Not of this World July/August 2012
a note from the editor Every summer, my church runs a wakeboard camp. Highschoolers are counselors and middle-schoolers are the campers. Before last spring, I had no idea what the water sport really even was, nor had I ever tried to do it. But I decided to sign up for it anyways. I wanted to serve the middle-schoolers, meet more kids in my youth group, and spend a week really focused on God. From day one, it was rough. I live in Texas where itʼs already in the 90s by May 1. So by June, it is really hot. Spending eight hours on the lake and at a water-park under a bright, bright sun with energetic kids will take it out of you! What was really tough, though, was when the campers would leave. I am not very out-going and as I would think back about the day I would ask myself, Was I fun enough for my campers? Do they like my outgoing co-counselors better? Did they feel unloved since I didnʼt dance and sing as much as the other counselors? Was I enough? Am I enough? By Day 3, I knew I had to stop it. Psalm 139 came to mind, especially the part that says, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” For the rest of the week, I constantly reminded myself of that truth. God made me the way He did for a reason and He placed me with certain people for a reason. It was such a relief to know I was perfect for my campers just the way I was. Later, I was talking with another counselor whoʼs very outgoing. As I explained how I had been struggling, she was quick to remind me of what I had already been telling myself. She confessed that though she was always able to connect with girls similar to herself, she always had trouble reaching out to the quieter campers. As I kept Godʼs truth on my heart and in my mind, it was so much easier to interact with my campers and I was even able to step out of my comfort zone for them while still remaining true to myself. That week taught me such a valuable lesson in accepting who God made me to be. I encourage you to remind yourself of that this summer and as you go back to school in the fall. Donʼt try to be anyone or anything else; God made you the way He did for a reason. Rejoice in it!
Happy Summer! -Courtney R. send me notes at notofthisworld.r2@gmail.com
12 table of contents On God...
Bible Verses on You...26 Heart of Worship...24 Light to My Path...20-21
On You...
Made for Relationships...12-17 A Guy’s Point of View...22-23
Itʼs our decision to...embrace our “third culture”, and see ourselves as belonging anywhere God wants us, because He is the base of our culture
-Page 18
On TCKs... On Everything...
Thailand Memories...10 Embracing Our Third Culture... 18-19
Summer Trends...5-9 From the Blog...25 Quote...4 A Note from the Editor...2
may you be blessed and encouraged by these thoughts and stories...
10
happy reading!
Where we love is
home that our feet may leave, but not our
. -Oliver Wendell Holmes
“ ”
Maxi dresses are in as ever for the summer! Cute, breezy, and laid back. They are awesome for us modest girls, since they’re long and reach your ankles and they can be trendy and don’t have to look conservative. Look for detailed necklines or waists and choose sleeveless for a more modern look to this ageless dress. But watch out! On a lot of these newer maxi’s, the necklines go extremely low or come in strapless. Even though they’re long doesn’t mean they’re completely modest.
Pinky-nude lips will go well with both lips. Sugar Frosting Revlon Lip Butter is light and pastel to go with the first look, and has a frosted finish to go with the glowy-ness of the second look.
For hair, braids are in as ever! You can do so much with them; they are not just pigtails for little girls anymore! Curls or natural texture with volume of course are also in, as well as any other type of boho inspired hair also for the summer.
Click here to read more tips on Mod Style Lounge.
Thailand Memories by Erin S. When I grudgingly moved to Thailand with my family in 6th grade, I had no idea that the next six and a half years of my life would change me drastically and neither did I expect the move to be the absolute best thing that could have happened to me.
By moving overseas, I have learned who I truly am, and who I am in Christ. Since being here, I have discovered a passion and a talent for writing I never knew existed within me, and I now have hopes to write and publish books in the future. God has also used me to reach out to children in all different walks of life, preparing me for the teaching career I am certain lies ahead. From helping elementary teachers at our international school, playing with orphaned babies, leading a 5th grade girl’s Bible study, ministering to children in the slums of Chiang Mai and loving on refugee children on the Thai/Burmese border, God has used me in more ways than I could have imagined. I know that leaving my family and moving to John Brown University in Arkansas will be the hardest thing I’ve done in my life. However, I’m not afraid. The last time God sent me into a difficult situation, He brought me through it stronger, wiser, and closer to Him than ever before, and I do not doubt that He will do the same again.
Moving to a new country? Struggling with feeling alone? Going on furlough? Read Not of this World’s collection of articles on being a third culture kid here.
made for part I by Millie Welsh
We
were made for relationship. Itʼs not even a fuzzy, unclear,
debatable issue. And I know this because God said so. There. Canʼt argue with that, can you? Well, you can, but youʼll lose...every time. From the beginning of time, God said it was not good for us to be alone. (Genesis 2:18) So He gave us relationship. Iʼm confident that much of what weʼre to gain and learn and experience in relationships is to aid us in mirroring the kind of connection God wants with us. He shows us glimpses of himself through those He puts in our lives. Which also means that you get to be a tangible expression of Godʼs love for people in your life. Wow. What a cool, even overwhelming, reality! So, before we delve into a deep discussion about relationships, itʼs only fair that I let you know from the get-go that Iʼm an expert in them. Iʼm not bragging: the diction says an expert is “a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field.” Being the middle child of five girls automatically gave me a head start when it comes to relationship experience. I also played team sports through high school, which aided in my learning how to “play well with others.” I went to a small Christian college where, literally, everyone knew my name. Some people would hate that kind of environment but I thrived there and developed life-long friendships. I have been in 23 weddings, which should get me some kind of award (other than dresses that “Iʼll wear again, for sure!”). And as of today, I apparently have 1174 “friends” on Facebook. But I digress.
