Above image courtesy of the volunteer photographers for Pixabay.
~ ~ ~ SCRIPTURE REFERENCE - 1 CHRONICLES 28:10 ~ ~ ~ Often I find that the Lord wants to give us an extra boost. He doesn't necessarily always want to give us a five-point outline in our Bible study notes, but perhaps He just wants to encourage us. In today's passage, King David has summoned his son Solomon. He has just finished giving Solomon, and the people of Israel, a lecture on having a willing heart (we saw that in last week's post). Now, he is confident that Solomon is ready for God's work and gives him the instructions needed to complete the job. In verse 10, to paraphrase, David says, "You better pay attention. Listen to God because He chose you to do this." Then he says something powerful; "be strong, and do it." Wow. Sometimes all we need is for God to say "be strong". The Bible often says to "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." Notice where our strength comes from. It's not within ourselves. If it did, we'd be drained right from the get-go. We rely on God's strength through prayer and feeding on His Word daily. He then says, "...and do it." This tells me that doing God's work is not an option or a suggestion if we are to 1) have a willing heart and 2) have total commitment. One of the biggest problems in our relationships with people (not just romantically) is a lack of commitment; it's no different with God. We're either in or out. So what are we to glean from this? The statement "Do It" stood out to me. We can't sit around and wait for the next best person to take our place. If God told us to do something, there's a reason. If He had not have planned for you to do it, then He would not have asked you. He doesn't want us moping and complaining; like it was said last week, He wants us to get down and dirty for the Kingdom. What's something that the Lord is calling you to do? Are you running away from it?
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Above image courtesy of the photographers for Pixabay.
~ ~ ~ Just a quick announcement before we get into the Bible! I know just a few weeks ago I posted a brand new schedule, but after a lot of thinking, I have decided to narrow my posting down to Sundays at 2pm. It will be devotionals and Christian growth/lifestyle. I found that posting the other things was far too overwhelming. If I should feel the inkling to post something during the week, I will let you know via social media. Make sure you are following me there to keep up with what's going on. A link to my Facebook should be in the About section. ~ ~ ~ SCRIPTURE REFERENCE - 1 Chronicles 28:9; 1 Chronicles 29 ~ ~ ~ One of the biggest and most effective tips in Bible study is to look for key words and themes in the passage that you are reading. In today's reading, you don't have to look very hard to see what God is trying to get across to us. As I was reading through these passages, I kept hearing the Holy Spirit asking me, "Are you willing?" See, the thing with today's Christians, they make it look like a pretty picture of a rainbow. They make Christianity look fun with all the jazzy lights and Bible study with friends at the local cafe`. While all that is fine and dandy, God wants more. The "jazzy light" Christian won't tell you life is going to get tough. They're not going to tell you that God requires much more than a weekly study in the book of Psalms. He wants us to get our hands and feet dirty. In the context of the above passage, the Lord is in the middle of instructing Israel how to build and maintain the house of God, including the holy objects such as the shewbread and candlesticks. We have to remember they didn't have forklifts and all the fancy machinery we have today. They had hammers and nails, and they had to borrow material from neighboring countries. The house of God didn't go up quick either; it took years before it was perfected. That is why in one of the verses, God required "skillful" and "willing" men. Building and maintaining a holy atmosphere was no walk in the park. He needed people who were willing to sacrifice their time and talents. He needed people who were willing to do what needed to be done. Now, take a look at the local church today. Let's see if the following scenario sounds familiar: "MarySue would you be willing to take over the nursery while JimBob goes on vacation this week? "I'm not good with babies. Let Susie do it." OR "We need members to come help clean the church for Easter. Any and all volunteers are welcome." Aaaaaand maybe two or three people show up. There's no willingness. There's no want. People used to take care of the things of God because it was meaningful and they loved the Lord. These days, we may be lucky to get four or five in the choir. Everybody in today's passage had a job, and they were willing to do it. Use them as an example and be willing to do what God has called you to do. Above image courtesy of the volunteer photographers for Pixabay. ~ ~ ~ AFFILIATE LINKS INCLUDED IN THIS POST ~ ~ ~ If you're anything like me, you probably like to hang around on your phone far too much. All the social media, pictures, and funny cat GIFs just will not leave me alone. But then, the dreaded joy-killer comes along. It comes when the phone is plugged in and trying to charge. It's a notification that says: Weak battery charge detected. It then continues to prompt you to check and see what's causing the issue. I go through the steps and I also include a tip from one of my tech buddies; he said to actually go in manually and remove the cache partition (basically all the unnecessary files that get buried under the surface and take up space). The same can happen with our spiritual life. If we aren't plugged in regularly to the Word of God and regularly removing the junk from our hearts, we're eventually going to get a nudge from the Holy Spirit prompting us to do so. He tells us that our charge is weak and we need to do something about it. What's taking up space in your life? What's pushing the important stuff to the side? Is it family? Friends? Cat GIFs? Whatever it is, we need to get our priorities straight. God's Word should come before all else. It's our daily bread, not dessert for later. Are you plugged in correctly? The wrong doctrine and the wrong teachers will get you fouled up pretty quickly. Get under good, Bible-based preaching and teaching. Line up what they are saying with the Bible. After years of using the same phone, it's probably time for a new one right? It gets messed up, dropped, and the screen breaks. But it's okay! New phones are always available. Did you know that your relationship with God can also be renewed? Did you know that His Word is always available too? Sometimes we just need to take a step back, rewind, and get our lives back in order. We want to start fresh. Staying in tune with God isn't always the easiest thing to do, especially with the world clamoring for our attention. That is why there are a million options as to how you can be in your Bible (yep including Bible apps on that phone). The first option is a study Bible. From maps to word studies to in-depth articles, study Bibles are a great tool to use. They come in handy when you don't have time to do a Google search, or if you want the answers straight from the Word of God itself. Check out the range of study Bibles here to help you get started. Another wonderful tool to use is a journaling Bible. All of your thoughts, prayers, and ramblings can be stored here. If you're artistic, there are Bibles that have pages you can paint on or color. If you're more of a writer like myself, you'll enjoy taking notes and jotting down important things along the way. See the journaling Bibles here! The last tool is something that I highly appreciate as a creative mind. Author Sarah Young published a book titled Jesus Calling, and it pulls at your heartstrings as you hear the voice of Jesus speaking directly to you. He comes down to our level and gets real with us. It's almost as if He is writing a love letter to you and I. Look at it here! ~ ~ ~ Feel free to browse any of the products mentioned! I receive a small portion of your purchase to fund my projects such as this blog, Youtube videos, and more. Thank you! Above image courtesy of the volunteer photographers for Pixabay.
~ ~ ~ Hello hello! I hope you all are having a good 2020 so far! There will not be a new post today but I've put together a brand new schedule for 2020 for SGAB. I hope that it won't be too overwhelming for either the reader or the writer (myself). So read on to see what I've got planned! ~ ~ ~ THEMES Okay so let's talk about themes. Each day that I post will have a theme so that my readers will get what they came to see. If you're into Christian growth, that's what you'll get. If you're into beauty, there's a little bit of that too. Lifestyle? Got it too! ~ ~ ~ SCHEDULE Starting on Sunday, January 26th, a brand new schedule will be in place for the blog. It will hopefully go as follows: SUNDAYS - Devotionals WEDNESDAYS - Christian growth and/or lifestyle (it will switch up from time to time for those who are not into the religious aspect) THURSDAYS - Beauty/fashion FRIDAYS - Lifestyle ~ ~ ~ Please keep in mind that the schedule may change depending on how it works out. It got a little confusing as I was putting it together in my organization program, so bear with me! ~ ~ ~ As always, suggestions and feedback are appreciated! Have a happy 2020. Image courtesy of the volunteer photographers for Pixabay. ~ ~ ~ As an esthetician, it is my job not only to help my clients feel and look their best, but to inform and educate them. Often those of us in this profession tend to forget that the average person does not understand the jargon and fancy stuff associated with the industry. So below, I've created a small, basic listicle of essentials that you will need to get started with your skincare routine. I also curated a video to supplement