Cute Thanksgiving Break Outfits

Whenever I think of Thanksgiving I think of cozy sweaters, lots of scarves, and adorable and fun fall fashion! Isn't it fun to be a woman? *smiles* It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is coming up in just a few short weeks and today we thought it would be fun to share some cute Thanksgiving Break outfits!

No matter if you have plans to relax with family, watch football, meet friends for coffee, or volunteer in your community these outfits are adorably cute and fun.

What are your favorite things to wear over Thanksgiving break?

P.S.- We are looking for pictures of your favorite Christmas outfits for an upcoming post! If you would like to submit a picture send us an email at: graceengaged@gmail.com!

Happy Thurday y'all!!

Prayer for the Election 2016

photo: Rebecca VanDeMark

While many in our community can't vote today due to age, we don't want to let this day go by without spending time to pray. Prayer- no matter our age and no matter our backgrounds is the foundation of our community and our hope for this country. We ask you to join us in praying for our country, those who are running for office, and those who are voting. May our God bless America. 

PS- Would you like to read a detailed prayer that our founder, Rebecca, wrote on her personal blog for today? Please click HERE to be taken to her post: A Prayer for Election Day 2016 and Beyond.

comparison

Question: how often do you compare your life with the lives of those around you?

   Comparison is common. I think it comes as naturally to us as breathing sometimes. Our jobs, education, finances, personalities, talents and abilities, callings, families, looks, experiences…

You name it, we’ve probably compared it.

   Galatians chapter 6, verses 4 and 5 speak to this topic, and I think it’s worth noting:

“Each person should judge his own actions and not compare himself with others. Then he can be proud for what he himself has done. Each person must be responsible for himself.”

   So basically, Scripture doesn’t speak of comparison in a positive light. Why do you think that is?

   I have a few ideas…

   First, when I compare myself with someone, and I feel that I come out lacking as a result, it causes insecurity and envy within me. I start thinking that, “Man, I just don’t have as exciting of a life and this person”, or, “that person is just so talented compared to me.” And so on. Before long, I find myself unhappy with myself and my life. Then comes jealousy. When we are unhappy with our own lives, we look to others and crave theirs. We all know that one of the 10 Commandments is “thou shalt not covet.”

The first result of comparison isn’t a good one.

   Second, comparing ourselves with others can lead to pride. Obviously if you think your life is better than someone else’s (because you have a higher GPA, a more stable family, better finances, etc.) it’s going lead to arrogance. I’ve noticed that even in the church, we can have a kind of spiritual arrogance that can crop up. I don’t know about you, but I’ve come across several “holier than thou” individuals in my lifetime. Even worse, I’ve been one at times. It’s so easy when you’ve grown up in the church to get up on your high horse and think that because you’re doing all of the “right things”, you’re better than those who are new to this whole Christianity thing, and especially those who aren’t believers at all.

   Scripture has something to say to this. Romans12:3 says, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

   We have to pause and remember who we were before Christ entered our lives, and think of where we would be without Him now. We are no better than anyone else. 2 Corinthians 10:17 instructs, "If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.” In other words, any holiness in our lives is not us; it’s all Him. The next time you start thinking you're better than someone else, I urge you to remember that we are all broken and sinful people who must rely on the Lord for our next breath, let alone any good things flowing out of us. None of us is any better or more righteous than the other.

   Finally, when we compare, we often compare things in our lives that don’t truly matter in light of Eternity. The whole purpose for us being on earth is to live for Eternity and build God’s Kingdom here. The point of our lives isn’t to ONLY get a degree, make money, have a family, and have nice things. It’s about serving God and sharing Him with others. So if we aren’t careful, we’ll find ourselves focusing on chasing something that is only temporal and won’t matter for eternity. That is dangerous. Instead of allowing ourselves to be distracted in this way, we must keep our eyes on things above (Colossians 3:2).

   When we are faced with the temptation to compare ourselves with other people, may we stop and remember that no good flows out of it. Let us instead give our time and energy to things that will bring good into this world. I encourage you to pray each time you are faced with this temptation, just as I will exhort myself to do the same.

