A time to talk and a time to SHUT UP!!!

I'm sure it has happened to you many times before when you say something and a couple minutes later you are beating yourself up about saying it! Ugh! It's one of the worst feelings ever! Almost like letting someone down!
An awesome verse that really applies to this is: Proverbs 10:19 - Where words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.
Us as girls have no problem talking and speaking our minds! I actually was trying to find a comic strip that my dad told me about that perfectly illustrated this. Basically it was a picture of a guys mouth and brain and a girls. The guys had this big maze that the words had to go through before he spoke it and the girls just had one big pipe!! LOL!! It's really pretty true though! Not saying at all that guys don't have to watch what they say but especially us girls!
I was sitting down last night talking with my parents about some things I was struggling with and finally realized that everything I was dealing with directly related to me talking to much! I am a pretty open person about things I'm going through(instead of gossiping about others I find I gossip about myself!! lol!) so when I tell people they voice there opinion which isn't bad at all(it's usually helpful) But I realized that I would take their opinion over what God had told me!! It happened over and over again until I realized that it was affecting my everyday life!
So the moral of this is before you speak think, will I regret saying this later on?, is this building the other person up at all or just satisfying my need to tell some "juicy" story?? Psalm 141:3 -Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Proverbs 21:23 He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.
As you can see in this verse it is very serious business what you let come out of your mouth!!
One of the best most practical ways to keep your mouth shut when you want to let it all out is to ask the other person questions and keep them talking! It will keep you from the temptation of telling what you would hate to have said later on!
Ask God to give you wisdom on what you should and shouldn't say! Then the holy spirit will give you a little check in your heart about what you shouldn't say!! It's awesome!! Thankfully we are not alone in this whole thing!!
I love you all!

Is it ok being single?

OK!!!! Wow!!! Welll I'm so sorry it has taken me close to forever to write on here! hehe! I have had one of the busiest months ever! But I'm going to have alot of down time in the next couple weeks so hopefully I'll get to post more! :)

The biggest thing that has been coming up in conversations and that I have been thinking about is the topic of being single! Who would have thought?? lol!
Let me just start off with saying that I have ALWAYS been single so this is coming from that perspective.
Ok..so we all admit it being loved, cared for, needed, and adored is soooo amazing! That is what we get fulfilled in dating! That is why people normally would much rather be with someone than be without! And that is very valid because God put that desire in us! And it will be fulfilled someday through the person you will marry!

The thing that I have been thinking about lately is that it seems that the world puts so much pressure on us to not be single to always have SOMEONE that we never actually have a chance to become who we are separate from another person! I have seen it happen all to often where people jump from one person to the next without taking a break and becoming who they are in Christ! Becoming who we are in Christ and having THAT relationship be #1 in our lives is soooo important! If that relationship isn't strengthened than all our other relationships will fail! I am really enjoying being single right now cause I can completely focus on what I need to focus on ESPECIALLY my relationship with God! It's amazing how freeing it is! :) My friend Sarah and I were just talking about this last night and she shared with me this AMAZING poem that she found and I think it completely sums up what I have been talking about and my heart! Enjoy!

Saved & Single
What makes you think that just because I am an attractive woman of God that I'm incomplete without a mate? Who told you that without a man somethings missing from my life? And if so, what would that be?
Love? I love myself and more importantly I love the Lord. He told me that when I delight in Him, He will give me the desires of my heart.
Security? I have everything I need according to His riches in glory.
Intimacy? Now, how's a man going to get to know me when he doesn't even know who he is in the Lord.
See my Father told me I'm above a ruby's worth and a gem does not seek, it is sought. I'm single and that's all right with me. See, it's not that I oppose relationships it's that I detest co-dependency. As a woman I know it is not my role to chase after any man. Esther 2:14 reads that I am to wait on my king and when he's delighted in me he will call me by my name.
My Lord does not intend for me to be needy or desperate. I am to be cherished, Relished, Valued, and Honored. It's not my job to convince him or convict him of that. My mate will already know it and consistently show it and he will stay on his knees daily - not just to adore me but to praise the Lord for the virtuous woman he has found.
So, when you see me by myself - I'm not alone. I know what I have coming to me. I'm single and saved, and right now that's all I need to be!- Author Unknown

True Beauty?