BFF What used to be how we jokingly signed a yearbook has become a common cultural label today: best friends forever. Only we usually
have more than one “best,” so the whole thing doesnʼt really make sense. But humor me: think of the first BF you can recall. Got it? Not think of what that friendship was based on. My first best friend was Frieda Star. Iʼm not kidding, that was her name. Anyway, what made Frieda my BF? We lived on the same block and we were the same age. Thatʼs it: the ever-lasting bond of location and age proximity. Needless to say, we parted ways when our geographic bond dissolved. (I moved away) But Iʼm convinced moving away was a God-send because we were quickly heading toward delinquency in our friendship, as we seemed to like lighting things on fire and carving up the neighborʼs trees with kitchen knives. So what makes for a truly long-lasting “best” friendship? (I propose that location and age are actually the least important factors.) The variable that seem to contribute to truly deep friendship are a mix of shared interests, shared values, similar sense of humor, commitment, loyalty and, if youʼre really fortunate, kindred spirits. For the sake of simplicity, I define a kindred spirit as one of those people with whom you just click: itʼs unexplainable and itʼs also a treasure to stumble upon one or more of these in your lifetime! (Some may use the term “soul mate” but that sounds goofy to me, so I wonʼt.) Why is it that, even from a young age, we yearn to belong, to relate with someone, to be in the “in” crowd, to be known, to have a best friend? (Or a few bests?)
The Genesis of Relationship We truly were made for relationship. I love when I discover verses in the Bible that affirm this truth. Passages like James 2:23, where we see that Abraham was called “friend of God” (How cool is that?!) But
“I define a kindred spirit as one of those people with whom you just click�
rewind to the beginning and see how this whole relationship thing started: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in His own image, in the of God He created Him.” -Gen 1:26-17 This was the beginning of vertical relationships: God and man. But now, fast-forward to Genesis chapter 2, where God tells us it wasnʼt good for man to be alone...so He made him a helper. Thus, horizontal relationships began on earth. (I say “on earth” because the Trinity is the ultimate, eternal horizontal relationship - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit interacting in a perfect relational bond.) Sadly, it didnʼt take long for both the vertical and horizontal relationships to be screwed up because of that fateful day when Adam and Eve had an apple-fest in the garden. And itʼs been downhill ever since because weʼve been trying to get back to the perfect, untainted, completely fulfilling relationship with God which we were created to enjoy but were hindered by the lingering effects of the Fall; namely, the stubborn self-will known as sin. We were made for relationship. Thatʼs what makes Christianity unique - the God we worship wants a personal relationship with us! Christianity isnʼt about a bunch of rules - itʼs about a relationship with our Creator and with each other. And only Jesus can enable this to happen, redeeming us and restoring what God intended. Look for part two, The Big Picture, in the next issue!
“We were made for relationship.”
My
dad was a missionary kid from Colorado and my mom grew up in Oregon. They met each other through a singing group that served youth on American military bases in Germany. They were married in Germany in a beautiful cathedral and after having my two brothers, they moved to the Czech republic. This is where I’ve grown up my whole life-- in Czech. I’ve never lived in the U.S., but I’ve visited often. I was born in Germany, even though I never actually lived there. It sounds a little complicated, I know. That’s what my Czech friends think too. Just today actually, I had a conversation with a schoolmate. After asking me the common questions of “Where are you from in the States?” to “Well, if you never lived there, were you born in Czech?”, to “Do you speak German?”, I often lay it all out like this: Yes, I am an American (technically). Both of my parents are American. Yes, I have lived in Czech my whole life, but I’m not a Czech citizen, because I wasn’t born here. I was born in Germany, but that’s a long story. I don’t know German though, except for what they taught me in Czech schools from 4th to 9th grade. On a bad day, I don’t like explaining all of this stuff to someone I hardly know, who just stares at me in return anyway. On a good day, I smile at their stunned and befuddled faces as they try to figure out who I am exactly, and then they laugh too, because it’s all so foreign to them. But most days, I take it just as a good conversation starter, a way to connect with people. Being different is just a part of who I am. I can’t imagine not having this strange story a part of my everyday life. I’m thankful God has given me a vibrant childhood and unique experiences! It’s not easy sometimes, and I do feel very separate both from Czechs, and from Americans. The thing I always remind myself of is this:
“We, as MKs, do not “belong” anywhere, but we can belong everywhere.” We, as MKs don’t “belong” anywhere, but we can belong everywhere. It’s our decision to decide to be disconnected from everybody, because we’re not like them, or to embrace our “third culture”, and see ourselves as belonging anywhere God wants us, because He is the base of our culture. We’re flexible! That’s the beauty of the gift God has given us of not belonging anywhere. It helps us remember that we belong to Him, and that’s what’s most important.
