Advocate

In life it is important to find a passion, something that you stand for that you believe in. That passion often becomes part of us and makes up even more beautiful as we search and learn about that passion. I have several things that I'm an advocate for. Many of my friends and family are Diabetic. My mother, my father was before he died, then my best friend is, and then I worked with a diabetes coalition for almost a year. Everything about what I've done with the coalitions has made me an advocate in this. I myself am not diabetic but I do stand for the cause. I also stand for those with Cancer. My father died of Leukemia and I believe it is important to stand for those that may not be able to stand themselves. I'm an advocate for girls who don't see their beauty and for people that get bullied. I was a teenage girl- I remember what it was like. Not to mention I STILL struggle with low self esteem. Then with the bullying thing- I lived through that from elementary school all the way through college. I was cyber bullied in high school just as cyber bullying was being discovered. I'd never even heard of it till it happened to me. I stand for these causes because I'm a survivor of the effects they bring on others lives. But the one thing that I'm an advocate for the thing that completes me is- being an advocate for ACCers. ACC stands for Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum. It is a disorder. One that I was born with. People with ACC range from different things. Some of them cannot walk, or even talk. While others can do all of that, and function almost normally. But ACCers need a voice. When I found out about my ACC when I was 20 I decided that I wanted to speak out or ACCers. Be someone that can help them- be an advocate. What did I gain by becoming an Advocate? confidence, courage, compassion, and more. These things add beauty to a persons life. Because I am passionate and compassionate I am beautiful the way that I am. So far we've talked about radiance and being an advocate as two important parts of being beautiful the way they are. I encourage you to be an advocate for something or someone and if you already are then... well... "Rock it, Poppet!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGtN04X07lA

Radiance

Welcome to this installment of the Beautiful The Way You Are challenge. One of the things I've always found so fascinating is the definition of Radiance. To radiate something is to emit light, or energy... to beam. People radiate beauty. As a Christian I have seen a persons smile and looking at it I KNOW they have God in their lives. Three of these people that have these types of smiles are Zach Zegan from the band Dizmas that I used to listen to and my friend Lance, and my twitter friend Ashley Hargest. They all just love God so much, that it shines through them and in their smiles radiate Christ. I've met so many young women that literally radiate beauty. Everything about them from personality to looks is absolutely beautiful. You may think I'm just talking about pretty skinny girls but Of all body types their are women that radiate beauty. They shine, they glow, they beam. Do you know their secret? Do you want to? It's not really that big of secret. They've found comfort and confidence in themselves and often for Christians they found the confidence in God. One of the big steps to Finding your beauty in the way you are is gaining confidence in yourself. Then that beauty will radiate off of you. It may already yet you don't even realize it! There are so many different personality types out there too. I'm snarky, cynical, sarcastic, feisty, and independent. I intimidate most people because I'm just so set in my ways and stubborn. Some young women are shy and couldn't imagine just saying what they think. But I'm no less beautiful than the shy girl and she's no less beautiful than me. We ALL radiate beauty. My twitter friend Ashley Hargest is one of the most absolutely beautiful people I know. She is full of Christs love. And if she is reading this right now chances are she's going to say "It's not me but it's Christ in me" She's right but Christ is in her the way she is because she wants Him to be. She could say that she didn't want to be used by him the way she is but she doesn't. She radiates such a beauty that makes her admired by many...but Ashley they do not just admire you but Christ in you. All glory goes to Him. I've always loved the thought of being radiant. For years I thought that I couldnt be because I'm chubby, because I have a brain disorder, because I come across grumpier than I really am. But I realize that the only thing that keeps me from being radiant is ME. I have decided to not stop myself from being Radiant anymore. I challenge all of you to join me in my quest to live a radiant life. To shine with the beauty that I've always had. You can too, in fact we can do it together. Beauty is natural, glowing is often natural, RADIANCE is natural. I've decided to add this to the blog. I love natural beauty products. Recently I was mixing some things together and accidently mixed this AMAZING face paste. I took grape seed oil, some warming oil that smelled like a beach, and then flower petals of my favorite flower crazy daises. I managed toget some great oils out of the flowers and mixed the petals in with the oils...then put it on my face. I rubbed it in and the next thing I knew my face was soft and I brought out a natural glow I didn't even realize my face had! Try it sometime, or something like it! I'm telling you all of these because realizing our radiance is a big step to finding out that we are beautiful the way we are. So until next time Radiate like the sun <3