May God grant us grace to honor Him in this way!
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We are so honored and humbled to have Ali back for another year as a blog writer. Last year, her posts, "Can We Stop the Lies?" and "Owning an Imperfect Life" were some of the most highly read posts. We so appreciate you Ali and are so thankful for you and all of our blog writers time and dedication! If you would like to connect more with any of our blog team you can do so HERE. 

Monthly Scripture Memory Program: October & November (Exodus 9:16)

Happy (belated) October y'all!! We hope that your month has started out wonderfully and that the Lord is blessing your Autumn season abundantly! 

As we shared last year, one of the heartbeats of Grace Engaged is the scripture memory program that we hope y'all will join in with each month! Each school year we will be picking one "theme" to look at in scripture. Last year our theme was "grace" and this year we have chosen "purpose". For the month of September we memorized a portion of one of my favorite verses- Psalm 138:8 and for the months of October and November we are memorizing Exodus 9:16: 

“But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth”.

What a beautiful verse to ponder and think about as we continue this school year. A year filled with unknowns and unexpected things ahead. A year that will be filled with highs and some lows and a year that we have an opportunity to fall more in love with the Lord and to share that love and grace to each person we encounter. A year also to remember that the Lord shows His power and that His name can be proclaimed throughout the earth as we share the grace of Him. God has amazing things in store for you and you have a unique purpose that He has created you for. 

Throughout this month of October, let us memorize this verse and imprint it on our hearts. Let's pray for the Lord's guidance to show us what purpose He has in store for this year and in each of our lives. We are so excited to continue to connect here with you! We are cheering you on and praying for you! 

Anxiety during Senior Year

Two months into my senior year of college, I am having some serious flashbacks to how

I felt my senior year of high school. The future seems so demanding and I can’t even

think about what I am going to eat for lunch tomorrow without getting stressed. I

immediately turn to calendars and planning out each day down to the minute to try and

find some sort of stability in a phase of such uncertainty.

In some of the more anxiety-filled moments, I love listening to the song “Captain” by

Hillsong United. Part of the chorus says:

“Like the stars Your Word will align my voyage,

And remind me where I’ve been and where I am going

Lost in the shallows amidst fear and fog,

Your truth is the compass that points me back north”

These lyrics remind us that the Lord has a plan for our future even when all we see in

front of us is fog and confusion. The song echos Proverbs 3:5-6 promising that God can

be trusted even when we can’t make sense of the situation. As an added bonus, He directs

us through the future as we remain focused on Him.

I wish I could tell you exactly what next year holds for you and what your life will look

like in 5 years, but there is so much beauty found in taking each day boldly, trusting that

your future will work out just fine- not because of incessant planning, but because you

are the daughter of a Father who delights in laying the path before you.
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This post was originally written by Jordan and published in 2015 and remains one of our highest read posts. Today we wanted to re-post this for all of our senior ladies who may be struggling with anxiety during this time of the year. We love you and are praying for you!

Renewing Hope Conference (Georgia)

The Renewing Hope Conference will take place Saturday, October 22nd, 2016 at Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell from 8-5pm. The cost is $25 per person. We invite middle/high school aged girls and their care takers to join us for the fun event meant to equip everyone with tools and resources. We will be addressing eating disorders, sexual addiction, pornography addiction, self-harm, depression, coping as a non-Christian/Christian girl with these issues, merging back into life after inpatient care, internet safety, making healthy friend choices, making peace with food, and as well as many other topics. Both the girl and adult chat groups will be led by licensed Christian therapists from our local area who specialize in these topics so you are free to say and ask what you want! This is a one of a kind girl event so bring your friends and get empowered!

Want to find out more information? Check out the Facebook page for Renewing Hope Conference by clicking HERE.

Grace Engaged loves to encourage opportunities for high school women to gather locally. Please note that we are not endorsing these events in anyway but are simply bringing them to the attention of our community. Grace Engaged will only list events that share our statement of belief. For a complete listing of all local events please click HERE.

Asking "Why Me?" and Finding Hope

Hey friends, Have you guys even been through a hard trial in your life and think, "why me?" There is always the BIG "why me?" after anything goes wrong in your life. What we don't know is that while we are engaging in our pity party, God has a bigger plan. God teaches in mysterious ways and He gets us prepared to teach and shine His light by having us going through trials. 

