Dorothy Perkins head wrap headband
dorothyperkins.com
Which one was your favorite? Let me know in the comments!
dorothyperkins.com
Which one was your favorite? Let me know in the comments!
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Khloe Grace's Polyvore Creations
Hello:) I wanted to share with you all of the polyvore creations that I've made. Hopefully you can get some inspiration from these when you are making your own outfits.:)
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Moments of Worship
Moments of worship. You know the moments I'm talking about; those moments when it's just you, your heart, and Jesus. That feeling of peace and calm washes over you, but there's also a little bit of excitement as you sing and pour out your heart to God. It's a thrilling experience, but sadly it's one that seems to be rare in my life at the moment.
I pointed this out the other day to a friend. Yeah, I love to sing and listen to my Christian music, but most of the time I'm so busy that my mind is distracted with other things. Turns out I'm not the only one who felt this way.
After taking a few moments to talk about it we both realized that our crazy lifestyle often gets in the way of our worshiping the Lord. I get up in the morning, rush through devotions, work through school, head out to whatever other events are planned for the day: piano lessons, riding the horses, writing and working on my books, babysitting, helping around the house, not to mention going to work. It wears me out so by the time its time for bed I'm ready to crash...except usually I stay up into the late hours of night working more on my books. My friends schedule is very much the same and even though we both spend a lot of time at church we admitted that our personal relationships with Jesus were suffering.
Now, where is this all going you ask. I promise I'm getting there...I just tend to ramble. Anyhow after my friend and I had this talk something was said about worship. I admitted that in church I often have a hard time focusing on worship. I help teach classes, greet the older people, play piano, and try to keep all the little kiddies in line. By the time it's time to worship my mind is so bogged down that my lips move without my heart.
That was when my friend pointed out the mistake we were repeating over and over again. We were equating worship with church. Although church should be a place of worship, our daily lives should first and foremost be a form of worship.
Think about it. Our bodies are the temple of God. Our lives are supposed to mirror the examples Christ set for us, but how often do we allow our simple daily life to come between us and those precious chances to honor, praise, and glorify our Savior. How often are we simply so caught up in things that we over look something that could have been a praise to the Father? How often do we simply over look a silent moment that could be spent in prayer because our own thoughts are so loud? How often do we fall asleep at night before realizing we've not spend anytime meditating in the Word?
The discussion with my friend took another turn. Didn't Christ say that whoever came unto Him would find rest or something another that line? We were obviously both already very tired because we couldn't even remember the reference to the verse. But with or without the support of scriptures we knew that worship was a form of rest, mentally, spiritually, and even at times physically.
By this time we had pointed out that we could be worshiping at that very moment. It's a bad habit, getting caught up in our own lives. So then came the idea, hey let's worship together. We put together a playlist of songs that focused on Jesus, his love, and his power and then hit play. The deal was that we would turn off everything except that music. No phones. No facebook. Nothing that could prove to be a distraction.
Before I knew it I was kneeling on the floor in front of my bed praying the lyrics to the songs and pouring my entire heart out to Jesus. Literally, hours passed by without me even knowing it. Setting aside the distractions, pointing my heart and mind toward Him, and actually making myself slow down physically opened up the floodgates of worship. I hadn't prayed that much at one time in years, I hadn't felt that close to my Savior since I could remember. It was literally hours of sitting there praying to and praising the Lord.
It didn't only feel amazing, but it also became a time of conviction and confession. It was the first time in months that I had felt the hand of God guiding me with such force. I found myself placing all my burdens into Jesus's hands, admitting to Him that I'd been struggling to fix them myself, but that I was giving it all over to him.
By the time I stood it was waaaaay past midnight, my knees were stiff and sore, my voice was hoarse from talking, but you know what? I felt refreshed and renewed. My body didn't feel burdened and my soul felt on fire with a passion to serve God.
My friend and I agreed we had just experienced the truth of "draw near to God and he will draw near to you." and we also realized the power of true worship. We had just experienced one of those 'moments' of pure worship between a child of the King and their Father.
With that we each promised we would help remind each other to spend at least half and hour in personal worship. On top of that I've spent the week looking for new ways to worship Christ in every aspect of my life: from taking a moment to ponder the sunrise to meditating on a Bible verse while washing the dishes.
Okay...so what's the point?
The point is that God created the world by simply speaking it into existence. Jesus shed his blood so that if you would be able to accept His gift of salvation. Yet we go through life without giving a second thought to the magnificent creation; we forget the importance of our salvation. Worship counter acts those flaws of human nature. It is a commandment, it is a way to draw closer to your Father and strengthen your relationship with Him. It reminds you of the wonders, the love, the sacrifice that were displayed for us.
