Happy Thanksgiving

Good evening readers!! I realize it has been a very long time since I posted here for you. Things are going well in my life. I am enjoying the cooler weather of fall. One of my favorite things is to stare up at the clear, star-filled sky at night. Being out in the country, I have a wonderful view of the amazing works of God's creation. I'm even secretly anticipating the first snowfall, which I'm sure will come sooner than any of us would like. :) Well here we are with Thanksgiving almost upon us. It's a wonderful thing to be thankful and count the blessings that you have. In the spirit of the season, I decided to list the 10 things I am most thankful for.

1. My Saviour; His love, grace and mercy. I am so thankful that God sent His son to die for me. I am thankful for the relationship that I have with Him-I am growing in Him each and every day. I love Him so much.
2. My family. I have a wonderful family. I am so thankful for them and the continuous love and support that they give to me. I don't know what I would do without them.
3. My friends. The Lord has blessed me with some wonderful, amazing people as my close friends. They love me, support me, encourage me, and pray for me. God has pushed many of my older friendships deeper, and given me many new friends. I don't know what I would do without these people!
4. My karate family. I'm thankful for the people at my karate club- my karate "family." They have always been supportive of me and are just great people. I am so thankful to be able to continue my martial arts training.
5. My piano studio. I have my own piano studio, and I am so thankful for that means of earning some money and being able to teach some children the beauty of piano music!
6. Writing opportunities. Recently I have been blessed with some different writing opportunities, even winning a writing contest. I am so thankful for these opportunities to continue to develop my writing skills.
7. My church family. I am blessed to be in the same church for all 19 years of my life. There are some really great people there. I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of them and serve the community with them.
8. My health. I recently had a very bad cold, but it made me realize how thankful I am that I am healthy and how blessed I am with good health.
9. My pets. We have 3 funny dogs, and I love having them around to play and cuddle with. :)
10. My material possessions. I am so blessed to have a house, a bed, a car, and sooo many other things.

May you all be blessed with a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, and contentment.

Saving Your First Kiss for Marriage Page

Hello readers. I hope this post finds you all doing well and staying strong in the Lord. :) You know, God is just so amazing. And He really does work in very wonderful ways. In 2010 I started a Facebook fan page called "Saving Your First Kiss for Marriage." I did this as a way for like-minded people to come together and encourage one another. And it worked! If you believe in saving your first kiss for marriage, all you have to do is click "like" and you are instantly connected to thousands of people who hold fast to wonderful values of purity. I have watched this page grow from only a few fans to literally thousands of fans. I remember watching in excitement as the page reached 100 fans. Today there are 12,577 fans. That is just mind-blowing to me. When I started it, I was the sole administrator. Since then I have had to add two additional administrators to help me take care of all the extra traffic! God has used and grown this page in amazing ways. One thing I did not expect from this page was persecution. But many times when believers unite, Satan tries to deter them. This was no exception. People who do not value purity get on the page to try to make fun, ridicule, and discourage others. My fellow administrators and I do our best to field these comments and people, removing what is necessary to keep everyone encouraged. This does not, however, mean that we remove everything that we do not agree with. Oh no. In fact, having people challenge my point of view has helped me grow so much. Now not only do I know what I believe, but I can defend it too; and I have many times. So if you're looking for some encouragement, or just a lively discussion, please check out the page on Facebook.

"As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man." -Proverbs 27:19

My Prayer Journal

Hello friends! I hope this post finds you well. Today I wanted to share a triumph with you. It is in the area of prayer. Prayer has always been an area I struggled with the most. I struggled having a continuous prayer life. Obviously, this was not a good thing! Prayer is an area we should focus a lot on. Finally I decided to start keeping a prayer journal. I prefer to have my prayer time before I go to sleep at night. So every night I write my entire prayer down in the journal. Sometimes it's one page or maybe sometimes it's three. The point is, no matter what is going on, no matter how late I go to bed, I sit down and journal my prayer first. It has been so helpful to me!! I started this prayer journal September 19th, and I have journaled every single day since then. It is helping me so much, I wanted to share this with all of you. If you struggle keeping a regular prayer life (or maybe even if you don't), you may want to consider keeping a prayer journal.

"Pray without ceasing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:17

A Winning Story: The Greatest Gift

Hi everyone!! I'm excited to tell you that I recently entered a small short story contest, and I won!! Glory to God for this wonderful exciting news. :) It was a wonderful moment for me as a writer. Many people have been wanting to read the winning story, so I am sharing it with you all here. It is called "The Greatest Gift." I hope you like it. Enjoy!! :-)

The Greatest Gift

I will never forget the year that we gave away Christmas.

Scott and I had been married about 10 years. At the time we had 5 children: David was 8, Abigail was 6, Timothy and Sarah were 5, and Peter was five months old. We had chosen to homeschool our children, so that kept me really busy while Scott was at work.

One day in early December Scott came home to the usual hubbub: Timothy, Sarah, and Abigail running around the house playing some version of tag; me rocking Peter on my hip to stop his crying while simultaneously trying to explain pronouns to David.

He stood there for a moment and then loudly announced, “We are going to give away our Christmas this year.” Everyone stopped. Even Peter stopped crying.

I stared at Scott. “What…are you talking about?”

He sighed. “We are so blessed. And we take it for granted. I feel convicted- we need to give away our Christmas this year to people who need it more than us.”

Over the next few days the two of us had many conversations. Originally I was not on board with his plan. He wanted to give away everything: our Christmas tree, all the Christmas presents we had bought (both for each other and the kids), and even all the food that was planned for our big Christmas Eve dinner. I was against nearly all of this; I saw no reason why we needed to go to this extreme. But he kept insisting that this was what we needed to do. Finally after much prayer, the Lord convicted me that I should submit to my husband and do this thing he wished, even if it seemed extreme to me. When I told him this he smiled.

