Encouraging Ladies of All Ages In Femininity And Biblical Womanhood

Hello Friends!

I’m writing to let you all know that we are nearing the submission entry deadline for the next issue.

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The Theme For The Next Issue Is …

Children! The scriptures say that children are a blessing. Most (if not all) of us have these special blessings in our lives, whether they are our own children, our siblings, our friends, etc. In this next issue, let?s focus on children … whether that be how to care for them, special experiences, funny perspectives, lessons learned, etc. I want to welcome articles, stories and artwork from children in this issue.

Let?s also keep in mind that our Savior said unless we become as children, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven. How does this affect our lives as His followers?

I would also like to have a children photo theme for the cover photos … possibly even collages. If you have any that you think would apply, please feel free to share them.

The Recipe Theme Is … Warm Winter Recipes!

Hot spiced cider, molasses taffy and popcorn … does that conjure up visions of gathering around the fireplace on wintry cold evenings?! In the next issue, we would like recipes that describe winter … or rather, keep you warm and cozy during winter.

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I have very few articles at this point, so I hope to hear from many of you soon. As the theme is about children, I would like to have a section where you all can submit stories and/or funny sayings that you have heard from children. I would also like to see some articles about caring for children and aspects of mothering that we can practice while unmarried. Some of my favorite articles to receive are those that share experiences that have come about through personal experience. As most of us have children in our lives, it shouldn’t be too hard to write about some of the experiences that we have had with them.

I just found a big mistake in the past issue (Vol4 No3) … I put the deadline for material as October 14th, when it should have been September 14th. Oooops! By October 14th, I hope to have the magazine pretty well designed! Anyway, if you could please share your submission(s) by September 14th (next Wednesday), that would be GREAT!! If you are working on something that will not be finished by then, please let me know so that I can keep it in mind.

Abundant Blessings ~ Hannah

Shalom Friends,

I took this issue of the magazines to the post office today, so they should all be on their way … except for the international ones. I do not have the finances to buy postage for those copies at this time, hopefully it will come in soon and I will mail them out. We try not to make a big deal about the finances and make this magazine available to anyone who would like to receive it. However, we do ask that each of you prayerfully consider what your responsibility may be in producing SSM. This is not a business for me or my family, we do not receive any of the money that is donated … all of it goes to cover the magazine expenses. It has always been exciting to see how the Father provides for each need in perfect timing. This is the first time that I have been delayed because of a financial issue.

And while we’re talking about the magazine, I honestly want to know … what does this magazine and ministry mean to you? Does it affect your life in a positive way or is it something that you could just as easily do without? Please understand, I am NOT fishing for compliments! I want to really know if this is touching lives or if I am wasting my time and your money. Publishing this magazine is a project that takes a lot of time and effort for myself and my family. Our hope is that we are serving the Father and blessing others. So I would like to hear from you … I’d like to know how this magazine affects you … I’d like to hear concerns … I’d like to hear thoughts on possible improvements … and if Shining Stars does impact you in a positive way, we would really be blessed to hear testimonies and if not, you can be honest about that too.

Two more things … I do have some back issues available. If you have not seen these copies or would like to share them with friends or people in your congregation, you are welcome to request some – just let me know which ones and how many you want! These are the ones that are available:

Volume Two – Number Three

Volume Three – Number Three

Volume Three – Number Four

Volume Four – Number One

Volume Four – Number Two

Also, our Featured Home Business this month is Sarah’s Knitting Corner and we are hosting a giveaway right now for two items. This giveaway is open to all Shining Stars subscribers, so check out the items here and leave a comment if you’d like a chance to win!

As always, may our Heavenly Father send abundant blessings to you and your family! ~ Hannah

Shalom Friends,

Greetings from Ezuz Israel!  I hope you all are doing well, and counting your blessings :)  We receive so many blessings every day … if we just stopped to count them all, it would take forever!

I want to let you all know that the submission deadline for the next issue is approaching, and I don’t believe I have received a single article! I don’t have any in my inbox, and I’m not sure if any have been submitted by mail, as my family has been checking that for me while I am gone. Anyway, if you want to see another issue of Shining Stars Magazine, it’s up to you to fill it with wholesome, encouraging, and inspiring articles.
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The Theme For The Next Issue Is …

Corner Stones … Psalm 144:12 says; “that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:” What does this mean to you personally? How are you a cornerstone in your family?s home? What are some lessons that you have learned in the process?

Our Heavenly Father … Psalm 45:13 says; “The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.” Our Father in heaven is our King … what does it mean to be all glorious within? How does your relationship with your Heavenly King affect your inner being and your thoughts? What is your relationship like?

Please submit all articles by June 15th. Thank you!

Pen Pal Place …

Do you want a pen-pal? Just send your name, age, snail-mail address, and a little information about yourself. We will try to print your request in the next issue.

