(I found this on The Destiny of One. Thanks Sarah for letting me share this!)
By Sarah H.
“Have you met Tracy?” Rachel asked one of the five girls standing in a little huddle in the fellowship hall.
“Tracy who?” Karen asked
“Tracy Smith,” Rachel replied.
“I think I have,” Hannah responded. “Isn’t she the one that is always wearing the really low-cut dresses?” “That’s the one,” Rachel responded.
“Oh, so she was the girl sitting in front of me who couldn’t keep her hands off her boyfriend. Didn’t that girl hear the pastor’s sermon on purity last week?” Karen asked, shaking her head.
“Well, she does go to public school,” Emily said with a knowing tone. Emily looked over at Bethany, who remained silent with her arms crossed.
“Public school is ruining that girl,” Karen agreed. “Did you see her this morning? She had on so much make-up I don’t think you could see her face.” This brought giggling from all the girls; all that is, except Bethany, who sat just listening.
“I sat behind her two weeks ago, and she kept talking through the whole service. She has a horrible mouth. Well, she didn’t say that many bad words, but she was disrespectful to her mom and she was criticizing every one,” Hannah said.
“Oh, I know it,” Rachel said with a nod. “My mom says that she is a manipulator and can get her mom to do anything.”
“Maybe her mom needs to learn who is in control,” Emily interjected. “Why, if Tracy were my child she would be learning a few of life’s hard lessons right now.”
“That girl needs to be out of the public school system and in her home or she will end up getting herself in jail or something,” Karen remarked.
“I don’t think Tracy would …” Bethany started to say but was interrupted.
“And to think that she signed that pledge of abstinence a year ago,” Rachel said shaking her head.
“It is sad, but she is ruining her life,” Hannah said. All the other girls agreed, and there was a pause for a moment.
“Excuse me, girls, but whose ambassadors are we?” Bethany asked, and four sets of eyes turned to her with questioning looks. “I mean, listen to yourselves! You are all going on and on about how bad Tracy is and what she needs to do, but not one of you is even close to fixing the problem.”
Hannah, Rachel, Emily and Karen looked blankly at Bethany. Bethany sighed.
“It would seem from this conversation that Tracy’s crime is that her parents have not chosen to home school her and that her greatest issue in life is that she has chosen to date. But is that her real issue? The four of you are so busy looking at her make-up, low-cut dresses, and her boy friend that not one of you sees the real problem.
“Rachel, whose ambassador are you? Or for what? Homeschooling? What about you, Hannah? Are you now the official advocate for modesty? How about you, Emily? Are you now part of the purity police force? And you, Karen, when did you begin to listen to what was going on behind you instead of the sermon?
“Really, you girls you ought to be ashamed. Whose ambassador are we supposed to be? Homeschooling’s? Courtship’s? “Respect’s? Well, I don’t know about you, but I am not an ambassador for homeschooling, courtship, honoring your parents, or even the pastor. I am not even the advocate of abstinence, prayer in schools, modesty, or any of the other things that you have mentioned. I am an ambassador for my lord Jesus Christ, and nothing else, I hope.”
“You guys, Tracy has issues, I know. But you are talking about masking symptoms of a disease, not finding a way to cure it. Tracy’s problem is not that she is going to public school, or that she is dating, nor even that she is wearing revealing clothes. Tracy’s problem, Tracy’s disease is that she doesn’t have God.
“Which one of you has tried to be her friend? Which one of you has tried to love her and show her the way to God? Until you lead her to the point were she is broken at the feet of the cross, nothing will change Tracy. It isn’t that homeschooling isn’t a good thing. It’s not even that I wouldn’t like to see her stop dating and start having godly relationships. Rather, it’s that until you give her God it won’t make any difference.
“We have been sent to this earth to bring salt and light to a world that desperately needs it. We have been called to live radically different lives to be a witness to a country that is going downhill. But if we start preaching step sixteen before we have even said anything about step one, they are going to be confused and not listen to us any more.
“Have we forgotten that we are the privileged few? Not many kids are raised in radical churches and radical homes. We have been given much but we must remember that to whom much is given, much is expected. God did bless us with believing, homeschooling parents, not so that we would walk around with a holier-then-thou attitude. He gave it to us so that we could be his lights in a dark room.
“Tracy does not need to hear a sermon from you on how to dress; she needs to know that there is a white robe waiting for her in heaven if she will believe in Jesus. She doesn’t need us to tell her about how she is being brainwashed in school; she needs us to tell her that there is a God willing to wash her sins away and make them white as snow. She doesn’t need to be told that her love life is wrong; she needs to be told that there is a God that loves her and will fill the emptiness that is obviously in her heart.
“We will have many Tracy’s in our lives, girls, and they need us to be ambassadors from God to them. In order for us to do that, though, we have to decide whose ambassadors we are. I am my Lord and Savior’s, for even though I have never been ‘as bad as most,’ I killed Jesus with my sins, and he spilled his blood for me as much as he did for the murderer and the adulteress. It will be hard, I know. I don’t like Tracy and girls like her, but Christ spilled his blood for them, and he wants her to know that. Can I despise one to whom God extends his love?
“Let us decide today, girls, for whom or for what we are ambassadors.”
Would you like to share this with your readers? Leave a link to Sarah, and leave her name Sarah H.

