True Woman - A woman's great loveliness

A Woman’s Great Loveliness

What comes to mind when you hear the word modesty?*

• To be modest is to:
  • know how to be appropriately embarrassed
  • be discreet
  • be reserved
  • see yourself as you really are
  • be ashamed if your attitudes or dress were ever to cause dishonor to Christ
    
• To be immodest is to:
  • be showy
  • talk too much
  • be arrogant
  • be aggressive, controlling or domineering.

That was the email teaser sent as part of the 31 day devotions following the True Woman conference I attended in September. Here is the rest of Nancy DeMoss's devotion.

1 Timothy 2 reads as follows, I have highlighted verses 9-10:

1First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle ( I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

8I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

Nancy makes a point of saying how this includes women of all ages...girls, teens and adults. We are to be modest in how we present ourselves. How we dress should show our modesty of heart.

Different bible versions translate these words differently. Above you see how the english standard version approaches it "With modesty and self-control". Other versions will put it as

If you have the New American Standard Bible, it says "modestly and discreetly." In the New International Version it says "with decency and propriety." And then I like the King James Version because it's intriguing, one of the words it uses. It says women should be adorned "with shamefacedness and sobriety."

Two heart attitudes need to be shown when we are clothing ourselves.
Modesty/decency/shamefacedness and discreetly/propriety and sobriety. Today Nancy is only looking at the first aspect of this. The Modesty/decency/shamefacedness aspect.

Take seriously how you dress...it reflects the inner you. Do you want to seem BEFORE GOD as a flashy person who cares not about others? Come on...think about it. If you dress with your cleavage or your tummy showing...are you showing care and concern for your brothers in Christ? Caring for the family of God is part of what we do as believers.....our brothers in Christ need to do the same for us too. WE just need to take more care in how we dress because it affects them more. It really does. Have a solid talk sometime with a solid Christian brother and ask them how they are affected by the things that they see. It'll be an eye-opener! :)

If you knew that how you dressed caused men to be distracted in their Christian walk how would that make you feel? Would you be appropriately embarrassed?

How do you want to be seen as a believing woman?

Do you want your humble, modest heart showing? Or do you wish to be loud and boisterous?

Now honestly I read this and I go okay....Does that mean that folks have to go around dressed in long skirts and long sleeves? I don't think so. But we all know the difference between someone who is well put-together and someone who well...is showing more than they aught. :) Are the clothes they wear well-fitting or just a tad bit tight? Are appropriate areas of the body covered well? Do you have to be careful when you bend down? That kind of thing.

It's more than a taste of fashion....it's a heart attitude and knowing how to wear what that is helpful to the larger Christian family and shows ....Ah... i don't know. Honestly when it comes to clothing and apparell...I"M NOT THE PERSON TO TALK TO. Go read Nancy's piece...she's better at that than I am. :) Here's some questions she has:

Let me ask you some questions that I was just thinking about that maybe will help apply this matter and ask, "Am I a modest woman?"

• Do I wear respectable clothing, clothing that is orderly, decent, that doesn't cause distraction or temptation to others?
• Do I have a humble view of myself?
• Do I have a high view of God?
• Am I guilty of advertising or promoting myself? If I am guilty of advertising or guilty of promoting myself, I am not a modest woman. I don't have a modest heart.
• Am I appropriately reserved in the way I talk, in my speech? Or do I talk too much? Most of us as women have to wrestle with that one. The answer for most of us is yes, we do talk too much.

But show what your heart is before God...that's what we're to do as Christian women...show our hearts...even in the things that we wear. It's not always just what we do, but it's in our attitude toward life. Are we walking in ways that show a heart that is submissive to God? This is shown in our clothing, in our actions, in our speech...it's a whole life thing.

For me...clothing is a non-issue. I dress conservatively and somewhat casually. I don't for the most part do dresses (beyond a sun dress in the summer). I like skirts and pants and coverage. :) For the most part...it's just clothes...does it fit? Do the colours go together? Okay...I'm good. I depend on my mom and my hubby for advice in this department.

