From the Kitchen...

Hey!
   This is Natalie! For my first post on this blog, I am going to share a recipe that is a favorite in my family. It's great for a special breakfast or just as a yummy snack.

                                    Sweet Cinnamon Biscuits                                      

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Baking Time: 15-20 minutes

 Serves: Six

Ingredients:                                                                                                 

-2 cups sifted all-purpose flour                                                                             

-1 tablespoon baking powder

-dash of salt                                                                                                    

-1/4 teaspoon baking soda                                                                              

-1/4 cup vegetable oil

-3/4 cup buttermilk

-8 tablespoons softened butter

-3/4 cup granulated sugar

-1 teaspoon cinnamon

Icing: 

 -confectioners sugar

-milk

-vanilla

1) Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl and mix well.

Stir in vegatable oil.

Add butermilk and stir just until blended. (If you don't have buttermilk, you can combine a small drop of lemon juice to 3/4 cup of milk, and use that as a substitute.)

2) Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth.

Roll dough into a 15 x 8-inch recatangle.

3) Preheat the oven to 400* F.

Grease a 9-inch round baking pan lightly.

4) Spread butter over the dough.

Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix well.

Sprinkle over butter.

Roll up rectangle, jelly roll fashion, starting from one long side.

Pinch seam to seal.

5) Cut the roll into 1 1/2-inch slices using a durable piece of string. (I find that quilting thread works best)

Arrange the slices, cut side up, in a prepared baking pan.

Bake until lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes.

Remove from oven.

Spread icing overtop if desired. Serve hot.

Update on Our Progress

Hey everyone,

Thanks for bearing with us as we get everything figured out. We've had some things change around this blog. First of all, we now have Samantha and Natalie writing with us! They're two girls who love the Lord, and will definitely be a great addition to this blog. Stay tuned for their bios.

Secondly, since we now have four writers, we're trying to get a schedule set of who is posting when. The schedule will start next month. In the meantime, we'll be posting a little sporadically, but we hope things will get into a routine soon.

Thanks for coming by!! You can leave us a comment or email us at daughtersoftruth [at] gmail [dot] com.

~Kylie, on behalf of Ashley, Sam, and Natalie

Rescue

 When Ashley posted her devotional earlier this week about Jesus coming to our rescue, this song immediately came to mind.

You are the source of life

I can't be left behind

No one else will do

I will take hold of You

I need You Jesus, I need You Jesus

My heart is Yours for life

I need Your hand in mine

No one else will do

Lord I put my trust in You

I need You Jesus to come to my rescue

Where else can I go?

There's no other Name by which I am saved

Capture me with grace

I will follow You

My heart is Yours for life

I need Your hand in mine

No one else will do

Lord I put my trust in You

This world has nothing for me (I will follow You)

-- Rescue, by Newsong

My favorite part of this song is the chorus. The part that really stands out to me is the verse where we're asking God to "capture us with grace". As girls, we have an inner desire to be rescued... swept off our feet... captured with grace. Jesus wants to steal our attention completely. He wants us to be totally focused on Him, as our Savior, our Father... and our Hero. Ask God to sweep you off your feet with His beautiful love. You won't be disappointed.


~Kylie

Jesus is my superhero

When I was a little girl, I wanted a superhero, to save me and take me to some faraway land, where he'd keep me safe, and I'd never have to worry about anything.
Now that I'm a little older, and a bit more mature, I know that will never happen. But I do have a superhero. 
"Who?" You ask.

Jesus.

It's as easy as that. Jesus, who lived a sinless life, died on the cross, for all sinner who walk this earth. He loves you enough to be beaten and hung on a cross.
Dying for our sins in something that I find, that's hard to comprehend. Why would Jesus do that for us? Why? Why? Why? 

Because he loves us. 

Jesus saved us from our sins, when we asked him into our lives. And him saving me from my sins, is way better than having a superman. 

Jesus is the only true superhero, because he saved us from eternal life in hell. 

And someday, we'll go to Heaven, and spend eternity with him there. And that's way better than a faraway land. 
John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him, will not perish, but have eternal life."

Jesus is my superhero. Is He yours? 


