Extreme Makeover for the New Year

Don't you love a professional makeover? getting your nails done? relaxing as a hairdresser washes your hair? Ah-h-h-h Good stuff!

I remember as a teenager the fun my friends and I had playing around with cosmetics and making ourselves into gorgeous and glamorous gals all with innovative makeup techniques and hair style products. Sometimes we were a little too creative. But, hey, it was fun. After all, having a new fresh face feels good; helping a friend achieve a new look can be pretty exhilarating, too.

Not only do I enjoy a personal makeover, but also I thoroughly enjoy watching those TV makeover shows. On the original Extreme Makeover, a team of specialists redesigned their clients in some pretty drastic ways, including surgery to correct or enhance their physical appearance. Today, we have the Extreme Home Makeovers where a family's home receives a much-needed face lift. In both cases, the results are dramatic, even jaw-dropping. I must admit that I've shed a tear or two over the incredible changes produced on these shows. But ...

There is an Extreme Makeover that far exceeds and outshines the above examples. That's right, it gets better! As Christians, we receive the best makeover of all, by the best Creator, Artist, and Designer of all -- Jesus Christ!

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us: If anyone is in Christ, he/she is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

We're not talking about an old outdated hairstyle getting an "upgrade." Oh, no, we're talking about a complete and total mind, body, and soul makeover. This isn't an improved version of the old. God's Word tells us we are totally NEW CREATIONS IN CHRIST.

The old is gone. Gone. We are brand new ... born again.

It's so common this time of year to start making those New Year's resolutions. Many of us seek out information to help us make the changes we desire. But, friends, as my pastor put it so perfectly this past weekend -- Mere information won't bring life transformation.

That truth hit my heart right on target. The only book that truly is alive is God's Word. Within its pages we will discover what it means to be new creations and how to live out our new identities right here, right now. Yes, the Bible is a book with information, yet a story of complete and total transformation in Christ. You can experience your very own transformation story.

Keep in mind, when Christ makes us over, we might not see the visible work right away like we do with a home makeover or face lift, but, over time, our "newness" will shine through in our character; we will produce the fruit of our new nature -- The Fruit of the Spirit. And amazingly, for many of us, our outsides start changing right a long with our insides.

Friends, receiving a master makeover from the Master Makeover Artist is reason to cry tears of joy and celebrate for eternity.

I usually don't share the following photograph, but a picture is worth a thousand words, right? You might remember me sharing that before Christ I was addicted to heroin, cocaine, cigarettes, destructive and promiscuous relationships, and a ton of other sinful junk. It's been eleven years, this month, since I've used drugs and I've been walking in sexual purity for almost as long. Oh, the cigarettes went goodbye around the same time, too. Praise God!

In Revelation we are told that the enemy, our enemy, the devil, is defeated by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. I guess a simple paraphrase might be: Our extreme makeovers inspire others to turn their lives over to the Master Creator. If you feel like God can't change you. You're wrong. He can. He will, if you'll let Him.


Carol before Christ: Not a pretty picture. Addiction is not attractive. Eventually, our rotting insides (that's what sin does rots our souls) become visible on the outside.

Keep going ...

To see the after Christ photo.

Carol (me) now ... after the ultimate Makeover. Yes, I'm wearing Princess Warrior attire -- Crown, Scepter, and Sword (all the royal trimmings). After all, in Christ, we're royalty!


Don't give up. Let God make you over into the woman He's called you to be. 2009 is a great year for a fresh start.

God bless you!

Whistle while you reign

Ladies, do you whistle while you reign?

Let me explain. I was thinking about Cinderella. Born into a well-to-do family, with a father that lavished his love upon her, Cinderella might have been ill-prepared for a brutal stepmother and cruel stepsisters. Yet, following her father's untimely death, she was forced to perform tasks that she could have deemed beneath her station. She might have rebelled and sought revenge on her evil family members. She didn't.

You know the story. Cinderella works joyfully, singing, and talking to her new animal companions. She manages to find peace and happiness in the midst of what could have been an extremely unhappy existence. She somehow discovered a way to serve and maintain her inner beauty and integrity while those around her behaved quite, well, quite unlovely.

This fairytale favorite got me thinking about my own life. I don't always whistle while I work, joyfully and thankfully performing my "chores." I don't always reign with grace and love. In fact, I've been known a time or two (or three hundred) to behave more like the demanding stepsisters. Am I pretty enough? Do I have enough? Am I smart enough? Will the prince like me? Me. Me. Me.