For me....it's my attitude that I need to watch. Am I treating my fellow believers with the concern that I aught? Am I showing my submissive heart (before God) to the world without rebellion? Am I showing proper respect to God and others by getting to church on time and not being loud and boisterous? Not always so easy that! But God calls for me to do this....to have a proper respect to worship. To have a humble, modest heart that doesn't promote ME.

What do you need to work on?

My thoughts....

A while back Kim posted on some conversations that she had been part of. My response to her post was that I totally understood it, and said when I had a moment, (and a brain) that I would post why I get this.

One of them confessed to me that at times, people have said things like "God is just psychological" and that our belief is just our minds playing tricks on us. This young person feels frightened by the prospect that he can see how people might conclude that.

And the sad thing (in some ways) is that I get this.

Two of them shared stories about how wearying it is to "fake it" as a kid growing up in the church, i.e. having doubts and questions but not feeling free to verbalize them.

AND I get this.

Asking questions? People don't like that. It can symbolize doubt and worry and comments of "Just believe it...don't think about it too much".

I am a person who regularly doesn't "feel" my assurance of faith.
I STRUGGLE to believe that my faith is really real. That I'm somehow not just fooling myself.
I regularly confess this to God, but unfortunately this battle is NOT going away.

I stand on that fact that I know that God is real. That I know that he loves me and that I love him. That I want to do things for him, that raising my son for him is so very very important to me.

BUT in creeps doubt...what if I am just fooling myself. What if God really isn't real?
And I have to come back to this.....even IF I'm just fooling myself somehow, I would rather risk believing him and have that eternal reward rather than to risk not believing in him (God) and missing out on that total freedom of loving him totally when I die. Does that make any sense?

Oh...How I long for a day when I have NO doubt. To just not have any. To know that God is so real and so alive and so much just there. And I firmly believe that I will have that when I die (or in those final days kinda thing.....). That until then I have to hold on to the I believe because it's the better option in the long run. AND not take the easy out of "but maybe it's not really real" and therefore I can live however I want to (like a mindless animal). no thanks. Let me struggle with my faith and my belief and be changed by God in things I don't expect to be changed in.... I'll take that over the option of giving into doubt and fear and ending up in a very scary place. Just don't want to go there.

As a pastor's wife....letting people know these doubts and fears? Are you nuts?
I just can't go there. I have to, even on my hardest days, just continue living as though my heart is just fine. That I'm not struggling within the depths of myself. I lived for my teen years feeling like I was just pretending the whole thing. As a young adult living on my own I gave in lots of "okay...this is just too hard to do so lets not". BUT then God called me back....and I know that that is exactly what he did. I would NEVER want to be an young adult again. Those years were TOUGH.

What have I learned throughout my years of loving God?
One... there are always people in the visible church that one can safely ask questions of. Pastors tend to be pretty good (not always but often). What you want are people that have kind hearts and a firm faith. Even teens can figure out who these people are if they take their time and watch.
Two... Regular bible study time is VITAL. Without it, things are much tougher. So when I ask that people to pray for me to figure out regular devotions again with a busy toddler in the house... hmm...there's reason for that. :)
Three....just LISTEN to God's word. Even if you don't 'get it all', it doesn't matter. eventually you'll get it...at least get what you need to stay true to God and to give him glory in all that you. Seriously...you will.
Four...know that even if you have doubts, Know that believing in God is the better option in the long run. AS LONG AS you have thoroughly examined your heart. Sometimes Doubt is God's way of putting a check on your Spirit. Do you really believe in his promises? Do you really believe that Christ died FOR YOU? if you doubt that...get your heart right before God, believe in his promises for you. BUT if you do believe in those promises and his death for you... just keep on over and over and over again saying God...MAN>..this is so hard. Help me to believe in you more. Help me to know that my faith in you is not just a figment of my imagination. AND HE WILL. sometimes it will be odd in how he does that, sometimes it will be really straightforward...but assurance will come. :) Might not always feel there...but it will be there.

Okay...think that enough rambling on this for now. Not an easy post to write but hey .. promised I would. Cheers!

