Treasuring Today

A sunny spring day

2012-01-30T23:30:00.000-06:00

I know that it's not spring, but judging by today's weather it sure seems like it! We had a lovely 60 degree day (are you sure that it's January?) and I decided to take advantage of it. I'll admit that my camera has taken quite a long rest over the past few weeks, but today was warm, sunny, the lighting was beautiful and it seemed like a good day to dust off the camera and take some pictures.

Last fall I got a reflector for using with my camera (got it for free using Amazon gift cards that I earned through Swagbucks!), but I haven't played around with it much. It's great for getting neat shots with sunlight since you can have the sun back light your subject and then use the reflector to bounce light onto their face.

My six year old sister Lydia volunteered to be my subject. Isn't she sweet?

There are little sisters who love to pose for the camera, and others who just enjoy making silly faces so that they can see themselves. Miriam happens to be one of the ones who loves to be silly...

Of course, Flash had to have her picture taken too. I didn't use the reflector for her since she seems to have decided that it is an extremely scary monster that will eat her if it gets too close...

I know that I have a photography blog that I could post all of these photos on, but the main reason that I wanted to start it was so that I could enter photo contests without having to post those here. Photography is one of the things I love to do, and because of that I'll still be posting photos from photo shoots and life here at Treasuring Today!

My latest project

2012-01-22T16:49:00.000-06:00

I would like to introduce to you my newest blog project - Rebekah Mae Photography (such an original name, I know). Over Christmas break I had at least 3 people ask me if I had a website or blog that I posted my photography on. It sounded like a good idea to me, so I decided to start a photography blog. Don't worry...Treasuring Today is my main blog and I'll still be posting lots of photography here too. If you'd like to check it out, just click on the button below...

Sorry that this post is somewhat short...I hope to do a bit longer one soon!

my heart's desire

2012-01-12T22:54:00.002-06:00

I can't pinpoint an exact date when it happened - but it did. A passion started to burn in my heart. When I went to Mali, West Africa for a month in 2009 it opened my eyes to a whole new world outside of our American way of life. I always knew that it existed, but there's just something about experiencing it first hand that makes it so real. It's something that I'll never forget.

When I look at the smiling faces of the Malian children, I can't help but feel that I take so much for granted. They don't have large houses, the latest technology, or tons of toys - yet they seem so content. I want to live that way! I don't want to be focused on the stuff, but rather on how I can use the resources God has blessed me with for His glory.

Sometimes it's easy to let myself get caught up in my own little world and then forget about all of the hurt that is going on around me. Between juggling schoolwork and a busy schedule, it's too easy to let other things be pushed out of my mind. But over the past few months I've become more and more aware of the hurt, pain, and need that there is around the world, and it's made me want to do something about it.

Then, last Tuesday our Bright Lights lesson was on mercy - and since the person who is teaching always seems to learn more than those who are listening, I was again challenged in this area. God has called us to live lives of mercy, reaching out to those in need and showing them the love of Christ. One verse that stood out to me comes from Luke 7:47 - "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." Once we realize how much mercy we have been shown and how much God has forgiven us, it brings about a new motivation to share this love and mercy with others. We often hear "God loves you" and I think that we've started to take it lightly. But when the full reality of that love hits us, how can we not want to share it with others?

I want to be full of God's mercy for the lost, hurting, and starving people of this world. But how? Where do I start? I still have a lot of questions, but I pray that I will jump wholeheartedly into the opportunities that He brings my way. I'm sure there is a reason for this passion that He has placed in my heart, and I want to be ready to follow His leading, no matter what. For now, He has placed me in a community where there are broken, hurting people, and I want to see this as my mission field.

Who knows what God has in store? I can't wait to find out!
To His name alone be all the glory.

James 1:27

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:

to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to

keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

hello 2012

2012-01-01T23:28:00.000-06:00

"Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it."

Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables)

A new year. A fresh start.

I can hardly believe that the first day of the new year is nearly over. Another year has come to a close and a new one lays before us, just waiting to be filled with memories.

It's with mixed emotions that I let go of twenty-eleven and turn the page to a new year. I wouldn't trade the past year for anything. The laughter, the tears, the growth, the work, the blessings, the friendships - so many wonderful memories that I never want to forget. God has blessed me in more ways than I can count, and I'm amazed at how He has worked in and through my life over the past year.

It was a year of growth on many levels. I grew in my love for photography, developed my horsemanship skills, and pursued my love for horses through Hippology. But even more importantly than that, I feel that I gained a better understanding of the woman God has called me to be. As a Christian, I'm not called to live a life watching from the sidelines - I'm called to be active in my faith and live it out in my day to day life.

But now it's a new year. I don't want to come away from 2012 with any regrets. I pray that it will be a year of growing in the Lord and living a life that is pleasing to Him. I hope that it is a time of growth, learning, and wonderful memories. Some of the goals that I plan to work towards in the upcoming year are...

- Being faithful in doing my quiet time each morning and memorizing scripture
- Running regularly
- Working towards improving my photography
- Being consistent in training my horse
- Competing in Hippology (the study of horses)
- Keeping my days scheduled so that I can get all of my priorities done :)

I'm excited about this year. I look forward to all of the adventures and memories that I'll have - but no matter what it may bring, whether it be storms or sunshine, I pray that it will draw me closer to my Savior.

Have a wonderful 2012.

Celebrating the Savior

2011-12-25T16:00:00.000-06:00

"I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:10-11

(photo from 'The Nativity Story' movie)

Merry Christmas!
I hope that all of you have a wonderful day as we celebrate our Savior.

The Christmas story is pretty amazing. God, the Creator of the Universe, sending His only Son into the world as a baby - I don't think that I can fully comprehend it all. What was it like for Jesus, who was fully God, to become a man and to walk this earth? What was it like for Mary, knowing that she held in her arms the Savior of the world? What was going through her mind?

Not only did Jesus step down from perfect heaven into our sin filled world, He came knowing what had to be done in order to save us from our sin. He came in peace, not war. He brought light into a world of darkness. He brought hope into a world of despair. It's amazing that He loves us so much that He gave His life for us. What a special gift! Not only should we celebrate His birth on this day, but also the gift of salvation that is offered us through the death of Christ.

So whether you have 40 inches of snow or if the sun is shining and it's 45 degrees...have a wonderful Christmas filled with many special memories! May you experience the joy and peace that only the Savior can bring.

White Christmas

2011-12-16T14:36:00.000-06:00

This is about the most snow that we've had so far...and it's already melted. I've heard that as of right now it doesn't look like it'll be a white Christmas for us. It doesn't feel quite like the middle of December when the ground it bare and it's 35 degrees out!

I feel that sometimes I let things other than the real meaning define Christmas. A light and fluffy layer of snow. Presents under the tree. Christmas decorations. Baking sweet treats. Time of fellowship with family and friends. While all of these things are fun and are a part of the Christmas season, they really aren't what defines it. The true meaning of Christmas was found lying in a manger in a stable in Bethlehem. The true meaning is God's precious gift to us - His Son.

If someone handed me a prettily wrapped present, what would you think if I thanked them for it, admired the beautiful wrapping paper, and then set it on a shelf where I could look at it? You would probably think that I had forgotten about the actual present! But how often do we do the same thing with Christmas? I think that sometimes we forget that decorations, snow, and presents are only glitter and glamor of the wrapping paper. We get so caught up in the wrapping paper that we miss the real gift.

It may seem a little bit different if we don't have a white Christmas, but that's ok. It's not the reason we celebrate. I don't want to get so caught up in the things that are simply a layer of wrapping that I miss the true present.

A new day

2011-12-10T21:30:00.001-06:00

It was about 7:05am yesterday morning when my mom woke me up, telling me that there was a lunar eclipse going on and she thought I might like to get some photos. That's a normal time for me to get up, but I was still a little bit tired and going out in 10 degree weather just didn't sound too appealing. So I stayed in bed, but as I lay there thinking about it, I decided that it was a rare opportunity and that I should go for it.

Jumping out of bed I grabbed a thick sweater and put in on over my t-shirt, grabbed my camera, ran downstairs, slipped on a coat and boots and went outside. Let's just say that it was cold enough to wake you up very quickly. The only problem was that the best place to take pictures of it was out on the other edge of our property. I may have looked kind of crazy running through the pasture at full speed and clutching a camera bag, but sometimes you've gotta do what it takes to get a good photo, right?

By the time I got up there the eclipse was probably 3/4 of the way done, so I quickly grabbed my camera out of the bag, only to realize that I needed to change my lens to the 55-200mm to get a better photo. It only took me about 30 seconds to change it, but no kidding, just as I finished a cloud covered it up and stayed there until it was over. What a way to ruin my perfect photo taking session! Needless to say, I was kind of disappointed and a little bit frustrated with myself for not getting out of bed only a minute of two earlier!

This is the best (and only) photo that I got of the lunar eclipse. See that little tiny pink spot right above the horizon? Yep...that's it...

Well, even though I didn't get to photograph the eclipse, I did find that early morning is a beautiful time to take pictures! Not often do I go outside with my camera first thing in the morning, especially when it's so cold out. With frost fresh on the ground and a lovely sunrise, it adds a special effect that isn't always available at other times of the day.

It's neat how, even though I didn't get to take pictures of what I had originally wanted to, I was able to see some of the other little details that I wouldn't have noticed otherwise. What at first seemed somewhat disappointing, turned out to be a lovely start to my day!

Holiday Memories

2011-12-06T18:30:00.001-06:00

Last Sunday our whole family went to our friends house to bake cookies. The kitchen island was just big enough for ten kids to squish around as we designed our cookies. We ended up with quite a wide variety of shapes and designs, ranging from a Christmas theme of wreaths, snowmen, reindeer, presents, Christmas trees, penguins, and manger scenes to other creative creations. There were frogs catching flies, monkeys riding on elephant backs, monsters, pizzas, cameras, fruit baskets, and even a few that were just a interesting mixture of all the colors combined.

Squishing and molding the dough until it's shaped just right...

I'm still trying to decide what the cause of my interesting expression in that picture is...I think it may have had something to do with the way my reindeer's antlers were turning out. It's pretty safe to say that I'm not the most creative person when it comes to designing cookies.

Laughter and lively chatter filling the kitchen. The scent of freshly baked cookies drifting through the air. Christmas lights sparkling throughout the house.

I love the Christmas season.

seventeen

2011-12-01T22:34:00.000-06:00

Another year has come and gone.

On Monday I celebrated my seventeenth birthday, and I can hardly believe how the time flies. It seems like just yesterday that I was counting down the days to my tenth birthday, yet here I am celebrating seventeen wonderful years of life. This past year has been a year of learning, growing, laughter, and tears. A year of growing closer to the Lord.

Memories of earlier years come flooding to my mind. Playing spy. Riding pigs. Sneaking through the woods while playing capture the flag. Building snow forts. Those years seemed so simple...so carefree. It's interesting to see how priorities change as I've gotten older. In time that I used to use for playing outdoors or having tea parties with dolls, I now spend in school work, planning Bright Lights meetings, working outside, or taking pictures. Yet even looking back at the simplicity of that earlier stage of life, I still wouldn't trade it for what I have now. I've found that getting older isn't just about a change in priorities, it's also about taking on new responsibilities, learning new things, and growing in the Lord.

Growing up can bring mixed emotions. On the one hand, I'm excited about the future and where the Lord will lead me. On the other hand, growing up can be a complicated process! There are so many decisions, unanswered questions, and uncertainties. But the Lord is faithful and I know that He will guide me no matter what I may have to face. I love this stage of life...but then again I'll be saying that 20 years from now too.

"For the Lord is good and His love endures forever;

His faithfulness continues through all generations."
Psalm 100:5

Christmas Bokeh

2011-11-26T21:26:00.001-06:00

Now that Thanksgiving is over, thoughts are starting to turn towards Christmas. The air seems to be getting chillier, radio stations are playing Christmas music, and Christmas decorations are going up all over town. Yesterday was the lighting of the Christmas lights at the county courthouse, and it was a wonderful time to "play" with my camera. This is the first Christmas season that I've had my Nikon, and I've decided that one of my new favorite subjects is Christmas lights...especially when it includes bokeh!

What do you think? Do you have a favorite?

Christmas Lights {growth challenge}

2011-11-26T20:18:00.001-06:00

Taken last year...

Taken yesterday...

I'd have to say that there is quite a difference between last years photos and the ones taken this year! Switching cameras probably made most change (up until May 2011 I was shooting with a Sony Cybershot DSC-S700, and now I use a Nikon D3100), but I've also have been shooting in manual instead of auto.

I'm linking up with Emily Grace's growth photography challenge.

I hope you'll check it out, and maybe even link up!

I just realized that this is my 100th post on this blog - wow! I know it took me awhile to get to that number, but I did eventually make it :)

I also want to say a big thank you to all of my followers, both old and new. I appreciate all of your sweet comments, and have enjoyed getting to know a few of you better!

