what are you?

I refuse to think that going to church and filling a pew is the most that God expects of me (or any of us for that matter). When my neighbors see me, I don't want them to wonder why in the world I would waste my time going to church when I live just like they do or worse. God desires a true relationship with us, the relationship that deep inside we all yearn for as well. People choose different paths to fill the God-shaped hole in their hearts, but there is only 1 way, thru the blood of Jesus Christ. Once that relationship is formed, it is our responsibility to continually seek His face and get to know Him. Will we stumble, yes. Will we fall short of what He expects, absolutely! (Romans 3:23) The question is, will you let your sin hold you down and pull others down along with you, or will you get back up and continue to grow?

How many times have our actions caused someone else to fall or question our Saviour's love? None of us are perfect, but as children of the King, our aim should be to bring people to the saving knowledge of His love. I'm all about reaching people where they are, after all, that's what Jesus did...but if we participate in sinful actions along with them, how are we going to reach them? Jesus reached out to the woman at the well, but He didn't sin with her! We can build a relationship with someone and show them His love without being involved in the things we know are wrong. That's like me saying "Well, Jessica is really into ____________ (fill in the blank with whatever random sinful action), so I just know I can reach her if I do it too!" Are we so easily fooled into believing that?!? My neighbor's drink LOTS of beer, but I don't find the need to drink right along with them so that I can tell them about Christ. The first time they offered me a drink (which was not long after we moved in) I politely declined and told them that we don't drink. I didn't break out my huge family Bible and tell them they were going to hell, and they didnt' offer me another drink. Shortly after that happened, I had the opportunity to talk to her about church and my faith, then she opened up to me and I was able to pray for her and her family. She knows that I continue to pray for her and has talked to me a few times, and just keep letting her know that she can't ever run too far from His love. But, just for consideration, let's say I did take her up on her offer and partied with her. Do you think she'd take me seriously when I got dressed up on Sunday morning and toted my family to Sunday School? I'm pretty sure the answer would be no. I've never told her that she is doing wrong because she knows that she's far away from where she once was with God. When I see another party going on, or see another 12 pack being carried into the house, I just ask Him to give me an opportunity to be His light to her. She knows I'm praying for her and that because I see "bad" behaviour continue, I won't give up on her, but I'll keep doing what my Father asks me to do.

Revelation 3:14-22 talks about the church in Laodicea, and how they'd allowed themselves to become complacent. They were letting these "everyday sins" could their view of what was really important. They allowed themselves to become satisfied with what the world offered and indifferent to what REAL faith was about. Jesus didn't die a horriffic death on the cross so that we could sit in our pews and sing hymns and doze off while the pastor preaches. He died to forgive our sins so that we could have an eternal home with Him, and He wants us to share that hope with others. Can we really share the true message of His hope when we're partying on Saturday night, hoping that our hangover headache doesn't make it too hard to focus and pretend we're listening in Sunday School? He came that we could have life...abundant life at that! We were never promised that the Christian life would be easy, but He did promise that He would NEVER leave us or forsake us. He's right there, walking alongside the 6 year old who just came to Him for salvation, with the 60 year old prayer warrior who you know you can count on to lift up your needs to our King. He's also with those who called upon His name and according to Scripture, are His own, but have turned away from Him and follow the world. All I can think of is how it must break His heart to see us wallowing in our sin and bringing other people into it with us! Every action, big or small, will be judged in the end. Whether you're "hot", your life bringing others to Him, "lukewarm", coming to church because you're expected to because it's just what people expect, or "cold" and running far from God, taking people along with you, people are watching you! Especially for those in ministry of any kind, you are an example to those you serve. Seeing you do things that go against Him, from breaking the speed limit, questionable pictures on your social media profile to drinking and smoking or having inappropriate relationships (sexual or emotional) all take away from the cause of Christ! I am not saying that I think I'm perfect, nowhere near it. I know that there are things that I need to change, like stewardship for example, but I'm willing to admit that I am flawed. I don't come to church on Sunday morning and have my faux halo on, then go live like I've never known what "is good and what the Lord requires of thee". I want people to know that God uses flawed and broken vessels, that He gives us beauty for ashes. God loves us just the way we are, but He loves us too much to leaves us that way. He wants us to grow and flourish in our walk with Him. He doesn't want us to be lukewarm, stagnant Christians! I've had several unsaved people tell me thru the years that they'd rather stay the way they were and be honest with themselves and those around them, than to claim to be Christians and then live in sin. How sad! It makes my heart ache to think of the number of souls who have an eternal life in torment and darkness because some Christian took their walk with Christ so lightly. I know that in my teenage years, I had a hard attitude toward "sinners" and foolishly thought that I was better than them and I think of them often. I wish I could go back in time and apologize to those I wronged and let them know that His grace is enough for all their needs. I would tell them that the ground truly is level at the foot of the cross, and that He longs to pour His mercy out on them. I was young and foolish then, but I've learned so much in these 33 years. I only wish that people around me would open their eyes and see the lukewarm attitudes that are ruining the outlook of those who are seeking to fill the void in their lives.