“I love you Annie. This is going to be so amazing. I just know it.”

I couldn’t help smiling back. “I certainly hope so. But Scott, who are we going to give our Christmas to?”

He considered this for a moment. “I don’t know yet. But I’m sure God will provide us with some opportunities.”

And we left it at that.

It was not as difficult to explain it to the children as I thought it was going to be. Scott told them that this year we were going to give Christmas to people who wouldn’t have a chance to have it otherwise. Together as a family we talked about how God wants us to be giving and unselfish. The two older ones weren’t sure about it at first. Scott assured me that they would come around. Every night I prayed that they would, and that God would send us the opportunities that Scott was so sure about. We took all the presents we had bought and marked and sorted them as either for a boy, girl, woman, or man. Scott said that if we didn’t get the opportunity to give them all away, whatever was left over on Christmas morning we would keep. I could tell he was hoping that wouldn’t happen though.

For a while nothing happened. Then one day in mid-December, Scott came home extremely excited. The first opportunity had shown itself. One of his coworkers had a 5-year-old daughter who had cancer. As she had needed to have many costly treatments over the year, her parents now had no money to buy her Christmas presents. As Scott told me the story, my heart went out to this family. Of course we had to help. We loaded up all the presents we had, bundled up the kids, and paid a visit to this family.

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were very welcoming. We sent the kids to go play while we sat and talked with the parents. It amazed me how much they had been through in that year. They had watched their daughter, Mackenzie, go from a normal little girl to a very sick little girl. As we talked I realized I wanted to do whatever we could to help them. When we gave them the presents they didn’t want to accept them at first.

But Scott was adamant. “We want you to have these. The best Christmas gift we could have is knowing that we helped you.”

I hugged Mrs. Anderson and told her I would be praying for her family. As we drove home that night I started realizing that Scott’s idea might not have been so strange after all.

Another week passed uneventfully. I prayed for the Anderson family everyday. We had put up our Christmas tree and decorated it. Seeing its twinkling lights always made me smile.

One afternoon I was at the dining room table checking some school work. The younger 3 kids were down for a nap, while the older 2 were playing outside.

Suddenly David and Abigail came running inside screaming, “Mommy, Mommy, the neighbor’s house is on fire!!!”

“What?!”

David had a horrified look on his face. “No Mom! It really is! The Stanleys’ house is on fire!” I jumped up.

“Stay here with the younger kids!” I commanded. Then I ran out the door into the front yard. The Stanleys lived 2 houses away from us. And there were large, orange flames rolling out of the front window. I called 911 from my cell phone, then ran over to their front yard. Their whole family was standing there, just watching in disbelief. Mrs. Stanley saw me coming.

“Oh Annie it’s just horrible!”

“Sarah- what happened?”

She shook her head. “It was the Christmas tree I think. I hope the damage won’t be too bad…”

I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The fire trucks drove up then. I realized there was nothing more I could do, so I hugged Sarah and went back home. I told David and Abigail that the Stanleys were okay.

“How did the fire start?” David wanted to know.

“Well they think it started with the Christmas tree.”

“They won’t have a tree for Christmas? That’s so sad,” said Abigail.

They were both silent for a moment. Then David had a sudden inspiration.

“Hey Mom! Couldn’t we give them our tree?”

I considered this for a moment. “Well I don’t know why not. But we’ll talk to your father about it when he gets home.”

Later that evening Sarah called to let me know that everything was alright. The fire had not spread very far, so they had very minimal damage. But their Christmas tree was all but ashes.

When I approached Scott with David’s idea to give our Christmas tree to the Stanleys, he was surprised.

“But you love the Christmas tree.”

I nodded. “Yes I do. But they need it a whole lot more than we do right now.”

He grinned. “Let’s take it over right now.”

So we did. The Stanelys were very surprised, and very happy.

“It’s so beautiful,” sighed Sarah.

“And the best part is, it’s artificial, so I don’t think it will burn down easily.” I smiled at her.

We went to bed that night with a big empty space in our living room, but our hearts were full.

It was only 1 week until Christmas. The excitement of the holiday was upon all of us. It didn’t even matter that we didn’t have any presents. No one cared that we didn’t have a Christmas tree. Not only was our family excited regardless, but the children kept talking about the gifts we had given away.

“Do you remember the look on Mrs. Stanley’s face when we brought her our tree?”

“Won’t Mackenzie be surprised when she sees all her presents on Christmas morning?”

And so on. It was at this point that I was incredibly thankful that we had decided to do this whole thing. I told Scott some of the things the children had been saying.

“You know, I wasn’t really sure of your idea at first. But now, I’m so thankful we have done it. It has really helped to show the kids, and me, how we should be unselfish and ready to help others,” I told him.

He smiled at me and took my hand. “I can’t take any credit for this. It was God’s idea.”

A few short days later, it was Christmas Eve. We normally made a big Christmas Eve dinner and enjoyed it together. At about 2 in the afternoon I started thinking about fixing this large dinner. But the more I thought about it the more I realized that we didn’t really need a huge dinner. But maybe there was someone who did. I thought about this some more. I called our pastor. Did he know of anyone in the church who would benefit from a Christmas dinner? He said he did. One of the elderly couples in our church, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. They had no family living nearby. Normally, one of their children would come visit them on Christmas, but this year they had to celebrate alone. I thanked him, hung up, and got to work. Four hours later I had an elaborate feast prepared! There was ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, rolls, yams, and pecan pie. Scott helped me pack it all up and we took it to the Johnsons. Once we got there, we rang their doorbell. Once they opened the door we all started singing “Silent Night.” Then we brought in all the food. Mrs. Johnson’s face just lit up. She looked at her husband.

“Now we can invite all of the neighbors over for dinner!” We all laughed.