Thankfulness ABC's

2011-11-23T21:23:00.001-06:00

As we approach Thanksgiving I'm reminded of just how much I have to be thankful for. God has truly blessed me with so much, but how often do I thank Him for it?

I'm linking up with "The ABC's of Thanks" at Finding Joy. I enjoyed the challenge of being creative and finding different things that I'm thankful for that each begin with a different letter of the alphabet...

A - Apple Cider...the perfect way to warm up on a chilly fall day

B - Bible...the one book that I could not live without

C - Cinnamon & spice candles that make the whole house smell warm and inviting

D - Dresses...the fancy formal kind that make you feel all dressed up

E - Extraordinary God who loves me unconditionally

F - Fuzzy blankets for snuggling up in while reading a book on a snowy winter day

G - Girls night out with mom

H - Horses...riding bareback with the wind on your face, competing in the show ring, or just spending a quiet hour grooming them...I can't imagine life without horses

I - Incredible Sunsets that make you stand in awe of the Creator of the universe

J - James (the book of the Bible). This is one of my favorite books of the Bible, and we happen to be studying it in Sunday school right now

K - Kindred spirits (a.k.a. close friends) who stick with you no matter what

L - Learning new things

M - Mochas...I know they aren't the heathiest, but they're sure good!

N - Noise...I know that this may sound strange, but when there are 9 people living in one house, there is rarely a time when it's quiet. Now that I'm used to it, I think that it would be hard to adjust to the "empty" feeling of a quiet house. Though there are times that it would be nice to have it quiet, I'm so thankful for the family that the Lord has blessed me with!

O - Our County Fair...one of my favorite times of the year

P - Photos that capture moments and turn them into memories

Q - Quilting with my grandma

R - Reading a good book

S - Sisters who know you better than anyone else. Laughing so hard that you forget what you were laughing about, spontaneously singing songs while washing dishes, being there for each other when you need it...I can't even begin to tell you how much I love my sisters!

T - Trail Rides on horseback through peaceful woods and fields

U - United States of America

V - Vacation with family - the perfect way to relax after a long summer

W - Wonderful family who loves you and is always there for you

X - eXcellent home cooking

Y - Yummy homemade bread...especially when it's fresh from the oven

Z - Zippers...buttons are great, but zippers keep all the warmth on the inside of your coat :)

Whew! That was a bit harder than I thought it would be! Especially the X and Z...

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

In Christ Alone

2011-11-20T18:49:00.001-06:00

InChrist alone my hope is found,

He is my light, my strength, mysong,

This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,

Firm through thefiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths ofpeace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.

MyComforter, my All in All,

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

InChrist alone – who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helplessbabe.
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the onesHe came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath ofGod was satisfied,
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in thedeath of Christ I live.

Therein the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darknessslain.
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave Herose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lostits grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine,
Bought with theprecious blood of Christ.

Noguilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ inme.
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands mydestiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck mefrom His hand.
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in thepower of Christ I’ll stand!

Rachel - Senior Photos 2011

2011-11-17T20:44:00.001-06:00

I just realized that I never posted photos of the senior pictures that I took for my close friend, Rachel. I'm no professional...but I love taking photos for friends! It's a great excuse to get together, you can easily re-take photos if needed, and your time isn't limited to a single photo shoot (so far we've done 3...).

I've enjoyed taking these photos, and am quite pleased with how a lot of them turned out. Here are just a few of my many favorites...

Have a lovely weekend!

Veterans Day - remembering our nation's heros

2011-11-11T22:38:00.001-06:00

We must remember that freedom isn't free. It came with a heavy price.

To all of those who have served our nation in the past - thank you.

To all of those who are still serving our nation today - thank you.

To all of those who have lost their life for this country - thank you.

To those who have have been left behind as loved ones left for war - thank you.

From the bottom of my heart - thank you.

May all that you have given for this country never be forgotten.

Because of you, I am proud to be an American.

New look...new name

2011-11-09T22:59:00.001-06:00

I finally did it.

Welcome to Treasuring Today...the new Beautiful Gems!

(you can read more about the name change HERE)

I decided that with a name change also came time for a design renovation. Some new colors, a new style...change can be a good thing :) I'll have to admit that playing around with HTML can be a lot of fun!

So...what do you think?!?

(I still have a few things to finish up on the design, so there will still be a few minor changes)

A Family Vacation

2011-11-06T23:45:00.000-06:00

It's almost always relaxing and refreshing to have a change of scenery for a time. Our family hasn't been on vacation for several years, but we decided that it was time for a little break. Since our CSA was over for the year, last week we packed up our things, loaded everyone into the van, and headed to Indiana to visit some friends. We also went to the Creation Museum for a couple days, which could be a whole post in and of itself! But instead of giving you boring details, how about telling you about it in photos?

On the 7 hour trip to our friend's house, we stopped at a rest stop that had a covered bridge and a look-out tower. It was a great place to stretch our legs and snap some photos!

- The view from the look-out tower -

- This is the waterfront on a city we passed through -

- Lovely traveling weather -

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

And then the Creation Museum...where do I start? We were there for 2 days, yet I wish we could have been there an extra 3 days! It was so neat to see evidence for Creation from a Christian viewpoint. There was a walk through Genesis, outdoor gardens and petting zoo, a stargazers planetarium, special effects theater, and many other exhibits, all of which pointed back to the Creator. I'll have to say that I was quite impressed with their exhibits - they were so real and lifelike! All I can say is that I would highly, highly recommend this to any family!

(You can check out the museum website at: www.creationmuseum.org)

- The Noah's Ark exhibit -

"Here I stand, I can do no other.

"If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the Word of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him.

"Where the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle front besides is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point."

Martin Luther, correspondence

- A walk through the Garden of Eden -

- A fuzzy, friendly camel at the petting zoo -

These two photos (above & below) are just a very small glimpse of the outdoor gardens - it was gorgeous!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

On our last day of vacation we visited Turkey Run State Park. It was a beautiful place, and the trail we hiked was breathtaking. We accidentally took the "extremely rugged" trail, but are so glad that we did as each turn seemed to unveiled a view that was even more beautiful than the last.

Where does one begin to capture the beauty of God's creation? As we walked through the little canyons on Turkey Run, I was overwhelmed by the glorious beauty that surrounded me. I could have spent days photographing the scenery there! I tried to capture the whole picture, but I felt that the photos I took didn't even begin to display the beauty I saw. God's creation is truly amazing!

This part of the trail (above) was quite an adventure - especially since the whole family was along :)

- I love my sisters!! -

- A suspension bridge at Turkey Run -

Well, those are just a few of the 1,400 photos that I took, but I'm sure that more will show up in upcoming posts. This post hardly seems to do our vacation justice, as it doesn't seem to cover even a fraction of the the things we did and the beauty of God's glorious creation that we saw. It was so nice to get away as a family for several days, yet it was nice to get back home as well.

After visiting the Creation Museum and Turkey Run, I'm amazed at the beauty and complexity of God's creation. It leaves me in awe of the God who loves us so much that He would send His only Son to die for us. That He who created the vast universe would love me with an unfathomable love and call me His beloved...it leaves me speechless.

Major Changes

2011-10-26T23:22:00.000-05:00

As some of you may have been able to tell, there have been a few small changes around here in the past week or so. A new header, a few little design tweaks, but nothing much. Well, for several months now I've been contemplating making some major changes around here...such as changing the name of this blog. I've made lists of possible ideas, but nothing really stood out to me. While working on the new header, I was trying to come up with some ideas. "Treasuring Today" came to mind, and it really seemed to stick.

I've been running it through my mind a lot lately, and I've decided to go with the name change. Don't get me wrong, I like the name Beautiful Gems, but it just doesn't have as much meaning to me now that this is a personal blog and not for the magazine it was originally started for.

As I said in my last post, I want to treasure the blessings that the Lord has given me. It's so easy to focus on the things we don't have rather than the things that we do, but I want to treasure today for it truly is a gift from the Lord! "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalms 118:24)

So be prepared for some major changes around here. Sometime in early to mid November I'll be switching from "Beautiful Gems" to "Treasuring Today"! Same girl...same blog...same web address...just a new name. At first the design may stay pretty much the same (even the header if I'm pressed for time...), but I'm hoping to do some bigger blog design changes when I get around to it.

Just in case I don't get the time to do another post in the next week, I thought I'd let you know that my family is going on vacation and will be gone November 2nd-6th, so any comments you leave during that time will not be published until I'm home. And maybe...just maybe...the follower count will be at 100 when I get back...

Treasure today

2011-10-19T17:03:00.000-05:00

Treasure those moments...

Treasure the smiles...

Treasure the family time...

Treasure the sisters...

Treasure the beauty...

Treasure the friends...

Treasure the sunshine...

Treasure today...it's a gift from God.

Fresh Salsa...

2011-10-17T21:25:00.000-05:00

...the perfect snack on a lovely autumn day.

A lovely array of colors...

...mixed with a fresh-from-the-garden flavor and the crunch of tortilla chips.

And I'll have to say, it's pretty photogenic too!

Now that I have you craving fresh, homemade salsa, I should probably give you the recipe, right? Not only does it look (and taste!) delicious, it's also really easy to make!

- Fresh Salsa -

4 cups tomatoes (cubed)

2 cloves garlic (pressed)

1 onion (chopped)

1 green pepper (chopped)

1 tsp cilantro

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp vinegar

1 T taco seasoning or cumin and paprika

Mix everything together in a large bowl, adding more or less of ingredients to suit taste.

If you want, you can then pulse it in a food chopper to desired consistency.

Then, pull out a bag of tortilla chips and enjoy!!

Great is His love

2011-10-05T22:50:00.000-05:00

"For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

let your glory be over all the earth."

Psalms 57:10-11

Courageous - Honor begins at home

2011-09-26T17:43:00.000-05:00

The makers of Facing the Giants and Fireproof are releasing their newest project, Courageous, this Friday, September 30th! I'd encourage you and your family to find a theater near you, and maybe even invite another family to join you. I think that this movie is going to be a wonderful outreach opportunity as we seek to encourage the families in our communities.

For more information about the movie check out

courageousthemovie.com

Simply adorable

2011-09-14T23:31:00.001-05:00

Several weeks ago we went to see our cousins, and I just happened to have my camera along. As usual, I enjoyed snapping photos of just about everything...but found one of my favorite subjects to be my baby cousin.

This photo is now one of my new favorites, but I can't decided if I like it better in sepia or black and white. Which is your favorite?

Babies just happen to be extremely adorable...

What's your favorite thing to photograph?

"Feminine by Design" - giveaway at Shining Stars

2011-09-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

There is a lovely giveaway currently going on at the Shining Stars Magazine website! I have not yet read the book "Feminine by Design", but my mom has and she highly recommends it! I'm hoping to read it soon as it sounds like a wonderful book!

This giveaway ends on September 22nd, so head on over to the Shining Stars website and enter for a chance to win this book!

Click HERE to enter the giveaway!

Attitude of Gratitude

2011-09-08T17:21:00.000-05:00

It's easy to focus on the things that I'm not content about.

Someone has something that is "bigger and better" than me.

It's raining when I want it to be sunny.

Plans fail.

People disappoint.

It's not too hard to make a long list of complaints and then dwell on those throughout the day. We even go so far as to turn around and grumble about the very blessings God has given us.

But how often do we go through life with an attitude of gratitude? Living with the "I wish this...I wish that..." mindset is just going to make our life miserable. If asked what I was thankful for, you may hear, "God, family, Bible, house, food, etc"...you know, the same stuff that everyone says. And its true, I AM thankful for those things, but God often places in our day other little blessings that we overlook. Little things that we are too busy to notice. Things that we forget to thank God for...

My littlest sister running up to me and informing the that she's Jessie the cowgirl (from Toy Story) and that she's going to ride on me because I'm Bulls-eye her horse - she won't be little forever...

Cool breezes signaling that autumn is near...

My dad and sister doing chores for me if I'm gone for the evening...

Sisters to laugh with...

Getting an encouraging note from a friend...

The warm sunshine on a beautiful Summer (or Fall) day...

The rain which nourishes the plants...

If I really start looking, there are so many little blessings in each day! One suggestion that I heard from someone was to start a gratitude journal and record the blessings that God places in your path, both large and small, and then to keep that as a reminder of how blessed we truly are.

Now here's the hard part for me. When things don't go the way that I planned, sometimes it's easy to forget that God has a purpose in it. It's easy to be thankful and praise God when life is "easy" and things are going according to plan, but what about when hopes are shattered or everything seems to be turned upside-down? Can we lift our hands in praise amidst the storm? In our walks with the Lord it's important to learn to praise and thank Him not only when things are going "our way", but also when things are hard. We have to remember that He is in control over everything, and that He will use it for His glory. It's often the storms that God uses to draw us closer to Himself, so let's praise and thank Him even if the rain is falling.

