What I like to do in my spare time. :)  Each card is specially handmade.  Can be made with the colors of your choice! 

~Daisy Cards~

$2.99

Respond to this natural disaster as the Body of Christ!

http://www.bradrick.org/helpalfamilies/

Waiting on the Lord :)

Though we see not our signs, though there is none to tell us how long, yet let us resolve to wait, how long soever it may be; for though what God doth we know not now, yet we shall know hereafter when the mystery of God shall be finished.  Though it be a stormy day, yet we must wait upon God all the day. Though we are not only becalmed, and do not get forward, but though the wind be contrary, and drive us back; nay, though it be boisterous, and the church be tossed with tempests, and ready to sink, yet we must hope the best, yet we must wait, and weather the storm by patience. It is some comfort that Christ is in the ship; the church’s cause is Christ’s own cause, he has espoused it, and he will own it; he is embarked in the same bottom with his people, and therefore why are you fearful? 

To wait on God, is—

1. To live a life of desire towards God; to wait on him as the beggar waits on his benefactor, with earnest desire to receive supplies from him, as the sick and sore at Bethesda’s pool waited for the stirring of the water, and attended in the porches with desire to be helped in and healed.

2. It is to live a life of delight in God, as the lover waits on his beloved. Desire is love in motion, as a bird upon the wing; delight is love at rest, as a bird upon the nest; now, though our desire must still be so towards God, as that we must be wishing for more of God, yet our delight must be so in God, as that we must never wish for more than God.

3. It is to live of dependence on God, as the child waits on his father, whom he has confidence in, and on whom he casts all his care. To wait on God is to expect all good to come to us from him, as the worker of all good for us and in us, the giver of all good to us, and the protector of us from all evil. Thus David explains himself Ps 62:5, “My soul, wait thou only upon God, ” and continue still to do so, for “my expectation is from him.”

4. It is to live a life of devotedness to God, as the servant waits on his master, ready to observe his will, and to do his work, and in everything to consult his honour and interest. To wait on God is entirely and unreservedly to refer ourselves to his wise and holy directions and disposals, and cheerfully to acquiesce in them, and comply with them. The servant that waits on his master, chooseth not his own way, but follows his master step by step. Thus must we wait on God, as those that have no will of our own but what is wholly resolved into his, and must therefore study to accommodate ourselves to his.

---from Matthew Henry’s “Communion with God.”

This is a verse that has really been an encouragement to me:   Psalm 27:14  "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."

Waiting on the Lord is one of the main things I learned last year.  And when He does strengthen your heart it is the most wonderful thing!  I hope this was a blessing to you in your walk with the Lord. And remember, waiting on Him isn't always easy;  in fact, it rarely is, but it is always worth it!   Remember, His plan is always best!  :) --Tiffany

God of Heaven

A BEAUTIFUL song sung by the WILDS counselor choir at camp last summer.   Good memories.  :)  Listen to the great words. 

 

Better to get the root of the problem than keep treating the symptoms :)

A Fence or an Ambulance

[A poetic case for the value of prevention]

'Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed,
Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant;
But over its terrible edge there had slipped
A duke and full many a peasant.
So the people said something would have to be done,
But their projects did not at all tally;
Some said, "Put a fence 'round the edge of the cliff,"
Some, "An ambulance down in the valley."

But the cry for the ambulance carried the day,
For it spread through the neighboring city;
A fence may be useful or not, it is true,
But each heart became full of pity
For those who slipped over the dangerous cliff;
And the dwellers in highway and alley
Gave pounds and gave pence, not to put up a fence,
But an ambulance down in the valley.

"For the cliff is all right, if you're careful," they said,
"And, if folks even slip and are dropping,
It isn't the slipping that hurts them so much
As the shock down below when they're stopping."
So day after day, as these mishaps occurred,
Quick forth would those rescuers sally
To pick up the victims who fell off the cliff,
With their ambulance down in the valley.

Then an old sage remarked: "It's a marvel to me
That people give far more attention
To repairing results than to stopping the cause,
When they'd much better aim at prevention.
Let us stop at its source all this mischief," cried he,
"Come, neighbors and friends, let us rally;
If the cliff we will fence, we might almost dispense
With the ambulance down in the valley."

