Marilyn here! Today I spent a few hours with some dear friends. During that time, I heard a remarkable story about faith. It reminded me of Abraham, so I thought I'd post a bio of Abraham that I wrote for my book It's All About Dad & Me. How much do you know about the Father of Nations?
His name means: Exalted father/Father of a multitude
Born: About 4,000 years ago in Ur of the Chaldeans (a city in Babylon)
Husband of: Sarai/Sarah
Father of: Ishmael and Isaac, father-in-law of Rebekah
Occupation: Farmer, herder, and father of a nation
God promised Abraham (who was born as Abram) the Promised Land. When he was seventy-five years old, Abram moved his entire family (which included a lot of people—brothers, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins) to Canaan, the land that God promised he would inherit.
God also promised Abram that he would become the father of a new nation, Israel, which included all God’s chosen people. Even though Abram and his wife, Sarai, were both very old, God continued to promise these things to Abram. Despite how unrealistic and ridiculous they must have sounded to Abram, he responded with faith, trusting God’s words and obeying Him.
God said to Abram, “Number the stars, if you are able to number them. So shall your descendants be.” (Genesis 15:5)
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, God changed his name to Abraham and changed Sarai’s name to Sarah. Their first son, Isaac, was born a year later. When Isaac was still a boy, God told Abraham to take his son to a place in the mountains of Moriah and offer Isaac as a sacrifice to God.
Although Abraham must have been in complete shock at this command, he obeyed God and took Isaac to the spot that God had chosen. While Abraham and Isaac built an altar for the sacrifice, Isaac asked, “Where’s the animal we’re gonna sacrifice?”
Abraham said, “God will provide the lamb to sacrifice,” as he prepared his son on the altar.
Convinced of Abraham’s complete faith, trust, and obedience, God told him to stop preparing Isaac for the sacrifice. Just then, Abraham noticed a ram (male sheep) caught in the woods nearby. Realizing that God had placed the ram there for them, he and Isaac sacrificed it to God. God then repeated His promise that Abraham would be the father of the nation of Israel.
* Read all about Abraham in the book of Genesis.
And God bless you!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Doll Necklace
Aloha from Karen,
It's autumn so I thought making a doll necklace similar to one in God's Girls#1 could be fun.
Take a piece of thick yarn and cut it long enough to go around your neck and end about the middle of your chest. Bend a 2-inch piece of chenille stem in half to make a simple needle. Fold yarn in half and over the chenille stem-needle. Thread 5 pony beads for the body and then a larger bead for the head. Remove the needle. Slide beads so both ends are about 4 inches below the bottom pony bead. Tie the ends together twice under the last bead to hold beads on necklace. Tie an overhand knot towards the end of each end to form feet. Cut a 5-inch piece of yarn and tie the middle of the yarn between the head and top body bead to form arms. Tie overhand knots at the end of each arm to form hands. Cut a 3-inch scrap of shiny garland or boa to make a skirt. Twisst a piece of chenille stem around the center of the skirt and then around the necklace, between the bottom two beads, to attach the skirt. Add yarn or twist another piece of chemille stem around the top of the head to make hair. Use permanent markers to draw a face. It's ready to wear.
Have fun with the doll necklace. Cut fabric or paper scraps to make little costumes to dress the doll. These can be attached with short pieces of wire or chenille stems.
From my book, there's a matching devotion for the doll. The verse Romans 16:12 in a letter from Paul asks people to greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, two women who work hard in the Lord. He praised them for their hard work. Tryphena means delicate and Tryphosa means dainty. These were ladies who served God and impressed Paul with their virtues. God sees them as special daughters, so you can make dolls as reminders of these gentle, delicate women. Make a second necklace for a friend who also loves God.
Enjoy these autumn days and bright colored leaves!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Happy Fall!
Hi, this is Marilyn. Everyone has a favorite time of the year. What's yours? Mine is fall, autumn, that time of year when in my part of the world the air turns crisp and clean, the light turns golden, and the trees turn brilliant colors. The whole world is winding down after a busy spring and summer as it gets ready for bed and the long sleep of winter.