Whether the sun is shining or the road is difficult, let's seek to live life with an attitude of gratitude, thanking the Lord for all that He has done, all that He is doing, and all of those little blessings that He gives us.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

Psalm 107:1

Photo challenge at "A Ray of Sunshine"

2011-09-08T15:30:00.000-05:00

This week I'm linking up for a photo challenge at "A Ray of Sunshine", the theme for this challenge being Nature.

Unending love

2011-08-23T22:33:00.000-05:00

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
Ephesians 3:17-19

Of horses and hairpins

2011-08-18T23:10:00.000-05:00

Ah. A quiet moment. Sometimes it's easy to take those moments for granted, but after a month that has been full of activity it's nice to sit down and relax. I just realized that I haven't posted since July...where has the time gone? Since my last post a lot has happened around here, the biggest event being the state Cowgirl Queen contest which took place last Friday, August 12. Since that has definitely been a highlight of this month, I thought I'd share some of the memories from that day...

{all photos taken by my friend Rachel}

Our day at the fairgrounds started at about 10:30am (the show wasn't until about 7:30pm) , and it was all craziness from there! I was glad to have my parents, 2 of my sisters, and a couple of friends along to help out...honestly, there is no way I could have done it without them!!

It's amazing how many little details need to be taken care of before you enter the show ring!

Want to guess how much hairspray it took to keep those curls in place??
{many thanks to my friends for doing my hair!}

One minor detail that I would have overlooked had someone not pointed it out was the matter of keeping the hat on. Really the only way to keep a western hat securely on is to stick long hairpins between the brim of your hat and into your hair. I really wasn't looking forward to it because I had several people tell me that, "If it doesn't hurt, it's not on tight enough." Let's just say that, yes, my hat was definitely on tight enough and I was more than glad to take it off when the contest was over!!

Though we didn't advance to the final round, I really enjoyed the experience as a whole. There were around 90 young ladies competing in the Sr. division, so I wasn't expecting to place. I'm quite pleased with how Flash did for me, and I had a lot of fun doing it. I'm so glad that God gave me this opportunity, and my prayer is that all glory goes to Him alone!

If you want to see a video of the Sr. Cowgirl Queen contest, you can check it out HERE

(it's not full length, just bits and pieces of it)

. . . . .

I hope to start posting a little more, if my schedule allows. When life is busy blogging just doesn't make top of the priority list! I don't want it to become something that I feel I "have" to do...this is just an outlet for my photographs, daily life, life lessons, as well as a few other things. Even though I haven't been posting much as of late, I'd still love for you to tag along :)

I hope that you have had a wonderful summer so far!

{a few of} my favorite things

2011-07-31T16:39:00.001-05:00

Leah at The Narrow Path tagged me. I know that several people have tagged me earlier on this year, and I'm sorry that I never got around to it. Anyways, I had a little bit of time so I thought it would be fun to do this one...

1. Favorite sport: Does horseback riding count?

2. A good name for a dog: Well, it kind of depends on the breed and color of the dog, but one dog name that I like is Patches.

3. Favorite animal: Most definitely horses. You would have never guessed that...right?

4. Favorite subject in school: Hmm...I like almost all of them, but if I have to choose a favorite it would probably be History or Math.

5. Favorite drink: Fruit smoothies or Mochas (after water, of course)

6. Last song you heard: "Do Everything" by Steven Curtis Chapman - this song is one of my new favorites.

7. Do you like to make people laugh?: Yes!

8. Favorite color: I like all of the colors, but some of my favorite color combinations are lime green or aqua blue with brown.

9. Favorite hobby: I really, really enjoy photography, but I'd have to say that horse related activities still top that.

10. School grade you are in: I'll be in 11th grade this upcoming school year.

And now to pass this tag on to a few other bloggers...

Shannon at A Bright Light In a Dark World

Crista Moriah at Uniquely Fashioned for His Glory
Farmgirl at A Simple Farmgirl

Bethany Joy at Rejoice Evermore

Kelsie-Anne at Kelsie's Wonderful Adventures

(I'm sure that these girls would love it if you stop by their blogs for a visit!)

Silhouettes {photo challenge at Allie Photography}

2011-07-24T17:13:00.000-05:00

This week I'm participating in the photo challenge at Allie Photography.

The theme for this week is silhouettes...

Aren't sunsets so beautiful? God's creation is truly amazing!

Sowing seeds of sunshine

2011-07-22T00:06:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how little things can make someone's day.

Maybe it's an encouraging note, a thank-you card, taking the time to talk to someone, or even a smile. Everyone likes to feel special and appreciated, and it's a blessing when someone goes out of their way in order to do something that will make our day. But my question for you is, how often do we seek to do the same for others?

An area that God has been laying on my heart is sending thank you notes. I always enjoy it when someone sends me a note or letter, but I find rarely make the time to do the same for others. As I sat down at my desk today, I noticed a piece of paper laying there that said "Send thank you notes to...". Underneath was a list of people who I needed to send thank you notes to. Some had been on that list for a few months, others just a week or so, and I can think of a few more that should be added.

Maybe you have the same problem as me. If so, here's a challenge to both you and myself. Take some time in the next week to sit down and make a list of people who you need to write thank you's to, and then do it. Maybe you only have time to write one or two a day, but try to get caught up. It's easy to wonder if it'll even matter, but who knows but that God will use it to brighten that person's day and bring a smile to their face.

Even if you are good at sending thank you's, but I'd still encourage you to look for ways to put a smile on someone's face. Maybe it's an encouraging note, spending quality time with someone, or helping out with a project. Even something as simple as a smile can make someone's day.

Let's seek to be a blessing to those around us by doing the little things that bring sunshine to their day. Yes, it may be hard or "inconvenient" to find time amidst busy schedules, but those few minutes that you take to write a note, give some encouragement, or help out could make someone's day a whole lot brighter.

The Lord is faithful

2011-07-12T14:13:00.000-05:00

Cowgirl Queen Contest {and pre-fair show}

2011-07-03T00:32:00.000-05:00

It was a very long day...

It was a very warm day...

It was a very tiring day...

But sometimes it's those long, hot, and tiring days that turn out to be some of the most memorable days!

Friday (July 1st) evening was the Cowgirl Queen contest and Pre-Fair show, both of which I participated in. But instead of giving you a long, boring description, let me tell you the events of the day in pictures...that's always more interesting, right?

{most photos taken by my sister Hannah and friend Alexandra...thanks girls!}

. . . . .

I was up at a fairly good time, and got right into getting Flash ready to go. She had her bath on Friday night, so really all that needed to be done with her was band her mane (a 2 hour job) and put on hoof black.

My friend came over early afternoon to help me with my hair and makeup. Honestly, I don't wear much makeup other than occasional cover-up and some mascara, but since it was a "special" event we did the whole deal.

The cowgirl queen contest started at 5:00pm, so my intention was to get there by 3:30, or at latest 4:00. Sounds easy enough...but we didn't get there until 4:10. I started getting a little stressed out when they announced that the Sr. Queen contestants (all two of us...) needed to be down at the gate in 5 minutes, and I didn't even quite have my whole outfit on, let alone have Flash warmed up!

First, we had to preform a horsemanship pattern. It wasn't too hard...extended jog, stop, 360 pivot, jog, left lead canter, stop, back, and then answer a question from the judge. Even though it was an easier pattern, I still managed to mess up a little bit :)

After the pattern we had rail work...basically a Western Pleasure class, but the focus was more on our horsemanship than the horse. I was so proud of Flash when she took her right lead (we've been having problems with that this year...)!!!!!

Lastly, we got to do the Cowgirl Queen salute...my favorite part!!

As I've been practicing over the past month or two, I decided that I would give this contest my best effort and leave the results up to God. But even though I knew that God was in control, there was that little part of me that started to wonder if my best would be good enough.

When they finally announced the 2011 Sr. Cowgirl Queen, I was quite excited to hear that I had won! The glory goes to the Lord!

I want to note that even though I won this contest, please do not think that I have wonderful horsemanship and a perfectly trained horse...there were only two of us showing and it was pretty close. In reality, I hardly show at all and my horse is far from the "pleasure type" (though she is a wonderful horse!!). Both of us have a lot to learn, and I hope to keep learning as long as I possibly can!!

As Sr. Cowgirl Queen I will be competing at the State level in August. I usually only show my horse 2-3 times a year (mainly at 4-H related shows) and that is the extent of my showing experience. Competing at State will be a huge learning curve for me as I've never competed in a show that big! The State show isn't just 4-H queens, there are also many queens from saddle clubs and Iowa horse breed associations. As with Friday's competition - I'm going to give it my absolute best and leave the results in God's hands. I'll keep you updated on the State show as it gets closer to that time, but for now I'm going to share a few more pictures from the rest of the pre-fair show...

:: My little sisters doing the cowgirl queen salute ::

:: Halter class - even though Flash doesn't have perfect conformation, it's still a good learning experience ::

:: Trail class - let's just say that we have a lot that we need to work on in the two weeks left before fair ::

All in all it was a good day. Even though we didn't win any of our classes (besides Cowgirl Queen) I still had fun and got a good idea of what I need to work on before Fair. Sorry for rambling on about all this horse related stuff over the past few weeks...I know that some of you may not be horse crazy like me and I'll be back to posting some not-quite-so-horsey posts soon :)

Captured memories

2011-06-27T10:03:00.002-05:00

There aren't going to be very many words with this post - just a lot of photos! I've been taking tons of pictures with my new camera, but I haven't shared many of them with you. So here's a bunch of random photos to make up for my lack of them...

:: peaceful ::

:: reflections ::

:: i love the way her eyes sparkle ::

:: she's such a lil' cutie ::

:: the fresh scent of spring ::

:: i love the color in old brick walls ::

:: my lil' Jessie the cowgirl ::
(her name isn't Jessie, but she loves to pretend that she's Jessie the cowgirl from Toy Story)

:: bokeh ::

:: s'mores! ::

:: art ::

Just wanted to let ya'll know....

2011-06-26T21:45:00.000-05:00

The cowgirl queen contest scheduled for yesterday was postponed due to rain, and the date was moved to this Friday (July 1st). I was a little bit disappointed about this change of events because I had pretty much everything ready and was almost to the point of "let's just get this over with"....and now I have to wait another week! But on the bright side, I'll have some extra time to work on a few things that need some improvement (leads, patterns, and stopping). Another advantage is that they changed the time to 5:00pm...so I don't have to be up at 5:15am again!!!! I'm praying that the weather is nice on Friday and that everything runs smoothly.

Thanks for your sweet and encouraging comments on my previous post :) I hope that all of you had a wonderful (and dry) weekend!

:: banding Flash's mane ::

It's show time!

2011-06-23T23:17:00.001-05:00

Clean tack. check

practice. Practice. PRACTICE. check

Makeup and hair. check

Get Flash all "prettied up". check

Show outfit. check

Make a list of everything that has to be done so that I can check this off of the list. check

. . . . .

On Saturday I'm competing in my first Senior Cowgirl Queen contest - and let's just say that even though I've put a lot of effort into the preparation, I still feel really un-prepared!

The 4-H horse group in our county has a Cowgirl Queen contest every year, and the winner of both the Junior and Senior divisions will get to represent our group at the state competition in August. This will be my second year competing, and my first year in the Senior division. The past few weeks have been kind of crazy trying to get everything together!

The competition consists of rail work (pretty much a western pleasure class), a horsemanship pattern, and the cowgirl queen salute to top it all off. This year there are only two of us competing in the Senior division, so that helps a lot. We will mainly be judged on our horsemanship abilities, and then slightly on appearance. It's kind of fun to have an occasion that I can go all out with Western show attire :)

If you think about it, I would really appreciate your prayers on Saturday morning (the show starts and 9:00 - bright and early)! Right now I'm a little bit nervous about the whole thing, but also really excited about the opportunity. The results are in God's hands - I'm going to give it my very best and leave the rest up to Him.

I have a busy preparation day ahead of me tomorrow, as it is the "get-all-the-last-minute-things-done" day. I'll try to post a lot of photos and the results sometime later on this weekend, so I hope that you'll check back soon!!

I love my horse :)

Keep your helmet on

2011-06-18T22:47:00.000-05:00

You know, life with horses can be quite the adventure. During the past 4 years of owning Flash I've learned so many things! There have been many opportunities to learn more about horses in general, but I've also found that owning a horse can teach you a lot of life lessons. Who's better at teaching you patience, perseverance, and endurance than an ornery pony???

There is one riding "rule" that I try to be very strict about obeying - always wear a helmet. No matter what horse I'm riding or where I'm riding, I always wear a helmet because accidents happen. Yes, they can be uncomfortable or get hot in the summer, but if something would ever happen it could save your life. Flash has never tried to hurt me, and I don't think she ever would, but that doesn't mean that accidents won't happen.