Christian Carnival, fifth anniversary edition

Today is the fifth anniversary of the Christian Carnival. We have alot of posts made for today. :) With that in mind I searched for some clip art that symbolized in one way or the other, fifth anniversaries. You'll find them scattered throughout.

Real Estate Investing Journey sent us this post on Expectations Kill Happiness, so Kill your Expectations.

In How To Succeed In The Face Of Failure And Discouragement we show how expectations can derail your real estate ambitions before you even get a chance to start.

An Emerging Relativism is sent to us by Returning King.

"Relativism" is the philosophical concept that a certain aspect of one's experience is dependent upon another.

Doug Boude submits My Yoke is Easy and my Burden is Light.

Want to be a good man or woman? Want to truly become a new creature, or put on Christ, or any other phrasing that means the same thing? It’s your actions on the outside that have the ability to change who you are on the inside. Knowledge is a first prerequisite, but the doing of it is what actually accomplishes true change.

Thank you is sent to us by Christ's Bridge. Here we find a prayer for President Obama.

Homeward Bound reflects on Her Needs, My Needs. Thought this a good entry, couldn't clip a piece out of it that would be full enough, without copying the whole post. Eph 5:25 restated to make it more readily apparent if you are obeying it. Just go read it. :)



Your Christian voice sends us Tract Attack.

Now I admire this girl and her dedication to spread God's word. I believe that in her heart she was doing a great thing and it was a perfect non abrasive way to educate a non Christian about her beliefs, but as I read over the tract she had given me I felt somewhat disturbed with what I was reading and saddened that her efforts may be in vein a lot of the time.

Fish and Cans shows up with True Woman - Affirming our Faith.

You don’t leave the house with your clothes on inside out, but when it comes to modesty, that’s what you need to do. First, work on the inside—on your heart—then let that be reflected on the outside.*

• Your appearance, actions, and attitudes will never make you a Christian. But if you are a Christian, you absolutely will have an appearance, attitudes, and actions that confirm your profession of faith.
• We are not to be in any way that is unbecoming of us as believers—not in disarray; not as exhibitionists; not extreme.
• We need be filled with the Spirit and grounded in the Word of God so that our hearts, emotions, and minds will be well-ordered; then it will be reflected in our outward appearances.

• 
  

Spirituality comes directly from the blog Sweet Escape - Inspiring thoughts.

Spirituality is often simply accepting where life takes you. We feel that life is happening TO us. We're in this stream of life, and instead of relaxing into it, we're swimming as hard as we can against the current. That goes against our spiritual instinct. The spiritual instinct is to relax into the mystery of life as it's happening.

Christian Business Advice makes us think with this post on 300 Men can make a difference Part III.

Believe it or not, there are a lot of similarities of the Spartan soldiers in the movie 300 and the plight of today’s Christian Leaders. After watching the movie, I spent the next couple of days reading and researching more on these 300 men who willingly took the “Road Less Traveled.” What was their motivation? Why did that seem like the only option? Why does their story remind me so much of the Christian journey

?A true Believers Blog gives us Prayer as Synthemata.

This question has been all the rage ever since Pres-elect Obama chose Saddleback’s Pastor Rick Warren to give the opening invocation for the Inauguration tomorrow. I’ve been following the controversy with some amusement.

The pray without ceasing experiment is brought to us by Christian PF.

That said, I think he was referring to more of a continual fellowship with God. Not knowing everyone’s situation, but judging from my own life, my hunch is that one of the biggest challenges our generation faces is distraction. Never has there been so many things fiercely fighting for our attention. But God isn’t. He is a gentleman, who is waiting for us to draw near to Him (James 4:8).

Oline E-book e-Publishing Blog gives us Why so Sad? and Bad times 101.

Today it only take one a few moments in public to bump into someone who is extremely sad and down on their luck. Today there is an abundance of sadness and depressed people all walking around as if in a daze.

Chasing the Wind writes this about Walking in Christ.

Some philosophies of life are awe-inspiring. Others are depressing. Philosophies of “live it up” or “just getting by” or “what’s in it for me” tell us a lot about the person who believes them. Would it surprise you to know that Christ has a philosophy for us? Jesus Christ wants us to walk the Christian walk.

