follow the Leader

Something has to change.
I cannot go on like this. Seriously.
I'm ready to make the change. Monday will hopefully be the start to something new.
Let's do this.

Written by Philip Hainline, Heidi Reimer, and Maria Reimer at the respective ages of 16, 19, and 17.

A real woman . . .
…is glad she’s a woman and rejoices in her femininity, expressing it through her attitude, appearance and bearing. (1 Timothy 2:9-10)

…does not compete for equality with men or chafe at God’s design for male and female, but delights in and understands the importance of her calling to complement man’s role. (1 Timothy 2:11-12, Ephesians 5:22-24)

…values the cultivation of her mind and diligently seeks after wisdom and knowledge. (Proverbs 22:17-21, 2:2-6)

…realizes her imperative need to allow the Holy Spirit to control her emotions and expressions of them. (James 1:19-20)

…does not wallow in self-pity or make a habit of voicing complaints, but radiates cheerfulness and joy. (Proverbs 15:15, Proverbs 17:22)

A real woman . . .
…appreciates her father’s protection, and respects and submits to his authority. In so doing, she is preparing herself to exercise the Biblical role in her relationship with a possible future husband. (Ephesians 5:33-6:3, 1 Peter 3:1-2)

…is trustworthy and gains the respect of those around her. (Proverbs 31:11)

…restrains herself from listening to, or participating in gossip, but instead speaks with wisdom and discretion. (Proverbs 11:12-13, 22, 20:19, 3:11)

…encourages and builds up those around her instead of criticizing and tearing them down. (1 Thessalonians 5:11, Ephesians 4:29)

…does not have a nagging, contentious or manipulative manner in which she deals with others. (Judges 16:16, Proverbs 21:9, 19, 26:21)

…is not boisterous or loud in her speech or actions but is characterized by a gentle and quiet spirit. (Proverbs 9:13, 1 Peter 3:4)

A real woman . . .
…portrays chastity, modesty and reverence in her manner, and wears the ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is her true beauty. (1 Peter 3:3-4, Titus 2:4-5)

…is not offended by respect shown her through gentlemanly courtesies (opening doors, etc.) but cultivates the differences between the sexes that make her worthy of this deference. (1 Peter 3:7, Mark 10:6)

…seeks to make God her number one desire and the Lover of her soul, knowing that only He can fully satisfy. (Psalm 73:25, Psalm 63:1)

…uses her years of singleness to seek and serve God without distraction, and is content to leave the details of her future to Him. (Psalm 73:25, Philippians 4:11)

A real woman . . .
…does not relate to members of the opposite sex in a flirtatious or forward manner, but instead saves all her passion for her future husband. (Thessalonians 4:3-8, Proverbs 6:25, 1 Corinthians 7:1)

…holds her virginity before marriage sacred and will not compromise it for anything. (This one goes for guys too)
(1 Timothy 5:22)

Lori Hainline & Rebecca Chandler co-authored this list at the respective ages of 19 and 17. Their closing comment: This list is not exhaustive and men like this do exist!

A real man . . .
…understands and lives according to the basic purposes for which he was created: to worship, honor, and serve God. (Romans 12:1-2)

…values and carefully handles the scriptures. (2 Timothy 2:15)

…doesn’t pride himself on being knowledgeable in the sinful ways of the world. (1 John 2:15-16, James 4:4, Philippians 4:8)

A real man . . .
…isn’t embarrassed to worship God and pray in a group setting. (Mark 8:38)

…is wise, yet humble. (Proverbs 2:1-10, 1 Peter 5:5, Romans 12:16)

A real man . . .
…takes leadership in a self-sacrificing way. (Ephesians 5:25-28)

…is kind because, “What is desirable in man is his kindness” (Proverbs 19:22)

…doesn’t try to prove himself but is simply confident as he walks in the fear of the Lord. (Proverbs 14:26-27)

…doesn’t put others down with his actions, attitude, words, or his strength. But on the contrary, he affirms and builds others up (Proverbs 15:4, Ephesians 4:29)

A real man . . .
…treats his sisters and mother with as much respect as he would treat a prospective wife. (Matthew 25:21)

…not only respects but appreciates a young lady’s purity and innocence. In our culture innocence isn’t retained by accident. (2 Corinthians 11:2-3)

