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A P U B L I C AT I O N O F O N M Y O W N N O W M I N I S T R I E S OCT 10

Young Christian Woman

support
charity
... by wearing
clothes

boost brain
power with
H 2O
Book Review:
Imaginary
Jesus

extreme
money
makeover

A Spa Day
(on spare change)
w w w. o n m y o w n n o w. c o m
 single!
OCT 2010

young christian woman

A publication of
ON MY OWN NOW MINISTRIES
www.onmyownnow.com STRAIGHT TALK FROM THE PROVERBS
4. Respect the Appetite.
Resist the Temptation.
By Donna Lee Schillinger

CENTER RING

6.

A Different Kind of Makeover
By Kimberly Schluterman

THE RECAP
10. Book Review: Imaginary Jesus
By Jeffrey Bridgman

REBA RAY’S DOWN HOME HEALTHY

COOKIN’ FOR ONE ON A BUDGET
12.
Whistle Wetters
By Reba Ray

SPARE CHANGE
14. A Spa Day on Spare Change
EDITOR By Julie Ann

IN CHIEF
Donna Lee Schillinger
FASHION DIVINA

www.twitter.com/D_L_Schillinger
18. Support Charity ...
By Wearing Clothes
By Tamara Jane

ART
DIRECTION
Daniela Bermúdez
JUST WHAT YOU NEED
20. Boost Brain Power with H2O
By Donna Lee Schillinger
 We see high
drama in the
movies all the
time, but in
real life, big
Fridge-worthy. acting does not
win awards.

Straight talk from the proverbs for young Christian women

who want to remain pure, debt-free and regret-free.

“In this interesting and thought-provoking exploration

of the book of Proverbs, Schillinger takes young women
along a journey that will help them to make better, saf-
er, and more sound decisions.”
Cheryl C. Malandrinos
The Book Connection blog

Now Available at www.onmyownnow.com,

at Amazon, B&N and a library and bookstore near you.
STRAIGHT TALK

RESPECT THE RESIST THE

APPETITE. TEMPTATION.

She who is full loathes

honey, but to the hun-
gry even what is bitter
tastes sweet.
Proverbs 27:7

BY

DONNA LEE SCHILLINGER

4
I spent my junior year in Spain.
During Christmas break, I decided
to travel to Morocco by myself. Call
me crazy – a lot of people did. Since
my college years were character-
ized by poverty, an 11-day African
holiday was a stretch, but I ven-
tured out, having the wherewithal
to buy round trip tickets for each
leg of my trip. Come what may, as
long as I didn’t lose my tickets, I
could make it back. Sure enough,
my money ran out before the trip
ended. When I arrived in Seville,
Spain, back from Morocco, I had
just enough money to stay the
night in a hotel room no larger than
a walk-in closet. I couldn’t afford to
eat dinner that night and I would
have to go the whole next day with-
out eating too.
STRONG CRAVINGS
It’s not a huge ordeal to fast for CAUSE US TO DO
not edible, but I ate a few bites of it attention. Unsatisfied emotional
anyway, thinking that I was at least appetites can wreak the most hav-
getting some vitamin C.
After a long, hungry day, I made it
back home around midnight. And
then I ate a huge meal and got so
full that I couldn’t even finish my
dessert.
This is no story of chronic hunger
of the sort we really should have
compassion on. This is just an
old travel tale about one day that
I went from being so desperate I
would eat something bitter and
be thankful for it, to the other ex-
treme, being so full I pushed away
dessert.
oc.
I could have avoided my desper-
ate situation in Seville with bet-
ter planning. And on a daily basis,
I can avoid satisfying my hunger
with junk food by having some
healthy snacks on hand in antici-
pation of hunger pangs throughout
the day. It’s not so easy to advise
how to avoid having an unsatis-
fied emotional appetite. Emotional
hunger may have developed from
years of rejection, neglect or pov-
erty. The best advice I can give is
to recognize, right now while we’re
in a rational state of mind, that ap-
petites can make us do some crazy
stuff. Respect the appetite. Though
we might not be able to avoid hav-
ing the yearning appetite, we can

IRRATIONAL
a day and a half when you’re at avoid the desperate act to satisfy
home in your element, but at the it using one solid piece of advice