That evening our family ate a normal meal of macaroni and cheese with hot dogs. But everyone agreed it tasted amazing.

The next morning, it was Christmas. Our whole family gathered in our living room where Scott read the story of Christ’s birth. Then we talked about what we had done to give away Christmas, and how that was a way to show Christ’s love to others. We had barely concluded this when the doorbell rang. Scott and I looked at each other. We hadn’t invited anyone over. I opened the door to find the Stanleys, with steaming dishes of food in hand.

“Merry Christmas!!” They all yelled.

“What’s this about?” I asked laughing.

“Well dear, your family was so kind to us, we just had to return the favor. So we were wondering if you would like to share Christmas dinner with us?” replied Sarah.

We invited them in and had a delicious meal. As we were finishing up, the doorbell rang again. This time, it was the Andersons.

“You were so kind to us,” said Mr. Anderson. “We wanted to do something for you. So I brought something for the children.” He revealed five hand-made wooden sleds. The children squealed a delighted thank you.

As I stood outside watching my children sled down every hill they could manage to find, I thought about what I had learned that Christmas season. By submitting to my husband and giving away Christmas, God had retaught me one of His basic truths: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” I thought of the Gift He had sent so long ago, the reason we celebrate Christmas. And I realized that the greatest gift we can ever get, is to give.

By: Brooke Reninger

A Grandmother's Legacy

This is a post previously posted on my first blog, Becoming Abigail. Recently a friend of mine lost their grandmother. It reminded me of losing mine and writing this post, so I decided to share it with you. 

Many of you know how I love to write poetry. A few years ago, I found out that my grandmother had also written poetry. I decided to share some of her poetry with you today, in a tribute to her. You see, she passed away last night after battling cancer.

My grandmother was a very talented woman. She was a wonderful cook and baker, and a talented seamstress. She passed these talents on to her daughters. She believed in the family. She came from a family of 13 children, and with the help of her husband, raised 7 children of her own.

My grandmother made a very special gift for each of her granddaughters. A bride doll, with a handmade dress and veil. (See attached picture.) I am her youngest granddaughter, and will be the last one to get married. I believe that my grandmother had a vision- a vision of a family for each of us, that we would each continue the family that she helped to start. I believe in her vision as well, and when God sends me my husband, I will remember her vision. I am thankful for the legacy that my grandmother passed down to her children and grandchildren- that of faith and family.

Here is a poem that she wrote to her own mother:

Dear Mother

From your deep and peaceful sleep,

You climbed the stairs; Or Lord to meet.

And as they dressed you in a long white gown,

Just a soft sigh, but not a sound;

A tiny tear touches your face,

As they pin your wings in place.

And above your beautiful soft white hair,

A halo shines in all its glory there.

A glorious walk down that golden street,

Your husband and all your friends to meet.

To express your many joys and gladness.

No more sorrows, worries or sadness,

Where love, faith and hope is the key.

what a beautiful, wonderful place to be.

You take your chair on the righthand of the Lord.

"So children, look at me,

An angel, I am to be."

So cry no more and dry your tears,

For to me you shall come through the years;

So continue to have patience and strong love,

Someday we shall meet in our heaven above.

Your Loving Daughter,

Doris Ruth

Originally posted on Becoming Abigail on June 11, 2010.

Chivalry Is NOT Dead

"Chivalry is dead." We've all probably heard that statement, in some form or another. Normally from some young girl lamenting its death and wondering why there aren't any polite young men (or older men for that matter) around anymore. Well friends, I hope you will be encouraged to know that chivalry is NOT dead!!! It still lives on in the hearts, actions, and attitudes of a few good men. I happen to know a handful of them personally.
Chivalry was almost killed by the feminist movement. Picture it: a couple out together for the evening. The man goes to open the door for the woman, being brought up to be chivalrous. The woman is highly offended and insists that she is capable of opening her own door, being brought up believing the lies of feminism. The man soon learns to not do anything chivalrous for his woman, lest he offend her. And then later the woman complains because her man is not chivalrous enough for her. Now, this may not always be the case, but too often it is!! The truth of the matter is, chivalry is not dead. BUT, if women continue telling men they can do things themselves, they don't need help, just because they are a woman doesn't mean they aren't capable, etc., soon chivalry WILL die. No man will continue to be polite and chivalrous to a woman with such a feminist mindset.
So women, be very careful if you are going to decline the help or assistance of a man. Do so only in an extremely polite, gracious, and non-feminist way. Always express your thankfulness and appreciation for their chivalrous offer.
Chivalry is not dead. But it might be if we aren't careful.

My Everyday Hero

In a few days we will be remembering something that happened 10 years ago. 9-11. September 11, 2001. It was a horrible tragedy for this country, and for so many thousands of people. Many civilians, police officers, and firefighters gave their lives. I can’t even begin to relate to the pain the family members of the fallen have gone through. But I am mindful of these people today. My father is a professional firefighter. On a regular basis he is on duty for 24 hours at a time. He and the other members of his shift sacrifice their personal and family time, their sleep, and sometimes endanger themselves to protect people. They run into burning buildings. They cut people out of totaled cars. They are there, ready to respond to an emergency at any given moment. It takes a special kind of man to do what they do. I am so proud of my father. I think we would all agree that these sorts of men are the everyday heros of our country. But let’s not forget our Heavenly Hero, who is also there for us 24/7. He was not only willing to lay down His life for us, He did die for us. Let us remember His sacrifice, both today and everyday. Have a blessed weekend friends. 

I'm Still Here!!!

