Should Women Vote?

In light of the fact that this is the anniversary week of Women's Suffrage, I issue forth a question that I hope all my readers will take the time to answer:

In your opinion, should women have ever been given the right to vote? Why or why not?

When I return from vacation, I will weigh in with my own opinion on this subject and the reasons behind my beliefs in this area.

Thank you very much for your input, everyone!

*P.S. I will be leaving for vacation tomorrow morning, Sat. Augu. 29th. I'm currently writing up numerous posts which will be scheduled to be published while I' m gone. I will have brief computer access while on vacation, so I will be moderating comments and may publish an unscheduled post while on vacation! :) Have a blessed weekend everyone, and a great Labor Day!

Sen. John S. McCain's VP pick: Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin

Just when we thought America was going to be able to go through another election year without the possibility of a woman in the White House(as either Pres. or VP), our hopes were dashed with the news of today.

Sen. John S. McCain has chosen Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin to be his VP, which means that we may very well have a female Vice President-for the first time in American history. Gov. Palin is the first Republican woman in history to ever be on a Presidential ticket. It's dicouraging that even that political party which has always been more conservative is now ok with picking a woman to be on the ticket. Secondly, it was saddening to hear Sarah Palin's speech where she said, "It's such an honor to be chosen VP on a day so close to the anniversary of women's suffrage." It's a sad time in our nation's history, as even more and more, America falling under the curse found in Isaiah 3:12:

"As for My people, children are their oppressors and women rule over them."

America has, for too long, been apostate in its beliefs, actions, laws, disrespect for God, etc., and God is not willing to just sit back any longer. If we do not begin, as a country, to return to the "old paths wherein there is life", we will face the judgment and wrath of God on our nation. It is time that we fall on our knees and repent of our unfaithfulness to God and His Word. Only then will there be hope of reformation.

In light of this news, I will be posting(when I return from vacation) an updated and expanded version of my article, "The Curse of Women Rulers", which is an article based on Is. 3:12 and which was originally written when Hillary Clinton was running for President. I pray that this updated version will be a blessing and will be used by God to help turn our nation back Him.

New Dress! :)

A few weeks ago, McCalls patterns at one of our local fabric stores were on sale for $1 each. I really need work on my sewing(a very important skill for a young woman to have!), so we bought a few of the patterns. I found one in particular that I really loved, so I decided to begin with that one. We found some fabric we liked and began the dress making process. My mom was a huge help to me (such as with explaining what the pattern was telling me to do! :)) as I did the sewing. I did the majority of the sewing myself, but my mom was a huge help in the areas I wasn't comfortable with doing yet(such as the hem, etc). I'm so pleased with the finished product.

Though the pattern was found in the regular dress section of the McCall's book, it is a Pride and Prejudice/ Regency era dress. I had been really wanting to have a more casual dress like this(my dear mother made me a fancy one for the Father Daughter retreat in April), and am so pleased with the outcome. I wore it to church this past Sunday and received numerous compliments. It's so pretty, comfortable and gloriously feminine! :)

Here are pics of it:

What do you think?

Please understand.........

A couple weeks ago, I received an e-mail that, in part, read as follows:

"This shall be my last mail. I left a comment on your blog but unfortnately it never showed up. I also sent you an email in which I told you all about my blog and asked you to help me out in terms of the Christian outlook towards life ( as I believed your blog to be a very good example of one) but unfortunately I never recieved a reply. As you had mentioned in your blog that you are "very eager" to recieve replies and comments, I would have thought that as a fellow human being you would have considered sending a short reply to my mail concerning what I have undertaken to achieve and my desire for help. But unfortunately it was very disappointing for me to realise that apparantly you only allow the posts which are along you "own" mentality and any posts (even though in the most respectable format) not in accordance are never acceptable. I was very much looking for a comprehensive dialogue but to my dismay found only an irritating silence."