A week or two ago I was out riding Flash through the field, and I asked her to canter. She took off much faster than I was hoping, and I had a little bit of trouble controlling her. As I was working on slowing her down she stepped in a hole and stumbled, throwing me off the front. Praise the Lord that both of us were fine and I came away with nothing more than a few bruises and mild whiplash. It could have been so much worse, especially if I hadn't been wearing a helmet.

The reason I write this isn't just to tell you to "always wear a helmet when you ride", but to remind you of something much more important than wearing your helmet. Our trust in the Lord, in some ways, can be compared to a helmet. When we put on a helmet we are not promised a perfect ride with no accidents...but we are going to be protected if we fall. In the same way, when we put our trust in God we are not promised a perfect life free of trials and persecution, but we do have the hope of eternal life and the peace that comes from knowing that everything is in God's hands. If we fall off of our horse, we aren't going to take off our helmet, throw it on the ground and blame it for the accident...if anything it will make us more thankful for the helmet knowing that it may have just saved our life. When trials of this life come we shouldn't "take off" our faith in God and blame Him for our problems, but let those things draw us nearer to our Savior, knowing that He cares for us and wants what is best for our lives.

(this is no one in particular, just a cute little girl that was at the barrel show that I went to today)

So my dear friends....keep your helmet on....especially when the road gets bumpy.

Enjoy the ride :)

Giveaway at Shining Stars

2011-06-13T21:45:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to let you know about a giveaway that's going on at the Shining Stars magazine website! Hannah at Shining Stars has hosted multiple book giveaways over the past few months, and the winner of this month's giveaway will receive a copy of Sarah Bryant's book, The Family Daughter.

I have not yet read this book, but I hope to soon as I've seen many wonderful reviews about it! So even if you don't win the giveaway, you can still buy a copy of this book for yourself at the King's Blooming Rose Ministries website.

This giveaway ends on June 22, so I hope that you'll all head on over to Shining Stars and enter this giveaway (and if you aren't already a subscriber to Shining Stars Magazine, I would highly recommend that you do that as well!).

. . . . . . .

Sorry about the lack of posts as of late...I have several in the making and hope to be back at it very soon! There will be plenty of pictures coming too, as I've been putting my Nikon to use!

The Colors of Spring

2011-05-26T23:19:00.000-05:00

I love Spring. As soon as you step outside the front door you can see color all around you.

The brightly colored flowers blooming in the flower garden...

The blossoming trees...

Color is everywhere!

Isn't God so creative? Every detail is perfectly arranged...each little delicate flower has it's own uniqueness and beauty.

I have come to the conclusion that you can not fully capture the glorious beauty of God's creation through the lens of a camera. Yes, we can get little bits and pieces of it, but never the complete fullness of it's splendor.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

You have probably noticed that there are a few changes on this blog. What do you think of the new design? I liked the previous design, but I was wanting to try designing a blog on my own. You never notice how much data is in a blog until you dig into the HTML - it's actually pretty cool. There are still a few little things that I need to finish up, so some elements may look a little weird at the moment...

My first DSLR

2011-05-22T18:58:00.001-05:00

After waiting for a very long time...

I got my first DSLR camera!!!!
- A Nikon D3100 -

Over the past several years I have been using a point-and-shoot Sony Cybershot, but I've been wanting to upgrade to a nice DSLR. The Sony was a great tool to learn photography basics on, but there comes a point where there is only so much you can do with it. I've heard a lot of great reviews on the Nikon D3100 and have been doing a lot of research on it ever since it was released in November of 2010.

{I just had to go try it out this afternoon...}

I originally thought that I would need wait awhile longer until I had saved up a bit more, but yesterday I found a lightly used one (less than 800 photos taken) for an extremely good price on Craigslist. It also included a lot of accessories, including the standard lens (18-55mm), a 55-200mm lens, and a camera bag. It was within my price range and it sounded like a good deal, so my dad and I went and bought it last night. I'm starting to think that it's one of the best investments I've made.

It may take me awhile to figure it all out (there are so many things to learn...), but I've greatly enjoyed it so far! I can't wait to go out on some photo shoots with friends and practice using it. There will be plenty of pictures coming in future posts!

I'm just a little bit excited about my new "toy"...can't you tell?

What type of camera, lens, and equipment do you use??

One of those days...

2011-05-18T22:20:00.000-05:00

Today was one of those days.

One of those days that starts off well.

One of those days that you get almost everything done on your checklist.

One of those days that seems to be going well.

At about 5:30 this evening Sarah and I went out to the round pen to work with her pony. The riding went fairly well, and I was pleased with how it ended up. I had my camera along, so we decided to take off Misty's tack and let her graze in the round pen while we went and got some pictures. When we came back to get Misty I was able to get her lead rope on with little trouble, and took her out of the round pen so that we could tack her up and get back to the barn. Misty decided that she didn't want Sarah to put the saddle on, and she started to dance around. I was holding her, so I handed her to Sarah so that I could try to get it on. Misty decided that this was the opportune time to head back to the barn, and she took off at full speed before either Sarah or I could catch up with her. It's about a quarter of a mile walk (or shall I say run...) back to the barn, but thankfully it wasn't hard to find her as she went straight to Flash. Let's just say I was not very happy with a certain little pony...

After that little incident I realized that the tack was still out at the round pen. I decided to drive the truck out, as that would be a lot quicker...right? What I didn't realize is that long, slightly damp grass does not mix well with a rear-wheel drive pickup. Yep...I got it stuck out by the round pen. By that point I was fried. I was frustrated. I was ready to give up. Time for another 1/4 mile walk back to the house to get my dad. I started praying that the Lord would show me what He was trying to teach me through this :)

By now it was 8:30, chores weren't done, I hadn't eaten supper yet, and I was tired. I was unloading the tack from the truck, still slightly frustrated at the events that had taken place, and it suddenly hit me. If these little things were the only "trials" of my day...I am blessed. Those things were so minor compared to the things that so many people around the world go through every day.

I have a roof over my head.
I have religious freedom.
I don't have to worry where my next meal will come from.
I have wonderful family and friends.

God has blessed me in more ways that I can count, and He continually provides for my needs. These little things that came up today were so minor.

So the next time I have "one of those days", I must remind myself that the things that get on my nerves are sometimes the things that God uses to show me just how blessed I am.

Misty...our sweet and adorable (and ornery and mischievous) pony

My life as of late

2011-05-17T23:02:00.000-05:00

I don't think that "I've been busy" is a valid excuse anymore, as I use it too often.
Life just seems to be getting crazier by the day, so I hope that you don't mind my scattered posts.

It's been awhile since I've done much on the internet, and a lot has happened since my last blog update. Here's a little glimpse into what has been going on in my life recently...

{The colors of Spring...}

I finished driver's ed at the end of April and I now have my intermediate driver's license! I've enjoyed having it, and my parents like having someone else that can run into town. Now I can run errands, drive kids to activities, or drive myself into town when I have something going on. With this new "freedom" also comes a lot of responsibility :)

- - -

This year I got a "summer job". Ok, not really...but sort of. I've really been wanting to get a Nikon D3100, so I'm going to do the local farmer's market to help save up for that. Several years ago our family had the opportunity to buy large (very, very large...) quantities of daylilies and iris, with the intent of eventually turning it into a family business. We ended up deciding that wasn't what God had for our family at this time, so now we have over 60 varieties of daylilies and a large field of iris (probably a couple hundred varieties) just sitting there. My parents told me that if I did all of the work this summer (weeding, digging, mulching, etc.) I could take them to farmer's market. So that is my summer job - iris and daylilies. I'll have to admit that I'd probably rather be working with animals, such as raising hogs on pasture, but since I have this opportunity I'm going to take it :)

{One of the many varieties of iris}

I ran my first 5k a couple weeks ago! Yes...I made it across the finish line, and did it with a fairly average time. I'm hoping to run several other 5k's this summer, though I need to start running on a more regular basis...

- - -

Last week we had a Bright Lights Mother/Daughter tea to wrap up Set One, and also as our final meeting before the Summer. There was a small devotional, a time for mothers and daughters to spend one-on-one time, a variety of games, and, of course, tea and horderves. I've really enjoyed seeing how God has worked in and through Bright Lights over the past year, and look forward to see how He works in the future.

{Mothers and Daughters enjoying an evening of fellowship}

{Flowerpots filled with little goodies make wonderful prize baskets!}

As usual, I've been doing quite a lot of photography, as I rarely leave the house without my camera. Here are my photos for the 52 Challenge...

{52 Challenge - Week 15}

{52 Challenge - Week 16}

{52 Challenge - Week 17}

{52 Challenge - Week 18}

That is a tiny glimpse into my life over the past weeks. I have several other post ideas, and I'll try to blog again as soon as my schedule permits. I'm not sure if it will be a few days or a few weeks...but I will be back.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know that this love surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of the all fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:17-19

Running the race of life

2011-04-28T22:02:00.002-05:00

There's one thing that I don't really like about blogging. A blank page. Some days I have tons of ideas for posts, and other days...I can't think of anything. As hard as I try, nothing comes to mind. And since this is one of the "I can't really think of anything" days, I'm just going to share with you some little things that have been on my mind recently.

Life is like a race. A long, hard race that takes a lot of endurance and perseverance in order to run it well. There's school to do, places to be, friends to meet, chores to do, deadlines to be met, and the list goes on. It can get tiring after awhile. But there is so much more to life than our personal agenda and schedule. God wants us to put Him as the central focus our our life. In Hebrews 12:2 it says:

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
{Hebrews 12:2}

So often I loose sight of that goal and get distracted by the things of this world. It's so easy to do! Countless times I have messed up, become distracted, and failed to keep my eyes on Christ. I'm so thankful that I have a merciful and loving God who is always there, no matter how many times I may fail.

If Christ truly is the goal of our life, then we have something to live for! God has made us for a purpose, and He wants us to run the race in such a way that others will see a difference in the way we are living. The world is screaming at us to "blend in" and "go with the flow", but God is looking for those who are willing to stand out. We are called to be different. We are to run the race of life knowing that we were made for something so much more...we were made to bring glory to the King of kings.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."
{1 Corinthians 9:24}

When preparing for a race, each runner's method of training or their personal style may be different from others, but all of the athletes are going for the same goal...to finish well. As Christians, each of us are different in many ways but our goal should still be the same. To bring glory to the Lord and live our lives fully for Him.

I want to point out that this is not something we can do on our own. Only through Christ can we keep pressing on towards our goal. Through Him we can persevere. Keep your eyes fixed on Him!

When we reach the end of life, I hope that we will be able to say with confidence:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
{2 Timothy 4:7}

Loving is Giving

2011-04-17T17:18:00.000-05:00

"You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving."

- Amy Carmichael -

I'm back!

2011-04-12T22:06:00.002-05:00

When life gets busy, blogging is usually the first thing that gets put to the bottom of the list. That's alright with me, because sometimes it's good to take a break.

Since I don't have time to post anything else right now, I thought that I might as well catch up on the 52 challenge, say a quick "Hi", let you know that I'm surviving driver's ed, and be on my way again. Oh...the joys of growing up.

I'll have to admit that, once again, I've been so busy that photography hasn't been top priority so some of the photos aren't that great.


~ Heart Shadow ~ 52 Challenge Week 11 - Unedited Challenge Photo 2

~ The new growth of Spring ~
52 Challenge Week 12 - Unedited Challenge Photo 3

~ Silhouette ~
52 Challenge Week 13 - Unedited Challenge Photo 4

~ The beautiful colors of Spring ~
52 Challenge - Week 14

I'll try not to disappear so suddenly next time :) Hopefully I'll be back soon with another post!

Sorry if my blog is looking sort of strange. Photobucket seems to be making some adjustments right now, so my blog design isn't showing up. It'll hopefully be back soon!

Spring on the Farm

2011-03-20T21:56:00.000-05:00

It's finally Spring. The warm sunshine, fresh air, budding trees, little green plants shooting up....ahhh...such a wonderful time of year! Every season of God's creation is beautiful in it's own way, but Spring is unique in that everything starts coming to life.

(my sister working on planting)

We've been doing quite a bit of outdoor work lately, as there's a lot more motivation to get out there when the weathers nice than when it's below freezing! This past week has been in the 50's and 60's...it's so nice to be able to go outside without having to bundle up. The one hard thing about Spring is that I'd rather be working outdoors than sitting inside at my desk doing school :)

I'm guessing that we'll be ordering chicks soon. It'll be fun to have baby animals around here again, although I don't think they are as cute as other baby animals. We might also have some little pigs soon if I decided to show one this year. Even though they're 3 months old when we buy them, they are still pretty adorable...

We've also started some of our garden produce under grow lights this past week. On our farm we do a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), which people can buy shares into and then we provide them with fresh produce for 18-22 weeks. Last year we did a 5 member CSA, but this year we are going up to 20 members. It's going to be a big project, as the garden will be about an acre, but many hands make light work!