Thoughts and confessions from a girl who loves Jesus writes on Psalm 103 - Bless the Lord, O My Soul.

By the time I got relieved for lunch, all I wanted to do was go spend time with the Lord. I was still sad and I just needed Him. I wanted Him more than I wanted food. I went outside and sat on the curb and cried. I just poured my heart out to Him. I apologized for being a complainer and for always being sad. Then I opened the Psalms because I find comfort there. I memorized Psalm 23, which I find very comforting. Then I found Psalm 103. The following verses really hit home.

Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged is held forth by You are Truly Loved.

We’ve all heard the famous statement in the Bible saying, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”

Great, but what does that really mean? I recently listened to Bashar explain this statement and it was truly an eye-opening experience so I’d like to share this realization with you all now.

It seems that the above statement regarding judgment has been misinterpreted by people over time, something very common (and actually almost unavoidable) when people try to understand something that someone who’s coming from a much higher level of consciousness has said. In the process there’s been some information that was, shall we say, lost in translation.

Crossroads composed this post on More on this a and b dilemma. Another of those hard to pull out a teaser posts....this post will make you think. Perhaps you can even help. Go read it. :)

Your Christian Voice communicates with this piece on Don't worry, be happy.

In these tough economic times it seems there is a lot of worry on the minds of everyone. Whether it be worrying over losing your job, losing your home, losing your car or all of the above there is a large amount of stress and pressure put on many of us. These times are when we need to reach out to God most of all. God is always with us and can carry us through what seems to be the worst. He is our strength when we are weak and our shelter from the storm.

Richard (of the really long blog name). :) created this work in progress on The Samaritans.

Outside the Camp suggested that the unknown author of the Epistle to the Hebrews wrote to the Jewish Christian communities in Jerusalem served by the ministry of meals. One of those communities was the Samaritans.

How Great thou Art was a piece pictorially and verbally created by The Radiant view.

When I look around this beautiful world that we live in, I cannot help but to see the awesomeness of God everywhere!

Heart, Mind, Soul and Strength submits The New Prophesies and Dates of the Gospels.

Now that we have reviewed all of the new prophecies recorded by the authors of the four gospels, we are in a position to look for patterns that may indicate the date of authorship. We have seen some of the problems in determining to what exactly the prophecies are referring. When the reference is clear we can review the way the prophecies are handled and look for patterns that may indicate the date of authorship.

Security Alert: No Download Allowed is presented by A Mother's Season.

God paid extra attention to one particular part of our being....our hearts. God has given us our children to "train up in the way that they should go, so when they are old they will not depart from it (training). We are here to guide them along with God's help. So what kind of security settings have we wired into their hearts and minds that will give the same message when the world around them tries to download a corrupt file. Those totally contrary to your own beliefs. While we would like to be everywhere our children are, we can't be. We have firewalls for our computers, antivirus software, shop through secure websites. How much more important are our children?

Parableman comes to us with The broadness of Inerrancy.

Inerrancy is often criticized as a narrow position, but there's actually a wide range of views that count as inerrantist.

From Diary of One we learn about Berthe Fraser.

In Nazi occupied France during the dark days of WWII, there was a group of valiant and daring individuals known as the French Resistance. They dared to defy the vice-grip of Nazi Germany (as well as the French collaborators) using stealth, reconnaissance, infiltration, and whatever means necessary to save their beloved country and fellow man from destruction. Most of these brave souls were subject to betrayal, unspeakable torture, or death. One of these members of the French Resistance appeared to be an ordinary housewife, but Berthe Fraser was anything but ordinary.

Happy Fifth Anniversary Christian Carnival!

Blog Roll Call again

I'm a little late catching up with some blogs...and right on time for others. :) T'is life you know.

IslandSparrow gave me this to ponder.

Jen explaining what's going on.

Don't know if I've blogged this one before or not...but I still like this post on extended scripture memory.

Kingdom People gave me "why we are pro-life".

Cyber Hymnal - new website

kerux noemata alerted me to this update.

Cyber Hymnal has a new website.

What I'm listening to with Justin....

"happy birthday dear God" being sung.

