Asking for God's wisdom: Part 1

During my personal devotions in James last week, I came across this verse: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him (1:5)."

I'm always interested in what that actually looks like in life. Here's a few thoughts from my experience the past week of how the Lord provides wisdom.

Ask and Act

Someone asked me for advice this past week, and I didn't have a clue how to answer them. In my heart, I asked the Lord for some wisdom, thought about it for a 10-15 minutes, and then the solution came to me. I was encouraged directly by this person for the wisdom I offered. I relied on the Lord and He gave me some good counsel to share. I asked, received, and then  acted.

Ask and Wait

Another opportunity availed itself where someone asked me how to break the proverbial evangelistic ice with a young parent. How should this person begin to discuss spiritual things with someone who definitely doesn't have it on his/her radar?

This time I asked, and acted, and pretty much got the opposite response: "That's really not any help at all." You have to love honesty! I asked the Lord what should I say, and pretty much got nothing. But the wisdom I soon realized was, "Geoff, you're out of touch with evangelism, and need to start seeking more opportunities, and taking advantage of those opportunities when I give them to you." Now this wasn't audible, but after I waited, and waited for some good counsel to give, this is the counsel I feel the Lord gave to me. 

I still need to answer the person's question, but I also need to ask more and wait more. It was good to not get an answer right away. Tom Petty, who's lyrics seem to always pop into my head for sermons and blog entries (which is strange b/c I don't think he's really known for his clever lyrics, at least on paper), sang, "The waiting is the hardest part...you take it by faith, and take it to the heart, the waiting is the hardest part." Asking and Waiting can be hard hard, and times you may not look wise at the moment, but asking and waiting will indeed make you wiser with, as James writes, "the wisdom that comes down from heaven (James 3)."

Instead of making one long post-since I don't read any long posts myself-I'll break this up into several posts.

Back to School: School Supplies

Ah, school supply shopping! It's our favorite time of the year, when stores are stocked with matching notepads, pencils, binders, and desk accessories. We get all tingly just thinking about it! Of course, school supply shopping is a thing of the past for us (and probably for some of our lovely readers), so we just refer to it as "office supply shopping" and it's exactly the same thing! Minus the Lisa Frank trapper keeper, of course.

Start your school year right -- stay organized with an academic planner! Keep track of exams, due dates, after school activities, meetings, and your social calendar in a cute, organized day planner. We love this academic planner from Staples, as it has both a monthly and weekly calendar, which allows you to make both short term and long term plans! It also comes in a number of different styles to reflect your own personal tastes.

One of the best study techniques is making index cards! Of course this is a very time consuming task, and the absolute worst thing is when, after spending hours making hundreds of note cards, a bunch of them go missing! Now you can keep all your precious definitions in tact, and in order, with this adorable ringed note card jotter by etsy seller CrownBindery. The note card binders come in 5 numbered sets, each with their own unique pattern and 100 note cards apiece.  It's a perfect way to stay organized!

We tend to save everything, from bills and receipts to old letters and correspondence. So to keep your life in order, invest in a file cabinet! Filing cabinets definitely seem retro, since pretty much everything is electronic. But trust us, the paperwork tends to file up, so keep organized with these pretty screen printed file folders by etsy seller paulehewlett!  Not only does it look pretty, you can also organize by color / flower type! Now your taxes can be known as the pink blossoms! Tres cute. 

This Five Star 3-ring binder may not seem spectacular, but we assure you, it is. It's essentially the love child of a notebook and binder, resulting in a reusable, bendable, and practical "notebinder." Like a binder, you add in the loose leaf paper of your choice (yea college rule!), and like a notebook, you can fold it back for easy writing and maximize desk space. Because you can fit 5 subjects in this, you're pretty much set for the rest of your academic life. You're welcome.

Sticky notes document our life, so we love to find different styles to help spice things up. Take this peacock sticky notepad, for example. The twin peacock print designed by etsy seller Michelle Brusegaard is a nice change of pace from the boring yellow post-it, and will make your notes stand out from the crowd. 

If you're an iphone junky, then you'll love this iphone sticky pad by violetgiftshop. It has plenty of room to jot down your important reminders, or just to use as a sketch pad. And unlike the real iphone, this notepad is perfectly functional even if you hold it from the side. Yippee! 

We go through sticky notes like you would not believe, so it's always a good idea to have a lot on hand.  For another take on the traditional post-it, check out these cute fruit slices memos. They can serve as a desk decoration and a functional note taking piece at the same time!

These French notebooks are certainly more interesting than your typical spiral bound or composition notebook.  They have a charming antique quality and are sure to be a great conversation piece, if nothing else.

Bored of the usual square, black, paper clip holders, then check out this adorable bird holder.  The paper clips all jumble together to create a nice "nest" sort of look and keeps the paper clips easily within reach.

