Max On Life Book Review

Max Lucado has recently published a new book called Max on Life. This book answers 172 questions people have asked Max over the years, especially in his role as pastor. 


Max on Life is geared toward adults, but can help answer questions of young and old alike. My mom found it be a very easy read, and she enjoyed select topics of interest to her rather than reading from cover to cover.  She also said it is very helpful to gain a new perspective on topics that pertain to mentoring the teenage girls in her life.


In the back of the book, there is an index where you can look up specific Scripture and answers to different topics. There are amazing questions with wisdom-filled answers. Some topics include:

• Addiction
• Beliefs
• Change
• Discipline
• Judge
• Love
• Mercy
• Rejection
• Salvation
• Temptation

To find this book, you can go to amazon.com or thomasnelson.com, or you can order directly from the link below.

Superb Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Here is an amazing dessert that is super simple, but super delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter, divided
• 4-1/2 teaspoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 ounces each), coarsely chopped
• Colored sprinkles, optional

Directions:

• In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup peanut butter, butter, confectioners' sugar and salt until smooth; set aside.
• In a microwave, melt the chocolate chips, candy bars and remaining peanut butter; stir until smooth.
• Drop teaspoonfuls of chocolate mixture into paper-lined miniature muffin cups. Top each with a scant teaspoonful of peanut butter mixture; top with another teaspoonful of chocolate mixture. Decorate with sprinkles if desired. Refrigerate until set. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: 3 dozen. 36 Servings Prep: 20 min. + chilling

20

*Courtesy of http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Cups.

New in Christ

Since Easter is right around the corner, I thought I would make a post about God making us new.

When God sent Jesus to us, it was so that through Him we could have eternal life. When He died on the cross, He took away are sin and made us new. We are now alive in Christ!

Here are some verses, from The Message, on being remade:

Romans 8:1-2 (The Message)

With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.

Hosea 6:1-3 (The Message)

"Come on, let's go back to God. He hurt us, but he'll heal us. He hit us hard, but he'll put us right again. In a couple of days we'll feel better. By the third day he'll have made us brand-new, Alive and on our feet, fit to face him. We're ready to study God, eager for God-knowledge. As sure as dawn breaks, so sure is his daily arrival. He comes as rain comes, as spring rain refreshing the ground."

Romans 7:4-6 (The Message)

So, my friends, this is something like what has taken place with you. When Christ died he took that entire rule-dominated way of life down with him and left it in the tomb, leaving you free to "marry" a resurrection life and bear "offspring" of faith for God. For as long as we lived that old way of life, doing whatever we felt we could get away with, sin was calling most of the shots as the old law code hemmed us in. And this made us all the more rebellious. In the end, all we had to show for it was miscarriages and stillbirths. But now that we're no longer shackled to that domineering mate of sin, and out from under all those oppressive regulations and fine print, we're free to live a new life in the freedom of God.

One of my favorite songs is by an artist named Jason Gray. In his song, I Am New, he sins about being new in Christ. Here is his song:

I Am New by Jason Gray

Now I won’t deny
The worst you could say about me
But I’m not defined by mistakes that I’ve made
Because God says of me

I am not who I was
I’m being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy and I’m dearly loved
I am new

Who I thought I was
And who I thought I had to be
I had to give them both up
Cause neither were willing
To ever believe

I am not who I was
I’m being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy and I’m dearly loved
I am new
I am new

Too long have I lived in the shadow of shame
Believing that there was no way I could change
But the one who is making everything new
Doesn’t see me the way that I do
He doesn’t see me the way that I do

I am not who I was
I’m being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy and I’m dearly loved
I am new
I am new

Forgiven, beloved
Hidden in Christ
Made in the image of the Giver of Life
Righteous and holy, reborn and remade
Accepted and worthy
This is our new name

This is who we are now

Reflection Questions:

1. What defines your worth? (ex: friends, culture, parents, grades, accomplishments etc.)

2. Have you been made new in Christ?

3. What can you take from this that you can apply in your life?

Be Blessed and Remade through God's Grace!

