Love's Awakening, by Laura Frantz~

 

     Ellie Ballantyne, youngest child of Silas and Eden, has left finishing school. But back at her family home in Pittsburgh, Ellie finds that her parents are away on a long trip and her siblings don't seem to want her to stay. When she opens a day school for young ladies, she begins tutoring the incorrigible daughter of the enemy Turlock clan. The Turlocks are slaveholders and whiskey magnates, envious of the powerful Ballantynes and suspicious of their abolitionist leanings. As Ellie becomes increasingly tangled with the Turlocks, she finds herself falling in love with an impossible future--and Jack Turlock, a young man striving to free himself from his family's violent legacy. How can she betray her family and side with the enemy? And will Jack ever allow her into his world?

     This month I read Love's Awakening by Laura Frantz. There were a few things I enjoyed about it, and there are a few things I was discouraged by. I was interested in and enjoyed this book for two reasons:

1. I like the very unique way Laura Frantz writes, and
2. I'm interested in the Underground Railroad and abolition.
3. The redemption of a very lost and torn character.

    With that being said, I like the way she writes-- it's very unique, in a good way. You don't have pointless scenes, but there's a feeling of suspension that there's something more to what the characters are feeling and thinking. It is a little difficult to read on, when Mrs. Frantz keeps it up too much, but I do enjoy knowing that what I'm reading is not pointless. 
     I won't try to spoil the book for you, but I was very intrigued by a lantern that was a symbol of safety and new life. I was also intrigued by the plot's including a family of wealth and upstanding housing runaway slaves. Mrs. Frantz gave a little insight on how many abolitionists lived.
     Okay, my next point IS a SPOILER. So I will highlight this paragraph and if you want to read it, just highlight it for yourself:
     Jack Turlock, the hero of the book, was an illustration of a very lost soul. I loved how Laura Frantz also showed that God is the One who saves. Throughout most of the book, Jack was battling a spiritual war, and when he is at his end, God brings him out of the consuming darkness that unbelievers are blinded and wrapped in. I very much enjoyed seeing Jack's transformation, becoming a child of the Light.





Now, for my critiques of the book:

1. I wanted more depth in the plot. Though the book was intriguing-- I felt like I was always on the shallow side of the pool. I wanted to read more on what abolitionists did and how they did it.
2. I also believe that it is wrong for a believer and an unbeliever to be unequally yoked (to be married). "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:13-15. Now God forgives those who have sinned in that way, but it is a sin to be a believer and to marry an unbeliever.
3. I think that the romance between Jack Turlock and Ellie Ballantyne was shallow. They barely interacted, but when they finally announce their feelings, it's this whirlwind passion-- and I just feel like that's all it was.

     So, I'm going to expound more on number 3. And this is more of a general critique for the author, Laura Frantz. This has been a concern of mine for a while, because it's been a recurring problem in a few of her books. The passion she integrates with her characters is so sudden that sometimes it just seems to be lustful. In this book, Jack and Ellie didn't even know each other as friends. They were merely acquaintances, getting to know each other, as well as attracted to each other (which is natural), but all of a sudden her characters are brought alone together and they express their feelings and then it becomes this very passionate scene. (Yes, I know I just wrote a run-on sentence. I tend to do that when I'm excited about a subject...). Jack and Ellie were developing feelings-- but, even if a couple is developing feelings towards each other, I have never heard or seen of a romance that is so passionate so fast, except for the lustful kind. I don't know whether to call Jack and Ellie's love a great infatuation, or actual love. Ellie only knew Jack by the traits he expressed-- which were mostly negative-- and by what Jack's little sister told her. She rarely ever talked to Jack, and when she did, it wasn't very deep.
     I've read most of Laura Frantz' other books, and I've found that she has a tendency to just put all this passion into a romance that you've barely seen blossom (there are only a couple exceptions in some of her books). I have to ask myself, is it because of the way Laura Frantz writes? I know you're thinking, "You just told us that you like the way she writes!" And I do. However, I do believe that developing a friendship (at least a budding one) to a blossoming romance is very important. Those are not pointless scenes, and I feel as if she held back with those romantic scenes with shallow ones, when Ellie thinks something, such as, "Wow. I finally realize that I am in love with Jack and can never marry anyone else."
     Overall, those are really my only main critiques. The book was a bit boring in places. I know Laura Frantz can do better, because I've read her better stories. However, I enjoyed the plot of the book, and hope that she writes more on themes regarding abolition. In summary, this book was an okay, yet intriguing read. I don't know if I'll ever come back to it in several years, but I may come back to it eventually. I rate this book 3 stars out of 5.

