Braided Curls/Waves

So in the heat and humidity of summer, I am a "Do as little as possible" kinda girl when it comes to my hair.  However my hair likes to go CRAZY in the humidity. I mean crazy wolf like hair (as a child I obtained the nick name SheWolf because of my hair)

So I can't just let it dry on its own.  It's very thick and when I let it go curly naturally it's very heavy and HOT!  

So my first hair tutorial.. and maybe my only haha

So this is the finished product....

All you do is a french braid starting at the temples.  If you start higher, the waves will be closer to the crown.  I like the loose wave look and straighter bangs - Hence starting down lower.

I do this after I take a shower and my hair is still damp.  So not right when you get out of the shower, but after your hair has some time to dry.

Then I sleep in it.  When I wake up I let it out and put some of this texture cream in.  I love this stuff.  It gives it some stick and volume but not crunchy!

There you have it! Hope you all enjoy my very amateur tutorial :)

"Give Them Grace"

I have been recently been feeling a "new" tug from God.  I have been feeling like my Faith needs to be more Christ centered and less Works centered.  Now I never would have said my faith was works centered, but what I was trying to get/learn from the bible was more How-to and less Jesus.

But God has been showing me that if I wanna know what to do in every situation, I need to look to Jesus. Not just as the Supreme example, but as my Source!

One specific area this perspective has changed greatly is my childrearing.  I found myself frantically trying to find ways, tips, advice on how to raise my children so that they had the best chance of being saved as they got older.  So because I was coming at it from the angle of "My acts save my children" or at least play the biggest role, I was going about parenting all wrong.  And I was living in an almost crippling fear that every time I screwed up, which is WAY more than I can count and probably even know, I was crushing their chances to be saved.  In all I do as a parent, my greatest goal is their salvation.  I want them to know the love of Jesus, so rich and so full, and His power for our lives.

So how did this look in everyday parenting?  It may not seem so bad- especially compared to how the world might parent- but it is light years away from how God really calls me to parent.

I would recite Scriptures to my children, as if these Laws of the Scripture would motivate them to obey.  Tell me- when does a law motivate you to obey???  Now I am NOT saying you should never quote Scripture to your children in the midst of their sin or even in an encouragement.  But it CANNOT STAY THERE.  The Law is meant to crush us and our utter inability to keep it.  This is then supposed to THROW us to Christ.  But I wasn't showing that to my kids.

So now instead of just saying,

 "Bella, Love is..."

Bella: "kind" (1 Corinthians 13:1)

I now then say "Now God expects you to be kind, and its really hard.  That's why we need Jesus. He was kind when we couldn't be, and he will help you be kind if you ask him to."  We then usually pray.  If she wants to I let her.  But if not I will pray for her.  I will pray the Gospel message so she can hear it even more.

I was also damaging the power of the Gospel and Love of Christ, by not accepting my own failures and expressing my need of Jesus in the midst of them.  I had this faulty view that by failing I was showing my kids that Jesus isn't big enough to help you.  Oh how twisted we make things.  NO, by my failure I can show them that God loves me if I'm Bad or Good and He GAVE ME JESUS.  I can show them that my faith is not dependent on how well I parent them (obey) but on Christ's blood and righteousness.  

So when we had devotions at breakfast, we talked about being thankful in all things and what Christ has to do with that.  When we prayed I asked God to save the children from their sins, then I asked that God would save me from my sins today and I became overwhelmed with His unconditional love for us and began to cry.  Bella saw mommy crying because of how much God loves her.  Now that is a beautiful picture for Bella to see.

Now to give credit where credit is due.   The Lord has used several books to help me see these truths.  "Loving the Little Years" by Rachel Jankovic is so practical in everyday experiences and gives you specific words and ways to express these things.  "Give Them Grace" by Elise Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson will change you and your perspective on parenting.  My husband and I have been going through this book and we aren't even that far yet but it has been Christ centering.  And finally I have been going through a devotional "Just like Jesus" by Max Lucado.

May we love and live like Jesus.