Incorruptible Beauty

Happy Wednesday Lovelies! 

I'm writing to you from my couch, with my cup of coffee of course! If you could see me, you might gasp. I have a homemade mask on... which my brother likes to call it caca-face, I call it chocolate. But that's not what today's post is about. The mask has a little to do; but not the chocolate, though now I have chocolate on the brain! 

I recently watched a news clip about the ever changing standard of beauty. It immediately caught my attention. As a Latin/Hispanic woman I cringed watching this clip. Take a look:

“I say that inner beauty does not exist. That’s something that unpretty women invented to justify themselves.” –Osmel Sosa

I think of all the young girls, who like myself at their age, believe the lie that our worth is found in a “standard” of beauty. To say that inner beauty does not exist, is to say that your personality, character, talents, and achievements are of no value. These are all God created and given, and God is beauty. 

If 14 year old Me would have pursued the standard of beauty that I longed for, I would most likely be dead because of the Anorexia. But most importantly, I would have missed out on discovering the many wonderful truths, lessons, and people that have added worth and value to my life:

Intimately knowing the love of God

Growing in knowledge of God’s purpose(s) for my life

Learning what my God given gifts and talents are

Developing those gifts and talents for the good of others

Using my not-so-standard-of-beauty body to serve others

Using my story to help girls and women

Traveling the world for pleasure and for missions

Loving and being loved by family and friends

My less than perfect life is also a complete life. And by complete I must include those moments of fear, loss, and trials. These have each taught me a lesson that add worth and value to my life.

I can’t help but think of Peter’s words:

Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 1 Peter 3:3-4 NLT

The New King James Version uses the words: Incorruptible Beauty

In other words, this standard of beauty is unfading, incorruptible, honorable, admirable, worthy, good, praiseworthy, estimable, wonderful, and exemplary.

I would do you a disservice if I didn’t quote Allie MarieSmith  on the definition of a woman who possesses an incorruptible beauty:

“Such a woman is at peace with her God. She trusts him completely a her number one relationship in her life. She understands where true value and worth lies- that it’s not in the clothes she wears, the guy she dates, or her socioeconomic background. She’s fully aware of her identity as a beloved daughter of God. Her spirit is at rest- gentle and quiet because she knows that no matter what trouble comes her way; her future in Christ is secure. No amount of striving, accomplishments, or external beauty can maker her more valuable or loved in the eyes of her Lord. That, my girl is a beautiful woman.” -HEAL, page 113

So here I am, with a facial mask on in an attempt to rid my face of acne. I’m also contemplating what nail polish to wear and what lipstick to buy. I’ve learned that being girly is ok, as long as my heart is in check. And though I love all things fashion, makeup, and dressing up, I love The Lord more. His standard of beauty is the one I seek and long for. 

And so I leave you Lauren Scruggs. She has a story that completely shatters Osmel Sosa and our society’s twisted ideals.

Lyrical Friday - The Art Of Celebration - Joy

photo credit 

Happiest of Fridays to You!!!

This past Sunday, my cousin treated me to see Rend Collective as they opened for Kari Jobe. I counted down the days to see them, and when the day arrived I was beyond excited. After their loud, rambunctious, and festive opening song they shared a thought that left: "We are not Worship Leaders, we are worshipers and the Holy Spirit is the worship leader." From that moment, the hype of seeing Rend Collective fizzled, and a greater emotion evolved for the worship that was about to come. For that hour I was an Irish worshiper, lol.

They released The Art Of Celebration, their latest album, this Monday on St. Patrick's Day... genius! (only $9.99 on iTunes) It's a gem!
The Holy Spirit definitely orchestrated each word, strum, and beat, to compile a collection of artistry and beauty. His fingerprints are all over the album, and theological truth is embedded in the core of each song. Thank you guys for not leading, and allowing Him to create something marvelous in and through you.

The story behind The Art Of Celebration (you will be blessed by this video.. yea, so don't skip it!)


Rend Collective has written a 7-day YouVersion Reading Plan, check it out:

A man learns a lot during the lead up to his wedding.

I learned that the women in my life have very strong, informed opinions about things I didn't even know were things.

I learned how to fake having opinions.

I learned that my family and friends are even more supportive, caring and generous than I had previously dared believe.

I learned that my wife still radiates grace and beauty when she's under stress.

And I learned that joy is a discipline and celebration is an art form.

You would think that joy and celebration come naturally and don't really require effort, as though they are our default factory setting. And I think maybe this was true until Adam and Eve made that earth-shattering decision in the garden. All I can say is that now there is nothing automatic about joy.

That's why planning a wedding celebration takes so much effort and preparation, and why "party planner" is a real occupation. If everything in our world is not perfect and there isn't an abundance of cake, balloons, fireworks and confetti, you just can't trust humans to choose joy. Since the fall, negativity and cynicism have become our "go-to" states of mind.

