Why She's Glad She Didn't Flirt

  I had the awesome privilege of spending a couple of days with a married friend of mine that I hadn’t had much contact with since she’d married, and we talked a lot about a lot of things, including her relationship. I’d like to share her story, and the lessons we can draw from it.

     She met this guy when she was eleven, and liked him. For years, she battled with a crush towards this guy, and all the doubts that come with a crush. Does he know I exist? Would he ever consider me? Will I ever be good enough for him?
        The natural thing to do in a case like this, is to want to make sure the guy knows you exist. We don’t call it flirting typically, but in a sense, that’s what it is. We make ourselves known to him. We might not bat our eye-lashes or giggle excessively, but we behave in a way that will draw his attention to ourselves. We subtly place ourselves in conversations just to ensure that he can’t miss us. We find excuses to text him, to end up sitting by him, to hold conversations near him, in the hopes that he’ll overhear and get to know us.
       But my friend, she didn’t do these natural things. Instead, she took her natural desires, and channeled them in the right direction. She prayed for him, she sought God, and she strove to become a godly woman that a man like him would want. She didn’t know if he would ever look at her, but she knew that she wanted what was best for him, and she asked God to guide him. She knew she wanted to marry a man with character like him, so she strove to become the kind of woman that a godly man would want.
        Did she want him to notice her? Absolutely, but she knew that if she tried to make sure he knew she was there, and he decided to go for her, then she’d always wonder if she’d been the one to win him. But by seeking God instead of this guy’s attention, she knew that if he ever went for her, it would be God. She trusted God so much, that she was willing to ignore any natural desires to encourage a relationship, and to believe that if it was God’s will, He would make it happen, and if it wasn’t, she wanted to be close enough to God that she’d be content with that.
       Today, she’s happily married to that man and she knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was God’s will. She trusted God enough to leave it completely in His hands, and He blessed it.
         Her husband told her later that one of the reasons he noticed her, was because she wasn’t a flirt. He noticed that she wasn’t seeking attention from guys, or trying to make him notice her, and he knew, that if she wasn’t flirting with guys now, then she wouldn’t be flirting with men after they were married. He knew that if a young woman is constantly seeking the company of young men, then when she’s a married woman, she’s going to be seeking the attention of other men.
     Today, they have a Christ-centered, God-honoring, and love-filled relationship. It’s not about them, it’s all about glorifying God, and it shows.

After seeing the fruit of her patience and seeing how God blessed her actions, I made a list of a few things we can learn from her relationship.

1. Trust God. We don’t see it this way normally, but when we strive to get a guy’s attention, we’re really saying that we don’t trust God to do it for us. If a man is attracted to you because of something you do to get his attention, then you probably don’t want him. Because there will always be a woman who can flirt better than you. If you win him with your own actions, other woman will be able to distract him later. Let God be the one to convince your future husband to notice you.

2. Use your natural God-given female desires and attractions to drive you towards God. When you’re tempted to dress a certain way to please a guy, or talk a certain way, or behave a certain way, channel those towards God. Dress, talk, and act in such a way to please God. We are the bride of Christ, and as His bride, there is no greater joy, than to live in such a way to please and bring pleasure to God.

3. Look for a man that doesn’t flirt with other girls. If you see a guy who’s always at the center of a group of girls, or always seems to be visiting with girls, remember that he’ll probably be talking with other women, and be the center of other women’s attention after he’s married as well.

4. Be patient. Maybe, the reason God hasn’t brought a man into your life yet, is because you’re not ready, or maybe, the man God has for you is going through something that God knows will make him a better husband and spiritual leader. Maybe by making you wait, God is making your future much better. Do you trust His timing?

5. A truly lovely marriage, is worth waiting for. Yes, there are lots of men you could marry, and if you’re both Christians, you can make it work, but waiting for God’s BEST for you, is worth the wait. If my friend had flirted with this guy, and won him herself, or scared him away, and ended up with someone else, she wouldn’t be enjoying the fruit of a godly marriage. And I know she’d say this over and over, “It’s worth the wait.”

2019 Firsts.

So, I wanted to do a brief re-cap of 2019, but I do a lot of the same things every year and didn't want to bore you with redundant year end posts . . . So, instead, I've put together a list of 19 things I did for the first time in 2019.

1. Bought Furniture.

I bought this chair for my room.

2. Ate Sushi . . . Okay, so I didn't like go-out-for-sushi, but Sam's Club was giving sushi samples by their meat department when I was there one day and I've always wanted to try it! So, if just a sample counts, I ate sushi. And yes, I liked it!!