What's up readers? My summer has been so busy but also amazing. God has done some great things. I'm currently trying to find a home-based medical transcriptioning job, teaching piano to 3 different students, continuing to write when I can, reading some great books (you should check out How to Win Friends and Influence People), helping my mom out around the house (cleaning, laundry, and even cooking!!), checking my brother's English, playing piano (I just set a new goal to learn a 19-page song. It's gonna take a while.), doing karate, helping out with kids' classes at karate, getting ready to start teaching a new Bright Lights class at church, and doing some physical therapy to deal with a knee issue. So I've been great!! I have a question for all of you readers: What would you like me to write about next? I'm open to suggestions. :)

Girls' Retreat 2011

All week long there were many friendship
bracelets being made! I think I'm hooked
now as well. :)

Hello everyone! I have just gotten back from my 2nd camp session of the summer- Girls' Retreat. It was a wonderful week with a lot of fun and biblical truths. I was staffing; I was in charge of chapel and whatever else needed to be done. One of the things I noticed throughout the week that was really nice to see was the mentoring. The older women were mentoring the younger women and the girls, the younger women were mentoring the younger girls, etc. It was so awesome to see God's women walking side by side towards Him!! I hope that as staff, we were able to touch the lives of those girls. I am a firm believer in the fact that God brought each of us there for a reason. I could see Him working throughout the week and I hope the girls saw it too! I was able to reconnect with several of my friends, as well as meet many new girls and women who just amazed me! God is good!!

~Brooke

Blessed by Beautiful Friends

Hi readers, I know I've been promising posts about camp...and here I am about to go to camp again and I still haven't told you about the last time! Well I will tell you soon...but not today. Today I just wanted to write quickly and say: I am so blessed. I'm not talking about things- though the Lord has given me every earthly thing I could ever need and then some- I'm talking about people. He has put such beautiful people into my life. Sometimes, in ways I could never guess or imagine. He has put me in a beautiful family- I am SO blessed to be a part of them. He has given me a wonderful church family that I am blessed to have grown up in. He has given me some really great, amazing, wonderful friends. Some old friendships and some new friendships. I'm the kind of person that doesn't have a ton of friends. But the ones I do have...I am extremely thankful for. I would do almost anything for them, and I know they would do the same for me. I am so thankful for my friends!! I don't know what I'd do without em! :) The Lord has brought these friends into my life in such beautiful ways. I can only praise Him for them. Do you have a really good friend you just love? Praise God if you do!!

~Brooke 

Enjoying Today

Well readers currently I am enjoying the first day of our family vacation! The weather has been wonderful, if hot, and the water sure felt good today!! You know, I really enjoy "getting away" with my family. We all get to hang out, no one has to worry about work or school; it's just really nice. :) And I can't help thinking, I really don't know how much longer I will be here with my family. I don't know what God has planned for my future. I may be married and living in a different state in a couple of years, who knows? But I should take advantage of these years with my family while I still can. =) So remember that- make the most of what you have right now. Cause you never know where you will be tomorrow.

~Brooke 

19 Years of Blessings

Recently I turned 19. I had a great birthday. I spent it at camp (which I still promise to tell you about). Before I left for camp, we celebrated with my family here. We went out to dinner and had cake that my mom drove 2 hours to pick up, homemade by a good friend of ours. The next day my brother and I left for a week at camp.
THEN on my actual birthday at camp: My day started by my best friend waking me up and saying, "Good morning and happy birthday!" =) Then at breakfast my brother and 2 friends sang me a birthday song. :) Of course, there were all the happy birthday texts and comments throughout the day. It was a wonderful day. :) I'm so blessed to have the wonderful family and friends I do. God has truly blessed me in many ways, and I am grateful.

~Brooke

Summer Plans

Wow hello again everyone! I feel like I have so much catching up to do here! I have been slightly out of touch since I've been so busy trying to finish school. Then I went to camp for a week. Which was amazing, and I will tell you all about it later. I am done with school now! I sent in my final test yesterday so now I'm just waiting for my final score. I'm very excited to be graduated. Soon I will start looking for a job-working from home of course, as there is no place I'd rather be. The rest of my summer is looking pretty busy. Next week my family is taking a vacation to Tennessee. I'm very excited to be doing one more camp session in July- Girls' Retreat. I look forward to being able to minister to some girls and show God's love to them. In August I go back to Los Angeles for a conference there for a week. So my summer is shaping up to be busy but fun!

~Brooke

Live From the Homeschool Conference!

Hi everyone!! I am at the homeschool conference RIGHT NOW! Ok actually, I'm not at the convention hall, but I was there basically all day today and it is AWESOME!!! I love looking at all the curriculum and vendors. We've also attended some pretty good talks about worldview this year, put on by Mr. Stonestreet of Summit Ministries. I am having a really good time. I even got to meet up with some friends downstairs at the used curriculum sale. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, as I have a couple sessions to attend. Hopefully I can also get pictures up soon!

~Brooke

Homeschool Conference Coming Up!

Hello readers!! What have I been up to lately? Well, basically school. Which is why I haven't been posting much lately. I'm working furiously trying to finish up school within the next couple of weeks. This weekend though, my parents and I are attending a local homeschool conference. I am so excited! Specifically because one of the main speakers of the weekend is from Summit Ministries and will be speaking a lot on worldview. A great topic. :) Then next weekend I am off to be a Bible teacher at camp for a week. I am so excited for that as well!! I will also be celebrating my birthday during that week. So it will be a busy next couple of weeks but I'm excited. I will try and let you know how the conference is!!

~Brooke 

What?! No Way!!

Well readers, I am excited. VERY excited. You see, I found out a very exciting fact today. One of my favorite writers, quite possibly my favorite writer EVER, has come out of hiding. I'm talking about the one and only Jasmine Baucham. Many months ago she published her book (which I have yet to read), and after that really left the blogging world, except for an occasional post here and there. Well today I found out that she has a new blog!!! This is beyond amazing!!! Because it means I can again read her amazing posts with her wonderful wisdom, encouragement, and humor. I love Jasmine's writing. I hope and aspire to someday write with the conviction and maturity that she does. I would like to believe that I am on the road to improving in that direction; I can only hope and pray I am.