I received Love's Awakening as an advanced readers copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I do not own this book.

Sincerely,
Maiden of Emmanuel

Andrea | "...Be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

Romans 12:1-2

Romans 12:1-2 Is the passage I would describe my beautiful cousin.  She has made a complete turn-around in her life after surrendering herself to the will of the Father.  She has a mind set to be transformed, not conformed, and is striving to be a living and holy sacrifice to the Lord.  I am so thankful for the example she has shown me.

I had the complete honor of shooting her photos the other day, and after being patient with me, I've had the opportunity to share her inward and outward beauty with you.

Andrea.

 

And because I love everything about her laugh, I had to post at least two more of her cracking up at my gemela (twin), Care, who was my reflector that day. :)

We had such an adventure finding these groves of trees. We called a friend, eyed every green open space we saw and then finally slammed on our breaks and found this beautiful area.

As we prepared to leave, we passed a field with a gorgeous sunset. Andrea pulled over, we scrambled out of the car and jogged (as much jogging as Andrea's wedges would allow, at least) onto the pathway. The sun was going down pretty fast, but we had some fun!

This day is definitely on my top ten favorite days, and I will never forget it.

"A living sacrifice, no longer my own."

When I came back from my missions trip in Honduras my perspective on life and how to approach many things changed drastically. I wanted, and still want, to glorify God in all that I do. Yet, the Lord knew I was so stuck on a lot of my ways. I thought I had my whole school year figured out. I "knew for sure" I was going to do so many things. What's ironic is that even though I know I'm not in control, I get this idea that the Lord will give me all the things I desire and plan for, even if I know it's not to His utmost glorification.

And that's when He changes things up, isn't it? This month is completely different from what I had planned it to be, yet the Lord has blessed me greatly. I've found this month--dare I say it?-- quite "uncomfortable", which is good. The Lord is teaching me so many things and working on kinks that I've been struggling with, such as committing to deadlines, Human Anatomy, and getting out of my comfort zone by experiencing new things all by myself. I'm so grateful.

I also have gotten to experience some wonderful, comfortable things, such as watching the sunrise on mini road-trips with my dad every Thursday, developing better relationships with family at home and at church, and practicing my photo-editing.

There will be more days of rest, there will also be more days of business, but it's all for His glory. The sun comes up for His glory, and the moon reflects the sun for His glory.

My prayer is this, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." Romans 12:1. (NASB)

"Take these hands
I know they're empty
But with You they can
Be used for beauty
In Your perfect plan
All I am is Yours

Take these feet
I know they stumble
But You use the weak
You use the humble
So please use me
All I am is Yours

I give You all my life
I'm letting it go
A living sacrifice
No longer my own
All I am is Yours
All I am is Yours

Take this heart
Set it on fire
Shining in the dark
I wanna tell the world of who You are
All I am is Yours

I give You all my life
I'm letting it go
A living sacrifice
No longer my own
All I am is Yours
All I am is Yours

I give You everything
To You I belong
Every beat of my heart
The breath in my lungs
All I am is Yours
All I am is Yours

I lift my hands up
God I surrender
All that I am for Your glory, Your honor, Your fame..."
~ All I Am, by Phil Wickham

Review of The Miner's Lady

   When Chantel Panetta’s younger sister claims to be in love with Orlando Calarco, Chantel knows there is no hope. The Panettas and Calarcos have been sworn enemies for decades, and young love cannot heal the deep wounds between the two iron-mining families. Yet, unable to resist Isabella’s pleas, Chantel agrees to help her sister spend time with Orlando…only to have a run-in with Dante, Orlando’s brother. The older, more handsome one.