All his stuffies are having a party, and they are singing "happy birthday dear God" in many different voices. :)

makes me smile.

What we've been listening to...

We've been listening to this feller lately. Ted Tripp on parenting.

Thought provoking.

Helpful.

Discussion provoking.

Complete with "stop arguing!" emanating from the back seat of the van. "Justin....we're not arguing...we're discussing things". Followed up by "stop discussing stuff" being very vocally expressed from the same place. And then came the command...."Just listening to the radio! Just listening!"

Made me and Jim laugh. :) So we shut up and just listened. :)

Oh...and here's another place to go for more from Ted Tripp.

True Woman - Affirming our Faith

Affirming Our Faith

You don’t leave the house with your clothes on inside out, but when it comes to modesty, that’s what you need to do. First, work on the inside—on your heart—then let that be reflected on the outside.*

• Your appearance, actions, and attitudes will never make you a Christian. But if you are a Christian, you absolutely will have an appearance, attitudes, and actions that confirm your profession of faith.
• We are not to be in any way that is unbecoming of us as believers—not in disarray; not as exhibitionists; not extreme.
• We need be filled with the Spirit and grounded in the Word of God so that our hearts, emotions, and minds will be well-ordered; then it will be reflected in our outward appearances.

And so we continue study about becoming better women for God. :) Nancy's whole lesson can be found here.

1 Timothy 2 reads as follows, I have highlighted verses 9-10:

1First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle ( I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

8I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

Nancy goes into the word meanings of some of the original words used here.

The word adorn, kosmeo, is a word that means "to put in proper order." It's used of decorating a house, of arranging furniture, of trimming oil lamps in the New Testament culture: "to put in proper order, to arrange, to decorate." It means "to make ready."

and then later..

Now, that word apparel is the word katastole. It is a word that speaks of loose-draped garments. Without belaboring the point here, I think it goes along with the concept of what is modest dress. That's dress that is not form-fitting or tight-fitting on us as women. This is a word that speaks of something that is loosely-fitted.

and then:

We are to be in respectable apparel, to adorn ourselves in respectable apparel. That's the word kosmios. It's a word that means "orderly" or "decent." John MacArthur says that word is the opposite of chaos.

Now doesn't that give a better idea about how we are to be dressed for church worship? Giving thought to our appearance and how it reflects on us and God?

When you go to be with the people of God, when you go to church, are you prepared? Are you appropriately attired? Have you arranged yourself in a way that reflects well on the Lord?

Encouragement for a pastor's wife

Check out Biblical Christianity.

Things Sent by Email that I'm choosing to share

twinkies.

Santa's Jigsaw (justin had fun doing this).

True Woman - Women in the Church

today is day 11 into our study on what makes a True Woman. First we studied Proverbs 31, now Nancy heads off to study 1 Tim 2: 9-10. This is the teaser sent in the email to me.

For the next ten days of our make-over, we’ll journey with Nancy Leigh DeMoss through her teaching on 1 Timothy 2:9-10 titled “The Attractive Christian Woman.

Women in the Church

Women can be either a great blessing in the church, or they can do incredibly great damage. They can make the gospel believable, or they can cause people to turn away from Christ.

• The first item Paul brings up on his agenda for women in the church is their appearance.
• The way you dress is a reflection of your heart and character. Right attitudes will produce a right appearance.
• You can't separate the inward from the outward.

1 Timothy 2 reads as follows, I have highlighted verses 9-10:

1First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man^[a] Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle ( I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

8I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

Hmmm....know what I just noticed? This section is all done in the context of prayer. Just as men should pray raising their hands before God, women who pray dressed in a manner that is respectful. hmmm.....interesting that. Just different sides of the self-same coin isn't it? But perhaps in a way that hits more home for many of us women. How we dress reflects sometimes in part how we think. Are we dressing to impress others or are we dressing to show our attitudes toward God?

Anyways, lets go see what Nancy has to say today about this passage and how we are to act as as Christian women. The rest of her talk is found here. With the entire series being found here.

Nancy points out this:

That is the first item he brings up on his agenda for women in church. He talks to women about their appearance or their attire, and then he talks to them about their attitudes, and then he talks to them about their actions.

