Top Her Couture

"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free"  JOHN 8:32 Honesty is a characteristic that is slowly dying in this day and age.  So many of us in the fast lane thinking we can leave our wrongs curbside and speed into the distance with no consequence.  Many of us constantly [not only lying to ourselves] but to others to avoid dealing with the pains.  Usually the pains we ourselves have caused.  We form a constant boundary of victimization and masks hoping it will disappear as soon as we are on to the next thing and/or person. Being able to talk openly and honestly to others about ourselves reflects self-responsibility.  It takes away the power of those wrongs, helps to release the pain, and allows us an indescribable freedom.  It allows us to stop playing the victim of our own circumstance and feeling sorry for ourselves.  It is a leap to becoming healthy and happy.  The more clear and specific we are with others, ourse...

Today, I will rally my own cause.  I will remember that it is okay to stand up for myself when that action is appropriate.  Help me, God, to let go of my need to be victimized.  Help me appropriately, and with confidence, stand up for myself. It is easy to want to fight other peoples' battles especially when it is someone we care about.  We often give them advise like,"stand up for yourself"; yet we rarely use these words for ourselves.  Walking our kind & loving path we may come across situations [often] that put us deeper into the hand of those who could mistreat us or continue to mistreat us.  Set healthy boundaries.  Use each situation as a learning experience.  Do not give up on your morals and what is right!  Always remember the things that are most important to you and don't allow people to violate them-deal breakers!  If you have a strong belief in monogamy, don't settle for a cheater.  If you have a strong belief i...

The maturity of Christian experience cannot be reached in a moment but is the result of the work of God's Holy Spirit who, by His energizing and transforming power, causes us to grow up into Christ in all things . "Be no longer children, but grow in Christ."  Ephesians 4:14-15 If we are to grow in anything we must feed that skill with proper nutrients, spend time and effort to develop, and then apply it to every day activities, thoughts, and actions.  Sure, we may fail a few times or make mistakes-we're human!  It is what we learn from those mistakes and the changes we make in ourselves that allows us to move forward-to grow! Most of the time it requires us to sacrifice our ego and what we think we know and/or want for the unknown.  Take a chance on God and allow yourself to see things through His eyes and His heart.  With that, we can start to become mature through Him and allow Him to be our teacher.  The development of relations with Christ wil...

"Now this is the commandment-the statues and the rules-that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's sons, by keeping all his statues and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.  Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey."  Deuteronomy 6:1-3 "Cheap grace means living as though God ignores or condones our sins. But forgiveness means that sin is real, and must be dealt with. We cannot ignore it, because God does not ignore it. The denial of sin is not grace: it is a lie. Cheap grace means living without the demand of obedience upon us.   And where there is no call for obedience, then all thing...

"And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen.  And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."  Matthew 21:21-22 Fig tree?  Well in Matthew 21:18-20 it talks about how Jesus curses a fig tree for not bearing fruit and it withers.  This is hardly a literal reference and a major symbolical climax.  Bearing fruit in our lives is a metaphor for faith and not just any kind of fruit; fruit that is loving, joyful, kind, patient, faithful, and houses self control.  One of the ways we eat of this fruit is through prayer. “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You don’t pick grapes from thorn bush...

It's not enough that we cannot stop and ask for directions in such an independent driven society; but when we get the strength to ask, we seldom listen.  I have learned in the last few days [heck, six years] that people may ask for honesty; but when you give them the courtesy & respect of honesty, they seem to not be able to handle it.  Perhaps because it is such a foreign ideal they just can't wrap their head around it.  Perhaps ignorance to them is truly blissful.  Society sure enjoys a reassuring lie than the inconvenient honesty!  Whatever caged approach it may be, I commend those who share honesty.  The ones that can take a stand not just for themselves but for others.  The ones who take risks to call people out on their nonsense.  It shows so much integrity and respect. Along with that comes the art of conversation-breeding a nation of passive aggressive people.  I know, I've been caught up in world wide web.  The idea of...

"And it holds, my anchor holds; blow your wildest then, O gale, On my bark so small and frail, By His grace I shall not fail, For my anchor holds, My anchor holds." ~W.C. Martin There are pros and cons to every decision we make in life as well as consequences [some big, some small, some mistakes, some worth it].  When we make choices, it is important to realize that if the choice is right, the rewards will outweigh the fears [even as we second guess the decision].  We will be able to open a new door and move forward.  We will be able to take a chance and walk in good faith.  Not only will we have God as our anchor, but we will then become someone else's anchor.  A sturdy foundation to build!  Nothing is impossible with God!!

"Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.  Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and delight.  I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God."   ~Psalm 43:3-4

"Beauty is the mark God sets on virtue.  Every natural action is graceful; every heroic act is also decent, and causes the place and the bystanders to shine." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Beauty is the mark God sets on virtue.  Every natural action is graceful; every heroic act is also decent, and causes the place and the bystanders to shine." Ralph Waldo Emerson Happy Easter weekend everyone!!

"Has prayer become mechanical, a chore instead of a joy?  Remember how beloved you are by the One you're speaking to.  He doesn't want to hear details of just anyone's life-He asked you to share with Him, and you're blessed to know His love." Prayer is meant to develop and grow in our relationship with God.  With any good and connected relationship, it is the time we spend with that person.  It is our whole-hearted self being selfless [even if for just a moment in time].  It is giving up our ego, wants, and materialistic ways to touch and be touched profoundly!

"We are so preciously loved by God that we cannot comprehend it.  No created being can ever know how much and how sweetly and how tenderly God loves them." What we can do is accept the abundance of love around us.  We all have an infinite source to tap into.  We just have to choose to see it and let it in.

"Finish every day and be done with it.  You have done what you could. . . . Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.  This day is all that is good and fair.  It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterday." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you are having doubts about a relationship, please let me assure you the answers you seek are within you. You just may be allowing fear to muffle your inner voice. The following are 30 questions that can help you achieve more clarity about your relationship—what’s working, what’s not, and why. Please keep in mind there are no wrong or right answers, just insightful ones: 1. Do you completely trust each other? 2. Do you believe in soul mates, and if so, do you believe you are each other’s? 3. When was the last time you said, “I love you?” If it’s been a while, why? 4. Are you satisfied with the intimacy you share? 5. How often do you laugh together? 6. Do you feel you have made personal sacrifices for your relationship, and have they been reciprocated? 7. When you think of your partner, do you smile? 8. Do you feel threatened when others find your partner attractive, and why? 9. Do you believe your partner is your biggest advocate? 10. How do you feel about your partner’s views on ...

"This life is not all.  It is an 'unfinished symphony'. . . with him who knows that he is related to God and has felt 'the power of an endless life'." ~Henry Ward Beecher Today marks the beginning of lent [as well as Valentine's Week].  It is a time to let go, give in to fears, and renew ourselves.  Sure, we can give up chocolate or shopping or other material things; but what if we give in to deeper urges.  The ones that keep us from really building meaningful relationships.  The wounds that restrain our hearts.  The same aspects which hold us back from the 'endless life'.  Life is uncertain. . .don't wait for the only certainty of bodily death to grasp the important moments. "Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect. "

"The Lord's chief desire is to reveal Himself to you and, in order for Him to do that, He gives you abundant grace.  The Lord gives you the experience of enjoying His presence.  He touches you, and His touch is so delightful that, more than ever, you are drawn inwardly to Him." Madame Jeanne Guyon

"Sanctification is both a step of faith and a process off works.  It is a step of surrender and trust on our part, and it is a process of development on God's part." It is important for each of us to recognize we are worthy of this process.  So many of us [especially during this holiday season] seem to find sadness, depression, and loneliness in its most pure form.  Be sure that no matter what darkness is tugging at you, there is someone sending you light and love.  Be confident that God's love is always there as a guiding light.  You are not alone and are always loved.   And for those that have this light; share it!  Smile at a stranger, say a prayer, donate time or gifts, pay for the person's coffee in front of you. . . .How ever you decide to spread the cheer, do it with your whole heart!

"Do not conform any longer to the patterns 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

"If only we could trust God perfectly each day and rise constantly up, higher on the mountains. . . . We'd like to think that's an ideal Christian experience.  But our spiritual landscape does not consist simply of mountains.  Valleys lie between uplands.  And without the valleys, there would be no mountains at all."

"When we reach out in faith  to someone and don't get a positive response, do we recognize that we're speaking to a spiritually deaf soul? . . . Kindness in the face of opposition may begin the work that opens deaf ears and lightens blind eyes.  Let's start to unclog ears and lighten darkness."