God knows this about us. That's why there are so many commands to celebrate in the Bible. Think of the Old Testament Law... God's people are told they must have a Passover feast, that they must have a "Year of Jubilee," that they must have a day of Sabbath rest. The Psalms are full of exhortations to sing at the top our lungs and jam out on the psaltery (whatever that is!). Even Communion, the time during which we remember Christ's sacrifice, is not a time of mourning. It takes the form of a feast with friends.

He wants us to choose celebration. He commands us to choose celebration.

I know we all experience heartbreak and sorrow. I don't say this lightly. But "the joy of the lord is your strength."

Even in the shadows and the sorrows, we always have a reason to sing. Even if it is the "cold and broken hallelujah" Leonard Cohen sang about.

Jesus and his gospel are still worth celebrating: choose joy in defiance of your suffering and lift up your trust as a song and an offering.

This is the discipline of joy. This is the art of celebration.

Joy, Rend Collective 



She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. Proverbs 31:25

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Philippians 4:4

Oompa Loompa

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee-do
I have a perfect mask for you
Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee-dee
If you are wise, you'll listen to me

Oh happy day! 

Pinterest has got me hooked again! I have another wonderful mask for you. I purchased red Moroccan clay online: here. Received it within a few days and quickly opened the box to try this clay. This has got to be the easiest mask I have ever used.

Oompa Loompa faces get ready!

Recipe (or follow this video):

In a small mug I mixed 

1 teaspoon of clay 

1 teaspoon of water

Leave for 15-20 minutes... or 30 if you're watching New Girl like me. 

As you can see in the picture above, once mixed it becomes a smooth terra-cotta-colored paste. Hence, why I am calling it the Oompa Loompa Mask. It makes a generous amount that fully covers the face. It dries rather quickly. And if you have something to say, say it quickly because it also dries rock hard. 

There ya go, my face looking ridiculous again! 

Removing the mask is just as easy as the preparation and application. It rinses off comfortably with water. 

This wonder working mask is great! I tried it with two of my friends and they can vouch for how amazing their skin looked right after removing it. I highly recommend purchasing the clay.

Benefits:
Its tendencies to readily cleanse, exfoliate, absorb impurities and detoxify the skin, combined with its ability to improve conditions of dryness, scaliness and to clarify skin texture and firmness make it very desirable. Perfect for sensitive skin in need of detoxification to remove impurities and in need of a smaller pore size and tighter skin tone. This product is guaranteed to be 100% natural.

Oompa Loompa doom-pa-dee-da 

If you're not greedy, you will go far 
You will live in happiness too 

Like the Oompa Loompa doom-pa-dee-do

Beautiful

[photo credit]

Happy Monday! I am currently reading a Youversion plan: Praise in the Presence of God. It's 365 days consisting of a short read that pertains to a specific verse on the topic of praise. Today's read: 

[Beauty may not be your first thought when you get up in the morning and stare into the mirror. Stress, tragedy, or deep sorrow may have etched creases of weariness or suffering on your face. But make this experiment; prove God’s Word. Take that countenance, as it is, into the presence of the Lord day after day, in frequent, steadfast praise and worship. The prophet Isaiah says plainly what you will receive in return. He says the Messiah is sent specifically to console those who mourn with “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning” (Isaiah 61:3). That’s an oil that surpasses the anti-aging effects of the best cosmetics!]

Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. Psalm 147:1 NKJV

Praise the Lord! How good to sing praises to our God!How delightful and how fitting! Psalm 147:1 NLT

I challenge us to dedicate five minutes of simply praising God every day. 

Sentence Tusday

A person is only beautiful 
when their own beauty is reflecting on to others.

-Tara Grady

click HERE to learn more from Aunty Katie who is a Mom to 14 orphan girls in Uganda at 'The Journey' blog

birthday surprise! It's Josie

Happy Wednesday! 

Today we approach our final birthday surprise with one of the most special women I know and am blessed to call my friend. One of my earliest memories of our friendship was her impeccable taste in clothes and my acknowledging it. Though she continues dressing lovely, it is her passionate love for Jesus and His joy alive in her that attracts people to her. She radiates His glory everywhere she goes, making Josie one of the most beautiful women I know. May you be blessed by her post today! 

-

The Great Restorer

 -

I’m excited to be writing this and a bit nervous. You see, writing takes me out of my comfort zone and into an area where I am stretched and have to completely depend on God. I’ve prayed about what I would write about. I originally had my heart set on worship, as the Lord had placed in my heart, but then it took a turn last night.

