Since we will no longer be posting new articles on Pierce My Heart after this month (see details here), we would like to direct you to a few websites we think you may enjoy.

Cling to Good is a devotional-type blog written and maintained by our very own Hannah Smith! Hannah is a very talented and thought provoking writer, so be sure to check out her site.

The Homespun Heart is written by a mother of three young children, who focuses on crafts, homeschooling, simplicity, and serving the Lord.

The Money Saving Mom is written by a frugal zealot who posts often about all areas of frugal living, including freebies, couponing, cooking at home, great deals, and budgeting.

Tammy’s Recipes is dedicated to recipes and kitchen tips. She only posts tried and true recipes, so it’s easy to trust her recipes.

Recipezaar allows the browser to search for a recipe and choose from several options. Recipes are rated on a 5-star scale, so look for the high ratings, and you’re sure to find something that works!

Plugged In Online reviews mainstream media from a Christian perspective, allowing the potential viewers to make informed decisions before watching or listening to the contemplated media.

Apologetics Press focuses on Christian Evidences, and is great for personal reference or teaching purposes.

Bible Gateway is a great resource – it has several Bible versions, and will show every verse that contains whichever keyword you enter.

Focus on the Family is a great site to read articles about topics from a Christian viewpoint. You can also listen to podcasts of radio talks and sermons—great to do while dishwashing or cooking dinner!

Please don’t forget to check out our monthly issues to read more about several topics you may be interested in.

As always, please remember that the views of the writers on other websites are not necessarily in agreement with the views of Pierce My Heart. Please read all articles and websites with discretion, and always use the Bible as your guide for standards and beliefs.

We hope that all will be discerning with the time we spend online, and use our minutes wisely, being careful to not allow the Internet, or anything else, to slowly steal our hours away. Instead, let’s strive to look first to God for fulfillment, so that we may quietly and joyfully serve our families in the real world, instead of just reading about it in a virtual world.

– Lisa and Davonne

Exciting changes are being made to Pierce My Heart!  Go here for details.

– Davonne Parks

We are all sinners (Romans 3:23). But how often do we try to excuse our sin? As a mom, I expect my sons to obey me. Immediately, completely, without argument or complaint. I’m their parent, and it saddens me when they are disobedient.

But how often do we complain or argue about being obedient to our Parent? Sometimes, we just look the other way and completely ignore the command put in front of us. Sometimes, we tell our Father that we’ll get to it in a minute. Later, we say. Or we give it a half-hearted effort, only partly doing what He requests in His word. Imagine how that saddens Him.

I don’t give my children rules and commands in order to punish them or control their lives. I do it to train them and help them grow, in the hopes that they will ultimately desire to live obediently for God. In this same way, God desires for us to grow up in Him, and He gives us His Holy Spirit to strengthen and help us (Philippians 1:19).

Too often, even with my children and husband, I’m tempted to rationalize my sin if I react impatiently or selfishly to a situation. But does anything really excuse my sin? No. God doesn’t include “exclusions” in His Word. Just as with my children, disobedience is disobedience, regardless of how I might try to excuse it. We will never learn anything about obedience if we think we have the right to excuse ourselves from it. Let’s pray that we’re reminded of that the next time we’re tempted to tell God, “Later.”

By Lisa Grimenstein

“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

Whose approval do you seek? I have to admit, I’m a people pleaser. I don’t want people to be upset with me. I want them to like me. But recently, I’ve realized that the only One from Whom I need to seek approval is God. Ultimately, eternally, He is the only one whose opinion matters. I’ve known this to be true, but lately, I have realized how important it is to keep His approval foremost in my mind.

As it says in Galatians, I am a servant of Christ, and should therefore not still be seeking the approval of men. As you go about your life, think about whose servant you are. Consider the eternality of whose approval you are trying to win. Will it really matter if you always pleased your friends, employers, acquaintances? Or will it matter that you loved others while ultimately living to please only Him?

By Lisa Grimenstein

I love fairytales. I love movies with happy endings, stories that conclude with “happily ever after,” and tales of true love. These types of stories may be “unrealistic” to some, but I thoroughly enjoy them…and I believe I now see why!

The Bible is like a love letter from God. We read plainly, “For God so loved the world…” in John 3:16, and, “…He loved us…” in 1 John 4:10; therefore we know that God loves us. If you get a handwritten letter––even a short card––in the mail, you feel appreciated and loved, don’t you? Well, God’s given you a whole Book (2 Timothy 3:16). In that Book, He tells us what obedience is, how we are saved, and how we can live with God and Jesus eternally one day.

Jesus, our Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), died for us. He loved us so much––enough to give everything for us (Hebrews 2:17)––in order that we could be forgiven of our sins (1 John 4:10), and be given a home with Him some day (Mark 8:34; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Doesn’t this remind you of the beautiful fairytales we love so much? Well, guess what…it’s not a fairytale! We can live life knowing that He will return for us. How wonderful it is that we have such a Prince from God, with whom we can live “happily ever after” someday.

By Hannah Smith

Today is the last day to submit photos of jewelry you’ve made for use in our Gifted Girls article next month. You can send pictures to Info @ PierceMyHeart . com (remove spaces).

This is also the last day to enter to win our July giveaway. The winner, who will be announced on July 31, will receive a bag of beauty supplies.

If you have any questions, please let us know, and we will respond to you as quickly as possible.

– Davonne Parks

When it seems every other friend is moving away from home, it can be easy to feel left out if your family can’t afford for you to go somewhere other than a community college, or if you’ve chosen to attend one. There are so many positives to living at home, though, and if you have the right attitude, you can enjoy the experience and thrive in the environment.