You can find Jasmine's new blog at All She Has To Say. :)

~Brooke

Graduation - One Year Later

My parents and I at my graduation
ceremony last May. :)

One year ago, I graduated high school. It was a very monumental day in my life. I had been homeschooled "all the way"- from preschool through high school. I was privileged enough to participate in a state-wide graduation ceremony for homeschoolers. There were about 125 of us!! It was a wonderful ceremony though, and the speaker gave a wonderful message about always remembering how God is right next to us. I was also thankful to celebrate it with my family and several of our close friends, who had been inspirations to me as I grew up.

I knew that I did not want to pursue college. I felt that the Lord has called me to be a wife and mother someday. I also feel that He has given me a talent for writing (at least I hope so), and He has definitely given me a passion for it. I chose to pursue medical transcriptioning as a way to work from home. Hopefully this is something I could do before, and possibly even after, I have a family. But of course I still plan to pursue writing.

And now here I am a year later, and I am about to graduate again. This time from medical transcriptioning school. I'm not there quite yet, but I'm in my final session and should graduate in June. I'm getting very excited!! I am so thankful for all the support I've had from my friends and family, and from the Lord. My future is unknown to me, but I'm excited to see what He will make of it. :)

~Brooke

I Love My Mother!!

So this post basically equates to a Mother's Day post. Yes I know, very late. :) I love my mother. A LOT. I'm thankful that she was willing to give up working a job outside the home to stay home and homeschool me and later my brother. I'm thankful for the instruction and teaching she has given me over the years and continues to give me. I'm thankful that she is patient with me and understanding, even when we don't see eye to eye. And my mother and I are very different at times! We have very different personalities. Together we have had to learn how the other works, and be patient towards each other in that way. We understand that the way she and my father raised me is very different from the way she was raised. And so, I love my mother! And I have no doubt that she loves me as well. I love you mom!!

~Brooke

Out of Thin Air

This is the first blog post I ever wrote. :) Hope you enjoy it.
God’s timing is perfect. Sometimes we might not think so, but it always is. It can be hard to wait- whether it is for a husband, a child, or anything else. We don’t like to be patient. We think we need it now, or at least in our own time frame. But the truth is, the world operates on God’s time frame. Which, by the way, is much better than anything we could come up with. Again and again he has demonstrated his perfect timing.

I was about 14 or 15 years old. I had very few friends, was rejected by kids at church because of my beliefs, and felt very alone. Then one day, almost out of thin air, God sent me a friend. She lived in a totally different state, but we became close friends through email. He actually provided me with 2 close friends- at the very time I needed it most. His perfect timing.

Sometimes I wonder where God is going to find a husband for me. Will he just pull one out of thin air? He could. He provided friends for me seemingly out of thin air. Why not a husband? This is the God who made the world in 6 days- out of thin air. He saved me through his grace and mercy. He planned out the salvation of the world. Do I really think he can’t plan out my very small life? I must trust him. Trust that his will, his plan, and his timing are perfect. Because they are.

And once I truly trust him, he will make things happen in his time. Even if he has to pull someone out of thin air.

~Brooke

Blog Makeover!!!

Well, as you all can see, we have gotten a makeover!!!! What do you think? A HUGE thanks to my dear friend Hannah over at A Homemaker's Daughter. She did the entire thing, and she did an awesome job!! I got to pick out the colors and some of the designs, so of course I had a lot of fun with that. :)

Let me know what you think of the new design!!!! I'm always open to any comments or feedback.

~Brooke

The Preacher and the Teenager

This is a short story I wrote recently. I appreciate any feedback and/or comments. I hope you like it. :)    

 The preacher closed his Bible and began giving his closing remarks. He looked out through the crowd gathered in church that morning. His eyes again rested on that girl. Normally she paid attention to what he was saying up there, but today she had been texting throughout the entire sermon. As he finished up and sat down in his usual seat, he was still thinking about her. He shook his head. Teenagers. What was to be done with them? He was going to have to have a talk with her now.

    Church ended, and he quickly made his way to her pew. He grabbed her elbow and pulled her to the side.

     “Elizabeth, I need to talk to you,” he said.

     “Okay… what’s up?” He could tell she was slightly puzzled.

     “Well, when I’m preaching, I can see everyone. A lot of people forget that. They think they can do things secretly, and no one will know. But God knows, and more often than not, I do too,” he paused for a breath. She was silent. He tried again.

     “Look Elizabeth, I saw you texting during church today. I know that you texted throughout the entire sermon, and you probably can’t remember a single point from my message.” He fixed her with a look that he hoped would make her feel remorseful.

     But to his surprise all she said, in a very quiet voice, was “You’re right.” They stared at each other for a bit longer, waiting.

     “I really need to go now,” she said and walked away, pulling out her cell phone again.

     To say the least, he was very surprised she hadn’t tried to defend herself or argue. She didn’t even seem sorry. She probably didn’t even care. He went on his way, wondering what good teenagers even were.

*******************************************************************

     The next Sunday the preacher noticed with a smug smile that Elizabeth didn’t pull out her phone even once during church. He also saw that she had brought a friend with her. Probably another rebellious teenager, he thought. But he decided to be nice and went to introduce himself, welcome her, and ask what had brought her there.

     He was shocked at what he heard.

     “I am so thankful to be here today sir. You see, last Sunday I was going to kill myself. I didn’t think I had anything worth living for. I had the gun to my head.” Tears filled the young woman’s eyes.

    “But then my cell phone went off. Elizabeth had texted me. Just to say hi and that she loved me. And I couldn’t help replying. Because it had been a long time since someone had said that to me. So we texted for hours, and she told me of this Jesus who loves me too. And well… that stopped me. So now I’m here to hear more about this Jesus. And I have. And I realized he loves me more than any human ever could. And I want to love Him too.”

