Are you an image builder? Do you enjoy "dropping names" to make yourself look a bit more than what you really are? I'm guilty of dropping a few names. Am I proud of it? No.
As you know, I'm doing a Daniel study with Beth Moore. Again, I can not emphasize just how amazing this woman is, or rather how amazing God has made her! I highly recommend you do one of her studies or read one of her books. I guarantee you will walk away a different person.
Back to this name dropping idea. If we are anything than what we seem, we are image builders. I have to ask myself, am I in public, who I am in private? I've had to work on presenting myself as real. It takes quite a bit of refining and God isn't done with me yet, but I'm making progress.
If we are image builders, aren't we adhering to the world's ideals and values? I mean, if I decide to drop a name to build my self image up, aren't I focusing on the "me"? Wouldn't that be considered self seeking or self centered?
Is being too humble a bad thing? Ponder this quote from Beth for a moment, "constantly thinking little of ourselves is still thinking constantly of ourselves." If I have a bad self image, which is leading me to name dropping, am I still self seeking? I believe the answer is yes. A prevailing sense of inferiority is just another form of self-absorption. So, where is the middle of the road you might ask? The world tells us to seek position. The Word says, "Seek God." Matthew 6:33 says, and I'm paraphrasing, if we give our entire lives to the pursuit of God, everything else of value, position, name, etc., will find us.
I've been chosen by the God of all creation for a live worth living. Not to glorify me, but to bring glory to Him.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
I mentioned before that I am currently studying the book of Daniel with Beth Moore. We are currently picking apart the story of Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Are you familiar with it? If not, I'd encourage you to glance at chapters 1-3 of the book of Daniel, in the Old Testament.
The story goes something like this:
King Nebuchadnezzar decides to build this HUGE statue 8 stories high, for people to bow down to and worship. He commands all the people in the highest places, at the time, satraps, prefects, governers, advisors, treasurers, judges and magistrates, to fall on the ground in worship, as soon as they hear the sound of harps, lyres and other musical instruments.
So imagine this: the countryside is filled with all these important people, thousands of them, surrounding this 8 story statue. The land is covered by all these men.
The music starts to play and at once, all these people fall flat on their faces to worship this graven image, this statue made of gold, bronze, silver, iron and clay. Would you do that if you were commanded to? I mean seriously, this is an inanimate object and suddenly the king tells you to bow down and worship it! Ludicrous!
Continue picturing this.... everyone is face down, but off in the distance there are three men who are still standing. They stand out like a sore thumb - no pun intended.
Some of the satraps, advisors and magistrates walk up to king Neb and are like, "uh, hey, king? See those men over there? They aren't bowing down to your statue. Didn't you say they'd be thrown into the furnace?"
King Neb, considers this and says to the three, I'll quote from scripture, if you don't mind. "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sounds of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"
The words, the three men replied with, are simply remarkable! They look king Neb in the eyes and as seriously as they can, and with much conviction, say, "O Nebuchadnezzar, (notice they don't use the title "king"), we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
At this point, what comes to my mind is how easy it was for those three men to look into the face of death and not deny who their one and only true God is. How easy would it be for you and me, if we were faced with certain death, to stand up and say "Yes! I believe in the One True God!"?
I know for a fact that I would. You see, I believe in heaven and hell. I believe that if I trust in God and accept Him as my personal Savior, understanding that He took nails in his hands and feet, a spear through His side, and died, I would have eternal life. I also believe that if I don't accept Him as my Savior, I'd be condemned to the pit of hell - where there will be gnashing of teeth and eternal suffering.
Do you believe?
Until we meet again....
The story goes something like this:
King Nebuchadnezzar decides to build this HUGE statue 8 stories high, for people to bow down to and worship. He commands all the people in the highest places, at the time, satraps, prefects, governers, advisors, treasurers, judges and magistrates, to fall on the ground in worship, as soon as they hear the sound of harps, lyres and other musical instruments.
So imagine this: the countryside is filled with all these important people, thousands of them, surrounding this 8 story statue. The land is covered by all these men.
The music starts to play and at once, all these people fall flat on their faces to worship this graven image, this statue made of gold, bronze, silver, iron and clay. Would you do that if you were commanded to? I mean seriously, this is an inanimate object and suddenly the king tells you to bow down and worship it! Ludicrous!
Continue picturing this.... everyone is face down, but off in the distance there are three men who are still standing. They stand out like a sore thumb - no pun intended.
Some of the satraps, advisors and magistrates walk up to king Neb and are like, "uh, hey, king? See those men over there? They aren't bowing down to your statue. Didn't you say they'd be thrown into the furnace?"
King Neb, considers this and says to the three, I'll quote from scripture, if you don't mind. "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sounds of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"
The words, the three men replied with, are simply remarkable! They look king Neb in the eyes and as seriously as they can, and with much conviction, say, "O Nebuchadnezzar, (notice they don't use the title "king"), we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
At this point, what comes to my mind is how easy it was for those three men to look into the face of death and not deny who their one and only true God is. How easy would it be for you and me, if we were faced with certain death, to stand up and say "Yes! I believe in the One True God!"?