THINGS.
exhausting end of a hard-traveled that James gave us – and it works
road, the body needs good nour- in any tempting situation: “Resist
ishment. Unless I wanted to beg the devil and he will flee from you.”
though, and I did consider it, I was We must resist temptation to sell
going to have to wait until I got to ourselves for a “quick meal” to
Salamanca to eat. Human appetites are fickle. We satisfy our cravings – both physi-
cal and emotional – because after
My bus didn’t leave until the after- can experience both extremes in we get what we so longed for, we’ll
noon, so I had the morning to see one day. When we have a need find ourselves wondering how we
some sights. Seville is a beautiful to be satisfied, we feel desperate ever could have been so desperate.
city with streets lined with orange enough to try anything. When that
trees. While strolling along the need is finally satiated, we disdain Hold this thought:
streets, those oranges were start- the very thing we had been wildly
ing to look pretty good. Someone craving only minutes before.
WHEN I’M FEELING
had told me they were not edible;

they were an ornamental variety
of orange and very bitter. In our
proverb lived out, I was so hungry
I didn’t care what people had told
me -- I was going to try it for myself.
I was ravenous; I would have eaten
MY WEAKEST,
Strong cravings cause us to do ir-
rational things – like Esau did when
he sold his place as first-born son,
and all the privilege that went with
it, for a bowl of lentil stew. “What
an idiot!” we say. Esau didn’t do IT’S THEN I NEED TO

HOLD ON.
anything any of us are not capable
the bark off the tree. The reports of doing when we’re hungry for
were true that the oranges were something – food, sex, affection,

5
CENTER RING

a different
kind of
makeover
by k i m b e r l y s c h l u t e r m a n

So, if I may brag, my husband and I are both

really good with money management. So good,
in fact, that in our premarital counseling, we
had no issues to work through whatsoever. We
both practiced good habits as individuals and
we have no problems practicing them togeth-
er. This is what we said to my friend-mentors
as we stood in their dining room one evening.
They listened happily, congratulated us on our
smart choices, and then did what mentors do
best: challenged us to be even better. Dr. Bob
asked if we had ever read a book called The
Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. No, we
hadn’t and we didn’t want to read it either, es-
pecially not six weeks before our wedding! We
hemmed and hawed but finally, they talked us
into reading just the first chapter. If we weren’t
hooked after the first chapter, we were off the
hook for having to read it.

6
 baby
1
So that’s what we did. And the first chapter was all we money, but his reasoning is rea-
did for about 12 weeks. It wasn’t so easy to dismiss, sonable. Essentially, if you don’t
however. Some of the concepts lingered in our minds,
and after things finally settled down post-wedding,
step have some money stashed away
for emergencies – which are as
we ended up wanting to read the rest together. And certain as death and taxes – then you will go into debt
the result was surprising! For two people who consid- again in order to pay for them. The quick $1000 is
er themselves advanced personal money managers, the first step in breaking the debt cycle. Ramsey gives
that book totally kicked our butts. Although almost specific rules about where to keep the money, but to
90 percent of the book was stuff we already knew, summarize, he wants it on-hand but tucked away. It
the 10 percent that wasn’t has changed our lives. needs to be something you can put your fingers on
today if necessary, but also something that you’re
Below is an overview of the principles in the book, not going to lay your fingers on unless it is absolutely
and I would encourage you to consider their wisdom. imperative. A Certificate of Deposit that has an early
Ramsey is a Christian, but this book is not about withdrawal fee is not the place for your $1,000, but
Christian finances, per se. His wisdom is, however, neither is your purse.
old-fashioned and sensible. The program he lays out
is simple and straight-forward, but for the person of If you are reading this and thinking, “Ha – a thousand
average self-discipline, kind of tough to follow. dollars might as well be a million!” then I’ll beg you
to read just the first chapter like I was “forced” to do.
The Dave Ramsey financial plan is broken down into It’ll change your outlook and your life. The key is to
seven “baby steps.” Steps 4, 5, and 6 include saving get the money quick, like within a month or two. Sell
for college, quickly paying off your home mortgage, things, cancel your cable and unplug everything that
and investing for retirement. Since those are way uses electricity if you have to. But save $1,000.
down the road for both you and me, I’ll let you read

baby
2
the book and learn about those yourself. I want to Pay down what Ramsey calls
talk about 1-3 and 7. In general, the book assumes the the “debt snowball.” Whereas I
reader is the average American, meaning you have
debt (car, students loans, credit cards). If you’re not
step would have thought that if you
have multiple creditors, the
in debt, good! You’re ahead of the game and the Dave smart thing to do would be to start with the high-
plan will teach you how to never be a slave to money. est interest rate, pay it aggressively, and then move
to the next highest interest rate, Ramsey suggests
Quickly save $1,000. I was surprised by this because I otherwise. He says to start with the lowest balance,
thought he’d want us to pay down debt before saving

