Giveaway Winners + Inspirational Music Videos

Greetings ladies! Today is the day you all have probably been waiting for-the day we announce our giveaway winners! Before sharing the winners names we would like to thank our lovely sponsors once again and thank you for being such a wonderful bunch of followers! We are so glad for those of you who took the challenge to pray! Together, with all the total entries for all the giveaways we prayed together over 26 hours! We hope and pray that this challenge has blessed you! So now, on to our winners! :)

Winner of the lolli-pop earrings sponsored by Emarie Creations:
Rachel F!!!

Winner of the flexi-clip sponsored by Gail of Lilla Rose: 

Jenny!!!

We Are Made Worthy

As the month of June slipped by into the vast sea of my past, I thought of what I would write for our readers today. Each and every day, I spent a portion of time thinking on what would be most inspiring to share with others, yet felt completely uninspired myself as to what. I seemed unable to frame a life lesson, while at the same time, I knew that I was learning a myriad each and everyday. 

When I look back at the time I have spent in ministering here on this site, I realize something. I can see through each and every facet of my ministering to others that I have eagerly focused on the topics which I succeed at. It is so easy to minister to someone in an area that you are nearly perfect at yourself. But, what about when others need strengthening in areas that I myself need to perfect. What then? I find that my tendancy is to either hide in a dark corner, and pretend I am not there, or turn the subject to something I am comfortable with.

You see, I felt unworthy. How could I possibly hold someone accountable to Bible memorization, when I myself was so weak in this area? Why should I try to minister to others on the issue of sibling relationships, when I stumble often in this very facet of life? Do I have the right to encourage others to spend time in the word daily, when I more than occasionally miss my devotions? How can I encourage those who are suffering a loss, when I myself have never been tested so deeply? Should I be telling others how to live as a godly woman should, when I myself fail so many times to uphold these standards? For so long, these questions prevailed in stopping me from sharing the truth. I can see now that it was a tactic used by the devil. A deadly one.

Women & Children First {A Guest Post By Elizabeth}

{Here is the last of our lovely guest posts! A special thank to Miss Elizabeth of Joyful Jewels 4 Jesus Blog for allowing us to re-post this wonderful essay on the Titanic which she entered in the Vision Forum 2012 Essay Contest. Feel free to view the original post by click HERE! We pray that you have been blessed by these guest posts here on Reflections of Grace and that they have been of inspiration to you. Please let us know if you'd be interested in seeing more guest posts in the future!}

 

Her eyes surveyed the icy waters as her hand tightly grasped the rail. Wasn’t it just last night when she was waltzing with her brother, James, on the deck of the remarkable Titanic? All seemed perfect then. And now! It was as if Katherine had awakened to discover a nightmare unfolding before her eyes. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her brother’s strong voice calling her name.

         “I’m here, James!” Katherine called back loudly amidst the frantic passengers.

         “Coming, Katie!” James replied, using his special name for his sister.

         James appeared on the deck, life jackets in hand. Katherine winced at the sight of them, hoping the situation wasn’t quite that serious. As if reading her thoughts, James nodded strongly and helped her into a jacket.

Chivalry Is Not Dead {A Guest Post By Raquel}

{Hello Ladies! Today we have another encouraging guest post for you all! A special thanks to Miss Raquel who allowed us to re-post this article that she has previously written on her blog, here today. This article was originally published on Raquel's blog God's Daughter which you can visit by clicking HERE!}

 

The other day, a gentleman friend of mine paid me one of the greatest compliments I have ever received.

He said: ‘You deserve recognition [as a lady].  You make me want to be a better gentleman.’

 

Now right there, were two sides to the story…and both of them were amazing.

To me – I felt like I had accomplished something, in being able to encourage my guy friend to hfeel the need to be a better gentleman.

 

For him – he felt that his act of chivalry wouldn’t go unnoticed by me because I actually care that men act like gentlemen.

 

My friend also went on to say how he had read one of my statuses on Facebook, which I had originally gotten from Pinterest:

 

Mistakes Are Like Balloons...Just Let Them Go

{Written By Bethany}

 

One time in our Bible study our teacher handed around a bunch of paper slips. She told us to write down things that we weren't content with, things that brought us down and burdened us. She was specifically talking about imperfections we struggle with in our appearance, things we wish could be changed, such as our hair type, weight, body, etc. However I realize this also applies to struggles we may have, difficulties or mistakes we make. Really anything that weighs us down and shields our eyes from delighting in the Lord's presence. Anything that blinds us from the joy that we should have in the Lord when we are lifting everything to Him. They joy of a burden-free lifestyle She told us to write these things down. I thought a bit before carefully writing mine down on that white piece of paper. Then when everyone was finished we folded the papers and taped them to the ribbon on a helium balloon. Then we said a prayer, giving our struggles and worries to the Lord, thanking Him for how He made us, and we then released that balloon to heaven. As the balloon slowly drifted out of sight I felt relief wash over my like a tidal wave. I felt like I could breath again. My burdens were gone, I no longer had to carry them.