Thanks!

Blessings,

~RJ

Posted: February 8th, 2010 under Articles By Others, Update, Virtuous Girlhood.
Comments: none

Here is a link for about 26 lip balms and gloss recipes!

Lip Balm and Lip Gloss Recipes

Enjoy!

Blessings,

~RJ

Posted: February 6th, 2010 under Articles By Others, Life At Home, Recipes, Update, Virtuous Girlhood.
Comments: 2

(This article was used with permission from The Kings Daughter Magazine)

   Choosing To Hope

By Lisa Bode

“’For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” – Jeremiah 29:11.
Dear Sisters,
A rousing melody on the classical radio awakened me at 7:30 this morning. We’d had a hymn sing at our house and lots of company the night before, keeping me up late. I would have rolled over and tuned the music out – but I didn’t want it to wake up Lana, my roommate in the bottom bunk, and I was scheduled to meet a friend for coffee at 9:00. So I hurried down the ladder, stumbled across the room, and somehow managed to hit the power button on the radio.
I’m not a morning person, and early hours tend to find me disoriented and incoherent. But I managed to find my way down the hallway to the shower, and saw a sign on the bathroom door. “Do not shower.” What is with that? I thought.
I leaned over the banister and called down to Mom in a groggy voice. “Why can’t we shower, Mom?”
She explained something about the water filter having a problem, and no one could shower until 9:00.
“But I have to be gone by 9:00, Mom,” I groaned. “I have to shower!”
“I’m sorry, honey,” she called back up. “It’s not working, and I can’t shower now either.”
“But I have to leave…” I whined, still trying to wake up, beginning to realize that my schedule constraints could not fix the water filter. My beautifully laid out plans for this morning were already going awry. I would have to make do without a shower and go on my way. I had no choice, no way to change my situation.
I stumbled down the stairs and looked out the window at the front porch. The sunrise illuminated a beautiful frozen winter morning. It dawned on me then that I did have a choice. I couldn’t change my circumstances. I couldn’t fix the shower, or resolve the much greater disappointments and unknowns in my life. But I could change my attitude.
It was my decision – would I live today frustrated and resentful, or would I choose to rejoice in hope?
Every day you and I face choices. We have dreams and desires for our lives, plans for very little details like morning schedules, and plans for big decisions like education, ministry, marriage. We have a vision of how we want life to work.
Sometimes God’s plan matches our plan. Everything works out just how we’d envisioned. Other times God’s plan is similar, but involves a little adjustment on our part, a few sacrifices or unexpected changes.
And then other times God’s plan completely intersects ours. His way points in a totally different direction, involving something we never expected, something we didn’t ask for, something we desperately did not want.
Bethany is a teenage girl who loves God with all her heart. She’s been battling cancer for a few years, and just found out that her cancer is growing and inoperable. She may have only a few months to live.
Kathryn and her sister were serving God in Moscow, Russia. One morning as they stood on a street corner, a drunk driver hit them. Her sister died instantly, and Kathryn has faced intense physical challenges ever since.
Elisabeth Elliot and her husband had surrendered their lives to Jesus and were working to reach an Indian tribe who had never heard the Gospel. Her husband was speared to death in the prime of his life only a short time after they were married. She was left in Ecuador, a single mother.
Lisa Beamer was an average Christian woman, leading Bible studies, mothering two children, and loving her husband Todd. On September 11^th, 2001, her husband boarded United flight 93. He never came home from work that day.
Each of these women had dreams, desires, just like us. They had plans for their future, ways they envisioned their lives working out. And then God allowed a tragedy. His plan involved something they did not expect, something they did not ask for, something they desperately did not want.
We look at the promises of the Bible – promises that God causes all things to work for our good, that He knows the plans He has for us to give us a future and a hope, and so many other optimistic verses that seem to paint a picture of a wonderful, happy life. And then we look at reality, tragedy, disappointment. Points where God’s plan leads in an entirely different direction from our plan, and involves circumstances that we did not want and cannot change.
Where is the goodness of God? Where is His love, His omnipotence, in events like these? He could heal Bethany’s cancer, but so far He hasn’t. He could have kept Kathryn’s sister, Jim Elliot, or Todd Beamer alive. But He didn’t. Why not?
The Bible tells us, “Good and upright is the Lord ….”– Psalm 25:8.
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” – Rom. 8:28.
But how do we balance that with a disappointing reality?
In our minds, good equals our plan, what we want, the fulfillment of our desires and dreams.
But in God’s mind (and His thoughts are so much higher than ours – Isaiah 55:9), good equals the fulfillment of His plan for us to be conformed to the image of His Son. “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son….” – Romans 8:29. That is the context of Romans 8:28.
Why was Peter released, but John the Baptist died in prison?
Why did Jesus calm the storm for His disciples, but later allow Paul to be shipwrecked?
Why did God say “no” to your dreams, allow your heart to be broken, and lead you in a direction you’d never anticipated?
We don’t know why. We can guess at reasons, but we can’t fully understand, and we can’t change what happened.
But we can change our attitude.
Today we can despair and give up following God, because His plan is not what we may have wanted.
Or today we can go through the motions of following God, drag ourselves through His will with a heart of bitterness, resentment, self-pity, and despair, because God overturned our schedule, or said “no” to our dreams.
Or today we can deny ourselves and lay our plan on the altar – the little details and the big things. We can give up our definition of good, our opinion of how life should work, and we can accept God’s definition of good and trust His character when we don’t understand. Today we can choose to accept His plan with both hands, to fully embrace the opportunities He does give, and to joyfully do without the opportunities He withholds.
Lisa Beamer writes in her excellent book Let’s Roll, about “…thoughts of all the loss that we have experienced personally. We’re left with choices about what we will do with those feelings. The choices… are to look at all the things we’ve lost or to look at all the things we have, to become bitter or to become better, to live in fear or to live in hope.”
It is our choice. We cannot always choose our circumstances. But we can choose our attitude.
“And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.” – Psalm 39:7.
Last fall I surrendered to Jesus in a new way (see the article “Questions” in this issue). In December we felt His call to transition The King’s Daughter ministry online. That decision was not impulsive, but the culmination of weeks of prayer and thought. And in January I felt as if my life was emptying out, as if my plans were crumbling, as if nothing was how I’d expected or wanted it.
So I face a choice, and so do you. What will we hope in – the fulfillment of our dreams and desires? They may crumble, and we may plummet to despair.
Or will we hope in God? “…And you will know that I am the Lord; those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame.” – Isaiah 49:23.
Lisa Beamer and Elisabeth Elliot, Kathryn and Bethany, chose to live in hope – hope in God. So do I. Will you?