We're going to look at each of these in the next few days. He says that the way these women dress is a reflection of their heart and their character. If they have right attitudes, that will produce a right appearance. What I think he is saying is that you can't separate the inward from the outward.

Do you see how the one shows the other? Our hearts show up in how we dress, how we dress shows the attitude of our hearts. It's a mutual reflection.

Part of me finds it easy to ignore these verses since Paul talks about clothing and outward appearances and that's not terribly important to me, but I do have to wonder sometimes.....how can I apply this to MY life. Not the lives of people that I know that I have to wonder...what are they thinking going to church dressed like that?!?!?!? That is NONE of my business (it's between them and God). How is my heart, before God, reflected in how I dress? That is what I need to consider.

The question for many then will be....what is deemed to be respectable apparel? What accurately portrays the heart of a woman humble and godly? Braided hair isn't a big deal these days, people often wear jewelry in church (nowadays that can be both men and women), and costly attire...wow...many things today are costly to purchase...and this is something that is in the eye of the beholder. What I think is pricey other people think is normal. So it's got to be a bit more than all that I should think? But seeing as it's the attitude that is the more important here that's what we as women can address amongst ourselves. Is our attitude just to go to church and worship God? OR is our attitude to dress as best we can and show that we clean up nicely?

Then of course one wants to avoid the other spectrum of dressing too casually in a manner that reflects the lack of importance we attach to worshipping God. God is a God to be feared, worshipped, respected....how do we show that?

How do we show our respect of God in how we dress? What say you? What is that happy medium?

I have to admit...I don't know. I personally like to wear pants...particularly in the winter. I find it easy, convenient and it suits my personality. I've never really been a dress wearer. But is that suiting MY convenience? Am I being respectful of God by choosing my preference in clothing? I have to admit...I don't feel any different going to church if I'm wearing dress pants or a skirt....to me they are overall just clothes (and clothes really aren't that important to me) and my heart can be with God or well....more distracted.

Stuff to ponder isn't it?

added: I found this post by my hubby fitting with today's thoughts on what our bodies should be reflecting. He's doing a thing on Calvin's Institutes this year, and yesterday he talked about what it means to have a pious mind.

Dirty Wash? Email

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.
The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean", she said.
"She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap"

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:

"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?"

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."

And so it is with life.. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

Update from Doctor

So the doc called last week and I just didn't get here to update.

All my blood work has come back and I'm fine that way.

A few more tests to run.

I'm getting more convinced that I've got a bad bug that just has to finish making it's way out of my system. And that will just take some time.

Means watching what I eat for a while yet. No tomatoes or anything spicy.

Bit of a pain overall though. :)

Proverbs 31 - high and holy calling

Day 9 of the true woman conference devotions starts off with this teaser in my mailbox.

High and Holy Calling

In Proverbs 31, we read about a woman who gives and gives and gives. How does she keep giving?

• You're never more like Jesus than when you're serving.
• What a blessing it is for a man to know that there's a wife at home who's watching and praying on his behalf, praying that as he goes out into the world, God will protect him and keep his heart pure.
• It is a high and holy calling to be a helper to your husband and to manage the affairs of your household.

This whole series of devotions has been centred around Proverbs 31:

10 An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29"Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.

I have to admit...Nancy lost me in this one. She started talking about one of the ways that we can serve our families is by praying for them. But then veers off into talking about not being idle, of becoming or being woman who are busy and not being lazy. I did not make the connection to the two.

So focusing first on the aspect of prayer. It does not say specifically in Proverbs 31 that this woman is a woman of prayer. It talks about how she is a woman who fears the Lord. How she is kind and wise and busy about her duties. I have a hard time imaging a woman who fears the Lord as this one does who doesn't take time to pray. What do we pray for? Most generally the things that are dear to us....our families, our friends, our communities, the jobs that we do and so forth. This is just a reminder to me that praying for these things is an important part of my day. I have a thing up on my bulletin board that gives me things that I can pray for concerning my son every single day. Do I use it every day? no....but if I'm ever stuck (as if) then I have something to fall back to. I had it impressed upon me early in my marriage that the most important thing I can do for my hubby is pray for him. I do that. I pray for him as a pastor, I pray for him as a man, I pray for him as a believer in the One true God. I pray for my son that he grows to know God, to be a person called after God's own heart. If he is, the rest of who he aught to be will fall into place. We have a prayer calendar in church that encourages us to pray for the families in our church...every 42 days or so every family in our church is prayed for.