     When everyone had left church that day, the preacher was still there. He knelt on his knees near the front row. And there he prayed that God would forgive his foolishness, as tears filled his own eyes.

*******************************************************************

     ‘Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?’ –James 2:2-4

      “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” -1 Timothy 4:12

~Brooke

Kansas City Convention!!!

The view of the city from the 32nd floor. :)

This past weekend my family and I, along with about 30 other people from our church, were blessed to attend the Leadership Training for Christ (LTC) convention in Kansas City, Missouri. We had a wonderful, fabulous time, and the Lord was certainly working! The kids did events such as Bible bowl, Bible quiz, Bible reading, speech, poetry, Live Drama, song leading, photography, scrapbook, and more. They were awarded either a bronze, silver, or gold medal. I don't think anyone got lower than a silver! Well the Live Drama was what I was so nervous about. I had been working with the kids on it for months. I tried to give them some last minute tips, and then just prayed that they could do their best. They were amazing!! They gave a wonderful performance for the judges, and got a gold medal for it. And as if that wasn't enough, their drama was chosen for the encore performance!! They got to perform it for over 1,000 people!! I was so proud of them. :) Not only did the kids all do very well, they spent a lot of time in God's word to prepare for the conference. I know they have done a lot of growing. That is a great thing to see.

Well if all that wasn't good enough, I also got to spend a lot of time with some of my best friends!! We stayed up into the wee hours of the morning talking, telling silly jokes, jamming on the keyboard, singing, and just enjoying each other's company. I have come back so encouraged. :)

So I hope this encourages you, and if your church is not involved in something like LTC, look into it!!

~Brooke

Homeschooling

Okay so I want to talk a minute about homeschooling. I am a homeschool graduate. And I have to tell you that I absolutely LOVED it! Sure it wasn't always easy... but in the end I think it was all worth it. The fact that my family chose to homeschool was definitely a God thing. My mother tells me how she never even was considering homeschooling. She thought she had everything planned out - she had a job that she absolutely loved. But then after she had me, she realized that she did not want to have to continue to leave me everyday. The Lord started drawing her towards homeschooling. She did a lot of research on it. And eventually she and my father decided that she would stay home and homeschool me and then later my brother. So I was homeschooled from day 1. And yes, I would choose to homeschool any and all of my future children. Homeschooling allows you to teach your children the way God shows us in His word, and it allows us to avoid the public school's agenda. Homeschooling allows us to give our children a Biblical worldview. It allows us to raise them with Christ being the center of their lives. It allows us to protect them from the evil influences of the world. So yes, I am a super big fan of homeschooling. :)

Award

~Thank the person who gave you the award
~Tell seven things about yourself
~Award other bloggers whose blogs inspire you!
~Contact the other bloggers, and let them know that they have received the award!
 Thank you for the award Hannah!! 


1. I love writing. I want to be an author someday soon.
2. More than almost anything in this life, I want to be a wife and mother someday.
3. I'm a certified lifeguard, but I've never officially worked as a lifeguard.
4. We've always had dogs, but I love big dogs the best.
5. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE martial arts. I've been in the same club for almost 7 years, and it is the oldest club in my state.
6. I will soon be graduating from an online school and will hopefully get a job working form home as a medical transcriptionist.
7. I was diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 10. 


I would like to award: Tahirah.

My Thoughts on Prayer

Hello readers. How are you all? I hope you are staying strong in your faith. Today I'd like to talk a little about prayer. When it comes to my relationship with God, prayer is the one place I have struggled the most. I'm usually very good about reading my Bible daily, but not as good at praying daily. Lately I have really been trying to change that. Personally, I like to pray just before I go to bed at night. I like the idea of talking to God just before I go to sleep; anything that has come up during the day I can bring before Him. I have also tried to start talking to Him more throughout the day. Sometimes I just sit on the floor in my room and pour my heart out to Him. For too long, I've thought about prayer the wrong way. I've put too many rules to it, prayed too much for just what I want. Now I try to just simply talk to God. I have also started trying to praise Him more. I know I can only do my best, and He knows what I need. This verse is so encouraging to me when it comes to prayer: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through groans that words cannot express. -Romans 8:26 
I know the Lord will help me when I have no words to pray. 


~Brooke

Where Did All the Jonah's Come From?

In the past I talked a little about men and women after God’s own heart: David’s and Mary’s. Today I will talk about another person- Jonah. Did you notice how our world is full of Jonahs? What do I mean by that? Well think about Jonah of the Old Testament. God told him to do something, and he ran away. He even hid. Later we see examples of his selfishness and self-centeredness. A far cry from the man who tried to follow God with his entire heart and being. So did you notice how so many young people these days are being raised to be Jonah’s? We continue to see young people who are selfish, self-centered, and running from God. So many young people are falling away from their faith and the church. So many of them are becoming Jonah’s. What can we do about this? First, we must make a commitment to never become a Jonah. We must strive to be a Mary or a David. We must make it our goal to follow God with our hearts, minds, and souls, even when it’s hard or inconvenient. We must be godly examples to other young people in our lives. Secondly, we must purpose to raise godly children. We must realize that we need to someday teach our children to be Mary’s and David’s. We must help them realize that their life is about serving God, not serving themselves. Then maybe we can rid the world of the Jonah’s. 

~Brooke

Do Not Be Unequally Yoked

“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.

‘Therefore come out from them and be separate,’ says the Lord.

‘Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.

“Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” – 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” How many Christians have broken this very commandment? Notice this is not a suggestion, but a commandment. When God said, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” we take that as a commandment. So why do we treat this as a suggestion? God does not give us suggestions; He gives us commandments.