7
CENTER RING

pay it aggressively while paying minimum balances
on all other debt, and then move to the next lowest.
Similar to the $1,000 quick cash, the goal is to change
your behavior. It’s a baby step. If you aggressively pay
off your lowest-balance debt, then it should pay off
quickly. Then you’re motivated and encouraged to
When you are finally finished with Baby Step 3, you
step back and think, holy cow. Can you believe you
just did that?! I’m going to skip Steps 4-6, not be-
cause they aren’t important, but because you have
enough to keep you busy for a while. I have to leave
you a reason to read the book, right?

7
keep going! Take everything that you were paying on
your lowest balance, which is now paid in full, and ap- baby But I’m going to be a plot spoiler
and let you in on Baby Step 7:
ply it to the second lowest balance. It snowballs from
there until your debt is paid off quicker than you ever
thought.
step Build wealth and give! One of
the best parts of wealth, besides
peace of mind and security, is being able to give it
Depending on your debt, it might take a couple years away. Have you noticed that poor people can’t help
to make it through Baby Step 2. But once you have, poor people much? Although the Lord loves a sacrifi-
you’ve accomplished something major. Yes, it is dif- cial giver, he has no problem with wealth. Remember:
ficult to sacrifice for so long, but Ramsey’s motto is, the love of money is the root of evil – not money itself.
“If today you will live like no one else, later you can
live like no one else.” The Total Money Makeover spends a lot of time
teaching you about myths and not-so-secret secrets

baby
3
Finish building your emergency about money management. He rants about bad mon-
fund. Right now, you have $1,000 ey habits – and he should know, he had a bunch – and
step stashed away and no debt. That why they will leave you a slave to debt forever. By
same amount that you were pay- the way, Ramsey has been bankrupt and come back
ing toward your debt each month will now be added again, so he learned many of his lessons the hard
to your Emergency Fund. If you had been paying a car way! Ramsey informs on where to invest, how much
payment, credit cards and maybe a student loan, all to invest and strategies for success. It is not a get-
of those payments you no longer have to make can rich-quick scheme, but rather a get-rich-slowly plan.
now be applied toward building your emergency fund
quickly. Most financial advisors recommend having As you become financially independent and rely less
3-6 months of life expenses in the bank. Personally, in on your parents for financial support, you will prob-
this economy, I feel more comfortable with 9-12, but ably run across all kinds of “financial advice.” A lot
it’s your decision. of what you hear may be really, really bad advice –
and certainly not grounded in God’s word. And yet,

8
I wouldn’t say that the Dave Ramsey plan is the only
smart plan out there either. I would encourage you to
read the book and decide for yourself. If nothing else,
it’s hard to argue with his motto that if today you will
live like no one else, later you can live like no one else!
The concept of sacrificing today for a bigger payout
later will be present in any successful financial plan…
and you can take that one to the bank.

Yo u w i l l p r o b a b l y r u n a c r o s s a l l
k i n d s o f “ f i n a n c i a l a d v i c e .” A l o t o f
w h a t y o u h e a r m a y b e r e a l l y, r e a l l y
bad advice – and cer tainly not
g r o u n d e d i n G o d ’s w o r d .

9
THE RECAP

by Jeffrey Bridgman

Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos is an excellent book

with both serious and funny material. As a depiction of
the author’s journey to discover the real Jesus, it con-
fronts some of the darkest questions of the Christian
faith. At the same time it is a comedy of bizarre char-
acters, such as a talking donkey, and strange events,
such as an inner tube race down a ski slope with a phil-
osophical intent – reminiscent of Calvin and Hobbes.
It also contains some exaggerated, fast-paced action,
like getting smashed in the face by a metal bar in a
fight between two imaginary saviors. The reader can’t
help but laugh when the two are subsequently healed
by a televangelist also named Jesus – Mikalatos must
have drawn on his years of clerking in a comic book
store for that one. In any case, this book is never bor-
ing and it leaves the reader wanting more at the end of
each chapter.