Hey girls! I just saw this video and it's a real eye opener! I know as girls we are always trying to live up to the beauty standards we see in all the magazines but really alot of them are fake!! God has made each one of us absulutely beautiful! And even better we are made in his image! I will talk more about this in another post:)

Compromise

A couple weeks ago Natalie and I were talking about compromise and justifying things.

I have noticed a ton of my friends in the past years get deeper and deeper into things they shouldn’t be doing! I realized that it all started from a little seed!

They were on fire for God and they let in just a little something and it grew and grew until now it’s effecting their everyday lives!!

Setting boundaries and sticking with them is so important! It’s one of the most important things you can do in your life! It’s a part of self control.

Whether it’s with movies, food, relationships, even the way you talk SET BOUNDARIES!!!

I have seen it happen way to many times where friends decide to say one little bad word…no big deal!! They think. Now they don’t care what they say!! Just from that little seed! Same with movies and other things! “Oh! This movie only has a little bit of ‘stuff’ in it…I can handle it!” Now they are watching some of the worst movies I have heard of! I’m not condemning them..because it’s their decision. But their decisions effect others and themselves!

Normally if you have to justify things for yourself it probably not the best thing to do! Trust me! Don’t start opening that door because once it’s open it just keeps getting bigger and bigger! Set guidelines for the things that you let in you! Remember that you are the temple of the holy spirit! What kind of house do you want to provide him with? One that is filled with trash? Or one that is clean!!?? Watch what you put in your eyes, ears, and even mouth! What goes in WILL come out!!!

I love you all!! I’ll try to post WAY more often than I have

A new outlook.

I was just having my devotional time this morning and God was speaking to me about my example.

He was showing me that I might be the only picture people see of Him! WOW!! You might be the only picture or example that people ever see of Jesus!! That carries more weight in the way we act, dress, talk, think, etc…

In the Bible it says they will know we are Christians by our love….but what if they already know that we are a Christian and we’re not loving or setting a good example? They’re going to get a bad taste in their mouth about Christians in general!

We need to in every area represent Jesus!

The way we act: What do you do that represents Jesus or doesn’t represent him? Take a minute to think about how you act in general. How does that represent God? If it’s not good then ask Him to show you how you are supposed to act the brings glory to Him not to yourself. Even if it's just smiling at people!! That makes their day and show's them God's love!!

The way we dress: How are you dressing? Does it cause guys to stumble? Does it look like you just got out of bed? How you dress also represents you AND God!! Because it’s how you come across…one of people’s first impressions of you! When you’re getting dressed each morning think, how does this represent me and God? Remember, you are a princess and you represent God in that way. So dress like one!!!!!!!

The way we talk: We need to make sure that the way we talk is reflecting God! I KNOW that this is hard sometimes cause we like to talk A LOT!! Lol! But know that in everything you say, it is a reflection of what’s really in your heart! When the world see’s us gossiping, swearing, etc. there is nothing different between us and them! But…when they see us building people up and responding in love it sets us apart and they then see what God is really like!!

Remember that God made us in HIS image and we are to look just like Him!! I recommend studying the Bible about love because that’s where it all starts! When you love others it comes out and that is when people truly see God. And the glory then goes to him! And that’s where it should be in the first place because we love Him so much!!

So take that to heart…show God to others today in every way! Let them see Him! You never know it might be their first time!!!!

Love you all!!

Sarah

A heart after God's heart.

Hey girls! Wow! I have had one busy summer so far!! No, I haven’t forgotten about you all!!:)
I had posted earlier that I was going to go through the whole Proverbs 31 verse by verse…I decided that I’m going to switch it up a little and just write what God speaks to me..and when it’s about Proverbs 31 then it will be about that…but I’m going to jump around on different topics again, including Prov. 31 Enjoy!!

God has been ministering me a lot lately about having a heart after his! A heart that is molded to be just what he wants it to be! It is so easy to start doing what we want and pray for the things that WE want…but what is God desire for us? I struggle with this all the time and I always have to come back to God surrender my plans and ideas to him. Letting him clear away any junk that I mixed into it and let him shape it into what he wants it to be!

