How To Really Be In Style...

I love fashion.  I love clothes.  I love digging through sale and clearance racks and finding good deals on pieces to expand my wardrobe.  I love combining new items with pieces of clothing I've had for years to come up with new outfits.  I love coming up with modest and tasteful versions of trends (and totally believe you girls can do this too with some commitment and creativity). I love changing an outfit up with different accessories.  Fashion is fun, and fits my creative, likes-change-and-variety personality.  


I treated myself to an In Style magazine the other day...as much as I love cooking and fashion magazines, I try to resist always picking them up to save a few dollars on my grocery bill.  But it had been awhile since I had bought one and this issue had the 150 Best Beauty Buys, which is always a good consumer read.  


The same day I was going to try to carve out some time to sit in my green chair with my new mag, I was spending a few minutes with God when I came across this verse... Colossians 3:12 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."


I don't think God minds at all if we enjoy fashion or beauty or other fun things.  In fact, in the year before He used Queen Esther to save the Jewish nation, she received a year (yes, a year) of beauty treatments.  I've never even been to the spa for a full day, let alone a year!  The ultimate, virtuous woman in Proverbs 31 was described to be "clothed in fine linen and purple" - in other words, along with all her other amazing qualities, she was a well-dressed woman.


However, I do know that God wants us to care more about our character than our appearance.  I do know His desire is for us to first look like Him and reflect the beauty of His character. 


I still enjoyed my In Style magazine, like always.  But while getting fun fashion ideas, I also meditated on five words that I want to describe my character and that I want to put on before putting on my cute outfits...compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  


Hoping and praying that you girls will add these five things to your wardrobe as well!


Because I Believe In You,
Jennifer

Everybody Needs A Little Help Sometimes...

The other morning after breakfast I was doing Pre-K work with my daughter at the kitchen table.  My son was watching Cars (his favorite movie) and playing with blocks.  All of a sudden I heard a muffled cry and went into the family room to find my son like this...evidently he thought it would be fun to put the block container on his head, but it got stuck in too awkward of a position for him to get it off by himself!

It only took me a second to pull it off, but I snapped a photo first because it was such a picture of us sometimes.  We are innocently living our lives when we try something we probably shouldn't, and before we know it we are stuck.  We need some help before a small problem turns into something dangerous, but unlike my little boy, sometimes we don't cry out for it.  We keep secrets and bottle up feelings, and don't share the fear we are facing as we become overwhelmed by situations we didn't see coming when we first made that small choice to try something we shouldn't have.

As soon as I heard my son cry, I went to see what was wrong.  I immediately helped fix the situation, comforted him, and then warned him not to do that again because it could be dangerous.  I both helped and warned him because I LOVE HIM.

Sweet girl, God loves you.  And so do people in your life who care for your well being, such as your parents, teachers, youth group leaders, etc.  If you find yourself stuck, don't remain silent.  Ask for the help you need to be set free.  Don't live in bondage because you were afraid to ask.

Remember, everybody needs a little help sometimes.

Lovingly, Jennifer

"Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise."   Proverbs 19:20, The Bible

You Are Loved, You Are Accepted...

I've lived and listened and learned long enough now to know that behind every tough exterior, every can't hurt me attitude, every underachiever, every overachiever, every pretty smile, every perfect makeup job, and every heart and soul lies a deep rooted need for love and acceptance.

It doesn't matter if she drives the prettiest car from the prettiest house and family in town, or if she walks in an old pair of shoes from a run down shack that makes her ashamed, every girl I've encountered desires love and acceptance.

These needs are genuine, legitimate, and universal.  You need love and acceptance, and so do I.  

Sadly, many girls I encounter haven't found it yet, and continue their search down paths that bring them anything but the wholeness they are looking for.  Many have been so broken down they no longer think it is to be found.  For some girls, this hopelessness is written all over their faces; for others, it is carefully hidden behind MAC foundation and lipgloss.  

If you, my dear girl, are in the many who feel like every time you thought you'd found love and acceptance you were hurt and disillusioned, I have good news for you....

You are loved.  You are accepted.  Maybe not by everyone in your life by whom you wish you were, but by the ONE THAT MATTERS MOST.  

Jesus.

"This is how we know what love is; Jesus Christ laid down his life for us."  I John 3:16a

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."  Ephesians 3:17b-19

My heart tonight longs for the broken and hurting to know they can be whole and restored by the love of Jesus.  My desire is that those who feel like outcasts or strangers can find acceptance in this love.