I know for a fact that I would. You see, I believe in heaven and hell. I believe that if I trust in God and accept Him as my personal Savior, understanding that He took nails in his hands and feet, a spear through His side, and died, I would have eternal life. I also believe that if I don't accept Him as my Savior, I'd be condemned to the pit of hell - where there will be gnashing of teeth and eternal suffering.
Do you believe?
Until we meet again....
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
How to get Gorgeous Skin
Today's post is a beauty tip. Please enjoy!
* Don't go to bed with makeup on. Makeup left on overnight seeps into your pores, clogs them, and congests your skin. *Mary Kay Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover; *TimeWise 3-in-1 Cleanser
* Exfoliate daily. After washing your face at night, be sure to exfoliate. Use a delicate scrub. *TimeWise Microdermabrasion Set
* Use facial masks regularly. If possible, everyday is ideal. *Moisture Rich Mask; *Revitalizing Mask; *Clarifying Mask
* Keep a treatment and moisturizer on your face, day or night. Put your skin first. After you wash it at night, put on a skin treatment fortified with vitamins. *TimeWise Serum+C. Let that sink in, then put a moisturizer over that. In the morning, do the same. *TimeWise Age-Fighting Moisturizer
* Treat your face gently. Never pull, tug, or scrub your facial skin. Be very gentle when you clean it, moisturize it or makeup on it. This will lessen the chance that you'll damage your skin and get wrinkles.
* Keep your face covered when you're in the sun. *TimeWise Age-Fighting Moisturizer with SPF15
* Eat fresh foods and drink lots of water. Stay away from "dead food" food that's basically not fresh. She always eat lots of veggies, fruits, nuts, and drinks tons of water.
* Let go of stress. Stress can show up on your face, no matter how well you take care of your skin. Do something your enjoy everyday, whether it's watching TV or going shopping. Your face reflects what's going on inside of your mind.
http://www.editurl.com/9zv
* Exfoliate daily. After washing your face at night, be sure to exfoliate. Use a delicate scrub. *TimeWise Microdermabrasion Set
* Use facial masks regularly. If possible, everyday is ideal. *Moisture Rich Mask; *Revitalizing Mask; *Clarifying Mask
* Keep a treatment and moisturizer on your face, day or night. Put your skin first. After you wash it at night, put on a skin treatment fortified with vitamins. *TimeWise Serum+C. Let that sink in, then put a moisturizer over that. In the morning, do the same. *TimeWise Age-Fighting Moisturizer
* Treat your face gently. Never pull, tug, or scrub your facial skin. Be very gentle when you clean it, moisturize it or makeup on it. This will lessen the chance that you'll damage your skin and get wrinkles.
* Keep your face covered when you're in the sun. *TimeWise Age-Fighting Moisturizer with SPF15
* Eat fresh foods and drink lots of water. Stay away from "dead food" food that's basically not fresh. She always eat lots of veggies, fruits, nuts, and drinks tons of water.
* Let go of stress. Stress can show up on your face, no matter how well you take care of your skin. Do something your enjoy everyday, whether it's watching TV or going shopping. Your face reflects what's going on inside of your mind.
http://www.editurl.com/9zv
Friday, February 5, 2010
God
How much thought to you give to God? Any? Most of your thought processes during the day? I'm currently reading "Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality," by Donald Miller. The title of the book intrigued me, plus I had heard this guy talk at a youth conference I attended last fall and found him very interesting. I'd like to share some ideas/thoughts that he shares with us from his book.
Some find God to be this "thing" this mystical being that is supposedly somewhere out in the universe. Others have a deep meaningful relationship with him. One analogy that Don Miller uses to define his idea of God, goes like this.
A folksinger friend of Don's, tells of his friend who is a Navy Seal. The Navy SEAL friend, I"ll call him George, was on a covert operation, freeing hostages, in a remote dark part of the world, who had been held captive for months. The building these hostages were in was completely dark, void of any windows and no cracks underneath the door to let even a sliver of light in.
George's team flew in by helicopter, went to the compound where these hostages were being held and stormed the holding room. When the SEALs got into the room, they found the hostages huddled in a corner, terrified of what was about to happen to them. When the SEALs mentioned that they were Americans and asked the hostages to come with them, the hostages remained curled up, they didn't move. They sat in the corner with their eyes protected from the light that was now streaming into the room.
The SEALs had no idea of what to do and how to get these hostages out of their bondage. Finally, George put down his weapon, took off his helmet and curled up tightly next to the hostages. He softened his look, put his arms around some of the hostages and just sat there. The hostages knew that the guards would never do such a thing and eventually some began to turn and look at George. He told them again that they were Americans, that the SEALs were there to save them and asked them kindly if they would follow them.
One at a time, the hostages got up and followed George out the door of the building, to the safety of the helicopter.
Isn't this kind of how God is? He sent Jesus, who became a man, like you and me, to save us. God knew that if He sent His Son to dwell with us, it would be easier for us to trust in Him, because He looked like, talked like, had relationships like and acted like one of us.