Now as the how point of idleness.....isn't this something we are all prone to? wanting to just sit back and take care of me? You know .... sleep in that extra half hour, read a book, play on the computer and so forth. The sit back and read a book or sit aimlessly on the computer are my nemesis in life AND I'm slowly learning to control them better. To spend more time doing stuff for others and not just doing my own thing. To just sit back in my chair in the evening and spend time with my hubby when he's home instead of redoing my website or playing computer games. :) To go play trains with my son...or scrapbooking as I did yesterday when ALL I wanted to do was read a book or go to bed for a while. :)

It's all about making choices. Do we serve ourself, do we serve others, or do we choose to serve God in how we live our lives? Service to God takes all sorts of forms....and if we're wives and moms....what do think he's given us to do? let us serve God well by serving our families well.

Two news Items that caused conversation between Jim and I

Lottery ticket rip-off. It's like come on folks...pay up!

Mac's newest computer. Real you think????

Hmm....perhaps this for next newsletter?

Jim found this post called Evangelism. Perhaps I'll put this into the next church newsletter. (after getting all permissions of course). :)

Been to Doctor

So was at the doctor today.

She's a bit stumped as to what all has been plaguing me for most of the month of December.

So she's running a bunch of tests to see if she can figure things out.

I figure I picked up a bug of some sort or other than I just can't shake off. But she wants to rule other things out as she says some of the stuff I've told her is a bit odd so she wants to do a bit of search and discovery. Who knows...maybe she'll surprise me with some real information!

ON a good news though...I can reduce the amount of Iron I am taking. I can go from 2 down to one! :) YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today in Church

Justin usually goes out of the church service during the hymn before the sermon is preached.

We've been doing sunday school lessons with him.

Today we looked at Genesis three.

The synopsis. God made a nice place for adam and eve to live. Everything was nice to each other. in the middle of the garden God put a tree and said to Adam and Eve...DON'T eat the fruit or you will die. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and had to leave the nice garden and they eventually died.

After we drew pictures and talked about it (amidst a 1000 why questions) Justin's response was...

J- No mommy...shut the bible... it's wrong.

me - Wrong? What do you mean Justin?

J- Why they die? They don't die. That not real. Shut that bible. I don't like that story it's wrong.

me - but Justin they did die because they couldn't be with God.

J- No...see walking away...No being fake. (that's dying to Justin).

(looking at the pictures we drew).
I don't like that snake. That snake not talking with that lady. That lady NOT being bad. That lady stay in nice garden. That snake being bad! and then laughter...SNAKES DON"T TALK Mommy!!!!!

I COULD NOT budge him.
The story was wrong.
The lady was just fine. She was not going to be fake. That man was bad and shouldn't listen to the snake. That man shouldn't talk with that snake in the nice place. and snakes really don't talk.

Children....stretch you sometimes......

So how would you handle this? Because I'm stumped!

On an interesting note though while going through this lesson with Justin I discovered this:
In Genesis three I read this:

He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" 2And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"

But in Genesis Two God's actual command was this:

16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

So Eve not only listened to the snake challenging what she thought God said...she actually changed what God had said in the first place. I just found that enlightening.

From an Email

All Puns Intended! lol

1. Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married.
The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.

2. A set of jumper leads walk into a bar.
The bartender says, 'I'll serve you, but don't start anything.'

3. Two peanuts walk into a bar, and one was a salted.

4. A dyslexic man walks into a bra.

5. A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm, and
says: 'A beer please, and one for the road.'

6. Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other:
'Does this taste funny to you ?'

7. 'Doc, I can't stop singing 'The Green, Green Grass of Home.'
'That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome.'
'Is it common ?'
'Well, It's Not Unusual.'