   Chantel can’t deny the attraction that flares when she’s with Dante. But when a tragedy occurs at the mine, is there any hope that the hatred that has simmered between these two families might be resolved? Or will Chantel’s hope for love be buried amidst decades of misunderstanding?

   Let me start with this: if you like a cutesy, predictable love story with a good message, The Miner’s Lady is your kind of book. I started the series and have hoped to finish it, but, to be honest, if the anymore of her books are like The Miner’s Lady, I’ll already have read it because these last two have been pretty much the same story. Girl meets boy, boy is frustrated with her, boy doesn’t want to give her a chance, boy and girl “unconsciously” fall in love with each other, have a huge kiss, still don’t realize it…Wait for it…Wait for it……. then they kiss again and finally realize it. Wow. I thought they’d never figure it out! Let me just say, this book seemed to be a bit weak. It was weak in the plot and a bit weak in the some of the characters.

   However, to lay and balance it all out, I’ll give you the book’s strong and weak points.

Strong points:

•      I enjoyed the heroine’s character. Chantel was contemplative and strived to do what was right.
•      The Calarco boys’ grandmother was a very strong character and I liked her.
•      The message was good — there should be no favoritism and prejudice against thy neighbors. “^36 ’Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ ³⁷ And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…’” Matthew 22:36-37.

Weak points:

• The hero, Orlando, was weak. His only strength seemed to be his physical side.
• I just didn’t enjoy the plot. It wasn’t just about the Orlando and Chantel falling in love, and their siblings falling in love also. The book had a side plot that involved Chantel’s brother getting involved with the wrong crowd, which personally bored me. I felt like I was 13 years old again while I was reading.
• I also did not agree with the fact that Tracie named a character “Father Buh”. It wasn’t the name “Buh” that bothered me, it was the “Father” part. “⁸ But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.” Matthew 23:8-9. I believe it is wrong to call a leader in the church “Father” because of this passage. I couldn’t even tell if Tracie was supporting Catholicism or not, but I don’t believe there’s such a thing as a Christian Catholic either, for that matter.

   When I began to read Tracie’s books (starting with Striking a Match series) I fell in love with the depth of the message and the lovable characters. I will still continue to read her books, especially the ones she has coauthored with Judith Miller, but I was disappointed with this book. Overall, I give this book three stars out of five.

   This book was given to me by Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Enjoying the little things...

This summer I took a trip to Honduras, which I will be posting about soon. Every time I go to Honduras it changes my life. This year it taught me many things, such as:

>> Enjoy the little things in life. The many "little" blessings we receive from our Heavenly Father who loves us dearly.

>> Serving people means serving Christ, so do it wholeheartedly and to the best of your capabilities.

>>Love is a verb, not a feeling. Which leads to...

>>Christ calls us to love everybody, even the one's who are not like us or are hard to love.

>> "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fear the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30 <3 p="">
Yesterday I received a package from my lovely friend Bryce (who has a great blog called http://christianbryce.wordpress.com/"> The Little Things
). She sent my tea and letters, which was perfect to brighten up my day. The Lord knew exactly what I needed and ordained a time for Bryce to think of me, which is so sweet, to write me, which is even more sweet, and to send me things I like, which is super sweet--literally.
The Father is the sweetest.

Just enjoying the little big blessings...

The Gospel

     Most of you will look at this note and smile, some of you will be convicted, and a small amount will frown because of their sinful nature and hardened hearts. I pray the majority who read this will be convicted and surrender their wills to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Gospel.

I will start with the fact that:  The Bible is the Word of God.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;” 2 Timothy 3:16.

 

“For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:21.

