Shine

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put i t on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." - Matthew 5:14-16

What does it mean "you are the light of the world?" Let me help shed some light (no pun intended) on this subject.

We all agree that a light is something meant to be seen. Like the verse in Matthew says, once a lamp is lit, we don't put it under a bowl to hide it, we put it on a lamp stand, so it'll give light to everyone near by. 

In a dark world, such as the one we currently reside in, what better place for us as believers in Christ, to shine? The darker it is, the more obvious the light. Can others see your light? 

When a lamp is lit, we put it in a strategic place, so it'll give the most light to the most area. God puts us where we are, at this present moment for a reason. We should be making the most of wherever He has put His light.

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." 

Our good deeds should bring glory to God, not draw attention to ourselves. Jesus is the light living within us. It's His light, not our own. Do you know Him in such a way that His light shine through you? God provided for us a Savior, much like He provided provision for Israel. We are to illuminate God's provision of a Savior to the world around us. Can those we work with, play with, vacation with, see the light?

"You are the light of the world." v. 14

We were not created to shine alone. It takes the cumulative effect of many lights to make a difference. Are you hanging out with lights that shine for Him; making a difference in the lives around you? Shining for those who don't know Christ as their Savior? 

When we understand who we are as a people, lights of the world, it will multiply our impact at home, school, the workplace, our communities and our world. 

This little light of mine.... I'm going to let it shine....

Prevention

How to prevent acne:
Wash your face gently, twice daily with a mild cleanser and then rinse thoroughly.
Wash after exercising.
Do not pick! Doing so can cause permanent scarring.
Use a non-comedogenic sunscreen.

Prevent age spots:
Wear protective clothing and sunglasses while outdoors.
Avoid being in the sun between 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Apply a sunscreen with SPF of 15 or higher 30 minutes prior to going outdoors.

Bad breath prevention:
Brush your teeth at least twice a day for 2-3 minutes - don't forget to brush your tongue, too!
Drink water, chew sugarless gum or suck on sugarless hard candy to stimulate the flow of aliva        and keep your mouth moist.
See your dentist twice a year to keep your teeth checked and clean.

Prevent chapped lips:
Apply lip balm with sunscreen or lipstick in dry or cold weather.
Avoid "flavored" lip balms, which increase irritation by encouraging you to lick your lips.

Prevent crow's feet:
Shun tanning salons.
Moisturize (I recommend TimeWise Firming Eye Cream). Skin around the eyes, contain few oil glands and is likely to be dry.
Eat foods high in antioxidants; berries, tea, black currants, onions and parsley.

Prevent puffy eyes:
Use a concealer to camouflage darkness and puffiness.
Use cold compresses, ice packs, or cold cucumber slices.
Avoid salty foods.

Beauty Product Expiration Dates

Most every woman you know, has a drawer, or two, full of makeup she doesn't use or only "sometimes" uses. She might be hoarding it all until she learns the proper techniques in applying the various products. The problem with this is that beauty products all have expiration dates. Companies put these dates on products to decrease the risk of harboring germs.

Here are a couple of guidelines for you to keep in mind:

Concealer - Shelf life of 12 months

Brushes - Wash every 2-3 months in a mild detergent

Sponges - Wash weekly and discard monthly

Foundation - check the ingredients: A water-based foundation will last up to 12 months, oil-based will last up to 18 months. You may find you need two different shades of foundation eat year: One for summer when your skin is naturally darker and one for winter when you're lighter.

Mascara - This product expires the fastest: Throw out after 4 months. Extra tip: If you don't want your mascara to expire faster than its fresh date, don't pump the wand in and out--you're only exposing the product to drying air.

Cheek Blush - 1 year shelf life

Sunscreen - 2 year shelf life

Liquid Foundation - Replace every 3-6 months

Eye and Lip Pencils - Shelf life of 1 year

More Random Beauty Tips

1. Eye Makeup Tips:
    * When applying an eyeliner, start from the inside corner of your eye and work outwards toward the outside.
    * Curling your lashes will make your eyes appear wider, healthier and much more youthful.
    * If you have green or hazel eyes, use brown, apricot, purple, plum, deep khaki or forest green eye shadow.
    * All you need is a light application of eyeliner to enhance the beauty of your eyes. Remember not to over do it.
    * Replace your mascara every 2-3 months. Old mascara is full of germs and bacteria.
    * Always curl your lashes twice for a more natural and rounded curl. Each curl should take about 30 seconds.
  
