Hebrews 13:4 “Marriage is to be held in honor among all…”

Since I’m not married, I asked several older ladies who have been married to Christian husbands what some of the benefits are to being married to a sincere Christian husband, and I’m going to share some of their answers with you, along with advice they offered for how to have a happy marriage.

Advice

10) Marriage is a gift from God and is not to be taken for granted. It’s like cement; it’s for life. Selves may not intertwine, but lives do. Shared memories become as much of a bond as the bond of flesh.

9) Your mate is someone with a mutual understanding. Every marriage has problems, but every problem has a godly solution. Think before you say something, and don’t jump to conclusions. Respect your mate even if you disagree.

8 ) The best solution to disagreements is to pray together and talk through your problems. Listen to your spouse’s opinion with an open mind, and be willing to compromise until you reach a godly agreement.

Benefits

7) Marriage is a social, religious, spiritual, emotional, and legal union of individuals that creates kinship.

6) You have attached yourself for life with someone who desires to work with you in your walk with God and not with someone who will hinder that journey.

5) Your life goals are more likely to match up, both for marriage and raising children.

4) You have married a person who will hopefully place you above themselves.  They will love you as Christ loves His church.

3) Your marriage partner should have the same commitment as you do to life–long marriage–and you will have a common faith to keep you binded together during difficult times.

2) You want someone who will place you below God, but above themselves and above any children you may have.

1) You want someone who will help you grow in Christ. You want someone who hates sin, loves what is good, is relentless, persistent, gentle, and seeks wisdom. These are qualities that a husband/father should have. And should you find this man, hold on to him. You fall into lust, but you learn how to love.

By Megan Skinner

Ecclesiastes 12:12-13 “…Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh… Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.”

For those of you who have yet to go to college, you may not completely understand how true the first statement is. You can have anywhere from 1 to 10 different books for the quarter/semester, particularly if you have some kind of English-related subject. And the studying doesn’t end. Most of the tests will cover the entire quarter/semester so you have to keep reviewing everything. For those of you going to college, remember to have fun in between the studying! I thought I’d do something a little different this month, offering my top 10 college tips:

1) Buy a Brita pitcher. The water at my school was not only bad tasting without one, it was possibly mutagenic.

2) If you live close enough to home, wash clothes and dishes there. Washing clothes at school gets expensive in a hurry – depending on the college, it can be $2 or $3 to complete a load. As for washing dishes, again, you have no idea what is in the water!

3) Don’t rely on school food to keep you healthy. It can be full of fat, sugar and all other kinds of unhealthy items! (And beware of the ‘vegetarian’ line––vegetarian does not necessarily mean healthy. I personally was left with the choice of salads and grilled chicken for lunch and dinner for 4 years – yikes). Remember – most schools allow you to have a mini fridge and a microwave – put them to good use, especially for healthy snacks.

4) School books are expensive; don’t buy them from the school – they mark them up over the price of a new one. Usually you can get by without the books the first week. On the first day, they will give you a syllabus (I have some that have been five or six pages long) and it will list the books you need. Find them online! (Amazon is a great resource.) You can also buy them used from most school bookstores or other textbook providers. Unless they are in awful condition, they are just as good as a new one––and so much cheaper! Also keep in mind that some teachers will never refer to the textbook, so ask ahead of time to determine whether or not you even need it.

5) If you have a hobby (video games, books, PC games), don’t go out and find a new one to read/play right before a test or finals week! I have all of these. There have been times when I have gotten myself into trouble because I couldn’t put the book down or couldn’t stop playing. Staying up all night to study is generally not a good thing right before a test.

6) Have fun making new friends – try joining some organizations. If you don’t want to join a sorority or social club, check out the service clubs or academic groups that correspond with your field of study. (Make sure you consider if the club is consistent with your values and beliefs.) You can share all the ups and downs of college life together.

7) Enjoy being a college student: don’t just focus on the studying, no matter how important. My college offered many ways to get together and have fun. Free movies, multicultural fairs, ethnic nights, foam parties, cooking classes, etc.

8 ) Don’t let your new-found independence go to your head and forget to call home. I called home once a week to find out how everything was going and how everyone was doing. You’re less likely to get homesick.

9) Find a way to relieve your stress. College can be fun, but it’s still a lot of hard work. Find an outlet that works for you, such as reading, going for a walk, or writing in a journal.

10) Remember: You are representing Christ! Show your friends and the people around you Christ living in you. Don’t compromise your beliefs and actions to please anyone but God.

By Megan Skinner

“Pierce my Heart to serve.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines serving as: “to answer the needs of, to be enough for, to contribute or conduce to, or to provide services that benefit or help.” Serving God is a way to help in the lives of others, and can be a way to enrich our lives as well. I’m sure that you have heard of the saying, “It’s not the gift, but the giving.” This implies to serving as well. By serving others, you have helped others and also yourself at the same time. Here are some tips for serving:

10) Getting exercise and being healthy is a great way to serve God. Our bodies are Christ’s temples, and we should treat them as such (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). So, a great way to exercise, while seeming not to exercise, is to play a game that requires movement. You can get together with friends and “serve” by playing tennis, volleyball, racquetball, or ping pong.