The Bible is completely inerrant and nothing is able to add on to it.

     Another fact is:  God is perfect.

“And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5.

 

“For I proclaim the name of the LORD; Ascribe greatness to our God! ‘The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.’” Deuteronomy 32:3-4.

     He is all-powerful, He is the Light; He is holy and without sin (1 John 3:5); He loves and He is just. All of these just touch on the surface of who He is. We are sinners.

     “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23.

We have sinned, disobeyed and rebelled against God’s Holy law, and therefore we deserve death.

 

     “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

We cannot be right with God if He is perfect and we are sinners.

 

“You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;” Psalm 45:7.

He can’t stand wickedness, and that’s human nature. We are born wicked. We’re unable to even work for our salvation.

“They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.” Psalm 14:3.

Sin comes out of everything we do. We’re unable to be righteous by our own ways. But before we lose all hope, we are given one awesome, loving, just, fantastic, gracious offer.

 

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16.

 

“Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." Titus 2:14.

The Father sent His Son! The only way for the Father to act just and save our lives was through the blood of Christ. The Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to pay our penalty and forgive us.

     In order to receive eternal life, though, we must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as our only Savior and the Son of God. God wants to draw us near to Him, but you must surrender yourself to Him. It’s now a matter of your choice between eternal blissful life or excruciating death. Do not turn away from a loving Creator to your own proud, sinful ideas because you’re not God.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:4-10.

A Touch of Whimsy

I'm really sorry for not writing. I will try to better. My summer is busier than planned but that's no excuse. I'm posting a picture that I'm entering for iheartfaces.com, a photo site that I've been keeping up with.

Anyway, hope you all enjoy. The theme is A Touch of Whimsy so I tried to take pictures that seemed whimsical to me, along with my friend and fellow photographer Bryce. :)
If you have a Facebook, check out A Twin for God Photography!

God bless,
Maiden of Emmanuel

Christ is alive.

Today is Resurrection Day and we celebrate that Jesus Christ rose from the grave.
Jesus Christ is the one you saves us, who gives us eternal life, and the wonderful feeling of love and joy. He gives us a reason to live for today and all the tomorrows. To live for His glory.
He is great.

Jesus Christ died on the cross, accused for nothing, and tore the temple- then after the third day He was to be dead, He arose.
No one else has risen from the dead by themselves, and when someone did come back from the dead (like Lazarus) it was because Jesus Christ commanded him to. No one else has given life.

He is salvation :).

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Resurrection Day :).

Blessings,
MOE

The Skin Map

My title is now working :D.

A promising tale of interdimensional voyaging disintegrates rapidly into a clunky and incoherent mess. Londoner Kit Livingstone and his unpleasant girlfriend, Wilhelmina, are separated and sent back to an alternate 17th-century England. There Kit's great-grandfather Cosimo reveals secretive time travelers are racing the evil Lord Archelaeus Burleigh to locate a map holding an earthshaking secret. Stranded when Cosimo vanishes into a portal, Kit falls in with the beautiful Lady Fayth while Wilhelmina struggles to survive on her own in Prague.

It has taken me forever to write this review, hasn't it? Well, I have to say, this book sounded quite intriguing. The plot sounded interesting, and I think there are different summaries so if it didn't sound interesting there, then maybe somewhere else you'll like it.
The book was interesting, and I got very far in it, but it's been a challenge to read. And I haven't even fully finished it. See Lawhead has a good idea in his head, but he can only get you so far into the book. There are about five different characters and each of them are in different places. There's a plot within a plot, and it's quite confusing, but still intriguing. It's what got me that far in the book.
The way Lawhead writes is different. He likes to be poetic, as well as tell an intense story, and also leave you to wonder more about a character until later.
Overall the book has a good storyline and the characters were interesting, but the whole book didn't capture my attention long enough.

This book was 2 1/2 stars out of 5.

I received this book for free by Thomas Nelson.

Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (August 31, 2010)

Have a wonderful day!

