Being Better magazine - Holiday 2014

Being

Holiday 2014

Stuff that just might make your life better

better

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Top

tips to successful resolutions

Nailing your job interview Do’s and Don’t’s

Holiday Spirit

Finding your

A teenager’s price for popularity and who marked her bill

d] i a P t b e [D

Dustin and Jessique Steele

Take this magazine with you. When you’re done, give it away.

Being

better

Being Better is created to help you achieve the life God wants for you. We hope to inspire you to seek the best life you can have, and that happens when you include God. For those who don’t know how to do that or why, we hope we can help. Ultimately, we want to help you find Jesus in a way that doesn’t freak you out. God just wants to hang out with you...(yes, you) and when you let Him, your life really will be better.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD...”

Jeremiah 29:13-14 If you want to find out more about God, you just need to start looking for Him. We’ll help. You can start at our website or one of the others listed in this issue.

Also, find a great Bible-believing church in your area and go­.

Being Better is published four times a year. Subscribe for $6.99 per year or to buy in bulk quantities, go to our website.

Contents 5

Nuggets of Wisdom. . . . . . . . 4 How To: Tie a scarf. . . . . . . 5 Home & Family: Holiday Spirit. . . . 6 Christmas . . . . . . . 8 Top 5: Start now tips. . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Health & Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Food focus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Doing it Right. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 When God shows up . (Cover) Jessique Steele . . . . . . . 14 Answers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Better Way: To get a job . . . . . . . . 18

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To contact us for any reason: Being Better Magazine 2018 Ravens Court Sioux City, IA 51104 www.BeingBetterMagazine.com ©2014 B ­ eing Better Magazine. Please ask publisher’s permission before using content for other public purposes.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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Being Better Magazine | Holiday 2014

The Best Stuff

Holiday

this season

Best Funny

A red-headed man named Rudolph was in his house with his wife. He looked out the window and said, “Look honey, it’s raining.” She said, “Oh, it must be snowing.” But Rudolph knew better. So he said, “Let’s step outside. “Lo and behold, they discover it is in fact rain. Rudolph turns to his wife and says, “I knew it was raining. Rudolph the red knows rain, dear!”

Best Quote

Holiday hair courtesy PrincessPiggies.blogspot.com

“What you are is God’s gift to you.

What you make of yourself is your gift to God.”

-Hans Urs von Balthasar

Best Holiday Hair Girls, get your reindeer on. This easy holiday hairstyle (Rudolph), is from Princess Piggies.

See how to on their site.

PrincessPiggies.blogspot.com.

Best self-improvement tool If you tend to clam up or blow up when things get complicated at home, work─or anywhere in-between─this book (or audio CDs) can change everything. Practical, understandable, proven techniques for communicating better.

Amazing!

Best Gift for Gals Jill Miller’s book Grace Finds Wings chronicles her insight into writing each of the songs on her latest CD. Women will find their own stories within the lyrics and journey Jill reveals.

Pair the CD and book for a great gift around $25.

Best Gift for Guys In Josh Turner’s book Man Stuff he shares fun and meaningful thoughts and personal stories and weaves in insight for men who want to be better dads, husbands, and men of God. Pair the book and a CD for a great gift around $25.

www.beingbettermagazine.com | Holiday 2014

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NUGGETS OF WISDOM If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done. ― Thomas Jefferson

Use your

Emergency organ

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number of years ago, a professor was buttoning up his vest when suddenly he couldn’t. One of his buttonholes was sewn shut. He realized that our bodies are able to do many tasks basically on auto pilot. You know how you’ve arrived at home after a long day at work and have no memory of the drive. You’ve done it so many times your body knows what to do, what route to take, when to change lanes, and when to signal for your turn even when your brain’s not actively engaged.

The professor started evaluating his students. He would pull pranks on them to upset their tendency to do things the way they had always done. Each time he saw that only when things were outside of the norm would they use their brains. They would have to shut off the auto pilot and mindfully assess the situation. He realized that people will automate everything they can and only use the brain as an “emergency organ.”

