August/September 2017

August/September 2017

Christ-Centered. Fashion-Forward.

Project Hallway Hit the hallways in style!

5 Minute Makeup Quick makeup for when you hit snooze

“Trusting in God”

Courageously and actively following God August/September 2017

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editor’s note

It’s that time of year again — time to stop sleeping in, wake up early and spend your days studying at school instead of lounging by the pool with your friends. It’s a time of transition as you start a new grade or even a completely new school.

Whether you’re starting high school, transferring to a new school or going off to college, the newness of it all can feel overwhelming and scary at times. It certainly was for me when I moved into my college dorm room and said goodbye to my parents four years ago as a college freshman. It was also scary starting high school four years before that. (Fun fact: I color-coded the routes to get to my classes on a map of my high school and tapped it to my binder so I wouldn’t get lost.)

Believe it or not, but it’s weird not going back to school this August. This is the first year since I was 5-years-old that I won’t be in school. As a recent college graduate, I’m scared of the unknown and uncomfortable with the unfamiliar. School was all I’ve ever known for the last 17 years of my life, and now I’m finished with getting my education.

But here’s the wonderful thing God has been teaching me recently: life is my classroom. I still have so much to learn from the greatest Teacher of all — God Himself. He knows what my future holds, and He promises in Jeremiah 29:11 that His plans for my life are good.

So, dear reader, trust that God is right there beside you as you walk the hallways of high school with your colorcoded map or as you’re speed-walking across campus to make it to your next class on time. He will never leave your side!

Your sister-in-Christ,

Emilee Burroughs Founder and Editor-in-Chief info@anointedmag.com

To make a financial donation to support this ministry or to purchase a print edition of the magazine, please visit AnointedMag.com 2

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inissue this Project Hallway pg. 4 Choosing Joy pg. 8 5 Minute Makeup pg. 10 Back to Basics pg. 11

Trusting in God

Trusting in God pg. 12 Campus Cool pg. 14 Lydia Simonds pg. 18 Meet the Models pg. 22 August/September 2017

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Projec t Hallw ay

Hit the hallways in style with these fun trends!

Stylish Stripes Whether they’re vertical or horizontal, wide or narrow, stripes are a fun and versatile pattern! Pair a striped blouse with a jacket in another material — like denim — ­to keep you warm in chilly classrooms.

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Moto Jacket You don’t have to ride a motorcycle to rock a motorcycle jacket! Sweeten up this tough look with a floral-printed blouse.

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Statement Necklace Add bling to your outfit with a fun necklace!

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Flowers & Flannel Classrooms can be chilly, so wear long-sleeve or three-quarter length sleeve shirts with fun patterns, like embroidered flowers and checkered prints.

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Choosing

By Jessica Cotter

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J

oy. It is such a short word, yet it contains so much power. What is joy? The word “joy” is not synonymous with happiness. Happiness is a fleeting feeling — it is a reaction to something good happening. When we search for happiness, we live satisfied for only moments, moments that disappear and leave us empty. Getting a certain amount of “likes” on an Instagram post can make you happy, a sweet message from a boy can make you happy, and a good grade on a test can make you happy. While all these things can make you happy, that happiness may soon leave because happiness is situational.

Joy, however, is different — joy is a lasting state.

Joy means that you are able to find the good in every situation, despite what events occurred. Joy consumes you and changes you.

One of the coolest parts about joy is that it is so easy to choose. We choose joy by choosing Christ and declaring Him Lord of our lives. “You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence, there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). This verse makes known to us that in the presence of God, there is joy. How amazing and how wonderful is that!? Our God loves us so much that He provides this unconditional joy to us when we choose Him. Joy is so easy to choose, yet its impact is incomprehensibly miraculous.

The most beautiful part about joy is that once we have chosen it, it can be found in the ordinary, everyday moments. Waking up with a full heart and sipping on your cup of coffee eagerly ready to see what the day will bring holds so much joy in that moment.

Talking to one of your best friends, or even a friend that you have not spoken to in a while can hold so much joy in that moment. Praising the One who gave it all so we can live freely holds so much joy. Getting lost in a great book can also bring you much joy.