I especially love the leaves in fall. I can kick through them on walks in the woods, rake them into a pile and jump in it, and hold one up to the sun and marvel at the beautiful colors.
Do you know what makes the leaves turn such beautiful colors? I recently found out that the leaves already have the gorgeous reds, oranges, yellows, purples, browns and rusts in them. But in the spring and summer, when the trees store up food for winter, their leaves are filled with chlorophyll, the chemical that makes photosynthesis possible. (You remember learning in science that photosynthesis is a plant's way of turning sunlight into food. Btw, isn't our God brilliant? He's more brilliant than the fall colors he creates!) But when the nights become longer and colder in the fall, the leaves lose their chlorophyll. When that happens, the gorgeous colors that were hidden all through spring and summer can show through.
Now, green is a fine color, but isn't the striking array of different colors a treat for your eyes after summer is over? It makes me think of all the wonderful parts of ourselves that we might keep hidden because we're shy or embarrassed or afraid of what other people might think of us if we show them. Maybe you love to play the pan flute or play chess or collect words (don't laugh--there are people who love the sound of particular words and keep lists of them). Maybe you write poetry or sing or have a powerful tennis serve and don't want other people to know. Or you're afraid of letting other people know that you love God.
Just like the leaves, there will come a time when the fear or shyness or embarrassment that hides those wonderful parts of you will fade. Remember that God made you who you are. He created all the colors in you. So, don't be afraid to let your brilliant colors show through!
To get into an autumn mood, try this yummy recipe for pumpkin smoothies!
1. Put all these ingredients into a blender:
- 3/4 cup of plain or vanilla yogurt
- 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/4 cup of apple juice or apple cider
- 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp. of nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon
- Crushed ice
2. Put the blender lid on, and blend until the mixture is smooth.
3. Pour into glasses. Enjoy!
Next time, try making it with one of these!
- 2 Tbsp. of peanut butter
- 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup (and skip the apple juice)
- 1/4 cup of chocolate syrup
- 1/2 of a banana
God bless you!
I especially love the leaves in fall. I can kick through them on walks in the woods, rake them into a pile and jump in it, and hold one up to the sun and marvel at the beautiful colors.
Do you know what makes the leaves turn such beautiful colors? I recently found out that the leaves already have the gorgeous reds, oranges, yellows, purples, browns and rusts in them. But in the spring and summer, when the trees store up food for winter, their leaves are filled with chlorophyll, the chemical that makes photosynthesis possible. (You remember learning in science that photosynthesis is a plant's way of turning sunlight into food. Btw, isn't our God brilliant? He's more brilliant than the fall colors he creates!) But when the nights become longer and colder in the fall, the leaves lose their chlorophyll. When that happens, the gorgeous colors that were hidden all through spring and summer can show through.
Now, green is a fine color, but isn't the striking array of different colors a treat for your eyes after summer is over? It makes me think of all the wonderful parts of ourselves that we might keep hidden because we're shy or embarrassed or afraid of what other people might think of us if we show them. Maybe you love to play the pan flute or play chess or collect words (don't laugh--there are people who love the sound of particular words and keep lists of them). Maybe you write poetry or sing or have a powerful tennis serve and don't want other people to know. Or you're afraid of letting other people know that you love God.
Just like the leaves, there will come a time when the fear or shyness or embarrassment that hides those wonderful parts of you will fade. Remember that God made you who you are. He created all the colors in you. So, don't be afraid to let your brilliant colors show through!
To get into an autumn mood, try this yummy recipe for pumpkin smoothies!
1. Put all these ingredients into a blender:
- 3/4 cup of plain or vanilla yogurt
- 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/4 cup of apple juice or apple cider
- 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp. of nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon
- Crushed ice
2. Put the blender lid on, and blend until the mixture is smooth.
3. Pour into glasses. Enjoy!
Next time, try making it with one of these!