He gave us this commandment to keep us pure and to make life easier for us. I have seen the torture and struggle that comes from being unequally yoked. God doesn’t want us to have to go through that. He also wants us to be pure. In the Old Testament times, He did not want his people to marry the unbelievers, and at times even sent plagues when they disobeyed this law. (Numbers 25:1-13) The Lord did not want anyone to take His children away from Him. He knew if the Israelites married unbelievers, they would soon be worshipping other gods. And that is exactly what happened. Why do we think it would be any different for us? Do we think we are that much smarter and wiser than the Israelites, that we can intimately associate with unbelievers and not be pulled away after other gods? Are we that more righteous than they were? The answer, dear friend, is no.

As a side note, I believe this Scripture also applies to friendships. If we constantly intimately associate ourselves with unbelieving friends, we soon find ourselves being pulled in the wrong direction (1 Corinthians 15:33-34). Yes, we need to have some unbelieving friends so that we may reach out to them and show them the Good News of Christ. But they do not need to be our most intimate friends. We should seek out intimate friendships with fellow believers, that we may be edified (Proverbs 27:17).

So dear friends, let us all save ourselves the trouble, let us learn from the Israelites’ mistakes, let us follow God’s commandment to be not unequally yoked. It is His will for us.

~Brooke

A Woman After God's Own Heart

David was called “a man after God’s own heart.” Isn’t that amazing? Imagine being called a person after God’s own heart. How humbling that would be. So we all think of David being a man after God’s own heart, and that got me thinking. What about a woman after God’s heart? Now I know that there is never a woman in the Bible who is actually called this, but if there was I think it would be Mary, the mother of Jesus. Consider her reaction when she was told she would bear the Saviour of the world: “Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God…’ And Mary said, ‘Behold, the bond-slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.’”- Luke 1:34-38

Though Mary didn’t really understand how the things the angel told her could be, she realized that God was in control. She willing put herself into His will and plan- “May it be done to me according to your word.” I think Mary’s faith and selflessness makes her a woman after God’s own heart. I hope that I can follow her example and also be a woman after God’s own heart. 

Interview with Brooke

This is a repost from Becoming Abigail, written by my dear friend Tahirarh. She asked some very hard questions, but I had a lot of fun!!

The Long Awaited Interview with Miss Brooke is here!!! Brooke is truly an exceptional young woman. Her love for God is palpable and she is an inspiration to me and my family. Enjoy!

1. How have you enjoyed homeschooling?

I have immensely enjoyed homeschooling; I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. :)

2. Would you homeschool your children if you have any?

Absolutely! I plan on homeschooling any and all future children that I have.

3. What are the common negative comments you get about homeschooling?

I believe the most common comments that I have heard, either personally or from other homeschooling families, are: homeschoolers are not socialized, homeschoolers wouldn’t get an opportunity to play sports, and that homeschoolers are sheltered.

4. What are your responses to these comments?

First, most of the homeschoolers I know are very well socialized. They are especially good at communicating and socializing with people who are not their age. Many public school kids make lots of friends their own age, but many homeschooler befriend people outside of their own age range. For myself, I know many of my friends have been two or more years younger than me, and as much as 18 years older than me.

In regards to sports, homeschoolers have just as much opportunity to play as public schoolers. I have been involved in martial arts since I was 12 and am currently a black belt, my brother does tumbling and trampolining; I know homeschoolers who played soccer, basketball, baseball, wrestling, football, swimming, etc. I even know a homeschooler who was the Iowa Gymnastic State Champion.

As a matter of fact, homeschoolers are sheltered. But they are sheltered from the negative influences of the world. So it is not a sheltering that anyone should fear. :)

5. Why did you decide to be a stay-at-home-daughter?

I started reading some blogs about SAHDs. Everything I read made a lot of sense, and was backed up by scriptures. As I was already planning on living at home for some time after graduation, it wasn’t too big of a stretch to a SAHD. Most of the things I read really made sense, both physically and spiritually, and I felt convicted to be a stay at home daughter. For me, I believe it is the right thing to do.

6. How do you plan to fill your days as a SAHD?

Well, I am currently attending an online school, so I plan to graduate from that. I plan to work from home part-time as a medical transcriptionist; I plan to teach piano lessons; I plan to write, because I dream of being a writer, and possibly publish some of my work; and I plan to work on homemaking skills to prepare for having my own family someday.

7. Why have you chosen courtship as a way to get to know a suitor?

With 50% of all marriages in this country, yes even Christian ones, ending in divorce, something must be done. I believe courtship is that something. I believe the traditional dating relationships are not working. Courtship is a way to get to know a suitor without becoming too invested emotionally; it enables you to continue to guard your heart, something that is harder to do in a dating relationship.

8. Why have you chosen to save your first kiss for marriage?

I have chosen to save my first kiss for marriage, and that is a personal commitment. Not all may feel led to do this, but I feel that I have. Someday when I get married, I want to be able to present myself to my husband and say, “Here I am. I’ve never given myself to another, not even in the smallest way. I have saved myself for you.” How special will it be to have my first kiss, first time to hold hands, etc., with the man that I marry?

9. How does the word of God inform your decision to save your first kiss for marriage?

God’s word speaks many times about purity. Purity is important to God. Marriages are also important to God. His word tells us to treat young men as brothers in the Lord. I believe that by saving my first kiss until my wedding day, it is a way that I can take purity seriously, help my marriage to start off well, and treat other young men I may meet in a pure way.