9) Fill a serving bowl full of your favorite snacks and enjoy a clean movie with friends!

8 ) Be an example at work by serving others in a manner that reflects God within you.

7) Give money to a worthy cause. Many churches have ongoing projects that need help. Or you can donate to a service project. St. Jude Children’s Hospital is one place you can donate to, but there are many other organizations out there, so look until you find the one that you want to support––make sure they are sound organizations that do not support unbiblical principles.

6) Find a service project that interests you, and then dedicate your service to completing the project.

5) Find a way, every day, to show His light within. Regardless of the sinful habits of those around you, you can pray for God to help you allow His light to be shown through your behavior and words.

4) Put others before yourself. Be willing to help someone else before doing something for yourself.

3) Remember why Jesus came: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

2) Share Him. It is so awesome to tell others about God’s gift of salvation, and by doing so, serve His purposes of sharing the gospel with the lost.

1) Serve God as an example, as teachers, mothers, friends, and sisters in Christ (Matthew 5:19). Set an example by hanging onto your temper, practicing patience around others, and by forgiving someone who has wronged you.

Megan Skinner

The earth is a big place of which we are the custodians, and we need to take care of it. Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’”

Below are some simple ways we can help to take care of the wonderful creation God has given us.

10) Use re-chargeable batteries.

9) Take a nature hike and see many of the different aspects of creation first hand.

8 ) Go fishing or hunting with your family to see a different facet of creation.

7) Start a garden and compost! Tomatoes, squash, zucchini, and corn are relatively easy to start.

6) Plant a few trees – this will encourage the CO2 and O2 cycle (plants take in the CO2 and release clean O2 ).

5) Read some facts about the earth and energy, and what you can do. (When reading, keep in mind that many articles about the earth were not written by people who believe God is in control of the earth’s time as we know from Mark 13:31-33.)

4) Tackle a recycling project.

3) Find recipes which use what you have grown in your garden.

2) Get your church engaged in a project that involves restoring some part of the earth.

1) Read about the Creation in Genesis.

By Megan Skinner

10) Spend time alone. Figure out who you are in Christ, and what you want out of life.

9) Push your limits in a godly way. Try new things, challenge yourself, and prayerfully aim for high goals!

8 ) Take care of your body. We have more energy when we’re eating right and exercising, which will help us feel energized enough to make the most out of each day.

7) Treat others kindly. Treating others kindly can often help us to feel better about ourselves, which will encourage us to keep doing our best.

6) Refuse to get caught up in gossip. Gossip will not only hurt others, but it will bring us down as well, pulling us away from God’s purposes, and causing us to fall short of living up to His true potential for us.

5) Look for ways to help. The virtuous woman (a great example to all of us!) helped the needy in Proverbs 31:20, and using our own talents, we can help too. This will help us to discover our true potential, as well as bless others in the process.

4) Research what you’re interested in. Thinking about going to college for English or music? Look it up! Visit the library or search on google for more information. You can also ask questions, job shadow, or attend a college class that’s in your desired field. This may help you to either get more excited about your interests, or make you realize that you’re not quite as interested as you thought you were. If you discover that it’s not for you, research something else! Learning what we want to do is half the fun.

3) Write down your goals. Not only will this be fun to look back on later, but studies have shown that when we write down our goals in detail, we’re much more likely to accomplish them.

2) Surround yourself with positive, energetic people. The phrase, “You are who you associate with” has a lot of truth to it. If we’re around negative people, we tend to allow them to pull us down. If we’re around godly people who generally have a positive outlook on life, it will encourage us to do the same.

1) Seek His will. God wants us to be happy in Him. Above all, we need to prayerfully seek to make sure we’re living out His will for our lives, because He knows what’s best for us better than we know ourselves (1 Corinthians 1:25).

By Davonne Parks

Valentine’s Day is often dreaded by girls who don’t have a boyfriend, but this year, there’s no need to worry! Be content with being single, and feel confident knowing that you’re holding out for a really special guy. This Valentine’s Day, get creative – think of your own favorite things about being single, and really enjoy being you!

10) Dressing up is optional.

9) You get to choose who to spend the day with.

8 ) You can check the fluids in your car without a guy trying to show off what he knows.

7) Nobody will try to make you give up half of your favorite dessert.

6) There’s no pressure to spend time or money purchasing gifts.

5) You get to choose the movie (and watch it in your favorite Pjs!).

4) You get to spend the evening doing something you really enjoy.

3) A good attitude about being single may inspire other single girls to be happy with themselves, too.

2) You’ll have time to brighten someone else’s day.

1) Instead of being distracted by romance, you can focus on sharing God’s love with everyone.

By Davonne Parks

This month, as well as doing things to help others, we can also take the time to renew our own spirits (Psalm 51:10). Choose your favorite items from this list to do when you have the opportunity, or do one new activity every few days until you’ve completed the list (then start over if you want to!).

10) Cook something fun.

9) Watch a clean movie.

8 ) Organize a space in your bedroom.