Let's face it, who is going to want to listen to a Christian evangelize that has never had a single bad thing happen to them. You won't be able to be relate or even be able to sympathize. People listen to people who they can relate to and they can share how they overcame their struggles. They want to know how we are still positive after we have gone through such hard times, and that is when you can share the love of Jesus Christ! 

All my life I have been down on my learning disability and I have felt so alone as a child because no one else I knew had dyslexia. I would always ask God, "why me?" I absolutely hated the fact I had it. I still have times when I get really down on myself, but, for the most part, I am extremely thankful to God for allowing me to have it. Instead of looking at it as a bad thing I look at it with a positive mindset! I am the person I am today because of it and I have been able to encourage many people who struggle with school as well. Satan wants me to be down on myself but God wants me to be victorious, be a fighter, and an evangelist. When I was younger I would never think I would be saying I am thankful for God giving me dyslexia, but as I have grown up and have had more experiences I would not trade it for the world. Next time you get down on yourself or go through a tough time in your life, try to have a positive mindset about it and think of all the people who have also gone through the same thing. You can shine God's light too and show them how much God loves them!  Till next time 

Prayer for a New School Year

Happy Tuesday friends! We hope that you had a wonderful long weekend! At the start of a new school year we wanted to share a prayer that is the heartbeat of our community and that we pray for each of you. We pray that this reminds you that as you embark on this new school year and season that you are not alone. God is with you in each and every class, every hallway, and every situation that you encounter this year. May you fall more in love with Him and who He is in the days, weeks, and months to come. You can do this!! Let us make this year the best one yet!

God, we ask for your help as we start this new school year. Give us grace for the days before us and strength for the school year as we take one day at at time. In the midst of the schoolwork, the requirements, the after-school activities, the work that is before us we ask that you show yourself in new and mighty ways this year. Show us the purpose that you have for us this year. Show us how we can have an impact on our worlds for you. Let us see the joys and challenges that we will experience as unique opportunities to fall more in love with you and to have an opportunity to share your love with others. Give us strength for our studies and the wisdom on how to do our best. Give us an open heart to see those who are broken and hurting around us so that we may show your grace and love to each person. Give us your eyes and a vision for this year that goes above and beyond anything we can think or imagine. We love you our precious Savior. Thank you that you promise to go before us, never leave us, and strengthen and equip us for the journey before us this year. Amen.

A New School Year Begins (and Scripture Memory Verse for September)

Welcome Back!! We hope you had a wonderful summer and we are so excited to connect here together in this upcoming year! We have been praying for you as some of you have started and been in school for a couple of weeks, for those who just started this week, and for those that have yet to begin. What an amazing year the Lord has in store for us coming up!

As we shared last year, one of the heartbeats of Grace Engaged is the scripture memory program that we hope y'all will join in with each month! Each school year we will be picking one "theme" to look at in scripture. Last year our theme was "grace" and this year we have chosen "purpose". For the month of September we will be memorizing a portion of one of my favorite verses- Psalm 138:8 which states, "The Lord will fulfill His purpose for you."

What a beautiful verse to ponder and think about as we start this new school year. A year filled with unknowns and unexpected things ahead. A year that will be filled with highs and some lows and a year that we have an opportunity to fall more in love with the Lord and to share that love and grace to each person we encounter.

This verse is such a beautiful verse to memorize as we embark on this new adventure of this year. God has amazing things in store for you and you have a unique purpose that He has created you for. 

Throughout this month of September, let us memorize this verse and imprint it on our hearts. Let's pray for the Lord's guidance to show us what purpose He has in store for this year and in each of our lives. We are so excited to connect here with you and jump into this new school year! We are cheering you! 

Blog Returns September 1st!

The blog returns in ONE week! Join us NEXT Thursday, September 1st for our blog and the start of this new year where we will be announcing some exciting updates, our theme for the year, and kicking off the blog! We can't wait to connect with you more and grow in the Lord this coming year!

Can we stop the lies?