10. Have you endured persecution for your choices?

Wow. I think I could write an entire blog post on this question alone. I’ll try not to though. ;) Yes, I have endured persecution for my choices. As early as 14 years old, I was struggling with this persecution. My best friend abandoned me, two other girls ignored and excluded me. Outings were planned and I was deliberately not invited. All because I was homeschooled, and so I was “different.” Several years later, one of the same girls came back into my life. I thought perhaps things would be different, but I was again eventually pushed away. A young woman that I respected deleted our Facebook friendship, left argumentative comments on this blog, and in other ways hurt me, simply because I had chosen to state what I believed in about purity, courtship, etc. Our relationship was basically ruined, and I never said a negative word to her. And friends, these examples were all within the church! Because of these things, I have struggled with acceptance and rejection.

Sadly, I have even see this translate over to the blogging world. I have to continually be sure that I write what I believe and feel, even if some people might not agree. That is part of what inspired me to write “I Don’t Fit in a Box.” I wanted people to know who I really am, and not look at me as something I’m not. That’s another goal I have with my new blog, True Love’s Kiss. My goal is to write as truly and honestly as I possibly can. To be “real” with my readers. Rejection will probably come, but hopefully some people will see my honesty and accept me for that.

11. What gives you hope to live faithfully through this life?

My hope is in Christ, and the eternal salvation that He has promised. I wait on Him.

12. If you could give other young women or girls advice on how to wait on God, what advice would that be?

Pray. Just pray, a lot. I’m telling this to myself as well. It can be very hard to wait, but in the end it will be worth it. God has a Master Plan. We just need to trust him with that. If we are willing to wait for God’s best, I know in the end we will all feel completely overwhelmed that he works everything out so perfectly. Find other like-minded young women who are also waiting. Wait together, encourage each other. Find an older woman who has “been there, done that” to encourage you. Read scriptures about waiting. Read books written by other young women about waiting. Above all, realize this, your life is not about getting married, having children, or whatever else you are waiting for. Your life is about serving God, in whatever way he calls you to do that.

The Great Potato Failure

Well everyone, I have a confession. I hate cooking. It's true, I really don't like it at all. But I know it is a necessary and valuable skill to have, so I've been trying to do a little more of it. The other night I was helping my mom fix supper. It was my job to make the mashed potatoes. They were just a box mix, so it should have been easy right? Wrong. I actually managed to mess up a box mix! I won't embarrass myself further by telling you how, and thankfully mom was able to fix them. Oh dear... what are the chances I'll marry a chef? ;)

~Brooke

Real Love This Valentine's Day

If you are like me, as a single woman who wishes to be married someday, Valentine's Day can feel somewhat lonely. This Valentine's Day I have a challenge for you. Anytime you begin feeling lonely, STOP and PRAY. Pray for your future husband-that he would stay pure, and God will continue to be with him and help him grow. Pray for yourself-that God would grant you patience to wait for His will and timing. In fact, do this everyday! Not just on Valentine's Day. :)

This Valentine's Day, let's take the opportunity to remind others of God's love. The world will be celebrating their idea of love. But earthly love can be superficial and disappointing. Let's take the time to point people to the never-ending, unfailing love of a God who loved us so much that he sent His son to die in our stead. His is a love which will never disappoint us!

~Brooke

I Don't Fit in a Box

This is a repost of something I wrote on Becoming Abigail. Enjoy. :)


I was thinking about the term "stay-at-home-daughter." I'm not sure how much I really like this term. Do I consider myself a stay-at-home-daughter? Yes. But I still don't really like the term. ;) You see, that term itself can carry a sort of stigma. Not that I'm saying it always does. But it can. Many times, when you think of the term stay-at-home-daughter, you think of a young woman who has graduated high school but still lives at home, has many siblings, wears a lot of skirts and dresses, etc. I have a feeling that this picture is not necessarily true for many SAHDs, including me. Not that there is anything wrong with that picture, but no one wants to be mistaken for something they are not. It is always a dangerous thing when anyone tries to make a generalization of anything, especially people. People were not made to fit into boxes. You don't fit in a box. I don't fit in box. God created each of us differently, and in different situations. But whatever situation you are in, whether many siblings or few, whether you wear dresses or jeans, whether you have many children or only 1, those things don't matter. What matters is that you do what God has called you to do.

I just wanted to say I'm not your "average" stay-at-home-daughter. I wear jeans and dresses. I plan on staying at home until I'm married. I only have 1 sibling. I plan on homeschooling my future children. I'm staying pure until marriage. I'm saving my first kiss for my wedding day. I believe in courtship. I'm currently enrolled in online school. I'm a writer, a musician, a martial artist, a sister, a daughter, a student, a teacher, a Christian, and yes, even a stay-at-home-daughter. But I don't fit in a box.

Hello! And a Little History...

Hello bloggers. This is officially my first post here. I wanted to give you a little bit of history. This is not my first time in the blogging world. For about the last 6 months, I have been blogging with my good friend at Becoming Abigail. While I will still be blogging there occasionally, I have decided to strike out on my own a little.

So, what will I be blogging about? Well I'm glad you asked! ;) I will mostly be blogging about topics and issues that are near and dear to my heart. A few of those would be courtship, homeschooling, purity, family, Biblical womanhood, and many more! Sometimes you'll also see some of my poetry and/or stories.

There is one more thing I would like to mention here, which is the reason behind the name of my blog. Well, it took me a long time to come up with a name for my blog. I told all my friends and family to think of names to help me out. I wrote down tons of different names on a piece of paper. I scoured the dictionary; I searched the thesaurus. Still, I couldn't come up with a name that I loved. That piece of paper sat there, mocking me! It was driving me crazy. But when I finally came up with this name and decided on it, I knew it was perfect. I love fairy tales. You know, the prince and the princess, happily ever afters, and true love's kiss. I strongly believe in saving my first kiss for my wedding day. In fact, I started a fan page on Facebook called "Saving Your First Kiss for Marriage." It currently has over 8,000 fans! God has certainly done some amazing things with that page. So for all those reasons, I knew I had the perfect name. :) I hope you enjoy the blog.

~Brooke