My prayer is that God would light a fire under all of us, a fire that won't go out until He returns. Young or old, it's your job to be the light...don't settle for the "casual Christian life". To close out this blog, here are the lyrics to a song that should be our prayers.

Casual Christian
It's more than a wish, more than a daydream
More than just a passing whim
Yes, I've said this all before
A thousand times or more
I don't wanna waste my life in chains of sin
CHORUS
I don't wanna be, I don't wanna be a casual Christian
I don't wanna live, I don't wanna live a lukewarm life
But I wanna light up the nightWith an everlasting light
I don't wanna live the casual Christian life
This life is filled with strong distractions
With pulls from the left one from the right
I've already made up my mind
Gonna leave this world behind
Gonna live my life a living sacrifice.

Not just transformed, but continually growing...

Last fall, the girls and I were outside in the front yard enjoying the beautiful colors. Since most everything was turning shades of red, yellow or brown, this big green caterpillar caught our eyes. We had purchased a "bug house" at the beginning of summer because Maddie absolutely loves lightening bugs, so we grabbed it, threw an oak leaf in and carefully stuck "Morris" in his new home so we could learn more about him. I hopped onto Google (my go-to place for info) and found that he was the offspring of a pachysphinx moth and read what food he would want to eat. Michael was on a business trip, so we had a girls' sleep-over (aka sleeping in the living room) and Morris was in his new house on the table. About 3:00am, I heard him moving around and thought he was eating, because that's what he was doing when we found him. It turns out, he was busy all night long creating his cocoon. We waited and waited, hoping he would come out so that we could see the beautiful creation that God intended him to be. He even spent about a month in the hall closet so that he wouldn't be disturbed.

About 2 weeks ago, I took his house out and sat it on the shelf in the kitchen. Knowing that my little sister wouldn't want to see a "bug", I put the little house in my closet before we went on our trip to Arkansas. Today, Maddie was in my closet and grabbed the bug house. Little did we know that Morris had finished his transformation into a moth, and she quickly dropped it on the floor with a little squeal. You see, when he was a chubby little caterpillar, this house had plenty of room, but when he made his decision to start his journey to moth-hood, neither of us realized that staying in what we thought was the perfect place for him would cause him harm. He is a GIANT moth, or as Michael would say, he's a "Mothra". I'd say he's about the size of my hand or bigger but when he started out, he was the size of my index finger.