3. I was summoned for jury duty. I'd have loved the experience of actually serving on the jury, but unfortunately, both of the days that I'd have had to go in, I was out of state and didn't have to go in. :(

4. Went to the Ark!

5. Went to Ontario. With practically living on the Canadian border, and having relatives in Canada, I've been to Manitoba plenty of times! But somehow, I'd never been east enough in Canada to hit Ontario till this year.

6. Bridal dress shopping! Until 2019, I'd never stepped foot in a bridal shop. Hosanna did end up ordering a dress online, but we enjoyed visiting some bridal shops and trying on some dresses.

7. Ate at Steak N' Shake, and Cracker barrel for the first time.

8. Shopped at Ross's Dress For Less. Thank you Rachel for introducing this store to me!

9. Visited the Terry Redlin art center museum. I wish we'd have had more time! It was really neat.

10. Had my first audio book published! 

11. I tied a camp director up for the first time . . . 

12. I played the game 'Chronology' for the first time.

13. I had someone stand on my shoulders for the first time . . .

14. Crawled through an abandoned airplane.

15. Made my first time-lapse movie.

16. Scrubbed grout for the first time.

17. Planted a strawberry for the first time . . . and many more than one. :) 

18. Made eggnog for the first time.

19. Have my own room for the first time.

And there were many more firsts, but that's all I'm going to share for now. Hopefully, 2020 will have many more firsts. While some years end, and I'd be perfectly happy to re-live them, 2019 was definitely one of those years that I'm glad to have done with. 

   So, what are my plans for 2020? Well, many of them are still up in the air, but I can tell you that a new book is coming soon. I'm scheduled to attend the ND Homeschool convention, and I'm hoping to have my new book released by then. A post about that book will be coming soon . . . 

     So, what new things did you do in 2019? 

Corn Maze Season

The leaves are turning and we've had frost, so fall is officially in full swing, and so is the corn maze. It's our 11th year of the maze and it's fun to see how things change each year. I have an odd assortment of random fall and maze pictures to share in no particular order . . .

This year, with Hosanna gone, I'm in charge of the concessions. It's been a lot of fun having a larger food area this year so we have an expanded menu!

And since the gift shop had to close this year, I've had a few people ask about my books . . . and YES, they are still available! :)

I love this picture of my nephew playing carpet ball!

And with the expanded food, I've needed full time help!

If you come to the maze on a busy day, like this past Saturday, you might run into our Pumpkin Princess, who goes around and gives out candied pumpkins!

Back to fall decor, every fall, we get out all the family hunting trophies to get us in the mood for hunting season. 

This year, the escape room, has three different levels, each level is ten minutes, and it goes along with out logging theme.

I love this shelf! I don't care what time of year it is, the decor on this shelf is usually always my favorite.

And with all the great help at the maze, we get some excitement!

And a lot of hard work done!

On another note, you may remember that last September, I started a read through the Bible chronologically in a year program, and just finished that this morning! I'll probably take a few days to read through a few places again, and then I'd like to start another scheduled program. What do you do for your devotions? Do you have a system of reading through the Bible?

Flying in a Cloud

    I don't understand life. There are problems that I can't fix. Pains I can't heal. Sorrows that I can't mend. Questions that I can't answer. Decisions that I can't make. And a future that I can't see.

    I had a long conversation with my 'brother' the other day, about how hard it is to do the right thing when you don't know why things happen. When you don't understand what's happening in your life.
      We talked about people in the Bible. Job, and the pain he went through, with no understanding of why. Joseph in prison, with every right to be discouraged, depressed, and unhappy. Abraham, who picked up and moved without knowing where he was going. We have an awesome view of their lives, because we have the whole picture. We see where God led them, and what He did in their lives. But we often forget that they didn't know what God was doing at the time. They felt just like us. Lost, discouraged, unsure of the future, doubting their decisions. Yet, in the end, they did the right thing.
       How? How did these ordinary people end up where they did, when they couldn't see where they were going?
      My 'brother' compared it to flying in a cloud. When you're flying in a cloud, you can't see where you're going. Sometimes, you can't even see the tips of your wings. Your feelings get out of wack, and instinct, will make you respond wrongly. Make you send the plane into a Graveyard Spiral.
     In our life, we can't see the future. We can't see the big picture. Instinct makes us want to make decisions sometimes that can leave us with regrets. Leave us like David, with a lifetime of consequences from our sin.
       When flying in a cloud, you can't trust yourself. You can't trust your instincts. You HAVE to rely on the instruments. No matter how wrong it feels, you have to forget your instinct, and trust your instruments. They will help you get safely through the clouds. They will help you land without crashing. They will help get you to where you need to go.
     In life, we have GOT to trust our instruments if we don't want to end up in a Graveyard Spiral. Our instruments? The Bible. We may not be able to see our wings, or the future, or the end of our nose, but we can trust our instruments. The Bible is a light to our feet, and a light to our path. It gives us commands, and when we don't know what to do, we can always do what we know. The obvious commands, like being thankful, and the other gauges will fall into place.
    Whether we have a Mayday call, Pan-Pan call, or just need to talk, God is our ATC. We can talk at any time, and He will help. We have HIS WORD as our instruments to guide us, and free access to Him at ALL times. We NEVER have to worry about being on a wrong frequency, HE ALWAYS hears us!
    So, if you feel like you're in a cloud right now, like you can't see your wings, and you can't see any purpose, or end in sight, and like the big picture isn't ever going to show up, relax. Trust your instruments. Focus on them, not on the clouds. Talk to God, and follow your instruments. Don't let the clouds distract you and make you do things that you'll regret. Follow your instruments.