In fact, too many women aspire to look the part of a princess; they have confused their royal desires for worldly success with the subtle, often behind the scenes, positions that princess warriors for Christ may hold. Not all Princess Warriors are created or called to work under the glow of the spotlight. In fact, quite often, the important roles are happening behind the scenes.

A true Princess Warrior will learn to release her own selfish motives for the betterment of her Kingdom. It's not about her (our) glory. It's about His.

I thought the above princess photo was gorgeous. However, I don't know who this woman is or what motives reside within her heart. But, God does. He is not interested in the time we spend fussing about our appearances or getting noticed for our "good deeds." He is concerned about our inner loveliness.

Let me remind you that while Cinderella was loyal to the seemingly menial tasks assigned by her step-family, behind the scenes something much greater was brewing. After all, in the end she became the princess of a great kingdom and the wife to a fabulous future king. Not bad at all.

So often, the "jobs" that God has us doing today, are simply preparing us for a promotion tomorrow. Learning to embrace where we are and what we are doing in this very moment is crucial to our reigning effectively. Bemoaning our current assignments will only keep us miserable.

So ...Here's the challenge! No matter what your day entails, tomorrow, thank God for His grace, mercy, and hope. If you know how to whistle, go ahead, whistle while you work. Hum a song. Speak positive words to yourself and those around you. Wipe out the dreaded three C's: criticizing, condemning, and complaining.After all, we have good reason to smile.

Someday we will reside in the perfect palace, with the perfect prince, forever and ever. This life is but a prequel to what's next ... His best.

Losing a battle ... but winning the war

This evening, my son, a 15-year-old Sophmore, who is the catcher for his high school's JV baseball team, had a final battle. Okay, okay, so it was a baseball game, but when you're the undefeated team it truly does turn into a battle.

The other team, eager to be the only one to crush our winning streak, was on a serious mission. Our team, on the other hand, started off with different players playing (coach wanted everyone to play) in different positions than the norm. After all, we'd clobbered this team twice already this season. Were the players a little cocky? maybe. Although, last year, we'd lost our final game so most of us knew to not count on anything.

I won't give you a play by play, but I'll say we were down, then we battled back with our bats to within one point, and then our opponent pulled a really cheap shot. I'm not kidding. Cheap shot ...Pretending to have overthrown the ball into the outfield, our second base runner took off in a full sprint for third base.

This kid is like Speed Racer on feet, too. In amazement, we watched as the short stop revealed the ball that he'd hidden and he bombed it to third. "You're out!" The ump roared.

As the other team celebrated their sneeky success with victory hoots and hollars, our team, heads hanging, tromped to the dugout. We the parents stood with our mouths to the ground wondering where in the world that devious play came from. We'd just lost our perfect record due to some downright trickery by the other guys. Ouch!

Isn't that how our spiritual battles go? We're reigning real as priceless princesses and worthy warriors, winning victory after victory for our King, when all of a sudden, we step into a hidden pool of quicksand.

Our enemy is very good at creating traps that trip us up when we least expect it. He is ruthless. When we are down, he doesn't hesitate to give us a hard kick in the ribs. Lies, deceipt, masquerades of many types, are his specialty. Sometimes, like my son's team, we aren't expecting what he's about to dish out.

Ladies, I want remind you that everyday we face numerous battles -- some bigger and more difficult than others. Often times we win; other times we fail and fall short of victory. So often, later, when we review the battle we can clearly see where we missed the mark. We wonder how could we have been so blind? How? We were prepared, after all, weren't we?

Granted there are times when we have done our best and we simply don't win the prize, however, we can't stay down. There are more foes to face and additional battles to fight. Like the baseball team, there will be future games to play. Maybe, today, you like my son, are feeling dejected and depressed. Maybe you feel like you gave it your best shot and still came up short. I want to remind you that although we may lose a few battles along the way, ultimately, as daughters of the King of Kings, we will win the FINAL WAR. We are on the winning side!

No matter what happens in the present, we can rest in the knowledge that in the end ... we win! Our enemy will be banished and we will embrace our final victory in Christ.

Wow! I so need to remember this truth. Maybe you do, too.No matter what, dear sister, don't give up. For with God all things are truly possible. Just remember we win. We are fighters in an army destined for eternal victory. Let us live our lives boldly and confidently in light of this truth. Go on; keep marching. Don't give up. Don't give up. Don't give up!