7) Focus on, and enjoy, your own uniqueness.

6) Allow your creativity to flow by making something like jewelry or a poster.

5) Have fun with your family.

4) Renew your skin by giving yourself a facial.

3) Enjoy a hot drink while reading at a leisurely pace.

2) Write down your thoughts, dreams, goals, and prayers in a pretty journal.

1) Take your time meditating on a portion of His Word.

By Davonne Parks

‘Tis the season to give. During this time of year, many people are talking about buying presents to give, but we have so much more to give than just the things we buy. Often, the more creative and thoughtful things mean so much more than something you pick up on a shelf. So this top 10 is going to help us give meaningfully.

10.) Make your own Christmas cards. It is a way to get into the spirit of the season and show people you care.

9.) Make cookies and give them to the shut-ins.

8. ) Volunteer your time and energy to community projects. There are tons of projects to help the less fortunate during this time, so get involved.

7.) Give your time. I know you’re busy, but so is everyone else––so give some of your free time to others to help them have some free time. Baby-sit some of the children from church so their parents can do some Christmas shopping or planning without having to worry about their children.

6.) Give your love. Show your family how much you love them by helping them out in special ways––show them you appreciate them.

5.) Give to the youth. As one of the older girls at church or in your neighborhood, do something with the younger girls to encourage them. Hint: Do number 9 on this list––make cookies and take them to shut-ins together.

4.) Give the gift of prayer. Pray for all the less fortunate during this time (and all year long).

3.) Give your knowledge. Right now is nearing the end of the semester and everyone has tests coming up––help everyone, and yourself, by studying with others.

2.) Give your joy. When you’re in a joyful mood, it can help others be in a joyful mood.

1.) Give God’s word. Share God’s word with everyone you see––people are more open to it during this time.

-Kim Cook

When we think of November, Thanksgiving is what usually comes to mind. It’s a time for families to be together over a wonderful meal while being thankful for all of it. During this time of year, we’re reminded to be thankful, but do we really need a holiday to remind us? As Christians we should be most thankful for Christ dying on the cross for us, but also for simple things in life that we all take for granted. So, for this month’s top 10 I am making a list of the simple things in life that I take for granted, as do many of us. It is a list that will allow us all to think of the simple things in life and remember how blessed we are. Let’s continue to be thankful for all our blessings throughout the entire year.

The Top 10 Simple Things In Life We Forget to be Thankful For

10) Being allowed to make our own decisions. Yes, we are all young and most of the decisions about us are made by our parents, but we still get a choice in what we want to do with our future, how we want to live our lives, and who we are going to marry.

9) Technology. Even though it can allow us access to many negative things, it is amazing what technology enables us to do. We use it to talk to our friends and share and receive information. This magazine wouldn’t exist without technology.

8 ) School. Even though it’s a place most of us dread going, could you imagine life without it? Think of all the knowledge and experiences you get from just going to school each day––we wouldn’t be the same people without it.

7) Food. I know this one is kind of random, but it is part of thanksgiving and it is amazing. We are so lucky to able to experience all the different styles of food that we eat each day. There are many people in this world who eat the same thing for every meal. Most of us get to eat something different every day of the week. And how many of us have to go plant, harvest, or kill everything that we eat? We have the convenience of going to a single location within minutes to get almost anything we desire to eat, at almost any time of day.

6)Transportation. As a somewhat new driver, I love driving and being able to be on the go all the time. Imagine having to walk everywhere. A ten-minute drive to school could take you an hour to walk. Going on a vacation and being able to fly to the other side of the U.S. in just hours is amazing, and I know it is one of the things we forget about.

5) Indoor plumbing. Man, am I thankful for indoor plumbing. I don’t even want to imagine life without it.

4) Freedom. Women and men in history fought for the right of freedom which allows us to have a say in how our country is run, and allows everyone the chance to be treated as equal

3)Health. Most of us are blessed with health and functioning physical bodies.

2) Friends and family. These are the people who bless our lives and that are always there for us.

1) Christ’s love. Christ died for us so that we could spend eternity with Him. We have His spoken Word which we can read and study whenever we want. We can fellowship with others who love and obey Him.

By Kim Cook

10. Help other girls in their journey to become virtuous women. Begin a Bible study with girls in your youth group. Be an example to those who are younger then you.

9. Show maturity beyond your age. Develop the ability to take on real-world problems and show that you can handle what life brings.

8. Have self confidence. Be proud of who you are in Christ.

7. Put others before yourself. Be willing to help someone else before doing things for yourself.

6. Be trustworthy. Always keep others’ trust and don’t do anything to betray it, unless the secret is about a harmful situation.

5. Choose a boyfriend who will encourage you to be virtuous. Date a guy who respects you and encourages you.

4. Always arise to a challenge when doing charity work. Take on a charity project, like organizing a community service project for your youth group.

3. Always give before you receive. Be willing to give to those who are in need before taking what you want.

2. Be a good friend, daughter, sister, and granddaughter, so you may be live up to your virtuous title.

1. Serve God before anything else.

-Kim Cook