I want to hear God so clearly and when my plans and ideas start getting in the way it is soooo hard to hear him! I fast every Wednesday just to get away and surrender everything to him. It is so important to do this! Even if it’s just sugar, tv, etc. Surrender something! It helps so much to kill that flesh that would try to rise up and get in the way of God’s plans! Fasting is like a form of death….in the sense that your giving up self and surrendering to God. When that “self” is dead it can’t get in the way of God speaking!

Another way to have a heart after God’s heart is to be a servant! God was just speaking to me yesterday about this! Being a servant is humbling and will shape and mold your heart to exactly how God is! This is one of the most difficult things for me…because I have 6 younger brothers and sisters..and when I want something and they are just sitting around I ask them to do things for me…sometimes it’s fine.. But when it becomes a habit of other people doing things for you, you get out of the habit of serving others!! So yesterday I specifically did things to kill that “flesh” even more by serving and helping out! Even though it is hard sometimes it is so worth it in the end when your heart is pure and clean just like God’s own heart!
I love you all so much!! Have a wonderful day!
Sarah

Confidence

Hey girls! Sorry I haven't written in awhile! I miss you all! I am sitting on a porch looking out over the mountains in the Dominican Republic it's gorgeous! Ok let's dive right in!

Proverbs 31:11- Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing in value.

How can we apply this to our lives right now??

Her husband has FULL confidence in her. That means that no matter what he can fully trust her!! He can trust her with hard responsibilities and to manage things; and he can trust her with sharing things with her!

This means that we should be so faithful and do things with integrity! No matter what! Even if it's a extremely hard task or responsibility people know that they can come to you because you are trustworthy and they know that no matter what you can get it done and they can fully trust you to do it! How awesome of a reputation would that be?? People have full confidence in you! In every area!

Every area!! hmm..that also means with our tongues!! Uh oh!! Hehe! When people share things with you, you keep it in confidence so as to not ruin their reputation or yours! I know this is so hard for us girls because we LOVE to talk..and often it gets into gossip, but how much better would it be for people to know you as someone they can come to and trust! And know that after they tell you the whole world won't know by tomorrow?

Full Confidence! People have no worries when they are around you because you put them at ease! And with this they lack NOTHING of value! In another translation it says "Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life." Wow! So we enrich people's lives through being trustworthy!

Be a person of integrity! It stands out!! Believe me! People will notice that no matter what they can trust you with anything! But don't just do it to be praised! God loves it when we show integrity! So it's a win-win-win situation! You are helping people, building a good reputation, and pleasing God! All at the same time!

So next time someone trusts you with something to do..don't just do it 100%!! Far surpass their expectations!! Let's GREATLY enrich people's lives!! That's why we're here!!!

I love you all!!

Sarah

Ps..Oh yeah! My friend Jake reminded me of this too!! Can not forget this!!: Also, part of having full confidence is knowing that you won't have "wandering eyes." Looking at EVERY guy thinking hmm.."Is he the one".."Oh!! he is sooo cute!!" I do it alot! But it's a habit that we need to work on breaking so that we don't do this in our marriages!! So many people have told me that once they get in that habit of being "On the prowl" it is very harmful after marraige! So trust God!! He will bring that person to you! It's alot easier that way!!...now I have to majorly work on that too..so you all aren't alone!

Rubies! - Proverbs 31:10

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.”

What in the world does this mean?

First even though you may not be a wife or even become one soon you still have to work on these qualities because they are God’s plan for how a woman is supposed to be!

First we’ll look at noble character. Noble means having or showing qualities of high moral character, such as courage, generosity, or honor: a noble spirit. It also says in a different translation a virtuous woman. One of the meanings of virtuous means to be pure! Untainted or corrupted. Also someone who has saved themselves for their husband.

So basically in this verse it is saying who can find a girl that has strong character all the time and who is pure! The thing is is that it’s not popular to be pure or to stand up for what you believe is right! The world wants us to be passive and just go with the flow! YEAH RIGHT! We need to go against the grain! If the world was heading the right direction then it wouldn’t say in this verse “Who can find?” but because hardly anyone these days stay pure and have that strong noble character, we’re hard to find!