10
The story begins with Matt and a foot-bouncin’, iPod him in the face,” and search for the real thing.
listenin’ Jesus hanging out at a cafe in Portland. Matt’s
life takes a turn for the bizarre when a stranger, who Matt recounts a time when his wife’s wrists were
we find out is actually the Apostle Peter, walks in and hurting. He prayed for her and within minutes the
punches Jesus in the face. This helps Matt to realize pain went away. Then he questioned, “What had just
that the man he was hanging out with was an imagi- happened? As strange as this may sound, this obvi-
nary, powerless Jesus, who is not capable of saving ous answer to our prayer frightened me. This was an
him from getting a parking ticket. (Although, I think unexpected and slightly terrifying Jesus.... How do
mine may have totally saved me from getting a park- you deal with a God who breaks all the rules such as
ing ticket last week.) The story continues with Matt the one which says, ‘God doesn’t do miracles today,’
embarking on a wild chase to hunt down and “deal that your confident, well-meaning friends have told
with” this impostor, hoping to uncover the real Jesus. you he will follow?”
But, you still may be wondering, what in the world is Matt eventually concludes he can’t control Jesus, and
an “imaginary Jesus”? is frightened by this fact. But this seemingly good,
The book does a good job articulating this, so below albeit scary, event later becomes the root of Matt’s
are some quotes that should help explain what the doubt and causes him to invent yet another imagi-
author means by this term. nary Jesus. It happens during another situation when
they need a miracle, and this time God doesn’t act.
“They’re constructs that tell you what Matt explains: “Sometimes seeing miracles makes
Jesus will say or do, how he feels, what the later lack of them that much harder.”
he thinks, without ever having to get to
know him.” Anyone who reads this book is likely to discover
they have created their own false concept of Jesus.
“People invent a Jesus for one specific I certainly did. In the course of my walk with Jesus,
reason and then discard him when they I have to admit I’ve turned my back on Him at times
don’t need him anymore.... The real Je- because, “I didn’t want to serve a God like that.” Now
sus is inconvenient. He doesn’t show up I understand that these times of turning away often
when you call. He asks for unreasonable stemmed from an imaginary Jesus who I created, but
things. He frightens people. He can be was tired of serving.
immensely frustrating.”
I’ve definitely met Legalist Jesus. He’s the one that
At one point Matt’s own Imaginary Jesus explains: speaks lies like, “I don’t know why you expect God
“You say you want to get rid of me, but every time to show up. You haven’t been good enough,”or “God
you send me away you call me back. The first prob- doesn’t love you when you disobey Him.” I’ve also
lem you face, the first time you pray and don’t get an met Bargain Jesus – the one that will answer our
immediate answer, you call me back, and extrapolate prayers only if we keep our side of the deal. Both of
answers to your own questions. You’re praying to these gods were so unattractive they almost made
yourself Matt.... But time after time you keep return- me turn away from Christ entirely. But in reality, I was
ing to me because deep down you prefer me to the missing the real Jesus, which is why it’s so important
real thing.” to realize we often have these false images hanging
around. There are probably more of these false con-
Essentially, the author is describing lies we tell our- cepts of Jesus in my life that I’ve yet to uncover, but
selves, and others have told us, about who Jesus is this book helped open my eyes to this critical issue.
– lies that lead us away from Christ. Following the sound advice of this book, we should
One of the goals of this book is to point out the con- seek out these false ideas of Jesus, and send them
cept of error realization. We can’t correct something packing with “a swift punch to their faces and a good
until we know it’s wrong. If we don’t know that our kick in their shins.” Don’t worry, the real Jesus will
concept of Jesus is false, we won’t know to “punch approve.