Apart from good conversations, I've been kept busy with corn maze season. In the 'Granary' gift shop, Mom lets me display my books.

Despite the corn maze season, I still manage to spend a little time on my computer with some writing.

I have no idea what I'm talking about in this picture, but our church had our 25th anniversary this year, and we had a banquet meal. It was REALLY awesome to get to see everyone and share a 'family style' meal together.

Standing in line and visiting with my family in Christ is always a blessing!

Us young people sang a few songs during the service and it was such a blessing to think on the words of the songs. 

Back at the maze, I don't normally get to talk very much to people at the maze, but once in a while, I get a second to grab a selfie with a friend! I LOVE our workers, who also happen to by my best friends. It's AWESOME working with them!!!! :):):) (And if we look bundled up, it's because it was REALLY cold! We had snow off and on.)

And while working in the Granary, I often get visited by cousins!

Our church had a campfire service at the maze, with a time of s'mores, hot cider, hot chocolate, hayrides, and fellowship afterwards. It is ALWAYS so encouraging to see people coming out in the cold and singing together to praise God. We had a prayer time, and Dad shared a devotional on Proverbs 27:1-2. It reminded me of a devotional he shared not to long ago. One that I think is crucial to understand in the Christian life.

     Satan wants us to blow it spiritually. He wants us to live with regrets. He wants us to sin. If Satan tempted us with outright sin, we'd probably be able to resist a lot easier, but he doesn't normally say things like . . . "Go kill someone." "Go rob a bank." "Go commit adultery." "Go dress immodestly." "Go burn your Bible."

     Instead, he tempts us by saying things like . . . "A little bit won't hurt you."  "Just one lie isn't a problem."  "You can handle looking at one bad picture."  "You can hide one lie."  "If you miss your Bible reading today, it's okay."   "If you forget to pray for a few days, it's okay."   "Talking back this once won't hurt."  "Wearing something a 'little' immodest isn't a problem." Proverbs 16:25 "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

    He follows these lies, with his second lie. "You've already blown it, so why try?"   "You've already lied once, why not again?"   "You've already disrespected your parents in secret, why not in public?"    "You've already broken your commitment of a pure mind, why keep a pure body?"    "You've already blown it, so just give in."

   WATCH OUT for these lies! A little sin DOES hurt you!!!! And if you do sin, it's NEVER to late to get forgiveness. You're NEVER beyond God's love. You will never be able to blow it so bad that forgiveness isn't possible. Consequences may follow you forever, but God's love will also follow you.

   My challenge to you, and to myself, is to keep your instruments in focus, not the clouds. Don't let Satan convince you that a little sin won't hurt you, and don't let him convince you that you've gone to far for forgiveness. Don't make soft choices. Make the hard decisions that will bring you through the cloud, and to a place where you can look back and say "I have fought a GOOD fight, I have finished the course, I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH!"

     Look down the road. Ten years from now, where do you want to be spiritually? Are you doing things today to get you there? Are you saying no to the easy choices to slack of in your prayer life, and in your devotions, and making the hard decisions to seek God, and trust your instruments? Are you doing things that will help you down the road glorify God?
    Until next time, this is Priscilla J. Krahn reminding you to stay STRONG in the LORD, and weak in self. We don't get life, but God's got it. He can get you through.

Spontaneous Campfire

I'm not the most spontaneous person in the world, but the other day, when I looked out the window and saw that Dad had lit the pile of branches we'd been stacking on the camp fire pit over the winter, I told Miriam, "We should go roast marshmallows!"

          For those of you who know me, you know that I'm always suggesting random things, but I don't usually think we're actually going to do them. Well, this time, I guess everyone else liked my idea.

