“Just follow your heart.”

Despite how lovely it always works out in the movies girls, it’s not very good advice to follow.

DO NOT follow your heart- your heart can easily be deceived.

You must lead your heart.

Which means you must know where to lead it.

You find this out by following Jesus with everything you have.

Today.

Jay

(hint: it’s more than this!)

“Understand your worth.”

(today’s thought comes from Kevin Makins, a great young leader and loving husband to his wife Meaghan)

“Women, you do not need to settle for less then the best. You do not need to give away any part of yourselves in order to receive anything from any guy. Here’s a secret: Christian women are a precious commodity… but they think that they aren’t!

She’ll be fine… guys that really love and follow Jesus are constantly looking for a Godly woman to love, but sometimes girls doubt that.  DON’T.  A girl that loves Jesus, refuses to settle, and is cute and sweet will ALWAYS be just fine. Seriously.

Thanks Kevin!

“Money is a great servant but a cruel master.”

A wise friend quoted this to me a while back, and I distinctly remember adding it to my ever-growing collection of catchy one-liners.  A couple of years later however, I discovered that money was the number one competitor for my heart and had become a master in my life.

Ladies, the love of money is not always obvious- you might assume you are immune.  But let’s change the word money to “stuff” and answer a few questions:

Do you get jealous when others have more than you?
Do you envy your friends whose parents buy them whatever they want?
Do you tithe regularly (give a portion of God’s gifts back to Him)?
Are you content with what you have?

Jesus said that your heart is wherever your treasure is.  Where we choose to spend our money is a clear indicator to God where your priorities lie.  What is it for you? Clothes? Furniture? Haircare? Shoes? Decorating your home? Movies?

None of these are bad in themselves, but if you find yourself being discontent without feeding your fetish, it might be time to check your motives and identify who you are trying to impress.  Do not let money become your master. If you let Jesus be your master and money be your servant, you will discover a life of freedom AND fulfillment.  Let’s make that our goal this week!

Michelle

Hi Girls!  I’m new to this whole blogging communications thing, so here’s what I need you to do:

Pretend that we are all curled up on the couch with mounds of blankets with steaming cups of tea. Cozied in for a deep sisterly heart-to-heart.

Identity…it’s something we all struggle with. We all want to know that we are loved and of high value. In my own life, I have found that often on that quest for identity, this comes from men in my life. Regardless of whether that was my Dad or the latest boy. Value from men has always been very important.

Here’s what God’s been hitting me with over and over again throughout this week:

It’s not about who I am…it’s about whose I am.

If people ask us who we are, it’s a mad dash for an answer…I’m a sister, friend, nanny, photographer, tea drinker, and the list goes on. We need to find answers that will qualify our value in the minds of those around us.

As soon as my identity quest becomes about WHOSE I am, then the answer becomes an overwhelmingly meaningful and simple answer of JESUS’. In this one simple answer I find value because there is nothing of more value than Jesus. My life is not my own, it was never meant to find its value in the words or actions of men. We have been bought with the death of a perfect savior. The maker of the entire Universe calls me his. He treasures and values every intricate detail of who he has created me to be. Only through him are we able to grasp this truth.

God has bought us, forgiven us, and furthermore He holds every road block of life in his hands. He is the beginning and the end. (Revelation 22:13) So what do you think girls? Where do we find our identity? What point of the journey are you at? I know that this truth isn’t yet my reality at every moment of every day. It’s a journey…a place I’m striving to reach. What about you?

Andrea

So girls, I understand that you are probably sick of me already.  Accordingly, I would like to introduce you to one of three sistas who will be blogging on The Sex Rev regularly.

This is Andrea.

Andrea is 22 years old.

Andrea is a girl.

Andrea is the oldest of 3, with two younger brothers named Dan and Michael.

Andrea adores children.

Andrea loves photography.

Andrea has volunteered in youth ministry for 6 years, mostly with high school girls.

Andrea has travelled to at least nine countries.

Andrea is majoring in History at Tyndale University College.

Andrea once forced her brother Daniel to eat a homemade salad consisting of mud, sticks,  sugar, and cheese whiz.

On top of wanting to someday be a wife and mother, her big dream is to work with teen girls in a mentoring and counseling capacity.

She is a tea fiend.

Here are a few of the reasons that I like Andrea:

1. She has an excellent sense of style…I like hanging around her because it makes me look cooler.
2. She is pretty easy going.  You definitely don’t need to have pretense or fake it around her.  Just relax.
3. She is very trustworthy.  Good luck getting a secret out of her.  Believe me, I’ve tried.
4. “How much do you love Jesus Andrea?”  “umm…alot ALOT!”

She is one of my closest friends.  I won’t tell you any more.  I will let her do that in the weeks and months ahead.  Hopefully she can be a wise source of counsel and an excellent source of wisdom and inspiration to you.

There is MUCH that you must learn from Andrea.  She’s had struggles.  She knows what’s up with dating. She’s building strong relationships.  Follow her as she follows Christ.  Listen to what she says, and find ways to download it in your own life.  You need to find people like Andrea in your own life.  Trust me, it’s worth it.  This girl will knock your socks off.

Are you ready?!

Is there anything else about Andrea we should know?!  Got any good stories?!