While this makes life easier in many ways, it also limits us. We forget that there are other ways to do things. We get stuck because, “That’s the way we’ve always done it.”

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In the 1960’s Dick Fosbury was the worst high jumper on his school’s team.

Two typical methods were being used to clear the bar - the scissors kick and the western roll. Neither was working for Dick. He started thinking about what he needed to do differently and what to focus on when he jumped. He thought of a better way─the Fosbury Flop.

Because he didn’t give up, but instead thought up a better way, he revolutionized the high jump and it changed the future of the event. He went from being the worst jumper using the old techniques to developing a new style to earn Olympic gold in Mexico City in 1968. He broke both the U.S. and Olympic records.

Today, everyone uses his method.

What things aren’t working in your life? What new techniques do you need to develop? If you aren’t “winning” doing things the old way, the usual way, or the way you know, perhaps it’s time to use your “emergency organ” and find a new way, a better way. Bb

“...Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right, for there is a time and a way for everything, even when a person is in trouble.” Ecclesiastes 8: 5-6

Being Better Magazine | Holiday 2014

How to be warm but look cool

f]

[tie a scar

Truly one-size fits all Scarves have been spotted on trendsetting youth like the guys from OneDirection, 30-40 somethings like Jessica Alba, Jennifer Aniston, Usher, Beckham, and Jay-Z, to 50’s and older like Oprah, Kevin Costner, and Demi Moore.

The good news is they look good on us regular people too.

Issue Ext r

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2. Get to the point

Grab the corner of the scarf and tuck it into the wrap near your neck.

VIDEO

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Leave one end hanging about chest length then wrap the scarf around your neck a couple of times.

to: w w •Go w as

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1. Let’s wrap

Below: Trisha’s scarf is tied in a Waterfall. To see dozens of ways to tie a scarf, check out the videos on our website.

.com &

The “Waterfall” uses a wider scarf ─ looks great for guys and gals.

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Play around with different lengths, weights (sheer, medium, or bulkier scarves), textures, and patterns to find what works best for your build or style.

Actor Sendhil Ramamurthy shows one of the most common ways to wear a scarf, sometimes called a Parisian or European Loop. Just fold it in half, put it around your neck, and pull the loose ends through the loop.

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Image credits: Man thinking: Shutterstock.com; Scarf couple: 123rf.com; Sendhil Ramamurthy: S. Bukley / Shutterstock.com

Scarves are a fashion trend that truly anyone can wear and wear it well regardless of gender, race, or age.

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3. Be well adjusted

Adjust everything so it hangs well. www.beingbettermagazine.com | Holiday 2014

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H O M E & F A M I LY

Finding your

Spirit

Holiday

by Jennifer Winquist

We’ve imagined the perfect holiday, but is it just a fantasy? Is it truly possible to experience it? Maybe so.

It’s time to focus.

I

t was probably the mid-1980s when I experienced my perfect Christmas.

Well, Christmas Eve to be exact.

After attending our church’s evening service, my family and I arrived at “Grandmother’s house.” Aka: my mom’s house...my dad’s too but as the Jingle Bells song goes, “grandfather” doesn’t make the cut.

The setting was Currier & Ives worthy.

The only light in the front room was from the beautifully decorated Christmas tree. As you made your way into the dining room, platters and bowls filled with every kind of cookie, candy, and fudge (all homemade of course) served as the centerpiece for the table. Mom was in the spotless kitchen making the final preparations for dinner. Scents of homemade soups filled the air. To make it totally perfect, mom had on a crisp white blouse with a long red skirt with poinsettias on it (of course she had

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made that too).

At this point, I was the only one of my siblings who was married and had children of my own, so there were maybe a dozen of us including my grandparents.

My little ones were maybe four and six and the wonder of the holiday season was still exciting to them and my siblings adored them. It was perfect.