Even if you haven’t stayed pure in the past there is hope now! God can totally wipe your slate clean! All you need to do is ask for forgiveness It’s worth it!

Be that needle in the haystack! Or ruby in the haystack! Build that character up! Work on the fruit of the spirit! Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control. The way you know how your character is is how you act in the middle of situations! If you react mean and harsh then you know that you need to work on love and peace! If you can’t stop eating those doughnuts then you know that you have to work on self control! Every time that you react right and with the fruit of the spirit it is building your character! Ask God to help you to strengthen that character…and watch out it won’t be easy! But it will be worth it because you’re a ruby being shined!

I love you all!

Proverbs 31!

For the next couple weeks I'm going to be doing an indepth study on here on Proverbs 31! I'm really excited about this because it is what God has called us girls and women to be! Even if we are not married we can still work on these qualities, because I guarantee you that if you don't have them now they won't just appear all of a sudden when you are married! Some might with God's grace...but most of these things need to become habit now! As I said in an earlier post that for a whole semester my dad taught me on the Proverbs 31 woman. It was such an eye opener! Prov. 31 is now definitely my favorite chapter, probably because God has given me such revelation about it! Now to put it into practice! So for this first post about it, I'll just post the whole section so you can get a feel for what we'll be going over! :)
Proverbs 31:10-31
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Low times.....

What do you do when everything seems to go wrong?? You don't feel like talking to God, everyone seems to be edgy(especially you), and nothing seems to flow! It happens to me every once in awhile! Like just now I typed up this whole thing and then accidently deleted it and had to write it alll over! It can be really depressing!
How do you handle it!!??
First, keep your joy!!! For instance say you totally messed something up, don't let the enemy steal your joy from you. With a bad attitude it will make the situation far worse but with a joyful attitude you can turn that situation around! Even just smiling or laughing will help! I've broken down on the highway a couple times and both times just laughed the whole way through, which actually made the situations kind of fun even though they wouldn't have been fun normally!!
Second, check your heart. See if there is anything that might have opened the door to these situations happening. If God convicts you of anything just repent. Don't leave any open door for the enemy! Third, pray! This will draw you closer to God and turn the situation around! Especially since this is normally the time that you really don't feel like praying and usually it's the time that you need to pray the most!!! Fourth, KEEP YOUR JOY!! I know this was #1 but is should be on here again because it will so improve the situation, your outlook, and your life!! No matter what happens keep that joy!! Smile, keep your chin up, and trust God! No situation is too hard for him!! :)

Lemonade stands???

Ok...so let's see...I'm believing God for: studionewcameraequipmenthousetorentouthusbandclothesstrongrelationshipsetc!! Did you get all that? lol! Ever since I was little my parents taught me how to believe God for things. When I was 7 I wanted an American Girl doll sooooo bad!!! Allll of my friends had one but my parents wanted me to earn the money to buy one. Well...I could have a lemonade stand everyday for the next 10 years to possibly earn the money for one....or I could believe God for one! I choose the latter...or I might still be running a lemonade stand today!! The first thing I did was pray and ask God for the doll.. then I gave one of my favorite dolls away to someone to sow that seed for the next doll! When you sow you reap! It definitely didn't happen overnight it was a couple weeks or months until it finally manifested!! My parents one night asked me if I had $100 what would I do with it? Now for a 7 or 8 year old that is ALOT of money! I knew EXACTLY what I was going to do!! Buy that American Girl doll! My uncle had passed away and left every niece and nephew $100 and I was able to get the doll!! All it took was faith, prayer, and sowing!!! Sometimes God will give you wisdom if you are supposed to do something, like before this probably when I was 6 I wanted a different doll, so I gave another one away, prayed and had a lemonade stand! I had that doll by the end of the week!! You can't just be lazy and hope that what you are believing for will fall out of the sky!! God set these systems up for us to use! Not just hope that sometime in the future maybe what I want will happen!! NO!!! Get on it today!!! What are you believing God for?? Get a scripture for it, pray it, see if you need to sow anything, and start thanking God for that harvest!! Don't give up until it happens!!!! God wants to be involved in every part of your life even the things that you think are little he is there to help!!! Because he loves you!!!

My first love.

