Top Her Couture

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,” Philippians 1:9-10 Life has a tendency to become overly complicated and stressful, particularly because things change so quickly. I’ve identified seven problems that you can eliminate to make your life a whole lot simpler (which doesn’t mean boring or less interesting). Problem #1 – Too Much Responsibility Think back to a year or two ago. How much extra responsibility has come into your life since then? You may have too much stuff, too many possessions, too many projects, and too many commitments.  Spreading yourself too thin reduces focus, increases stress, and lowers overall performance. Too much stuff could include anything from a new cell phone, to a new swimming pool, to a bigger house. It might be nice to have more possessions and new gadgets, but they often come ...

“Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” John 3:20-21 Have you ever wondered why the Cinderella story keeps haunting us? Not only is it a perennial favorite of little girls, it haunts us as woman. Think of all the movies made along its themes, movies like Pretty Woman and Ever After and A Cinderella Story and Maid in Manhattan . Why is this notion of a hidden princess so enduring? Is there something in our hearts that is trying to speak to us? Is it just fantasy, escapism? Or is there something more? The desire of a woman's heart and the realities of a woman's life seem an ocean apart. O, we long for romance and an irreplaceable role in a great story, we long for beauty. But that's not the life we have . The result is a sense of shame. Universally ...

“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 2:14 God speaks to Israel through the prophet Isaiah when she is surrounded by enemies and making every effort to appease them through diplomacy, gifts, treaties, and bribes, and says this to her: "You went to Molech with olive oil and increased your perfumes. You sent your ambassadors far away; you descended to the grave itself! You were wearied by all your ways, but you would not say, 'It is hopeless.' You found renewal of your strength, and so you did not faint" (Isa. 57:9-10). God calls Israel to repent by admitting her weariness and fainting. Instead, she looks for ways to use her personal assets to redeem herself. Jesus spoke to the people about rest and thirst. The Pharisees demanded that they obey a constantly growing weight of religious la...

It is that time of year again where competitions are back to back.  All the athletes are scrambling about getting prepared, scheduling appointments, and hitting the gym hard.  The NPC Colorado Natural is the first in the fall series where a small group of Miss Fits will take the stage.  Rookie Alyssian Vissat will share the stage with Veteran Adrianne Martinez in the Bikini Division.  Each of the girls is pushing themselves and each other being 3 weeks out.  Diets and moods are changing drastically but they remain spirited. Be prepared for major transformations and a riot of fellow Gym supporters and Miss Fits to get the Colorado University Theatre loud & rowdy.  Good Luck girls . . . bring home those trophies!  Four weeks later Crystal McClure, Crystal Bragazzi, Natalie Little, Ashley Schlein, Lisa Poole, Kelly Farino will compete in the NPC 'Rocky' in the Bikini Division with Kim Hall and Michelle Lococo competing in Figu...

"Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself." -Hermann Hesse   Every woman knows now that she is not what she was meant to be. And she fears that soon it will be known - if it hasn't already been discovered - and that she will be abandoned. Left alone to die a death of the heart. That is a woman's worst fear - abandonment. (Isn't it?). Rather than turning back to God, reversing the posture that brought about our crisis in the first place (what Eve set in motion and we have repeated ad nauseum), we continue down that path by doing what we can to secure ourselves in a dangerous and unpredictable world. And down in the depths of our hearts, our Question remains. Unanswered. Or better, it remains answered in the way it was answered so badly in our youth. "Am I lovely? Do you see me? Do you want to see? Are you captivated by what you find in me?" We live haunted by that Question, yet unaware tha...

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4 We aren't meant to figure life out on our own. God wants to father us. The truth is, he has been fathering us for a long time-we just haven't had the eyes to see it. He wants to father us much more intimately, but we have to be in a posture to receive it. What that involves is a new way of seeing, a fundamental reorientation of how we look at life, and our situation in it. First, we allow that we are unfinished men, partial men, mostly boy inside, and we need initiation. In many, many ways. Second, we turn from our independence and all the ways we either charge at life or shrink from it; this may be one of the most basic and the most crucial ways a man repents. I say "repent" because our approach to life is based on the conviction that God, for the most part, doesn't show up much. I understand wh...

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14 Be kind, for everyone you know is facing a great battle. A true community is something you will have to fight for. You'll have to fight to get one, and you'll have to fight to keep it afloat. But you fight for it like you bail out a life raft during a storm at sea. You want this thing to work. You need this thing to work. You can't ditch it and jump back on the cruise ship. This is the church; this is all you have. Without it, you'll go down. Or back to prison. Suddenly all those "one another's" in Scripture make sense. Love one another. Bear one another's burdens. Forgive one another. Acts of kindness become deeply meaningful because we know we are at war. Knowing full well that we are all facing battles of our own, we give one another the benefit of the doubt. Leigh isn't intentionally being distan...

Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.

