Starting Fresh

Dear Girls,

It’s been a long time since I have written. And yes, I am ashamed of myself. Happy New School year! Happy September! Happy smell of new books and sharp pencils!

I too, have begun the Fall semester and the work appears daunting, but I know that great things are just around the corner. I love how new school years allow us to feel a fresh start before January.

Having not been a student for so long, I had lost the appreciation of the newness September brings, but I am enjoying the fresh start again. It’s hard for me to really grasp what it means to have the ability to start fresh every day, every moment even and yet God says he offers that to me. I have been struggling with an awful round of perfectionism lately. Seeing all that I am not, and dwelling on my failings. But the other day I was listening to some Psalms and I was reminded of how great God is. I was overcome with how insignificant my failings and imperfections are in comparison to how perfect and capable our God is.

The enemy loves to paint a bleak picture. He loves to fill us with hopelessness and tries to blur the reality that with God all things are made new; that he is committed to completing the work he begun in us and that He sent his son to be perfection for us.
So if for some reason you’re struggling to not feel the newness of the day or the newness of the year or if you’re feeling bogged down already by the assignments and commitments that your school year brings, know that I am praying for you. May you each have a fresh realization of just how great God’s mercy is and how wide and deep his forgiveness is.

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23

WORLD news for Students

I didn't realize that WORLD magazine had a site devoted to news for Teens. Not that I think you shouldn't be able to digest the news already out there, but I thought you guys might like to check it out.

Having studied journalism in undergrad, I think it's important for us to be involved in Truth telling in our culture. Best way to start is to stay current on what is going on the World. Are there other sites like this you all like to look up?

My Fave News Sources:

Wall Street Journal
Slate Magazine
Politico
Drudge Report
WORLD Magazine

I need to do better at checking in with BBC
And I've also heard great things about: Real Clear Politics


I also try to check into FOX News and CNN at least once a day. But, the best news is in print form. Now, I'm not as up on my current events as I should be, especially international stuff, but I'm trying to do better about being aware of what is being said in the world of ideas (Living in DC definitely helped make this more of a habit).

The Bible honored those who "understood the times" (1 Chronicles 12:32). And I definitely want to be a woman of wisdom in order to make a difference.

So do you try to keep up with what's going on in our country and the world? If so, any good news sources I should be aware of?

Rare Finds: Journals & Prairie Chick Flicks

Flick Finds
I have been a bit burdened by school work and thinking about the future, so I haven’t been doing much of the writing I enjoy this week. However, I did want to share that I discovered the Hallmark movies for Love Comes Softly, Love’s Enduring Promise and Love’s Long Journey etc. on YouTube. They are very fun movies if you’re a fan of that “Little House on the Prairie” type storyline, which it so happens, I am.



So, take a click when you want to unwind. Just type in any of those titles in the search box and they’ll pop right up.

Journal Shopping
In other news, it appears I really have lost my most recent journal. I had been journaling in it since October, but it’s officially gone. I wonder if it accidentally slipped into an archives box while I was closing shop at work – Eek, the very thought is super embarrassing!

I already lost my journal on a train to Philadelphia once. It was after a crazy ordeal. I had missed a flight the night before and thus had to be on the train at an ungodly hour. So, after writing I slipped the journal in the pocket of the seat in front of me and drifted off to sleep. I awoke with a start when the train folks were yelling that we’d arrived in Philly. So I dashed off half-asleep and without it. When I discovered it missing my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach, but the Lord was merciful and months later I found it in my mailbox.

Anyway, I’m not sure I’ll have the same fate this time around so I went on a journey to pick out my new journal with my dear friend Melissa. You would have thought I was deliberating on a supreme court case, the way I was analyzing which journal would be my next. Melissa validated my thoroughness though.

I need a journal that invites me to confide in it. The pages have to be smooth enough to absorb a variety of inks. Not have any coercive, bold lines - Preferably not have any lines or have grid (organized chaos) and must have a cover that “feels like” this season of life. I have to be able to envision it with me at a coffee shop or resting on my night stand. I finally settled on this one:



Isn’t it lovely? It’s called “Butterflies”. Butterflies are often a symbol of new life so I’m hoping it means the same for the season that shall be chronicled in its criteria-meeting pages. Its pages are lined, but they are faint enough to ignore if I wanted to. And it has a built in pocket in the back cover for fortune cookie slips, ticket stubs or what not.

I first began journaling when I was about 9 and I think it's a great habit to cultivate. My cousin forbade herself from keeping one in order to never have a record of her misgivings. But embarrassing as it sometimes is, I rather like going back in time to see how much I have changed and mostly to see how faithful God has been to either rescue me from a hard time or to bring my wildest dreams into reality.

It seems the Bible is always begging us to remember. In Deuteronomy, the Lord often commands the people of Israel to remember how He saved them from Egypt. In 1 Samuel 7:12, the stone of Ebenezer is introduced as an icon of remembrance as it means, "Thus far has the LORD helped us".