Home cooking: You don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving break to enjoy a home-cooked meal!

Comfy bed: There’s no sleeping on uncomfortable beds and longing for a good night’s sleep on your own bed, because you’ll be getting that every night.

Emotional support: Your family will be right there to cheer you on and support you when you need it. They’ll see you every day and will know when something’s wrong.

Nearby friends: Since most of the people attending your school will be from the same area, they won’t leave to go home on breaks, and they won’t run out of money and move back home; most already are home!

Easy scheduling: Instead of trying to cram scheduling for the next semester during finals, you can drive to campus at your leisure during breaks and avoid the crowds in the admissions office.

Work: You can keep the job you already have, and if you’re a loyal worker, they’ll likely work around your schedule each quarter as class times change. Plus you won’t have to look for a seasonal job every time you come home on breaks – you can just ask your boss to up your hours for a few weeks.

Money: Since you won’t have to pay a lot of money for dorm rooms, food plans, and eating out, you can use that money to pay for classes and books, thus avoiding huge student loans to pay off after graduation.

I attended a community college, and it was a great experience for me. I loved living a few minutes away from school, and making friends close to my town. I enjoyed meeting various family members in my school cafeteria for lunch, and I liked being able to stay on campus to study in between classes (going home to watch TV isn’t so tempting when you have to drive several minutes each way!).

Community colleges may not be everyone’s top choice, but they can definitely have a positive impact on people’s lives, and the same degree can be obtained for a fraction of the price. If money is an issue, consider attending a school near your town, at least until you have most of your prerequisites out of the way.

In the end, where we went to college won’t even matter. All that will matter is that we’re Christians and lived our lives in obedience to God, sharing His love with as many people as possible. Ecclesiastes 12:13: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.”

– Davonne Parks

Read parts one through three of “Making a Dorm a Home” here, here, and here.

The Suite Life

As with living with a roommate, living with several suitemates can be an adjustment. Probably more so. The more people living together, the more personalities there may be to clash. But the more friends you will also make and good memories you will share. Just as we discussed with having a roommate, there will be several things you’ll want to consider when sharing with suitemates.

Decorating

Although you will still probably only have one or two roommates within the suite you are sharing, there will be some common areas for all the girls to share. You may have to wait until you all arrive to school for the year to talk about what to do with the shared space. That’s fine. Sit down and discuss how to decorate the space and what each person can contribute to the room. Someone may have a couch or chair that could be used. Someone else may have a TV that can be set up. While considering everyone’s tastes, enjoy decorating this new “mini-home” you all are sharing.

House rules

One important thing to consider when living with anyone else, but especially several very different people, is privacy and respect. You will likely have a shared bathroom. And you will likely have different friends to invite over. It’s important to establish some basic house rules when you first arrive, while everyone is on good terms. Don’t wait until you’re irritated with a suitemate to bring up certain issues you have with her. This will only make things worse, and may harm a great friendship. Things to discuss: visitors and guests, quiet hours, snacks and food––each girl for herself, or everything shared? What if you break something that belongs to someone else? Who takes showers when? Does someone have priority on a certain day?

Cleaning

While discussing the house rules, you need to come up with a cleaning plan. This is a great idea for the organized, tidy person, but not so fun for the one who doesn’t mind clutter. Decide if each girl should just clean up after herself (sometimes not so great, since some people can leave a mess for weeks and it not bother them). Should there be a rotation for cleaning places like the bathroom, living space, etc.? Is there one time a week designated for all the girls to get together and pitch in for a cleaning spree? (Suggest ending it with a chick flick and popcorn, and you may have some positive reactions!) Although you may have certain neat-freaks in the group, it’s important that everyone helps out in order to make things work.

Get started!

Now it’s time for you to get started! I’ve given you some helpful tips on the new and exciting experience of living with a roommate (or 4) and making your dorm into a home you can settle into and love. It may not have your mother’s kitchen, but hopefully you can make it feel just as warm.

By Lisa Grimenstein

Read parts one and two of “Making a Dorm a Home” here and here.

Computers

We’ve discussed the different appliances that you may want to include in your new dorm room, all of which are optional. But there is one thing that, while still not a necessity, is a huge benefit to your dorm life––the computer. If you’ve made it through high school, you may very likely already have your own. But if you’ve been sharing the family desktop to do your essays and researching, a computer of your own might be something you’ll want to ask for. (Dell usually has a lot of good deals around the beginning of the school year on basic computers and laptops.) This is assuming, of course, that you or your parents can afford one. If you can’t afford a new computer, look around for remanufactured or used ones (Craigslist is a great place to start). Or let people at your church know that you’re in the market to buy a reliable, simple laptop for college. Someone may have just what you need. Keep in mind that many colleges have now started providing laptops for all students, included in the cost of tuition. Resist the urge to spend all of the graduation money that comes in – if you save it, you may end up having enough to purchase your own computer or another item you need later.

Other electronics

The other thing you may want to consider buying for your room is a printer. It doesn’t have to be fancy, with all the extras that are often included with a printer. But it is nice to have one when you finally finish that research report at two in the morning, when the computer lab is closed. Again, this is something you could find on Craigslist or at yard sales, or you could buy an inexpensive one with some of the money you got for graduation. This is also one item you may not need duplicates of in your room, so check with your roommate first to see if she already has a printer.

Although scanners and other electronics are nice to have, wait until the school year starts to see how much you’d really need other electronic items. You may find that the girl down the hall has one that will suffice for the two times you need it a semester.

Or you may find yourself living in a suite, with a whole army of electronics within your reach.

By Lisa Grimenstein