How to Deal With a Kid Who Doesn't Want to be Respectful

Have you ever been caught in a situation were you're baby sitting some kids and they don't want to respect you? These sorts of situations can be difficult, especially when it constantly happens. Here are some quick tips that can help you as a baby sitter:

1. Don't ever yell at a kid. This scares them and will make them rebel more.
2. Speak gently, but firm. When you speak gently, it lets the kid know that they are not in trouble yet, but that you are in authority.
3. Don't give kids a reason to disrespect you. The way you treat a child, to them, gives them permission to act the same way. If they see that you are disrespectful, then the will be disrespectful also.
4. Before baby sitting a family, lay some ground rules, that way if discipline is needed they will know what their punishment will be.
5. If the child still acts disrespectful after you have talked to them, give them a small timeout or get their mother or father. If it is necessary to give a timeout, give them a timeout that amounts to their age. (ex: 5 yrs. = 5 min.)
6. If children are fighting over a toy, take the toy away.

If you need a set of ground rules, here are some you can use:

1. Respect each other.
2. Listen to your babysitter.
3. Accept punishment.
4. If you don't obey, you get one warning, a timeout, and when the parent gets home, you have to tell them what happened.

Hope these rules help you with baby sitting or even with your siblings! If you have any questions or ideas, leave a comment.

Do Something

Here is a song by Josh Wilson called I Refuse which tells us to not just sit around and do nothing.

Sometimes I
I just want to close my eyes
And act like everyone's all right
When no, they're not
This world needs God
But it's easier to just stand and watch
I could say a prayer and just move on
Like nothing's wrong
But I refuse

Cause I don't want to live like I don't care
I don't want to say another empty prayer
Oh I refuse to
Sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself
Oh I could choose
Not to move
But I refuse

I can hear the least of these
Crying out so desperately
And I know we are the hands and feet
Of You, O God
So if you say move
It's time for me to follow through
And do what I was made to do
And show them who you are

Cause I don't want to live like I don't care
I don't want to say another empty prayer
Oh I refuse to
Sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself
Oh I could choose
Not to move
But I refuse

To stand and watch
The weary and lost
Cry out for Him
I refuse
To turn my back
And try and act like all is well
I refuse
To stay unchanged
To wait another day
To doubt myself
I refuse
To make one more excuse

Cause I don't want to live like I don't care
I don't want to say another empty prayer
Oh I refuse to
Sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself
Oh I could choose
Not to move
But I refuse

I refuse
I refuse
Yea

Also here are some cool websites that give you some great ideas for service projects!

http://www.worldvision.org/

http://www.hoopsofhope.com

http://www.showhope.org/OrphanCare/MariasBigHouseofHope.aspx

http://leelandonline.com/

http://www.sparrowclubs.org/

http://www.dosomething.org/

http://www.zachhunter.me/#/lc2lc

I hope this encourages you to do something to help others around you!

A Beautiful Song: Crazy Beautiful

Here is a song I was listening to on Air1 this morning. It is such an encouragement when you are feeling all alone or that you aren't accepted. This song reminds you that it only matters what God thinks about you.

Everybody’s been there everyone’s the same
but mostly we don’t care isn’t that a shame
We bring us down face after face
the inside is beautiful but the outside we want to change.
We want to change.
Whoa you’re oh so beautiful, you don’t need anyone’s approval
You’ve got to believe in your self you know you are
You’re crazy beautiful
Well every new year you say your gonna change
From the way you live to how much you weigh,
we don’t want to change.
Whoa you’re oh so beautiful, you don’t need anyone’s approval
You’ve got to believe in your self you know you are
You’re crazy beautiful
Take a look it’s all around you
See the world from different views
The way you shine from the inside
I know with out a doubt
It’s more than what you’ll be
In the world’s eyes.
Whoa you’re oh so beautiful, you don’t need anyone’s a approval
You’ve got to believe in your self you know you are

You’re crazy beautiful

Enjoy!

A Little Bit of Encouragement

Here is a little bit of encouragement for all of you!

Exodus 23:2 Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong.

John 15:18-25 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Hope your encouraged!

Jealousy: The Green Eyed Monster

When you hear that someone else you know is doing something without you, and with someone else, do you ever want to scream, "It's not fair!"? When you feel like that, it is a warning to yourself that you are sinning in jealousy.

I am writing this post because I am being attacked by the Green Eyed Monster. I am feeling jealous because there are two girls doing something that makes me wish I had someone to do the same thing with.

I decided to look at some verses to see what God tells us about jealousy.

Psalm 78:58
They angered him with their high places; they aroused His jealousy with their idols.

Psalm 79:5
How long, LORD? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire?