You know how when someone falls in love with someone else they are so excited? They can't stop spending time with that other person, all they talk and think about is them? Well I noticed the same type of thing happens when someone gets saved!! They get sooo excited about God all they can do is talk about him and they get so excited about his word!! I noticed though that usually the people that this happens to are those who get saved later in life, who notice a huge difference in everything. What about those who got saved when they were really little!?? What do we do? We didn't necessarily have any major turnaround, we just said the prayer after our parents or whoever and knew that we were going to heaven! Yea! BUT!! What about being totally and utterly in love with God? For me I really started noticing it a couple years ago...
I wasn't in love with God...I hadn't even had that first love experience like so many people have had! So one day I cried out to God and told him exactly how I felt: that I loved other things more than him and I wanted him to be my first love, to fully have my heart! Sooo...he had me do something drastic! Our old pastor after every service would do an alter call...and for a couple weeks God was ministering for me to go up!! Yeah right! I was a Christian! Those were all sinners who were going up! Finally, that morning that I cried out to him, he spoke to me to go up that night to rededicate my life to him and to get baptized! Well I just got sick! What would people think of me!?? OMG!! That couldn't have been God telling me that! I couldn't do anything that day because I was so concerned and finally my parents noticed and asked what was up....I told them...and..they agreed that they thought it was God!! Ah!! So I did it that night! It was one of the hardest things ever but I had to get out of myself and make that public declaration! And trust me it wasn't overnight that all of a sudden I was sooo in love with God. It has been a process but an awesome one!! I'm am not saying at all that you all have to go up to the alter to rededicate...that is just what God gave me to do. He might give you something else. But the real question is: Is God your first love?

Modesty! Does it even exist?

Well that is up to you!!
I know I know! When you go to the store you see the CUTEST shirt, perfect color, perfect style and everything! You go try it on in the dressing room and it's just a little hard to get on, but it's all good it will stretch out in time. You look in the mirror and WHOA!!! You're sexy!!! It just shows a little bit of cleavage but it's ok it's not THAT much and it's a little too tight but once you wear it everyday by the end of the week it might be a little less tight...
Does this sound like what happens when you shop??? Come on I know!! I confess I have done this!
What is the problem with showing just a little bit?? It can't hurt anyone!! Everyone else is wearing it!! It is soooo hard if not impossible to find modest clothes!!! Guess what!!! It can be done!!!
Whenever I'm feeling super discouraged about what to wear, thinking there is nothing out there, I go spend some time with my cousins!! LOL!! The Barlowgirls!
Something that I have learned from them is layers are VERY good!! Long undershirts and regular t-shirts can both be put under those really cute shirts! Be creative!!
What is the reason we don't want to show all this?
For me the reason that I try to dress modestly is because I don't want guys coming after me for the wrong reasons! JUST for what I'm showing! Girls, guys are motivated by vision!! When they see that, it is really hard for them to not take notice! We need to protect the guys around us and love them enough to not cause them to stumble!! It's worth it! Would you rather have a guy like you for who you are or for what you are showing!??
I'm definitely still working on this! So not everyone is perfect! The area that I'm stuggling with is finding shirts that don't show everything when you lean over!!! Ah!! But it can be done!!
So just go out and buy those longer shirts that cover your stomach and higher shirt's that cover that cleavage!! Save it for after your married!!! Not everyone needs to see it!! :) Plus we get to SHOP more!! Who doesn't love that!!

Boys Boys Boys!!!

Ahh!!!! What do we do!!??!?!?! I think I started liking them at like 3 years old!!
I can't even count on two hands how many boys I've liked....
Justin, Steve, Joey, Louie, John, Bryan, David, Andrew, Jordan, etc...goes on and on!! lol!
(....most of them never even knew that I liked them!!!!)
A while ago I just cried out to God because even though it's fun to like someone....it is TIME consuming!! God showed me that each of these crushes were like tests!!! What!!?? How could it be a test? He showed me that with each guy that I would like I would think about, talk about, dream about, etc. allll the time!! So the test was whether I can keep God #1 or is the guy going to be #1!?? Hmm...well I most definitely failed everytime!!! And it just kept drawing me farther from God because all these guys were getting in the way! So that is why I cried out to God..at first I was like I just don't want to like anymore guys for a awhile!! Well...that didn't happen...but the way that I handle it is different now! :) Everytime that I think of that person that I like...I pray!!! And believe me I pray ALOT now....but it is building my faith, helping the situation, strengthening my prayer life, and drawing me closer to God rather than farther away!!
I also realized that I can't put my hope in any guys...because I will be disappointed...It says in the Bible to put your hope in God and you'll NEVER be disappointed!!! Which means my hope can never be in any guy even if I end up marrying him...it still can't be in him it has to stay in God!! Trust me this is super hard but worth it!!!
Soooo....I challenge you girls...(and even guys!) that everytime that you think of that awesomely amazing person that you think is the cutest thing that ever hit planet earth!!!!! Pray!!!!! Pass this test!! Don't let God be put on the backburner!! Show him that he is number #1 in everything!! It will MAJORLY help!!

