Godly Insights for the 21st Century Life

Recently I read the oft-shared article "23 Things to do Instead of Getting Engaged Before You're 23," and I had mixed feelings about the list provided. Some things I've already done, such as cutting my hair, adopting a pet and getting a passport. Some things weren't my style, such as going to the Philippines and watching GIRLS over and over again. Other things were things I would NEVER do as a Christian lady, such as exploring a new religion, dating two people at the same time and posing naked in front of a window (I mean, who would really WANT to do that. Eeeeew!) After some thought, I decided to come up with my own list of things to do before getting married. Many of these are just suggestions, but they are great things for us Christian girls to do before tying the knot. So without further ado, 26 beneficial things to do as a Godly single lady. 1. Go on a mission trip, preferably to a place you've never been before. If you can, try to go to a foreign coun...

This afternoon, I witnessed the marriage of my beloved cousin Jessica. Though I did not meet Jacob, her new husband, until earlier this week, it was obvious that he was devoted to her and would make a great father figure for her son Colton. Their wedding was simple, and the reception was short with no dance and a homemade cake, but it was fun nonetheless. All in all it was a great day to celebrate two wonderful young adults becoming one and setting out on their new life together. The simplicity of today's wedding was contrary to what is promoted by Hollywood and the media. Ad slogans like "He went to Jared," "Every kiss begins with Kay," and "A diamond is forever" all point to one main idea: True love is shiny. If a man truly loves you, he will always buy you shiny expensive jewelry. The best weddings are ones set in a scenic place, with numerous attendants and a lavish reception afterwards with a long dance. The cake should be professionally made by...

"Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge."      ~1 Peter 2:12 Most of us who have been a part of the church for any length of time have heard this verse, but are we really living it out? Sure you may be calm under pressure and smile at people even when you don't feel like it. You even show up at church every Sunday and greet people you don't know. You're doing everything right, or at least that's what you think. However, are you really keeping track of how well your actions are reflecting God's light all the time? Not many of us are, but we should be. When we don't, the results can be disastrous. There's the pillar of faith in the church whose marriage is crashing to the ground. The teacher who loves God and loves her students, but has trouble loving members of her own family. The young adult who's on fire for God on Sunday morning, but lets the fires...

Much of my life has not been easy. There are many times when God's will for my life didn't seem very clear. One of those times was just after I graduated college in December 2011. Less than a week after my graduation, I found I was not admitted into the school counseling program, which was my second choice of masters programs. I had been planning to get a master's in special education, but after two failed student teaching attempts, that future was no longer possible. So right before Christmas, I found out that other than having my apartment for another semester, there was really no good reason to return to Manhattan. I did return, and ended up taking a couple of classes. I considered looking into another master's degree program. After much prayer, I decided that instead of jumping into applying for another master's program, it would be better for me to return home at the end of the semester and get a job as a para so I could gain more experience working with childr...

Father God, I lift to you those brothers and sisters living in countries where loving You is a crime. I pray that You would give them strength and conviction and to keep their final destination in the forefront of their minds. Raise up new leaders among their numbers that can share Your love with those who do not know You, and give them the mindfulness to find ways to do so in secret. Enlighten the leadership in these countries to see the truth of Your love, and help these leaders have the courage to stand against those who would terrorize the people who love You. Protect those who come to know You and are threatened by members of their own families. Give them a safe place to go, and work in the hearts of lawmakers in those countries where this atrocity is not forbidden. No one should have to be afraid of those that raised them just because of a decision to follow You. Make the light of Your love so strong in Your people that those around them can't help but be amazed and want th...

Last week, a group of atheists in Florida unveiled a bench outside a county courthouse in Florida. They wished to put it there because of a Ten Commandments statue outside that same courthouse. The community wouldn't let them tear it down, so they built something of their own. At first, I was upset, but then I realized that the freedom of religion in the First Amendment applies to them as well as it does to me. The problem I'm seeing now is that they can build a monument because of their freedom of religion (which is in the Constitution), but as an educator, I can't verbally share my faith with my students because of a need for "separation of church and state"(which isn't). This is a travesty that needs to be fixed, and soon. The First Amendment states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Building the bench was the atheists' way of exercising their right to freedom of r...

This Tuesday marked the end of season 4 of NBC's hit reality show The Voice . The two-hour season finale was packed with performances from the top 16 artists as well as from some popular recording artists, such as Cher, One Republic and Florida Georgia Line. Some performances I enjoyed, such as winner Danielle Bradbury bringing back three other powerful female contestants for a rousing rendition of Carrie Underwood's "All-American Girl." Others I had a hard time paying attention to. (Seriously, who could focus on a word Cher was singing with that outfit and hair drawing attention away from the vocals?) One in particular struck me because it missed the point entirely: Bruno Mars' "Treasure." The song talks about a woman he treasures, but the lyrics and dance moves suggest that he doesn't know what that means. A treasure is something that is sought after because it is rare and valuable. Pirates wouldn't have gone after something they could find j...