And now for some "non-farm" news: I'm finally taking driver's ed! Some of you may be thinking, "isn't she already 16??"...and yes, I am. Getting my permit was never high on my priority list, so I didn't get it until last fall. This Spring we decided that it would be helpful if I had my license so that I can help out with errands or driving kids to activities. Driver's ed starts next week, though drive time starts this coming Tuesday. I'm a little nervous, but thankfully there are several other people I know that are also doing it and my driving partner is one of my close friends. I've driven a lot with my parents, but I'm hoping and praying that everything goes smoothly!

------------------------------------------

Everything about Spring declares God's glory. With flowers budding, green plants springing up all around, baby animals, and everything coming to life, how can you not help but see the hand of the Creator everywhere you look? His creation is so beautiful!

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

Psalm 19:1

What's your favorite thing about Spring?

52 Photo Challenge (Weeks 9 - 10)

2011-03-15T21:30:00.000-05:00

This photo is my first one for the unedited photo challenge.

{Week 10 of the 52 Challenge - Week 1 of the unedited photography challenge}

This one was not part of the unedited challenge, so it got some slight contrast.

{Week 9 of the 52 Challenge}

Stepping out of my own little world

2011-03-13T17:44:00.001-05:00

I'm sure that most of you heard about it.

A couple days ago an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, and the people living there lost so much.

Homes.

Family members.

Possessions.

Businesses.

Electricity.

Their way of life.

As of right now, all we can do is pray for the people of Japan. Pray that God would use this disaster to bring many people to Himself, that families would be re-united, and that He would provide for all of their needs.

This earthquake has been a reminder to me that there are people all over the world that are hurting. I would love to go on a missions trip sometime, as I think it would be a wonderful opportunity to share the love of God with others who may have never heard. But for now, God has placed me where He wants me to be. There are people right here in my own community who need the Lord, so why not start there?

God has been challenging me to start going beyond my own little world. It is so easy to get wrapped up in everything that's going on in my life that I forget that there is a hurting world all around me. People who just want someone to show them that they care. People that need the Lord.

So whenever I think about Japan, I'm not only going to use that as a time to pray for the people there, but also ask the Lord to open my eyes to the needs of people that He places in my path from day to day and I would be willing to share the love of Christ with them.

- "My Own Little World" by Matthew West -

In my own little world it hardly ever rains
I've never gone hungry, always felt safe
I got some money in my pocket, shoes on my feet
In my own little world, population: me

I try to stay awake during Sunday morning church
I throw a twenty in the plate but I never give 'til it hurts
And I turn off the news when I don't like what I see
Yeah, it's easy to do when it's population: me

What if there's a bigger picture?
What if I'm missing out?
What if there's a greater purpose?
I could be living right now
Outside my own little world

Stopped at a red light looked out my window
I saw a cardboard sign said, "help this homeless widow"
And just above that sign was the face of a human
I thought to myself, God, what have I been doing?
So I rolled down the window and I looked her in the eye
Oh, how many times have I just passed her by?
I gave her some money than I drove on through
And my own little world reached population: two

What if there's a bigger picture?
What if I'm missing out?
What if there's a greater purpose?
I could be living right now
Outside my own little world
My own little world

Father, break my heart for what breaks Yours
Give me open hands and open doors
Put Your light in my eyes and let me see
That my own little world is not about me

What if there's a bigger picture?
What if I'm missing out?
What if there's a greater purpose?
That I could be living right now
I don't want to miss what matters
I wanna be reaching out
Show me the greater purpose
So I can start living right now

Outside my own little world
My own little world
My own little world

We as Christians have the love of Christ in our hearts, so why not share that love with a hurting world?

(All photos in this post are from various sources, found using Google Images)

A Horse and a Camera...

2011-03-12T09:58:00.001-06:00

...make a very fun combination on a beautiful afternoon!

And for once, I wasn't the one behind the camera :)
(all photos taken by my sister, Hannah)

{I love my horse!}

One year of blogging!

2011-03-05T22:08:00.000-06:00

365 days ago I stepped into the world of blogging.

This little blog has been in existence for a full year!

(I think that's a good excuse to go grab yourself a big slice of cake!)

(photo credit - Google images)

As I looked back to my first post, I realize that some of my goals for this blog have changed. When I first started blogging it was partly for the BG magazine that I edit/write. But now that the magazine has it's own website, the purpose of this blog has kind of changed.

This blog is a place where I can write my thoughts, post pictures, and tell a little bit about my life. But, more than anything else, I pray that everything posted here points to one thing...God...and God alone. I pray that Beautiful Gems has been of encouragement to you in one way or another, and that it has given all glory to the Lord. Even though one of the purposes for Beautiful Gems has changed over the course of the last year, the main goal continues to be glorifying the Lord. Without Him, I am nothing. He is truly worth living for!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I also want to thank all of my followers. Your words of encouragement and sweet comments mean so much to me. Thank you! I've also enjoyed getting to "meet" some of you through your blogs or e-mailing, as it's always neat to hear from other young ladies who are seeking to walk with the Lord and grow in Him.

And now, just for the fun of it, I have a quick question that I'd love to have you answer!

If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go and why?

If I could go anywhere on vacation, I would love to visit Europe! But even more than that, I think it would be so neat to go on a missions trip to Africa. I guess any location would be fine, as there are people all over the world who need the Lord.

I hope to hear back from you and see where you would like to visit!

Keeping it Simple (A Photo Challenge)

2011-03-02T21:04:00.000-06:00

{I forgot to mention this in my last post...so I guess I'll just do two posts today!}

Do you ever feel like photography isn't what it used to be? When there were film cameras, you took a picture to the best of your ability, and it was what it was. Don't get me wrong...I love playing around with photos on the computer and seeing how I can edit them, but there is always that feeling of accomplishment when you download pictures from your camera to find that some of them don't need editing! The color is right, the angle is perfect, and no cropping is needed.

So that is where this challenge begins. I'll admit, almost all of the photos that I've posted for the 52 photo challenge so far have been edited a little bit in one way or another. So I've decided that for the next 4 weeks, my photos for the 52 challenge will be unedited. No contrast. No color correction. No editing. And even...no cropping. I'm kind of freaking myself out because I have no idea how I'll do this, but (I think) I'll manage.

Keeping it Simple {A Photo Challenge}

I'm doing this challenge beginning March 6th and ending April 2nd.

This may be rather "informal"...no link up, no button...just a simple photo challenge, but I'd still love to have you join me (and if you want to spread the word about it...)! You don't have to be doing the 52 Challenge to do this...I just chose to do it along with that challenge to encourage myself to get out and take some photos, while really focusing on the lighting, camera settings, and angles. And remember...no photo editing :)

Let me know if you have questions or want me to clarify something that I didn't explain well enough. I'd also love to know if you are planning on taking the challenge!

Catching up on the 52 Challenge

2011-03-02T20:36:00.000-06:00

A photographer's fear:

Downloading pictures off of the camera only to find that they didn't turn out as well as they had hoped.

Well...I sort of forgot about the 52 photo challenge, which means that I didn't get as good of photos as I would have liked. I'll try much harder over the rest of the year to actually make a point to go out and get some good photos...so please bear with me :)

Week 6 {52 Challenge}

Week 7 {52 Challenge}

Week 8 {52 Challenge}

And just when it was beginning to feel like Spring..

2011-02-26T11:50:00.000-06:00

...it snowed.

Just last week I was finally starting to believe that Spring was here. No kidding, there was one day that the temperature got to 72 degrees!!

But then the snow came.

I'm really looking forward to warmer weather!

Living in a whirlwind

2011-02-22T22:53:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry for being absent for the past week. It was mainly due to my busy schedule...and also not knowing what to post about. I would post about farm life...but nothing worth posting has been going on. I would post about my latest photography adventures...but I do that all too often. So, that leaves me with daily life. Where do I start?? I honestly feel like I'm living in a whirlwind because the days fly by faster than seems possible.

I've been doing a lot of hippology stuff lately, as the contest is the end of March. If any of you are wondering what the contest includes, there is a written test, slide show with things we need to identify, tack identification, and stations (10 pictures on poster board, a word bank, and two minutes to match up the words with the pictures). The contest covers anything and everything horse related...colors, breeds, gaits, tack id, genetics (it's not as hard as I thought it would be), events, and any other horse related topic they can think of. It's a lot of fun, but there is so much to study!

I've also been trying to keep on top of school, babysitting, and farm stuff. Then you mix in all of the other things that come up...

As I try to keep up with the whirlwind of activity, I sometimes need to remind myself to slow down and not trade in the good things for the best things. I'm sure that all of you can relate. There get to be times in our life where we get so caught up in our day to day activities that we forget what really matters. Each and every one of us was made for a purpose...and that purpose is first and foremost to glorify the Lord.

Now I'm not saying that we need to drop all activities, but just to be mindful that our purpose in life is to glorify God, and a part of that is seeking to grow in Him and spend time with Him. I know that I struggle with this all too often. There have been times when I get so caught up in what I feel needs to be done, that the most important things, such as spending time with the Lord, get put on the "I'll do it later" list. Why is this? As I was thinking about it, I think that part of it may be this. Satan knows that one youth on fire for the Lord could change the world. Mary the mother of Jesus did. She was just your normal girl, but gave God all she had and because of it she changed history. He knows that we have that same potential, but if we fill our lives with "good" things there is more of a chance that we'll neglect the best things. I once heard the word "busy" used as an acronym...

Being
Under
Satan's
Yoke

Ouch. I know that it doesn't apply to all circumstances, but it still gives you something to think about. So when you notice that your schedule's filling up, make sure that the most important things do happen. And when I say most important things, I'm not meaning school and all of that other "important" stuff, I mean spiritual life. Time with the Lord. I find that when I make that my top priority, and really dig into the Word instead of rushing it, it's always so refreshing. God wants us to grow in Him. He wants to spend time with us. He wants us to learn from and live by His Word. So instead of getting caught up in a whirlwind, why not take a while to slow down a bit and focus on the things that really matter?

________________________________________

I just realized that I never posted the photo for weeks 6 and 7 of the 52 photo challenge. I just downloaded all of the photos that were on my camera onto the computer, so I'll try to post those soon. Also, starting in a week or two I'm thinking of trying to add an "extra" challenge to the 52 challenge, so be looking for an upcoming post about that!

You are Loved

2011-02-14T22:18:00.000-06:00

To all of my dear readers...

When Valentines day comes around, it reminds me of the most beautiful love story every written, and its all the more beautiful because it's true. It's not just a fairy tale like Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, it's a true story about a Prince that came to rescue the one He loved, for she was being held bondage by the powers of evil. He came looking like a common man, and not many recognized Him. He came in peace, but when He explained who He was and why He came, but He was scoffed, beaten and crucified like a common criminal. He died for the one He loved, He hung there in agony because He knew it was the only way to free her from bondage. Even though she rejected Him, He was willing to do whatever it took to show her just how much He loved her. He died a criminal's death because, even though she turned from Him, He still loved her.

I'm sure that you all know what I'm talking about...Christ's love for the world, and more specifically, His love for each of us individually. What beautiful, amazing, and wonderful love.

Isn't that how each of us want to be loved? Don't we want to be loved by someone who will love us no matter what, and not by someone who is flattering us with their flowery words and feelings that may fail at any moment? Well let me tell you something, you are loved with an unimaginable love. You are loved by a Prince. His love is unconditional, which means that His love doesn't change according to who you are, what you look like, or what your past has been. There are no strings attached. No "I'll love you...if you'll do this for me". He just simply wants you to accept the free gift of love He is extending to you. He wants you to fall in love with Him. He wants you to bask in His presence, and find in Him all that you need. He wants to be your love.

"But you, O LORD, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness."

{Psalm 86:15}

♥ This Valentines Day remember...YOU ARE LOVED {by a Prince}!! ♥

The Never Ending Hurdles

2011-02-09T16:41:00.000-06:00

Do you ever feel like life is a long line of never ending hurdles? You make it over one, only to find that another is right in front of you and you aren't sure if you have the strength to clear it. When you look behind you, you can see no beginning, and as far ahead as you can see, they seem to have no end.

Well, I have found this to be so true in my life lately. I feel like I have so many deadlines and so many things to do, but as soon as I accomplish one I don't feel relieved because I know that another deadline that must be met is waiting for me just around the corner. And because it seems like so much is going on at the same time, I feel that I put just enough effort into each job to get me by, because I need to get onto the next one. Oh, the joys of growing up.

As I was laying in bed last night thinking about it, I also got thinking about how we have a God who is bigger than anything. He's bigger than our hopes, our fears, our failures...our life. We are human. As we run this race of life, as we try to clear all the hurdles, there are going to be times that we fail. We'll fall down and don't feel like we have the strength to keep going. But we need to remember that God our Father is always right there beside us, cheering us on when we are doing our best and giving the glory to Him, drying our tears and picking us back up when we fall down. No matter what life may bring, He'll always be there.