what you're reading and it will go more in-depth about each step. ~ ~ ~ NOTE: I will discuss the usage of toner in another post/video. The first step in any skincare routine should be your face wash or cleanser. While it's totally okay to use a bar of soap and water, it might be good to step it up a notch. Cleanser will help get rid of the dirt and impurities from the day/night. Choose your cleanser based on your individual skin type. Once to twice a week, you should be exfoliating. Exfoliation takes care of the dead skin cells on the surface of your skin. It will help ensure that the next two steps do their best job. WARNING: Certain types of exfoliation can irritate sensitive skin. If you have any level of sensitivity, chemical exfoliants can do more damage than good. Once to twice a week, again, familiarize yourself with different masks and treatments. The majority of your skincare benefits come from those. Like your cleanser, choose them based on your skin type. For instance, if you have dry skin, look for ingredients such as shea butter or coconut oil. Moisturizing/SPF are very important. Moisturizers will lock everything in that you've just finished doing. SPF is to be worn during the day whether or not you wear makeup. It protects against the sun's harmful UV rays. PRO TIP: - For dry skin, find something heavy with a cream-based consistency. - For oily skin, lighter gel formulas will work the best. ~ ~ ~ Do you have any skincare tips, tricks, or hacks? Let me know in the comments or below the video on Youtube. Image courtesy of the volunteer photographers for Pixabay! ~ ~ ~ I know Christmas is technically over for the majority of us, but in some cultures, it's still going on. Inspired by discussions with my family, I decided to write an impromptu blog post on some local fun! If you aren't from around here, you may enjoy a little treat from down south. See, Christmas around here is pretty special for folks like us. Read on if you'd like to know more! The number one reason why Christmas is so special to us, myself included, is because of the picture you see above. Our Jesus is celebrated at his birth every year on December 25th, and a lot of churches in the area like to start around December 1st. Christmas pageants, caroling, and lights all abound in our little neck of the woods. Would you believe me if I told you I saw live camels this past Christmas? Yep, a church up the road had a live nativity in their front lawn and had live animals! How neat is that. Christmas, like Thanksgiving, is very much looked forward to due to the massive amounts of food being prepared. Now, not many people like the preparation part, but in our house, we make it fun. Whether it be a gingerbread house or a cake, it's all done here. I personally covet my sister's green bean casserole and banana pudding. When it comes to tradition, my aunt makes a killer stew; it's making me hungry just thinking about it! One of the things that my hometown is famous for is its giant display of Christmas lights. They leave them up until December 26th, and boy is it a beautiful sight. The carousel is lit up with white lights while the more colorful displays take center stage all around the block. If you drive around the path from the main road, along the route of the library, and back around to West C Street, you'll get a magnificent glimpse of how seriously the locals take Christmas.
(If you'd like to see pictures, please let me know. I'll post them on the SGAB FB page from my phone.) Speaking of lights, I'd be hard pressed to say that the majority of us around here don't like to go light-seeing (you know, like sight-seeing? get it?). From simple fairy lights trimmed around the rooftops to fun things like Rudolph, Santa, and the nativity scenes, people absolutely love to drive around in the middle of the night to look at lights. ~ ~ ~ Let's reminisce a little. Back when I was little, Kannapolis used to hold some amazing parades. Some of the local high schools would send their bands to play in the parade, and the floats were incredible. One of my fondest memories was standing on the sidewalk with my family beside of First Baptist, and the only thing I had on my mind was getting cotton candy from the stand nearby. By golly I got some cotton candy while I waited for the Santa sleigh to appear. The night of the parade (and sometimes while light-seeing in general) we would ride around downtown and look at the lights there. Wreaths were hung on every street light and on every business door, and there were decorations out on the lake. If I remember correctly, they had a waving Santa out there with some reindeer. They even had some colored lights that spelled out Merry Christmas. It was pretty cool to see those things from my grandmother's house across the street. ~ ~ ~ Well, I'm curious now. Where are you from and does your area have any neat traditions? Do you have any Christmas memories? Above image courtesy of the volunteer photographers for Pixabay.