Mean Girls

Why are girls so mean??? Maybe it's hormonal...I really don't know!!
Seriously though...
We criticize how people look, what they're wearing, if their makeup is right, if they're too fat or too skinny, and it goes on an on as if we are some perfect flawless person!
I am definitely guilty of it!!
The thing that really gets me is leaving people out because their not as "cool" as you!!
I'm definitely guilty of this one too....When I was younger at our church there was more of the popular crowd and then the outcasts. We really never associated with the "other" people because they just didn't get it!! lol!
Now some of those people are some of my good friends!! If we just get past looks and dress and see what the people are really like!! They could be some of the most fun people to hang out with!!
An awesome thing to do is put yourself in their place!!
I had gone to our church for all of my life and we left when I was 14!!
My whole world changed when we went to a new church and I was no longer popular or well known...And many of you know that it is HARD to make it especially at that time of life. Everyone has their set friends they don't need anymore so you just get left out!! It is a huge struggle!!
So whether you are part of the popular crowd or the outcasts....get out of yourself(and your hormones!!) and invite people into your life! Find someone who you feel has been left out and start up a conversation with them!! You never know! They may become your best friend!!!
Oh!! I just thought of someone to do this with!! Now your turn to think of someone!!! :)

Ugh...Why can't I be a couch potato??

In my freshman year of highschool my dad was out of work for 6 months. My mom ended up going to work and my dad stayed home to homeschool us!!
For the first semester he would sit me down everyday and teach from Proverbs 31! The whole first part of the school year revolved around those verses!
One of the days he was teaching
Proverbs 31:17- She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
He showed me that basically what this verse is saying is that this woman is not lazy and she is strong! Strong both emotionally and physically!
So today's topic is about EXERCISE!!!
What are the pros and cons of exercising??
Pros:
-You become healthier because more blood is flowing to your heart and you get more oxygen to your brain! Trust me this is good...lol!
-You have more energy! This is always good!
-You feel better! And are more productive!
-You become more toned and build muscle! "Her arms are strong for her tasks" :)
Cons:
I couldn't really think of any.... let me know if any of you come up with some!! lol!
So what are some types of exercising that you can do?
-Running!! After being a huge couch potato when I was younger I ended up running the Chicago Marathon!! It was a blast! But took 9 months of training at 3 in the morning! LOL
You don't have to go that far if you don't want...hehe!
-Tae Bo, this is alot of fun and a great workout!! You can get the videos basically anywhere:)
-Dance, this is probably the most fun for alot people! Plus it's a great place to make friends and wear fun outfits! I did Irish Dance for two years! It was so much fun and a GREAT workout!
-Sports, really any kind! It is a great workout and you have fun at the same time!
-Lifting weights, great for building up those muscles! Don't do ones that are too heavy though! Girls aren't very pretty with man looking muscles! lol!

Go out and do something! Just try it for a couple days and see how much better you will feel! Even if you don't want to start with something so vigorous walking is good!!
Starting this habit when your young is soooo important! And it's fun once you get into it!
Turn that TV off and go have fun!

Vision! Why do I need it?