11
reba ray’s down home healthy cookin’ for one on a budget
T his may well be the easiest set of recipettes I’ve
ever concocted – variations on the theme of wa-
ter! Any maybe yur wonderin’ why I would even both-
er. Well, can I tell you a little secret about yurself?
You’re probably mildly dehydrated. I can say this with
confidence, though it dudn’t give me any joy to do so,
because medical and nutrition experts estimate that
up to 80 percent of the population is walking around
in a constant state of mild dehydration. Feelin’ a lit-
tle thirsty? Maybe, maybe not. Yur body may be so
used to bein’ drained that it doesn’t even send a de-
cent thirst signal for mild dehydration. So, if yur thirst
mechanism isn’t kickin’ in, you need a back-up plan:
Drink 10 cups of water or water-based food and drink
every day. Just make it a habit.
Why? Because even mild dehydration can zap a per-
son of intellect! Ever feel sleepy in class or meetings?
Ever have trouble concentratin’ when it’s time to work
on an assignment? Excuse yurself and go getcha a
big glass of water. I know what yur thinkin: “Then I’ll
have to excuse myself again in 20 minutes to go to
the bathroom.” It’s true that when you start to drink
what you oughta be drinkin’, you have to run to the
potty a lot more than usual. But if you’ll just make 10
cups a day a habit, pretty soon – like within a couple
of weeks – yur body will get used to it and you won’t
be running to the potty every 20 minutes. And you’ll
be operatin’ at yur prime, all the time.
You probably knew that severe dehydration can be
life-threatening. Ever heard of cholera? It can kill a
person in a day simply by dehydratin’ em. Mild de-
hydration is serious stuff too! Because a thirsty body
trickles down to thirsty cells, chronic mild dehydra-
12
Up to 80 percent
of the population is
walking around in
a constant state of
mild dehydration.
Feelin’ a little
thirsty?
tion can mess with yur body systems and organs.
Here’s a quick list of some of the damage lackin’ a
little water every day can cause: headaches, impaired
sleep (except in classes and meetings!), dry skin,
joint problems, sore eyes and digestive disorders, as
well as lack of concentration. Furthermore, you may
have no clue that lack of water is causing or making
worse these conditions: asthma, heart disease, hy-
pertension, infections and more.
Simple enough to fix, though: drink water, right? Ac-
tually, that might not solve the problem. Dehydration
can be caused by just a whole lot of things, so check
out this list of 25 causes of dehydration, only one of
which is that you need to drink more. Disclaimer:
The link above is not a medical reference; it’s a list
compiled by someone wantin’ to sell you fancy wa-
ter purification rituals. However, it’s a really good
list! Most of the medical sites, like Mayo Clinic, just
10. Add ice
list a few causes of dehydration that you might be
lookin’ for in a person needing medical attention. I 9. Tear in half and toss in mint leaves
don’t endorse fancy water purification rituals, but
read Just What You Need in this issue of Single! for
some whistle-wetting gear I do recommend. 8. Gently squeeze and toss in a lemon or lime
wedge
Now, whatcha gonna
wet yur whistle with? 7. Flavored ice cubes (made out of yur favorite
juice).
I don’t fully understand it, but I hear people sayin’
all the time, “I don’t like water.” Well, OK, but ya
still need to drink it, so we better figure out a way 6. Bite and crush a piece of hard candy with the
wrapper still on and then open it into yur water.
to get past that. But first let’s look at some ways
Butterscotch, peppermint and cinnamon all work
that don’t work: Sodas. You read me right! Those well.
tiny bubbles are keepin’ yur body from processing
that water the way it needs to. Caffeinated drinks,
including sweet tea, and alcohol (but you already 5. More candy! Add red hots to the bottom of the
knew that, right?) contribute to dehydration as glass.
well. What does count toward yur 10 cups is any-
thing with water, like fruits and veggies, soup, milk,
juice and decaf coffee or tea. Trouble with gettin’
4. Toss in a few maraschino cherries and a few
squirts of lime juice from concentrate.
all yur daily hydration through sources other than
water is that all the rest of those sources have
calories. For weight management, you gotta drink 3. Try herbal teas. Every grocery store has ‘em.
some water! If you get a decent supply of fruits and
veggies, and maybe eat a yogurt or drink a glass of
milk a day, you probably only need to down 8 cups
2. Go half and half: juice and water. (All juice is a
high calorie way to hydrate.)
of liquid a day. But if yur diet in a day is dry – breads,
pastas, nuts, etc., make it 10 cups of libation. Now
for some ways to dress up water without too much 1. Kool-aid or lemonade singles are an easy way
effort, from least to greatest taste impact. to convert yur liter water bottle into a highly
tolerable sugary beverage.