I wrote the following in response(this is a portion of what I wrote):

"Please forgive me, dear one, for not yet responding to you. Yes, I did read your sweet and loving comment and your e-mail. That's all I've been able to do so far- I haven't been able to respond to the comment of yours on my blog yet. And I don't like to post comments on my blog if I can't immediately respond to them(if they're ones that really require a response, that is!), because that makes the readers of my blog and the one leaving the comments feel like their input is useless and like they won't ever get a response back. Therefore, I thought the wise thing to do would be then to read all my comments, post the ones I can at that moment, and asap get back to the ones I can't, then responding to them asap. However, I see that wasn't the wise way to handle it, as I see how you're hurt. And I fully understandI can't tell you how very sorry I am, and how burdened I am knowing that I hurt you. This is a very busy season in my family's life right now-we're trying to get everything prepared for starting up our homeschool stuff again here in a couple weeks, we have various activities, we've got two trips coming up, I'm preparing a baby blanket for my brand new little cousin who we will be visiting for the first time during our first trip coming up, etc. etc. I'm not saying all this to try to justify myself, or excuse my foolish folly away. I'm simply trying to give you a glimpse into my life, so that you can know without a shadow of a doubt that I'm NOT ignoring you, or wanting to somehow post only comments that are to my liking, etc. Nothing could be further from the truth, and so I'm trying to help you see that. I ask you to please look further on my blog-I post MANY comments that I disagree with(not that I was disagreeing with yours-I wasn't!). I partake in Christian debate often. But I have to choose what's most important in these busy times. And that's my family. If I'm going to have a blog speaking out on how we young ladies should serve our families, then I have to live that out-not just talk about it on my blog and then not actually practice what I preach! There have been times where I've felt so obligated to all the numerous people on my blog, that I have let family responsibilities go by the way side. And I can't do that! That's not pleasing to the Lord! He doesn't want me on the computer all day, but of course, neither does He want me ignoring my dear, treasured readers. And trust me, there have been times where I've felt like breaking down, because I feel so overwhelmed! I feel like I have huge obligations to everybody, and wonder how in the world I can fit them all in. This has warn me thin at times. Therefore, I'm trying to go about these issues in a wiser manner. However, I see from your hurting e-mail that I failed. I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you or anyone else. I still have other numerous comments I still must get to and respond to. I'm just trying to find the time to without letting anything slip through the cracks! I want to serve my family like I am Biblically commanded to, and yet I also have a calling from the Lord to minister to my readers. I understand that I should have sent at least a short e-mail to you, to assure you that I was interested. It was very, very unwise for me to not do that. I see that now(I should have seen it then!!!) and I'm terribly sorry. I pray that this e-mail has patched things up. I truly am so sorry. I can't apologize enough. If there's anything I can do, let me know. I look forward to hearing from you in the future, dear. I would like more information about the vision you have for your project, and what it would be about!! Once again, I am sorry. Please accept my humble apology. And please pray for me, that I would be more skilled in time management in the future!"

By God's grace alone, everything between me and this dear woman has been patched up. She is one of the most gracious, understanding women I've ever met, and the Lord has seen fit to patch everything completely up between us. My purpose in posting this was to attempt to help my readers understand why I haven't responded to every comment or e-mail I've received lately, and why I haven't even posted every comment. I have around 21 comments currently in moderation for the above mentioned reason. I see that this was not the wise way to go about things at all, but at the time I seemed to think that it was. I see now how wrong I was.