Beautiful the Way You Are Challenge

Do you struggle with self image? You don't think you are beautiful? Someone once told you that you had something wrong with you and after a time you've started to believe them? Me too. I'm an average girl. When I was younger I was skinny but thought I was fat...then the most horrible thing happened I actually started gaining weight. I was depressed and eating like crazy. I was a happy girl when I was younger then Middle school happened. Girls kept trying to change me. I was a girl that hated make up, I didn't spend much time on my hair I was just me. Then suddenly from every direction I was told I was fat, I needed makeup and my hair was stringy. Nothing about me was good enough. Then I really did start to get chubby. My self image went from high to low in a matter of weeks. Now at 26 years old I still sometimes struggle with it, for crying outloud I'm a girl living in the 21st century where everywhere I turn is an example of perfection and that example is nothing like me. Most days I'm fine. I'm chubby, but happy, I wear the minimum of makeup and I still do very little to my hair. Still I have to remember that I'm beautiful the way I am. I remember some of my dorm-mates in college used to write on their mirrors with the window safe markers positive messages to themselves and anyone that used their mirrors. "I am Beautiful" "I am Strong" "I am one of a kind" "I love me" what excellent reminders! Lately I've been on a journey of self discovery. I'm finding different ways to discover that I'm Beautiful the Way I am" Each day I figure something new out, something that makes me, beautiful me. This challenge is for anyone that reads this blog. PLEASE join me on this journey. My friend Labanya and I as well as some others are going through this challenge and I will post on here the things that I've discovered. I encourage you to do the same. Comment on here. I don't know how long this challenge will be but I know the things we discover will be amazing. The first thing I've realized about myself is my smile. Happiness makes a girl beautiful. Life situations shouldn't control our happiness though. I've found myself smiling no matter how much it may hurt. Whats your first thing that makes you Beautiful the way you are? It can be anything. The coming days/weeks I'll talk about different natural beauty techniques, people, things I enjoy, and a lot of different areas of my life that show me that I'm beautiful the way I am. I encourage each of you to join me and would be so happy to do this journey with you. Think of this challenge as an accountability exercise. We're...all in this together ;) Check these out: http://thebeautybean.com/site/links/shop/ Until Next time...be you :)

More Beautiful You Lessons 9-12

Alright tonight is the final post on More Beautiful You. I have a couple more posts planned for the future! I look forward to sharing with you all the things that I am learning! Lesson 9: Accepting God's Love Lesson 10: The Beauty of Redemption Lesson 11: The Beauty of Restoration Lesson 12: Becoming A Model Lesson 9: What is love? Love is one of God's defining characteristics. "Everything God says and everything He does is an expression of love." Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 List all the facets of true love that are described in these verses. Beside each one write a choice that must be made in order for this facet of love to shine. How is true love different from the type of love most teenagers experience or expect? true love puts the needs of another person above it's own desires. It seeks the best for the regardless of the difficulty or inconvenience that might result. "We must never mistake lust for love. It will only rob us of God's best for our lives." Think about true love and list 10 character qualities that you desire for the man you will someday marry, things that you wont settle for lest about. memorize Ephesians 3:17-19 In your own words, what was Paul praying for the people who lived in Ephesus? List the key words that stand out to you in this prayer. what is important about each of these words? What does Paul mean when he says Christ's love "surpasses knowledge"? Ask God to help you begin to discover how big His loev is for you. Ask Him to help you seek only the 1st Corinthians love. Lesson 10: "As long as we strive to achieve external standards of beauty, we will remain frustrated and disappointed." scripture passages for this lesson: John 3:16, Matthew 5:48, Romans 3:23, Isaiah 59:2, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, 2 Corinthians 5:21, John 3:16 (again), Romans 8:38-39 "True beauty can only come from a relationship with God." What things are you using to try to fill the hole in your heart right now? How are most of your friends trying to fill the holes in their lives? Memorize John 15;13 what are three things this verse tells you about Jesus' lvoe for you? Have you ever made the decision to accept Jesus' sacrifice on the cross? if not talk to God about it and if you have thank God for everything Ask Him to let others see that beauty shining through your life. Lesson 11: "The Bible is filled with examples of God rescuing people and giving them fresh starts." Psalm 51 According to the introduction written prior to verse 1 Who wrote this psalm? When did he write it? What does David admit to God What does David ask God to do? Based on this Psalm, what are some things we should do when we know there is sin in our lives? Read Psalm 103:1-5 and list six benefits that accompany God's forgiveness. Are there things in your life that are keeping you from enjoying a relationship with God? If so, list them (very privately if you want to). Share them with God, and ask Him to forgive you, cleanse you, and help you live an uncluttered, care free life. Tell god about any unmet desires you have and ask Him to satisfy those desires with "good" things. (Psalm 103:5) What is one way you wish you could see life through the eyes of a little girl again? Memorize Isaiah 43:18-19 Talk to God: Ask Him to clean the dirty things and fix the broken things from your past. Ask Him to help you forget the hurtful things and allow Him to do amazing new things in and through you. Ask Him to help you live life with the carefree joy of a little girl. Lesson 12: "Crowns of love and compassion set us apart and make us beautiful." Read Matthew 5:14-16 What metaphor does Jesus use to explain the type of models we are supposed to be? List at least four distinguishing facts about light that are evident from these verses. According to verse 16: What should people see when they look at us? (Describe some of the good deeds that should make us stand out.) What should people do when they see us? Evaluate your image: There is a Zulu tribe in South Africa where the members greet each other with a phrase that means, "I see you." Isn't that great? Do you really "see" the other people your life comes in contact with? or are you too busy wondering how they see you? What have you done recently to provide light in a dark place? God has given us crowns of love and compassion. Are you wearing yours? If not, what kinds of crowns distinguish your life? Memorize 1 John 4:11 How does this verse impact your life? Talk to God: Ask Him to help you focus on others and their needs more than you focus on yourself and your needs. Ask Him to show you someone specific He wants you to share His love with this week and how He would like you to do it. Ask Him to help you become one of His next top models of true beauty. Wow I enjoyed diving into this study and hope you enjoyed it as well! I look forward to the next few posts! Thanks so much Coming up: A post about some of my most recent "Natural Beauty discoveries." Also a "Beautiful the Way You Are Challenge" That I hope you will join me in! Until next time!