If we'd left him on his own to do what God intended for him, he would have snuggled up in a tree or bush somewhere, made his cocoon, survived the cold of winter and hatched out with the ability to stretch his wings and gain the strength he needed to fly. But we had other ideas, and now even though he went thru the physical transformation from caterpillar to moth, since he had such a relatively small space to do it in, he doesn't have the stamina to make it in the real world. We took him outside and cut open the netting on the bug house to release him, scooted him out onto the grass and he just fluttered a bit and sat there. All afternoon, we periodically checked on him. I needed to mow, so I moved him over to our big maple tree in the front yard so that he would have a little more camoflauge. As of sunset, he was still there, clinging to the maple, unable to fly because he didn't get to exercise his new-found wings. He is a beautiful moth, just what God made him to be, but I don't think he'll make it very far into his adult life. If he does survive, he will probably just stay in our yard. The big wings that give him his beauty are just a show. He doesn't know how to fly and I doubt he ever will. He was just walking around, exploring the green grass and the bark of the tree. God intended him to soar, and in our rush to "save" him, we ultimately held him back from his life as a healthy moth. Even though we enjoyed seeing him up close and how beautifully made he was, I couldn't help but think of how much we'd robbed him of.

II Corinthians 5:17 tells us "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" What an amazing verse! If we're in Christ, if we have a personal walk, that relationship that He gives, we are new people! Some versions say "new creature" or a "new creation". What better illustration of this verse is there in nature than the caterpillar. He give us the gift of His love and eternal life and makes us new, but we shouldn't just settle for being a new person. We have to build our spiritual strength by studying His Word, prayer, spending time with other Christians and sharing His love with others. We have so many great examples of how He wants us to grow from the New Testament. The men and women in the church who are more spiritually mature have such a great opportunity to share their knowledge with "baby Christians" around them. We shouldn't rely on the Sunday school teacher or pastor to feed us once a week and be able to make it thru the way that God wants us to! He doesn't want us to just survive, His desire is for us to thrive in our relationship with Him! What manner of love is this, that He would call us His sons and daughters. Think about it, the Creator of the universe, the King of kings, Lord of lords and the Saviour of our souls wants to call us His own! I can't even begin to wrap my mind around His goodness and love, yet He calls to me, to you, to everyone who has ever lived..."Accept My love and grace, be transformed and then My child, spread your wings and fly!" He is actively persuing you, wanting you to be transformed by His love and then, instead of just staying in that "new" state, He wants you to grow! He only made one of you, and He wants you to be the best "you" that you can be. Don't just settle for being sealed by His grace my friend, be the you that He intended. Run to Him, when troubles come your way, don't turn away. He is our Abba, our Father and it brings Him joy to see all of His own transforming into beautiful souls, sharing the message of His love and strengthening their earthly wings for eternal Heavenly heights. Oh the joy it must bring Him to see us follow the plan He has for us! On the same note, I know that it must bring sadness to His heart to see His children come to Him for salvation, become "new" and then just sit in their safe place, never growing and stretching themselves so that they can soar to heights never imagined. Also, i you have the opportunity to lead someone to the cross and they accept His grace, I implore you to make sure you're not doing anything to hold them back from maturing in Christ. When in doubt, remember Morris. Encourage growth, with growth comes fruit.

Daughters need fathers too...

This is such a great devotional and I wanted to share it with everyone. I hope you'll take it to heart and if you like it, you can go to www.crosswalk.com and sign up for daily devotionals that are sent to your e-mail. Hope everyone has an amazing week!