I consider journaling as a kind of Ebenezer. It’s important for the purpose of documenting God’s faithfulness as well as helping us (especially girls) sort our hearts out. I used to journal just to write my thoughts, which is valuable in and of itself, but the older I get the more I find myself using it to pray through things in my life. I just start writing and before I know it, I’m pouring my heart out to the Lord. It feels a lot more purposeful to get all the ickiness or inspiration out and with someone who cares infinitely more than anyone else does and who can actually do something about the things that weigh on my heart.

So, do you keep a journal? How long have you been writing in it? Are you as particular as me when searching for the right one? Do you add anything fun to your journal? I had a friend who canvassed her journal with photos and quotes and what not.

Here is a pro-journaling scripture verse (in my opinion) to mediate on as you go forward:

1 Chronicles 16:11-12
“Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered…”

She is clothed in dignity

So, I was watching Camp Rock the other day. Yes, you heard me right. I was watching the Disney movie starring Joe Jonas of Jonas Brother fame, but this is not an entry about anything Jonas related, I assure you. I was folding my laundry and flipping channels so I didn’t watch the whole thing, but one scene in particular stood out to me. The scene takes place when Mitchie (Demi Lovato) meets Shane Gray (Joe Jonas) for the first time.

If you haven’t seen it, I’ve included the clip above and if you’d rather not see it, here’s a little background: Shane is a cocky, boy band superstar who was sent to volunteer at Camp Rock, a performing arts camp, to improve his reputation. Mitchie is a singer/songwriter who always dreamed of going to Camp Rock and her dream comes true when her mom becomes the camp cook in order to afford it (That is so something my mom would have done!) Anyway, it’s in the kitchen where she first meets this arrogant fellow, Shane.

He walks in with a hoytie-toytie air about him and begins to talk down to Mitchie. He introduces himself with this classy line: “I’m Shane. I’m sure even the kitchen help knows that”. He continues to be rude in his approach and to fume about his food for a while until she confronts him.

“Excuse me?” She objects and then tells him he’s kind of being a jerk.

“And you are?” he asks trying to dismiss her disapproval.

“A person!” She declares “And there’s a way to talk to a person, and that’s not it!”

Shane pauses and seems to ponder the challenge. And in that moment, I pondered the challenge with him.

In this quest for godly girliness it’s important to figure out the balance of grace and truth, gentleness and strength. The Bible instructs us to have a gentle and quiet spirit, but also honors the women in Scripture who are strong, brave and stand up against injustice: Ruth, Deborah, Esther etc.
1 Peter 3:4 says that our beauty should come from our gentle and quiet spirit, and I agree. We have a special role to play in this world and a godly beautiful spirit is a big part of it. A gentle and quiet spirit however, does not mean weak and invisible.

Many girls make excuses for guys because, “boys will be boys.” If they’re making fun of another kid or if they say things they shouldn’t be saying, or like in Mitchie’s case , they are just being rude. Quite frankly, that bothers me. We are not called to put up with this kind of behavior. We are called to be gentle voices of Truth in all situations and we need to expect respect for ourselves and for others.

Dignity

I believe God is calling us to carry ourselves with dignity. A woman of God will not put herself in a position to be disrespected or abused. Not because she thinks she is better than anyone, but because she knows that God has called her for something greater. So what is dignity? Noah Webster’s 1828 definition of it gives me chills:

DIGNITY n. [L., Worthy] True honor; nobleness or elevation of mind, consisting in a high sense of propriety, truth and justice, with an abhorrence of mean and sinful actions; opposed to meanness. In this sense, we speak of the dignity of mind, and dignity of sentiments. This dignity is based on moral rectitude; all vice is incompatible with true dignity of mind. The man who deliberately injures another, whether male or female, has no true dignity of soul.

Isn’t that inspiring? Proverbs 31 describes the woman who is to be praised. In verse 25 the author says that she is clothed in strength and dignity. I want to be that kind of woman. I try to be that kind of woman.

I used to work with men coming out of prison. These men are what some of us might call rough. They’d done some bad things in their past and their old habits were hard to break. They cussed when they spoke, they often said inappropriate things, but in the face of it, I made an effort to carry myself with dignity.

I was not snobby (an important detail), but I had to set a new standard especially because my job was to help them get ready for life outside of jail. They didn’t always get it right, but they tried and they made changes.

As a Christian girl it’s not about whipping out a prideful “oh-no-you di’int” attitude. Nor is it about trying to change guys. As in all things, it’s about getting down to the basics of Christian living.

The Basics

Ask yourself, “What did God intend?” This is very much like the “What would Jesus do?” question but takes it back a little further. The creation story tells of how God wanted things to be in the first place and can help us navigate through life. The simple truth is that in the beginning God created man and woman in His image. Doesn’t this in and of itself require respect? I certainly think so!

What I love about Mitchie’s response in the movie is that while she is a tad bit sassy about it, she says “I’m a person!” not, “I’m Mitchie , and you don’t know who you’re messing with, mister!”