God bless,
Maiden of Emmanuel

वही इस माय तितले इन अ दिफ्फेरेंत लन्गुअगे?

Every time I've pulled up a post to write, my title keeps turning to a language that I don't recognize, does anyone know what I did or how to fix it?

God bless,
Maiden of Emmanuel

Phil Wickham - Jesus Lord of Heaven (with lyrics)

I love this song! You don't have to look at the pictures in order to listen to the music and understand it, proclaiming His love.

In God,
Maiden of Emmanuel

Doxology, Praise God

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

This song and verse came into mind :).

Blessings,
MaidenOfEmmanuel

Who wants to help Dad get in shape?

EDIT: I'm making a list of those who plan on joining on my sidebar :).
I aplogize, first, for not posting often. School started, essays and exams were due, my birthday came and went, and missionaries are now visiting for my church's annual conference. But I've been meaning to post about this for a while now.
My dad, as most of yours are, is completely out of shape, and one of my new year's resolutions was for me to be able to touch my toes at some point (yes, I am inflexible for my age, or for any age), but then I thought, "Why not help Dad lose some?" I hate seeing the fact that he might become an old man sitting around. I got him interested and by mid-January we started exercising. Walking for now is fine, later we might jog, but it's all just the start and staying with it.
So why not you guys get out there too? We don't exercise for long. Our schedule isn't typical, but we fit in the three days by exercising every morning on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays.
Yes, we have missed some days. In fact, because of my birthday and just a busy week, we have missed all of last week, but we're trying not to.
Forty-five minutes to an hour every morning, so by the end of every month we have tried to exercise for twelve hours.

Starting March, would you like to join us for a whole year? You can exercise by yourself, or you can exercise with your dad or mom or any family member!
For those of you who think you don't have the means to exercise but want to, realize that it's not hard to walk around your neighborhood, or in your house, or on a track for a little while :).

So you may comment and tell me you're joining me or you can join from afar, but it's way more fun to communicate and encourage each other. Remember that we can and do use this for God's glory. We keep our bodies healthy, and who knows if we can witness while out there with other fellow exercisers :)?

You can appoint any time.
You can appoint how.
You can appoint any where :).

Blessings,
MOE

VW Commercial: The Force

This video is one of the cutest commercials I have ever seen, you must watch.

Secondly, I'm sorry that I promised better of my posting and my blog has almost been nonexistant with the first month of the year, but it will get better.

Blessings,
MaidenOfEmmanuel

Who are You to Tell Me I'm Beautiful?

I apologize for not posting in so long. I've been really packed with school and also I spiritually I need prayer.

This was written by someone I know, and they were fine with their name being placed for credit, so if you'd like to every repost this, please give credit :).


Who are You to Tell Me I’m Beautiful?


By: Carolyn Diez




A few years ago before I really committed my life to Jesus, I was a jerk. Honestly, God has been very merciful and gracious to help turn my life around. I was rude, I lived on gossip, and I focused on what other people thought I should be. I was very insecure, so I tried to make other people insecure about themselves too, so I could feel better about myself. I knew people who were real about themselves, but I only strived for superficial.



I think what encouraged this horrible me, was the people I hung around. They weren’t awful, but they certainly brought me down spiritually. Everything they looked for was image. I grew up being mostly a tomboy, and with a lot of siblings, and with my dad being a pastor we’ve never had a lot of extra money to spend on trendy clothes or hair.



Well that’s what these kids were about. They were all about how you looked, how you dressed and who you hung out with. They were like the queen bees, and they would cast you out of their group if you did NOT fit in. Well no one was really sure that I fit in. I was good friends with a couple of them, I was nice to them, and I trash talked the people who weren’t a part of them, but did I really fit in?