I can almost hear Him saying, "Rebekah, why are you worrying and fretting about life? You don't know what the future will bring, so why worry about it? Just put your faith and trust completely in me because I'll give you the strength to make it through whatever you have to face. You are human and there are times that you'll fall. There are times that you'll feel like you have failed. But just remember that I'm always right there beside you, ready to pick you up and dry your tears. Keep your eyes fixed on me, give me your best, and don't care what others think. I have an amazing and wonderful plan just for you and I love you so much."

So next time that you are overwhelmed at all that's going on, take a moment to remember your ultimate goal in life...to live for the Lord. He never promises that life will be easy, but He does promise that He will never leave us or forsake us and that He will give us the strength we need.

Living a Life of Love

2011-02-06T16:39:00.000-06:00

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)

Love isn't just a feeling.

Love is a lifestyle.

As Christians we are called to "live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Ephesians 5:2). Christ's life on earth was a wonderful example of love. He was a friend of sinners, helped those who everyone else looked down on, and then died a horrible death...all because of love. Unconditional love. Love that wasn't just a feeling, love that was a lifestyle.

If Christ loved us so much as to die for us, and we as Christians know and believe that, how can we not seek to live a life of love as He did? How can we not want to tell everyone about this amazing love we found? How can we not want it to be our lifestyle?

Week 5 {52 Photo Challenge}

A little bit of everything...

2011-02-02T23:00:00.000-06:00

Here's a little update about what's been going on in my life recently...

1. A verse that has kept coming to mind lately is:

"If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward."

1 Corinthians 3:12-14

This verse really makes me question...what "building materials" am I building my life with??? Things that are only temporary, or things that will last for eternity? I may post more thoughts on this verse another time and go into a little more depth.

2. I'm looking forward to Spring. It's so cold here, and the warm sunshine of spring is sounding so good!!! It snowed pretty hard yesterday, and then last night it blew really hard, making tons of drifts. Big drifts. Oh, this Iowa winter weather...

3. The latest news around the farm is that we took 4 of our market hogs to the locker yesterday. I know, that's not very exciting (but loading the into the trailer sure was...*grin*), but that's pretty much the only thing that has been going on farm-wise. Winter is usually pretty uneventful...

4. Daily life has consisted of school, Hippology study, and other little things that come up from day to day. It's actually been a fairly slow week compared to most.

5. Hippology (the study of horses) study started last week, and I'm really enjoying it. Each year, the "horsey" members of our 4-H group get together and study for the 4-H Hippology contest that will be in March. The contest covers everything from horse tack id, to genetics, to colors, to breeds...pretty much anything and everything horse related. This will be the third year that I've participated in the contest, and it's always a highlight of my year. A lot of hard studying, but it's worth it...not to mention that it's also a lot of fun!

6. I just finished reading "Pearl Maiden". I'm usually not one who sits down and makes time for reading, but I read this whole book in almost one afternoon (that was quite an accomplishment for me seeing as it was quite a thick book). It was a wonderful story, keeping the reader so caught up in the adventure that it was almost impossible to put it down. I highly recommend it :)

7. I'm almost to 50 followers!! I know that some may not consider it very many, but who doesn't like getting a new follower? I've tried to make it my goal to post the things that I would find fun and encouraging, and not focus on "What will others like, and what will get more people to follow my blog?". I don't want my goal in blogging to be to get a ton of followers, but that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate each and every one of you! Thank you so much for all of your encouraging notes and comments!

Reflections and Icicles...52 Challenge Weeks 3-4

2011-01-26T22:02:00.000-06:00

Today ended up being a restful day. We had no extra activities going on, and I was actually able to get school done as well as finish up a few other things that I had been needing to do. Doesn't it feel great when, at the end of the day, your "to-do" list has a nice row of check marks all the way down?

Ok, back on track. The reason I posted this was not to tell you how much I like having my to-do list complete (though it is great), it was to post my "52 Photo Challenge" photos for week 3 and 4.

Week 3 - Reflections

I know that around Flash's eye is a little blurry, but the reflection is so cool!

Just a side note: I have the most wonderful horse ever. I'm sure that everyone who has a horse says the same about theirs, but really, Flash is the best!! She puts up with my photography hobby, and has such a sweet disposition...

Week 4 - Icicles

So there you have it...my photography adventures from the past couple weeks. I'm hoping to stay on top of this from now on instead of posting them in groups like this. Also, I promise to start doing posts on subjects other than photography! I have some post ideas in mind...the hardest part is finding the time to sit down and get those ideas onto the computer screen.

Changes...

2011-01-24T22:22:00.000-06:00

A few changes have taken place around here since my last post, the main thing being a new blog design. What do you think? Amanda at CS Designs just installed it on Saturday, and I'm very happy with it :)

I would like to know if any of you have suggestions for this blog. If you do, I would love to hear from you! I also want to thank those of you who have voted on the poll telling me what you would like to see more posts about. I really want this blog to be of encouragement to you, and also something that you enjoy reading. From what I've seen so far, most of you want me to do more posts on photography (even if you didn't want me to post photography I'd do it anyways simply because that's one of the things I enjoy), daily life, farm life, and verses/Bible study. I'm looking forward to it! A couple of you are looking for some horse related posts, so I'll throw a few of those in too (I love horses, so I'm sure it won't be hard for me to blog about them!).

I know that in my last post I said that I'd be posting my 52 photo challenge "photo-of-the-week" at the end of each week, but this past week was quite crazy. No kidding...we had 4-H activities going on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday afternoon, today, and then again tomorrow. And then add a few babysitting jobs to that...I think you get the picture. I have the photo for week 3 chosen, but it's still on my camera. So I think I'll just wait on posting that picture until the end of this week when I post the photo for week 4. You may not hear much from me this week, due mainly to my schedule :) I do have a few post ideas, so hopefully I can get around to posting them soon!

52 Photo Challenge

2011-01-20T11:07:00.001-06:00

I'm afraid that I'm a bit late in posting this...but I guess there isn't much I can do about that now, is there?

I really wanted to do some sort of photography challenge this year, but didn't feel like I could devote myself to a 365 photo challenge (one good picture...every day...for a whole year). Then I noticed that other girls had mentioned that they were doing a 52 photo challenge...one good photo every week for one year. That's a little more realistic for me!

Since this is posted a little late I'm going to post some pictures to get caught up. I will have to admit that the first week of the year I was sort of absent from my camera (I'm still trying to figure out how I survived...*grin*), so I decided to"make up" for it by posting a picture that I took just a few days later...

Week 1 (January 1 - January 8)

Week 2 (January 9 - January 15)

So, from now on I'll be posting my "photo of the week" at the end of each week. Hopefully it will challenge me to practice good composition on my photos as well as experiment with new techniques, subjects, lighting, and angles.

I'm up to the challenge...are you??

Living by Faith

2011-01-11T17:37:00.000-06:00

If you read this carefully, it really gives you something to think about...

"Just so surely as we ask to have our Faith strengthened, we must feel a willingness to take from God's hand the means for strengthening it. We must allow Him to educate us through trials and bereavements and troubles. It is through trials that Faith is exercised more and more. God affectionately permits difficulties, that He may develop unceasingly that which He is willing to do for us, and to this end we should not shrink, but if He gives us sorrow and hindrances and losses and afflictions, we should take them out of His hands as evidences of His love and care for us in developing more and more of that Faith which He is seeking to strengthen in us."

- George Muller

"The province of FAITH begins where probabilities cease and sight and sense fail."

- George Muller

Top 10 from '10

2011-01-08T22:07:00.000-06:00

As I browsed through my photo archives from 2010 (which consists of over 9,000 photos), it was a hard decision. The decision at hand was choosing my top ten favorite photos from the past year. I scrolled down through the seemingly endless pages of photos, and I couldn't decide. "Oh, there are those photos of the sunset at the lake...those are my favorites!" until I reach the page that has pictures from that photo shoot at the railroad tracks...

Why is this so difficult?!?

I finally decided... I can't pick ten "top favorites"...it's impossible. But just for the fun of it, here are ten from my "favorites" folder (in no particular order). I tried to pick photos that I hadn't posted here before and also not a whole bunch from the same photo shoot. Enjoy!

{A nest of bird eggs found when doing a photo shoot at a wildlife refuge}

{A butterfly that sat still long enough for me to snap a picture}

{A stunning sunset over a lake}

{Friendship is a gift from the heart}

{My lovely friend Rachel...I like the color in this one!}

{My beautiful friend Alexandra...I like the color in this one too!}

{I took this picture while experimenting with angles and natural lighting}

{Macro Shot}

{Railroad tracks...one of my favorite places for a photo shoot!}

Highlights from 2010 - Goals for 2011

2010-12-31T19:09:00.000-06:00

Wow...it's almost 2011 already?!? It seems that 2010 flew by so fast! There were so many things that I enjoyed about this year, and I can't wait to see what 2011 holds!

Some of the highlights of my year were:

- Our family starting a home based business (small scale farming)
- Hippology Contest (Hippology is the study of horses)
- Starting this blog!
- Cowgirl Queen Contest
- My friend returning from Africa
- County Fair
- Co-leading a Bright Lights group in our area
- Turning 16
- Participating in Iowa 4-H Camera Corps
- ...and much, much more!

Once again it's that time of year to sit down with a notebook and pen and write out all of our goals for the upcoming year. Do you ever notice that those goals all seem great, and you are excited about doing them...for the first week? Well, this year my goal it to complete these goals, not just hope that they will eventually get done sometime when I feel like it.

Spiritual...
- Read the Bible daily
- Keep a journal of the things that stand out to me
- Work on memorization every day (right now I'm working on Colossians 3)

Horse...
- Have Misty ready for Sarah to show in the performance classes at the County Fair
- Get Flash in shape for showing (a couple local shows and Cowgirl Queen Contest)
- Work on getting Flash to take her right lead

Farm...
- Read several small-scale farming books
- Learn about pastured pork and how that could fit into our farm
- Learn how to weld (my dad said he'd teach me if I'd like to learn!)

Exercise...
- Train for and run a 5k race
- Figure out a weekly exercise schedule, and stick with it

Photography...
- Participate in Iowa 4-H Camera Corps again
- Practice, practice, practice!

Also, you'll be seeing a few changes around here in the upcoming weeks, as a few months ago I won a giveaway for a new blog design (hosted by Hannah at A Homemakers Daughter). So right now Amanda at CS Designs is working on a new blog design for Beautiful Gems, and I can't wait to see how it's going to look!

One verse that stands out to me as we step into a new year is...

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

May each of you desire to grow in the Lord more and more and seek to serve Him with all of your heart. Remember...in ourselves we can not change for the better. True change only comes about because of what GOD can do in our lives.

Have a wonderful New Year!
Rebekah

Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland

2010-12-28T21:14:00.000-06:00

Yesterday morning everything was covered with frosty white crystals. It had gotten foggy the night before, and when it lifted it left everything in a brilliant, glittering winter wonderland! The trees, fences, grass...everything...had been covered in little snowflakes, and it was so beautiful!

When I went out to do chores, it looked as if our horses had aged quite a bit. Their hair was covered in a frosty white, Misty looked as if she had grown a beard, and Flash looked like she put on white mascara :)

As you have probably already guessed, this "winter wonderland" scene was more than enough reason for me to grab my camera and head outside...

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas! Our family did! As tradition goes, after we were all up we read the Christmas story (what would Christmas be without it?!?), and then we opened presents. Two of the presents that I got from my parents were Joyfully at Home by Jasmine Baucham and Preparing to be a Helpmeet by Debi Pearl. I was quite excited to get them, as I have heard so many young ladies recommend them! I'll let you know what I think of them after I'm done reading them...but from what I have read so far they look wonderful! After we were done with presents, we finished reading Tabitha's Travels (it's an advent story that tells of the adventures of a girl named Tabitha. It is in the same series as Jotham's Journey and Batholomew's Passage, all by Arnold Ytreeide) which we started in late November.

Preparing to be a Helpmeet - by Debi Pearl

Joyfully at Home - by Jasmine Baucham

Joy...finding a way to be happy even when things don't go your way

May the Lord bless you in the upcoming year!

Love in Christ,

Rebekah

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T15:49:00.000-06:00

- Merry Christmas! -

As we gather with family and friends, I hope that we won't forget the reason we even celebrate Christmas. God sent His only Son into the world so that He could save us from our sin...what love!

I hope that you all have a wonderful time celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Yes...we have a white Christmas...a very white Christmas! It's so pretty :)

Merry Christmas!

- Rebekah

Fun Christmas Recipe: Reindeer Cookies

2010-12-18T12:18:00.000-06:00

This is a really fun recipe for the holiday season! The little kids in our family especially like to make (and eat!) these cute treats.

So, if you feel like cookin' up a batch of reindeer....