"Oh he's a fanatic," the others rejoined,
"Dispense with the ambulance? Never!
He'd dispense with all charities, too, if he could;
No! No! We'll support them forever.
Aren't we picking up folks just as fast as they fall?
And shall this man dictate to us? Shall he?
Why should people of sense stop to put up a fence,
While the ambulance works in the valley?"

But the sensible few, who are practical too,
Will not bear with such nonsense much longer;
They believe that prevention is better than cure,
And their party will soon be the stronger.
Encourage them then, with your purse, voice, and pen,
And while other philanthropists dally,
They will scorn all pretense, and put up a stout fence
On the cliff that hangs over the valley.

Better guide well the young than reclaim them when old,
For the voice of true wisdom is calling.
"To rescue the fallen is good, but 'tis best
To prevent other people from falling."
Better close up the source of temptation and crime
Than deliver from dungeon or galley;
Better put a strong fence 'round the top of the cliff
Than an ambulance down in the valley.

-- Joseph Malins (1895)

Definition of Discipleship

Well, I'm leading this class and calling it a discipleship class, but  What is discipleship anyway?  Well here are some good definitions I found from Webster's 1828 Dictionary.  :) Disciple, n. [L., to learn.] 1. A learner; a scholar; one who receives or professes to receive instruction from another; 2. A follower; an adherent to the doctrines of another. Hence the constant attendants of Christ were called his disciples; and hence all Christians are called his disciples, as they profess to learn and receive his doctrines and precepts. Disciple, v.t. 1. To teach; to train, or bring up. 2. To make disciples of; to convert to doctrines or principles. This authority he employed in sending missionaries to disciple all nations. 3. To punish; to discipline. [Not in use.]

Disciple, pp. Taught; trained; brought up; made a disciple.

Discipleship, n.  The state of a disciple or follower in doctrines and precepts.

Hey Everybody!

Register NOW for the most AMAZING camp in the world, the WILDS!  Click on this link for more info.  Register before February 1st to get the early bird discount.  :)  Wilds Teen Camp

Lesson 1 on Chapter 1, Desire the Very Best Marriage

What does this mean?  You might say it is desiring God's dream for you to come true, rather than your own dreams.  This HAS to be the desire of your heart and your personal conviction and commitment.  If it is not, pray and ask the Lord to make it your own.  


Pray:  Before you start this study, Pray that the Lord would help you surrender your desires and to truly desire for His perfect plan for you to come to pass.

Think:  What are some reasons we might not think of "the very best marriage" as realistic?  Think of some reasons on your own. I know one reason might be because it's not something we see a lot of around us and we often believe the lies from Satan that this is an unrealistic thing to want.

Girls, don't give up hope!  This is NOT unrealistic!  There ARE godly young men out there.  You might not have met many yet.  You may have to wait a while before you see any and even longer before the Lord brings His best for you into your life.  Let me encourage you not to think "Oh, I'll settle for this kind of guy because I don't see any guys better than him anywhere around right now."  Rest in the Lord and wait on Him in faith to bring His best into your life in His timing.  "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him..."  Ps. 37:7  If you do this, you will find yourself blessed!  "Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him." Ps. 2:12

Set your Standards Unrealistically HIGH.  God LOVES to do the impossible---to go over and beyond what we thought was ever possible of happening. One of my favorite verses is:  "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, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."  -Eph. 3:20-21

I have experienced this in my own life.  God loves to get the glory for things.  And He deserves it!  That's the reason that the miracles in the Bible were done---so that that God would get the glory and so people would look to Him and see His power to do things that were humanly impossible.  So if you think it's impossible that there would ever be a godly young man for you, that's great---the more glory God will get for bringing you one!  

Let me share some of my personal testimony regarding this.  I'm sad to say that when I was young, (10, 11, and 12 years old,) I was willing to settle for second best.  Why?

1.)  I was led by emotions.  If I saw a guy that I was attracted to, I soon had a crush on him, and was letting my imagination run away.