I'm honestly REALLY sick of the message we're confronted with every day in our society that says that we have to be specifically and unrealistically aesthetically pleasing in order to be beautiful. Honestly, how completely ridiculous is that? You have to "look" a certain way to be beautiful, and what's more, to be valuable?

No.

No, you don't.

I'm not bashing those who choose to fix their hair and do their makeup every day. I'm one of those people! But what I do have a problem with is this idea that if we don't measure up to some outward ideal—some unattainable standard—we're not beautiful. 

Contrary to what we've been raised to believe and our society states, beauty and outward appearances are not one and the same. Yes, a person can be described as beautiful based upon their looks. But looks are not the only thing that can be called "beautiful". So can hearts, minds, attitudes, acts of kindness, and character.

You have the ability to be beautiful no matter what you physically look like, because you can choose to treat others well, put their needs before your own, and follow Christ with your life.

And as for value... that will never change, because God made you, and Christ died for you. That's enough to make anyone and everyone, without exception, inherently valuable.

So... can we just stop the lies? Can we believe that we are more than what we look like? Because I think beyond changing our lives, we would make this world a far better place for future generations if we did.

Do you feel pressure to look a certain way? Do you feel that in order to be thought of as beautiful you have to look a certain way? In what ways can you stop the lies that society has fed us and cultivate a heart of beauty today? Want to read more on this topic? Check out Erica's post on "what is beauty?" by clicking HERE!

"You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God."

-I Peter 3:4-

Happy Easter!

Dearest Friends, as we head into this precious weekend of remembering Christ's extravagant work on the cross to save us, may you be blessed with the knowledge that Christ is risen, draw comfort in the truth that our sufferings are temporary, and rejoice in the miraculous hope of a risen Lord! 

Happy Easter sweet friends!

Staying Motivated

Sometimes going back to everyday life after all the excitement of the holidays is challenging. The newness of 2016 is over and now it's back to school, back to everyday chores, and back to normal life. I used to try to start out every year with ideas of what I wanted to accomplish. Hoping to work harder, to get more done, to be a better person. But after a while the newness wears off, life gets busy and soon I don’t feel like using energy to do my best, even in the little things. The other day I read that about 45% of Americans make New Year’s Resolutions and that only 8% of people actually keep them. I guess a lot of people have the same problem!

Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be that way. God has given us in His word everything we need for “life and godliness” and the scriptures mention over and over how to live a fruitful life.  Here are a few verses that I have come to love that encourage me to strive to do my best.

Do it in Christ - “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in Him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5) We can do nothing apart from Him. We can have good intentions and good ideas. But if we really want to make a difference it has to be in Him. Spending time in His word and in prayer is a vital part of our relationship with Christ.

Do it for God’s glory - "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31) My life is not my own and when I am doing things for God’s glory it gives me a special desire to do my best.

Do it Joyfully - "The Joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)  Whatever you set your hands to do, do it in joy! Joy can only be taken away if our focus is in the wrong place. Knowing what God has done for me through Jesus Christ gives a peace and joy that really does give strength to carry on even when I’m tired. 

Do it Willingly - “Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you.” (Matt 20:26-28, John 13:15) A lot of doors are opened just by being willing to serve others. I’ve read books about missionaries and heard so many stories of people that had a huge impact for the gospel by serving those around them.

Do it Faithfully - “The one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much.” (Luke 16:10) It might seem that the tasks are little and insignificant, but maybe God is using them to prepare us for something greater. Be faithful in all things!

My prayer for all of us is...

 “That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long-suffering with joy.” Colossians 1:10-11

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We here at Grace Engaged have been so blessed by Hannah's blog contributions and the entire Wissmann Family's love and devotion to the Lord. If you would like to connect with them, view their schedule of concerts, or purchase their music (which we highly recommend), you can connect with them at their website, on instagram, or on their Facebook page. Thank you Hannah for your beautiful blog post contributions this year! You are a blessing!! 

Monthly Scripture Memory Program: March (Hebrews 13:9)

As we shared in September, one of the heartbeats of Grace Engaged is the scripture memory program that we hope y'all will join in with each month! Each school year we will be picking one "theme" to look at in scripture and for the 2015-2016 school year we have chosen "grace" as our theme. For the month of September we memorized a portion of 2 Corinthians 8:7 and for October we memorized a portion of Ephesians 2:8. For November we memorized Hebrews 4:16 and for December we memorized John 1:14 and in January we memorized I Peter 4:10. For the month of March we are memorizing a portion of Hebrews 13:9 that states; "Your strength comes from God's Grace". 