by Dennis and Barbara Rainey
April 20Daughters Need Fathers, Too
Psalm 144:12Let our...daughters [be] as corner pillars fashioned as for a palace.
We read a lot today of the problems that occur when boys grow up without male role models. But did you know that a father is just as important in helping girls understand their sexual identities?
Boys are not the only ones who lack a sense of how a man should behave. Many young girls don't know, either, because they aren't exposed to healthy male-female relationships.
How do you give your daughter a healthy perspective of male-female relationships?
The most influential way is by how you treat her mother. As she sees you loving your wife, giving preference to her, giving to her in a sacrificial way, she will learn how a man should treat a woman.
Second, your daughter needs to know you love her. She needs to be assured of your protection and your guidance. She will feel a greater sense of self-esteem if she is assured of your love. Hug her. Kiss her. Appropriately express affection for her even as she matures and goes through adolescence.
Another important way you influence your daughter is through your spiritual guidance. She should be shaped by Scripture and by prayer to be "corner pillars fashioned as for a palace."
Corner...like her role, designed by God to be supportive yet essential to holding a home together.
Pillars...because her inner strength is derived from a confidence and faith in God.
Fashioned...as you guide her to have a soft heart, willing to be led by God's Spirit.
For a palace...because her inner beauty attracts others to Jesus as much as it makes her willing to follow a godly man.
I pray the next generation of women will be pillars of love, faith and commitment to the husbands, families and the communities that need them. Maybe, with godly fathers involved, millions of little girls will develop into women who will, in turn, build godly families.
Prayer:
That God will give you the wisdom to know how to begin influencing your daughters to become "corner pillars fashioned as for a palace."
Discuss: Evaluate together your involvement as a father in each of your daughters' lives. Prayerfully establish some goals for the upcoming year for each of these relationships.

let's talk about...

Alrighty ya'll, here's another good one. It's a kind of "taboo" subject, so if you don't want to read about how Christians should view sex, then don't read any further. I found it to be a great read, but not everyone is willing to approach the subject matter. God gave this gift to us to enjoy in the bonds of marriage, and this deals with common thought patterns that most young people who were raised in a Christian home face. There is nothing raunchy or tacky in it, just words that God gave Betsy St. Amant to share with her readers.