I found this article so encouraging! I hope you do as well!

Blessings,

~RJ

Posted: February 5th, 2010 under Articles By Others, Book Reviews, Family Life, Life At Home, Reviews, Update, Virtuous Girlhood.
Comments: 1

Here is a recipe that I found on Rachel’s Supply

Solid Perfume
Ingredients:
3 parts Sweet Almond, Jojoba oil, or Olive Oil.

2 parts White beeswax
1 part Cosmetic Grade Fragrance Oil, choose from our huge line of Rachel’s Cosmetic Grade Fragrance Oils
Melt all ingredients over double boiler until well mixed and integrated. Pour into containers and let cool.

Oh, if you are wondering how to use solid perfume, check out this link here.

Blessings,

~RJ

Posted: February 4th, 2010 under Recipes, Tip Of The Week, Update, Virtuous Girlhood.
Comments: none

I thought that I would let you know about two great Hallmark movies called

:Christmas In Canaan: In the rising heat of the Civil Rights Movement, Daniel Burton, a widowed farmer struggling to make ends meet, forces his young son, DJ, who has begun to show racist tendencies, to spend time with his black classmate, Rodney, leading to an unexpected friendship. As the years pass and racial tensions in their town build, an unforgettable Christmas will teach the boys the importance of hope and the true meaning of family. Based on the book by Kenny Rogers.

The Three Gifts: Three boys (aka the holy terrors)  from the town orphanage move in temporarily with Mr. and Mrs Green. The Greens cannot have children and Jack does not want to adopt,  but as they get to know the three “holy terrors,” they start to love them. But then the boys do something that might just make the Greens change their mind! You will laugh (a lot) but also cry in this heartwarming movie!

We don’t have a TV but when I was at my grandmother’s, I was able to see them; these movies where so good! I don’t recall any boy-girl things in any of them! You should really check them out!

Blessings,

~RJ

Posted: February 3rd, 2010 under Life At Home, Reviews, Update, Virtuous Girlhood.
Comments: none

 I was tagged (again) by Sarah! 