I don’t remember it ever being like that again. My siblings married and had kids...and more kids. Uncles and aunts started to join our celebration. At one point we had 20 kids under the age of 20 (the noise would rival most rock concerts or the 1883 eruption of Indonesia’s Krakatoa volcano). Today, if there are fewer than 30, we wonder where everyone is.

It’s not quite my perfect Christmas anymore. What makes a perfect holiday? Ask 100 people and you’ll get a 100 different answers. For too long I thought it was about having everything perfect like that one Christmas was─ and trying to recreate it. My perfect Christmas was peaceful, but loud people come now. People dress up for the perfect Christmas but now everyone wears jeans. My mom made everything perfect but now she’s gone.

So what makes the perfect holiday?

What it’s not

I love the holiday movie Miracle on 34th St. It has a great overall message of bad things happen but if you believe,

Being Better Magazine | Holiday 2014

Shift your focus

Image credits: Christmas tree and sheep © Clipart.com

everything is great in the end. But, it also shows people with perfect clothes, perfect hair, plenty of money, and no one’s uncle shouts at the Christmas tree after too much egg nog. Holidays aren’t about stuff, or food, or clothes, or bells that jingle, or halls that are decked.

What makes a holiday good is what you focus on.

Getting it right

We over-complicate things. What if we got back to basics?

Thanksgiving: At the first Thanksgiving, people wanted to thank God for their bounty. Everybody brought what they had, they thanked God, and they enjoyed it all. Nobody worried about having matching dishes, handcrafted place cards, or if the corn was gluten-free.

Christmas: Sarah Beasley McDonald, in her article How to have a perfect Christmas, said it best, “Suddenly the holiday that is meant to be outwardly focused—giving instead of receiving, putting others first, peace and goodwill towards men, reminding us of the humble, servant life that Christ lived—becomes a day of selfish sarcastic sulking...

My eye caught a Nativity set on the shelf, and I looked long and hard at it.

There was a young first-time mother with nothing over her head but a barn, a stepfather who only had his carpenter skills to care for his growing family, a few smelly animals, and a helpless baby—the Savior of the world—who only had a feeding trough to sleep in.

But there it was … a truly perfect Christmas.”

Focus on what the holiday is really about, and you’ll find yourself experiencing the perfect Christmas...one you can have year after year. Bb

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

-Oprah Winfrey

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his holiday season, don’t forget to thank The Big Guy (that’d be God) and feel blessed.

Psalm 100 - A thanksgiving psalm Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!

Worship the Lord with gladness.

Come before him, singing with joy.

Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his.

We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good.

His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Set up a nativity set to remind you of the perfect Christmas. Kids love to put the pieces out as the story is told. www.beingbettermagazine.com | Holiday 2014

Set shown available from Willow.

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Christmas

an epic reality

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rab the family, kids, or coworkers and listen to a tale of, well, Biblical proportions. The best part─it’s true.

In a little town, six miles south of Jerusalem, God mapped out a global rescue. People had messed up, big time.

They had decided they could handle things on their own. Lies that sounded like the truth had sucked them in, and they did things they knew were wrong.

But everyone did them too, so they justified their actions. They pretended to be happy, but they weren’t. They were separated from God because of their sin (all the wrong they did). And they couldn’t fix it. But God could.

God pulled together a small troupe to pull off the biggest rescue ever: a teenage girl, her fiancé, a few smelly shepherds, and some wise guys.

First, God sent an angel to tell the girl, Mary, that he needed her to do something big. I guess when God asks you to help save the world you say yes.

God’s Spirit came to Mary and placed the Savior inside of her.

When her fiancé found out his girlfriend was pregnant, he was crushed.

But God sent an angel to Joseph to explain what was going on. His job was going to be to protect God’s child. He would find out how serious this would get soon.

Months later, Mary and Joseph had to go from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem for a census. For a very pregnant girl, this 80 mile journey over rocky terrain wasn’t easy. When they arrived, it was time for the baby to be born.

Since everyone was in town for the census, all the inns were already full.

Joseph had to improvise. Mary’s baby arrived and Joseph put him in a feeding trough in a cave meant for livestock.