~Ashley


Oh, and soon, we'll have another writer joining us. We'll be adding Natalie to our group of writers ASAP! :)

The Beginning

Welcome to Beautiful in Christ! Our names are Ashley and Kylie, friends living on opposite sides of the United States. We have a heart for encouraging other girls in their walk with Christ and this blog was started for just that purpose. We also want to remind you, our readers, of what true beauty is, and how we are made beautiful -- through Christ.

On this blog we hope to post meaningful articles that make you think and bring you enlightenment, along with some fun stuff along the way. This blog is fully committed to God and we pray that He would speak to you through it. If you come away from this blog with anything, we hope it is this: Jesus loves us so much, and thinks we have value beyond compare.

We'll be getting this site up and running over the next few weeks, so bear with us, but in the meantime you can visit our blogs (Ashley's blog, and Kylie's blog). Or you can shoot us an email at daughtersoftruth [at] gmail [dot] com.

In Christ,
Ashley and Kylie

About the Blog

The purpose of this blog is to encourage girls in their faith and remind them that their beauty is found in Christ alone.

We are Ashley and Kylie, two girls living on opposite sides of the country. We started this blog in October 2009 because we wanted a way to connect with and encourage our sisters in Christ around the world. We soon realized that it was too much for just us to handle, so we brought on Natalie and Suzanna, two of Ashley’s friends. You can find out more about all four of us at The Writers page.

We believe that every young woman is beautiful in Christ, and because of Him, we are lovely beyond compare. We are His daughters, and He thinks we are amazing. He loves us more than words can describe. This is our message, and we hope it comes through in every post that we write.

We have a heart to reach girls and help them understand the love of Christ and what true value is. We will be posting about these topics and more.

More About Us

Here's a little more about us...
 

{administrator & contributing writer}

Hey everyone.

My name is Ashley. I'm a sixteen year old girl, who loves to read, write, sing, play my guitar, listen to music and watch old TV shows.

I've been a born again Christian for 10 years, and I love the Lord with all my heart, and do everything for him.

I live in a family of five people- my parents, my siblings, and me. My siblings, Gracie and Ian were adopted as babies from Vietnam.

I love to read- anything teen Christian fiction, and Christian fiction. Some of my favorite authors are Jenny B. Jones, Janette Oke, Melody Carlson and Shelley Adina.

I love to write, if you don't already know that, from me being a part of this blog. I pretty much write the same kinds of books as I read- Christian fiction. I've been writing since I was ten, but I've been starting to write more and more as I get older, and more mature

I love to write songs, and play my guitar. I've had my guitar for almost two years, but I've just recently started to play it, more and more. I also just started writing songs in the last few months, something to get out my feelings, and write about my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Like I said earlier, I really enjoy watching old TV shows. By that, I don't mean like really old shows, but like 70s and 80s shows. Some of my favorites are Charlie's Angels, The Dukes of Hazzard, Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Mysteries, and other detective shows. 

I live in a small town in Pennsylvania, where my mom and dad homecshool me and my siblings. I've been homeschooled most of my life, and I enjoy every minute of it.

I hope that you enjoy this blog as much as we enjoy writing it. :)

If you would like to check out my blog, you can go to: http://www.ashleystrawser1993.blogspot.com

Love in the Lord,

~Ashley

{administrator & contributing writer}

Hey! My name is Kylie. I’m completely in love with Jesus, and I have a strong desire for others to feel His love as well.

I’m a self-declared bookish person, and I love literature. Writing is a huge part of my life, and I take pleasure in using it for God’s glory. It’s my dream to have one of my novels published someday. God brought me a little closer to that dream when I won second place in a short story contest put on by a homeschool magazine. When not working on Kids of Faith or Ignition, I enjoy writing and developing my set of three fantasy novels, or writing short stories on various topics. I immensely enjoy being homeschooled because that gives me the time and flexibility to write. I also devour books; some of my favorite authors include C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Ted Dekker, and Janette Oke. I have eclectic tastes, too. One moment you may see me reading a chick-lit book; the next, a thriller. What I write is just as varied as what I read.
I have a very active imagination, which can be both a gift and a problem. I love the pioneer, colonial, and renaissance eras, and bonnets, aprons, and medieval dresses & capes all have a place in my world. I enjoy creating things; whether it is crafts, graphics, or worlds of my own that spring from my imagination. I also love music, and enjoy writing songs when the inspiration strikes. I hope to grow in my knowledge of how to play the guitar so I can set the words to music and express my adoration for God through song.
Although my road as a Christian is tough sometimes, it is He alone that keeps me going. It amazes me that He loves me when I am not and can never be worthy of it. I’m definitely not perfect, and I rely on His grace to catch me when I fall and fail.
My articles are not mine; they are God’s, and I hope & pray that He will use them for His glory.
You can visit my blog at http://www.hisbeautifullove.wordpress.com
Because of HIM,