God, with His awesome power, became a meager man, in order to offer us eternal life. I find that absolutely astonishing! Imagine having that much power, more power than a human king, and subjecting yourself to the ways of man. I'm not sure I would do such a thing, but I sure am thankful God did!
Until we meet again....
Some find God to be this "thing" this mystical being that is supposedly somewhere out in the universe. Others have a deep meaningful relationship with him. One analogy that Don Miller uses to define his idea of God, goes like this.
A folksinger friend of Don's, tells of his friend who is a Navy Seal. The Navy SEAL friend, I"ll call him George, was on a covert operation, freeing hostages, in a remote dark part of the world, who had been held captive for months. The building these hostages were in was completely dark, void of any windows and no cracks underneath the door to let even a sliver of light in.
George's team flew in by helicopter, went to the compound where these hostages were being held and stormed the holding room. When the SEALs got into the room, they found the hostages huddled in a corner, terrified of what was about to happen to them. When the SEALs mentioned that they were Americans and asked the hostages to come with them, the hostages remained curled up, they didn't move. They sat in the corner with their eyes protected from the light that was now streaming into the room.
The SEALs had no idea of what to do and how to get these hostages out of their bondage. Finally, George put down his weapon, took off his helmet and curled up tightly next to the hostages. He softened his look, put his arms around some of the hostages and just sat there. The hostages knew that the guards would never do such a thing and eventually some began to turn and look at George. He told them again that they were Americans, that the SEALs were there to save them and asked them kindly if they would follow them.
One at a time, the hostages got up and followed George out the door of the building, to the safety of the helicopter.
Isn't this kind of how God is? He sent Jesus, who became a man, like you and me, to save us. God knew that if He sent His Son to dwell with us, it would be easier for us to trust in Him, because He looked like, talked like, had relationships like and acted like one of us.
God, with His awesome power, became a meager man, in order to offer us eternal life. I find that absolutely astonishing! Imagine having that much power, more power than a human king, and subjecting yourself to the ways of man. I'm not sure I would do such a thing, but I sure am thankful God did!
Until we meet again....
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Beauty Tip Day
Today my post is going to be a little business based. Last night at my weekly Mary Kay meeting, my Director challenged her consultants to sell mascara this week. I've taken on that challenge (there is a prize involved and I'm all about FREE stuff!), so until next Monday, I'm going to give a 15% discount on all Mary Kay mascara. You can email me an order or visit my website - www.marykay.com/kristie.boyd and enter 15 as the code.
Mascara Tips:
Tip #1: How to properly apply mascara. Ace your mascara application with a two-step process:
Step 1: Wiggle the wand left to right at the base of lashes. It's the mascara placed near the roots -- not the tips -- that gives the illusion of length.
Step 2: Pull the wand up and through lashes, wiggling as you go. The wiggling part is key: Wiggling separates lashes.
Tip #2: Keep lashes from clumping. For some, lash combs are simply too fussy. But for some makeup artists, they're a great invention and keep lashes glob-free and perfectly separated.
So how to use? Apply mascara at the lash base. Then wiggle the lash comb through to the tips of your lashes.
Not into the lash comb? Get rid of clumps without them by removing excess mascara from the wand. Wipe wand on tissue, this eliminates blobs BEFORE you start.
Tip #3: Try a spoolie (a disposable mascara wand). Sweep a clean, fresh mascara wand through lashes when they're wet.
You can also recycle old mascara wands. How? When you finish a mascara, clean the wand in a capful of eye makeup remover, then wash with soap and dry. Keep it clean by washing it whenever you wash your makeup tools.
Tip #4: Mix mascaras. A trick makeup artists use to make lashes pop is apply one coat of lengthening mascara, followed by one coat of thickening mascara. Remove excess product with a clean spoolie wand (see tip #3 above).
Tip #5: Don't shy away from colored mascara. Basic mascara rules are simple: Black works for everyone but can be harsh on light-skinned blondes. Blondes should opt for brown/black by day and reserve black for night.
So how to use? Apply mascara at the lash base. Then wiggle the lash comb through to the tips of your lashes.
Not into the lash comb? Get rid of clumps without them by removing excess mascara from the wand. Wipe wand on tissue, this eliminates blobs BEFORE you start.
Tip #3: Try a spoolie (a disposable mascara wand). Sweep a clean, fresh mascara wand through lashes when they're wet.
You can also recycle old mascara wands. How? When you finish a mascara, clean the wand in a capful of eye makeup remover, then wash with soap and dry. Keep it clean by washing it whenever you wash your makeup tools.
Tip #4: Mix mascaras. A trick makeup artists use to make lashes pop is apply one coat of lengthening mascara, followed by one coat of thickening mascara. Remove excess product with a clean spoolie wand (see tip #3 above).
Tip #5: Don't shy away from colored mascara. Basic mascara rules are simple: Black works for everyone but can be harsh on light-skinned blondes. Blondes should opt for brown/black by day and reserve black for night.
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