- Reindeer Cookies -

1 Batch of “Best Peanut Butter Cookies” dough (recipe below)
60 mini Pretzel Twists
60 Semi-sweet Chocolate chips
30 Red Hot Cinnamon candies
____________________________________________

Best Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe:

Cream:
1 C. Butter
1 C. Peanut Butter
1 C. Sugar
1 C. Brown Sugar

Add:
2 C. Flour
½ t. Baking Soda
½ t. Salt
____________________________________________

Mix well. Shape into an 8” roll. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Unwrap and cut into ¼ inch slices. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Use thumb and forefinger to make a slight indentation 1/3 of the way down the sides of each slice. Press in pretzels for antlers, chocolate chips for eyes, and a red hot for the nose. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes or until light brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2010-12-15T22:14:00.000-06:00

We have snow! Actually, I think that all of Iowa is under snow right now, as a few days ago the whole state was under a blizzard warning :)

When it was snowing really hard, my 5 year old sister Lydia looked out the window and exclaimed "Wow, it's a blizzard out there!" to which my littlest sister Miriam (2) replied "Let me see...I wanna see the lizard!" Little siblings are just too cute....

I think that the Christmas season is a wonderful time of year...and I'm sure that many of you agree. Snowflakes covering the ground in a blanket of fluffy white. Christmas songs playing over the radio. Lights twinkling on the tree. Curling up with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book. Tis' the season!

The lighting of our county courthouse was a couple weeks ago, which really added some Christmas spirit to the town. The lights were so colorful, and the trees inside were so pretty...but my camera just wouldn't capture it like I wanted it to *sigh*. Oh...to have a Nikon SLR instead of a point-and-shoot! I'll have to admit that on my last trip to Target I stood in the camera section for at least 10-15 minutes just holding and looking the Nikon cameras and dreaming of the day I would own one...

So between school, photo shoots, birthdays (my sister Lydia turned 5, and I'm now sweet 16!!), Bright Lights, babysitting, and getting caught up in the whirlwind of the Christmas season, I've been keeping busy the past few weeks. That is just a very, very brief description of what's been going on here, but I don't want to bore you with details.

And just kind of as a little side note for those of you who are looking for some delicious holiday recipes, check out the Taste of Home website (www.tasteofhome.com). I just found it today, and they have some really good looking treats on there (both photos are from the Taste of Home website)...


Holiday Cheesecake

Homemade Gumdrops

Ok, that is all that I have time for right now. Sorry that this post ended up being kind of random, but now you are sort of caught up on what is going on around here! I really need to work on being consistent in posting, but life just gets so busy so quickly. I've also had a hard time figuring out what to post about...so any suggestions are welcome! What do you enjoy seeing on this blog?

A Nation Apart

2010-11-26T19:51:00.000-06:00

Here is some information about a fiction book that a friend of mine is publishing soon...I hope you'll check it out!

- A Nation Apart -

By Rebekah Dawn Wall

One was white...

One was black...

They were like a nation apart...

Rebekah Stevens was your average, 16 yr. old white girl, growing up in the mid-1800s. The Civil War was just about to begin. Slavery had always been a part of her life. To Rebekah, it was just the way things were. But in the back of her mind, there was a question...

Nathaniel was your average, 16 yr. old black boy, growing up on a plantation in Southern USA. Slavery had always been a part of his life, because he was a slave. To Nathaniel, it was just the way things were. But in the back of his mind, there was a question...

Together, they would discover the answer to that question. A question that turned into a dream, and a dream that turned into an adventure of a lifetime. An adventure that taught them that what was really important in life wasn't "things".

Join them on their journey of faith, to a place where no one was...

A Nation Apart

To be released December 2010! We are taking pre-orders!

Pre-Ordering Details:

Price Per Book: $8.00

Shipping and Handling:

Canada: $2.00

United States: $3.50

All other Countries: $7.00

You can visit Rebekah's ministries, as well as get more info about ordering her book, at:

For Such A Time As This Press: fsatatpress.webs.com

For Such A Time As This Magazine: forsuchatimeasthismagazine.weebly.com

Being Thankful

2010-11-24T17:01:00.000-06:00

How often do we think we need more? We want the newest...the biggest...the best. How often do we take what we already have for granted, when in reality, we have so much to be thankful for.

Something that keeps coming to my mind this Thanksgiving season is Africa. How can I not be grateful for what I have, when they have so little? How can I want more, when there are children that are dying just because they don't have enough nutrition? There are people all over the world who would be grateful just to have a warm place to sleep....A hospital that can save their child who has malaria...A nutritious meal. God has blessed me with so much; how can I not be thankful?

So this Thanksgiving, let's thank God for everything He has provided...

Family, Friends, Homes, Food, The Bible, His Son

What are you thankful for?

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I'm Finally Back...

2010-11-20T22:54:00.000-06:00

Life has been busy (I need to re-word that...life has been normal) which is the reason I've been absent from my blog for the past several weeks. But that's fine with me as sometimes it's good just to take a break from the blogging world. There are so many other things that are of more importance, and putting aside blogging for a few weeks was actually kind nice. So if you have been wondering why I haven't responded to your e-mail, commented on your blog, or posted anything here...that's why.

My friend, Rachel, and I have gone out and done several photography shoots in the past couple weeks, and I like to share just a few of those photos with you (ok...maybe more than "just a few" photos). I've loved having the opportunity to work on my photography skills, and doing it with friends is even better. Picnik is my new-found photo editing friend, and I've enjoyed exploring it's endless possibilities!

So now for some of my favorite photos from the past few weeks (sorry they don't all have captions)...

{Our friends are currently taking care of four adorable puppies}

{I actually didn't take this photo...Rachel did}

{Rachel playing her guitar}

{Wood parks make great places to take photos!}

{Talking with a friend while sipping a hot cappuccino on a cold day...so relaxing}

While I was gone from the blogging world, Nela over at Beloved Star tagged me (thank you!). But since I don't have enough time to do that right now, I'll leave that to a later post :)

I also have many other things (and pictures!) I would love to post about, but I really don't want to bore you with an overwhelmingly long post! I would also like to get some other things going on this blog so that it is more interactive for the readers. Maybe a recipe exchange or a photo challenge...something along those lines. Let me know if you have any thoughts about this!

I'll try to post again soon, but for now I want to leave you with this verse:

"Let us hold unswervingly

to the hope the we profess,

for He who promised is faithful.

And let us consider how we may spur

one another on toward love and good deeds"

Hebrews 10:23-24

For the love of horses

2010-11-01T22:10:00.000-05:00

Horses are my definitely my favorite animal. No question about it. And since I love horses so much, I can't help but do a blog post on them. God put so much beauty and strength into these wonderful animals...you can't help but love 'em.

I've loved horses for just about as long as I can remember. When I was young I prayed for horse, but it didn't become a reality until I was 12. That's when I got my first horse, Buck. Long story short, he lived up to his name, we sold him, and I kept praying! It wasn't until later that year that Flash came into my life and she has been a perfect match for me.

Flash is my 21 year old red dun Quarter Horse mare, and I love her a ton! She has her ornery moments, and even though she's older she's got a lot of spunk left in her. At our county fair we do the pleasure and trail classes, but for some reason she seems to like barrels and poles better (that's fine with me...I prefer those as well!). I've loved teaching her new things and having her teach me a lot as well. I'll admit that there I times I have gotten frustrated, but it's hard to be like that for long because she tries so hard to do what I tell her. She was truly an answer to prayer and I'm so amazed at how God worked!

Misty is my sister's 4 year old Shetland Pony that she got for her birthday last year (it was such a gift from God...read the story here). We just started the process of training her a few weeks ago, and she is doing wonderful! Sarah has started riding on her own, and we have even taken her on a trail ride! I've enjoyed being apart of the process and learning all I can about horse training.

So why do I love horses? I'm not exactly sure. Maybe it's that horsey smell. The excitement of cantering bareback with the wind blowing through your hair. Trail rides on crisp autumn days. The accomplishment you feel when your horse finally understands what you've been trying to teach for the past 2 weeks. The scent of new leather. Or maybe it's just knowing that we're a team.

So for all you horse lovers/owners out there, take time to show your equine pal just how much you love them. Give them their favorite treat, groom them, or take them on a walk. They'd probably appreciate knowing that you love them.

(And in case you're wondering...I'm not sure if Flash really liked having this picture taken or not.)

The Focal Point

2010-10-24T18:46:00.000-05:00

Does it ever seem like our lives get so busy that we loose sight of our focal point? Or, you know that your goal is to be fully dedicated to the Lord, but you just can't seem to get there? As Christians, Christ should be the center of our lives...but it seems that some days (or weeks...or months) get so filled up with other things that our focus gets blurred.

I think that so many times it's easy to loose sight of the Lord and what He has planned for us. Other things become "distractions", and even though these things may not be bad they can make us loose sight of our goal.

Right now I encourage you to not loose sight of your life focus, Jesus Christ. He will make our lives truly beautiful if He is our love...our goal...our focus.

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning it's shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Hebrews 12:2

Fall Is...

2010-10-16T12:54:00.000-05:00

...crisp, cool air and the sun shining through the trees

...picking juicy, red apples

...trail rides on dirt paths surrounded by the colors of autumn

...the smell of fresh hay stacked in the barn loft

...a time to admire God's beautiful creation

...bright, colorful pumpkins that add that perfect fall touch

...crunchy leaves that leave the ground in a blanket of brown, orange, and red

...you fill in the blank...what is fall to you?

"This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalm 118:24

Bliss Photo Challenge - Pets

2010-10-11T14:28:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos for the Bliss photo challenge....I couldn't decided on just one!

One of our kittens

Bentley our Australian Shepherd (he's the best dog ever!)

Misty, my sister's Shetland pony

Ok, I have a question...does anyone know of an easy way to add a watermark to your photos? I had to add all of mine by typing in onto each photo using Picasa 3. Anyone know of a quicker way or program? Any suggestions are welcome!

Standing Strong for the Lord in Your Youth

2010-10-06T11:59:00.000-05:00

These years of our youth are so important, and God’s desire for us is that we use them for His glory. He wants us to shine for Him in this world of darkness. Philippians 2:15 says, “So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation in which you shine like stars in the universe.” God is looking for people who want to serve Him. People who want to be strong for Him through the years of their youth. People who are committed to being a dedicated servant. People who are bright lights in this world of darkness.

But can God really use me in my teen years? I think that in today’s world, the ability of a teen fully dedicated to God has been underestimated. These years of our youth are some of the most important years of our life, but in this generation so many teens are wasting this precious time. People see the teen years as years of rebellion and living for self...but they don't have to be. If you look in the Scriptures, there are many places that show us examples of young people who were willing to stand up for the Lord and follow Him no matter the cost. Some of the examples that I have found are David, Jeremiah, Timothy, Mary the mother of Jesus, Daniel, Esther, and Joseph. These young men and women were willing to stand up for what the world said was foolish, and God rewarded them for giving Him their all.

This morning when I was doing my devotions I started reading Jeremiah, and the calling of Jeremiah especially stood out to me. Jeremiah 1:6-8 says:

"Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.”
But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

So then it got me wondering, how old was Jeremiah when God called him? So I decided to search it online and see what I found. No one knows exactly how old he was, but some say he was probably between 13 and 17 years old, others say he was about 20. But still, God called him, a youth, to be a prophet. That was a huge job! God didn’t look for someone who was highly educated, experienced, and older, He called Jeremiah. And just as He called Jeremiah, He calls to each of us to be willing to take that step of faith. “Youth and inexperience do not disqualify when God calls; He equips and sustains those He commissions.” (footnote on Jeremiah 1:7, NIV Study Bible).

So we’ve seen that God called young men and women in the Bible to serve Him, but does He still call today? Just take a look around you. This world is desperately in need of youth who are willing to stand for the truth and be strong for the Lord. So many teens are wasting these years for things that, in the eternal light of things, will never really matter. 1 Timothy 4:12 says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” Other people are watching the way you live, the conversations you have, the way you interact with others, as well as your faith. Someone who is totally dedicated to the Lord isn’t someone who blends in with everyone else, they stand out as one who is different than the world. Don’t think that just because you are young, God won’t use you. Make it your personal goal to shine for the Lord in all that you do.

One thing that I struggle with in this area is just finding what areas I can serve the Lord in. I want to be totally dedicated to Him, but sometimes it’s hard to find a place where I can serve Him with all my heart. I was listening to a Bright Lights leaders CD a couple weeks ago, and Sarah Mally made some really good points. As Christians, all of us are called to ministry, but sometimes it can be hard to find what ministry the Lord has called us to. But there are four different ministries that all Christians are called to, and one other one that isn’t talked about in the Bible, but is still a wonderful ministry to have. These five are:

1. Prayer (Romans 12:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:17)

2. Witnessing (Mark 16:15, 1 Corinthians 1:17)

3. Making Disciples (Matthew 28:18)

4. Good Works (Galatians 6:9-10, Ephesians 2:10)

5. Writing (Encouraging others in their walk with the Lord through the form of writing. You can also do this by recording what the Lord has been doing in your life, and then sharing it with others. I think that this area of ministry is neat because you are able to impact people whom you may not be able to reach in other ways.)

