Having memorized so much of the Bible, I cringe when I hear it misquoted. I was in Bible quizzing in high school as I mentioned in my post about memorizing Scripture.
God will never give you anything you can't handle.
It's in the Bible, right? Actually it isn't. Most people think that is what I Corinthians 10:13 says, but let's take a look at that verse in a few different versions.
13 No temptation[a] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[b] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,[c] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (NIV)
With all the talk about the post "Men Prefer Debt Free Virgins Without Tattoos", I think it's appropriate to tell my story -- a story not often heard of the consequences of purity culture. I grew up in a church that allowed dating (although no dancing, but we had great times at non-dancing activities.) I spent two years at a college of my denomination, dates were allowed, and I still have good friends from that time in my life.
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My dad was hit by a drunk driver, and I didn't have the money to go back to college, so I stayed home a couple years. I didn't have the money to attend a Christian college, so I went to a state school and was in Christian groups. While I was there, the book I Kissed Dating Goodbye became very popular amongst my friends, and I bought into it completely. I had a list of things I would not do with a man before I was married. (Even allowing him to touch my head was on it.)
I was so hopeful that doing all this would mean God would grant me the wonderful Christian man that I deserved. (What? How can you earn a good husband?)
What is VeryDice? Does it really work? Can you really earn free prizes?
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I was skeptical at first, but I have to say it is a fun app I have really enjoyed having on my phone.
You sign up, and you roll virtual dice. It's that simple. You can earn extra rolls by doing various things such as watching ads or downloading other apps. I will occasionally watch some ads, but most of my rolls have come from the daily free spin.
How does it work?
When you roll the "dice" you earn tickets. Those tickets can be exchanged for items in the rewards center. Here's a pro hint: Many, many things from Amazon are in the system, you just have to search for the item instead of browse.
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I have won a few subscription boxes over the last few years, but only one month of them. For someone who loves mail, I have to say they are extremely tempting, but I also am a frugal person. I just looked at one of the more popular subscription boxes, and it costs $19.95 for a month, but it claims to have $50 of stuff in it.
Having graduated high school located within an Amish community, I'm sure my perception of the Amish is different than the average person. When I hear "Amish" I automatically think of the elderly lady who would stop by to use the school's telephone, the lady who we would buy produce from by the side of the road who kept their buggy in their garage, or the girl who would take my money at the store that sells bulk foods.
This book was inspired when Nancy Sleeth was talking about hanging her clothes out to dry, and she was asked the question, "What are you, Amish?" That is not the first thing I would think of when it comes to the Amish, but evidently that's the idea some have of the Anabaptist communities!
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It's that time of year again when the tax refunds come in. Some people seem to think it's Christmas and go out and buy the latest and most expensive stuff they can't afford the rest of the year, but that's not really the best use of your refund. Here are some better ideas.
1. Unless you are getting Earned Income Credit, make sure you don't get much of a refund. Why let the government hold on to your hard earned money all year when you could be using it? If you like having a "windfall" once a year, start a savings account!
2. Pay off credit cards / bills. If you owe anything on credit cards, pay them off. With interest rates as high as they are, you are much better paying off credit cards. I highly recommend the method of paying off debt that Dave Ramsey talks about in The Total Money Makeover. Pay off your smallest debt first and then you can put that money that you pay each month towards your next biggest debt, and so forth. (If you haven't read Dave Ramsey's book, I highly recommend a small part of your tax refund and buy it or another good financial planning book for everyday people.)
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Robin Jones Gunn posted on a social media site that during a radio interview she was introduced as Christy Miller. I can see why. The character she created is so realistic that I, as a non-fiction aficionado, enjoyed this book greatly.
Summer Promise: Book 1 in the Christy Miller Series is a Christian book, and I normally have a bias against books that weave the "plan of salvation" into the story line, but aside from that I want to read the rest of this series, and I'm not even the target age range!
I believe this was originally published in the mid 90s, it's a bit dated in the fact the teenagers have no cell phones! I thought different times how crazy it was none of them texted! What a difference fifteen years makes!
