"We All Have Problems"~ Advice Column by Nadia

Dear Nadia:

I want to talk to my mom about dating but how can I bring up the subject without making her think I want to date right away?

Wondering

Dear Wondering...
If you don't have a great relationship with your mom, you might want to start small and just start trying to talk to her more - asking her about what her life was like when she was your age, how she dealt with issues that you're dealing with right now - drama at school, doubting your faith, etc. - or just small-chatting with her about anything, from favorite colors to current events. If you're already pretty close to her, you could ask her about what her mom used to say to her about guys, advice her mom had for her about dating and stuff, when your mom started dating, her tips about it, or whatever. If you don't want her to think that you're interested in it, you can tell her that right off the bat. Hopefully she'll understand! God bless you!

Dear Nadia:

Ive seen so many things that say or imply that God loves everyone. Does he REALLY love everyone? Even the non-Christian? Murderers? Terrorists?

Freaked

Dear Freaked, there's a line from a song that says, 'God's love is amazing, steady, and unchanging.' So, God loves us all from birth and if His love is unchanging, that means He loves us 'till we die, right? Yup. It may seem unimaginable, but God loves EVERYONE... that means Every. Single. Person. In. The. Whole. Wide. World. He sees the good in each person, no matter how little of it there is. He gave us free choice and even when we abuse it, He still loves us and longs for us to come back to Him. God's love is unconditional and there are SO many scriptures about it in the Bible - John 3:16, the stories of the Prodigal Son and Mary Magdalen. However, even though God loves everyone, in the end all people receive their judgement (which is according to God's standards, not ours) which means that God will examine the motives and underlying details in the lives of those murderers and terrorists and He will send them where they deserve to be. Bottom line - it may seem totally unbelievable and unfair and humiliating that God loves us just as much as he loves people who kill babies, He loves slave masters just as much as He loves the best Christians... but think, isn't that an amazing love that can look past even the most flagrant crimes? And that love belongs to Y-O-U! In the end, though, God will bring each and every person to justice. God bless you!

If you have a question you would like to ask Nadia, Please email her. Label your email 'DEAR NADIA'.

Fall Fashion Look Outs~ In Our Closet~ By Renee Arnold

Fall is approaching us and that means that it will be less tempting for people to buy skimpier clothes, but that doesn't mean they're not out there. I'm going to give you three examples of fall fashion don’ts to watch for. Remember, I don't want to force my standards on anyone! I hope that you prayerfully consider your own standards and don't just copy those of another Christian sister. These are just ways of helping you know if they are modest on YOU!

The first thing to watch out for is skinny jeans. I am not slamming skinny jeans. I adore skinny jeans and love the way they look and feel on me. When wearing skinny jeans, you need to watch out for how tight they are on you. If your skinny jeans, or any jeans for that matter, are tight, then isn't it basically like denim colored skin? What's the difference if your jeans are really tight?

Here's how to check for this problem. Pinch the denim together at the top of your thigh. If you're pinching skin then they might be too tight. Also, if you have to wiggle your way into them, they are too tight. Also, look at you hinny in the mirror. (Sorry if this sounds awkward) If you see bunching under your hinny or around your thighs, then your pants are too tight.

The second thing to watch out for is lace camisoles. Lace cami's are simply beautiful and elegant under a low cut top, but you do need to watch how low they are. If the lace has little "peek holes" in it then it can be revealing without trying to be. Try to buy higher cut lace cami's or smaller “peek holes” and that will solve this fall fashion dilemma.

Last but not least is a strapless dress. If you are buying a strapless dress for a special occasion make sure it fits right. Make sure it's not so tight that your chest is squashed, but also make sure it's not so loose that you're going to pulling it up all night! Make sure the neckline is high enough that you're not showing any cleavage for modesty's sake and the sake of everyone around you. I think strapless dresses are a very cute addition to any girl's wardrobe as long as it is worn correctly.

My only disclaimer for this article is this; please don't use this article as an excuse to wear something your parents don't want you wearing or you don't feel right about. Modesty is a personal issue and I'm just trying to help out and make decisions a tad bit easier. If your parents say no about something, then do as they say. God tells us to honor our mother and father.