Nearby, some shepherds were taking care of their sheep when they were scared beyond belief. An angel appeared in a radiant light and told them not to be afraid, “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.

The Savior─yes, the Messiah, the Lord─has been born today in Bethlehem.” They went to see this baby.

Recognizing this unusual star was something special, wise men journeyed to see the Savior as well. Since they were important men, King Herod took notice and realized his reign may be in trouble if this baby was who they said he was. See, prophesies had foretold that God would send the “King of Kings.”

He didn’t know where the Savior was, so he decided to kill all the babies. An angel kept Joseph one step ahead and made sure God’s child was safe.

That baby, Jesus, grew into a man to show everyone there’s a better way─God’s way. He reminds everyone how much God loves them, no matter what they’ve done. That God will forgive them.

Then Jesus allowed himself to be nailed to a cross to die, to pay for our sins. But Jesus rose from the dead three days later and his gift today is the same as it was then: Believe that he is the Son of God, ask for forgiveness of your sins, and he will save you.

Don’t miss out on the best gift ever─ salvation and eternity with Jesus. Bb

Read the story of Christ’s birth in the Bible: Matthew 1 & 2 and Luke 1 & 2.

For more on getting right with God and how Jesus can save you, see pg 17.

Download a FREE app to get a Bible on your phone. Just go to https://www.youversion.com/ For8a free printed Bible, contactBeing us─Being Ministries • 2018 Ravens Ct., Sioux City, IA 51104 BetterBetter Magazine | Holiday 2014

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Start Now Tips

Image credits: Star background and pregnant belly © 123rf.com; Digital calendar and recycling couple © Clipart.com

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ccording to StatisticBrain.com, these were the top resolutions for 2014. If you have these on tap for 2015, use our Start Now Tips to set yourself up for success come January 1.

1.

Lose weight

No shocker this tops the list. It all comes down to eating better and watching portions. Start Now Tip: Eat less. For now, don’t change what you’re eating, just have less. Instead of a quarter-pounder, get a single. Instead of a large, get a medium. Downsize your portions and you’ll downsize yourself.

2. Get organized

No matter what it is that you need to organize, one overarching thread is usually common to all: excess.

Start Now Tip: Pare down. Before you organize anything, start by getting rid of everything you don’t use, don’t need, or haven’t worn in the last two years. Don’t over analyze or get side-tracked. Just grab everything that can be rummaged, recycled, or pitched.

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for e r pa ul pre cessf ns suc lutio o res

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3. Spend less, save more

Isn’t it surprising we make this decision after the holidays? Start Now Tip: Don’t wait. Figure out how you will spend less from now until Jan 1: Potluck Thanksgiving, wrap gifts in newspaper, draw names for gifts instead of buying for everyone, limit gifts for kids, etc.

Whatever those changes save you, put it into saving or toward paying off debt.

4. Enjoy life to the fullest

Do we feel we are just existing and not really living? Start Now Tip: Make a list. Kind of like a bucket list but focus on more of the lifestyle you want: to spend time with my family in the evenings, to have Sundays off work, to be in shape, to take a vacation every year. Make your list and on Jan 1, start figuring out how to achieve each one.

5. Staying fit and healthy

This goes beyond weight loss.

If we treat our bodies well, they will reciprocate. Start Now Tip: Move more.

Take more steps, park farther away, walk during breaks, get up and move during commercials. A little, several times a day, can add up to big benefits.

www.beingbettermagazine.com | Holiday 2014

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H E A LT H & F I T N E S S

Laughter “Laughter is the best medicine.”

Strange College

Application Questions

Body of Knowledge

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It’s a wash

We all know we’re supposed to wash our hands but do you know for how long? Experts say to scrub with soap for at least 20 seconds.

[

Just chill

Enjoy your meal and your holiday guests. Food experts agree that most any food is safe to leave out for up to 2 hours before you need to get it in the fridge.

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Serve up safety

Bacteria from meat and poultry are big culprits for food illness.