So many people talk about vision and the need for one but I have met soooo many people who don't have one and don't even know where to start to get one!! One of the things that I often feel really sad about is I see soooo many people totally forget all their morals and go the opposite direction in their life!!
I've always wondered, why is that? What causes them to do that and why do others stay on the right path??
I came to the conclusion that it all has to do with vision!
Proverbs 29:18 - Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law.
So basically this verse is saying that when people don't have vision or purpose for their life from God, that they just run wild!
When you have a vision, that vision guides you and keeps you on course!!
Vision gives you the license to say no to anything that is outside of the vision because you know where your headed and what you can and can't do to accomplish that!
It helps make decisions and peer pressure a whole lot easier! I can easily say no to alot of peer pressure because I know that it won't take me anywhere but off my course!
An awesome book to read about vision that REALLY helped me in this area is called The Power of Vision. This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it!! A great thing to do today is to just take some time and get away, write down the things that you love to do, what you want to do in life, what you could do to change the world, and ask God how to do it all! Also, ask for him to give you purpose!! It will change your life!! Seriously!!

The power of a praying (future) wife!

Several years ago my parents told me that it was very important to start praying for my husband! My dad told me that someone had told him the same thing when he was young and he never did it because he didn't think it was that important...
My mom went through some REALLY rough times in her late teens, that could have been prevented had he been praying! So I decided that I would start praying!! lol! I did for a couple months and forgot about it and then just did it every once in awhile when I would remember...
Then about 2 years ago for school(I was homeschooled) we had to make different confessions/prayers for areas in our life, that we would pray every day!
Now when I was younger I had A LIST of what I wanted in a husband, had to be an architect, had to be 5'5", etc... LOL!! Now the list has somewhat dwindled to the really important things, being a strong Christian, strong leader, etc.
I decided to incorporate that list into my everyday confession!! It has really really helped!! I have a confession binder that I just open every morning and pray! It makes it super easy and I always remember to do it now!
Also, once you get married you will be praying for your husband a lot! So why not get a head start?? Here is the confession **click here** that you can download and customize for yourself or you can create your own!! Also any guys that are reading this you could always just change it to be for you wife:)
This is one of the most important things you could do for your future!!!
Have a very fun blessed day!
Sarah
PS. I got some people saying after reading this post, that the only person who would fit that confession is Jesus...I totally understand that NO ONE is perfect and I'm soooo not going to marry a perfect guy that practices all of those qualities 100% but I can definitely pray that God helps him in those areas!!! One of the things God loves is for us to be specific!!! :)

My own God.

So this morning I found all of my old notes for this book that I was going to write!! It has about a zillion topics that I could write about...so where to start is the hard part!! But! I decided that probably the best place to start would be with my relationship with God! Since that is above all the most important part of life!
I'll start with a little history, I got saved before I could remember...I think right when I could talk my parents had me say the prayer!! lol! I grew up in church and had a TON of friends. As time went on I started feeling more and more distant from God especially when I was around 13-14 years old... I remember laying in bed one night scared that I wasn't really saved! So I prayed and that was the time that I made Jesus MY savior not just my parents savior! That is such a huge key..especially when you grow up as a Christian! When you finally decide that you want to serve him not because you have to or your parents make you but because you love him so much that you want to! So from there I started growing more and more in my faith! And actually having my time with God without my parents having to tell me! This time in your life will come...or maybe it already has! Just take some time to check your heart and see where it is really at...
Would you go to church, have devotional time, talk to God, even if you parents weren't around?
I've come to the point now that I can not live without setting aside time for God!!
So today I challenge you to even if it's just for five minutes to get away and pray or read the bible! It will improve everything around you!!:)
Love you,
Sarah

Welcome to my new blog!!!

Hey guys!!
I decided to start this "Dear Natalie" blog because awhile ago one of my sisters friends was having a party called "Welcoming into Womanhood" where all the lady's brought a word of encouragement for the girl as she enters this new stage in her life. I decided to write a little something...and it turned into 3 pages full of things!! So I thought...hmm...maybe I should write a book...just about my different experiences and how to deal with life in general. Things that I have learned over the years! The reason I named it "Dear Natalie" is because my sister's "Welcoming into Womanhood" party is coming up....and I always wanted to present her with a book of advice...from someone who's JUST been there...but that didn't happen so here is a blog to do the job! And maybe one day this will become a book!? We'll see:) But for now welcome to this new blog I hope it is encouraging not only to younger girls but to everyone else who reads it!
Sarah