  I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” Genesis 17:15-17   As large as the role our mothers have played, the word "mother" is more powerful when used as a verb than as a noun. All women are not mothers but all women are called to mother . To mother is to nurture, to train, to educate, to rear. As daughters of Eve, all women are uniquely gifted to help others in their lives become more of who they truly are - to encourage, nurture and mother them towards their true selves . In doing this, women partner with Christ in the vital mission of bringing forth life. The nurturing of life is a high and holy calling. And as a woman, it is yours. Yes, it takes many shapes and has a myriad of faces. Yes, men are called to this as well. But uniquely and deeply, this calling makes up part of the very fiber of a woman's soul - the calling to mother. All women are...

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29 And then the long story of God's pursuit of humanity begins. Satan wanted center stage: He wanted to be the main character, he wanted to be the point. His plan now is to ruin the Sacred Romance, to get us all caught up in our own little sociodramas by telling us that we are the point. You can see how humanity goes along with this. Cain murders Abel; Lamech threatens to murder everyone else. Humanity grows worse and worse until God says in pain, "I'm sorry I ever made them." But he doesn't give up. First with Noah, then Abraham, then Israel, we see God pursuing a people whose hearts will be for him, with whom he can share the joy of the larger story. But their faithfulness lasts about as long as the morning dew. How is God feeling by this point? When we reach the prophets, w...

“[Two Kinds of Wisdom] Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” James 3:13 There is a secret set within each of our hearts. It often goes unnoticed, we rarely can put words to it, and yet it guides us throughout the days of our lives. This secret remains hidden for the most part in our deepest selves. It is simply the desire for life as it was meant to be. Isn't there a life you have been searching for all your days? You may not always be aware of your search, and there are times when you seem to have abandoned looking altogether. But again and again it returns to us, this yearning that cries out for the life we prize. It is elusive, to be sure. It seems to come and go at will. Seasons may pass until it surfaces again. And though it seems to taunt us, and may at times cause us great pain, we know when it returns that it is priceless. For if we could recover this desire, unearth it from...

"All girls are princesses.  It is our rite."  ~ The Little Princess This is particularly true of Lily.  A beautiful, champion bred rottweiler.  She was the runt of her litter.  Most people thought she was a boy even though her small stature and kind eyes said, "I'm a girl!"  I even bought her the girliest designer collars, so no one would be mistaken.  Whenever we would have our mom and daughter days, we would get our toe nails painted the same, hang out with her brother Otis and go to the doggy bakery to pick out a treat or new toy.  She never picked the same thing twice.  She would always prance around after she got her toe nails painted and especially hated getting her feet wet right afterwords.  er favorite things were belly rubs, children, Good Times Pawbenders, and anything with a squeaky in it.  I loved the way she would try to get as close as possible.  Even if she was about to push you over, she was never cl...

The way to render a man happy, is to engage him with an object that will make him forget his private troubles. - Pascal Don't be fooled by the apparent innocence of the object you've chosen as an idol; what is the function of it? Most of our idols also have a perfectly legitimate place in our lives. That's their cover, that's how we get away with our infidelity. The prophet Isaiah gives an example of this when he marvels at a man who cuts down a tree in the forest, and then puts it to two very different uses: Half of the wood he burns in the fire; Over it he prepares his meal, He roasts his meat and eats his fill. Nothing wrong here. That's the perfectly appropriate use of wood. But it doesn't end there (it rarely does): From the rest he makes a god, his idol; He bows down to it and worships He prays to it and says, "Save me; you are my god." The prophet is incredulous. "Doesn't he see what he's doing?," he wonders: No one stops ...

So long as we imagine it is we who have to look for God, we must often lose heart. But it is the other way about-He is looking for us. - Simon Tugwell Can it possibly get any more uncertain than this? We so long for life to be better than it is. We wish the beauty and love and adventure would stay and that someone strong and kind would show us how to make the Arrows go away. We hope that God will be our hero. Of all the people in the universe, he could stop the Arrows and arrange for just a little more blessing in our lives. He can spin the earth, change the weather, topple governments, obliterate armies, and resurrect the dead. Is it too much to ask that he intervene in our story? But he often seems aloof, almost indifferent to our plight, so entirely out of our control. Would it be any worse if there were no God? If he didn't exist, at least we wouldn't get our hopes up. We could settle once and for all that we really are alone in the universe and get on with surviving as bes...

What you will need: 1 can of low sodium tuna in water 1 large whole egg 5 large egg whites 1 tortilla Fat-free or low fat cheddar cheese Green Chile PAM Spray Heat stove top to medium heat.  It a medium skillet cook coated with PAM, mix all your egg whites and whole egg together scrambling them as they cook.  Cook until not watery.  Reduce heat to low.  Open can of tuna, drain.  Add entire can to scrambled eggs.  Stir briefly and place on top of tortilla.  Add a sprinkle of cheese and about 2 tablespoons of green chili.  Enjoy! **  Substitute tortilla for brown rice tortilla to make it gluten free.  Use almond/soy cheese.

"Me, a princess?" "You are the legal heir." "I never lead anyone." "We will help you to be a princess, to rule. If you refuse to accept the throne then the kingdom will cease to exist as we know it." --The Princess Diaries In God's name we must fight them! --Joan of Arc Women are often portrayed in stories and tales as the "Damsel in Distress." We are the ones for whom men rise up and slay dragons. We are the "weaker sex"; said to faint at the sight of blood, needing to be spared the gory details of battle whether on the field or in the market place. We are the ones waiting in our flowing gowns for the knight to come and carry us away on the back of his white horse. And yes. There are days when a knight in shining armor would be most welcome. We do long to be fought for; loved enough to be courageously protected. But there is a mighty fierceness set in the heart of women by God. It is true to who we are and what we are cr...