I know this was long, but I felt lead to share this personal testimony with the prayer that you will be inspired to spend more time in those special moments of worship and be challenged to find ways to praise God in every aspect of your life.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Sick of Waiting (and worrying)
Okay, so I'm guessing some of you might be a little worried about the title today. Did it get you wondering about the content to follow? I mean, it sounds pretty negative, doesn't it?
Yeah, it does. And I usually don't like to use conclusively derogatory sounding titles. But for the last several weeks, the idea for this post has been lingering in the back of my head. And so I finally decided to stop being lazy and actually write it. And what can I say, this particular title seemed to fit best.
Let's face it.
I'm sure most of us have heard the whole deal about "waiting for your true love". And I'm sure most everyone reading this blog agrees with the Biblically-founded moral system which makes it clear that people should remain pure until marriage, and that marriage is meant to last until death.
Marriage is a sacred union; a covenant between the husband, wife, and God. Throughout Scripture, we find where terrible things happened to those who misuse or abandon it. I personally think that sin pertaining to this area is worse than sin such as stealing, lying, etc. Even though those are still forms of wickedness, their consequences/affects on other people can be lesser than that of sexual sin.
For example: Stealing a car vs. committing adultery. They're both wrong, of course, but the latter will hurt more lives, long term.
All sin is evil and to be avoided. However, some do come with heavier prices.
That doesn't really have a whole lot with what I aimed to write about today, but I just wanted to remind you all of the seriousness of the matter. Marriage is nothing to be taken lightly. Not that I know anything really about it; since I'm still single. But just look through God's Book.
He gave us a beautiful gift to enjoy a special sort of love. And that special sort of love was only meant for one other person here on earth - one's spouse. In this case, your future husband, ladies.
So then how should one handle the matter before marriage or courtship?
At age 13, I wrote a poem called "I'm Just Waiting."
I'm sorry, but yes,
I'm already claimed.
Already got myself somebody
special,
Right now I'm just waiting.
Someday, somewhere,
I'll find my somebody special.
My knight in shining armor.
Right now I'm just waiting.
I'm set aside,
I'm set apart.
Right now I'm just waiting.
For him, I'm saving my heart.
I'm praying that the Lord
will bless my somebody special,
Protect him and guide him,
until (and after) the day we
meet.
Skimming over this, yeah, I still hold to this promise of abstinence and emotional purity until marriage. I'm still saving my first kiss for THE guy. I've learned to really take emotional purity serious ever since I experienced some hard lessons as a younger teen, concerning giving your heart to somebody prematurely. (Crushes, lust, etc.) And honestly, it all starts with the heart. If you let your heart stray, you're already going down a slippery slope and sin is a the door.
It all starts with the heart.
"Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23
But is it more than just waiting?
I've always thought it was a matter of "keeping your eyes open" and waiting, watching. Yes, keeping productive, not just sitting around during your single years 'waiting for life to happen.'
Nonetheless. There seems to be something more to it than just this.
It seems that, with the 'waiting' mentality, life seems to become a bit full of doubt and fear that perhaps this, perhaps that...what ifs...
What if...you're not supposed to get married? What if....maybe you never find that special dude?
What if this, what if that.
It's easy to get a little desperate even. I'll admit, I've allowed myself to get wrapped up in concern over it at times.
You meet a guy that seems halfway decent and the first thing that crosses your mind?
"Hm, could he be the one? Maybe I should talk to him...?"
It's not wrong to wonder this, and I think it's a completely natural instinct. The key is, how much time you spend thinking on this sort of thing. It's so easy for this notion to become a self-centered one. Or, simply fear-based.
God's Word is very clear on fear, and states simply: don't succumb to it.
And, another thing. If you're like me, you're still young. I'll be 18 in January. Yes, women have been getting married at that age and earlier for centuries, but that doesn't mean it's the 'must' for each individual person. Unless I see a direct sign or direction from God on the contrary, I still think I'm a bit green for marriage yet.
However, I don't think one is ever truly 'ready' for marriage, as in, completely 'wisened-up' and prepared.
We can prepare and store up wisdom to an extent, but we're always learning more. (hopefully, if you have the right mindset and a heart for learning) However, wisdom dictates that a couple shouldn't marry until they have matured to a certain degree, and possess a certain degree of responsibility. And in this society, maturity is coming later and later, if at all.
Gosh, I'm rambling today aren't I?
Okay. *takes a deep breath, tries to get back on topic*
I guess what I'm trying to get at is, if you're worried about finding your special someone, stop it.
Stop worrying.
If God wills it for you, it will happen. End of story.