8. Two cows are standing next to each other in a field.
Daisy says to Dolly, 'I was artificially inseminated this morning.'
'I don't believe you,' says Dolly.
'It's true; no bull!' exclaims Daisy.

9. An invisible man marries an invisible woman.
The kids were nothing to look at either.

10. Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.

11. I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day, but I couldn't find any.

12. A man woke up in a hospital after a serious accident.
He shouted, 'Doctor, doctor, I can't feel my legs !'
The doctor replied, 'I know you can't - I've cut off your arms !'

13. I went to a seafood disco last week...and pulled a mussel.

14. What do you call a fish with no eyes ?
A fsh.

15. Two fish swim into a concrete wall.
One turns to the other and says, 'Dam !'

16. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were a bit cold, so they lit a fire in the craft.
It sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

17. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel, and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office, and asked them to disperse.
'But why,' they asked, as they moved off.
'Because,' he said, 'I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer.'

18. A woman has twins, and gives them up for adoption.
One of them goes to a family in Egypt, and is named 'Ahmal.'
The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him 'Juan.'
Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother.
Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she
also had a picture of Ahmal.
Her husband responds, 'They're twins ! If you've seen Juan, you've
seen Ahmal.'

19. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time,
which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet.
He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet,
he suffered from bad breath.
This made him (Oh, man, this is so bad, it's good) .....
A super-calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

20 And finally, there was the person who sent twenty different puns to his friends, with the hope that at least ten of the puns would make them laugh.

No pun in ten did.

Blogs Posts to Consider

I'm thinking of putting this one in our church's next newsletter.

I liked this post from Kim.

The importance of Pet Insurance spelled out.

I liked this one on extended scripture memorization. :) makes me think to do this with our buggy.

Holly did a series on Muslim/Christian discussions.

oh...and Lisa has moved her blog. Deo Volente is here now.

Proverbs 31 - what does your home communicate?

On this day eight of the true woman makeover study, Nancy sent this email teaser:

What Does Your Home Communicate?

What is your home saying to your neighbors or the repairman who stopped in last week? Discover how an orderly home can bring glory to God.

• God gave you the responsibility to watch over your children—to know when they're coming, when they're going, and what they're doing.
• If you have lots of time to talk on the phone, you may be missing out on some of the things you should be doing with that time. When we have lots of time to talk, we tend to become gossips and busybodies.
• Through a repentant heart and a teachable, humble spirit, all of us can learn to acquire those skills and disciplines we need in order to be the women God wants us to be.

Today Nancy's focus is on the words that this woman speaks. From Proverbs 31 we read:

10An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.

12She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29"Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.

Today the focus is on verse 27, "she looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness". Nancy expands on it here. I have to admit, today....this doesn't impact me. I read it and think...okay yeah...I'm supposed to "look well" to my household. To keep an eye on what is happening, to be aware of what my son is doing, to be aware of what's going on with my hubby and such like. I read what Nancy has to say and part of me thinks....so? I do this. What of it? NOT a good attitude! :) One that I do need to have nipped. I can do a better job of it. Just right now I don't care to anything different than what I'm doing. Probably being too honest here.

So .... let's think on this some, see if I can have my attitude adjusted somewhat.....

God tells me in verse 27 here that part of being a virtuous woman...part of being a good wife, a good woman in his eyes is that I see my responsibilities for what they are. I NEED to be aware of what is going on with my family. Do they need the kitchen clean in order to feel more able to be at rest? Do they need me to monitor friendships, or even help create friendships? Does my hubby need for me to get off the computer and sit on the couch with him... "doing nothing" (I have to see that I'm not doing nothing...I"m sitting with him and just spending time with him). This is just as important as the other stuff that I do. How can I be more alert to the spiritual needs of my household...God gave me this particular household for a reason so I must be aware of what is going on with it and respond to it as I'm given insight.

so see??? I need to look beyond myself to God and what his expectations are. When I do that...when I see God more and myself less THEN (and only then) does this piece of scripture impact my life more.

Oh may that become my daily heart-meant prayer....that I see God more and myself less and therefore act as God wouldst have me act.