Top Her Couture

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."  Romans 12:2 We are built to believe not just belong to God's Family.  He wants us to be members of His team and His church.  Now, Day 17 offers great insight but I think the church lives within us all.  It is not actually attending a church which makes us a part of His team.  Many churches even abuse the word "member" by only letting exclusive people enter their walls or events or community.  God's word was never meant to be private or secretive.  He wants anyone willing to take the steps to know God's word to be able to have community without human made restrictions. Your community and church can be in a group of people or friends.  I believe it does not necessarily mean to enter a building called a church.  I personally have many communities in my life t

"For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."   Galatians 5:17-18 God is relational.  He is love therefore love should be our greatest ambition and top priority.  We should be able to give the time and attention to all our relationships with the utmost care.  Of course in this society, we have learned to stay busy, make a living, and overload ourselves while cutting back the part of our life that is worth living-love.  Learning to love unselfishly is definitely not an easy task.  What most people start to forget is there are only three things in this world that are forever: faith, hope, and love.  They get so caught up in the demands of today that they hardly stop to realize- Their job will change.  Their money will change.  Their surroundings will change.  The things t

"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love predestined us for adoption to sonship [ c ] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will -"  Ephesians 1:4-5 One of the most important love's of God is relationships.  We are all meant to be a part of a family more than just the physical one we have here on earth.  God wants us to inherit Him and all He has to offer.  The benefits of inheriting Him are pure, permanent and protected.  No on can take away your eternal relationship.  It cannot be weathered, torn, or punctured.  It is the strongest, most resilient part of each of us. With the help of a dear friend a few years ago, I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior.  Since then, I have been building a stronger and very permanent relationship with God.  It has not been the easiest road and many times I wanted to give up.  So many times I wanted to turn my back on Him, but I had to remember that He

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:  Chris Williamson                                                                 Phone:  303.756.7300 Cell:  720.936.2436 Email:  Chris@gym303.com 2011 NPC Colorado Natural Helps team to continue to be entirely nationally qualified October 22 nd , 2011 the 2011 NPC Colorado Natural Bikini, Physique, Figure, and Bodybuilding competition was underway at the Colorado Heights University Theatre in Denver , Colorado hosted by Jeff Taylor.   Alyssian, Robin, and Adrianne were all competing in the bikini division. Alyssian Vissat took 2 nd in Bikini Open Class B and 3 rd in Bikini Novice Class A.   She also has a bid to nationals.   [side note:   She was put completely in the wrong height class and towered over her 5’2” to 5’4” classmates] Adrianne Martinez took 4 th in Bikini Open Class B. Robin took 3 rd in Masters 40+. The Gym’s team is prepping for The Rocky November 22 nd , 2011 at the Exdo Center in

"Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."   Hebrews 13:1-3 Let's be frank!  Life is not always pleasant.  There are always trials and tribulations, sorrows and worries, fears and betrayals.  Someone will eventually disappoint or abandon us; but no matter how we feel, God is real!  He should be praised regardless of whether we win or lose.  He knows what is best for us and many times we will come to see it is not what we want or about getting our way.  It is His way we must learn to trust in.  So, how do you stay connected when you feel so disconnected and wandering aimlessly? First, be able to tell God exactly how you feel-leave no detail or emotion unsaid.  It is important t

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“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.   Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no commandment greater than these.”    Mark 12:29-31 God is looking for worship that is authentic, accurate, thoughtful, and practical.  He is not looking for gimmicks or hocus-pocus.  Worship is not about forming opinions of who He is or how to praise Him.  Worship is about follow scriptures and doing it with all your heart.  It is about providing Him quality time to communicate and invoking your inner most emotions.  ". . .both spirit and truth are required." ( The Purpose Driven Life , Warren pg. 68) There are so many different ways to worship God.  It is not just about going to church, praying, or saying creeds.  'The best style of worship is the one that most authentically

"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?   You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.   When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."  James 4:1-3 We now know from day 11 that God wants our friendship, so how do we develop this?  How do we get closer to God and release our ego and self-centered tendencies? 1.  Choose To Be Honest With God God never wants to hear bits and pieces of how you feel.  He does not want feelings of how we think we should feel or act or what to say.  He is waiting for the most intense truths you can give Him.  It honors Him when we can become vulnerable with Him no matter the situation.  It could be an argument, complaint, accusation, anger, resentment, doubt, etc.  No problem is worth hiding w

Out of all the entries for week 1, I am one of 4.  Take the time to vote at O'Neal Motocross  and if you have Facebook, please like my photo at O'Neal Motocross FB.   Spread the word and thank you in advance for your constant support.  Good luck to all the lovely ladies! Photos by Brent Yoder ,  Thanks to The Gym for letting us use their facility! Photo by Brett Seeley , Team Miss Fits out at Colorado Offroad Extreme with Driver Collin Miron

