People ask me all the time…

“Hey, what do you do to your skin? You look only 40!”

(I always feel good about that because I am only 41!)

Through the years of gleaning “beauty wisdom” from magazines to professionals themselves, here’s a quick run-down on how to make your own  Facial Mask . These masks can exfoliate, moisturize, rejuvenate your marriage, solve your job- crisis problem,  and well…clean your face.  See what you think!

My Cheap Favorite…. The White Sugar Mask
I read in a magazine about a stressed-out photographer and “model prep” gal who had no materials in which to exfoliate “their girls’ faces” .
The “prep gal” reached over and grabbed white sugar packets off the breakfast trays. It did the trick…not only do “they work the best because of their cone-shaped molecular structure”. When she said that, I was sold…especially by her scientific words. I know good beauty/science intelligence when I hear it!

The Oatmeal Mask
I do this one, also. This is designed for that “tired” skin that just needs to be reminded “Hey, you are important too!” .On a clean face, combine oatmeal and water into paste and slap it on your visage. Let it dry and voila! You have French skin devoid of all flaws!  Moisturize quickly or you will smell like breakfast, according to my daughter.

The Chocolate Mask
Seriously?! YES! This is my favorite (and other gals I know!) . Now, the trick here is you have to BUY it…but $1.50….dreamy!.  You slice open the packet and smell 3 Musketeers!  On a clean face, smear that goodness all over your face…but don’t eat it….it’s made for your pores, not your taste buds. I don’t think I can try to make it because to be honest, I just don’t like that cocoa   “semi-sweet “ bitterness smell. Go ahead-buy the real one. I promise your children will kiss you good-night happily!

The Yogurt Mask
This is real deal….everyone in the Beauty Industry seems to talk about it and recommend it . BUT, I will tell while I am a big fan of eating plain yogurt for good intestinal activity… it hurt!  I delicately applied the yogurt and it stung and turned my face beet red. Maybe it was just me , but I did not look younger or like a supermodel at the end of that experience… but, who knows? Maybe it’s just good for your gut.

Last , The Classic “Clay” Mask
This is the one we all grew up with…fun gal pal parties with green clay faces, hair piled high in towels, and paintin’ our toes..teehee!
I loved these! My sister and I loved to do these kind of masks, but I think that they were the only ones available. Now, you can get Pumpkin seed, Aloe Vera, and Papaya.  Pretty soon, maybe they will make some for women with  attitude problems, disobedient children, and  P.M.S. ! Brilliant!

Have a great week….enjoy the FACT that Jesus loves you just the way are….in your own skin!

Tristie Fisher, Grace Bible Church, 2010

R…REAL “Sabbath talk” is popular right now…to talk about resting (taking time away to be with your family or just alone), but it never really happens. We are always e-mailing, texting and using helpful stuff like facebook, iphones, and ipods. The icing on the cake is constant running around to activities…for nearly all of this, this is distracting and contrary to rest.

Personally, I just cannot HEAR GOD if my rest is not real. I need a TRUE turning from the world to stop. I have to stop repeating the mantra “I need to rest”, by actually doing it. Because I am immature, often God has to teach me by allowing sickness where I HAVE TO REALLY REST.

E…ENERGETIC Actively doing “something”…the word “DECOMPRESS” is a verb. I love this concept that as I rest I am actively growing in my faith. The  discipline of rest will show its fruit quickly. I always thought of “rest” as passive but when it’s done as a “spiritual discipline”, it is extremely active and purposeful.

It’s ACTIVE because confession to God energizes, reconciliation with God inspires, and wisdom from God awakens your soul- powerfully! Your mind is clearer, your spirit refreshed and you are drawn to God, not away from Him. You are on the move.

S… STILL This happens in quietness and solitude. You are listening…fasting from noise. Silence can be unsettling. For most women, (unless you are accustomed to it), it can be unnerving.

Ask Yourself  truthfully, “Am I afraid to be quiet? Alone? Not doing something others see as “important”? Here’s the glory of this…once you move through that realization and sit with God, peace will slowly steal over you.

SO MANY of us are afraid of the silence because we know we have to either face God or turn away from Him. I can listen or ignore. This is probably why we have to be brave and jump in and look GOD straight in the Face during these times of stillness. I Have to ask Him for cleansing and for the enablement to be still. We want to grow.

One of my favorite books is Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence...a monk who cleaned pots and pans, yet worshiped GOD fully in every moment. I want to live like that.

T… TIME For many, this is the hardest discipline of all….time that will never be returned to you and that connot be shown to others to validate.

But God will see and He is the REWARDER of secret disciplines. By faith, I trust the LORD to “do” the important tasks that I think are needful and important. In the words of my husband and a friend, you choose “who you disappoint”. I give time to an invisible God , perform secret service in my primary jobs with my husband and children, and taking quiet care of myself-spiritually, physically, and emotionally. If these areas are healthy, my life is rich and overflowing….and I am HAPPY.

Tristie Fisher, Grace Bible Church, January 2010