The Recipe Theme For The Next Issue Is: Summer Veggies!

What are some of your favorite ways to prepare the garden vegetables this time of year?

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The submission deadline is June 15th, so please pray and see what the Father may give you to share with the rest of us. I will be returning to the States on June 19th, and internet access may be limited over the next couple of weeks, but I look forward to hearing from you all, and will respond as soon as I can.

My brother Tommy and I are having a wonderful time here in Israel, and are so blessed to have this opportunity to visit the Land again. If you haven’t seen our blog, and would like to know more about what we are doing here, you can visit: www.hebrewhillbillies.blogspot.com.

Abundant Blessings  ~ Hannah

Dear Friends,

I am writing to remind you that the upcoming deadline for material is March 14th. I have not received any submissions so far! Below is the theme for the next issue, though we welcome non-thematic articles as well. I want to ask that each of you prayerfully consider what you may have to share. I would love to hear how you personally put these scriptures into practice.

The Theme For The Next Issue Is …

How can we apply the following scriptures to our lives, especially as unmarried young ladies?

Proverbs 31 - Wow! This chapter is chock full of incredible descriptions of an amazing woman! What can we learn from this chapter, and how can we put it into practice?

Titus 2:3-5 - in these verses, older women are encouraged to instruct younger women in several different aspects of life. While they are mainly referring to married women, how can we prepare for those things while we are not yet married?

1Timothy 2:9-15 - what does it mean to dress modestly, and adorn ourselves with good deeds? What does submission look like?

Please share your thoughts by March 14th.

Recipe Theme … Healthy Sweets?

In the next issue, we would like to see some recipes for the sweet tooth, that are full of healthy ingredients! Please submit your recipe by March 14th.

We will be looking for front and back cover photos that compliment the theme of this issue, and you are welcome to share any that may be applicable.

I also want to extend an invitation to all of you who have a ministry designed to encourage ladies in Biblical Womanhood. We do not have a regular ad column, but in this next issue, we would like to include information about ministries that will be a blessing to our readers. Please share briefly about your ministry and its purpose, and include contact info for others to contact you.

I hope to hear from you all soon … Abundant Blessings  ~ Hannah

Shalom Friends,

I think we’ve met our record time of publication speed! I started running copies yesterday afternoon, and was excited to accidentally find a way to make the covers looks better! Usually, I print the color side of the page first, and then the black side. Yesterday, I printed some test copies of the cover, and didn’t like how they turned out! The quality was not anywhere near as good as the original, but as I didn’t have any other options, I just made a note of the settings that I used, and then started printing the black side of the paper. Once those were finished, I started running the copies of the color side, and was amazed! The pictures were so much clearer! I was thrilled! Of course, they don’t look as good as the original, but definitely better than what I was expecting!

While I was printing the covers, I ran out of one of my color cartridges. When I bought this copier almost three years ago, it came with several cartridges of each color. I knew that I had not used all of them, but did not have a clue where the unused ones were! A thought came to me, “Check the tack room”. The tack room in our barn is basically our storage unit, and is full of odds and ends, but I couldn’t imagine that I would have put the toner out there! I started looking in different places around the house, asking family members if they had seen it, and praying that I could find it. The whole time I felt this still small voice telling me to go check the tack room, but I really didn’t think it would be there! I finally decided to go look, but on the way, I kept checking other places in the house that I thought it might be!

Anyone want to guess what was in the tack room? Yes … the toner cartridges were in a box on the shelf … basically the first thing I saw when I walked in! If I had only listened to that quiet voice, I wouldn’t have wasted that time looking in all those places, and getting frustrated because I couldn’t find it! So remember, if you hear a still small voice, it might just be the Heavenly Father offering you some direction ;)

After replacing the toner cartridge, I continued running copies, and finished last night. My family members helped to fold the covers, sort the pages, and staple them together. In fact, we had all the copies assembled by the time we went to bed last night! This morning, we went to the post office to get stamps, and finished the process of applying address labels, sealing labels, and stamps! On top of that, I was able to get all the international ones into envelopes, with the customs forms filled out, and so all the copies were mailed out this afternoon!

I am really excited with how well the process went this time, and very thankful for my family’s help. I also want to thank my sister Ruthie for designing the cover photos! I had the idea of what I wanted done, but didn’t have (or didn’t want to take!) the time and patience to actually do it! She managed to figure out this photoshop program, and put together the covers. I love the way they turned out, and am very glad that she took the time to do that!

For those of you here in the States … if you do not receive your magazine by the end of this week, please let me know, and I will send out another copy. For those of you who are overseas, it should take a little longer to get there, but I will be sending a separate email to let you know what the following issue is about! I hope that all of you will pray about what you may have to contribute for the next issue.

Thank you all for your prayers, feedback, and support! I always enjoy hearing from you. Abundant blessings on you and your family  ~ Hannah