"I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. "  Psalm 25:2 Friendships are an important part of all of our lives.  They should be the people who are in your lives without any strings attached.  They are not there just because they want something or other false motivations.  They harbor no jealousy,ill-will, manipulation, or bias.  They genuinely want to spend time with you and hear your joys, sorrows, fears, and excitements.  God is waiting for that friendship with us all. He is waiting each and every day to hear our voice; not just when we are hurt or in pain.  He wants us to share all of ourselves with Him.  I find myself more and more talking with Him.  It is more than just bowing my head and kneeling.  I let Him know how thankful I am for the joyous moments and the many things He has given me.  I also ask questions regarding my pains, sorrows, and confusions.  I let Him know my true unabridged heart.  The more time I spend with

"What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?"  Romans 6:15-16 We have been born into a culture with a competitive nature which feeds on 3 of the most common barriers.  Fear, Pride, Confusion. . .all part of the daily grind we face each and every day.  Most of us have been taught that winning is everything and to never give up.  We are taught to push ourselves harder, further, faster.  The word surrender indicated as a negative notion.  We are taught that surrendering makes you weak and defeated; but surrendering to God is the heart of worship. Surrendering is not an easy road nor an excuse to be lazy.  It could be surrendering or sacrificing your life in suffering in order to change what needs to be changed.  If we are

Charlie Chapman's final speech in The Great Dictator has to be one of the greatest speeches every given.  It is the road map to where society should want to be.  If only we all thought this way. . . "I'm sorry but I don't want to be an emperor. That's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible; Jew, Gentile, black men, white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each others' happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls; has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. O

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."  Psalm 147:3 We make God smile by not just believing or having faith but also by what we do.  There are many things in this world we cannot explain.  God asks things of us in glory and faith.  He wants our obedience.  He does not want us to pick the pieces of praise, worship, and glory that fit us best.  Of course, much of society does this.  I am guilty of it. I have a hard time forgiving, yet I attend mass and read the bible.  It is like being a doctor and diagnosing a patient using only some of their symptoms; so they can control the outcome.  This recently happened to my sister.  She has never had a seizure in her life and one morning had 2 within 6 hours of each other.  The doctor's could not explain it but called it epilepsy.  I am no doctor, but I do know you cannot just wake up one day and have epilepsy.  They chose the symptoms to treat and discarded any other possibilities.  It was something none of

"For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory."  Psalm 149:4 So many people have called our society "godless".  I would have to agree in a lot of instances.  It seems the human race has become ungrateful for what they have-rarely taking time to appreciate the small stuff.  They have fallen in love with 'things' and turned their heart away from why they are truely here.  We are all here for God's pleasure. God built each one of us as a delight to Him.  He feels very deeply for us and has very humanlike qualities-jealousy, anger, sadness, grief, satisfaction, joy, etc.  We are in His image and house the same qualities.  He knows how we feel and all we have to do is take time to talk with Him.  To worship!  This universal term is multi-demensional and involves more than just going to church or singing a hymn.  It is offering to God in spirit and in truth.  Worship is not for you but for Him.  "Anything you do tha

“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”   For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."  Romans 11:35-36   The greatest achievement is to live for God's glory.  We can do this by living for God and worshipping Him who gave us life.  It will most likely require sacrifices of ego and self-centered thinking.  It will change our schedules, relationships, goals, and how we handle situations.  We are have the choice to take the easy road of pleasure, comfort, and personal wants or can take a harder road by releasing our grip on ourselves-allowing God to live through us and in us. I grew up in an Italian Catholic family where my father never practiced or pushed the religion on me.  We only went to Mass when we were required to.  My mother was more spiritual and naturalistic.  I, myself, became very doubtful and angry when my father died.  'What kind of God takes away a little girl's hero?'    I suppose

What you will need: 2 scoops of Blueberry & Creme protein [Muscle Milk is fantastic] 1 whole egg 3 egg whites 2-3 tbsp rolled oats 2 packets of Splenda with Fiber 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 2 sprays of "Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray 1/4 cup of water Cupcake pan In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients together.  Mix thoroughly.  The batter should be thick and have a sticky consistency.  Spoon about a tablespoon and half into greased cupcake pan* or fill a little over halfway.  Makes about 4 muffins. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place filled cupcake pan in oven.  Bake until batter rises.  Decrease heat to 300 degrees and cook until centers are baked all the way through.  Test with knife by sticking all the way in the middle.  If it comes out clean, take out of oven.  Immediately remove from pan and cool.** *I do not recommend using cupcake papers. This mixture can also be turned into protein pancakes.  Only do 1 scoop of protein, no spray butte

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.   We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body."   2 Corinthians 4:7-10 It today's society, advertising, peer pressure, the "norms" breath down our necks to 'have it all'.  So many times we forget that our life here is temporary and short compared to where we are going.  We spend so much wasted energy striving for the biggest, the best, the richest, the most known while forgetting God's fundamentals-truth & trust.  The reason many of us feel a longing even when we achieve the societal norms is because this is not our home.  We can never truely be satisfied here.  It will never be the right time to get married or have