For me, I find joy in all the above, but here are a few other things that bring me joy: flowers, planners, laying in my ENO hammock, sitting in the grass, spending time with my friends and family and traveling. I find it a little ironic that joy is such a short word, yet there is an abounding amount of ways to embrace joy. Joy can be found in the ordinary, everyday moments and does not require you to put on some hiking boots, an

oversized backpack and a flashlight to go searching high-and-low for it. While that hike could bring you joy, joy does not require extensive searching. Joy is offered to us every day — you just have to make the decision to continuously choose it.

Another cool thing about joy is its magnetic force.

If someone sees how on fire you are for Christ and how joyful you are, they will want to feel just like you.

Everyone knows how terrible it is when you walk into a room and you are super excited for what you are about to engage in, but there is one person who is just so negative and tries to suck all of the joy out of you.

While that moment can sometimes be overwhelming and heart-wrenching, if you continue to choose joy, then you win. If you continue to choose joy — even in moments where it is difficult to — that joy can and will transfer over to others because joy is so magnetic.

The thing about joy is that you have to choose it and continue to choose it every day. But what a wonderful feeling it is to be consumed by joy. Let joy in, embrace it. Then go out and share joy by giving it to others.

Empower joy every day!

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5

Minute Makeup

By Morgan Forte

Let’s be realistic — we all have those days when we don’t have time to put a full face of makeup on. This is a simple, very minimal makeup routine that only takes about 5 minutes, requires no brushes, and each product can be thrown in your purse. This is for all my ladies that are running late to their 8:00 a.m. class.

Products Used: -Maybelline Fit Me Concealer -Milani Baked Blush in “Luminoso” -L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara -NYX Lip Pencil in “Cannes” -NYX Gel Lip Pencil in “Red Rouge”

Face

Step 1: I applied a lightweight concealer under my eyes, and I also applied it to a few blemishes I have. I just blended it out with my finger in tapping motions.

Step 2: I took a pink blush, and I applied it with two fingers. Again, I applied it in tapping motions — that way I wouldn’t swipe on too much color, and instead I would have a natural looking flush on my cheeks.

Eyes

Step 1: I applied the blush I used to my eyelids with my finger. I didn’t apply much — just enough to add something there.

Step 2: I used a lengthening mascara in order to make my eyes appear more awake.

Step 3: This is not necessary, but applying a nude or white eyeliner to your lower water-line will also make your eyes appear larger and more awake.

Step 4: I didn’t fill in my brows, but I just used an eyebrow brush to brush them up. A tip for keeping your eyebrows looking neat all day is applying a little bit of hairspray to whatever brow brush you use.

Lips

Step 1: I applied a pink lip liner to my lips. I didn’t line my lips; instead, I filled in the outer corners of my lips with the pink, and then I also applied a red lip liner on top. I didn’t use much — I tapped the red lip liner instead of swiping in order to avoid too much color.

Step 2: I applied a nude/clear lip gloss on top.

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Back to Basics

By Courtney Fox

Don’t let the stress of school cause your skin to breakout — here are tried and true tips to help you put your best face forward this semester!

1. Washed Up

When your quick study session lasts way past your usual bedtime, it can be tempting to skip out on washing your face and just hit the hay. But sleeping in your makeup can be disastrous for your skin. Use warm water with the cleanser of your choice and massage the soap on your face for at least thirty seconds twice-a-day. Afterwards, use a moisturizer for your skin type (oily, dry or medium) to keep your skin fresh and hydrated.

2. Sunny Days Ahead

Just because school is back in session doesn’t mean summer is over. Even if you’re hitting the books instead of the beach, it’s still important to use sunscreen when you’re outdoors. While you may not need to rock the lifeguard nose, pick out a foundation or setting spray with SPF to keep your skin protected while the heat is still high.

3. Know Your Type

It can be confusing to figure out your skin type with all the different kinds of makeup and skincare products out there. Here’s an easy guide: dry skin is flaky and rough, oily skin is shiny and greasy, combination skin is dry in some parts like your cheeks and oily on your nose and forehead, and sensitive skin is easily irritated and itchy.