Sex and the Christian Marriage Betsy St. Amant

I've been married for almost three years now, and finally, I no longer blush bright red when the word "sex" is mentioned out loud.It's more of a faint pink tinge.Growing up, sex wasn't talked about very much. Not at home, not with family, and certainly not in church! There, the very mention of the word would have turned ears to scarlet and had the deacons popping antacid pills. Sure, every year the youth group did a "True Love Waits" program, but we never got down to the real nitty-gritty. We dutifully signed cards and pledged to "wait for true love and marriage" - whatever that meant.Many Christian youth today are in the same rapidly sinking boat. They have plenty of questions, but not enough people willing to give answers. Or worse, the wrong kind of people are giving the wrong kind of answers. For those getting no answers, sex turns into "This Great Mystery." Lack of information inspires intrigue and sex becomes even more appealing. The lure of the unknown consumes the mind, and much like Eve, regret blooms after one taste of the forbidden fruit. How many young men and women could have been protected if they had just been told that sex was not some guilty pleasure denied them, but rather, a part of God's plan for their future marriage and well worth the wait? How many babies could have been saved if only these young girls had realized not just the negative consequences of sex outside marriage but the positive truth about sex within marriage?Silence Outside Marriage, Confusion Within After the wedding, one of the hardest things for young Christian couples to adjust to is the fact that sex is suddenly - okay! All the years of silence on the "forbidden topic," all the years of feeling guilty for asking questions, all the years of wondering and dreaming, all the years of thinking sex as a "four letter word," suddenly diminish. Sex is expected, allowed, and not only that, but -- gasp -- it's a part of God's plan!During their most formative years Christian teenagers, especially young girls, are often expected to push the topic of sex aside. The good girls are the ones that sign their pledge cards, sit on their hands when dying to ask questions, and polish their purity rings once a week.However, I think those years are equally hard if not harder for young men. Those who remain pure during the trying years of hormone overload get married and suddenly expect to experience everything they've seen on TV, read in books, or heard in the locker room at school. And why wouldn't they? It's all they know.Suddenly, we have two Christians who've done their best to remain pure but may be facing some challenges ahead. Because the mindset "sex is bad" has been drilled into the young woman's mind for as long as she can remember, she finds it hard to relate to her husband physically. This creates tension between the newlywed couple. The woman creates a false sense of guilt in her head, and the young man develops insecurity -- he misreads the situation and assumes something is wrong with him or thinks he is not appealing to his new wife. And what God has purposed for good between a husband and wife becomes distorted. The couples who failed to protect their purity may be facing even greater challenges. Flashbacks from the past, unmet expectations, and recurring guilt plague this couple. Soon distance forms between the man and woman as their pasts begin to consume much of their emotional energy. I firmly believe that nothing makes the Enemy happier than a loveless marriage. Which leaves only one option -- fighting back. Stand up for your marriage. Give your concerns, your guilt, your insecurities, your fears and your past to God. If you remained pure until your wedding day yet still struggle with your emotions and mindsets, pour out your heart to God. Ask Him to change your way of thinking to a mindset that will be honoring and pleasing to both Him and your husband. If you made a sexual mistake in your past, you can still move on. Confess to God, ask Him to forgive you, and make it right from here on out. It's never too late for a fresh start. God is a God of second chances. You have no excuse as to why you can't fight back and save your marriage from the Enemy's grasp. The Subtlety of the SerpentIf the above issues aren't a problem for you, and you consider your marriage to be on track physically and emotionally, there are still many danger signs to watch for. The old adage "Sex Sells" is unfortunately all too true. Sex remains dominant everywhere you look. Movies, television shows, sitcoms, novels, websites, advertisements, commercials...even the "family" channels on TV promote filth in disguise. Characters in both television programs and books sleep together before they're married and promote "casual sex." These shows are often humorous on a superficial level (hence their draw!) but they fail to show the emotional, and usually physical, consequences of such flippant choices.This is obviously an extremely dangerous situation, not only to our youth of today but to married couples everywhere. How can we save our spouse from temptation from such filth when it's everywhere? How can we protect our eyes and ears when it seems sex is plastered all over any form of entertainment? Are we supposed to never see movies? Never turn on the television set? Never pick up a novel? Never venture outside of our house?There are some precautions that are easy to take. For example:1. Before seeing a movie in theaters, I always check out this website: http://www.kidsinmind.com/. This site has a rating scale of 1-10 on sexuality, violence, and language. Not sure what number on the scale is suitable for you or your spouse? You can read on for a detailed account of each category. (2 religious profanity, 3 mild obscenities, 4 F-words, a woman wears a low-cut dress, etc.) This website archives movies back for literally decades if not older -- so you can check out not only movies currently released in theater, but old rentals, as well!2. Ladies, if you love reading romance novels but hate having to flip past the graphic love scenes -- switch over to Christian Fiction. Christian fiction is a growing genre and provides readers with a clean version of the same romance, adventure and escape they seek. Visit my blog for a list of fantastic Christian authors of whom I am a fan: http://www.betsy-ann.blogspot.com/.3. Turn off the TV! Some shows are still worth watching but to be honest, not that many. Spend that quality time with your spouse, instead. Take the dog for a walk together. Pretend to be kids again and go play in the neighborhood park. Work together on a goal or project -- update a room in the house, start your spring cleaning, cook a gourmet meal, etc. There are ways to protect your mind and your spouse's. Filth going in will eventually come out creating painful, lingering consequences. A wife doesn't want to wonder if her husband is comparing her to the partially or completely naked woman he saw on the big screen last night. A husband doesn't want to guess if his wife finds him as attractive as the buff, long-haired hero in the romance novel she devoured that afternoon. Allowing these insecurities in your spouse is not pleasing to God. As an act of love for both your Heavenly Father and your husband/wife, watch what you put into your mind. You might think it doesn't affect you, but it does. No one is immune to sin. "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8. One of the enemy's greatest tricks is that of subtlety. You give an inch, he'll take a mile. But you can beat him at his own game -- with a lot of prayer and altering of your entertainment habits.Take these steps toward a healthier marriage today. Filter what you pour into your mind -- it'll eventually seep into your heart. Be sensitive to the emotional and physical needs of your spouse. And remember, within the constraints of marriage, sex is not a four letter word but a unique blessing from God. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights..." James 1: 17.This article was originally published on Crosswalk Marriage in March 2007

Balls of Clay

Hope you enjoy this as much as I did...I got it from my sister Shannon.