More Beautiful You Lessons 5-8

The next few Lessons go hand in hand so for that reason, and the fact that I know few people are reading this I have decided to group them together. Lesson 5: God's Perfect Plan Lesson 6: Our Longing to be Noticed Lesson 7: Our Longing to be Loved Lesson 8: Our Longing for a Perfect body Lesson 5: Read starting at Acts 3:2 about the man at the gate called Beautiful. What do you view is going on? Can you find your purpose, once we realize our true beauty our purpose is easier to find. Read Galatians 1:10: In what ways do you try to "please men?" How would things be different if you chose to be a servant of Christ? What is one specific thing you can (and will) do this week to serve someone other than yourself? Memorize Luke 6:38 What does God promise you in this verse, does this have anything to do with beauty? Ask God to show you how you can fulfill His purpose for your life this week. Lesson 6: We're human we have a need to be noticed. So often times we become what we think others want us to become. But God wants us to be who we are and no one else. Read 1 Samuel 17:1-50 Why was the israelite army so fearful and list 3 ways david fell short of the standards necessary to defeat Goliath How had god prepared David for this event? What do you think would have happened if David had accepted the equipment that King saul offered him? Read Psalm 20:7 When it came to battle, what did most people trust in? What did God want them to trust in? What does that mean practically speaking? When it comes to beauty. what do people trust in? What does God want us to trust in/ What does that mean- practically speaking? Memorize Zephaniah 3:17 List five things that are mentioned in this verse that God wants to do for you? How does God want you to apply this verse to your life right now? Ask God to show you the false things you've been relying on to receive popularity Lesson 7: Society wants us to think that their version of beauty will lead us to being and feeling loved. Ephesians 5:3 How does this verse apply to the methods many teenage girls use to attract teenage guys? 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 How should a Christian teenager look and act differently than one who does not have a relationship with God? 1 Corinthians 10:31-32 If you applied these verses to your life every time you changed your clothes, how would it affect your clothing choices? What clothes do and don't glorify God in your closet and which ones bring glory to yourself? List your five greatest fears when it comes to life, love and looks? Memorize Psalm 34: 4-5 Talk to God and tell him about your fears. Ask him to fill you with his peace Lesson 8: Outward appearance it's nice to be healthy and look it but beyond that...eh. 1st Corinthians 3:16-17 What does it mean to defile or destroy the temple of God? What are some ways we do this in our culture? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Why are we not our own? How were we "bought at a price?" What are some way we can honor or bring glory to God with our bodies? "Most destructive behaviors are rooted in arrogance. and arrogance is sin." Consider this: God wants you to bring Him glory. How does it make you feel to realize God wants you to bring Him glory? does it bother or excite you? why? What is one way you think He wants you to bring Him glory right now? Memorize Deuteronomy: 7:7-8 This verse was written to the Israelites but how does it apply to you? Tell God your biggest struggle and ask him to help you. Ask him to use it to bring him Glory and joy and peace to you Until Next time...Stay Beautiful ;)