My prayer is that with me, you could understand and sing the lyrics "I'm forgiven, because You were forsaken.  I'm accepted - You were condemned.  I'm alive and well, Your spirit lives within me, because You died and rose again.  Amazing love, how can it be?  That you my King would die for me.  Amazing love, I know it's true. And it's my joy to honor you, in all I do, I honor you." (Billy J. Foote)

Sleep well tonight, Genuine Girl, knowing no matter what today held you are truly loved and accepted.  Dream sweet as you rest in this gentle truth.

Reminder in the Trees....

Sometimes on the blah days or bad days, we need a little reminder that we are loved.


I know some of you reading this may not feel very loved sometimes.  Life can make you feel that way.


To me, when I think of the ultimate picture of love, I think of the cross. The place where Jesus took nails and beatings and mockery and hatred and a cruel death for our sins so we wouldn't have to endure such a horrible thing.  The place where we can find forgiveness and hope.  The place where broken souls find redemption and healing.


John 15:13 "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  Jesus did exactly this...the cross was the most powerful display of love possible.

John 3:16 "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."  The painful sacrifice of God's son Jesus on the cross was motivated out of love for the world and can guarantee us everlasting life in Heaven.

Yes, when we are feeling unloved, it only takes a simple glance at the cross to be reminded that we are loved, loved so much that someone (Jesus, God's only son) gave His life for us.

A woman in our church had been telling me about a natural phenomenon that happens this time of year, around Easter, which is the holiday where we reflect on the cross where Jesus died, and the fact that he didn't stay dead but rose from the grave and is now alive in Heaven preparing a beautiful place for us.  She said that in the spring, near Easter, on the top of each branch in her pine trees something special would appear...

A cross. Crosses literally cover the trees like ornaments.

As my little girl and I gazed into the sky earlier today, marveling at this beautiful display of God's grace in creation, I was reminded that because of the cross, I can rest assured that I am most beautifully and sacrificially loved.

And so, sweet genuine girl, are you.  You are loved.

He Had Spirit, How 'Bout You?!

Hey there!

Yes girls, I have not blogged in awhile. And no, I did not fall off the face of the earth! I have had some medical testing and extra responsibilities and events added to my already full schedule I try to juggle and, well, I dropped the blogging ball! Sorry about that!

But don't think for a minute that you girls haven't been on my mind.

So many times over the past few weeks I have had things I wanted to share with you! We have some major catching up to do. But as I have lots of studying to do tonight for an upcoming conference I am speaking at, I thought I'd share one thing with you that has been on my mind since the message at our church the Sunday before last.

We've been studying the book of Daniel. And let me tell you, we have been learning so much from Daniel that makes me think of you!! Daniel wasn't afraid to stand up for what was right when he was young. And he lived a consistently obedient life for God from the time he was young until his old age. But one little phrase in one verse that my dad (who is also my pastor) pointed out that particular Sunday has been on my mind.

So here it is. Daniel 6:3 says of Daniel stood out among the other rulers because "an excellent spirit was in him." Another version reads "he possessed an extraordinary spirit."

What does that mean?

Daniel had a good ATTITUDE. And it was his good attitude that set him apart, and eventually brought him to great power and success.

Chapter 6 of Daniel shows that even though Daniel possessed this great attitude and was faithful, obedient, and consistent, he still had trouble. Some people plotted against him to have him thrown into a lion's den for praying! Seriously, that's ridiculous. Obviously, there was some jealousy and other issues going on there (and that's a whole other conversation) but they succeeded and he was thrown into a den of hungry lions - but God came through and delivered him! An angel shut the lion's mouth and Daniel survived. In the end, the very king whose decree forced Daniel in the lion's den ended up acknowledging that the God Daniel served was the living God, and Daniel got even further promotions in the kingdom.

So the haters' plan backfired after all, how about that!

But here's the deal...Daniel made good choices, and did so with an excellent attitude. He faced hard times, but saw God's deliverance and blessings. Life was not always easy for him, but his attitude was where it needed to be and he excelled.

Hearing this amazing (and true) story, and paying attention to that one little phrase about his "excellent spirit" motivated me to do a little attitude check, and makes me hope you will do the same.

After all, you are only going to get out of your school years, or youth group, or soccer or cheerleading team, or church, or job, or anything what you put into it. And you are going to stand out in those arenas based on your attitude. Attitude shines a lot brighter than aptitude many times.

In my high school days, I remember cheering at games doing the chant, "We got spirit, yes we do, we got spirit, how 'bout you?" It would go back and forth, back and forth, getting louder as we went, proving that we indeed were the ones with spirit!