The obvious answer (mostly to anyone who knew me from back then) is that I didn’t. At all. I was desperate for attention and admiration… and I wanted to feel good about myself. It didn’t click that God was the only One who could fill me up with joy and self-worth. These kids made me feel left out when I couldn’t shop at the same stores or wear the trendy clothes… They trash talked with me behind other peoples’ backs, and trash talked me with other people behind MY back. I never had the same bag as them, or my hair was never styled (--in fact, it was in a pony-tail most of the time), they told me I would be prettier with this and with that. I never wore makeup and my clothes were “too modest” at times. They indirectly stated that they were “beautiful” and I was not.



So a year later, after always coming home crying and never feeling pretty, God gave me a lot of amazing experiences; things and people who never judged me on how I looked. They took everything from my personality and faith and assumed it was who I was/am. That year I really started to commit my life to Jesus and I knew I need new friends. So I prayed to God that He would give me new friends that were striving to grow spiritually and wouldn’t be into all the junk the other ones were into…



But, of course, the newly Christ-committed person I was, wandered around looking for these friends on my own, instead of giving the search completely to God. The new friends I found were “nice”. They told me I was “SO PRETTY” and that I fit in with them. They made me feel good about how I looked and how I acted, but the gossip I had been a part of was even worse, and the trash talk seemed to be non-stop. But I seemed to be okay… No one really said anything bad about me… They had actually praised me and treated me like one of them. They had invited me to their parties and welcomed my participation. But only because it made THEM feel good about THEMselves, I realized. I looked just like them, and I acted just like them. Together we were ‘one’ for ourselves, and even though we spoke of Him, we were not FOR Him. As soon as I realized I didn’t want to be a part of something that was not FOR God, it was easy for them not to accept me, not to talk well of me, and to make me feel like a traitor.



Well that’s too bad for them, I told myself. While this process had been going on, God had started placing life-changing, life-valuable, and life-long friendships in my way. They weren’t strong at first… In fact, they were undesirable. But when I completely gave my friendships to God and He gave me noticeable changes of friends, you could tell their “worth.” You could see their love and their own starting passion for God.



They didn’t pull me down spiritually, and in their own ways supported me and helped me to become stronger in the Lord. They weren’t perfect, but neither was I. The only thing that mattered to them was your heart. How we lived our lives out for God and for each other was what mattered. These people were truly beautiful. In fact, I had never seen people as beautiful as the newly found friends I had. They seemed to glow for God and for each other. Weight wasn’t counted, specific eye/hair/skin color wasn’t specifically desired, and in fact, none of the closest of us looked the same. Our hearts matched though, and that’s what brought us together, and hopefully forever.

I was once of the world, and that’s where I found my only temporary happiness. Now, being completely of and FOR God, (of course still a sinful being), my happiness only resides in the continuing joy of the Lord, through friends and family.



The changes/differences are this:



In the dictionary, made by a worldly man, ‘beautiful’ is defined as –

— ‘having beauty; having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind.’

— ‘excellent of its kind’

‘Beauty’ is defined as –

– ‘the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest)’



Other than that TINY, little, bitty ending, how horrible are these definitions of beauty and being beautiful???



THIS is how GOD defines beautiful:



“Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,

But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”—Proverbs 31:30.



This passage should be clear enough… But it’s not just for women, I see it in men too… Men who are looked up to for their looks and charm, who don’t seem to fear or display God in their lives are totally unattractive. I know that when I see a man, (young or old), that display God’s love, no matter what background or situation they’re in, I can’t HELP but look up to them and admire them. I know I’m not the only one.



”Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us;

And confirm for us the work of our hands;

Yes, confirm the work of our hands.”—Psalm 90:17



God doesn’t favor our outward beauty, but we want Him to be rejoiced with our actions. Actions that come from love, His love, which is the most pure and beautiful thing in the entire world.



”Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able

to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”—Romans 12:2.



Once again, such a clear and commanding passage…



Our world seems to be living in this contest. Every person we meet has a ranking, and one of you is going to be higher than the other or just about the same. The rankings are categorized spiritually, mentally, popularity, kindness, etc; anything that makes you a somebody. The world always has a new trend and look, and every time we reach that lifestyle and/or look, no matter how we get there, the world throws a new look or lifestyle at us. This world is sin, and sin has standards, and every time we meet those standards, they rise higher. We’re expected to follow the expectations from sin, and LIVE it out.



