creative,Loved Children,Mysterious,Smart, Ingenuitive (the first MacGyver) , Unyielding, Zealous, Careful, Abrupt, but most of all… Loving. Now that’s a Man. -----------


Its safe to say that though this is the “perfect man blueprint” all women should strive (through getting to know and love God as their first love! Not on ones own strength) to be as Jesus was! In a less masculine and more feminine but nonetheless radical and passionate way. Though it takes determination and constant God-pruning, God-listening, God-everything, this “blueprint” is one we don’t have to “attempt” through human power. Which is worthless. That’s a relief too. Not to say

“Gods got you under control, so just enjoy the ride!” We have free will,

will that must be directed toward God, with action and determination! This is something Im just crazy thrilled about, I am simply a student and servant to the ultimate Manly Man! (JESUS!)

If you have "no idea" what your looking for...Look more into JESUS (!!!)...He has a crazy way of being everything you need!

LEAH--The Lusting Monkey Zombies

Ever seen an old zombie movie? The zombies are just stumbling aimlessly attacking whoever is unfortunate enough to be closest to them! Really…they never seem to care who it is…so long as they don’t have to stumble too far to attack the victim. Stiff, aimless, wondering creatures….those zombies. Hollow empty eyes….perverted with nonsensical thoughts that urge them to simply attack and kill. Yeah…you know exactly where I’m going with this, don’t you. :) Its pretty clear…its ok if you don’t get it, I’ll keep babbling.
Ever notice the guys, walking around eyes darting from one girl to another…doing full body scans? (& yes, having brain party strip clubs, sorry girls, its true, guys have confirmed it, not to creep you out, but yeah half naked girls are another topic) And likewise…the girls with puppy eyes…inclined to do the monkey and cling onto whatever limb will have them, desperate for some kind of security, whatever the form. Keep in mind…that you have these types in both sexes, boys with “the monkey” and girls with “the brain strip clubs.” These are just a few examples of real living breathing, zombies. And you thought they were made up?  Now before you pass out, Im not going sci-fi on you. (this is hypothetic)


Think about it. Same idea. Stumbling around clumsily falling to one victim after another. I’m not here to make people feel bad, I definitely don’t consider myself perfect or some ideal person, so please don’t think I am bashing just to bash. I have been wondering why this happens. And though it hasn’t just made sense over night, over time I’ve come to realize something huge and I want to share it. :)(because Gods awesome and revealed it to me!!) The key is in the hollow zombie eyes.


Now I’m not a huge Zombie fan, but I’m pretty sure they become hypnotized (correct me if your more savvy in this area…haha) then go on killing streaks yada yada. Well, sometimes we forget how vulnerable our eyes are, we think for some reason, we build up an allowance and an immunity to seeing certain things, and then deem them “ok”. Thing is, these “things” I’m talking about, are never ok. For Guys (im not a guy…so correct me if Im wrong) the eyes are subjected to the hypnotism of porn etc. That word covers….a lot. For girls it’s the romance novels etc.(or movies for girls that hate reading). And weird as it sounds, I have to say, both these things go for both sexes.

So how does one become a zombie?

Its thanks to the hypnotism of Satan/sin. GUYS! The more you allow your minds to be filled with things that are causing your mind to fall into lust, the more mindless and hollow your actions become! GIRLS! The more you allow yourself to fantasize over the perfect romance, the more lonely and empty you’ll become! (AHH! This is big people!)
• Philippians 4:8 Wasn’t written for simply a jolly good quote! >>
Finally, brothers (and sisters!), whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.<<<
(I added the sisters in there….just so you know, its implied)
Psalm 119:37-->
Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.
Proverbs 6:25-->
Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes,
Proverbs 17:24-->
A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

To wrap up (sorry this is so long!) ,

what goes in must come out

. And I don’t mean that in a gross way, and yet…it can be gross if what your eating is junk. Soak in goodness, not filth. So you can be alert, and ready to take on what comes your way!!!

Gods got a great mysterious and victorious plan!!!

But the light in your eyes will fade if you allow darkness to sneak its way in through filth! BURN THE BOOKS, DESTROY THE DISKS, WIPE THE COMPUTER, STOP THE FILTH DEAD IN ITS TRACKS! Don’t be seduced by deceptive charm, misery loves company and will stop at nothing to tempt you.
Guys, you know what’s attractive? A guy who doesn’t allow filth to sneak into his life! Who is quick to get accountability and weed it out when it sneaks in. Don’t be lethargic, be a champion, attack!
God!!! TURN EYES FROM WORTHLESS THINGS! AND PRESERVE LIVES ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD! BRING LIGHT TO HOLLOW DARK EYES, AND DESTROY THE CHAINS OF SIN! YOU ARE MIGHTY TO SAVE!!!!
Thanks Daddy :)