Psalm 78:58 and Psalm 79:5 talk about how God is angered by our idolatry of others and things. His jealousy is aroused when we make other things or people more important to us than Him. Since He is a jealous God, He burns with anger for our total attention. He is jealous for us. We can understand this better, when we struggle with our own jealousy. But this does not give us permission to be jealous.

Romans 13:13
Let us behave decently........and not in jealousy.

Romans 13:13 talks about how we should behave decently. It goes one to describe jealousy as an indecent act. While the Lord has the right to be jealous for us, we are not to behave with jealousy in our hearts.

After reading these verses, I prayed and asked God to help me to get rid of my jealously! If you ever are feeling jealous, think of these verses.

Yummy Strawberry Tea

Do you ever just want a good cup of tea? Well I have the perfect homemade tea. It is called strawberry tea. The great thing about this tea, is that it is great cold or hot!

Ingredients:

1 dozen frozen strawberries

1 tblsp. of sugar for every 2 strawberries(splenda if desired)

4 cups water

Instructions:

1. Place strawberries and sugar into food processor. Thaw strawberries until tender.

2. Blend strawberries and sugar until texture is like a mushy sherbert.

3. Stir strawberry blend into a heat proof pitcher of 4 cups of boiling water.

4. Let steep or 15 minutes.

5. Pour through a mesh sieve until pulp and seeds are mostly gone.

6. Server cold or hot.

If you make this, I would love to know what you thought of it. Leave a comment or email me at real girls becoming at gmail dot com!

A Trio of Reviews

So, you are thinking of something to read for your devo time and you just can't figure out what you want to read, what do you do? Do you just pick up your Bible, flip through it, and effortlessly find something to read? Or do you just go and do something different? Well if your having this problem, or just need a new devotional, here are some great books, including a Bible!

The first book is called A Girl of Beauty, by Carol Fiddler. If you have read any of my other posts you probably have heard me reference to this book. A Girl of Beauty is a book focused on building character in girls like you and me. There are 19 devotionals in this book and each has a couple of questions asked, a spot for further study, and a spot to write down your thoughts. If you would like this book you can go to amazon.com.

Next, is a 90-day devotional called What's a Girl to Do?, by Kristi Holl. This book focuses in on finding faith in everyday life. Each devotional has a Bible verse to start it off, then a devotional, some questions, a prayer, and a "more to explore," where you can find other verses to go along with the theme. If you like this book, and want another one like it, you can go to faithgirlz.com for more books.

The last one, and the best, in my opinion, is the Bible. You might be thinking, "Leah what is so great about this Bible? Isn't it just as good as another other Bible?" This Bible is called the Parallel Study Bible. It has the NIV version and The Message combined. It is great for when you are reading the NIV version and you don't understand what they are talking. All you do is just look to the opposite page and it has the Message version. If you want this Bible, you can go to zondervan.com or find it in a book store near you.

Hope you enjoy!

Don't Hit Back!

One night this past night, I had a dream about talking to a guy who was really mad at his friend who had hurt him and done some pretty stupid stuff. He kept telling me how much he wanted to get revenge and that he couldn't even talk to his friend because of the situation. He told me what had happened, although I don't remember right now, and asked me if there was anything I should do.  In my dream, I had a verse in my mind to share with him, but I could not remember the reference. This morning when my family was doing family devotions, the whole story was based on the verse in my dream, Romans 12:17-21.

I decided, right then, that I needed to write about this verse. Take a minute to read it in two different translations:

Romans 12:17-21 NIV
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; 
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. 
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:17-21 The Message
Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it." Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

What could you learn from these verses?

Do they have anything to do with a relationship in your life?

How can you live out these verses?

Think on these verses. You never know what you could learn. I challenge you to read the whole chapter 12 of Romans, and even the whole book of Romans.

How to Treat Evil

This past night, I had a dream about talking to a guy who was really mad at his friend who had hurt him and done some pretty stupid stuff. He kept telling me how much he wanted to get revenge and that he couldn't even talk to his friend because of the situation. He told me what had happened, although I don't remember right now, and asked me if there was anything I should do.

I had a verse in mind which I told him but I could not remember the reference. This morning when my family was doing family devotions, the whole story was based on the verse in my dream, Romans 12:17-21. I then decided I needed to right about this verse. Below I have it in the NIV and The Message.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17-21 NIV)

Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good. (Romans 12:17-21 The Message)