It has been a decade after the nation witnessed a full on terrorist attack.  Three planes captured only to be put to their doom.  They planned on hitting our money and our government.  They succeeded only in bringing the United States and many allies closer. This morning, I was able to grab an ear full of BJ, Howe, and Erica in the morning on Alice 105.9.  It was inspiring to listen to the widow of United Flight 93's pilot.  Even from her voice, you could tell she carries herself well and is a strong woman.  She clarified a lot of hear-say as they played blurbs of tower and cockpit chatter.  I, myself, would find it hard to keep composed listening to my deceased husband moments before the plane crashed.  She went on to tell why it is that flight 93 never made it to the pentagon.  I found it chilling in a good way.  It seems the entire crew and passenger list was sent to the back of the cabin where they were allowed to call lov...

"The heart," as Pascal said, "has its reasons that reason knows not of." Something in us longs, or hopes, maybe even at times believes that this is not the way things were supposed to be. Our desire fights the assault of death upon life. And so people with terminal illnesses get married. Prisoners in a concentration camp plant flowers. Lovers long divorced still reach out in the night to embrace one who is no longer there. Its like the phantom pain experienced by those who have lost a limb. Feelings still emanate from that region where once was a crucial part of them, and they will sometimes find themselves being careful not to bang the corner of a table or slam the car door on a leg or arm long since removed. Our hearts know a similar reality. At some deep level, we refuse to accept the fact that this is the way things are, or must be, or always will be. Simone Weil was right, there are only two things that pierce the human heart: beauty and affliction. Moments ...

The story of Peter Pan is not far off from where most adults end up.  The once lost boys'/girls' eventually find themselves leaving their favorite past-time and fading into a world of busyness-into piracy.  They then can get so caught up, they swindle, pilage, and burn some of the most important parts of their human souls.  Love, faith, God, and hope are drowned in a sea of money, work, temptations, and societal norms.  I know there are times I look in the mirror and see a pirate.  The only thing that keeps me from completely transforming is remembering those times when I most free and listening to God.  When there were no responsibilities and I could let my imagination run wild. Growing up in a small cow town most of my life left little room for my father to worry.  Every one knew every one and there was little temptation to get even the most disobedient child into much trouble.  I spent most of my summer days climbing trees, riding bikes, pla...

Crystal Mathews competes at the IFBB North American Pro Championship winning her class and overall to earn her Pro Card. It is always a delight to see Colorado working their butts off [or trying to add them on]. Congratulations new IFBB Bikini Pro Crystal Mathews!

Time has come for us to forgive our fathers. Paul warns us that unforgiveness and bitterness can wreck our lives and the lives of others (Eph. 4:31; Heb. 12:15). I am sorry to think of all the years my wife endured the anger and bitterness that I redirected at her from my father. As someone has said, forgiveness is setting a prisoner free and then discovering the prisoner was you. I found some help in Bly's experience of forgiving his own father, when he said, "I began to think of him not as someone who had deprived me of love or attention or companionship, but as someone who himself had been deprived, by his father and his mother and by the culture." My father had his own wound that no one ever offered to heal. His father was an alcoholic, too, for a time, and there were some hard years for my dad as a young man just as there were for me. Now you must understand: Forgiveness is a choice. It is not a feeling, but an act of the will. As Neil Anderson has written, "Don...

The two day event for the 2011 NPC North American Championship in Cleveland, Ohio proved to be more difficult than The Gym's fitness team had anticipated.  Upon talking with their coach, Chris Williamson , all their morale were high and they were excited to take stage early on.  For half of the team, this was their first national competition.  They all went out there with sass, confidence, and worked the stage.  Four of the ten competitors placed top ten: Karl Biermann, Erica Cobb, Lana Hofman, and Cortney Dennis-Romero.  Karl Biermann 3rd Place  Frank Duru  16th Place Class C  Jesse Lehman 12th Place  Matt Horton 12th Place    Class B                           Class A All of these competitors will be continuing their journey with Miami Nationals just around the corner!...

Whatever the details might be, when a man speaks of the greatest gift his father gave him-if his father gave him anything at all worth remembering-it is always the passing on of masculinity. This is essential, for life will test you. Like a ship at sea, you will be tested, and the storms will reveal the weak places in you as a man. They already have. How else do you account for the anger you feel, the fear, the vulnerability to certain temptations? You know what I speak of. And so our basic approach to life comes down to this: we stay in what we can handle, and steer clear of everything else. We engage where we feel we can or we must-as at work-and we hold back where we feel sure to fail, as in the deep waters of relating to our wife or our children, and in our spirituality. Masculine initiation is a journey, a process, a quest really, a story that unfolds over time. It can be a very beautiful and powerful event to experience a blessing or a ritual, to hear words spoken to us in a...