13
spare change

a
spa
- day -
on spare change

Could you use a

day at the spa?
Just one problem, right – who’s
paying? Your’re on your own
now, and you know what that
means: If you’re going to the spa,
you’re paying. Well, so much for
the spa. But wait! You can have
the same relaxing and fun day
at home, pampering yourself or
sharing the pampering among
friends, on less than $10 for a
full body treatment.
14
by julie ann
It was a tough assignment, but I
$1 $3
made the sacrifice and became
the guinea pig to test at-home spa Honey Yogurt Hands
treatments, so I can fully endorse
these practice to you. They are
Oatmeal Facial: and Feet:
easy, low-cost recipes to cover you Paying $50 to $250 for a salon fa- The manicure and pedicure is the
from head to toe, while costing cial would probably do more harm personal treat of choice for a lot of
mere pennies. And they’re made than good to my face, considering women. But again, why spend your
with natural products you probably the distress I would suffer when time and money at a salon when
already have in your kitchen. they hand me the bill! Even store you can achieve similar results at
brought products for home use home?
are a shock with price tags of $15
$.5 to $25. However, once you see the Instructions: For an at-home mani-
glow on your face after a Honey pedi you will need nail polish re-
mover, basic manicure tools (nail
Hair Hot Oil Yogurt Oatmeal Facial – with a
cool price tag of about a dollar per trimmer and file), a basin for wa-
Treatment: treatment – salon facials won’t ter, Epson salt and/or bubble bath,
a pumice stone or foot file, a mois-
On average, a store bought hot oil even tempt you anymore! turizer and your favorite color of
treatment costs $1 to $3.50 and Instructions: Mix two tablespoons nail polish.
you could expect to pay from $5 plain yogurt, one tablespoon hon-
to $20 at a salon. Instead, head to ey and two tablespoons of cooked First, remove any old polish and
your cupboard and grab your cano- oatmeal, cooled, into a paste and then trim and file the nails. Next,
la oil and you’ll only be spending apply to a clean face. Leave on 10 soak feet/hands in a basin of warm
about 17 to 50 cents per treatment. to 15 minutes and then wash off water (Epson salt for feet, bubble
bath for hands.) For feet, use a
Instructions: Pour two to four table- with a warm wash cloth. pumice stone or foot file to soften
spoons (depending on length and The yogurt contains lactic acid rough spots. Once hands/feet are
thickness of hair) of canola oil into which is great for refining pours, dry, moisturize, run over nails on
a coffee mug and microwave until aids in exfoliation and stimulates hands and feet with a quick swab
warm – about 15 seconds. Then use collagen production. The honey of nail polish remover once more to
a large paint brush to apply to hair. will help keep skin soft and mois- remove any lotion on the nails. Ap-
Leave on for five to 15 minutes and turized. ply polish to nails and relax while
then rinse. This can get messy, so they dry.
make sure you wear old clothes. I’m not a big fan of having gooey
gunk on my face, so I was a little I’m always doing at home mani-
I expected it to be hard to rinse nervous about this treatment. pedis, so this wasn’t a new ex-
out, but it came out nicely and I However, I was pleased with the perience for me. I do a hand and
followed up with my regular con- experience. Although the oatmeal foot treatment about once a week.
ditioner. Afterwards I noticed chunks sticking to my face made About twice a week I change my
my hair was much softer and felt me look a little like Nanny McPhee, fingernail color.
“lighter” than normal. If you have once I washed it off, my face felt
damaged hair, you might want to cool and refreshed. If you have problems painting your
do this once or twice a week until own nails, throw a mani-pedi party
you see improvement. Even purchased in the smallest in- and get your friends to help. Also,
crements, you should have enough check YouTube and search at-
ingredients for several treatments home manicure or pedicure to find
and even a few breakfasts! videos or more in-depth text tuto-
rials.

15
 $5

Body
Scrub:
Don’t put that oatmeal away just
yet because you will need it for
our final treatment: a total body
sugar oatmeal scrub. Store bought
sugar-based body scrubs cost from
$16 to $30 and at a day spa the
price will start around $50. How-
ever, this treatment will be just as
sweet with a price tag of less than
$5 per treatment.
Instructions: Mix ¼ cup brown
sugar, ¼ cup raw oatmeal and ¼
cup extra virgin olive oil. While
standing in the shower, apply on
dry skin with your hands and rub in
a circular motion. Turn on shower
and rinse off. If you want a more
aggressive exfoliation, apply wear-
ing a loopha mit.
I was glad that I was standing in the
shower, because this turned out to
be really messy upon application.
It was a little irritating while I was
rubbing it in, but once I showered it
felt amazing. It left my skin fabu-
lously soft and glowing for several
days.
My skin was a little oily for about
30 minutes after application, so be
sure to avoid good clothes right af-
ter the shower. Because olive oil is
a bit more expensive (that is what
makes the price on this treatment
a little higher) you can experiment
with canola or other types of oil.
Coconut oil is also great, but costs
even more than olive oil.

These treatments are just a

spring board to all kinds of fun,
at-home treatments you can
concoct with natural ingredi-
ents. Find hundreds of options
on the Internet by searching: at
home _____ (facial, body scrub,
etc.). Have fun experimenting
and don’t forget to count up the
money you are saving!