~ ~ ~ Welcome back! I know it's been a while but I think I should be back into the swing of things by the beginning of 2020. That sounds a bit crazy that we've hit yet another decade; any 90's babies here? Anyway! Today's post is going to highlight (lol no pun intended I promise) some of my favorite beauty products of 2019. They will be in no particular order but I will try to leave a few links with the products mentioned if they are still available. If they are no longer available, I highly suggest researching some dupes or branch out and try something new! If you do not see a link for any of these products, they're more than likely not available so make sure you do your own searches too. ~ ~ ~ The Wet n Wild brand itself has been around for a while, but they've stepped up their game recently. Their Photofocus Liquid Foundation is a staple in my collection and will probably be for a long time to come. As a makeup artist and esthetician, I tend to look for products that are made to be buildable and look great in photos. This foundation has been tested by professionals under many different lightings and with different types of cameras. There is no flashback. I raved about it last year when I attended an all-day Supernatural convention. I wore it from 7am until near midnight and it did not budge. It looks incredible in my photo op I did with one of the actors. I paired it with my Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer and it looked impeccable. Bonus? WnW is cruelty-free! Pro tip: Exfoliate before using this foundation and use a moisturizer and a moisturizing primer. My shade: Soft Ivory ~ ~ ~ You've been in the makeup world for a while if you remember the trusty Instant Age Rewind concealer by Maybelline. Deemed by many as an affordable dupe for the Tarte Shape Tape concealer, a lot of us can agree that it gives amazing, beautiful coverage without looking like makeup when you apply it correctly. If you watch my videos, you'll see that the concealer looks its best when I blend it in with my fingertips. Apply it first with the comfortable sponge-tip applicator and use your ring finger to tap the product in; use light tapping motions for maximum coverage. If you've got more fine lines and wrinkles than myself, lightly set it with an under-eye powder. Use a shade or two lighter to highlight the rest of your face if you so choose. My shade: Light ~ ~ ~ I got my first taste of Essence makeup this year when I purchased a few things from a visit to Ulta (my first Ulta experience too). One of the products I picked up was the Essence Lash Princess Volume Mascara. If you know me at all, you know I hate wearing false lashes. But this mascara gives the illusion of falsies without the hassle. It gives you long, full, black lashes and they stay beautiful all day. Tena ASMR on Youtube recommended this in one of her videos and I was super excited when I saw it in store. I loved how it looked on her and it does the exact same thing to my lashes as it did hers. They also sell a lengthening formula and a two-in-one formula. While I was at Ulta, I also picked up one of their eyeshadow palettes and their eye primer both of which you've seen me use in my videos. Pro tip: Warm your lash curler with your breath for a few seconds, curl your lashes, and apply the mascara. This technique works similar to using hot tools on your hair. ~ ~ ~ The last product I want to talk about is the Shaaanxo x BH Cosmetics eyeshadow palette collaboration. Unfortunately it is no longer available but I wanted to rave about it since Shannon is so underrated. Not only do you get some beautiful eyeshadow formulas, you get lip colors on the other side. This palette is versatile and you can create so many different looks with it. Glam, neutral, day-to-night...you name it, you can do it. Pro tip: Use the top center shade as a cheekbone highlighter. ~ ~ ~ I want to know what your favorite products were for 2019. I had many, many more but I want to leave the door open for you guys to share yours! ~ ~ ~ Above image courtesy of the volunteer photographers for Pixabay.
~ ~ ~ Scripture Reference - John 5:1-9 ~ ~ ~ Today's Scripture highlights a man that we can all relate to. He'd had an infirmity for a very long time. The Bible isn't specific about what the infirmity was, but it says he'd been that way for 38 years. How many of us can honestly say we have an infirmity? We like to use it as an excuse not to do things. Oh I've got a headache. I can't go to church. No honey, my back hurts. I can't go out to play with you right now. I'm too anxious. I can't go to the Bible study tonight. Sound familiar? We've all made excuses. We've even done what the man in Scripture did. He blamed other people. He bluntly stated that nobody stopped by to help him get in the pool. Nobody bothered to check on him or offer to bring a snack or water. But sometimes, my dear reader, we have to just rise up and walk. Jesus was blunt right back. He probably raised a brow at the man. There were tons of other people there who were sick and afflicted, and made absolutely no excuse. They got in the water when it was their turn. They didn't blame others for their issues. They got up off their mat and walked! Is Jesus telling you to get up? I'm sure He is. Whatever it is you've got going on, He wants you to get up by faith and reach out for His hand. He wants you to get up and walk by faith. Sometimes we have to stop making these excuses and just do it. What if Jesus made those excuses on the road to Calvary? What if Paul whined the whole time he was in prison for the gospel? Where would we be? I challenge you, dear sister or brother, to take hold of your faith and rise up. Jesus is waiting. |
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