Waiting is a word of stagnancy.
While, in the sense of purity it's almost always implied to be good, it can easily turn into a means to create uninvolved, fear-ridden young women who are a bit on the desperate side to find their Superman.
Personally, I don't feel this is where I want to be.
I don't want to be the antsy young woman who acts like a feeding-frenzied shark whenever a young man enters her sight. I don't want to be consumed with fear of the unknown, constantly wondering 'what if'.
There's a reason for everything, and I know this is all in God's plan. Truth is, what's so bad about being single, anyway? During these adventure-filled years of my life, I have been given so many opportunities. Chances to point people to God through a wide variety of skills, abilities, and connections, and of course, the time to do it all.
In short, I am loving this season of my life. God is exceedingly good to me.
If He has it in His will for me to get married, wonderful! If not, wonderful! Instead of dwelling in the 'waiting and worrying' mentality, I strive to use my time wisely and productively. Learning new things every day, strengthening relationships with the people in my life, and drawing closer to my Maker.
I'm no longer "on the lookout" for a mate. Let's be honest, that involves way too much stress and energy! Which I'd rather spend on something a bit more productive.
No, I've learned that when I try to take things into my own hands, the end result is always inferior, messy, and quite often a flunked attempt. I'm pretty sure this could apply to every aspect of my life, including the 'romance' side.
So in conclusion?
I'm leaving my love story in God's hands...not mine.
P.S. I'm sorry this sort of evolved into a sporadic sort of rambling rant, but hopefully you gleaned something from it? *uneasy smile*
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Hi! I'm Khloe Grace:)
Hi everyone! I'm Khloe Grace and I'm new here at APOC. I want to share my story.
I first started blogging under a different name privately, about a year ago. One of the first blogs I found was A Pinch of Classy. I never really cared about what I wore, fashion-wise that is. Then I started to read here, and my interest was piqued.
I started coming up with outfits, researching fashion and what kinds of clothes and colors were best for my body and natural coloring. I found that it was very fun for me, and I was complimented on my outfits (which is always nice) ;)
I now have my own public blog called All Things Good. One of my missions there (and here) is to present modest, affordable fashion to teens, girls, and women. To God be the glory!
P.S. I will be posting on Sundays.:)
Thursday, November 14, 2013
His Love
Hello everyone, I'd planned for today's post to be a product review, but that's not going to happen. Instead I'm going to share a song that's become a favorite over the past few weeks. Its a beautiful and soulful song sang by Phil King, who does a wonderful job of reminding us just how much Jesus loves us. His complete and unfailing love is so hard for us to comprehend because its so deep and indescribable. He loves us despite our flaws, our failures, our moments of falling out of fellowship with Him.
I knew that I was loved
Just didn't know how much
Until You came
And showed me more
I'll never know the depth
That You are capable of loving me
Oh, I'll never know
How much You love
How can I measure
How much You love
I'll never know
I knew that I had grace
Just didn't know hoe much
Until You came
And changed my heart
I'll never know the depth
That You are capable of gracing me
Oh, I'll never know
How much You love
How can I measure
How much You love
I'll never know
I'll never know how much You love me
I'll never know how much You love me
I'll never know how much You love me
Aren't the words just beautiful? Every time I hear this song I have to pause for a moment and meditate on the love of Jesus Christ.
Aren't the words just beautiful? Every time I hear this song I have to pause for a moment and meditate on the love of Jesus Christ.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Fall/Winter Outfits {Alyson's Thrift Corner}
Here
are just some pictures of fall and winter outfits that are mostly made up of
garage sale/hand-me-down clothes.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
What Say The Guys? Q/A with Chard Phebe
Hey y'all!
Some of us girls from APOC picked questions we thought would be interesting to hear an opinion of from the opposite gender., and today the Q/A is with Christian teen writer Chard Phebe.
What do you find attractive in a girl? Not physical appearance... but what about her attracts you, personality wise? I have to state that among the most attractive things about a girl is her confidence (especially when it’s in Christ). I always feel so bothered when I comment on how great a singer a girl is, or how smart she is, or how kind and all I get is a debate. A girl who can acknowledge her God-given gifts is always attractive. Intelligence, artistic ability, kindness, and transparency are traits I personally find to be attractive, as well as an unashamed femininity; I have no problem with girls playing sports, using weapons, or be outdoorsy… that’s all fine, it can even be attractive, but please, please never try to have us treat you as anything other than a girl, that is so unattractive.