16
 On My Own Now:
Straight talk from the
proverbs for young
Christian women who
want to remain pure,
debt-free and regret-free.
Now available at
www.onmyownnow.com,
at Amazon, B&N and a library
near you.

Unconventionally
conventional
wisdom.
 ⎟Fashion DIVinA⎟
Think you can’t afford to give to charities? Well, can
I ask a personal question? How much did you pay for
your shoes? And how about your favorite T-shirt? If
you bought them retail, chances are you can afford
to give to charity and it will cost no more than you’re
already paying for clothes and shoes.
Next time you have a need (or desire, as is usually
the case) for new clothes or shoes, how about mak-
ing a purchase from one of the growing number of
social entrepreneurs who have committed to doing
good deeds with their profits. Below are five such
organizations, and if you don’t find what you need
by Tamara Jane
18
Why don’t I skip the
clothing purchase and
donate directly to a
charity?
with these companies, searching the
Internet will likely till up other options.
I’ve supported some of these myself and
they’re a great witnessing tool. I’ve been
stopped several times, and questioned
about what I’m wearing and what it
means.
But before you ask, here’s the answer
to the question that will eventually oc-
cur to you: Why don’t I skip the cloth-
ing purchase and donate directly to a
charity? The answer comes from the
Web site of Groobs, a shoe company
that donates $6 to $9 (which is 50%
of its profits) to charity for each pair
of shoes sold. Groob Founder Jason
Fry says, “Do it. Make a difference in
someone’s life. Volunteer, give mon-
ey but why not get your GROOB ON
and make an impact in a person’s life
too?”
Tom’s shoes are no Payless variety,
costing considerably more than bar-
gain shoes, and Tom’s shoes cost
considerably more than Groobs
(see below). But consider this: If
you buy bargain shoes, you get
what you pay for and you probably
do not go out and make a donation
to charity in the same amount as
you spent on shoes. But if you buy
Toms or Groobs, you get a pre-
mium pair of shoes and a com-
parable premium pair of shoes is
donated to a person who may actually be in desper- It’s a great opportunity to raise awareness of a good
ate need of a pair of shoes. I’m not talking need like cause.
we talk need, like my-sneakers-have-a-hole-in-them
need. I’m talking need like has-no-shoes-at-all need.
If you’re already giving a tithe and offerings and liv-
ing on a tight budget, best stick to bargain shoes and
TOMS SHOES
clothes. However, if you’ve been skimping on char- Toms makes comfortable, cute yet simple shoes and
ity or you regularly pay $50 for a pair of shoes and for every pair that is purchased one pair goes to a
$20 for t-shirts, best try to redeem those purchases child who needs a pair of shoes. “One for one.” Re-
by making them part of the global poverty “solution,” cently, Toms reached a milestone in that they have
because at present, they are part of the global pover- given away one million pairs of shoes. Toms sponsors
ty problem. “Solution” is in quotes because I’m not so “one day without shoes” each year on April 5th –
naïve as to think that we can rid the world of poverty. another great conversation starter. (Especially with
In fact, it’s not scriptural. Jesus said the poor will al- the boss!) If you can’t go barefoot in your school or
ways be with us. Yet we are commanded and advised workplace, buy a pair of Toms and wear them on that
over and over in scripture to be kind to the poor and day! Toms is also a great choice if you don’t shop on-
give to the poor. So if you’ve ever wondered how to line. They are carried by shoe stores all over. Find one
go about doing that, you’ll be ecstatic to know that near you.
it’s as easy as going shopping through some of the
companies listed below.
INVISIBLE CHILDREN (IC)
TWLOHA You can purchase T-shirts, tanktops, messenger
bags... and why? To help raise awareness of and end
(to write love on her arms) the longest running war in Africa. Invisible Children
With a motto, “Rescue is possible,” TWLOHA raises uses films, creativity and social action to end the use
awareness about people who are hurting and in need of child soldiers in rebel warfare and restore North-
of love and support, and have expressed this need ern Uganda to peace and prosperity. And this selling
through depression, suicide, eating disorders, cut- clothes thing is working for them as well. On May 24,
ting, burning, other self-mutilation or just by being in- 2010, Jason Russell, Laren Poole and Ben Keesey of
secure. From their online store, buy hoodies, T-shirts, IC joined President Obama in the Oval Office as he
tanktops, wristbands and more that sport a message signed the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda
to let hurting people know you care. Proceeds sup- Recovery Act – proof your contributions make a dif-
port TWLOHA’s mission. ference.
Even if you’re a strict thrift store shopper (and good
WE ARE OVERLOOKED for you and the world if you are), you can still get in-
volved with these charities if in no other way than
Twenty-five percent of the proceeds from the pur- by browsing their sites, becoming familiar with the
chase of clothes and jewelry sold on this site support causes, telling others (in conversation, as well as
ThinkHumanity.org, whose mission is to provide re- through social media), making a direct donation, par-
lief, support and hope for a promising future to refu- ticipating in one of their awareness efforts and best
gees in Africa. I have bought one of their t-shirts that of all, praying for their causes.
says, “This shirt feeds starving children,” on the front,
and on the back it explains, “Each shirt sold provides
one child with a meal a day for a month.” This shirt
is the traffic stopper. I can’t tell you how many times
I’ve been stopped and asked what my shirt is about.