- 2 Tbsp. of peanut butter
- 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup (and skip the apple juice)
- 1/4 cup of chocolate syrup
- 1/2 of a banana
God bless you!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Embracing our Unique Style
Sherry, here, with an excerpt from my girl’s book, The Christian Girl’s Guide to Style:
Q: I have the jealousy bug. Some of my friends have the cutest things—like earrings, hair accessories, hoodies, and jeans. Why do I always compare myself with others?
A: When we compare ourselves with others, it really means that we’re not confident in our unique style. We want what others have because we think they have it all together.
Chances are, your friends want something someone else has too. The Bible talks about being content with what God has given us (check out Hebrews 13:5).
Contentment is hard to grasp, even as an adult—ask your mom or dad. But when we ask God to help us, He can give us the confidence we need to be ourselves and be happy with what we have.
Blessings,
Sherry
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Gracious Words
(Marilyn here!) "Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." -Proverbs 16:24
Kimberly stood with her back against the wall, just like all the other girls in her P.E. class, and looked down at her bare feet. It was the second day of school, and she couldn't wait to go home. Yesterday was her first day of middle school, and it was horrible. First, she'd overslept and barely made it to homeroom. Then, she forgot to bring money, even though Mom reminded her a thousand times not to forget. This was the first year she had to change classes, and she got lost twice. Already, she had a stack of homework to do. And that was only her first day.
Even with all that, it wouldn't have been so bad if her friends went to the same school. But they went to Lincoln, while she went to Union. And there wasn't anyone she knew in any of her classes. She felt like a stranger in a strange land. Everyone said she'd love middle school, but so far she didn't love it--at all. And all she wanted to do was stand there, her back against the wall, waiting for her turn to be weighed, and not say anything to anyone until she could talk to her friends that evening. After P.E., she only had one more class--art--which wasn't on her schedule yesterday.
As she stared at her feet, the toes of the girl standing next to her wiggled. Kimberly noticed the girl's toenails were all painted different colors. Then she remembered something that Suzanne, her youth leader, had said last Sunday, when they were talking about Proverbs 16:24. Suzanne had said, "If someone takes the time to wear something special, do something to let them know you notice it."
Kimberly looked again at the girl's toenails. They were pretty, all turquoise and purple and magenta and pink and teal. And she thought of the verse from Proverbs: "Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." It wouldn't hurt to say something nice about them, she thought, and turned to the girl beside her.
"I like your toenails. They're pretty," she said.
The girl smiled. "Thanks," she said softly. "I like different colors."
"Are you an artist?" Kimberly asked.
The girl nodded. "Some people say so."
Then Kimberly thought about the one class she hadn't been to yet, and asked, "Are you taking art this year?"
"Yes," the girl said, "but I haven't been to it yet."
"Me, neither. I bet we're in the same class." Kimberly smiled. "I'm Kimberly."
"I'm Anna."
And that was how Kimberly and Anna became best friends on their second day of middle school.
God says that gracious words are "sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." We never know how our words affect other people. Can you think of someone who needs to hear some gracious words? Who knows--they may lead to a great friendship, just like Kimberly and Anna's!
Kimberly stood with her back against the wall, just like all the other girls in her P.E. class, and looked down at her bare feet. It was the second day of school, and she couldn't wait to go home. Yesterday was her first day of middle school, and it was horrible. First, she'd overslept and barely made it to homeroom. Then, she forgot to bring money, even though Mom reminded her a thousand times not to forget. This was the first year she had to change classes, and she got lost twice. Already, she had a stack of homework to do. And that was only her first day.
Even with all that, it wouldn't have been so bad if her friends went to the same school. But they went to Lincoln, while she went to Union. And there wasn't anyone she knew in any of her classes. She felt like a stranger in a strange land. Everyone said she'd love middle school, but so far she didn't love it--at all. And all she wanted to do was stand there, her back against the wall, waiting for her turn to be weighed, and not say anything to anyone until she could talk to her friends that evening. After P.E., she only had one more class--art--which wasn't on her schedule yesterday.