Wash hands, counter tops, cutting boards, and utencils properly.

Make sure to cook your food to a safe temperature. According to foodsafety.gov, turkey in the thickest part of the breast should be at least 165oF.

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• “You have just finished your three hundred page autobiography. Please submit page 217.”

• “Kermit the Frog famously lamented, ‘It’s not easy being green.’ Do you agree?”

• “Winston Churchill believed ‘a joke is a very serious thing.’ Tell us your favorite joke and try to explain the joke without ruining it.”

• “If you could choose to be raised by robots, dinosaurs, or aliens, who would you pick?”

Brain Bender Exercise your brain and see if you can answer these questions. Answer on pg 17.

Which holiday song has been recorded the most in the last 35 years?

A. Oh, Holy Night B. White Christmas C. Joy to the World D. Silent Night E. Jingle Bells

Being Better Magazine | Holiday 2014

Food focus Imgae credits: Soap, turkey, robot, dionosaur, alien, bells, cookies © Clipart.com; World’s Largest Gingerbread House courtesy TRADITIONS GINGERBREAD HOUSE / FACEBOOK

Fragrant

Gingerbread

Gingerbread was a favorite in medieval Europe.

It was shaped and decorated to look like things in nature or even armor. Ladies would present their favorite knights a piece of gingerbread for good luck in a tournament or eat a “gingerbread husband” thinking it would improve their chances of finding a mate.

Gingerbread facts

• Ginger originated in Asia.

• Originally, gingerbread meant “preserved ginger.”

• The English are credited as the first to bake and sell gingerbread.

• Making gingerbread houses began after the book Hansel and Gretel came out.

“ And I had but one penny in the world, thou should’st have it to buy gingerbread.” - Willam Shakespeare The world’s largest gingerbread house was built in Texas last December at 62’ L x 42’ W x 20’ H. With 4000 gingerbread bricks and 2500 lbs. of candy, that’s over 35 million calories.

Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Ingredients:

1/2 c brown sugar 1/2 c white sugar 1/2 c butter 1 egg 1 cup molasses 2 1/2 c flour 1 1/2 t baking soda 1 t cinnamon 1 t ginger 1/2 t cloves 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup hot water

Directions: Preheat oven to 350oF. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and

butter. Beat in egg and molasses. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Blend into creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into greased 9” x 9” pan. Bake 1 hr. until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan before serving. www.beingbettermagazine.com | Holiday 2014

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DOING IT RIGHT

When this shoebox arrives

g n i h t y r e Ev Changes

Since 1993, Samaritan’s Purse, via Operation Christmas Child, has hand-delivered over 100 million shoeboxes to needy children in more than 100 countries.

A toothbrush, school supplies, and a toy don’t seem like life-altering things, but in the midst of chaos and loneliness, a shoebox delivers hope.

That’s the philosophy of Samaritan’s Purse. Over the last 21 years, they have delivered boxes (packed by people just like you) to children across the globe. Here is one story of a life changed.

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M

“

y name is Lejla Allison. I was born and raised in Bosnia, a country torn with war and just pure devastation. As an 11-year-old child, I was exposed to so many things that no child should ever see. The snipers, the land mines...I was just terrified to step my foot out that door. I did not know whether that might be the last step I make.

All the borders around Bosnia were closed and no humanitarian aid could come in. And that’s when the country hit its bottom. There was no food coming from anywhere. Being hungry is something that you can’t put into words.

The painful hunger.

My mom made me go to school.

I begged her not to make me go to school because I did not have a decent pair of shoes. I had old torn sneakers.

My dad had used wire and he shut them

Being Better Magazine | Holiday 2014

As a child in war torn Bosnia, Lejla Allison received a gift that was more miracle than a simple present.

Image credits: Girl with gift, Lejla, and Livia courtesy Samaritan’s Purse

back together, but cold and wet would still squeeze through the holes. I went off to school and I was very angry. I had made up my mind that perhaps that day I will not come back home.