1. Do you like chocolate? I love chocolate!

2. Can you climb trees? Yes. But I don’t anymore!

3. What continent would you like to visit? Europe! I love their sense of style! Especially England and Scotland! As I love Jane Austin!

4. What Chinese year where you born in? I don’t know.

5. Are you a terrible artist? It depends! I can draw scenery, and girls’ clothing, but not animals!

6. List three movies you can’t stand watching: 1. Very, very, very, romancy movies. (Not that I watch them, anyway), 2. Gross, overly gory, and bloody movies. (Such as Gettysburg) 3. And movies that have a terrible story line.

7. Do you like to get up early or sleep in late? It depends! Usually late! I’m rather lazy…

8. What are some of your favorite books? The Bible, Lamplighter Books, (The Hidden Hand, The Wide, Wide World, Rosa Of Linden Castle, Glaucia, and much, much, more!)  Little Woman, Little Men, Eight Cousins,  Love Comes Softly, So Much More, How To Be a Lady, Horse Care Magazines etc, etc, anything by Louisa May Alcott, or Jane Austin, and lots, lots, more!

9. Have you seen any of the Star Wars movies? No, none at all.

10. List three of your favorite Star Wars Characters: ???

11. Do you like to play music or do you like to listen to music? Both! I play piano, and I listen to music! I’m a music freak!

12. Are you big on sports? It depends, on what mood I’m in! But I love horse back-riding, baseball, and ice-skating.

13. Do you read a lot? Are you kidding? I am a reading freak!

14. Do you like fantasy? Only Narnia. As it is somewhat biblical. For the most par, I find fantasy stupid and some what silly.

15. Have you ever had a caption contest on your blog? No.

16. Do you sing a lot? It depends!

I tag:

Kathryn and Tara Yen

Mia

Victoria

And anyone who wants to do it!

Blessings,

~RJ

Posted: February 2nd, 2010 under Family Life, Life At Home, Update, Virtuous Girlhood.
Comments: none

Since Valentine’s Day is coming up, I thought that I would share this recipe.

Recipe of The Week # 20

Tea Cookies

Cream together:

1 cup butter

2/3 cup cane sugar (or white sugar)

Beat in:

1 egg

3 tsp. grated lemon rind

1TBSP. lemon juice

2 ¼ cup sifted flour

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp nutmeg

Mix until ingredients are well blended.

Chill dough 3-4 hours. Before rolling, preheat oven to 350.

Roll out and cut. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes  or until lightly browned.

Sprinkle with barely-colored sugar or frost and decorate.

Enjoy!

 Blessings,

~RJ

Posted: February 1st, 2010 under Family Life, Life At Home, Recipes, Update, Virtuous Girlhood.
Comments: none

I do not know if any of you have heard of this blog, but I follow her, and her blog is so neat! It is a mix of “today” and “old fashioned” a mix that I love!

I encourage you to check it out!
http://aspiring-homemaker.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Mia, for having such a wonderful blog! Keep up the great work!

Blessings,
R.J.

Posted: January 31st, 2010 under Family Life, Life At Home, Reviews, Update, Virtuous Girlhood.
Comments: none

I don’t know if you have ever heard of RobnT Business Solutions that my parents own, but if you saw the “new” look and liked it, I’ll let you know a little secret. The web designer Miss Kathryn did my parents’ website and I thought that you might like to know that her services are very affordable and that she offers many services! So check it out! Her website is called Prairie Rose Designs.

Blessings,

~RJ

(BTW, Miss Kathryn also owns Maidens Of Virtue)

Posted: January 30th, 2010 under Family Life, Life At Home, Reviews, Update, Virtuous Girlhood.
Comments: none

1. Faded Glory - Girls’ Embroidered Organic Cotton Top and Cami

This cute yet stylish top is also organic! A great deal at $8 at Walmart!

2. Girls’ Xhilaration® Printed Skirt- Purple/ Green

This cute skirt looks very chic! And it’s a great deal at Target for only $12.99!

3. Poppy Ladies Blouse

This fashionable item is what every woman needs! (Although it’s a bit pricey!)

4. Love Change Sweater + Shawl Color!

This cute sweater is on sale for $14.99 regular $29.99! A steal deal!

5. Sterling Silver 4 Gyps Circle Earrings

These cute, yet funky earrings are the perfect addition to any young woman’s closet! A deal at $12.99! Originally $30!

(Please note that Virtuous Girlhood does not endorse, or agree with everything or any images on these sites. I am simply trying to inform you about these sales.)

Enjoy!

~RJ

Posted: January 29th, 2010 under Family Life, Life At Home, Reviews, Update, Virtuous Girlhood.
Comments: none