4. Hands Off

Touching your face is a common nervous habit that can happen while getting back into the swing of classes. However, this is one of the easiest ways to cause breakouts. The excess oil from your hands can trigger acne, and if you end up picking at a zit it can be even worse. Picking at your acne may seem like a quick way to clear up your skin, but if continued it can lead to acne scarring.

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Trusting in God

By Courtney Fox

“Just keep trusting God, He’ll see you through.” A well-meaning woman at church told me during what felt like the longest fellowship hymn of all time. I politely smiled and shook her hand, knowing that she was just giving me the advice everyone was bound to give. She wasn’t telling me something I didn’t already know, but the phrase stuck with me during the entirety of the service. I kept repeating the phrase until it seemed to lose meaning, and I was stuck with the question I had never given much thought to.

What does it actually look like to trust God? Trusting seems so passive, so easy. So often we feel like trusting God is the default, the bare minimum. “Okay. Yeah, yeah, I trust that God has a plan but what now?

What do I do now?” We see trusting God as being passive and not active, even though truly trusting in the Lord often leads to courageous action.

The Bible is filled with stories of men and women trusting God in big ways, whether it’s trusting God to fulfill His promises (Genesis 12:1-4), trusting God to deliver them from a powerful enemy (Numbers 14:6-8), or trusting God to protect them from a powerful enemy (Acts 9:12-15). When we read these stories we often marvel about how brave these men and women were. What courage it must have taken for them to face their fears, even when they were face-to-face with certain death! But so often we ignore that before they acted, they trusted in the Lord. Their faith that God would protect them and stay faithful to His promises made them brave. They could not be brave without trust.

Trusting God means that we believe His plans are far better than anything we could dream up (Isaiah 55:8-9). He has a perfect road map for us to follow while we serve Him, one that adds to His overall perfect story of humanity. So why would we ever want to stray from it?

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We say we trust God, but we still make ourselves sick worrying about the future.

Jesus commanded us not to be anxious, but often we find ourselves wasting time stressed about anything that has the slightest chance of going wrong (Matthew 6:25).

Jesus is the lover of our souls, our brilliant creator, and our Father — why would we doubt that He has it covered?

So often God chooses the underdog to show his power. This is the same God who made a shepherd boy into a king and a tiny nation into His people. He wants us to trust Him, not because He is confident in our abilities, but because He wants us to be confident in His. You may be worried that you can’t overcome something — maybe it’s a class you think you will never be able to pass, a broken relationship you are worried will never be mended or a financial situation that seems impossible to fix.

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He wants us to trust Him, not because He is confident in our abilities, but because He wants us to be confident in His.

But one of the amazing things about our Heavenly Father is that He does amazing things, not only in spite of our weakness but also through our weakness. Trusting that He can use us and will not forsake us means that His glory is magnified more.

We can trust that He will protect us because He has protected us before. We have a love letter to remind us of the countless times He has accomplished His plans through the underdogs.

When we trust God, it means we are ready to follow Him with our whole hearts.

Trust means we will be courageous and believe that He has a plan, even when it seems the odds are against us. Trust means that we do not have to worry about being unqualified for a challenge; rather, we acknowledge that God has the ability to equip us, and He will see us through.

No matter how scary your situation may seem, it is no match for Jesus. Instead of dwelling on how you feel hopeless, be confident in the fact He is much greater than any trial you are facing. He can work through you and do amazing things, only if you trust in Him and His plans for your life.

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Campus Cool Rock your campus with these college must-haves!

Tote’n It!

Carry your books, laptop and other essentials in a cute tote bag.

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Pop of Color

Stand out from the crowd in a bright color.

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Libraries and Long Sleeves

Stay warm while studying in the library by pairing jeans with a longsleeve blouse.

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Put Your Best Foot Forward

Walking all over campus toand-from class calls for a comfortable pair of shoes that can be worn with multiple outfits.

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Lydia &

M

Simonds

The Power of Music Photo and story by Emilee Burroughs

usic is healing, and no one knows this better than Lydia Simonds, a singer-songwriter based in McDonough, Georgia. For Lydia, music has always been her passion and a source of healing.