Through Christ-like eyes, this means a whole lot more. Instead of seeing someone as a brat or as rude, we see them as a person, someone made in the image of God and who Christ died for.

I believe a big part of the reason that I was respected by those ex-prisoners was that I saw them with these eyes. I saw them through the goggles of Grace, not for what they had done, but as men of great potential. I wasn’t scared of them, I really did believe in them, smile at them, encourage them, challenge them, and sometimes I was very firm with them. I didn’t always get it right and neither did they, but I did my best to treat them as Christ would have me treat them and to stand up for how the Lord would want them to treat me. And you know what? In most cases, they rose to the occasion.

This instruction applies to how we should treat everyone, but I want you to realize that as girls you are incredibly influential in the lives of men or boys on their way to becoming men. Your encouragement, your standards, your graceful spirit makes a difference. If ex-gangsters can learn to treat a woman right, I promise it will have an impact on the guys at school, the guys in youth group and even among your brothers.

An Extra Word of Caution

I mentioned earlier that this shouldn’t be about trying to change guys or anyone for that matter. Only God can do that. Sometime in spite of your most sincere efforts, people will continue to choose sin. In those cases, I urge you to be wise about who you spend time with. Be careful of getting used to bad behavior or putting up with guys who say the wrong things about other girls or guys because they seem to treat you okay. It kills me to see girls damage their reputation or lower their standards because they get used to being around people who choose to be sinful in their words and actions.

With that said dearests, put on the goggles of Grace, love with all you’ve got, clothe yourself with strength and dignity and be wise.

Verses to ponder:

“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. “ Proverbs 31:25 & 26

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:10

“We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” 1 Thessalonians 2:12

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful...” 1 Peter 3:3-5a

Other fave movie example of feminine dignity:


Jamie Sullivan – A Walk To Remember. (Love her! )



Amy March (Adult Amy) – Little Women. (She calls Laurie out on his shenanigans!)

* I’d list my usual heroines Anne Shirley and Elizabeth Bennett, but I must admit they can be a bit prideful.

So this is love...

Hurray for my first installment of Girliness & Godliness. If you’re a young woman who wants to grow in her relationship with God and others, this is the place for you! I hope that you will be encouraged as you live out your faith day to day, but I also hope you are encouraged in your femininity. Girliness is under attack – there are so many messages out there in the world about what being a woman is about and my hope is to encourage you through my experiences and observations as I apply the Word of God to different areas of life as a woman.

I am not writing from a place of perfection, but from a place of concern and conviction. Sometimes you will be alone in the choices you make. My relationship with Jesus was strengthened in my teens when I met young guys and girls my age who were pursuing godliness out of a personal commitment and understanding. Sadly, I hadn’t found such a community anywhere else, not even my church. I’ll share my testimony with you all one day.

So before I start on the topics of friendships, relationships, convictions, and emotions, I want to emphasize that the point of it will always be wrapped up in the greatest commandment. All of the other ones are wrapped up in that one. Jesus says so himself!

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37 – 40

You’ve probably heard this before, but my hope is that you really understand it. The Lord is IN LOVE with you. He made you and in making you deposited gifts and talents, strengths and weaknesses, your personality, the sound of your laughter, the color of your eyes, the breadth of your smile. And he adores you. So naturally, he wants to KNOW you. But Like anyone in LOVE he is not content to just know you he also wants to be known BY you.

The Westminster Confession, which many Christian churches profess says that our highest goal in life is, “to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever” Our love for Christ is something to be enjoyed. It should rosy our cheeks, brighten our smiles, put a spring in our step and a flutter in our hearts. It should be the source for our desire to honor and glorify God.

So it will always come down to this . . .

We must LOVE the Lord.

This love isn’t just the mushy kind. It’s not enough to simply feel his presence or experience his blessing. This love is the kind that commands our actions. Would you believe a woman who says she is in love with someone, but never spends time with them him or does things that would hurt him? Of course not! Our love for the Lord must be backed up with actions that reflect that love.

We must LOVE others. Loving others in a godly way is not about being nice to your friends. Remember, Jesus says that we have to even love our enemies! Christ-like love for others MUST reflect Christ’s love for us – and he died for us. That’s kind of a big deal! But don’t worry, the Lord will show you how.

So as I begin to write to you from my heart, remember that nothing I say is to impose my convictions on you. As you are bombarded with messages from the World and even from the church, I want to be a voice of Truth and Love.

I write because I am a woman in love . . .with God. His faithful friendship, His gentle grace, His matchless beauty, His lavish love has been my constant companion these 29 years. I cannot envision my life without Him. All of the blessings He has sent my way are nothing compared to knowing Him and knowing that in the midst of my sin, He chose me and even when I stumble He still loves me fiercely.

I write out of my love for you. I want you to know Him and be known by Him in this very way. It is the Romance you were created for. Thanks for journeying with me.

With Sincere Love,

Ivette