More Beautiful You Lesson 4

Lesson 4: The Worlds Deception. This chapter starts off by reminding us of those carefree days of childhood when it didnt matter if our hair was a mess (on a windy day or otherwise) It didn't matter about the calories in food, and it didn't matter if our clothes were hand-me-downs or walmart. We weren't concerned with labels. Those were the days of carefree giggles, spinning in circles, and being who we really are. Funny how sometimes as we grow up during the times of trying to find ourselves that is sometimes when we lose ourselves. Something often triggers these moments of growing up, the moments when suddenly all these things do matter and instead of a breeze being a blessing it blows your hair everywhere so you suddenly hate it, perhaps you give up the calories or...maybe you don't but you decide to throw them back up :( Or perhaps your parents end up going to second hand stores if thats all you can afford BUT the only thing you by is popular labels...the days of spinning in circles are over because that's just not cool...Sometimes thats triggered by someone saying something, a family member or a friend... I'm about to get somewhat transparent with you. You see when I was younger I never cared about that stuff, I hated makeup, felt like I was wearing a mask, I left my hair wet most of the time, and never styled it, and walmart was my best friend. If people didn't like me for me...who cared? Not me! Then one day my mother came to me begging me to start wearing make up. "It'll make you prettier" My grandmother started noticing I was fat when I was 15 (just after my father died) Suddenly I wasn't good enough for anything. And My mom started making me shop at Old Navy and other stores. Forget walmart, that wasnt cool enough for the look that was in and it was time I start caring! I felt worthless, and I fought my family and even my friends the whole way. The popular girls at school started taking me in the bathroom at school to do my makeup everyday...and suddenly I was a different person. I don't blame any of them. They just wanted me to look good...but it hurt my perspective in the long run and even today I have troubles thinking I'm pretty if I don't do my makeup. My hair is the one thing people never tried to change on me. That was my choice. The ONLY thing that changed was how I parted my hair. That wasn't a big deal. But now when I look at myself I see me again. I wear the amount of makeup I want to wear, I get my clothes where I want to get them and by golly I make myself look good in MY mind. It took a long time to get back to that but if I can anyone can. We're beautiful by being ourselves! Don't forget that, and if you have, it's a daily struggle but join me in getting back to that! Our culture makes us think we need all sorts of products to be beautiful but you know what, back in the 17-1800s they didn't have those products and people were still impressed by each other, by their personalities and minds! This lessons scripture: Exodus 20:22-23 & 1 John 5:21 What does God say about idols & how can beauty become an idol? Jonah 2:8-9 What happens to people who cling to idols? Mark 12:30 How can we avoid getting trapped into worshiping the idol of beauty? What practical things can you do to apply this verse to your life. Quote: "God wants to use the very things that hurt us most to bring the greatest good into our lives. He wants to demonstrate His power in us- if we will let him" According to the lies taught to us by our culture: What are some of your physical weaknesses? What are some of your strengths? According to Romans 12:1-2 what does God want you to do with your physical weaknesses as well as your strengths? Memorize Psalm 27:4 "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." What should be your one desire? What does David mean by the phrase? "that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life?" What does he mean to "gaze upon the beauty of the Lord?" Talk to God: Tell Him some of the lies society what you to believe about yourself. Ask Him to help you stop focusing on your flaws and start concentrating on Him Don't search for what the world calls beautiful but find in you what the CREATOR calls beautiful because to him EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU is beautiful.

More Beautiful You Lesson 3

I know that no one reads this but I made a promise to myself that I'd finish this study on here. So I will. This Lesson is God's Perfect Creation: This lesson talks about the Authors opinion that men were made as the rough draft to the beautiful creation of women. The author says "Believe it or not, you are part of God's magnum opus." WHAT. A. THOUGHT. Read Psalms 139:14. The book is now telling us to read Psalm 139:1-16: What do verses 1-4 say about God's knowledge of you? What do verses 5-12 say about God's protection of you? What do verses 13-16 say about God's creation of you? Read Isaiah 64:8: Think about a potter who is working with clay to make a vessel. How involved does the potter have to be in the process of forming the clay? How involved is god in forming every detail of your body and life? REALLY look yourself in the mirror and list some physical characteristics god designed for you that make you very special and unique? What are some abilities God has given you that prove you are His masterpiece? What are some Characteristics inside your heart that make God very proud of you? "The king is enthralled by your beauty' honor him, for he is your Lord." -Psalm 45:11 Since God thinks you are beautiful what is one way you can honor him? Talk to God and ask him to help you see yourself the way He does. Another plug: I have a bracelet that says "See yourself as God sees you" I LOVE this bracelet. If you need the reminder like even I do: http://christiandollarstore.com/asgodseyobrw.html I love the concept that we are that beautiful to God and we need to know that! Heres a song that I love. The concept is just amazing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-aXbjZJEI8

