Wild At Heart

Yesterday was just one of those days I have taken to calling "Wild at Heart". The morning started out with me slashing through the mud (It had rained all night and had finally reached a loll around 7)  to the chicken coops. One of my young bantams had not taken so well to all the rain and mud and for the most part looked half drowned. I get it to the house and hand it over to mom so that I can check the other pens.

When I finally get back inside nice and wet, OK and muddy. My mom has already begun to dry the bird off. and it has begun to look a lot better. Then guess who wants to go outside. Yep the dog. When I get her out there she will not leave the sidewalk and go into the wet grass. So while were struggling to get the dog out into the grass (gee a border collie is stronger than I thought) my mom notices something on the sticky trap we had forgotten to throw away (yeah that was me that forgot). 

It turned out to be a very stuck little bird. So I hand the leash to my mom put on my "Vet" hat and rush it right along to the clinic kitchen. Where I begin attempting to unstick its feathers and my fingers. After getting my fingers and hands stuck to many times to count I decide to get the flour.  You can imagine the mess. After some maneuvering I managed to remove it from the trap.

About this time my bantam (Angel) decided it was time to explore the living-room just as the little bird fly's out of my hand. So I'm running around trying to catch them before our poor dog gets back inside (who is scared to death of birds). I finally manage to catch bird and chicken and somewhat get them back under control. Not.

So yes my house sometimes feels like a zoo with wet dogs, half drowned chickens, and stuck little birds but I wouldn't change it for the world. They never cease to teach me something. Last night I picked up on the lesson. How much different are we? We who are half drowned in our troubles, stuck in the pain and the darkness When God comes and finds us picks us up dries us off.

Denim and Floral Print Skirt Outfit

Hi there!

 It's that time again!

How was your week? We were at a horse event serving food and doing photography. Afterward we got to ride a horse as well. So much fun (I have the sunburn to prove it)! For This weeks Modest Monday I am wearing a brown shirt over a brown tank-top and a jean skirt.

Skirt: Made by me

Shirt: Vintage Shop

Tank: Target

Necklace: Christmas present

Earrings: Borrowed from my mom  

Belt: Walmart

Work Boots: Walmart



This is a picture from last fall just after I made the skirt.

Flower: Ross 

Shirt: Ross

Scarf: Grandma's stash 

 Skirt: I made it

Two different looks both are modest, comfortable, great for spring summer or fall. For cooler weather pair with boots, a pair of leggings, and a jacket. Mine is inside for this shot.  I literally just made the skirt, threw it on and had my photo taken.

Neutral Print Tiered Skirt Outfit

Hi there! Hope you all had a great weekend. I spent it painting and decorating a bedroom and cleaning the garage. Boy am I exhausted but the room looks great! (Now just to get the paint of my nails). This week we're going to be catering at a horse obstacle challenge. I can't wait! This weeks Modest Monday I'm wearing a tan and green floral patterned skirt. Burnt orange/rust shirt and purple scarf with my work boots. 

Skirt: Walmart

Shirt: Gift

Scarf: Made it

Boots: Walmart

This weeks outfit is cool, modest, and still allows me to work in the garden and with the animals. Nothing can beat a day of doing this.

 

Honestly Who couldn't fall in love with that face?

Boho Skirt And Button Up Blouse

 

Welcome to my new series here on Called To Be MORE -The Life Of A Not So Normal American Teenager, Modest Mondays. My first post to share with you is a tan patterned skirt and a brown shirt with brown sandals and a pink scarf. I hope you enjoy it! Can't wait to hear what you think.

 

Shirt: Ross

Skirt: Walmart

Scarf: Borrowed from Grandma

Shoes: Ross

Cool yet modest and still able to work outside in it. When it came to chore time I just swapped the sandals out for my work boot.

A Second Rate Dreamer?