2.)  I didn't know (and I doubted) that there was a realistic alternative.  I had high standards for what my prince must be, but I found myself wondering if there were even any of those kind of guys out there. 

3.)  I hadn't yet learned what it really meant to trust in the Lord and rest in faith in Him that He would be faithful to provide the perfect prince for me if I would only wait on Him.  

4.)  I wasn't given much direction.  No one was coming along side me and saying, "Tiffany, this is what you should be looking for and being careful to save every little piece of your heart for.  Tiffany, God has something great in store for you that you can't see now.  Be faithful and wait on Him."  And yes, there were a few that said something like that to me, but I could have really used a lot more reminders.  It would have especially meant a lot if an older girl would have told me.  (That's why I'm encouraging you girls now!) :)

I had these thoughts that arose as I was beginning to realize that I was attracted to guys, but I didn't know what to do with them.  I could feel that they weren't right, but I wasn't sure if there was a way to deal with them, to avoid not having them so much, or if that was even possible.  Thankfully, the Lord was very faithful to protect me during those years when I was unstable in my heart and my convictions, and He sheltered me through my parents. Thankfully, I never was put in any tempting situations, and considering the way my heart was during that time, I'm so glad of that because I'm afraid of what I might have done.  Though I didn't actually do anything impure, I'm sorry to say that my heart was not the Lord's and that as a result, I often had an impure mind.  

Girls, start to guard your hearts now!  It's never too early and you're never too young to let God fortify your heart and put a strong guard over it and protect it from polluting thoughts such as I was experiencing.  I know you girls probably struggle with your thoughts as well and just want to encourage you that you can have victory in that area of your life.  We're going to talk more about guarding your heart later in the next chapter.

I used to pray, "Lord, please let me marry (whatever guy I liked at the time!)"  I was totally praying according to my own lusts and desires and not according to God's will.  I did not have a peace about any of those guys being "the one" but I asked for it anyway because it was something my flesh wanted. I'm so glad God didn't say "yes" to me!  As I look at those young men "liked" back then, I realize they are nowhere near what I really want in a husband and what the Lord knows I need.  If I were to rate them now, they would probably be a 3 or 4 when God wanted to give me a 10.  Friends, are you going to settle for $1 now or $1,000 later?  God has so much better for you if you'll faithfully wait on Him!  :D

Of course we all desire a wonderful marriage, but what are we doing right now to make that possible?  If you want something great to happen you wouldn't be doing things cause the opposite to happen would you?  Yet that's what so many of us do without even realizing it!  When we allow our thoughts to run away when we see certain guys or movie stars or whatever, what are we practicing?  Living by our fleshly desires.  "But I say, walk by the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh."  Gal 5:16  Being sensitive to the leading of the spirit is of utmost importance when it comes to determining God's will for you regarding guys---or with anything else for that matter.  We certainly wouldn't want to practice obeying our flesh. 

This is an area where Satan would love to make you stumble and ruin your testimony.  Satan is the enemy of God's plan and of good marriages that glorify the Lord so He is going to do everything to oppose that, so he's going to throw a lot of things at you.  "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour:" 1 Pet. 5:8  


How do you know when you think you've found God's best?  We'll talk more about this later in the chapter, "Could He be the One?"  Well, first of all, we have to have different mindset.  We have to change what we're looking for.  Look at things from God's perspective. Be looking for what God values, that is, noticing important character qualities.  Instead of letting the physical attract you, let the spiritual be what attracts you.  A guy that is strong spiritually is best for you anyway.  Wouldn't you like to have a guy that had a Christlike character than one who wore nice cloths and was good looking but was just average spiritually?  The way people look changes, but what's inside lasts.  We have to have the right priorities.  We can't let worldly thinking take over this area.  In this culture, Hollywood defines what "the perfect guy" is.  We have to let God's Word define what the right guy for us is. 