More Beautiful You Lesson 2

Despite tweeting about my blog last time, sharing it with the followers of LLLTD and my own and even was RT'd the wonderful David Cristini- I'm not sure how many people read it. But a know a few did and that makes me happy. I want to continue this study and I'm determined to finish it since it's taken me over a year to post about it. So... HERE WE GO... Lesson 2: God's description of beauty. (Those that don't believe in God PLEASE keep reading- this is good stuff) The book starts off by talking about how ALL beauty originates from God. Everything created by God is beautiful...the cool thing is starting at the Trees, seas, and bees,He created every single one of us "me's" (see what I did there? lol) Have you ever stopped to think that not everything God created is tangible or external. Beauty is NOT just external. Beauty is internal. He didn't just create the beauty. He created the things that make us work, our brains, blood, and all that stuff that isn't something we think of as attractive (hello- they are our innards! haha) But they do help make us who we are. Our brains help mold our inner beauty through personality. Some of us are amazing artists, some of us amazing musicians or actors! Some of us are nurturing...we've ALL got something in us that makes us unique and who we are as ourselves! There is a scripture that describes this better than any rant I could go on: 1st Peter 3:3-4 (sited in the book) "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." Like the book says, the verse doesn't say looking good is wrong but that the value is more on INNER beauty. What's in your heart, what makes you tick? The next part is a search through God's word. Feel free to look these up- the each describe the aspects of beauty that are important to God. IN FACT- I'd LOVE for you to comment and tell me what you get from the verses! Proverbs 11:16,22 Proverbs 31:30 1st Timothy 4:8 DISCUSSION POINT: How would you compare what is important to God with what is important to our society? I love this quote: "Remember, a perfect body never bought anyone peace during a difficult experience; it never produced wisdom in dealing with a complicated relationship; it never granted anyone a free pass through the gates of heaven" Here are some basic things about true beauty that God created: 1. True beauty comes from spending time with God. All His beauty secrets are written for us in the Bible. If we want to discover them, we need to read it every day. 2. We need to spend time praying- sharing our fears with Him and allowing Him to place His peace in our lives. 3. We need to learn from other Christians who can help us develop godly priorities and grown in our faith. One of the other great points this book makes is "Have you notived that there are no descriptions of any women in the Bible? We are vaguely informed some of them were lovely to look at but never are any of their physical features described for us" HMM... food for thought- their INNER beauty, their hearts are what is shared with us most. The Looking In the Mirror section: Ask yourself: "How much time do I spend each day working on my outward appearance? (list the things you do)" "How much time do I spend each day working on my inward appearance? (list the things you do)" "Who is the most beautiful woman I know according to God's standards? What makes her so attractive?" Memorize 1 Samuel 16:7 "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." "What are some specific ways that God wants you to view beauty differently than the world does?" "What are some things you can start to do today to make yourself more beautiful in God's eyes?" "Talk to God: Tell Him how you would like Him to help you grow to be more beautiful on the inside" I feel like I need to stress a certain point: I've never met a girl that has thought she's beautiful ALL the time. We're girls. We struggle with the point of beauty. We poke and prod at ourselves and if we still don't like it we let other poke and prod! No matter your size, how you do your make up, or what clothes you wear...WE ALL struggle with this point! You are not alone. I'm talking ALL sizes of girls struggle with this "beauty issue" The smallest of girls either get the idea that they are too fat (yeah I know...) or that they are too skinny and not good enough. And the bigger girls often feel they will just never find anyone to love them because they aren't good enough. It's all about self worth and it's something every girl is bothered by. At that point- love yourself, love who you are. The best part of you is who you are on the inside, the kindness, the love, the sarcasm, the humor, the fiestyness, whatever it is that makes you- YOU! God Loves you for who you are and heck so do I and I don't even know you. A little bit of a plug here: Another person who loves you for who you are is David Cristini who I'm going to tell you a bit about (he doesn't know I'm doing this- HI DAVID) If any of you on twitter follow @DavidCristini on there that boy is AWESOME and a LOT of girls have twitter crushes on him. I think of him as a little brother and I'm SO thankful he's in our lives! His whole point is "Every girl is beautiful and special and OH how true that is! And if you DON'T follow him on twitter you should! He's ALWAYS tweeting positive things that make us girls feel as awesome as we truly are! Another thing he has is bracelets- Check them out and get one (please): http://egibasbracelets.bigcartel.com/product/every-girl-is-beautiful-and-special-bracelet I couldn't find a video for the song I wanted to share tonight "He Thinks I Am Beautiful" by Loralie. It's a great song. If you want to hear it let me know. I've got it on my computer. Check this out- Another great song is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUTxl_cteGg

Apology and More Beautiful You continued

I Am SO sorry! I haven't updated this blog in over a year. Not that this is an excuse but here is what happened: After posting that the unexpected happened! I GOT A JOB! I worked for about 6 months and then spent the last few months kind of taking care of myself due to the stress the job added (completely unnecessary stress) So now I'm back and I've learned a LOT. I'm going to pick up where I left off with More Beautiful You (AKA the beginning) And we'll get through this. Then I'm going to add some other things I've learned. Over the past year I've undergone a lot of changes. In the job I had available to me a clothes closet in which I was able to get some fashionable and nice clothes. Suddenly with this job came an amount of confidence I never new I had with that I wore less makeup, nicer clothes, cuter shoes and ACTUALLY styled my hair more! This taught me that with confidence comes a desire to stand up straight and just do it! But beyond that my confidence brought out my natural beauty! It was amazing! Then I quit my job. With the stress of being jobless (again) I gained a ridiculous amount of acne, I'd never had acne this bad in my life. I felt ugly and gross. So I decided to fix it. I started getting into home remedy stuff and suddenly my acne got better. I'm working on losing weight for health reasons and I'm just happier because I know I'm working on a MORE BEAUTIFUL ME! Confidence has everything to do with that. Hold your head up my dears this is only the beginning of our journey, and I will try not to flake out this time (ha!) Lesson 1 (day 1) of More Beautiful you: Lyric used: "Little girl 14 flipping through a magazine says she wants to look that way" THE WORLD'S VERSION OF BEAUTY: I don't think I need to say too much about this lesson. We all know it- media controls our views of beauty. In magazines, movies, TV shows (reality and otherwise) the girls shown are 9 times out of 10 very tiny. The trends are revealing and the make up often caked on! Plastic surgery and Photoshop are medias best friend and they want it to be OURS too. The view of perfection that they show is just....unrealistic and downright...ridiculous! This book says that the number of cosmetic surgery procedures performed on girls 18 and under have nearly doubled over the past decade. The fact that media has done this to us is only proven by our reactions from friends and family (yes even parents) I've known family members who have ENCOURAGED eating disorders and surgery on the young person who they deem "unpretty" COME ON! That's just NOT right. This book delves deep into scripture which I will share with you the verses: Genesis 3:1-24 look it up and then answer these: In verse 6 what 3 things about the fruit from the forbidden tree made it attractive to Eve? How does our culture use these same 3 lures to entice us to seek more than God has already given us? What should Eve have done to avoid being seduced by the serpent to sin? Now it's time to look in the mirror. What does beauty mean to you and what aspects do you desire the most? The book goes on to suggest memorizing Psalm 119:36-37 Following the scripture is your choice, though I do recommend it. I found my own personal love for myself in my love for Christ. I've had people ask me "You are a bigger girl how do you keep your self esteem high?" Because GOD CREATED ME! I'm bigger because that's part of my story. I want to help other girls see the beauty in their differences, the things that stick out about them make them beautiful! I'm bigger yeah... but I am working on myself not because I think I'm ugly but because my health wants me to. Girls we can rock the bodies we can have, be who you are and you don't have to be a smaller size to rock it. As for the smaller girls who wish they could gain weight (yeah they exist) do your best to do just that but STAY HEALTHY. Remember ladies you don't need to show every part of your body to be respected or loved just be you- and when you see your beauty the world will too <3 Until next time... STAY BEAUTIFUL! <3 Check this video/song out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuCIcIQmBgU

More Beautiful You

Hey all:

I've started a study that I want to share with you all. It's a study book inspired by the song More Beautiful You by Jonny Diaz it is by the same person and his mom Gwendolyn Diaz and also goes by the same now. I think that this study is very important and once we realize our beauty and our confidence level rises it will help us to live, love, laugh, tackle our problems and determined while doing all of this. Our focus just needs readjusting! We'll be on this journey together and I'm so excited that you are "coming with me"

To start it out I'm going to post the song. The next post I make will be day 1. Theres just 12 studies. But I'll be posting my notes and thoughts. Feel free to comment and do the same. Lets do this journey together! This video takes a spiritual look at beauty and since I am a Christian it effects me in that way. But you dont have to be a Christian to like this song or enjoy this study. It's a true beauty and embracing yourself the way you are!

Empowerment songs

In the past few months many songs have been released, I label them as empowerment songs. Because thats what they are. They aren't always gender specific because here is the thing: Both Genders have difficult times.

A little vent digression: Have you ever noticed how gender judgmental and specific our society is? I constantly watch teens and my fellow young adults, where the girls feel the need to show way more skin than they should, and they get reprimanded... and I completely agree with reason for that! HOWEVER, when you tell a girl to not wear skimpy clothes or something like that, then theres a guy who ALWAYS walks around with his shirt off or those horribly tight jeans or shorts that show his man business...well thats a bit hypocritical. Oh "Guys lust more than girls" Um...NO I beg to differ! Next time you see a guy dressed like what I mention above go ask the girls that cant take their eyes off of him. Trust me on this...they are imagining A LOT. Lets not give guys more credit in the issue of lusting, girls have that issue too. Also, theres the whole issue of the fact that only girls cut, or are more emotional about certain issues. SO not true...As a youth minister I work with both genders that come to me about these issues. Lets start opening our hearts to the fact that both genders struggle and we should help BOTH genders.

Now back to the regularly scheduled blog: These empowerment songs are songs like... Mean by Taylor Swift, Perfect by Pink, Born This Way by Lady Gaga, Who Says by Selena Gomez, and Skyscraper by Demi Lovato. These are just a FEW recent ones I know there are more... The thing is, if you look through the hits in the past there are tons that came out. Such as Unpretty by TLC, The Beauty in Ugly by Jason Mraz and even ACC-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive by Bing Crosby (yes...that one is a VERY old song ;) haha)...they are EVERYWHERE but lately they've been coming at such a rate that it's proof that our generation, our society is crying out for help. We NEED the Positivity. (hey theres another one Positive by Taio Cruz) We need these songs that challenge us to Stand up for ourselves and others! This movement means a lot to me personally and apparently to many others. So instead of letting these songs fade to the background like so many of the songs before them lets all stand together and DO SOMETHING. Start living the lyrics of these songs, dont let people knock you down, rise up like like a skyscraper. Who says you arent worth it? They are the ones you SHOULDNT listen to, Dont let them make you feel unpretty! Together we can change this world and make it more positive. WE ARENT alone, there are SO many organizations trying to do this and if we ALL work together...well in 5 years we'll be looking at a different world. :)

Dont just cling to these things when you are down, cling to them ALL the time.

"Although they try to knock me down
I'm gonna stand up, gonna stand my ground
I'm gonna open up my heart to give yeah
Because it's the only way to live
I'm gonna be positive yeah" Positive, Taio Cruz

New Blog Posts

Hey everyone,

Lynnea here! Well LLLTD has kind of faded into nothingness. And for the longest time I've been trying to pray and figure out what to do. LLLTD hasnt reached many people but the thing is it's not about the amount we reached it's that someone IS reached. I'm not going to give up on a dream I've had since I was young...that dream is to see smiles on the faces of hurting people.

The rest of the team has gotten busy, totally understandable. So I'm now going to be using this blog to continue to encourage. I'll be running everything on my own for now so updates will not happen often but hopefully more often than they have been. Once things get more involved and happening more we might be able to revive or restart a team of people of LLLTD. I'm excited about doing this blog idea. In it you'll find out more about me, my struggles with bullies, death of a parent, struggles with peer pressure, and struggles with guys, as well as the time I was diagnosed with the disorder ACC. More than that it will be a blog that though I'll be speaking through my experiences I'll be speaking to encourage you. This life is not about me, it's about helping others and thats what this blog will be about as well.