~Kylie

 
{administrator & contributing writer} 

Hi, my full name is Suzanna. My friends call me Anna.
 When I heard that I could possibly begin writing for this blog, I got really excited and jumped up and down and screamed. Well, not really. But if my nephew wouldn't have been snoozing, I possibly would've.
 I like to read pretty much anything...I like Melody Carlson a lot.
My brother and I are both homeschooled by my amazing mother while my dad provides for the family. I am in eighth grade, and like everything but math.
 Music is really important to me. I listen to it constantly throughout the day, and I don't know how I survived without my iPod and doc. A FEW of my favorite bands are Skillet, Thousand Foot Krutch, Flyleaf, Barlow Girl, Pillar...pretty much all Christian rock/metal.
 My parents, brother and I are members of the Christian Motorcyclist's Association. I love going on motorcycle rides with my dad, and absolutely love being a part of such an amazing group. It's like one big family.
 I love thick, green grass, music, concerts, photography, my family, but above all Christ. Isn't He awesome!? I love worshiping Him, and don't know how atheists and not Christians live. I love being in big groups when we pray or sing and you can really feel the Holy Spirit all around you.
 One other thing that's important to me is purity; saving myself for my future hubby. I think of purity as a gift that on our wedding night we'll both be able to share it together instead of my giving it away to several other guys. I think dating is weird...courting is the way to go! :D
 Thanks for reading...hopefully I wasn't too much of a bore.

 {contributing writer}

Hello there! My name is Ashley and I turned fifteen on New Years Day this year! God is the love of my life and I absolutely love to express my love for Him to others! I’ve been playing guitar for two years this February and it’s helped me get through a lot, although that sounds kind of cliché. Those who have been around me a while know that I love books with a passion! Some of my favorite authors are Robert Whitlow, Frank Peretti, and Jenny B. Jones! 

I’ve always dreamed of being a writer. When I was little, I could always be seen toting around a beat up notebook, writing down things I wouldn’t let anybody else read. Some things never change. I write Christian fiction and hope to have a book published by the time I’m 18. 

To talk more about myself, I have a rather large family. I have 2 brothers, 2 sisters, and 7 nieces and nephews whom I all love quite dearly! I live in a small town, out in what most of my friends might call the country! I love it, although I dream of one day traveling the world. 

Summing this long thing up, I also enjoy playing softball, and getting to know interesting people. I think everyone is beautfully and wonderfully made and I love trying to brighten peoples days by just giving away a smile!

{guest writer}

Hello! My name is Natalie and I am a sixteen year old girl whose passion in life is to love and serve my Savior! 

I am blessed to have been brought up in a family of God fearing, born-again Christians. I accepted Christ into my life when I was four years old and have been striving to please him ever since. 
 I am the middle child of seven kids. I have four sisters and two brothers. My older sister and both brothers no longer live at home. My sister is attending a university in the south and my brothers are both gown up with jobs and homes of their own. I love spending time with my three younger sisters and parents!

My interests include horse back riding, camping in the mountains, exploring and admiring God's creation, and kayaking! I have been playing the flute for four years now and am currently studying in a music school in my area. Last Christmas, after receiving a guitar, I began to teach myself under the helpful advice of my best friend who also plays guitar.

 My idea of relaxing is snuggling up on the couch in front of the fire place with a good book, or staying up late writing a story.
 I'm not entirely sure of what I would like to be when I grow up. I have greatly considered Early Childhood Education, but with our country in the condition that it is in, I haven't completely made up my mind. I do believe that God has a plan for my life and I cannot wait to discover what it is!