XOXO,

Jen & Saira

Hippie-Indian-Βοhemian look copied by Ashley Tisdale

H Ashley Tisdale has already showed her love to hippie-bohemian dresses, indian shoes,scarfs etc,. Now that autumn is already here (weather show us everyday it's autumn) this is a good solution giving us happiness to our cloudy mornings.It's the best season for us to dress according to this style!
Here are some suggestions:

p.s. I have just the same boots from the first pic, they are awesome! Really soft for feet and soooo comfortable! (Attention!! Dont wear them on a rainy day. I dont think they'll be safe!)

xxx
Reous  :)

Season One

 Season one of Jersey Shore kicked off with all the roommates meeting each other for the first time. The first season was aired in Seaside Heights in New Jersey. MTV had the chance to set up an amazing house for the roommates to live in for the summer. All of the roommates hit it off from the start. They are all Italian guidos/guidettes that love to party. Every night was the same scene just a different bar.Angelina was the one roommate that didn't fit in. All of the girls in the house had their issues with her. Angelina always said that it was a waste of her time and that she rather be home with her boyfriend that she was so in love with. Angelina ended up leaving after the first couple episodes of season one. The rest of the roommates acted like nothing happened and just kept doing them. Other than the Angelina situation a lot of other events that happened in season one. Ronnie and Sammy started seeing one another, and were inseparable. They were the perfect couple and seemed like nothing could come in between them. Mike, Pauly, and Vinny were single and loved the idea of it. They would go out to the bar every night to dance, drink, and pick up girls. They always said that their "fist pumping" is what brought the girls to them. J Woww came into the house already having a boyfriend. They were together for the whole first season, but that didn't stop her from having fun! Snookie was really the life of the party. She was always up for a drink and to have a good time. But the downfall about Snookie is that she is always trying to find someone to love.But to be quite honest, she was starting to annoy me with how much complaining she did. She would always say that she needs a "Juice Head", which is a tall tan guy that has a nice built body. In the first season Snookie was seeing many different "Juice Heads" but none of them worked out. On one of the last episodes in season one all of the roommates went out to the bar to spend time together before leaving their summer beach house. On their way back from the bar there was this guy starting trouble with Ronnie. Ronnie was a little impaired and kept running his mouth right back. Sammy and the rest of the roommates tried to keep Ronnie away but before you know it, Ronnie took off running after this guy. Next thing you know you see Ronnie punch this guy in the face. One punch he was down, out cold on the sidewalk. After Ronnie saw the guy laying on the sidewalk, he started to take off running. The cops ended up finding him and taking him to jail for the night. Sammy was very upset with Ronnie and had to spend her first night by herself. The next morning Sammy went to pick Ronnie up from jail. Ronnie wasn't very happy with what he did, but people do make mistakes. Season one was filled with many events. But even more happens in the second season.

Texting Safety

When I watch Connar chase balls down our driveway, I'm impressed with the "angles" he takes to position himself so the ball doesn't roll past him. If only Sabby Piscitelli, the Buc's starting strong safety last year would have taken such angles, he may still have a starting job. But recently he was demoted, and he didn't take kindly to it. 

For him it was not only that he didn't deserve the demotion (yet its hard to argue that he wasn't the the worst player on a terrible defense), but how he received news of it: via text message.

I guess some things are best said in person. It is so much easier to send a text or an email than actually talking man-to-man or woman-to-woman. But here is another good reminder that doing what is efficient and safe, doesn't equate to doing what is right.

Bobby Moynihan rocking his Gonzo

Best SNL Gonzo impression! =^)

Enjoy!

Meet the Cast :)

Every person that lives in the Jersey Shore house have different and unique personalities. Mike Sorrentino also known as the "Situation", acts as if he is the leader of the house. He is always making plans with the other roommates to go out and do things together. He is sensitive but he has a lot of game to go with it. Every episode he has a new girl for all viewers to see. He always states that "The situation is under control."


Paul Delvecchio also known has "Pauly D", has the same mindset as Mike. Every episode you will never see Mike without Pauly. Pauly is a laid back guy that likes to party. He is all about G.T.L. (gym, tanning, and laundry). He is a true guido. His hair is probably the most important thing to him. He does it twice a day. Once in the morning, and the second time is when he goes out on the town.



         The next guy in the house is Vincent Guadagnino, also known as "Vinny". Vinny is the one in the house that is always making jokes and pulling pranks on people. He is well loved in the house. Mike, Pauly, and Vinny have their own special bond. They call this bond "MVP". It stands for their initials. So every time they go out on the town together they label this as MVP night.



Ronnie Margo is the last guy in the house. He can be very hot head and it has showed in the past. In season one Ronnie got arrested one night for getting into a fight with another guy. He left this guy knock out cold on the sidewalk. But even though Ronnie can be hot headed, he has a soft side to.




The next roommate is named Samantha Giancola. She is one girl in the house that saw Ronnie for his real charm. Season one they were together and through out the break in the two seasons they decided to break it off. Now they have a struggle in the house in season two. Sammy is known as the "Sweetheart" in the house but it is too bad she is dealing with all of the drama with Ronnie.


The next two girls are the female version of Mike and Pauly. Their names are Jenni Farley and Nicole Polizzi. They are always together and they love to party. Jenni is always known as "J Woww" She has a hot head on her and is always saying what is on her mind. Very rarely does J Woww hold anything back. Nicole is known as "Snooki". Every time she walks into a room she greets everyone with " Hey everybody, parties here!". Snooki finds herself looking for love in all the wrong places. She sees herself as a true guidette. In the second season she has some issues with her boyfriend, but now she is single and ready to mingle. Snooki was also one of the house members that got arrested for public drunkenness on the beach.

The last cast memeber is Angelina Pivarnick. Not a lot of viewers saw to much of her last season because she ended up leaving the house. She had a boyfriend at the time and said he was more important than dealing with all the drama in the house. She never really got a long with any of the girls in the house. But now she is back for the second season. She wants to put all thing that happened in the past behind her. But i guess we will see how that turns out.