My husband loves to watch the History Channel, among other channels that I would rather not watch (Discovery, National Geographic, etc) … boring! Anyway, these channels are not my first choice. I would rather watch HGTV, but at times I have learned to enjoy those shows with him and have learned a few things along the way. We were watching a show called ‘American Restoration’. This show consist of people bring old items (dirty items that were not being used and couldn’t work any longer) to a man, an expert, that could restore them to their original beauty. As I was watching this I was thinking, “Why would anybody keep that, its old and ugly and so worn out. What’s the use?” The Lord in that moment said to my heart, “That’s what I do.”

 -

He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory. Isaiah 61:3

This verse is true in my own life and in yours. God is the only One who can turn around a life that seems to be in the worst of situations; a life so run down by problems, unmet expectations, mistakes, and failures. Anyone looking at such a life might ask, “What’s the use of it?” But God is the Great Restorer; He can give you a crown of beauty for ashes. God can make something out of nothing. He can and He does provide in ways that only He is capable of. He can give you an abundant life. He does the impossible. He is your Creator.

The end results in the show is great, to see this expert turn something so dreadful into something so beautiful, it made everyone smile including myself. This “thing” could be used again for its original purpose and with loveliness.

You and I are precious in the eyes of Jesus, who paid it all for you and I ‐for love. He loves you and me so much that He will do what only He is best at and is able to do: turn our circumstance around, cleanse our heart from the guilt of the past, and start fresh. That is with one condition, that we submit our lives to Him, the “expert restorer”. Those things that were brought into the shop for restoration didn’t tell the expert what to do, that would have been laughable. So it is silly to tell God how He needs to change our lives. We are the ones making it worse. Each item brought into the shop required its own work. At times it took the renovator a little longer to restore one thing more than another. So it is with us. The “restoration” work of our lives is a personal one. Each of us is a unique, one of a kind, masterpiece that requires a specific chisel, drill, nail, buffer, cut, furnace, time, paint and gloss to be restored to our original God-given purpose. The end result will be a beautiful and glorious thing to see, and everyone will know that the Great Restorer has done a marvelous work in our life. It will bring a smile to those around us and most importantly to Jesus.

 -

If you feel like there is no hope or beauty in your life, I encourage you to come to Jesus. He is the only One who can restore your life to beauty and purpose that if told you, you would not believe it. He already knows the work He can do in you and through you.

-

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us...  Ephesians 3:20

Submission to God begins by trusting that God can do the impossible in our lives. Trust Him for He loves you and is waiting for you to allow His hands to restore you. I can say this confidently because He has turned my ashes into beauty. All the glory goes to Him my Lord and King!

PS: I guess it’s still about worship.

We worship God because He is worthy to praised.

When you feel down and out, worship, worship, and worship! Thank God and sing to Him and you will have a beauty that is to be reckoned with :)

monday funday

Having slept only three hours, I arose early to join my friends on a little adventure. We set out to see the sunrise at the beach. Unfortunately, we didn't make it on time but we did enjoy the beach. Welcome to Miami: 

the water was absolutely lovely

walking to the Pier

View from the Pier 

sentence tuesday

Whenever you find a girl building her life on an outer appearance, you find a broken girl. -Jennifer Strickland

sentence tuesday?

timeless beauty

It's Sunday morning and I am getting ready for Church.

My face covered with with a layer of possibly the most amazing detoxifying mask.

As I wait for the mask to do its magic I paint my nails.

Next, I wash my hair.

As I blow dry my hair I can't help but notice how clean my face looks... it's glowing.

It's time for make up, let's cover those imperfections and outline my eyes.

Pulling off the price tag to that new shirt I bought.

Accesorize! It's all about the right jewelry.

Shoes and Purse.

Looking fabulous... not feeling it though.

Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 1 Peter 3:3-4

Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Proverbs 31:30

I am reminded that beauty, (true, lasting, incorruptible beauty) can only be found in the God who created us to be forever. These bodies are a temporary vessel, but our soul, it was created for eternity. Are we investing in the here and now or for the then and there? If you desire to be beautiful, read this list of Tips For Timeless Beauty: 

• Laugh out loud
• Dance with joy
• Dress yourself in a true understanding of your value and worth as my child
• Pray to me
• Drink my living water
• Do not worry
• Wrap yourself in my arms of mercy
• Walk upon the aisle of my grace
• Be slow to speak and quick to listen
• Love me the Lord your God with all your heart
• Open your arms to the poor and extend your hands to the needy
• Love your enemies
• Remain in my love
• Let your spirit sing my praises
• Forgive as you have been forgiven and accept others as you have been accepted
• Feed the hungry
• Clothe the naked
• Have compassion for those in need
• Proclaim my mighty name throughout all the earth

And I have added one more, Encourage those around you with a kind word. My prayer is that we would grow in the beauty of our Lord. I pray that you may see yourself as dearly loved, made perfect and complete in Him.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18