A man was exploring caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could. He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left. Then it struckhim. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away! It's like that with people.
We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel.
It doesn't look like much from the outside.
It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it. We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person.There is a treasure in each one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay.
May we see the people in our world as God sees them. I am so blessed by the gems of friendship I have with each of you. Thank you for looking beyond my clay vessel.

things that make me go hmmmm....

Has anyone noticed that the big names (Revlon, Almay, Physicians Formula and Loreal) in drug-store cosmetics are all starting to market their "natural" or "mineral" lines like crazy? I have subscriptions to Glamour, Self and Redbook and Almay's ads are everywhere in them. Michael has just enough airline miles before they expire most of the time for us to get free magazine subscriptions, so we get a ton. Anyway, I cannot fathom the money they are spending on advertising with these "green" campaigns, trying to tout how great their new natural products are. Loreal has big glossy print ads at Wal-Mart on the end-caps, promoting their new line. While I'm glad to see that it's becoming more mainstream, what REALLY irritates me is that instead of changing their other products to get rid of petroleum based ingredients and cut out the parabens and quaternium, they just launch a whole new line! What that says to me is that they're not truly looking out for the health of their consumers, they just want to make money off of the ones who will pay a little more to get the newer, more natural products. Ugh! Out of one side of their mouths, they're saying "Buy our natural lines, they're better for you because they don't have those yucky chemicals!", but at the same time, they go along with their other products and still promote them without informing consumers of what they're putting on their skin and ultimately into their bodies! Sure, there are some people who will never, no matter what they see, switch beauty products, but there are many, who would change, especially if they were educated on what really goes into their skincare and makeup.

The Environmental Watch Group (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com) has a listing of what is generally considered safe and what you want to avoid at all costs. Tons of even the high end stuff is horrible for your skin and the environment as a whole, but because of the brand name, it still sells like hotcakes. I love their site and visit about once a month to see what has changed or what new products they have listed. The thing that gets to me is that no matter how "regulated" you think the cosmetic and skincare industry is, the FDA pretty much lets them do their own thing. For years, women have been fed the myth that petroleum jelly will protect their skin, and if a lotion contains it, it must be good for your skin, right? Seriously think about this...when you grab your Chap-Stick, Blistex, Carmex or your more pricy lines like Clinique or Mary Kay, you are putting a byproduct of crude oil on your mouth! I'm all about having soft and supple lips, but give me a tube of Yes to Carrots Lip Butter any day. I used to be a big fan of Burts' Bees products, and I still use their makeup line, but since they were bought out by the Clorox company, I feel like I'm supporting a company that isn't up front with it's customers. More about that in a bit. I found out last night, via conference call with other Yes to Carrots supporters, called V.I.C.'s, that on top of their already amazing line of skincare and hair care products, Yes to Carrots is launching a line of lip shimmers and glosses, lotions with SPF and baby products! Once that happens, everything except my powder and eyemakeup will be a "Yes to" product! I already use their shower gel, shampoo and conditioner, lotion and lip butter, so adding these to my collection will be amazing! My "beauty" routine is pretty simple, I don't use night creams, wrinkle reducers or anything like that. I've been blessed with a clear complection so I just put on mascara, a little eyeliner, powder and whatever lip goody I want on for the day. My hair is pretty simple as well. It's thick and dry, but using the Yes to Carrots shampoo and conditioner has helped it so much. I wash it, towel dry and put in a bit of organic styling aid from Organix and I'm good to go.