2. Beauty Foods Tips:
    * Sweet potatoes contain lots of vitamin A, which is a remarkable anti-aging and anti-wrinkling vitamin.
    * Eat two or three servings of fruits everyday.
    * Garlic is a miracle food that can combat wrinkles and sagging skin.
    * For whiter teeth, mash strawberries in a small container, cover your toothbrush with the mashed berries and brush vigorously. Strawberries will remove both yellowing and stains.  

3. Eyebrows Tips:
    * When you pluck your eyebrows, make sure to pluck hairs between your brows, and not hairs from above your eyebrows.
    * Your eyebrow should start right above the inner corner of your eye, peak at the middle of your iris, and curve down at the outer corner of your eye.
    * When you pluck your eyebrows, make sure to pluck each of the hairs singly as close to the root as possible. This will leave a cleaner finish.
    * Try plucking your eyebrows right after a shower. The heat from the shower helps to loosen hair follicles, making plucking easier and less painful.
    * Always comb your eyebrows upward and outward.
    * After plucking your eyebrows, you can use wet tea bags to soothe the skin around your eyebrows.

4. Hair Care Tips:
    * Your hair is weak when it's wet, so never rub your hair dry with a towel. Instead, blot the wetness out with a towel and fluff it with your fingers.
    * When you blow dry your hair, keep the blow dryer at least 6 inches away from your hair and keep it moving constantly so you don't overheat your hair.
    * Vitamin E can make your hair shine. Good sources include: brown rice, nuts, wheat germ and leafy green vegetables.
    * Vitamin A helps keep your scalp healthy. So snack on more carrots, as they are full of Vitamin A.
    * Brush and comb your hair only when it's dry. Wet hair is weak and brushing wet hair can easily damage it.

5. Lip Tips:
    * If you have thin lips, use a lighter colored lipstick. A dark shade makes your lips look smaller.
    * Line your lips with a soft lip pencil and use a sponge applicator to blend your lip edges. this will make your lips look fuller and sexier.

6. Skin Care Tips:
    * Keep your skin healthy by avoiding stress, sun exposure, and cigarette smoking.
    * Baby wipes are excellent makeup removers as well as hand and face refreshers.
    * Nourish your skin by drinking plenty of water each day.
    * Get 8 hours of sleep each day to maintain your healthy and youthful skin.
  
7. Eye Care Tips:
    * Avoid salty foods. They can cause fluid retention and eye puffiness.
    * Slightly elevate your head whle sleeping to prevent extra fluid from settling around eyes and making them puffy.
    * Use a good quality eye moisturizer (like Mary Kay), to hydrate the skin around your eyes. This will keep your eyes looking healthy and fresh.

8. Nail Care Tips:
    * Store your nail polish in the refrigerator to maintain its smooth consistency.

  

Keeping your "cool" look in hot weather!

Here are some tips/hints to help you beat the heat while looking great!

Try puttin your cleansers and/or moisturizers in the refrigerator prior to application. The cooling sensation is an amazing feeling! Try using chilled yogurt as a mask to balance your skin's pH that has become agitated by the sun and wind. Add 1/4 teaspoon of honey for extra hydration.

Forget the foundation in the summer. Try using a tinted moisturizer with a sun protection factor. Or blend equal parts of face lotion with your regular foundation.

Dab excess shine with blotting tissues. The tissues soak up the excess oils on your skin making your makeup look fresh and new.

Does the sun tend to bring out your freckles? Wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen, hat and sunglasses will help. Besides, you'll look 10 years younger than your friends who are continually tan themselves. Your skin will be smoother, firmer and free of age spots.

Since humidity boosts oil production, swiping a toner on oily skin twice a day will help. Using a clay mask weekly will also draw out impurities.

Water-resistant mascaras are a summer must. Oily skin and allergy prone eyes make for lots of smudging. The water-resistant mascara also holds curl longer.

Opt for an eyeshadow base that controls oil on the lids. Matte, mineral shadows are the best formulas for hot summer days.

To keep your lips from becoming sun burnt, use a lip balm with SPF before going out in the sun.

If your sunscreen is breaking you out with a case of "high school pimples," try using an oil-free or non-comedogenic formula.