After about an hour or so walking I got there, and the kids said that they’re giving these boxes out and I should go in and get one too. So I went in and the man said to come over and he handed me this decorated shoe box. I tore that lid open and laying on the bottom were brand new white sneakers. Out of all the things in this world I got shoes!

I went over and asked the man who gave me a shoebox, ‘Who sent this to me?’ He told me that Jesus is God’s only son. He came to this world to die for me to show his love for me. That was the day I accepted The Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior of my life. And today, proudly, I can say that it’s because of Lord Jesus and that shoebox that I’m a Christian. I [will] go to heaven.

I just can’t thank him enough for giving me that chance. I can’t thank him enough for finding me all the way in Bosnia.”

Lejla now lives in the U.S. and fifteen years later she is handing out shoeboxes in Bosnia.

“Thank you for sending my shoebox!

Thank you for introducing me to Jesus!

May God bless you for what you’re doing and please keep continue doing what you do. You’re changing lives forever...and you’re changing them for Jesus Christ.”

To find out how to pack a shoebox and for more info on Operation Christmas Child, go to www.samaritanspurse.org.

100 million and counting Amazing stories from OCC (Operation Christmas Child) Twins

After OCC handed out all the boxes in Panama, a young mother explained that only one of her twin daughters had gotten a box. The staff said maybe they could share since there were no more boxes.

As the girls opened the box, they discovered that there were two of everything - two toothbrushes, two baby dolls. That’s how God rolls.

Livia

Growing up in a Romanian orphanage, Livia was always afraid. No one gave her any attention. There weren’t any toys.

She so desparately wanted a family.

When OCC brought gifts, all she wanted were hair clips. On the top of her box was a big package of them. There was also a best friends necklace. You wear one half of a heart and give the other half to your friend. Livia and Connie, one of the OCC helpers, had bonded and Livia gave Connie the other half. Livia told Connie she loved her. Connie felt the same and adopted Livia. Today, they live in Atlanta, GA. Livia said, “They use a simple project, a simple shoebox to reach children out there who are living in desperate need of love and hope.

They are mostly in need of...Jesus Christ...[Doing a shoebox] lets them know that they are loved and that they are cared for by Jesus Christ and by you.”

www.beingbettermagazine.com | Holiday 2014

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WHEN GOD SHOWS UP

What lies ahead ]

AID P T EB

[D

When everything is made known Jessique Steele

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

From the beginning I was pure and loved, a gift form God. I was born into an amazing family so full of love and support. I grew up slow like that country

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song says...like American honey. My childhood was awesome. I grew up in a small area away from all the darkness and sadness the world serves up to so many others I would eventually meet.

My brother and I had lots of friends, and our house and neighborhood were always buzzing with the voices of childhood chatter and laughter.

In my later teens came the beginning of my troubles. I no longer wanted to be a little girl. I wanted to be grown up and wear all the coolest clothes and have all the things others didn’t so I would be everyone’s friend...and feel superior (something I recognize now in hindsight). I began hanging with the tough crowd and getting involved in drinking and drugs. I began dating a guy that was much too old with no goals of ever doing great things but he had a car and that was enough. I was no longer pure and innocent.

While high school was pretty normal, I never fully embraced what it could have been. I partied when I could and hung out with the wrong people. I barely made it out of high school and partied pretty hard on many occasions. I knew a lot of people with lots of drugs and one was my best friend. We tried to

Being Better Magazine | Holiday 2014

Jessique Steele

Image credits: Battered woman 123rf.com

watch out for each other, and thought we were doing pretty well but then the drugs and alcohol would set in heavy and hard.

While I was too drunk to stop it, I was raped.

I was very much alone in my shame and regret that I had allowed myself to get into that situation. But that didn’t stop me. As an adult, I just continued my life a little more damaged. I hid my sadness of broken relationships and past hurts behind the happy party girl. I met a guy that seemed to be a charmer and in the beginning he was. Within a year I saw his horns and fire. Looking back there were so, so many red flags that said, “Run…run now!” But I didn’t run.

being selfish, and worrying about my happiness. I was not a good mother.