As for the issue I have with Clorox and companies like it...here's how I feel. When I was growing up, my mom used Pine-Sol to clean the floors and Clorox for the dirty jobs, like scrubbing the bathroom or kitchen to "kill the germs". Nevermind that we had to keep the windows open for 2-3 hours so that we didn't kill ourselves in the process. That's just what good American moms did. They were fed the lies that to be clean, you had to use all of the newly found chemical cleaners that were on the market. Now, my generation and those ahead of us are suffering the consequences and so is our environment! Then, when the "green revolution" started, companies like 7th Generation and Method were start-ups that saw the need and ONLY produce bio-friendly products. Clorox and S.C. Johnson found that they were making money, so they tried to green-wash their names too. Green Works from Clorox came out about the same time that Clorox purchased Burt's Bees. Now while I still love Burt's Bees products, something deep within me makes me not want to buy them because of their parent company's deception and lack of concern for their customers and their environment. I did my research and have been making my own all purpose household cleaners for about 2 years now. It's amazing what plain ol' white vinegar, baking soda, lemons and essentials can do! For the products that I can't make, I purchase from Method or 7th Generation. Overall, the cost is about the same because I'm not buying multiple cleaning products to do different things...my all-purpose cleaner really does it all. My home doesn't have toxic chemicals floating around like 85% or more of American homes do. I just clean like my Granny and those before her did and I'm happy! My daughters aren't taking a bath in a tub that was cleaned with a chemical cocktail, it's cleaned with vinegar, baking soda and some elbow grease! Their bubble baths are their greatest delight...and we use Yes to Carrots shower gel for those too! It creates great bubbles, softens their skin and is gentle enough for their sensitive skin.

Please remember that just because a company markets natural products doesn't mean they have your best interest in mind. Look at ALL of their products, their ethics, the way they produce their products and how they treat their employees and customer, then make your decision. For your health, for the health of your family and for the impact that your choice has on our future, choose to say "Yes" to products you know are safe, work great and are within your budget. I choose paraben free products because I know they are best for my personal health as well as that of my 2 daughters. If you don't know what parabens are, do a little research and you'll be blown away. I've reduced the number/severity of my migraines by only using paraben free products and I feel SO much better knowing that I'm not slathering lotion on my girls that will end up turning to estrogen in their little bodies! Even if you don't suffer from hormone-related issues, try to steer clear of parabens in any form. Shampoo, conditioner, lotion, makeup, heck, it's even in toothpaste and deodorant! And if you need help making the switch, I'm happy to point you in the right direction and show you where you can get your own products. For those of you in the Ozarks, sometime soon, I'll be hosting a "Yes to Carrots" house party, and the folks at YTC (Ido and Jeremy) have generously offered to send me some samples to share with all of my pals! If you can't wait that long or if you're outside of my area, you can visit http://www.yestocarrots.com/ and join the carrot club to get a coupon. Their products are available at Walgreens and Target :) They stand behind their products and actually care about their customers! I'm excited to see how many people will detox their beauty routine!


So in closing of this super long blog, here is a summary of the things that make me go hmmmm... 'The FDA said it's ok, so that's good right?!?" "Try our new natural line, it's way better for you than our old stuff, but we're still gonna sell everything else to the suckers who don't know any better." "We have ruined lakes, streams and your lungs for years, but now that we have Green Works products available and we own an eco-friendly skin care company, we're still friends right?!?"
Until next blog,

~jill~

Proverbs 31:30

Does big $ equal big results?