How do you feel about girls approaching guys? Personally I hold to the “old-fashioned” view that guys should be the initiators, hard and nerve wracking as it may be for us. I will say that if a girl is thinking of approaching a guy in a romantic sense to simply act in a way that would still allow him to be the initiator. If he talks about a social gathering you’d like to attend with him, simply speak on how you would enjoy going to that, if he’s so dense that he doesn’t realize he should invite you, then simply ask to go, but realize that he probably only thinks of you as a friend at the moment.
What are your thoughts on courtship and dating? Oh, this subject can be controversial even among Christians…awesome! I personally stand unashamed on the view that courtship is the best route for pursuing romance; now this is not to say I look down on Christians who date or want to date; Lord knows I did for the longest time. My greatest argument for this view (but not my only one) is that the time I spend dating a girl I may or may not marry just for the fun of it I could have spent preparing for my future wife. That Thursday night date could have been spent at a Bible study learning from older couples in my church, the money I spent taking that girl out to dinner I could have saved for my wife’s wedding ring.
What are things that can become distracting or make you avert your eyes when it comes to modesty? This is a sore spot because I love my relationships/meetings with all girls in my life, and unfortunately showing a little too much skin puts a sour twist on many of them. I’m not sure girls realize how perceptive we guys can be to what they are wearing and our reactions to it. Being a Christian and not wanting to mentally lust ever, this can turn a perfectly good meeting with a friend/colleague into an exercise in self-control. It makes me sad when I can’t look a girl in her eyes because her low cut shirt is only a few inches below, so I end up looking her in the forehead or just gazing all around and feel like a jerk. It also makes me sad when I basically have to ignore a girl passing by because of what she’s wearing, I want to smile and say “Hi” but the fact that she’s half naked kind of ruins any chance of that unless I want to fight her image out of my head for the next five minutes. As dramatic as this might sound, I dare say you ask several Christian guys to read this and they all would on some level agree.
Do girls make you feel uncomfortable if they're really friendly? (Not in a forward/flirting way) Not uncomfortable, but for all “really friendly” girls I do have an admonition. Ladies, God made you with your bubbly, outgoing personalities and they are beautiful and unique. I don’t ever want to put a lamp shade on this because it can be a light for Christ but I must say when it comes to guys, you should definitely hold back on any physical displays (no “Hi I just met you, but I’m friendly, so let’s hug”). Also if you’re going to be friendly toward a guy, be sure that you clarify that you do that for everyone and be sure that you’re living it. A girl in my campus ministry called me sweetheart, which kind of put me off until I saw and she explained that she called everyone “sweetheart” or “my darling” and now I don’t read anything into it, however I can’t say that coming up with terms of endearment for most people will not still cause some guys to read something into your friendliness.
What turns you away from being interested in a girl? Character qualities, attitudes, etc? I have to stress being ashamed of being a girl. This puts such a bad taste in my mouth I want to brush my teeth. The feminist movement has seemed to state that if women are “evolved” or “empowered” that they’ll chop their hair to boy-like lengths, wear masculine clothing, see motherhood or homemaking as inferior uses for their time, and basically throw out what it has always meant to be female. To me this is complete crock; I look at any mother as empowered because she has the incredible responsibility of helping shape the future generation in ways we men simply can’t. Please, girls just be girls, even if you do all sorts of sporty and tough girl things, allow us to get the door for you, pay the check, and be a gentlemen if we’re trying to be, don’t make us feel weird. Other unattractive quality is being preoccupied with superficial things, young men are interested in young women, and young women care about more than just what color their makeup is or how good their selfie looks. Also I would say selfishness, unkindness, dislike for children, and disinterest in spiritual subjects are other big ones for me personally.
What are qualities you look for in a girl with regards to friendship/relationships? I being a talker extrovert type find myself inextricably drawn to quiet introverts for close friendships (my mentor is one), but this doesn’t mean I don’t love talking to extroverted girls (you guys can be sooo funny!). I’d said what really makes me desire a friendship with a girl is the knowledge that our relationship with benefit both of us, I realize the girls in my life can dramatically affect me so I want to surround myself with good ones, but I also want to know I can bless this girl in some way, it’s no fun feeling unwanted or needed. In all things however love, joy, peace, patience, humor, kindness, faithfulness, perseverance, imagination, gentleness, goodness, and faith are skeleton keys for my heart.
What are you looking for spiritually in a wife? The Proverbs 31 woman is an ideal for most Christian guys, as it should be, I mean that lady sounds like Wonder woman (She planted a Vineyard!) but personally I like a girl who looks more like a Genesis 1-Revalation 22 woman. There’s just something about a girl who knows her Bible. Also I think that your behavior in accordance to Scripture really would be what I’d look for; a girl whose heart is set after obeying God’s truth is worthy to be praised and always worth the time and attention you give her in my opinion.
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