…values his purity as much as he values a young lady’s purity. He is not ashamed to live and act differently from the world in order to guard himself. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, Ecclesiastes 7:26)

…can look a girl straight in the eye without communicating any impurity. (Proverbs 20:11)

A real man . . .
…isn’t ashamed to identify himself with his family (Ephesians 6:2-3)

…is a gentleman. He is polite and shows women honor in everyday things such as opening doors, etc. (1 Peter 3:7)

…has no desire to be gross in order to impress other men. He doesn’t burp, swear, or tell disgusting stories. (Proverbs 13:5, Ephesians 5:4)

A real man . . .
…shows by his actions that he loves children. (Matthew 19:13-14)

…is pleasant and expresses joy rather than feeling that it’s masculine to be sullen. (Proverbs 21:29, 1 Thessalonians 5:16)

…doesn’t blame others for his own problems but embraces responsibility. (Proverbs 12:27)

…can accept correction (Proverbs 12:1, Proverbs 29:1)

A real man . . .
…is mature in his emotions and his expressions of them. He can deal with the trials of life logically, with wisdom, not on a basis of emotional instability. (Proverbs 14:29, Proverbs 17:27, Proverbs 12:18)

…understands the value of work and is financially responsible. (Colossians 3:23-24, 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, Luke 16:10-11)

…expresses himself with intelligent words rather than using “street talk”. (Proverbs 17:20, Titus 2:6-8, 1 Peter 4:11, Ephesians 4:29)

So how do you deal with a God-given gift that you don't like?
I mean.. it's not even a selfish don't like... it's not like... oh I wish I could trade it in..
It's a gift that has been hindering me to see Jesus in them...
that sounds super weird... but... okay.
So I can read people really well and tell when they are being fake... and like I just know certain things about people
after just meeting them. like... God gives me vibes and clues to know the truth.
that sounds strange.
Example... I once met this guy who was a youth director (not mine)... and he was really nice, everyone loved him and so on and so on... well I knew something wasn't right. I could just feel it. And it was a feeling that I know was from God. He made me uncomfortable, and I questioned everything he did and his motives.. Well the longer he was working in his church the more all this stuff started to surface about him. Eventually he was let go... and I had been telling my parents the entire time that I had these feelings... well that's just one example...
and it stinks because there are people in my life right now that I know are really being fake, and I can see things in them that people can't see, and it is hurting me SO much because I don't know if I can tell anyone without them being hurt... because everyone loves them... these people I usually get vibes about are good people, who have lots of friends and everyone loves them... ugh..
I hate so much that I don't even feel comfortable.. and I'm afraid that more people (than I know already have) will get hurt by these people... This gift drives me crazy...
I know God has given it to me for a reason.. and I just need to keep on praying to figure it all out... but yeah..
okay.. so if you made it through that you're probably super confused... haha... try being in my head!! lol.
anyway.. have a good night... I'm going to go read some of His Word and rest my mind! Love you!

wow wow wow.
so much going on in my life right now!
Most of it is interpersonal, but there's also a ton of stuff coming up with youth group and stuff. God is going to do big things in this town, and I cannot wait to see what happens!! What a huge movement.
The past couple days I've been thinking back to school a lot with a particular situation.
Who would have ever thought I'd look back to the POET Analysis?! Yeeesh! I'm sure none of you know what that is, because I think the professor I had made it up. To put it simply... it's a process that takes years, but it involves introducing yourself into a culture, becoming part of the culture, living like them, observing them, asking them questions and then, once you have built up their trust, gained a greater understanding of their beliefs you integrate the gospel with what they believe and find some common connections to get them to understand what you're getting at.
Anyway... I've been using this thought process as I talk with a student. It's amazing how quickly trust and friendship can be built just by listening. God is AMAZING, and I know that He's going to use me somehow. I might not be the person she comes to when she gives her life to Jesus, and that's ok, but I pray that I can plant and water seeds. I pray that just by her seeing me, and hearing the way I talk she might understand Jesus a little more.
I've got to wholely trust in the Lord for this one-- there's nothing I can do.

on a whole other note...
I'm lonely.. if you're in Spencer for the long term, short term, or want to come let me know!! It would be great to have someone to talk to or hang out with or just know that someone else is in this town!! :)