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much."  Luke 16:10 We are constantly being tested in this world as well as being entrusted with treasures and gifts.  It is how we use them and how we handle particular situations.  There are many times where the most difficult tests are challenging the most difficult parts of us and this world.  Purpose there is a drug or sex addiction constantly being flashed in an addicts face.  Perhaps the ones you truely loved are constantly torn from the scorned and jaded.  It could be as simple as the impatient getting stuck in a traffic jam.  God wants to see how you react to the situation.  Do you give in to the temptations?  So you find forgiveness?  Do you handle yourself in a godlike way? Each of us is entrusted with gifts.  Some of are wealthy.  Some of us are beautiful.  Some of us are intelligent.  Others may be a combination of t

"Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning.  This old command is the message you have heard."  1 John 2:7 I know how hard it is to phathom something we cannot see, touch, hear, or really every know until we depart this world.  We have heard theories, explanations, ideas as well as a multitude of names when it pertains to heaven.  Many of us struggle with making sure we are known in this life-making sure to leave a legacy behind.  What we have very much strayed from is the here and now does not matter. Our decisions should not be based on what we leave behind but where we are going.  It is important to feed your soul; so that when you enter His kingdom, He will see you lived in Him and for Him.  Believe me!  Being a visual person, it is hard for me to put faith and effort into someone I have never seen and can never truely know.  I believe it is worth the effort as many tasks and situations become meaningless

After 7 years of being together, my best friend, Mark Geyer and his girlfriend, Kelsey Bojan tied the knot on Septemebr 17th, 2011 at 4:00 p.m.   The day was filled with memories, fun, and getting ready in the silver, black, white, and fuschia colors.  I had the honor of being the Best Woman.  It was actually kind of nice being able to have V.I.P. access to everywhere.  Being able to sit and talk football  with the guys then entering the bridal chambers when the testosterone got to me.  Of course, it was probably good they had a girl back there to help with buttons, cuff links, and boutennaires. The wedding was beautiful with candle light setting an ambiance.  It was great to see it all come together and have fun doing it.  This of course included Bachelor party in Vegas and Bachelorette party in Denver.  After the "I Do's" the gang was ready for the real fun.  We all headed to The Hilton Fort Collins for dinner, drinks, and dancing. I enjoyed the company of my date

"My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you.  When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness."  Isaiah 26:9 We all are driven by something is our life.  It could be hundreds of different manipulations of emotion, values or circumstances which push us into the storm.  More than likely it is these things which are the storm.  This leaves us the victim of ourselves wandering through life without purpose.  We make our own self-imposed prison of torment.  Some of the most common drives are guilt, anger, resentment, approval, materialism and fear. Guilt is a good manipulator.  It focuses on memories and leaves us running from regrets and hiding our shame.  Often it promotes self sabotage of success and drives us to relive the past.  The cycle stops when we realize everything in life is handed to us as a learning experience.  We should take what we can from the situation and let it go.  I can definitely

" Do not tremble, do not be afraid.  Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?  You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?  No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”   Isaiah 44:8 There is no coincidence in who are and what you look like.  Before our parents thought of us, we were already an idea.  God had already chosen the exact moment, parents, and how we all would be conceived.  It matters not if your parents planned, are still together, if it was a one night stand, or if they divorced.  God never makes an accident or is wrong in His choices.  He took into account our sin. We are each born with an identity.  We all have qwerks and things that we or others might find displeasing.  I know there are bits and pieces of myself I find hard to accept.  I am loyal to a fault which tends to leave me hanging on for dear life.  I ask for very little in return of giving others the world which makes boundaries very hard to decypher if visible at all.  I am stubborn

"But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."  Colossians 3:8-10   Being human we are not only born of God but also born with an ego.  This ego or self-centeredness can be hard to balance in one's life.  It is the thing that keeps us away from our true hearts.  It is the thing which pulls us from our purpose of life.  It can encourage the worst demons and battles to arise in our lives.  What most of us have yet to learn and some of us currently learning-is we were not put on this earth for us.  We were built for a purpose far greater than our ego.  It is a purpose we may never know.  It is an unimaginable or assuming purpose.  There are no theories or philosophies which can unlock the mystery of who we ar

"Beauty overwhelms us, enchants us, fascinates us, and calls us." For a woman to unveil her beauty means she is offering her heart. Not primarily her works or her usefulness (think Martha in the kitchen). Offering her presence. At family gatherings my mother hid in the kitchen. She cooked and baked and prepared and served and cleaned and for the life of us, we couldn't get her out of there. We wanted her to share her life with us, her thoughts, her ideas, not just her effort. She wouldn't come. And we were less because of it. The gift of presence is a rare and beautiful gift. To come unguarded, undistracted, and be fully present and fully engaged with the one whom we are with. Have you noticed in reading the Gospels that people enjoyed being around Jesus? They wanted to be near him - to share a meal, take a walk, have a lingering conversation. It was the gift of his presence. When you were with him, you felt he was offering you his heart. When we offer our unguarde