As Sarah pointed out, remember, a good marriage takes two people. As you start to catch the vision of "God wants to give me His best and I should have high standards!"  Guess what?  There's a young man out there also wanting God's best and having high standards.  God wants to give great men to great women.  He wants to put them together to do ministry for him.  Focus on becoming a great woman.  How do you do that?  Focus now on developing inner qualities of godliness, holiness, and purity;  also think of practical ways you can prepare.  

If you desire God's best, you must be willing to marry God's choice. 

Think:  What do you think God's choice for you would be like?

What do you think he would not be like?

So you decide that you're going to wait on God's best and you are trusting that He's going to bring His best for you along in His timing.  Well...guess what?  God's best may be nothing like you thought he would be like!  And I'm certainly not saying that God wants you to be miserable, but at first, the one He brings to you might not be anything like you had in mind.  :)  We'll learn later about how we have to surrender our plans and dreams and ideas to the Lord.  We naturally look for Eliabs (see 1 Sam. 16:7.)  That is, guys who are strong and good looking and charming--you know, the stuff we see on TV or the Prince Charming of our favorite Disney princess.  Well, often the man that the Lord knows you really need and that's really best for you does not fit the picture you've painted in your mind.  Be careful that you don't look right over God's choice because he doesn't look how you imagined him to look or have the personality you thought your prince charming would have.  

God has a wonderful plan and a beautiful story for your life if you will only give up the pen now and let Him write it!  Surrender your dreams now as we begin this study and continue in prayer asking the Lord to help His desires become your desires.   Girls, start now desiring the very best marriage--what God wants to give you--And Pray for it! 

Letter to class participants and parents

Dear Radiant Purity class girls and Parents,

First of all, I want to let you know what a privilege and a blessing it is to have this amazing opportunity to teach from God's word and to share what He has laid on my heart with these young ladies.  I have had a burden and desire from the Lord to lead a class like this for a while now and am so grateful for this opportunity!

The book we will be going through is called Before You Meet Prince Charming.  Now you might be wondering what we will be going over and if this is appropriate for your younger girls.  In my opinion, it couldn't be more appropriate!  I wish I would have had this book when I was as young as 10 or 11.  It would have probably helped me have much purer thoughts. This is the only book that I know of on this subject that I would whole-heartedly recommend to girls of all ages.  I love it because it doesn't go into detail about mistakes made my others, but the whole book encourages pure thinking by helping us to keep our mind on Christ and on what He desires for us.

Here is a description of the book from the author's website, www.radiantpurity.com

This guide to radiant purity combines the thoughts and events in the life of a young princess with solid, clear teaching of Biblical convictions that young ladies today need to grasp. Through a captivating fairy tale, modern day examples, practical instruction and abundant humor, Sarah Mally challenges young ladies to turn to the Lord for fulfillment, to guard their hearts and minds, to identify and avoid the world’s thinking and to shine brightly in this generation.

This book offers biblical answers to everyday questions and deep life struggles. It includes many practical tips for girls such as how to guard your heart when you have a crush, being wise in Internet usage, how to strengthen relationships with parents, and how to use your single years wisely.
 

The author is Sarah Mally (a very godly young lady and personal friend of mine.)

Suggested for young ladies ages 12 and up.

Table of Contents:
Desire the Very Best Marriage
Dangers with the Dating System
Guard Your Heart
Could He Be the One?
Romantic Dreams
When God Says Wait
How Parents Can Help
Have a Life Purpose Bigger than Marriage
Dreams Must Die
Reserved for One
Delighting in the Lord
Know that God Arranges Marriages

Endorsements:

“Sarah Mally is a ‘bright light’ in our day—a winsome, counter-cultural young woman with a passion for Christ and for truth.”
– Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Revive our Hearts

“Every young lady desiring to be married one day must read this book! It will challenge you; it will stir you; it will delight you! Most importantly, it will help you practically prepare for one of the most important decisions of your life. In Before You Meet Prince Charming, Sarah Mally tackles the most critical subject for single women and offers insightful counsel with a wonderful sense of humor. I believe this will be a great encouragement to princesses everywhere!
– Beall Phillips Wife of Doug Phillips, President of Vision Forum

For more endorsements you can go to  http://tomorrowsforefathers.pinnaclecart.com/biblical-teaching/before-you-meet-prince-charming/

So why am I teaching this class?  What's the point?  And what are we trying to accomplish?