We all have them. Those well-meaning (at least we hope) family or friends spiritually gifted with discouragement or negativity (Oh, hate to break it to you people but nowhere and I mean nowhere can I find that as a spiritual gift).  (I once had someone tell me that they had the gift of manipulation, SERIOUSLY People!  What bible are you reading?) Well, any way we all have them we have all felt the stings of their words and or attitudes. We have all heard “You can never do that” or “you’ll never amount to that” “You’re not good enough”.  The condescending you are too young, too old, too fat, too thin, too tall, too short, not beautiful enough, too pretty (I seriously heard this before), you are too stupid, too smart, not cool enough, wear funny clothes (Hey, I like my clothes!).  Those that take your dreams and say they are not good enough, take your vision and snort in derision.

Well, I got news for you! What good have they ever done with their life? How have they changed the world for the better with their negative comments and their picking other people apart? They are so busy tearing you and I down that they are wasting their life away well picking at everyone else. So respectfully don’t listen to them. They don’t know your heart like God does, and the only one you have to please is God.  God has called YOU, yes You!  The one sitting in your seat or gripping your smartphone, the one standing in your shoes (no not the ones your sister has borrowed).  God has a special call on your life and it is a call no one but you can fulfill.  Can you say no? Yep  Can you go your own way?  Yes, you can but Oh the blessings that you will never know because of it.  This reminds me of a missionary woman that I read about one time.  Every day she prayed for a husband and every time a boat would come she would go to the boat to meet him and every time he was not there.  At the end of her life, she was still alone, and someone asked her why she never married.  She re-told the story  of how she prayed that God would send her a husband on the next ship to share her life with and how she would go to meet him.  The person then asked if then her God was unfaithful in not sending her husband to her and could therefore not be trusted.  She said gently, Oh no, that was not the case.  She said gently that God had indeed called him, but he simply said no.  How sad,  and how much he missed.  I wonder if he listened to those negative people in his life?

I almost pity those nay-Sayers, because they are missing out on Gods plan for their lives. So pray for them and move on. Don’t carry their baggage with you, drop it and move on because it’s hard to run holding a bunch of suitcases right?

Run toward those righteous dreams that God has put in your heart. Because no matter what, the one person that matters will be with you (Judges 6:16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you,”)

Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?



Thank you to the Chicken Chick for the link up opportunity. 

The Critic The Gossip And Me

"Oh look it's the Jesus freak," One smirks, as the others laugh. "Why is it she thinks she is so much better than everyone else?" she asks her giggling companions.

"That's the thing with her kind. They think they are so much better so they have to fix the rest of us when they are the ones with the problem," a second girl responds. The others nod their agreement.

"Have you heard what her mother was and why they had to move here?" The last girl said just loud enough for everyone near to hear what she was saying. A tear slipped down her cheek as she listened to the girls behind her, another bit of her heart shattered.

"She'll never be anything," the words spoken so many people over the years stung like a whip.

"Have you ever seen a monument erected to a critic? When the critic throws stones, the visionary should take them and build a wall. Then if the critic wants to see what you have built charge him admission to get through the gate." - Courageous Teens

I'll bet you have run into your share of critics. I know I have, some of them meaning well some not so much. I'll bet you can remember what they said am I right? Funny how we can remember the bad things and let them hurt us long after they have left our lives isn't it? Why is it that even after years we can still hear them?

 Trust me I have had my share of in encounters with gossips and critics and both are extremely painful. The gossip fears what you are and what you will become and so they attempt to take you down with their lies. The Critic is the person who has never done anything and wants to keep you from doing something.


Nehemiah faced a lot of criticism. But he didn't listen to them and he and the people of Israel were able to rebuild the walls of their city. (Nehemiah 4:4-6)When the critics wanted to meet with Nehemiah he replied “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”

I don't know about you but I would say that is a pretty good answer. (Now just to remember it for later use *wink*) Nehemiah didn't just have a good answer for them though he was prepared to meet them if they attacked but he kept working on the walls not allowing them to distract him from the end goal. (now I'm not talking about those people who are offering us good and Godly advice we need to listen to them)

We to can not allow our Critics to get us off track. We can not let them distract us from the end goal. We have to look at them and say (or in his case send them a message)"I am Carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?" Or in today's terms, Sorry God and I have a plan, and I don't have time to worry about what you think of who I am or where God is leading me.