The book doesn't shy away from difficult topics. Drinking. Drugs. Death. Sexually active friends. An alcoholic mother of a friend. These might make this book not a great choice for a tween, but unfortunately this is the world in which teens live, so tackling these topics in a book would likely be a great help to some girls.
Christy is from Wisconsin, but living with her aunt and uncle for the summer. She makes new friends who are different from those she knows back home. She takes risks in wardrobe and changes her hair, starts wearing make up and she falls for a guy who takes her to Disneyland for her birthday, but then at the end of the day things aren't quite the way she thought they were. . .
The biggest thing I disliked about this book is it's part of a series, and of course, when the end comes, you're left wondering what is going to happen next. But that's all the more reason to buy the next book and enjoy more time reading!
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My mother never was one to tell me I couldn't read anything. She always said she taught me right and wrong and trusted me to know the difference. Summers found me at our local library devouring books from the likes of Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, and the Childhood of Famous Americans series.
One of my favorite authors of all time at the ripe old age of sixteen was Dr. Seuss. I loved the lesser known book I can Lick 30 Tigers Today. I checked it out of the library quite often when I was younger, and I would giggle while curled up to my mother listening to her reading that some of the tigers' fingernails weren't very clean. As with some of his books, there were other stories included. I loved the Glunk that Got Thunk, and growing up in poor Appalachia, I felt sorry for the family who the Glunk was overtaking their phone line. I would remind myself it was just a for-fun-fiction story, and get back to the rhyme. (That's how I always remembered fiction and non-fiction. Written "for fun" starts with the letter F.) And I loved King Louis Katz that was the last of the stories in that book.
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When I was planning my wedding, I spent hours online trying to find ideas to honor both of my parents at my wedding. I found ideas to honor a parent who is deceased, but no ideas when you are trying to honor both parents. I spent almost more time on this part of wedding planning than any other. I wanted to do something touching, have them a part of the ceremony, but didn’t want to turn the celebration into a memorial.
We started by having a page each in our wedding bulletins in memory of them. We included biographical information, a fun story, a photo individually and their wedding photo which my husband and I recreated at the cake cutting.
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It's flu season again, and with this year's flu shot not being as effective as some years, extra vigilance is required to try and stay healthy this year. One way to do that is to make sure your smartphone is as clean as possible. Charles Gerba, microbiologist at University of Arizona, states that the average smartphone has more than 10 times the bacteria on it than most toilet seats!
Here's a few tips to keeping your iPhone 8, iPhone X, and your Samsung Galaxy Note8 germ free this cold and flu season:
Wash and sanitize your hands regularly. This goes a long way in helping to prevent coming down with a bug, and it also is helpful in keeping your phone or tablet clean. Germs travel easily from hands to devices (and things like light switches, doorknobs, etc.) Clean hands transfer fewer germs so wash those hands. Singing the ABCs or Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (they are the same tune) while you wash your hands helps ensure you wash long enough!
Disinfect devices and cases regularly. Using a disinfectant wipe that does NOT contain bleach can help reduce germs on your devices. Wring out the wipe several times to minimize the amount of moisture that gets near your phone. After using the disinfectant, wipe with a microfiber cloth. Or you could invest in a special cleaners made just for electronics. U.S. Cellular Stores sell Gadget Guard Greener Cleaner.
The most difficult places to clean on a iPhone are the headphone jack, charging port, speaker and microphone. Do not use a toothpick or cotton swap to clean these tiny places. They can damage circuitry and/or leave behind cotton fibers. Amazon sells a putty that has been created specifically for electronics called Cyber Clean.
Don't use devices in the bathroom. This should be a no-brainer because of the amount of moisture in that room and the risk of dropping your phone in the loo. (I know someone who has dropped multiple phones in the toilet and had to replace each one.) Yet, 61% of people, according to an Inc.com survey, said they use their phone in the restroom. The habit of "toilet texting" can cause users to become ill as germs from the bathroom can wind up on the phone.
