Popular Spring Hairstyles~ Renee Arnold

With spring peeking around the corner, it's time to investigate how you want to style your hair for the end of your school year!

This year, long and bouncy hair is making a comeback. Unlike the past year where poker straight hair was coveted, this elegant yet relaxed look is all over the runways this spring. This style is perfect for long wavy or straight hair and can be easily accomlished using a curler.

Also on the list for 2012 spring is the half-up Brigitte Bardot hairstlye. Although most of you are probably really confused as to what this looks like, you will recognize it as a very basic hairstyle. All you do to get your hair to look like this is flip your hair upside down and gather the sides of your hair, flip your hair back up and clip the little ponytail you've created using a jaw clip or basic hairtie.

Lastly, if you want to cut your hair short and keep it managable this spring, the mod bob is short, voluminous, messy yet very cute looking. This look was very popular in the 1960's and was seen on plently of celebrities of that time like Brigitte Bardot and Twiggy.

I hope this article was very helpful if you were looking for a change-up this month, or if you were thinking of leaving your hair the same, maybe this inspired you to try something new!

Hope a great spring season,

Renee

 

Did you know that Renee hates it when she does not have lipgloss on??

Trusting God~ Rachel Melillo

I'm in college and things can certainly get out of control and chaotic a lot of the time. In the midst of this chaos, I have the tendency to handle everything myself. I mean, no one else can help me find motivation to do my homework, go to work and to class. It's up to me to do everything...and as small as that seems, it stresses me out quite a bit. In addition to that, I need to make sure that I find or make time to read my Bible and pray.

Recently, I've been joining my two best friends in a devotional that we've been doing called Jesus Calling. A lot of the time, it focuses on resting in God and trusting Him. Sometimes, I wonder, “why does it keep coming back to this??” And then the next day I realize that I needed that. I need a daily reminder to rest. To trust God. In the middle of all my daily list of 'to-dos', it's helpful to take a minute and focus on God—to remind myself that He is in control, not me. And as hard as it is to relinquish control, it's vital to my mental state of being. ;)

So, in trying to put this into practice, I've tried to just live my life one day at a time—focusing primarily on what I have to do for tomorrow, not what's due in a week or what's going to happen next month or if I'm going to survive the summer at home...the list could go on and on. There's a reason that Jesus tells us in Matthew 6, “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Verse 34). We can't handle everything at one time, we need to trust God with each day and not jump ahead. We don't need that kind of stress.

I challenge you to focus primarily on the day you have now instead of focusing on what's going to happen in a year from now, a month from now, or a week from now—trusting God with every day.

Did you know that Rachel works at Wal-Mart?!?!

The Big Girl's Survival Guide~ Freelance by Ariel Gaskill

For the young woman who likes to have a plan of action, this article was written with you in mind. 

Every little girl at one point or another has concocted a list of her dreams and aspirations in her head or in her journal.

I think that it is coded into our DNA to think about the future.

When we were younger we played “Mommy” with our baby dolls and coddled them with care as if they were real; and let our imaginations run wild as we painted a picture of what we wanted our wedding day to look like.

Even though some of us are still little girls at heart, now we are called to be “big girls,” little women if you will, and grace the working world with eloquent speech, class, and our undeniable charm. But first we need to be equipped to fill our own stilettos in a world still dominated by wingtips. How do we accomplish this? Inquiring minds want to know.

Jordan Christy, author of How to Be a Hepburn in a Hilton World suggests that every woman should have a “smart girl list.”  This is a list of attainable goals that we set for ourselves. The key is that we have to make a sincere effort to complete everything on our list.

“W

e need to be equipped to fill our own stilettos in a world still dominated by wingtips.”

Here is a practical, sure proof way to survive in the working world:

Ari’s Big Girl Survival Guide

1. A.S.A.P- Always Say A Prayer. A prayer that is engraved on my heart is Psalms 143: 8-12 which reads as follows, “Cause me to hear your loving-kindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. Deliver me, Oh Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto Thee to hide me.  Teach me to do my will; for thou art my God: Thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken me Oh Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am Thy servant.”
2. Confidence- It’s the best foundation
3. Humility- the perfect accessory to your character
4. A smile- a small accent that goes a long way (and with every outfit)
5. A little blush- to add a little something extra
6. Lip gloss- an essential
7. tool to complete the package
8. A comfortable second pair of shoes- stilettos are great for a while, but you always want to have  a back up
9. A concise and well-written résumé- your charm can get you in the door, but a good resume can land you the job!

