Struggling with Looks

Today I am here to talk about looks. Appearance is a funny thing, today esoecially. I know I personally have had a continual battle feeling "sexy." I am against showing skin. I am against showing off your body and I do believe modest is hottest, but sometimes I feel that I am the only one who feels this way and that I am looked over except on the rare occasion that I do show some skin in public.
A friend from out of town stayed the night with us last night and came to church with our family today. She packed one dress and it was so..immodest. I couldn't help but think "she can't wear that into church.." but she did. I think the reason I felt so almost embarrased was because I knew she was going into a house of God. I know that each Sunday I feel our Heavenly Fathers presence in our congregation and its disrespectful to be dressed that way in a house of the Lord.
For me, coming to this realiziation has made such an impact on me today because I want every where I go to be a house of God. My body is a temple and I want the spirit of the Lord to reside in me. By dishonoring myself I am also dishonoring the spirit living within me, and probably not allowing it to be there.
Also, today I read a perfect scripture for what I was feeling. I have never really thought about the fact that we look like God. Yes, we are His children but I never realized I look like Him and so do each and every one of you. Our appearances should be honored every day in every thing we do because we were made to look like Him.
Reading
-Genesis 1:26
Reflect
-Are you dressing in a way that will allow the spirit to WANT to reside in you?
-Are you honoring God's looks by respecting your own?

Willpower

So, as I'm sure you've noticed Clare and I have been slacking on blogging. Summer has come and Clare started summer classes, I am finally getting a quick breather before school starts up again in August, and filling in my "breather" with work and my little family. Because of our "priorities" our blog has taken seat on the back burner. But, we are both determined to get back into the swing of things.
Even though our purpose for this blog was to spread the word of God (hence "His hand extended") this has been the least of our priorities, which honestly, a) don't take up all of our time, and b) aren't really all that important. Which brings me to today's topic, willpower.
There are many times, most days actually, where I think "oh its okay, I've done so much, ill just take a quick nap." and neglect my scriptures which are now beginning to collect dust.  Or, "the kids are crabby, we can skip Bible time tonight." Simply because I don't want to deal with it and in the end I am robbing them of very important things. I think I can rely on my willpower and that alone and i am starting to see that that is not the case. Our bodies (mind, will, emotions) would love to run our lives, and these things are vital to a successful life and they can get you far, but they are never enough to let you cross the finish line.
what if, instead of relying on willpower we relied on God. He can instill HIS power, which is so much greater than our own, into us, and we will be able to run laps around everyone relying on their own willpower. Also, God will be getting the credit for all the wonderful things we wold be able to do, rather than ourselves.
John 15:5 says "Apart from me, you can do nothing." this is such an important verse to keep in mind during todays study.
Reading:
Galatians 5:16
Reflect:
-When looking at the things you get done and the things you don't, are you using your own willpower or are you using God?
-In what ways can you change your ways to stay motivated and glorify God?

Let Their Iron Swim

A common theme that seems to be coming up in my life a lot lately is "helping others." I keep finding myself bending backwards to help others even when it means causing additional stressors in my already hectic life.
Something I am really excited about is working at the Kiwanis camp! It's a camp for disabled children and adults where they can have a week of fishing, horseback riding, arts and crafts, and friends. You can find more information about it here!
Because of all the "helping" that's going on in my life I know I am creating miracles. Whether or not these miracles affect me directly or not I know that when I go to camp these kids will experience something that they don't always get to. As small as it may be I want that week to be a miracle for them. My outlook on this brings me to today's reading.
In the reading a man drops a borrowed ax into the water. Elisha, a man of god, allows the iron to float to the man when he expresses his concern because the ax wasn't his.
By expressing his concern for OTHERS a miracle was preformed for him. Don't you think you could focus on others every single day to be making miracles no matter the size?
Reading:
2 Kings 6:1-7
Reflections:
-Are you currently trying to make a difference for OTHERS?
-What can you do to make a difference in others day to day life?
Goal:
Make it a goal this week to "make someone's iron swim." let yourself focus more on others needs and wants then your own.