I cry as I write these words and am thankful my parents picked up so much of my slack. I continued to make bad decisions until I felt defeated.

You may be wondering why my parents didn’t do more. I made choices to lie and to get what I wanted. They were always there trying to stop me─ worrying whether they would get a call in the middle of the night that I was dead. Praying God would keep me safe.

They never gave up on me even after a thousand disappointments. Their love for me out-weighed all the terrible I had done. They loved me unconditionally.

I had been going to church with my parents, and I always felt strange like “Looking back there were so, the devil had his hooks in me. I literally so many red flags that said, felt sweaty and sick─until one Sunday “Run...run now!” morning. At the end of his sermon, the pastor asked if anyone wanted to be He became extremely violent─ saved and would like to stand up and physically, emotionally, and verbally. pray for Jesus to come into their life.

Nearing the end of that volatile relationI shot up out of my seat and as I did I ship, I found myself severely beaten, literally felt a weight lift off of me. So forced naked, and whipped with a wet much peace came over me as I prayed towel. Assaulted and bleeding from my to God to save me from this life I was head and ear, and my soul almost torn living. I wept right then and there, and apart, I fled in nothing more than a t-shirt. I didn’t care one bit who saw me. I was I ran to a man standing in his yard, saved! and he sent me into his home where his ... there is nothing concealed that loving wife helped me. My mom and dad came for me and took me to the hospital. will not be disclosed, or hidden In the E.R., an officer proceeded to that will not be made known. ask me questions. I recognized him as Matthew 10:26 (NIV) my liaison officer from school. We had been close, but in my state, he did not What I figured out since then recognize me until he saw my name. An Being saved was my first stepping undeniable sadness swept his face. stone that God gave me, but I still had a Two weeks later, I found myself lot to figure out─and I still do. So I listen looking at a home pregnancy test. Fear to where God is trying to lead me. gripped me as it read positive…then One thing you need to realize is we happiness. don’t change overnight. When I was My beautiful baby boy, my first love, saved, God let me step out of the darkjoy overflowing. Then back to partying, www.beingbettermagazine.com | Holiday 2014

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WHEN GOD SHOWS UP

Today, with her husband Dustin, happiness is Jess’s new normal. ness and into the light, but the darkness was so much of what I knew that it took some time to learn how to live in that light. In the Bible, Paul (who Jesus sent to tell everybody about him) says, “But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” (Phil. 3:12) Jesus took hold of me and is leading me. So far, “what lies ahead” has been amazing.

I reconnected with a man I had dated a few years earlier. I had actually bought my car from him. At the time, our lives seemed to go in different directions so we didn’t see each other very often.

But every time we did run into each other, we talked. After God saved me, I ran into Dustin again, and this time everything was different. We both have said that God knew we weren’t ready to be together all those times before.

This time, it was God’s timing and God’s plan. We fell madly in love and married a year later.

I have been blessed with an amazing husband who loves with everything he has. He adopted my son, and they have such an amazing relationship. You just know God’s hand was in that too.

We have another baby now, and I feel

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For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

blessed everyday that God has given me three precious men to love.

My life has been transformed. Today, I am 33 years old - the same age Jesus was when he died on the cross...for me ...and for you.

What you don’t want to miss

Don’t wait to step out of the darkness.

God loves you. Yep, the screwed up, made 10,000 mistakes, horrible, terrible, sinful you. God sees the real you. The one who doesn’t want the ugly life they have. The one who wants to be forgiven and bask in God’s love forever.

Here’s how to get your forever on...

Being Better Magazine | Holiday 2014

Jess & Dustin’s two sons: Jack & Drake

Questions & Answers

Salvation [sal-vey-shuh n]

1. Being protected from harm, risk, loss, destruction, etc.

2. Deliverance from the power and penalty of sin; redemption.

Getting saved (salvation) A. Admit that you’re a sinner.

Everybody is and we can’t fix it on our own. We are separated from God because of it. Ask God to forgive you for the way you’ve been and ask him to help you live his way.