19
A good
DRINK
OF WATER by Donna Lee Schillinger
Man, Reba Ray hit that drinkin’
thang hard, didn’t she? But it’s
not so easy to keep up with 8 to
10 cups of liquid a day. After all,
we have enough to keep track of
without measuring water – which
is just one good reason why just
what you need is a stainless steel
water bottle. They come in sizes
ranging from 12 to 40 ounces, so
you can just do the math and fig-
ure, “I need to drink 3 of these to
get enough water each day.”
Simplicity is one, but by no means
the only, nor the most important
reason to invest in stainless steel.
Probably most importantly, reus-
ing a stainless steel container cuts
down on the plastic water bottle
waste which is now at epic propor-
tions! Save the planet – use stain-
less steel. Of next greatest impor-
tance is our health. Plastic emits a
harmful chemical, BPA, the impact
of which we’re still trying to get a
handle on. Even if we purchase our
water and take it right home and
stick it in the fridge, chances are
that somewhere along the supply
chain that plastic heated enough
to give off some BPA. So the very
essence that’s supposed to be
nourishing our bodies is poisoning
us!
Another great advantage to stain-
less steel is that we can fill it up
from our tap and drink water at a
fraction of the cost we would pay
for plastic bottled water. A review
of four popular brands of water
JUST
W you
HAT
bottle is at GoGreenTravelGreen.
com. It also helps that stainless
NEED
steel bottles are trendy now (you
won’t look like a geek carrying it) vest in a good, but low-
and they don’t change the flavor of cost water filtration system, like
water. a Brita pitcher. No installation,
initial investment is reasonable
But what about that? Maybe
and you can take it with you when
you’ve been driven to the (dispos-
you move. Purchase filters in mul-
able) bottle by bad tap water. Ugh!
tipacks to make them more af-
First, check to see if your city’s
fordable. PUR, another filtration
drinking water just tastes bad or
system you pour tap water into
really is bad. If you pay your own
and then store in the fridge, of-
water bill, the water company will
fers a 2-pack of flavored filters for
mail you a Consumer Confidence
cheaper than their 2-pack of regu-
Report annually by July 1. Public
lar filters. If your water needs a lot
health and safety company, NSF,
of help, try one of their five flavors.
offers a guide to interpreting wa-
For a full and cost-conscious anal-
ter quality reports. Or, get a quick
ysis of water filtration, with links
online report from the Environ-
to purchase the different systems,
mental Working Group’s drinking
visit Cheapism.com’s cheap water
water database – the largest in the
filter page.
world! Enter your zip code, then
select your water company, read What ever happened to drinking
the report and weep! from the hose? Days gone by. Wa-
ter is serious business now, and
If your water actually has a good
that means that we, the consum-
quality rating and just tastes fun-
ers, need to get smart about water.
ny, I highly recommend immers-
As carelessly as we brush our teeth
ing yourself in it, that is, drink it
with the tap running and take long
anyway, all the time, for about two
showers, it would seem we think
weeks and soon you won’t notice
water is free. Consider, however, if
how nasty it truly is. Your taste
we pay $.99 for a 12-ounce bottle,
and smell receptors will become
that we’re actually paying more
satiated for those particular nasty
for a gallon of water than for a gal-
particles and soon you’ll be able to
lon of milk. Would you pay $10.56
actually enjoy your water. But be
for a gallon of milk? Do the math,
warned that after a vacation of a
baby, that’s what you’re paying for
week or more, you might have to
water at $.99 for 12 ounces. Don’t
desensitize yourself again.
drink your paycheck away! Invest
If your water is actually bad, in- in good, cheap water today.
20