So have fun this October and always remember that Jesus loves you SO much that He died for you!

"The Girl Bound in Silk"~ A Short Story by Rachel Allen

Note to the reader: This story is best if it's read like a fairytale.

Once upon a time, a beautiful baby girl was born. She was the apple of her father's eye. The poor child's mother died in childbirth. Her father was heartbroken, but he knew that his daughter was his first responsibility. He fed her well and cared for her and loved her. But before he did any of that, he tied her wrists together with her mother's old silk scarf, one end tied to each wrist securely. His friends and family asked him why, but he just shook his head and told them, "In due time."
As the girl grew, her bonds grew tighter. He loosened them, of course, so she wouldn't be in pain, but he made sure that she could not take them off. He was still very kind to her, and she grew up with the silk scarf always present.

When she turned 10 years old, she began to question her father's intent, picking at the scarf and asking him why it was there. He always smiled, kissed the top of her head, and told her, "In due time."
Three short years later, the girl was growing impatient. She asked her father kindly to take the bonds off, but the answer was the same. She resorted to yelling and screaming at him, calling him names and telling him he was a cruel father. He would calmly send her to her room and told her, "In due time."
Finally, on her 16th birthday, she was sitting calmly eating breakfast. The scarf had grown almost too short to fit her, but she had stopped fighting it, accepting the fact that she would be bound until her father's word.
At that moment, her father walked in and told her "Happy Birthday." They ate breakfast in silence. When they were finished, he said, "I have a present for you. Hold out your hands and close your eyes." She obeyed, expecting to feel the cold metal of a locket, or perhaps the square corners of a wrapped box. She felt nothing.

Her father told her she could open her eyes. She opened them, but there was nothing to see. "Father, what is my present?" she asked.

He smiled, a smile that reached his eyes and went from ear to ear. He held up the scarf that had held her for sixteen whole years and said, "Freedom." Slowly, the scarf fluttered to the floor and lay in a crumpled heap. The girl stared at her hands for a moment, then threw out her arms and twirled. She danced around the room and swung her arms with all her might. Finally, the girl gave her father the biggest hug of his life. After a moment, she leaned back, looked him in the eye and asked him, "Why?"

He smiled, took her by the shoulders, and spoke. "When your mother died, you became mine and my own. I knew that here would be no one else to help me raise you. I could teach you what you needed to know, like how to read and write and cook and ride a horse and take care of it. But your mother wasn't there to teach you the rest. I bound you so you would learn to be strong, patient, loving no matter what, and know that there would always be something fighting you, holding you back. I love you, and I just wanted you to be the woman I knew you could be."

The daughter stood for a moment, then threw her arms around her father and cried. "I love you too, daddy."

The point is, God will use discipline to teach us strength, patience, kindness and love. But no matter what method He chooses, whether it's silk or a testimony or a someone fighting you, He does it because He loves you. And that's the truth.

Through Waters Roar~ On Our Nightstand~ Book Review by Michelle Pell

Through Waters Roar by Lynn Austin

This book follows three generations. It takes place during the Civil War on through World War I. The faith in God the characters have and their strong personality, captivates you as you read. The book starts with the third generation, a girl, who, while siting in a jail cell, remembers all the stories her mother and grandmother told her about their childhood. All while trying to figure out how she landed herself in jail in the first place. She remembers how her grandmother told her stories about her great-grandmother and how she broke the law and showed great courage hiding slaves and being a part of the underground railroad during the Civil War. She remembers how fervently her grandmother fought for the prohibition of alcohol in the United States, and how her mothers worked hard for the suffrages' cause. This book gives you a first hand look into the lives of woken of that day, and you see how greatly the duties and expectations of women have changed.


Here is the description from the back of the book...

Harriet Sherwood has always adored her grandmother. But when Harriets decided to follow in her grandmother's independent footsteps, she certainly never expected to follow them to jail! Nor did she expect her childhood enemy and notorious school bully, Tommy O'Reilly to be the arresting officer.


Languishing in a jail cell, Harriet has plenty of time to sift through the memories of three generations of women who have preceded her. As each story emerges, the strength of her family--and their deep faith in the God of justice an righteousness--brings Harriet to the discovery of her own goals and motives for pursuing them.