Doubting

Why is it that people will believe in the person of Christ, yet not in His teachings? Most are quick to believe what they hear in the news media, but they don't believe in the Bible, which is God's holy word? Even the brothers of Jesus didn't believe in his miracles, healings and teachings. His brothers doubted everything about Jesus, except for the obvious fact that he was family.
The setting is the Feast of Tabernacles - commemorating the days when the Israelites wandered in the desert and lived in tents/booths. Jesus' four brothers are urging Him to go to the event. They knew there were Jews who wanted to kill Jesus in Jerusalem, yet they encouraged Him to make the journey. Now why would they do that? Did they want to see Jesus killed?
I believe they were trying to set Jesus agenda; to get Him to go so they could witness the ruckus He'd stir up amongst the people there.
Jesus refuses to go. He's on God's timetable and He's not about to let his brothers talk Him into something that God doesn't want to have happen. How often do we allow our friends, family, co-workers, talk us into doing or saying something we really ought not do or say? This kind of sounds like school days, doesn't it? How often do we, as adults, allow that to happen though? How often do we go with the flow, not upholding the truths we stand for? We let the world and those around us set our agenda and we just go with it. How much more strength does it take for us to just stop and say, "NO! I will not!"
God has a plan for your life, but only if you've given your life to Him to plan. In the book of John, Jesus tells His brothers that, "the right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil."
Any time is right for them, because God has no plan for those who don't belong to Him. There is no agenda for those who don't follow the scriptures. They follow their own teachings and beliefs. The world can not hate those who don't stand up for evil. The world can only hate those who go against the flow; those who boldly stand up for what God says is wrong in His holy word.

Random Beauty Tips

1.  Beauty Foods Tip:
            * Eat wheat germ every day to get rid of blemish breakouts. Adding wheat germ to your cereal, yogurt, or cottage cheese can make it tastier.
            * Carrots can help protect the outer layer of your skin and prevent premature aging.
            * Swiss, cheddar or gouda cheese can block bacteria in your mouth and prevent cavities.
            * Eat plenty of tomatoes, which are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium; all are great ingredients for beautiful skin.
2.  Nail Care Tips:
            * Drink enough water each day to keep your body hydrated and to maintain healthy and strong nails.
            * For healthy nails, eat a diet of 50% fruits and raw vegetables, and drink plenty of water each day.
            * Fresh carrot juice is high in calcium and phosphorus. It is great for strengthening your nails!
            * Keep your nails nice and trimmed. Nails longer than 3 centimeters (about 1 inch) are more likely to carry bacteria and fungus.
3.  Lip Tips:
            * Always apply your lip liner before applying lipstick, and never use a lip liner that is darker than your lipstick.
            * Always apply lip gloss with a lip brush, then smooth it out with your fingertips.
            *  It's best to smooth your lips with a waxy lip balm and use your fingertips to massage the balm into your lips.
            * To keep your lipstick on all day, pencil your lips with a soft lip pencil, then apply your lipstick.
4.  Eyebrow Tips:
           * Eyebrows should be about two shades lighter than your hair color. The opposite is true if your hair is blond or gray.
           *  Pluck just enough eyebrows each time, and never over do it. You don't want to lose all                      your eyebrows!
           * Plucking your eyebrows in the direction of the hair growth will be less painful and will leave a more natural look when you're done.
           * Use a pencil and powder in the correct shade to fill in your eyebrows (light skin: blonde shade; olive skin: brown shade; darker skin: gray shade).
5. Eye Makeup Tips:
           * If you have brown eyes, use copper, bronze or brown eye shadow.
           * Wash off your mascara every night before bedtime.
           * A thin line of eyeliner in black or brown can greatly define your eyes and make them appear brighter.
           * You can use a hair dryer to heat your eyelash curler. The warmth of the eyelash curler will help curl your lashes more efficiently.
6. Hair Care Tips:
           * Drink 8 glasses of water each day. Water helps keep your hair silky and shiny.
           * Massaging your scalp can improve circulation to your head and promote hair growth.
           * Stress can cause hair loss, so find ways to relax and rejuvenate yourself to keep your precious hair!
           * For shiny and healthy hair, mash up an avocado, mix it with a tablespoon of olive oil and rub it through your hair. Wash your hair after 15 minutes.
7. Eye Care Tips:
           * You can use cool cucumber slices to reduce eye puffiness and dark circles.
           * A slice of raw potato can be placed under your eyes to reduce dark circles.
           * Placing a cold black tea bag on each eye for approximately 10 minutes can help reduce eye puffiness.
           * To reduce eye swelling, use a metal spoon, hold it under cold running water for a couple minutes, then gently press it onto the skin around your eye.
8. Skin Care Tips:
           * Use a combination of Epsom salt, sea salt and baking soda in your bath to help pull out toxins from your skin.
           * If you want firmer, smoother and younger looking skin, you need to exercise everyday. Exercise brings oxygen and nutrients to your skin.
           * Prevent age spots by avoiding sun exposure and use sunscreen with an SPF 15 or higher.
           * Strengthen your skin by choosing skin moisturizers that contain vitamin A and Vitamin E.