These are some practical areas of ministry that you can be involved in as a teen. I think that the enemy wants us to think that just because we are young or inexperienced, we can’t do anything to serve the Lord. But that is such a lie! God wants young men and women who are dedicated to Him. You don’t have to wait until you are older to serve the Lord; you can serve Him now, right where you are. You can stand strong for Him in the place that He has put you. Don’t think that God can’t use you, because He can, and will, if you’ll just let Him.

It can be discouraging when we think about standing alone against the world. The evils of the world are so powerful, and they could easily pull us in. But we shouldn’t fear that, because we aren’t alone. When we surrender to the Lord, He will stand right there with us to help us to be strong and stand up for what is right. God never promised that it would be easy, but He did promise that He would give us the strength to make it through.

I encourage you to make a personal commitment to stand strong for the Lord through your youth, for He is worth standing for. One idea is to write out your commitment, and then place it somewhere where you’ll see it. This can be a visual reminder that you have given your teen years to the Lord. Strive to uphold a high standard, and don’t lower it so you can “fit in”. For God hasn’t called us to be of the world, but to stand out as bright lights in the world. Don’t waste these precious years, as they can be some of the most fruitful! Remember that God is still calling to youth today and seeking those who will be dedicated to Him.

(Some of you may have read this article already, as it is from Issue 12 of Beautiful Gems)

A fun day as a family

2010-09-27T16:12:00.000-05:00

Yesterday our family decided to visit a church in another town since they were hosting a speaker that my parents wanted to hear. We also decided to pack a lunch so that afterwords we could go and spend the day as a family. While looking for a park to eat lunch at, we saw a sign for a free outdoor expo that had activities for the whole family. We went to check it out, and we ended up having one of the funnest family days we've had in a long time! It was so fun to spend a day just being a family.


Mom and Lydia (4) kayaking


	My little brothers: Caleb (6) and Joshua (8)

Dad and Caleb kayaking

Hannah (12) trying out archery

Joshua getting ready to shoot his arrow

Caleb and Lydia making pop bottle bird feeders

Sarah, Joshua, and Caleb all shot a BB gun for the first time

I decided to try shooting a shotgun (this was the first time I had ever done it). My dad, mom, and Hannah all did this too and I'll just say that...they all did better than I did. It was actually a lot of fun, but my arm is a little sore today :)

The perfect ending for a perfect day

Dad and Lydia enjoying their ice cream

Life on the Farm

2010-09-21T20:22:00.000-05:00

Well, as usual, life has been busy. But, instead of giving you a long, boring update about what's been going on, I thought I'd add some photos to make it a little more interesting.

A couple weeks ago we got 100 chicks that we'll be raising for meat birds. I bought 40 of them, and my parents have the other 60.

When they are three weeks old (maybe a little bit older if it's cold) we'll be putting them out on pasture in coops that we move daily so that they always are on fresh forage. These pictures were taken the day we got them, but right now they are a little over 2 weeks and are feathering out, so they're not quite as cute.

The baby pigs (which are no so "baby" anymore) are now about 10 weeks old, and still quite cute. They are weaned, and I'm hoping that they can also be put on pasture soon. That may be my farm project this week :)

We've been working on canning vegetable soup (this is a family favorite!), and a lot of the vegetables are from our garden. If any of you are interested in getting the recipe, I can try to post it.

I've been taking a lot of photos lately, which isn't too untypical for me (you can ask any of my family members...or friends...or anyone who knows me). I would post more of the photos I've been taking, but I really want to use some of them in future posts.

Our kitten (Bobby) decided to yawn just as I snapped a photo.

Isn't he cute?

This is a photo of a yellow flower at my grandma's house

And then, on top of farm life, photography, and everything else, I've also been getting going on school. That's been going really well, and I'm enjoying it!

My friend and I recently started a Bright Lights group in our area, and I'm so amazed at how the Lord has been working. We had both been praying for quite awhile that the Lord would provide the funds needed to provide Bright Lights notebooks for all the girls, and I was kind of starting to wonder how God would answer. But He worked it out in His perfect timing! A couple weeks before the first meeting my friend called me and said that a friend of hers, who had led a Bright Lights group several years ago, dropped off a whole box of Bright Lights materials for us to use in our group. In the box were 15 notebooks, as well as many of the lessons! Then, last week at our first meeting I realized that 8 of the girls already had Bright Lights notebooks, so that left only 11 girls who didn't have one yet. And God had provided 15! It was so amazing how He worked it all out!

Well, this is kind of a brief update about what's been going on here. Before I close this post, I want to share a verse with you that has encouraged me lately:

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24

When I look at this verse, I think it applies to so many things! Whether that task be school, cleaning out a pig pen, writing an article, or babysitting, do it with all your heart and remember that you aren't serving man, you are serving the King of kings, the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ. Strive to please Him in all that you do, and make Him top priority in your life. I find that when I think of this verse while going about a task, it keeps my mind on the Lord and praising Him...even if it's one of those tasks that your not too excited about doing.

Shine for the Lord in ALL that you do,

Rebekah

Beautiful Gems Issue 12

2010-09-20T15:16:00.000-05:00

I finally e-mailed out Beautiful Gems Magazine Issue 12! If you are a subscriber but didn't receive it, please contact me and I'll see what I can do.

If you'd like to learn more about Beautiful Gems, you can visit beautifulgemsmagazine.weebly.com for more information.

Love in Christ,
Rebekah

Your Word, O Lord

2010-09-13T21:28:00.000-05:00

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

Psalm 199:105

Maidens of Virtue Photography Contest

2010-09-11T12:06:00.000-05:00

Maidens of Virtue is having a photography contest! Maidens of Virtue is a ministry to encourage and inspire young ladies who desire to follow God's role for women. They have recipes, articles, contests, links, reviews and more to encourage and challenge you as you live for the Lord and stand strong in Him.

This photography contest is a year long contest (it stared this Spring), and it ends December 31, 2010. If you'd like to learn more about this contest, or if you'd like to find out how to enter, click on the banner below.

Little Works of Art

2010-09-10T22:42:00.000-05:00

On Labor Day we were at my grandma's house, and in her backyard was a whole colony of monarch butterflies! It was so neat! I was very glad that I had my camera as well as a full battery :)

God put so much design into these beautiful little works of art! Which one is your favorite?

I think that I ended up taking like 150 pictures that day (not all of them were of butterflies...but most of them were)! The only problem was that my camera didn't focus on them quite like I was wanting it to. With them being so active, it was hard to get really clear photos. On the screen of my camera they looked great...but not quite as good when I got them loaded on the computer.

Beautiful Gems Magazine Website

2010-08-31T22:51:00.000-05:00

Many of you know that I have a small e-mail magazine called Beautiful Gems. I just wanted to let you know that I now have a website for it! The address is: beautifulgemsmagazine.weebly.com.

Please let me know if you run into any problems on it. Since I just got it up and going, I want to make sure that everything works alright! I'd also welcome any suggestions you may have!

~Rebekah

Challenged

2010-08-22T18:26:00.000-05:00

I've had so much else going on that it was nice not to have to worry about blogging for a couple weeks. I have pictures loaded onto the computer, so I'll try to update you as best I can along with a few pictures. Over the course of the past few weeks, I have had a couple of things that the Lord has been challenging me with, and in this post I'd like to share them with you.

August 10-11 was the Strong in the Lord conference, and August 13-14 was the Radiant Purity conference, both in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I came away from them so encouraged and challenged. One of the things that I was challenged with the most was totally surrendering my teen years to the Lord and asking Him to give me a passionate love for Him and His Word. I want Him to be the center of my life so that He is the one who controls my thoughts, actions, and words. We can't gain a love for the Lord if we aren't continually in His Word, and I'll have to admit that though I do read the Bible often, I probably don't read it as faithfully as I should. I have committed to trying to read at least one chapter of the Bible every day, but I know that in my own strength I can't do it. It's only by His strength that I can be diligent about it.

Did any of you attend any of the conferences in either Iowa or Minnesota? If so, I'd enjoy hearing your comments about it. If you would like to share something that you learned, I'd love to hear that as well!

{A chalk drawing from one of the "Chalk Talks" that Sarah Mally gave at the Radiant Purity conference}

August 18th we performed our quartet for 4-H Share the Fun at the State Fair. It was a great learning experience, and we all enjoyed it. We were encouraged to find out later that the judge who was giving comments (it wasn't a contest, she just commented on each performance) was also a Christian!

After we were done performing, another girl that had also performed that night came up to Alexandra and I, and we got into a short conversation with her. Alexandra asked her if she was a Christian, because the song she had done her dance to sounded like a Christian song. She said that she wasn't, and then she mentioned that we seemed so joyful while we were performing our song. I told her that it was because of Jesus in our lives, and the conversation pretty much ended there. Later as I was thinking about it, and I wish that I would have been prepared. Prepared to give an answer. In 1 Peter 3:15 it says, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect". Here the Lord gave me an opportunity to be a witness, and I wasn't ready to give an answer. How many times does the Lord give us opportunities, but we aren't equipped and ready? This incident really challenged me to not let this happen again. Next time, I want to be prepared.

{Pictures from State Fair}

Those two events took up a majority of my time the past few weeks, and I hope I didn't bore you with details :) There were so many good topics covered at the Bright Lights conferences, so they'll probably make their way onto this blog in the near future. As I close this post, I want to challenge you with two things...to be passionately in love with the Lord, and to always be ready to give an answer.

A Giveaway at The Narrow Path!

2010-08-10T11:09:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know I said I'm taking a break from blogging, but I just saw this great giveaway and I wanted to let you know about it. I'm usually not one who posts about giveaways, but this one is really neat!

Leah at The Narrow Path is having a giveaway! She will be giving away the book "Preparing to be a Help Meet". I haven't read this book, but I have had many people highly recommend it...so I'd encourage you to sign up!

Click HERE to enter!

Takin' a Break...

2010-08-09T16:59:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm going to be very busy the next week and a half, so I'm going to take a break from blogging (not that I'm very faithful about blogging anyways...). If possible, I'll post later on next week.

In Christ,
Rebekah

The work of His hands

2010-08-08T16:25:00.001-05:00

The starry skies at night. The fragrant flowers blooming. The breeze blowing your hair. Beautiful sunsets.

How often do we look around us and thank the Lord for His creation? God made such a beautiful world for us to live in...enjoy it!

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

Psalm 19:1

County Fair...last update :)

2010-07-29T12:35:00.000-05:00

Well, the County fair got over last Thursday, and in a way I'm glad it's over. It was really a fun filled week, but it was also tiring! I thought I'd fill you in on the events of Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday was quite busy with the swine show, livestock judging contest, communications judging, and the open horse show. Hannah and I both got blues for our pigs, which isn't too bad. It would have been fun to get top in the class (or champion!), but it was still a great learning experience.

On Tuesday night was the judging for the communication events. Our club's skit went onto State, but for our song we got a lavender, which means that we were the first alternate in case one of the other acts canceled. Us girls were kind of disappointed about that, but even in the midst of things such as these, God is at work (I'll tell you the rest of the story after I finish up the County fair update).

Wednesday was the parade, and Thursday night was the livestock auction which concluded the County fair. All in all it was a fun week, and I'm looking forward to next year!

Ok, I mentioned earlier that God is at work even when we don't see the big picture. This past Tuesday I got a call from our County extension office asking us if we would like to go onto State with our quartet! Another girl is going to be leaving for college, and won't be able to do her Share the Fun act at the State fair. Now that I look back and see the whole picture, I'm just amazed at what God can do. We were quite disappointed that we didn't go onto State at first, but I think that God was planning it that way just so that we could see Him work. If we would have gone onto State right away, we probably would have taken it for granted. Our God likes to work in ways that will amaze us and show us His power.

I apologize for not having any pictures in this post! I don't have any other photos from County fair loaded on our computer.

Commited to Purity

2010-07-28T16:55:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share this poem on purity with you as I find it a really neat as well as encouraging. This poem came with my purity ring, but I feel that purity goes much deeper than just wearing a ring on your hand...it's something that takes place in your heart, your thoughts, and your actions.

This ring's a special symbol

of the promise that I've made.

With your help, O Lord, I know

its glow will never fade.

With your help, Lord, I'll stand firm

though some may criticize.

For whose opinion matters,

if I look good in your eyes?

Who can give me anything

to take the place of you?

Who on earth can justify

a love that isn't true?

So, I make my statement,

on my hand and in my heart.

I know, one day, I'll hear you say

I chose the better part.

The world calls this old fashioned;

still, I'll wait--it's just awhile.

For Honor, Truth, and Faithfulness

are never out of style.

by James Louviere

Our Savior's Love

2010-07-26T22:40:00.000-05:00

"But when the kindness and love of our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous this we had done, but because of his mercy."

Titus 3:4-5