So, when I roast marshmallows, (you'll probably all hate me for this,) I DELIBERATELY burn them. That's right. I catch them on fire, and burn them all around, until they have the "delicate taste of charcoal," (As Marty would say.) Then, I pull off the outer burnt layer and eat it, before repeating the process to the next layer. Contrary to popular belief, this is NOT because I CAN'T roast a marshmallow perfectly toasty brown, because I can. I just like them this way. And, by eating it in layers like this, it lasts way longer! :) 

How do you like your marshmallows?

Random Pictures.

I was going through the pictures in my phone, and I found a few I thought I'd share. Enjoy! (Although my phone doesn't take great pictures so pardon the blurriness!)

We had a fun cousins game night with a few of the cousins around. We had some awesome games of four-on-a-couch, Dutch Blitz, and some kind of pictionary something or another. I'm not sure exactly what it's called. 

After some of the nieces and nephews had been away on trips, it was fun to get to babysit again!

This is from when Miriam, Hosanna, and I were in ND at the homeschool convention. We were just getting ready to check out of our hotel when the fire alarm went off. We're not sure exactly what happened, but there wasn't a fire. Anyways, when we got to our vehicle, I took a picture of the firetruck and texted it to . . .(name omitted) she didn't see the firetruck, and thought I was showing her where we were parked! I guess it's a good thing that I didn't alarm her!

This is outside of Chick-Fil-A. If you look close, you'll see the bunny rabbit in the snow. The reason for this picture goes back a few years ago to when my sisters and I were taking a walk through the woods. I heard a rustling, and this rabbit jumped up in front of us and took off. It REALLY startled me! As I let my heart rate get back to normal, I looked down, and saw that I was holding my sister's hand! They haven't let me live that down. Every time we see a rabbit, they joke about me being deathly afraid of rabbits, and needing to hold their hand. So, when we pulled up into the Chick-Fil-A drive through, I had to take a picture. Even in the city, the rabbits are after me! But seriously, I'm NOT afraid of rabbits contrary to popular belief. I simply get startled a little too easily. :) :) :) :)

Skiing!

It had been several years since I'd been skiing, so I REALLY enjoyed getting to go again! Thank you, C. family for taking me! And for putting up with me on the 3 hour car ride!

Thank you to Marie M. and the C. family for the pictures!

I didn't get any of me coming down the big hills, but here's some pictures from close to the lodge.

And here's the group of cousins/aunts and uncle I was with!

Selfie on the ski lift!

When you think you might fall!!! Or you're just having fun! :) :) 

Floppy Disc? Seriously!!!!

I came home this morning from helping out a neighbor, and found the kitchen table covered in old computer gear and modems from the last twenty years. Apparently the attic was being cleaned out, and Mom decided that they needed to go. I mean seriously, why would we need these old computers around? But before saying good-bye, I had to plug in the old e machine, for sentimental reasons. This is the computer that I used to type out my first complete copy of Adventures of Amy book one.

It's funny how my perspective has changed. This computer used to be REALLY cool because it had a disc slot! Now I look at it and think . . . "Is that a floppy disc slot? How old am I?"

I'll never forget the agony of typing a sentence, and then sitting back and watching the letters appear one by one in slow motion. Moving the mouse across the screen was an ordeal of it's own!

I typed in Works Word Processor, so when I decided to upgrade, I had a fit getting the file to show up on my 'new' old computer. It showed up as gibberish, but my oldest brother came to the rescue and somehow got the next computer to read my file.

Do you see the black line on the screen? It used to scroll by very consistently. I tried to save it to a USB stick, but after right clicking the document, the only options to 'send to' were either floppy disc, or CD ROM. Since the CD slot didn't work, that left me with the floppy disc option, and I don't have many of those sitting around . . .

Wow. Reading the unedited version of book one that I typed out when I was thirteen is . . . it's hard to describe. In some ways, it's hilarious! I mean the story has changed SOOOOO much since then. I mean I have a totally different villain! In other ways it hurts. I want to just grab a red pen and hack it to pieces! The grammar, the story line, and pretty much EVERYTHING about it is AWFUL!!!!! I wonder if in another few years I'm going to look at what I'm writing now and groan at it?

I tried e-mailing the document to another computer, but when I tried pulling up the internet, it said . . . Dialing . . . And I'm like "WHAT!?!?!?" I'll never forget the days of dial up. I remember being across the lawn, at Grandma's house and calling home to ask Mom a question, but the phone said busy. "She's probably using the internet. I'll just run home and ask." It was so natural at the time! Now, dial up seems so . . . old. 

Do you see all those cords, and the size of that thing?!?!?!!? I'm REALLY THANKFUL for my laptop!!!!