written by Claire Patty -- read more on her blog here
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. -Psalm 119:105
Sometimes we lose faith and hope, don’t we? The road seems too long to be just even a tiny bit bearable.This is where I am right now. I feel lost on the way of life and like I’m walking on a dusty road in the night but but I don’t have a flashlight to light my path. Have you ever felt that way? Do you feel that way right now? I’ve been through many sleepless nights lately worrying about what my future will look like and what will become of me. I’ve been so frustrated because so many dreams of mine seemed to have died or seem out of reach.That’s when the Lord’s gentle whisper reaches my ear and I hear, “Don’t give up hope, remember you can always have faith in me. I am here for you always.”God has this habit of finding you just when you think you can’t be found anymore. When your faith is shaken by all sorts of doubts or questions and when all hope seems lost, please, my dear sister, please don’t give up! Cling to the beautiful , merciful Savior to help you believe once again. His arms and nail-scarred hands wide-open, ready to welcome you just as you are. Let Him shine your path with His sweet light and fill your human, feeble heart with everlasting hope. by Rebecca M.
If you could say one thing to your sisters in Christ about modesty, what would it be? “You really have no concept of the struggles that guys face on a daily basis. Please, please, please take a higher standard in the ways you dress. True, we men are responsible for our thoughts and actions before the Lord, but it is such a blessing when we know that we can spend time with our sisters in Christ, enjoying their fellowship without having to constantly be on guard against ungodly thoughts. In 1 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul presents believers as the members of one body - we have to work together. Please don't hurt that unity by dressing in ways that may tempt your brothers in Christ to stumble.” -Age 24 “In high school, the place of greatest temptation toward lust was my church. Girls wore things to church that they thought were fashionable and dressy, but they would not have passed the dress code at my public high school. Church should never be a guy's greatest source of temptation, in any way. Please, be especially careful when picking out your dress clothes for church, and make sure they are modest when sitting and kneeling (if you kneel in church), not just standing in front of the mirror.” -Age 26 “Dearest sister: God made you a thing of beauty. A thing to be admired and respected. When you dress or act in a way that draws attention to your body, you make it easy for the guys around you to reduce you to the level of a disgusting toy - using you to mentally satisfy their fantasies. They stop thinking about your Godly qualities and immerse themselves in sinful thought. By dressing and acting modestly, you draw attention to your face instead of your body. Would you rather be the tool by which guys satisfy themselves or the beautiful thing God created you to be, pure for your husband? My flesh prefers the former, but my heart pleads for the latter.” -Age 17
Quotes taken from the Rebelution’s Modesty Survey
“God made you a thing of beauty.”
Heart of Worship: When Everything Falls Apart by Michaela F. I don’t know if you’ve heard the song “Everything Falls” by Fee but whether you have or haven’t, it’s good. I don’t know about you, but in my life as an MK, some@mes it seems like life is crumbling into pieces. Pieces of emo@ons, thoughts, feelings, memories, truth, lies, rela@onships, and, ul@mately, your heart. It seems like they are just kind of floa@ng around and it feels near impossible to gather them all and put them back into their places in the puzzle of life. In fact, I think it is impossible. But that’s not the end of the story. As the song expresses “when everything falls apart, Your arms hold me together. When everything falls apart-‐ You’re the only hope for this heart, when everything falls apart and my strength is gone I find You mighty and strong and I keep holding on.” Even if we are crying into our pillows with snot and tears running down our face in an uMerly disgus@ng salty mixture, we can know that He is there, holding us together with the biggest hug in the world. Even if we find ourselves in an incredibly daun@ng and chao@c situa@on, we can choose to find hope in the fact that God is mighty and strong and on our side. We can hold on. That’s preMy s@nkin’ cool.
from the blog I was born and partly raised in the lovely city of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Which, as I write, is on fire. Over 5,000 acres have been affected and more homes are being eaten alive by the furious flames by the minute. It is utterly devastating and heartbreaking to hear of people I know and love losing their homes. Some of them didn’t even get to grab any of their belongings. The people who did grabbed the bare minimum. And it made me think – not the traditional “What would you bring?” question but more of a “How affected would my life be if all of my earthly belongings were engulfed in smoke and flames?” Would I be tortured at night by haunting dreams of the precious things I had lost? Would I be paralyzed to the point of not being able to move on with life? Or would I be able to trust that the Lord will provide for all my needs?
Read the rest here.
pray for Colorado!
You
Bible Verses on... “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” -Ephesians 2:10 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” -John 15:15
-1 John 5:18
“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” -Colossians 2:13-14
See you in September!
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Romans 12:2 Not of this World for MK girls by MK girls