People we’re intimidated by seem far higher than we are, but in reality, God’s just waiting for us to live our lives not for people but for Him. I know that this past year I’ve been intimidated by a few people because they seem SO much more prettier and stronger and everything to the more extreme than I am, and they’ve looked down on me as if it were true. Looks and lifestyles are HIS because He made US to worship Him.



I wish kids these days realized that as long as they live their lives out for God, they’ll have so much more admiration and encouragement. But it’s not to take away the fact that we are persecuted for our faith and how we walk in our faith.



“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to

the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” – John 15:19.



“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

—Matthew 5:11.



But we have encouragement…



"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord

Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”—Acts 20:24.



“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is

undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ,

after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be

the power forever and ever. Amen. “—1 Peter 5:8-11.

I hope you enjoyed :).
Posting soon.
Blessings,
MaidenOfEmmanuel

You can take the World

The title of this video/song is called Take the World. For Christmas, I received the album Holding Nothing Back by Tim Hughes. I recently posted a video of my favorite song by him and his songs are just great.

Anyway, when you listen to the song, think about the meaning. I was awed and wanted this attitude towards God.

"The world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, Yeah

The world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, Yeah

is not enough for me

You could take the world just give me You! you coul take the world just give me You! You could take the world just give me You! You couls take the world just give me You! yeah

The world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, Yeah

you could take the world just give me You! You could take the world just give me You! You could take the world just give me You! You could take the world just give me You! yeah

The world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, the world is not enough for me, Yeah

You could take the world just give me You! you could take the world just give me You! You could take the world just give me You! You could take the world just give me You! yeah

All I want is You, all I need is You, yeah, All I want is you, all I need is You!

You could take the world just give me You! You could take the world just give me You!

All I want is You, Jesus I love You,

all I have is You, all I want is You"

MaidenOfEmmanuel

Noche Buena, a glimpse into the Hispanic culture

This is not my image.
For those who are not aware, I am half American and half Cuban. I have decided to write about Buena Noche, the Cuban part of my Christmas.

Noche Buena is spanish for Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve all of the Cuban side of my family goes to my abuela's "grandma" house around dinner time. We eat a feast, and all of the girls have to grab for spoons to serve themselves the moment prayer is finished since the boys are beats from the jungle.
Then we wait.
And wait.
And play games.
And watch movies.
And sing karaoke.
And almost fall asleep.
And watch tv.
And drink soda.
Until it is finally 12 AM!
Everyone shouts Merry Christmas. The little kids run to the gifts under the Christmas tree and everyone walks quickly, but slowly, at the same time so they don't look too eager. Gifts are opened, people are thanked, and then everything is enjoy for about half an hour to an hour.
After that we go home, and by that time it's already 2 AM. Everyone crashes and we wake up again for my American Christmas :).

Send me a link if you post about they way you celebrate Christmas :).

MaidenOfEmmanuel

Is God really that scary?

"It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread."
Isaiah 8:13

I take that passage into account literally. Maybe too literally. I think lately I've been more scared of God than actually having a healthy fear of Him.

The passage that verse is from is a passage speaking to the people that were following the ways of man and rebelling against God. "It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy."
Think about that for a moment. Regarding the Lord as holy means what? Do you truly know what it means, or do you just read the word and move on with life?

"1. of, relating to, or associated with God or a deity; sacred" (Dictionary.com).

That, my friends, is a dictionary definition of holy.
We need to regard the Lord as holy because He is holy. There's no doubt about it. He's sacred. He's righteous. He's pure. He's loving. He's generous. He cares. He is all-knowledgable. He is omnipotent. He is everything. He is God's Son. He was a sacrifice.
Now listen to the specifics (or read).

We know there is Someone to be regarded as holy.
We know the Lord is that Someone who needs to be regarded as holy.
Who needs to regard the Lord as holy?