Book Reviews

Who Calls Me Beautiful?

By Regina Franklin

{Review by Bethany}

Publisher :: Discovery House Publishers

Number of Pages :: 142

Source :: Library

Publication Date :: 2004

My Rating :: 5 out of 5 stars
Age Recommendation :: For girls 15+

"Physical perfection is an illusion. Yet "'women long to achieve it, no matter how unattainable it is'", says author Regina Franklin. Even Christian women are being seduced by the worldly definition of beauty. But failure to distinguish between reality and illusion is costing women their true identity and even their lives. 

In Who Calls Me Beautiful? Franklin skillfully chips away at the belief that a woman's body is more important than her character. Patiently pointing to Scripture, she convincingly shows that true beauty starts inside and radiates outward. It is this proper biblical understanding of God's design for women that empowers them to move beyond the cultural standards and the worlds "ideal woman." 

Boring Testimonies? {Guest Post By Sarah}

{To celebrate Reflection's of Grace's one year anniversary we have a few guest post's set up which you will find throughout this month. We pray that these posts would be a blessing to you! A special thanks to Sarah who allowed us to re-post this article here today. This article was originally published on Sarah's blog Reaching For His Highest which you can visit by clicking HERE!}

One of the things I love about Tim Hawkins is his ability to make his audience roar with laughter, yet still convey a good message. True, I don’t care for the feminine interpretations or crass remarks, but Tim frequently manages to leave me not just with aching sides, but with a serious truth to mull over. One such truth is found in his monologue about testimonies. Tim takes the microphone in his hands, lowers and shakes his head, and sighs,

 “I don’t know, sometimes I like, wish I had a better testimony. Do you ever do that? Wish you had a better testimony? You’re sitting in church and you listen to a guy on stage and you’re like, ‘Man, he’s got an awesome testimony. I have a horrible one… I wish I had been addicted to crack!”

 Funny. Ridiculous. But true. So often I feel many Christians have this comical, yet ludicrous attitude. I find it especially true in the homeschooling community. Most of us have been raised in a Christian home our entire lives. Since we were brought up in this protected environment and soaked in the Bible from an early age, very few of us can remember a specific date or time when we gave our hearts to Christ. Or if we do remember, our testimony is something along the lines of, “I was in Sunday school and the teacher was speaking on the cross for the hundredth time, but this time I was so overwhelmed with the realization of how much Christ truly loved me. So I prayed with the teacher.” Absolutely nothing wrong with that, but when it is compared to a testimony of deliverance from addictions, sexual relationships, or even death, we feel our “Jesus-loves-me” narrative is simple and, well… boring.

 This past week I read “Redeemed and Restored”, a collection of testimonies from the wives of well-known Calvary Chapel pastors. Each story was incredible. To hear how God had restored the lives of so many women was such a joy and inspiration. But when I reached the end of the book and found empty pages designed for me to write my own testimony in, I (like Tim Hawkins), lowered and shook my head, and sighed.

“I was never into drugs, I didn’t abort a baby or give it up for adoption, and I haven’t committed adultery or gotten a divorce. I’m not even married yet! So why put my simple story in?”

 But then it hit me right between the eyes. How silly I am! To think that God’s work of salvation in my life is any less incredible that anyone else’s! My story is just as amazing. Not because God delivered me out of those sins, but because He kept me from falling into them to begin with!

Think about it. He has protected and cared for me my entire life. I was born into a Christian home, to Christian parents. My dad is even a pastor! For as long as I can remember, my parents have poured the word of God into me. They homeschooled me, saving me from the heavy peer-pressure and exposure to sin I was not prepared to face.

Not only did God protect me as a child, but he has continued to do so throughout my teen years. Think about it again. I am eighteen years old. I have never used drugs, never smoked, never had one sip of alcohol, and have never had sex. I’ve never even been kissed or had a boyfriend! And not because no one would have me, but because of God’s grace.

 Sadly, to be eighteen and never done those things is an extreme rarity in our culture. But I am not pointing this out to show you what a great young woman I am, rather, to prove to you that the fact that I am still a virgin, the fact that I have never tasted alcohol, smoked, or done drugs is the most incredible testimony to God’s goodness and mercy!

 If you’re a Christian and a homeschooler, you probably have never done these things either. But don’t allow that to make you feel as though your testimony is any less than others. Each and every Christian has a story, and each and every one is incredible for different reasons. So regardless of our tale, let us all be overwhelmed with gratefulness that the God of the universe sent His Son to die on a cross so that we might be saved!

{Photos via Pintrest}