The past couple months have been crazy for me and my family. My mother hasn't been feeling well at all lately(off and on since April actually-she's suffering from low blood sugar type symptoms), we're preparing for 2 trips coming up, we've had to begin our homeschooling things about 3 weeks earlier than we usually do due to these trips, we've had to prepare for this school year, etc. etc. This is why I haven't been posting regularly or getting back with everyone in the amount of time that I should. I pray that you will all please understand and be as gracious as the dear lady mentioned above. I'm sorry for the delay in responding to all the questions, comments, e-mails, etc. that I've received. Please know that I'm trying my best to get back with all of them asap. But, please don't let this keep you from sending more! In a short time(Lord willing) everything will be back to normal, and I will be getting back with everyone much, much quicker. Please know that I believe the more e-mails and comments, the merrier! :) I LOVE hearing from my readers. Every comment and e-mail(whether I agree with the thoughts therein or not) is highly treasured. So, please comment, ask questions and e-mail as much as you'd like. EVERYTHING will be responded to. That is my promise to you, my dear readers!

So, thank you for standing by me in this busy time, and for being so patient and understanding. You are all such a God-send. May He richly bless you all-each and every one of you!

Blog Updates Scheduled for this weekend!

If you visit my blog tomorrow and or Sunday, please don't be disturbed by the look of my blog's sidebar! :) This weekend, it will be under construction. I'll be moving things around, adding features, and getting everything into the order I want. By Monday, my sidebar will be new and vastly improved(Lord willing!).

I pray that all of you, dear readers, have a blessed weekend and special Lord's Day.

Coming Monday will be a couple very informative posts that none of you will want to miss, so be sure to be on the lookout for those! :)

Have a blessed day, everyone!

1 Year Anniversary! Praise God!

Yesterday, August 12th, 2008, was By HIS Grace and for HIS glory's 1 year blog anniversary! I simply cannot believe that one year has passed already since I began this blog in the hopes of reaching out to the young women of the world. The Lord has been so merciful this past year and has blessed this ministry beyond words. When I began the blog, I had sincerely hoped that word about it would spead, but I didn't know how popular(in # of readers, that is) it would become or how the Lord would work. I stand in absolute awe of the Lord! He has spread the word about this blog ministry of mine in such a manner that is beyond my wildest dreams. I'm so thankful to the Lord for His grace and abundant mercy. I would not have this blog were it not for HIS grace, and the reason I do have this blog is to bring HIM glory. My sole mission is to bring my merciful Savior glory and honor. I have a heart that is burdened by the way our culture is these days. I'm severely saddened when I see young ladies in the world today without hope and without direction in their lives. They've just bought into the lies of feminism, humanism, etc. that their cultures have sold them. The Lord has placed this burden on my heart, just as He has also placed there the desire to see things turn around. My desire is that this blog would be used by the Lord to impact the women of this world and would encourage them to turn back to "the old paths wherein there is life" (and joy and fulfillment, I might add! ;)).

1 year and 321 posts later, the vision and mission behind this blog remains the same as it was the day I created it. Here is what I posted the day my blog's history began:

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog! I'm so glad that each and every one of you is here to visit and hope you will come back quite often, as well as tell your friends and family about it! This blog is dedicated to encouraging, strengthening, and edifying girls and young women as they seek to return to the beauties of home and family, Biblical femininity, modesty, discreetness, chasteness, humility, and Biblical daughterhood and womanhood.

I hope that this blog will be a breath of fresh air to you, and be a haven where you can be girded, strengthened, encouraged, and prepared for the battle before us in the savagely humanistic, feministic culture in which we live. I pray this blog and its posts will encourage you as you grasp the Biblical vision of returning to the glorious and noble missions of Biblical femininity and womanhood in the midst of a culture that is disgusted with and belittles anything or anyone who is distinctly feminine and ladylike: a homemaker, a submissive wife/daughter, one who loves and enjoys the noble titles of virtuous daughterhood, submissive wifehood, blessed motherhood, or someone who enjoys and takes great joy from being a helpmeet (or helpmeet in training). This world desperately needs more young girls who will embrace this vision now, and who will grow into noble, virtuous, God-fearing women. We need girls and young ladies who will grow up to be godly and virtuous women who love and are not afraid to have the precious titles of wife, mother, and homemaker (titles that were lovingly God-ordained exclusively for women). Girls who have no concern or desire to look "cool" in the world's eyes or to please them, but rather desire to bring glory and honor to and please their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has bought them with a price.