“I was growing up leading worship and playing the guitar and writing music and going to it for comfort, but I never knew the extent of how it helped with healing and being able to write out my feelings,” Lydia said. “People always say that, and it sounds cliché, but it really helped me heal a lot and with the grieving process, grieving my mom. If I had any anger or confusion or questions for the Lord, I just asked them.

In response, I got to learn more about His truth by reading Scripture.”

Lydia’s mom passed away in January of 2016. In the months following, Lydia said she turned to music to help her grieve and was even approached by her friend Zach Berry, a music producer, to record an album.

Zach, Lydia and Zach’s friend Eric Uplinger raised enough funds to begin the recording process.

Lydia had already written several songs, and Eric and Zach helped her polish five of those songs before recording them in Eric’s Nashville studio. Lydia also recorded songs in McDonough and Millner, Georgia.

Lydia’s friends helped with the back-up vocals that you hear in the background of the tracks. After the album, titled “The Wilderness,” was recorded and produced, Lydia had to copyright her CD before putting it on iTunes and Spotify for the rest of the world to enjoy.

The whole process of writing songs, recording the album, copyrighting the CD and distributing it was a way for Lydia to heal after the passing of her mom.

“Writing songs for the album and making the album in

general helped me grieve by focusing on something I was passionate about,” Lydia said about the experience.

Lydia is continuing to pursue her passion of making music by promoting her album to radio stations (she’s been featured on 93.3 The JOY FM’s Local Artist Spotlight), leading worship at churches and performing at gigs.

“Being able to encourage so many people at one time with music, and the way God has gifted me to be bold in that, is something that I want to continue to do,” Lydia said. “But ultimately [I want to do] music in ministry, whatever that looks like in whatever scale. I think I’m going to do that forever no matter what in some kind of way, whether it’s big or small … because I’m so passionate about it.”

But it hasn’t always been easy to follow her dream of making music professionally. Lydia has had to battle feeling discouraged and comparing herself to other musicians.

Lydia said that consistency has also been a challenge. “Musician life is consistently inconsistent,” she said. “As anybody who works in the art industry understands, you never know when your next gig is or when you can sell your next painting. And there are a lot of people who do the same thing, and so it can be discouraging and you compare yourself [to others]. But the one thing that is consistent is God, so I keep writing — writing what He’s teaching me. And being able to write songs for the church where I’m at or writing for people who are in the same boat or just people who want to worship.”

Despite these challenges, Lydia continues to pursue her passion of making music to honor God. August/September 2017

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“The Lord’s just given me a heart for worship through music,” she said. “And I really want to bring back the aspect of worship in church because I feel like God isn’t getting the worship He deserves. So, I want to bring that passion back to His people.”

Lydia’s parting advice to anyone who is passionate about something and wants to pursue his or her dream is, “Whatever your passion is, figure it out, be bold and go to Scripture. You got to know God’s word whatever you do because you’re going to get down, and the only thing that’s going to help you stand on a rock is God and His word. But definitely act on [your passion]. God places talents and passions on our hearts for a reason.”

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Being able to encourage so many people at one time with music, and the way God has gifted me to be bold in that, is something that I want to continue to do.

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Anointed: Why did you decide to make Christian music as opposed to another genre of music?

Lydia: I love other genres. I listen to folk and I listen to country, and I get influences from those. But I can’t write a song without God in there somewhere because my faith influences my songs. So it just ends up being Christian music … I have a strong passion to minister to the church as well … I want to add more dynamics and a different outlook on Christian music.

Anointed: What is your song-writing process like?

Lydia: It’s kind of different depending on the day or time. It’s either an experience or Scripture, or both. It usually comes all of a sudden or gradual[ly]. Sometimes it’ll just come all at once, and I’ll have to stop what I’m doing and write it all down. It usually comes at night when I’m about to go to sleep, and I’ll wake up and be like, ‘Oh no.’ And I’ll write it all down and sing it and record it on my phone. I kind of have an idea of where I’m going, and if it’s not something I’m sure about, I’ll listen to it in the morning and see if it’s catchy. It’s one of the tricks my friend was talking to me about. And if it’s still good the next day and is still resonating with me with the truth and the words are good, I’ll get people’s opinions on it and take it to my producer Zach [Berry] … Song-writing is different each time. I try to write with more people because when I was younger I wanted to write songs on my own, but I like having another perspective as well.