I hope this goes well. God bless
-Lynnea

News and YOU MATTER

Hey Everyone: First for the news...The Leaders of LLLTD are officially: Cody, Lynnea (me), Jackie, and Leah...the rest have stepped down...We miss them but I want you all to know that Cody, Jackie, Leah, and Myself care for you SO much. And We arent quiting you!! We're now looking for others that want to help spread the word and share their stories.

Within the next week we will also be starting our weekly things like No Judgement thursdays and Spin for Smiles saturdays.

Now for the Bloggy portion for this entry.

Did you know that YOU matter?! You do. Something that you've done whether it be smile at a stranger, shake someones hand, share a kind word...any small or big thing you've done to make someones day shine brightly has mattered to someone. Especially if you are so sad that you dont feel like doing any of that but do it anyway...YOU MATTER.

You've probably stopped someone from committing suicide just by that small movement. Maybe you yourself are having suicidal thoughts. Remember "It gets better" and the fact that you yourself have made someones day better (whether you realize or not YOU HAVE done that) well that makes you matter.

The four of us love you and are here for you, because we all matter. We all need to come together and make the world a better place, remind each other that we matter and that it does get better. Spread love, not hate! Join us!

New News

Hey everyone! Lynnea here! I'm not sure we've made the announcement but a while back we added our new friend Jackie to LLLTD. Labanya has stepped down as leader and is now helping promote us. Dara I believe is also stepping down but it hasnt been confirmed. But there is more GREAT news....

Our friend Cody has joined our LLLTD crew and we are so excited to have him join us! I think that he will be a great help to any guys out there that need someone to help. So join us in welcoming cody!!! :) Love yall
-Lynnnea

Back to School

I know most of you have been back in school the past couple weeks. This may mean you started college, or maybe you are just back in Middle or High School and just a grade higher... But I think we all know how stressful school can get no matter your age.

In school we deal with homework, peer pressure, acceptance and so many things. It gets scary and frustrating at times...

Be strong my friends. We cant please everyone. The best thing to do in life is to live it to the best of our ability and be ourselves. Just be you, because you are awesome. And Don't be the person that makes fun of others and judges. Don't be what I once heard a child call someone..."a life ruiner!" Be someone that wants to help others, reach out to the underdog, and if you are the underdog be patient someone that you need in your life will find you! Life is tough, especially in school. Don't succumb to peer pressure or drama! Be strong and full of courage!

The girls and I have been touched by friends, and friends of friends who have almost, or tried to turn to suicide due to others being mean to them, lets work together and put a stop to that. Lets encourage everyone. Just because you may not agree with how they live doesn't mean that you should judge and mistreat them, that causes a rift in humanity and we want to be united!

So have a great school year, be a world changer, get your home work done and "rock it poppet!" ;)

Inspiration

Hey everyone, I'm sorry that none of us have really updated the blog. Jackie is back in High School, while Labanya just started College, both Leah and I have been having health issues, and Dara and Tina are kinda MIA. We're really sorry and we know these arent excuses we'll be trying harder. But we need your help! Help us by interacting with us, by telling other people about what LLLTD is all about.

We cannot do this alone! We need your help and we need you to show interest. Give us ideas on what you would like to see from LLLTD as well! We really want to interact with you all!

I was watching a movie tonight, called Letters To God. I know many of you aren't into religion. Thats not the point of this blog or the point of me bringing up this movie. This movie is about a young boy that is dying of cancer. He writes letters to God, and through his faith and wisdom speaks volumes to the community he lives in. It's based on a true story.

I bring up this movie because in a way thats what I see in each girl involved in LLLTD. We want to show the world that though it's okay to struggle you CAN get through. We want to be there for people who feel like they have no one. We dont judge, we love and we care. Everyone of you that goes through an issue inspires us and we want to help you because each of us has had our hard times and we want to go through things together! We are a family of struggling people, each person in this world has 1 struggle or another and we should join together and lift each other up.

Each girl that I'm in LLLTD with inspires me, it's an inspirational thing! Join with us dear inspirations, lets inspire the world together!
-Lynnea

Jane Austen letter of encouragement

Here is a letter that I (Lynnea) put together, written as though it is from Jane Austen herself. A bit of advice and encouragement for those of us in the year 2010. I hope you enjoy it. Please do not steal it, if you share it with anyone share it from this blog saying that Lynnea of LLLTD wrote it. Thank you and God bless

UPdate

Hey all you beautiful people, Leah here.

I'm sorry I have been lacking on helping with LLLTD. :( But, today I have decided that I am going to focus all my energy on this project. Because I know that as soon as we all start working more on this, we really can make a difference.