The critic and the gossip are too big of a coward to do anything great, so when they see your potential they will do everything they can to take you down and keep you from completing your Godly goals.

Don't let them stop you.

Choose

Then Elijah  approached all the people and said, 'How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him. 1 King 18:21

In this day and age, we have a lot coming at us, from how to dress to having friends. We have to meet the status quo. We have to look and be like everyone else.  But where are the teenagers who will stand against the tide of popular opinion to speak about their faith, the same faith that people have died for?

These days call for a faith that can NOT be compartmentalized. You can not be a Christian around your church friends. you have to be godly around those popular kids in school.  You have to act like a Christian while playing your sport or hobby. When your friends -and classmates- see you they need to know where you stand.

You cannot sit on the fence, it doesn't work - well it does if you want to live like everyone else- the answer is yes or no, there is no in-between. Jesus said either you are for me or against me. It's a simple thing. Either you're going to live your life differently -and take it from me people are going to stare. It's not going to be easy. People will mock you. You'll be hurt. There will be days when you're going to want to say " I quit God! I can't do this anymore" trust me I've  been there. But no matter what it's been worth it- or you can live like the world just another breathing human being with no greater calling.  If Yahweh is God, follow Him.

It's that simple. Let me ask you a painful question: which is more important to you, texting, shopping, and video games or, spending time in God's word? Be honest with yourself, I was when I asked myself that question -albeit a little differently- I read somewhere that where your mind is there your heart is. You will worship what takes up your time.

I'll be the first one to say it if I spent as much time studying the bible as I do - talking to my cousins and friends on Facebook or raising my chickens I would be very different. And that is why we need another Elijah. We need someone because we've listened to the celebrities, and they've failed. We've listened to the "youth group leaders" and they have let us down.

Our so called leaders have dropped the ball. SO it's time we pick it up. And let's face it, it's been dropped for several generations. We need an Elijah because like in his age the godless are ruling our society and most people just don't seem to care. And the faith that once motivated us doesn't anymore. Pretty sad huh?

Well, there is a way to stop it, to turn back but it will take sacrifice. You will not be cool. People may not like you. It will be painful and you may lose some of the stuff you hold dear but since when has the right choice been easy and pain-free?

Christianity to borrow the phrase from "Courageous Teens" is not the cafeteria line where we pick what we want. As for me, I want to walk into a room and people be uncomfortable by the crude joke they just told. When people look at me I want them to see who I serve. I want them to see who my God is. I don't want to jump off the proverbial bridge with everyone else. I don't want to be the Christian straddling the fence or dangling my feet in the water on the other side.

We've tried the compromise and this is where we are. And it's just getting worse. We can no longer compromise our morals or our beliefs.  We need a new Elijah to break through this age of pooling ignorance and call us to desperate prayer. We need leaders who will stand up and risk the peace of status quo. Who will not care if they are labeled an outcast? D.L. Moody once heard someone say that God was waiting to show the world what He could do through one wholly surrendered man, and Moody responded; "By the grace of God, I will be that man," Well by the grace of God I will be that woman.  You see, the Elijah that we need today is us.  We can and should stand up and be counted as a leader and not a follower.  The world needs to hear from us.  They need to know the hope that is within us.  Just stand up and speak, tell them what the Lord means to you and what he has done in your life.  Really what do you have to lose?  Nothing that is eternal, nothing that is important, nothing that is lasting.  Ok all of you Elijah's our there, will you stand with me?  Will you say, "By the Grace of God I will be that man or woman?  We need you!  You can do this!

Write to us and we will pray for you.


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