As she stared at her feet, the toes of the girl standing next to her wiggled. Kimberly noticed the girl's toenails were all painted different colors. Then she remembered something that Suzanne, her youth leader, had said last Sunday, when they were talking about Proverbs 16:24. Suzanne had said, "If someone takes the time to wear something special, do something to let them know you notice it."
Kimberly looked again at the girl's toenails. They were pretty, all turquoise and purple and magenta and pink and teal. And she thought of the verse from Proverbs: "Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." It wouldn't hurt to say something nice about them, she thought, and turned to the girl beside her.
"I like your toenails. They're pretty," she said.
The girl smiled. "Thanks," she said softly. "I like different colors."
"Are you an artist?" Kimberly asked.
The girl nodded. "Some people say so."
Then Kimberly thought about the one class she hadn't been to yet, and asked, "Are you taking art this year?"
"Yes," the girl said, "but I haven't been to it yet."
"Me, neither. I bet we're in the same class." Kimberly smiled. "I'm Kimberly."
"I'm Anna."
And that was how Kimberly and Anna became best friends on their second day of middle school.
God says that gracious words are "sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." We never know how our words affect other people. Can you think of someone who needs to hear some gracious words? Who knows--they may lead to a great friendship, just like Kimberly and Anna's!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Organizing for School
Aloha from Karen,
School starts all too soon, so get organized to succeed. Prepare to track homework and reports due and set up a study area that fit's your personality and learning style.
Track assignments with a calendar, day planner, or sticky notes-whichever works for you. With a giant wall calendar you can use different colored markers to visually show deadlines (red letter dates) and test dates (yellow highlights) and vacations. A day planner is good for tracking details and writing in every little assignment. If you're not tuned in too calendars you might want to put sticky notes where you'll notice them-on a mirror or closet door, with reminders of deadlines and tests. Also check the best way to let your family know your important school dates and deadlines. They may need a wall calendar in the kitchen or a school folder where you can slip in notes of your needs and deadlines.
Your place to study is important. Consider whether you work best in quiet and order, or around people and with a study buddy. If quiet is important find a place away from noise where you can be alone, probably in your room. If you like to study with noise then set up a corner of the family room, or make a place for friends to come and study, possibly with pillows to sit on the floor.
Be sure to have good lighting where you study and a cabinet or desk stocked with supplies, such as pens, paper, pencils, rulers, markers, and report covers.
Consider what most sidetracked you in past school years as well as what helped the most. For any problem areas brainstorm with a parent or friend about ways to overcome the problem. This might mean noticing fast if you are having trouble understanding a subject and getting a tutor, or if you tend to get too busy and skip studying (you might need to say no to some activities).
Spend a weekend or a few days organizing and also praying about the school year.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Braces!
Hi, Sherry here, writing from my laptop in central California. This morning my daughter got braces on her teeth. She has an upper tooth that is in cross bite (or inside) when she bites. If we left it that way, she could wear down the tooth. Braces were the best option to make sure she has a good, healthy bite.
Why do people get braces?
To straighten teeth—sometimes teeth come in crooked or misaligned causing difficulties when eating.
To fix a bad bite—some people have over bites where the upper jaw and teeth jut out too far forward, while others have under bites, when the bottom teeth and jaw extend too far forward and the upper teeth sit inside when chewing. If the bite is off, other problems can occur such as jaw problems or headaches.
For cosmetic reasons—some people don’t really need braces, but want to improve their smile. For example, someone with spaces between their teeth might want to get braces to close the gaps for that “perfect” smile.
If you dentist suggests a trip to the orthodontist, it would be best to follow his recommendation. Don’t worry! A lot of kids your age have braces. I’m sure my daughter will discover that many of her friends also got braces over the summer.
Do you wear braces?
Chime in and let us know how long you’ve been wearing them.
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