Daniel, who stood firmly for God as a teenager and succeeded greatly in life, was recorded to have had spirit.

How 'bout you?

I Want To Be An Onion

Confession...I am a salsa fanatic. I can practically drink the stuff. Seriously, there are times when I've had my fill of chips that I'll take a spoon and enjoy a few more tastes of salsa by itself! I guess it's a borderline addiction...just the thought of it makes me want to run to Chili's, Abuelo's, On the Border, or even to my own kitchen to whip some up!

I was making some homemade salsa the other day, and as I put the onion in the food processor, I remembered a message my husband gave at youth group a few weeks ago. He sliced up an entire onion in the teen building while he was speaking (you can imagine how that smelled - and he didn't even cry!), revealing that an onion looks virtually the same all the way through. As you slice it or peel back layer after layer, each layer is practically identical to the one before it. He then went on to talk about how we, as Christians, should strive to be like an onion (without the odor!) - consistent layer by layer - not having a surface layer completely different from our heart.

I want to be an onion. I don't want there to be a "church Jen" and a "home Jen" and an "out with friends Jen" etc... but rather, I want the layers of my life to consistently reveal a girl who loves Jesus and loves people and tries to serve God and encourage others the best I can wherever I am, and whatever I am doing. A life that, even when I blow it and mess up, reveals a sincere heart's desire to do what's right.

I want to be consistent. Not perfect, because no one is or can be. But real. Authentic.

And that's really what this blog is about, right? I named it "Genuine Girl: An Invitation to Authenticity" because I want you to join me in this quest to be real. I don't want you to fall into the trap of putting on a church girl mask that's replaced with another mask when around your friends at school, another one when you are at parties, another when you are around your parents, and on and on it goes. That kind of life is confusing, frustrating, and in the end, self-defeating.

Authentic living isn't always easy - there are days when we will find ourselves reaching for those masks - and it is definitely something we grow into the closer we walk day to day in a real relationship with Jesus Christ. But I have faith that you can do it; that you can aim to live a consistent life for Christ no matter where your day or your life takes you; that you can get back on track when you start going the wrong way; that you can be an onion.

(But one that smells more like Bath and Body Works of course!)

Questions for Thought: Is my faith in God something real that affects every layer of my life, or just a mask I put on when I go to church or youth group? Are there steps I can take to be more real about my love for Jesus? Are there things I need to change so that my attitudes and actions consistently reveal Christian character whether I am at church, home, school, practice, etc..?

Pearls...

I love pearls.

Like, love love them. I have pearls in all sizes and wear them with almost everything.

I've loved them since I was a little girl. There is just something so feminine and classic about pearls. They are dependably beautiful, never really going in and out of style like many other accessories.

I don't actually have a real set - maybe one day - but have lots of fun, inexpensive versions of this fashion classic. And recently, my mom found a huge (and I mean huge) set for next to nothing at a jewelry show and I am crazy about them!

Even though I'm a bit of an accessory junkie, especially in the pearl department, there is another type of pearls that I love.

Those are pearls of wisdom, which are wise instructions and pieces of advice to help in daily life. And where is the best place to find those?

You guessed it - The Bible!

James 1:5 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."

For many years since discovering this verse, I have prayed for wisdom and have truly seen God answer this request and help me make wise, thoughtful choices that have definitely impacted the course of my life for the better!

I have also always enjoyed reading the book of Proverbs in the Bible (smack dab in the middle after Psalms) to gain insight and advice that I can use day to day.

Check out a few of these "pearls of wisdom" from Proverbs...

Proverbs 11:1 "The Lord hates cheating, but he delights in honesty." (That should help you on your next math test.)

Proverbs 16:38 "A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends." (That should help you with school drama.)

Proverbs 31:30 "Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last, but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised." (That should help you desire to work on developing your inner beauty, and encourage you when a glance in the mirror makes you want to forget it, crawl back under the covers, and just try again tomorrow. We'll chat more about this one soon...)

You see, the Bible isn't some outdated book that was fine for ancient times but is completely out of touch today. Actually, the Bible is quite the opposite - it is totally relevant and helpful for you girls walking the halls of your school and living your life in 2010!

If you want to be wise and make good choices that will help you live a fantastic life - and I believe that most of you do - then when you put on your pearls in the morning while getting ready, stop and take a moment to check out God's Word to gain wisdom and insight to help you with the day ahead.

And then ask God to help you be a girl whose life is accessorized beautifully with pearls of wisdom, and watch as He abundantly blesses this simple request!

So much love, and happy Proverbs reading!! I can't wait to hear what you discover along the way.