One of the things that we are passionate about here at Grace Engaged is encouraging ladies to know that we have a Savior who not only loves us big and beautifully but one who is fully involved and present in our lives and pours out His lavish love on us each day.

These past two months things have been quiet around the website and here on the blog. We appreciate your patience as several of our team members (and myself included) have been dealt some difficult life circumstances, including deaths in the family, illness, difficult relationship issues, and several other personal issues. In the midst of all of these circumstances we are seeing more than ever the wonderful blessing of grace in our lives. We see how our strength for the daily battles and issues that we face are able to be faced because of the Lord's strength. In our brokenness we are driven to the Lord and to His faithful and loving grace. 

As we celebrate Easter this month we are beyond grateful for the Lord's grace in our lives. We are praying for you dear friends and we appreciate the way that you have lovingly understood our struggles these past two months.

Happy March friends! May you be encouraged as you memorize this verse and may we all see the beautiful grace of God in our lives in fresh ways in the days ahead!

Friendship

Friendship can be tough, especially in high school where everything and everyone

changes. Your middle school friends aren’t even recognizable, they have each gone

their own way and you are left to hurriedly find your new crowd, your new best

friends, the people that will make you survive high school. It’s a tough time really

and I certainly struggled the first year because everything was so new and fitting in

was definitely tempting.

While you are on your search, to find yourself, to find your friends, to find where

you belong, it’s important you stay true to yourself. I know you might be thinking,

“How can I stay true to myself and fit in?”. High school is all about trends, and doing

what everyone else is doing but most of the time, what everyone else is doing, isn’t

the right thing at all. It can be hard to willingly not fit in, but you will grow true

friendships from it. You will find people that understand you and that have the same

interests and that like you for who you are.

In Corinthians chapter 1, verse 15:33 it states, “Do not be deceived: “Bad company

ruins good morals” You are righteous for you are a woman of God, you are blessed with good morals and changing that just to “fit in” is not worth it, I can guarantee it. So do not change for anyone! Do not become someone you are not, so you can fit in with people that do not care about you. Instead focus on God and his ways and He will lead you to

similar minds, similar people, people of God and together, you will survive high

school and develop your newest friends in Christ.

Welcome Back! (And our Scripture Memory Verse for January!)

Welcome back friends! We hope that you had a wonderful holiday season with your friends, family, and loved ones! It was such a delight for our team to spend time away with those closest to us and also spending time in God's word! We are excited to be back and to connect with you throughout this semester! Don't forget to check out our website for exciting news and things that are going on in our ministry! You can find the website by clicking HERE!

We are also excited to share our scripture memory verse for January! You may have already seen in on Instagram (are we connected with you on IG? We would love to if we aren't!) As a little background, one of the heartbeats of Grace Engaged is the scripture memory program that we hope y'all will join in with each month! Each school year we will be picking one "theme" to look at in scripture and for the 2015-2016 school year we have chosen "grace" as our theme. For the month of September we memorized a portion of 2 Corinthians 8:7 and for October we memorized a portion of Ephesians 2:8. For November we memorized Hebrews 4:16 and for December we memorized John 1:14. For the month of January we are memorizing I Peter 4:10 which states: "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." We would love to have you join in on memorizing this scripture with us this month!

One of the things that we are passionate about here at Grace Engaged is encouraging ladies to know that we have a Savior who not only loves us big and beautifully but one who is fully involved and present in our lives. In understanding this big and beautiful grace we then can serve one another as good stewards of that grace. Isn't it a beautiful thing when we understand the love and grace of the Lord and can encourage other ladies? Truly it is a beautiful thing to see and a beautiful way to share the love of God!

What a beautiful thing to ponder as we return to our school routines for this second semester. Who in your life needs to experience the manifold grace of God? Who can you serve in this way? Happy January friends! May you be encouraged as you memorize and live out this verse!