Anointed: What is your advice to a reader who wants to lead worship at here church? What are some ways she can get involved?

Lydia: I love that question because that was always me. I was always encouraged when I saw young women leading worship or singing a solo at church. And I said, ‘I want to do that. I want to encourage people the way that they’re encouraging me. So I would just encourage whoever is out there and wants to lead worship to keep doing it and plug themselves into a church. Be active — get some guidance from a mentor, maybe from an older girl who leads worship. But also don’t focus on just music — focus on all the aspects of church, whether it’s ministry or greeting people on Sunday morning as they come in. People really appreciate transparency — they don’t want someone who is just up there singing on a Sunday. They want to know them personally and know their name. Just be Christ in all aspects of the church and not just music.

To listen to Lydia’s music, visit LydiaSimondsMusic.com Spotify: “The Wilderness” by Lydia Simonds YouTube: Lydia Simonds Instagram: lydiasmusic Facebook: Lydia Simonds Music SoundCloud: Lydia Simonds

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meet the models Sarah Olsen

Hi, my name is Sarah! I’m in eleventh grade at Griffin Christian High School. I’m a cheerleader on the Varsity cheer team. I plan to go to Paul Mitchell and study cosmetology and hair as my career. Firehouse Subs is my happy place, and koalas are the bomb. My favorite Scripture is Psalm 34:17-18, “When the righteous call for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Sophia Olsen Hi, my name is Sophia. I am in the eighth grade, and I attend Griffin Christian High School. I cheerlead at my school, and I love to draw, sing and read. When I get older I would like to design my own line of clothing and open a pediatric office. My favorite Scripture is Psalm 46:6, “God is within her, she will not fail.”

Nakia Guy Nakia Guy is a 20-year-old Certified Financial Coach and college student.

She majors in business management and minors in chemistry. These days, you can find her playing piano for her church’s youth choir, teaching others how to increase their bank account balance and travelling with her family and friends. Nakia is currently developing a financial education tech company called Financially Free By 23 to empower high school and college students on how to be financially free. Her favorite Scripture, by no surprise, is on the topic of money and comes from 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” This Scripture proves that money itself is not evil — the love of it is. And her goal is to teach others not to love money but to appreciate what it can do for their lives.

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meet the writers Morgan Forte

My name is Morgan Forte, and I am currently a sophomore in college. I started my college journey at Berry College in Rome, Georgia, but after the fall semester I decided to move back home to Nashville, Tennessee. All throughout high school I didn’t really feel like I had a talent at anything besides art. I spent most of my time outside of school painting, drawing or just finding new ways to be creative. Making friends has been somewhat hard for me because I am a little shy, so while others were going out on Friday nights, I was at home. I discovered YouTube makeup channels one night during my sophomore year of high school, and I was instantly hooked, and that’s where my love for makeup started. As weird as it sounds, makeup became somewhat of my safe haven and allowed me to escape all my problems. The past year has been a long journey filled with anxiety, depression and confusion. I wasn’t sure what I was going to study at college, but God soon opened up a door of opportunity for me. I felt like He was pointing me to makeup. I decided to start my own YouTube channel (Morgan Forte), and ever since I have felt more at ease and more trusting in His plan for my life. My plan is to go to esthetician school after I finish up this coming spring semester. My goal for my channel and the makeup that I share is to provide an escape from school, homework, work or any problems where women can come to just relax and get inspired. I hope you guys enjoy!

Jessica Cotter Hi! I'm Jessica Cotter, and I am an early childhood education major at Berry College. Go Vikings! Upon graduation, I plan on becoming an elementary school teacher. I love God, serving others, writing and drinking Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee. My favorite Bible verse is Deuteronomy 14:2, "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be His treasured possession."

Courtney Fox Courtney Fox is a recent graduate of Berry College with a degree in communication with a concentration in journalism. She is an aspiring magazine journalist currently residing in Cartersville, Georgia. She spends her free time frequenting coffee shops, over-analyzing movies and reading in her hammock. Her favorite Bible verses are Ephesians 3:17-19, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

August/September 2017

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