As a self proclaimed bargain hunter, anyone who knows me knows that I'm all about getting a good deal, but there are some things I won't budge on. One of those categories is health/beauty. I'm not a big make-up person, but the make-up I do wear is from Burt's Bees. After learning what is in make-up, and I'm not just talking Maybelline...Clinique and other big names included, are chocked full of random petro-chemicals and parabens. So yeah, for years, I spent money on products that were essentially filling my body with toxic junk! Now I know I'm gonna step on some toes here, but who does't want soft skin right? I used to frequent Bath and Body Works, thinking that because their lotions smelled so great that they had to be good for me. When I did my "make-up detox", I also detoxed my skin care. That includes handsoap, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and yes, even my beloved lotions. I found Method handsoap, which I love, but after trying tons of different truly natural and organic lines, my big breakthrough came in October when Michael and I were celebrating our 10th anniversary at Lake of the Ozarks. I saw a Target (LOVE Target by the way) so after dinner, we went to walk around a bit. While I was looking at their Burt's Bees section, I saw something in the corner of my eye. I like to see what kind of ingredients new products have, so I grabbed a tube of Yes to Carrots hand lotion. I couldn't believe it! Seriously, if you're as picky as I am and you find something that fits your needs at "normal" store, you'd be excited too. I tried some out of the tester and since it is scented, I decided to test it and make sure it didn't give me a migraine. I've had several products end up making me sick because of their scent, so I've learned to not impulse buy. I got back to our room and still no migraine. Woohoo! That weekend, I was looking over the Black Friday deals online and found that Walgreens was going to have Yes to Carrots body butter for $1.99! I thought I'd read it wrong at first, but nope, it was right! That was my one *want* for the Black Friday sale, but Michael had a couple of things he was going to pick up, so we left the girls and my nephew (thanks Josh) sleeping and headed 30ish minutes to Springfield. Michael got what he wanted at Staples and then we proceeded to head to 4 different Walgreens in town. We both went in (it was limit 1 on the body butter), but I ended up with an awesome stockpile of YTC! The rest, as they say, is history! I used it for about a week and was so amazed at how it made my skin feel and loved the light scent. It's now the end of January and I'm a full blown carrot addict! I use YTC shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body butter, lip butter and my daughters do too! They love it and my youngest who is 4, runs through the house at any given moment making up songs about Yes to Carrots. I've shared the wealth with friends (I always have a tube in my purse) and told so many people about the best product line I've ever found. As a consumer, the way a company treats it's employees and customers is a big deal. I've seen nothing but good from both aspects and I love that I'm also supporting a company that cares about their impact on the environment. What more could you ask for?!? I'm kind of new to this, so I hope it works...

I Love Yes to Carrots !!!!


If you go to their website and sign up for the carrot club, you'll get a handy coupon that will save you some green when you try their products. If for some reason that doesn't work, just go to http://www.yestocarrots.com/ and go to the "carrot club". I can't wait to hear what you think of their products!

Finally, what good is having awesome skin care products if you're still filling your home with toxins. As a 30-something, I'm part of the generation that was taught "If you can't smell the cleaner, it must not be doing it's job". Sadly, the scents we came to be so familiar with were really tons of chemicals that did a number on our overall health and the environment around us. Phosphates in the laundry detergent, dish soap and dishwashing detergent were destroying the ecosystems in our local streams and lakes. Now the laundry detergent manufacturers cannot use phosphates, but it's still found in most dish soap. I choose Method and Seventh Generation products for doing my dishes. I REALLY love Method and would recommend their cleaning line to anyone. I also have been using my own "home-made" cleaners, which are made up of white vinegar, baking soda, fresh squeezed lemon (on occasion that is) and essential oils. It's so nice to have a truly natural smell, like lavender or lemongrass, left in the air after cleaning. I can buy the big containers of baking soda and vinegar and have a few months worth of cleaning supplies for the price of 1 month's worth of "big name" cleaners that would fill my home (and then my kids) with a toxic stew of unwanted chemicals.

If you're really wanting to change the way you feel, I challenge you to try doing your own personal beauty/cleaning detox. You'll be amazed at how much better you feel when you use natural lotions and skincare and can clean your bathroom without having to open a window because of the "clean" smell. Yes to Carrots and Method are my 2 top picks for starting out...then if you feel adventurous, try swapping your make-up out for Burt's Bees :)