What are You Going to Do? Part 1

   The cross. It's familiar. If you're like me, you probably even have jewelry with the cross. Crosses are everywhere we look, but they're not the real cross.
   You see, today we have this version of the cross that's all cleaned up. Like the Celtic cross, it's so beautiful. But the cross has no outward beauty, the real cross that is.
   
  And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

   - Colossians 1:20 (italics mine)

   And he said to all,"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

- Luke 9:23 (italics still mine)

   The blood of His cross. All of us, daily. The real cross, Jesus' cross, is bloodstained. It's not just stained with His blood either. It's stained with the forgiven sins of all, and we are to carry it with us at all time,24/7.

   So.... Here we are. Before us is a bloody, heavy cross that can change everything, but only if we carry it everywhere we go. This cross isn't the type of thing made into jewelry. In fact, it started out as a thing of shame.

   Before us is the real cross and a choice. This choice has three options. 

Option One: Carry the real cross of Jesus, follow Him daily, and help change the world.

Option Two: Wear the cleaned up cross and talk the talk, but stay the same on the inside where it counts.

Option Three: Choose neither of the crosses, and go your own way.

   Me, I've chosen option one, the real cross. Which do you chose? What are you going to do?   

Leia's Endor Headband Braid or the Dutch Headband Braid

   

Yeah, it was only a matter of time before I did a movie braid. (Y'all were probably expecting a Lord of the Rings or Hobbit one, though. Don't worry; they'll come soon enough.) Since I got my hair cut at the beginning of this month, I've been finding that some of my braids don't work anymore. Losing at least four inches does that. I was pleased to find this one still does. At the time the picture were taken my hair was as long as Leia's is in Episode Six. It's also one of a few with my glasses. 

Leia's Endor Headband Braid
or
the Dutch Headband Braid

Instructions:

1. Use your 1st & 2nd fingers to section off all the hair above ear of choice. (I start at my left, with a heavy side part so that the part-line is on the right.)
2. Divide the hair into 3 equal pieces and begin Dutch braiding upward. If you don't know how, it's basically a regular, but instead of going over the middle, you go under it.
3. Cross the piece closest to your face under the middle.You now have new front and middle pieces.
4. Cross the piece farthest from your face under your new middle piece. You now have new middle and back pieces.
5. Add some hair to the front piece and cross it under the middle piece. Remember, you're braiding upward!
6. Repeat step 4,then repeat 5. Continue doing this until the braid goes all the way across your head. Use your fingers to work out any bumps when they come up before continuing to braid.
7. Once the braid is all the way across, finish with a braid by just repeating steps 3&4 'til done, then go back and tug on the beginning of the braid. If the braid is long enough you can pin it so it forms a complete circle. If not, just secure with a small ponytail and let it hang. 

If you need help, leave a comment, and I'll try to help you out. Happy Hairstyling!

RhoXie

A Sneak Peak of a Friend's new Book

   Y'all know that I write, but I'm not the only one! My friend Morgan Elizabeth Huneke is also a writer. In fact, she's releasing her third book soon. Her first two books (Across the Stars and The Experiment, available at Amazon) were both very good, particularly the second one. I look forward to reading her new book which is the first of a series, I believe.  
   Morgan is letting me give y'all a sneak peak of her cover. Here it is!!!! 

The cover...

and the talented author

The Difference

   It sometimes seems like I get in more trouble for what I didn't do than for what I did do. (If that makes any sense, point for you.) I forget a responsibility, a school assignment, or something. It's not what I did that's the problem; it's what I didn't do. It's like that with God too.
   On the Cross, Jesus took the sins of the world. The price of that sin has been paid in full and is gone for ever. It's not what the world did that keeps them out of Heaven; it's what it didn't do: accept Jesus Christ as Savior. That's all that stands between the world and eternity with God.
   Because of what it didn't do, the world is going to Hell. Jesus has this amazingly awesome, totally free gift for them, but they didn't accept it.
  You see, the only difference between us and the world is our answers to Jesus' offer of salvation. It's what we did and what they didn't do about Jesus' choice. That's the only difference. The world didn't, but we did through Jesus' death. Jesus loves both. He died for both. He offers salvation to both, but they didn't and we did.
   This isn't grounds for us to look down on the world. This isn't to make us look smarter than or above the world. No, it is to remind us that once we were the same, that there is little difference between us and the world. From dirt we all came, and to dirt we will all return. The only real  difference is where, and with Who, our souls will spend eternity.
   We are to point the world to Jesus, to show the difference. Are we?