This class is not all about Prince Charming.  Before we even start thinking about young men and our future, we need to consider some more foundational  things. 

Here are some goals that I have for the class:

 1.  To know God and His Word better so we know what He expects of us. 

I'm not going to be teaching a list of man-made rules and wise guidelines.  I will try to base every single thing I teach on Scripture.

2.  To let what we learn about God transform our hearts and minds so that we will begin to be changed into His image in the spirit of Rom. 12:2

3.  To begin to really pursue holiness and learn what it is.

4.  To encourage the girls to be bright lights for Christ.  To be different from the world so that they glorify and rightfully represent their Heavenly father.

5.  For me personally, I'm teaching this class in obedience to the great commission, to make disciples of all nations, teaching them what Christ taught his disciples. 

6.  To magnify the Lord, to make Him big in the eyes of the girls and to testify of His faithfulness and goodness in my own life.

What this class is NOT for:

Not to learn how to survive dating as we know it today.  This is not even to learn how to do "Christian" dating.  Though it might seem like it at first with a title like Before You Meet Prince Charming, this is not all about guys and relationships or romance or things like that.  Though learning how to relate to young men will definitely be a part of it, that is certainly not the main point of the class.  The point is to focus on purity and holiness of the heart, developing a knowledge and understanding of God's commandments, and developing love and right view of God so that we desire to do what pleases Him.  Once that's taken care of, everything else, including our attitude toward young men will fall into place. 

Here's what the structure of a typical class is going to be like:

1.   I'm going to share what God's Word says.  I could talk all day but it wouldn't do any real good because it's just my words. 

2.  We're going to go though the book and talk about it and explain what it says and answer questions about it.

3.  I would also like for us all to share spiritual prayer requests and talk about what the Lord is doing in our lives.

4.  Every week or so we will try to learn a new song and sing it in class.

5.   I'm going to share from my personal testimony of God's faithfulness in my life and from my various experiences.

6.   I'm going to share about friends of mine and what their single life and/or courtship has looked like and my thoughts on it.

What to bring:  I would like for the girls to bring their Bibles to class.  We will probably be looking up and reading verses.  I would also like them to bring a notebook as I have specific things I would like them to write down. 

By the way, I'm going to be posting most of my "lesson" each week on my blog, completeinthee-tiff.blogspot.com, so you are more than welcome to read it and follow along with what we're going over.  This will also be helpful if you can't make it to class one week.  Feel free to email me with any questions at taclovestoclog@gmail.com.

 If you expect to grow or change any, you can't just attend class once a week.  You have to pursue God at home wherever you are throughout the week.  If you truly desire to grow closer to God and to get the most out of this class, I suggest you do the following:

1. In order to learn how to live a life that pleases God and gives Him the most glory, you must listen to what He says.  I would like for the girls to read the Bible regularly.  However, I'm not saying "You must read your Bible this week or else!"  I would never want to make Bible-reading a chore.  It has to be something you want to do.  

2.  I would like for the girls to start a prayer journal if they haven't already.  This has been a wonderful help to me in growing closer to the Lord.  I would like for them to try to write in it as consistently as they can throughout the week. 

3.   Read a chapter of Before You Meet Prince Charming.  Though we are going through this book in the class, don't let it take first place over your Bible reading and prayer.

3.  We will usually have at least one memory verse every week, so it will be their responsibility to learn that.

This is such a humbling thing and a great honor.  I become more aware of my own weaknesses and inadequacies every day the more humbled I am that the Lord would give me such an amazing opportunity and great responsibility as this!  I would appreciate your prayers for the class and for me.  I'm encouraging girls to pursue God's plan for them instead of their own.  Satan hates God's plan and will do everything he can to thwart it.  Thanks for your prayers!

If you have any questions for me about anything whatsoever, please feel free to give me a call at (770)-922-9124 or email me at any time. 

I'm so excited to see what God's going to do with this!  To Him be all the glory!