The following beautiful poem so clearly depicts this truth:

The Need of the Hour

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

What does our country need? Not armies standing
With sabers gleaming ready for the fight;
Not increased navies, skillful and commanding,
To bound the waters with an iron might;
Not haughty men with glutted purses trying
To purchase souls, and keep the power of place:
Not jeweled dolls with one another vying
For palms of beauty, elegance and grace.

But we want women, strong of soul, yet lovely
With that rare meekness, born of gentleness;
Women whose lives are pure and clean and holy,
The women whom all little children bless:
Brave, earnest women, helpful to each other,
With finest scorn for all things low and mean:
Women who hold the names of wife and mother
Far nobler than the title of a queen.

Oh! These are they who mould the men of story,
These mothers, ofttime shorn of grace and youth,
Who, worn and weary, ask no greater glory
Than making some young soul the home of truth;
Who sow in hearts all fallow for the sowing
The seeds of virtue and scorn for sin,
And patient, watch the beauteous harvest growing
And weed out tares which crafty hands cast in.

Women who do not hold the gift of beauty
As some rare treasure to be bought and sold,
But guard it as a precious aid to duty-
The outer framing of the inner gold;
Women who, low above their cradles bending,
Let flattery's voice go by, and give no heed,
While their pure prayers like inscense ascending:
These are our country's pride, our country's need.

I pray that this beautiful poem was an encouragement to you to be godly young women to the glory of God in the middle of this world which scorns all things feminine and lovely.
May the Lord richly bless you and grant to you strength as you strive to glorify, please and honor Him through Biblical femininity, amidst a world and culture who belittles such ladies.

By His grace and for His glory,
Rebekah Ann Shadoin

*The above poem is an excerpt from the beautiful book entitled, Verses of Virtue: The Poetry and Prose of Christian Womanhood. It is compiled and edited by Elizabeth Beall Phillips, mother to 8 children, and wife of Doug W. Phillips, Esq., the President of Vision Forum, Inc. This book is available through http://www.visionforum.com/, and I would very highly recommend it to each and every one of you young ladies out there who are seeking encouragement regarding your vision of noble daughterhood and womanhood.

This was the first post that I ever published, and my feelings on these subjects remain the same. My purpose and mission is the same. I praise God, from Whom all blessings flow, for blessing this first year so richly. I do not deserve His blessings, but He lavishly bestowed them upon me anyway. All glory goes to Him and Him alone! Through the past year, I have met the sweetest young ladies in the world. These dear girls have become my closest friends, and I thank the Lord for them. I have also been so blessed by the comments of many women(and a few men!) who have visited this blog and have given me encouragement and grace. To all of the people who have ever commented on my blog(whether you agreed with me or not): thank you. Thank you for leaving your comments. The wonderful comments and e-mails I receive are what makes blogging so wonderful. I'm so thankful that the Lord has spread the word about my little corner of the blogosphere, and by so doing, has allowed me to meet and converse with such wonderful people. I pray that He continues to spread the word and make my blog known to even more people in the coming year of ministry. Praise God for His goodness and grace!

I have such a big vision for the next year of this blog! There are so many, many articles and article series that I will be posting in the next year that I'm so excited about! I will be branching this ministry out(Lord willing) with many more posts, new blog features, and some new ministry ideas that I cannot disclose at the moment. :) Needless to say, I'm very excited! All glory and honor belongs to my wonderful Savior, Who I know has wonderful plans for this blog and its upcoming year.

In closing, I would like to issue forth another huge thank-you to all the readers of my blog. This blog is for YOU and each and every one of you make it a success. Thank you for your gracious comments, your faithful reading of this blog, and for your friendship and mentorship. May you all experience the Lord's richest blessings.

By HIS grace and for HIS glory,

Miss Rebekah Ann S.

*beautiful photo courtesy of http://www.allposters.com/