My passion for this cause has been recently been relit. I know that with all of your help, we can all make a difference in this world, I mean a REAL difference. Effect people, changes lives. I believe we can. And this will be possible if you all believe it too. :)

And I, Leah am here to help you through any problem you may have. I myself have dealt with cutting, suicidal thoughts, eating disorders and also illnesses. So I can help you with anything, can help UPlift you. Which is why they title of this is UPdate. :)


We love you all! And are here for you anytime.
Thank you for supporting us.
Leah <3
LLLTD

Determined

Well it's the final letter. I've actually really enjoyed writing these blogs. But now you'll probably hear less from me and more from the other girls (we'll hope!) lol

Okay Determined: Well the definition is.....

deciding or controlling something's outcome or nature.

To me determination means You've absolutely come to a decision about your outcome and you will stop at nothing to complete it. Determination is a passion, its a goal and it's being completely dedicated.

It takes determination to live, it takes determination to love (especially when it comes to your enemies) It takes determination to laugh (through the hard times) It takes determination to TACKLE YOUR PROBLEMS!

Determination is key. It's the glue that helps us get through life.

Sometimes it's hard to be determined on our own we need other people to feed us that determination.

I know when I was going through college and thought I would fail out, I was ready to give up. Many people around me helped me to stay determined. And thats what LLLTD is here for. We want to help you stay determined through times when you dont think you can.

Determination speaks mostly for itself so this is a rather short blog. But stay determined so you can Live, Love, Laugh, and Tackle! ;)

-Lynnea

T time! -TACKLE

Okay I know there are only 5 letters to LLLTD But we're almost done! T is for Tackle (Tackle your problems.

We chose tackle because thats really what we do in life, we tackle our problems sometimes one by one and other times all at once.

Definition of Tackle is: undertake: accept as a challenge; "I'll tackle this difficult task" a sports definition goes further in the explanation of this word: seize and throw down an opponent player, who usually carries the ball.

What does all of that have to do with Life? In life we are met with obstacles (I know and here we were all thinking that life comes easy...just kidding) We have the choice to be beaten by the obstacle, or to take it down! Obstacles are challenges, whether it be a decision in a job, or in what college you will attend, maybe it's even deciding what clothes you are going to wear today. Or maybe you obstacle is something huge. Perhaps you are deciding whether or not to cheat on a test, maybe you are a primary care-giver (many young people are given that task today due to the health of their parents), maybe you have to decided whether or not to pull the plug as family member lay dying in a hospital. Maybe your decision is whether or not to stand up to a family member who keeps bringing you down. The possibilities to obstacles are endless. Think of some of your own and all the decisions you have to make.

To tackle means to look at those obstacles, and take them down! Don't them rule you over or take you down but TACKLE them. Think over a sport, when the opposing team is keeping you from the ball is your first instinct to run scared or to tackle them? Well if you run scared you will have regrets, but if you tackle them you could win!

Heres another life experience example from me: When I was 15 years old my father was dying of Leukemia. My mother had broken her arm (in half) so she couldn't take care of my dad or of me. So at age 15, the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school I became the adult. I cared for both of my parents, but also had to take care of myself because I didnt want to get sick. (I was taking care of a dying man whose immune system was crap, if I got sick from lack of rest he would have gotten sick as well) So I did everything I could. I would wake up, take care of dad, fix food and care for mom, run to the store down the road for something (this was my time to myself as well as an errand), then I'd come back, care for dad, care for mom, make dinner, get dad ready for bed, help mom do something around the house, and go to sleep (My bed time was around 9:30 or 10.) But this left no time for house cleaning. Our house was becoming a mess but it's not something I could help. I was 15 and taking care of my sick parents! A Typical day with my dad was: Wake up, make sure he was alright, empty out his pee bottles, clean them, return them to his bedside, If he had to do something else in the bathroom I would have to literally pick him up out of bed and take him to the bathroom, then wait til he was done and pick him up off the toilet. (My father was 275 pounds and 6'5" to my 135 5'4" body type) Then I would have to check his platelets and rub his feet. Most days I would have to change his sheets and do laundry, it was a full time job (I'm not complaining I dont regret a day that I helped my father those are moments that I'll cherish. I'm just simply telling you this so you know what I experienced.) Well as tiem went on the house became a mess. And long story short my family got a visit from my fathers sister. When she saw the house she was appalled. We tried to tell her that I was doing what I could to keep everything together but she wouldnt listen. She threatened to call social services and have me taken from my parents. (Bare in mind I'm all they had to help them at this point) So I made a decision that I would not let her (the obstacle) beat us. So for 4 days straight I went without sleep. I cleaned the entire house, and it was shining and spotless, and I was still able to care for my parents (day time was them, night time was cleaning) I mean I didn't stop for 4 days, she came back to check on the house and dropped her threat. Although she didnt get to talk to me at all while she was here, I slept the whole time. :)

I said all that to say that with a positive attitude and (determination...which we will talk about next) you can tackle the issues in life. Just get at them and beat those little suckers with a stick. (In my case my weapon of choice is a rubber chicken because it's funnier and more random that way)

So to bring it all together: If you live your life, love everyone, laugh at situations, then you can tackle your problems and you've got 5 ladies cheering you on the whole time! :)

Until determination, you beat those problems with a rubber chicken okay?! ;)

-Lynnea