No list will be the same; one may be an entire page, others may be a few bullet points.  No matter what our lists look like, all of our aspirations can be reached with good old-fashioned hard work and dedication. These two ingredients can make for a sweet-tasting life.

Copyright © 2012 by Ariel E. Gaskill

A Word from the Wise (The Wise Being God)

Dear Nadia,

 This is going to sound really weird but, is there a right way to pray? I feel as though I need to be all formal but, it says that Jesus is our Father and Friend. A few of my friends say to talk to Him like He's right in my
 room but I don't know. What do you think?

 ~ Wannabe Prayer Warrior


Dear Wannabe Prayer Warrior,

The best person to get advice about prayer from is... Jesus! He was God Himself, and still He prayed. His prayer was powerful and full of faith, but also humble. You sound like you have a beautiful, humble
heart... especially in prayer. Keep it up! In one of Jesus' teachings about prayer he said: "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you... for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6:5-8). I
think it's beautiful that you talk to Him like He's right in your room! He tells us to come to Him in silence and pray and, wherever that may be, He is there! Whether you pray formally (which is great -there are many beautiful formal prayers) or as if you were talking to a friend (which is awesome as well - He IS our best friend after all), "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." (1 John 5:14).

Girl, you are a prayer warrior! Once, when the disciples were struggling with having faith, Jesus explained to them: "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Most people today aren't familiar with what a mustard seed is, so think of a grain of rice or sand. Our tiny bit of faith in God's goodness can produce amazing results, and I'm certain you have a lot more than a tiny grain of faith! God bless you
Ms. Prayer Warrior!


 Dear Nadia,

I want to get more involved in my church but i don't know where I can serve. Do you have any ideas for me?
 ~Helper Outer

Dear Helper Outer,

What a beautiful servant's heart you have! Every church is different and has different needs, but there are a few basic ways that you can help in pretty much any church. Use your God-given gifts to serve. "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace" (1 Peter 4:10).

• Encouragement - this is so underrated! You have no idea how much a kind, encouraging word can brighten someone's day and give them the strength they need to continue in ministry. Let God speak words of joy through you to others! 1 Thessalonians 5:11 - "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up."
• Organize a team to repair/clean - Talk to your pastor or church administrator. Maybe your church needs a major cleaning up or just a little bit of TLC. Whether you volunteer to take on a weekly task like sweeping up after service, or even pull together a large group to do a big spring cleaning project, giving of your time in such a way gives so much honor and glory to God. Cleaning can be tedious, but especially in such acts, God is blessed because you: "with good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men" (Ephesians 6:7).
• Lead youth group/child care - Helping with a youth group for middle-schoolers, elementary school children, or even babysitting is an incredible help to parents as well as regular adult leaders/teachers. If you work well with kids, serving in this way can be a huge blessing to your church family!
• Music ministry - Many times in the songs, we hear: "It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High" (Psalm 92:1). If you are a talented musician or singer, joining your church's music ministry is a great way to glorify God. Even if don't consider yourself musically gifted, singing your heart out to God during praise and worship is a wonderful way to just adore Him and thank Him. You can sing your heart out quietly if you need to ;)
• Set up/clean up for events - this goes along with forming a clean-up crew. I think that any person who was in charge of social events would be thrilled to have extra help with setting and cleaning up before and after youth group, Bible study, or church BBQs! If this interests you, try talking to your church administrator to get a calendar of upcoming events, plan to arrive early or stay late, and then offer your help!
• Usher - Some churches have ushers to greet people and engage newcomers. If you have a friendly and outgoing personality, you may enjoy ushering. Some churches prefer adults to play this role, but it wouldn't hurt to ask if you can help in this way!
• Bulletin/fliers - All you tech-savvy or artsy girls, I bet your church would be THRILLED to have you help them make weekly church bulletins or event fliers. If art and design is something you enjoy, offer to serve in this area. Maybe come with a sample of your work or an idea for a poster/flyer. How cool to get to glorify the Lord through your creative art!

In all of this, it is important to remain humble and take on a spirit of service. "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind... do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others" (Philippians 2:4).


Did you know that Nadia loves to sing and dance though she doesn't think she's good at either?!