You need to regard the Lord as holy.

Now the next lines make you wonder.

"And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread."
The Lord should be my fear and my dread?
This part is kind of confusing. I should dread God?
And if I have a fear for God, then I should be scared of God? (The Lord is God, as the Son. I believe that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are triune. So when I say God and the Lord, know that they are the same.)

A problem I'm still half working on is the fact that I've been scared of God, hence this blog post. If there's one thing that I used to do is have a genuine fear of and for God. Which isn't at all bad, but I have always been scared that God is mad at me for things I didn't even know I did wrong and then getting punished by Him.
"I'm so sorry if I did something, and here I am being punished." That was basically along the lines of how I thought and sometimes don't catch myself thinking. If something doesn't go my way, I think it's me being punished. Honestly, it's only because I'm not in control.
The whole point is that I've been scared of God when He continues to bless me with life. I'm scared that things are punishments when I don't know how to trust.

So why shouldn't I be scared of the Lord. Where does dread come in?
Remember that I gave you a verse that was in the middle of a passage. If you read a bit before Isaiah 8:13, you'll realize that the passage was in a direction of rebuking and punishing people for not walking in God's ways.
That makes us realize that God is powerful enough to punish. Exactly the way my thinking was for a while. "I'm being punished by God, this is just great. *MOE smacks herself*"
A problem with today's society is that people either don't regard the Lord as holy or they're too afraid of God.

There's one attribute we're missing though.
God is not only just, but He is merciful and loving.

"10 He does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His love for those who fear Him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for He knows how we are formed,
He remembers that we are dust." Psalm 103:10-14

I don't know about you, but those are very encouraging words. If I was punished for every sin in a major way like I deserve, I'd be dead. I probably would end my life since it'd be so miserable.

Scared and fearful are two very different words.
If you don't walk with God, you better be scared. However, fearing God is one way you walk with God. Fearing is knowing that God is strong and almighty, enough to conquer anything in this world, but knowing that He's caring and loving as well.

"Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
who walk in obedience to him."
Psalm 128:1

"God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth shall fear Him."
Psalm 67:7

"In that day, man will have regard for his Maker and his eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel."
Isaiah 17:7

"O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness."
Isaiah 25:1

"Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him."
Isaiah 30:18.

"1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood."
Hebrews 12:1-4

Walking with God means we're blessed and receive God's grace. I'm encouraged by the fact that I don't need to be scared of the one true God, but fearful of His gracious, just, and loving attributes.

God bless,
MaidenOfEmmanuel

Then I was senseless and ignorant...

This Psalm I literally just found when I opened up my Bible and I loved these verses that I spotted.

"22Then I was senseless and ignorant;
I was like a (B)beast before You.
23Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24With Your counsel You will guide me,
And afterward receive me to glory.
25Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
26My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever...
28But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
That I may tell of all Your works."
Psalm 73:22-26, 28.

Blessings,
MaidenOfEmmanuel

The orange cone is back, better than ever

In my last post, I mentioned that I will be changing my blog around. A little more fun, but still set in a serious tone at times. More videos, more pictures, more posting! So I hope you will enjoy, but in the meantime, just know I'm working slowly on it. You'll notice that it's changing around a bit - things taken out and things put in and things kept.

So bear with me in this hard time :P.

The whole construction process should be done before Christmas, however I do have lots of things to do. If you have any suggestions, comment away. Feeback is awesome :).

There are immediate changes, especially some that my friend (Prism (click)) has suggested.
One will be the layout, I noticed, and I'm not sure when she did, but that there are many links around everywhere, and it's confusing, even to me. Also you'll notice that the moment you click you won't hear loud music (I've taken that out for the meantime). You'll notice that I'll be posting more frequently, something I've promised this past week.

Just wait and see, you'll actually enjoy being on my blog.

MaidenOfEmmanuel

(Picture by toons4biz on www.imageenvision.com/cliparts/traffic-cone )