B. Believe that Jesus died for you.

When the judge says “guilty,” someone has to pay for what’s been done. Jesus has stepped in to pay the price for your sins. He stamps your bill [Debt Paid].

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

C. Commit your life to Jesus.

You hang out with him, talk to him, tell others about him, and most of all you listen to him. Read the Bible.

God sacrificed his only son so we could live. Isn’t it time to start living?

To find out more about changing your life with God, go to our website www.beingbettermagazine.com and click Change your life.

Q A

You say you were “saved.”

Why didn’t God save you before so nothing bad would happen?

What happened made me stronger and made me realize my need for God. God has a unique destination for each of us, and he’s going to allow things to happen that will mold us into the people we need to be to be effective and help others.

Q A

If your life was so good, why did you start doing all the bad things?

I believed the lies that a crazy life is the way to go. It’s fun initially but those things come with a price. I had to lie, disrespect my family, and sin again and again to be in that life. Once you know the truth that God is all loving and good you wonder why you wouldn’t want that. Why would you want to stay in a place that’s dark and terrible?

Q

You have a lot of tattoos.

Isn’t that a no-no in church?

My tattoos have been tools that allow me to

A

be able to talk to others about God and the Bible. I think that makes God smile.

Jessique (pronounced Jessica) has a lot of meaningful tattoos including two scriptures: John 3:16 & Matthew 10:26 https://www.facebook.com/beingbetterministries

Answers:

Pg 12­, Brain Bender: D - Since 1978, Silent Night has been recorded 733 times. Joy to the World 391 times, Oh Holy Night 374 times, White Christmas 283 times (Bing Crosby’s version is the highest selling Christmas single ever), and Jingle Bells has been recorded 254 times.

www.beingbettermagazine.com | Holiday 2014

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A Better Way

N

o matter what the job, at some point there comes an interview.

Being prepared for that interview is probably the most important thing you can do if you really want to land that job.

You’re out (or in)

90

In a survey of 2000 bosses, one-third said they know within 90 seconds of an interview whether you’re getting the job.

Big-huge No-No Nearly

Half 47% of people at job interviews knew little or nothing about the company they were interviewing with.

Make time

40

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to get With resume in hand, many people think they will just “wing it.” Not a good idea as you’ll see here in our culmination of research on what it takes to land a job... and what to avoid.

The “eyes” have it

67%

A rookie mistake is not making eye contact with the person you are talking to during an interview. Make sure you look them in the eye. A whopping 67% don’t do this.

8

Avoid at all costs tips

• Crossing your arms over your chest • Excessive fidgeting • Playing with your hair • Touching your face • Wearing bright clothing • Wearing clothes that are too trendy • Over-explaining why you lost your last job • Letting them see that you’re not over it

The average length of a job interview is 40 minutes.

Being Better Magazine | Holiday 2014

a job career position vocation

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Do it or die

weapons

Image credits: Stopwatch, glasses, Do Not Enter, timer, knife, and frame © Clipart.com

• Be warm and personable • Have a sense of humor • Show interest and enthusiasm • Look professional • Display good posture • Offer a firm handshake • Learn about the organization!

• Ask for the job

Show, don’t tell When meeting new people, most people assess you on the way you dress, act, and walk through the door. Your confidence and how you speak can weigh more than what you say.

% 5 6

“Clothes” the door

If two applicants are pretty much tied for a job, 65% of bosses said clothes could be the deciding factor. Dress for success.

6

The big picture

The whole point of the interview is to get answers to these 6 questions: • Do you have the skills needed?

• Do you fit the culture & vision?

• Do you understand the company and what they’re doing?

• How do you compare to other applicants?

• Do you have the right mindset?

• Do you want the job?

5

Answer me Top

Questions most likely to be asked in an interview: • Tell me about your last job.

• Why did you leave your last job?

• Why do you want to work for us?

• What do you know about our company?

• Tell me about yourself.

www.beingbettermagazine.com | Holiday 2014

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