Monday, May 26, 2008

Today's Bible Verse

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His contenance upon you, and give you peace."

~Numbers 6:24-26(NKJV)

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Today's Bible Verse

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His Word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who abides in Him ought himself to walk just as He walked.

~1 John 2:3-6(NKJV)

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Dear readers,

I wanted to inform you all that while I'm in Indiana(this is a scheduled post!), I more than likely will not have computer access. Therefore, if you leave a comment or send me an e-mail and I do not respond to you for a week, or if you're comment doesn't show up on my blog for a week, it's not because I'm ignoring you! It's simply because I am void of internet access.

Thank you for understanding!

Before I close, I would like to ask all of you to please pray for safe travels for us.

Many blessings to you all!

Friday, May 23, 2008

Comments and E-mails

I have received MANY comments and e-mails today on the subject of homemaking, etc. I've posted and responded to as many as possible. I wanted to respond to all before I leave on my vacation early tomorrow morning, but I'm finding out that this simply isn't possible! Therefore, please understand that the reason your comments have not shown up yet/the reason I've not responded is because I've simply run out of time, with trying to respond to these, pack, clean the house, etc. etc. Thank you for understanding. I'm really very sorry for the wait, but please know that I will get to each and every one of your comments and e-mails when I get back from Indiana. Thank you so very much for your wonderful patience. :)

Many blessings,
Rebekah

Please Pray!

I just came across this heart-wrenching article on the tragedy that just struck the Stephen Curtis Chapman family.

I'm saddened beyond words, and my heart goes out to this poor family-especially the oldest son.

Please pray for this family, that the Lord would comfort them and give them the peace that passes all understanding. Thank you for praying for them! I'm sure they covet your loving prayers.

Trip Info

We will be leaving early tomorrow morning to travel up to Indiana to visit my precious great-grandparents. I'm so excited, and this family vacation is such a rich blessing every time we go on it. We will be returning on June 1st. I will be taking lots of pictures that I will post along with all the other pics that have not yet been posted.

I will be typing us some posts and will take advantage of Blogger's new feature, and will schedule them to be posted while I'm gone. Be sure to be on the lookout for those!

May you all have a blessed weekend, dear readers!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Introducing......

.......the new up and coming 6-part article series on the subject of Stay-at-Home Daughterhood!

The 6 articles you will be reading are:

1. Stay-at-Home Daughterhood: The Biblical Case

2. Why Stay-at-Home Daughterhood is So Important to God, and Why the Feminists Thus Want to Destroy it

3.Refuting the Myths: Answering the Nay-Sayers of Stay-at-Home Daughterhood

4. Dealing With Difficulties(subjects covered will be: what if my family's not supportive?, what if my family needs extra money?, etc.

5. What's a Girl to Do?(discussing how the stay-at-home daughter can fill her time to the glory of God)

6. The Top 50 Reasons Why it's Such a Blessing to be a Stay-at-Home Daughter

And possible bonus(if this series generates a lot of input and questions):

7. Answering the Questions Raised by the Doctrine of Stay-at-Home Daughterhood

I'm so excited about this new article series! It will take a lot of work, but I'm so ready for it. The first article is almost finished(I have 2 paragraphs left, and then I need to edit it), and it's been such an amazing article to write. As I set out to write it, I wasn't prepared for all the numerous Scripture passages the Lord would lead me to. It's really been a blessing to write this article and to discover just how important stay-at-home daughterhood is to the Lord. I pray that this series will be a tremendous blessing to you, and that the Lord would use it in a mighty way to change the convictions of many and to encourage stay-at-home daughters!

May the Lord richly bless you all!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

~The 12 Pillars of Biblical Womanhood~

The 12 Pillars of Biblical Womanhood
1. An Image Bearer ~Genesis 1:26-27

2. A Woman Not a Man ~Genesis 2:21-23

3. A Disciple ~Deuteronomy 6:7

4. A Member of the Church ~Acts 2:49

5. A Demonstration of Unfading Beauty ~1 Peter 3:4

6. A Helpmeet ~Genesis 2:18

7. A Trustful and Submissive Wife ~Ephesians 5:22

8. A Keeper at Home ~Titus 2:5

9. A Domestic Entrepreneur ~Proverbs 31:10-31

10. A Fruitful Bearer of Children ~Genesis 1:28

11. A Teacher of the Next Generation ~Ephesians 6:1-3

12. A Godly Mentor ~Titus 2:3-5

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Question and Answer Week: Response #8

I received the following question yesterday morning.

Rebekah, tell me where did the whole "stay-at-home daughter" thing come from? who introduced it to you? and can you back up this notion with scripture?

~Anonymous

Anonymous,
Hello! Thank you for your great question. Yes, I can indeed back it up with numerous Scripture passages-in fact, that's what I'm doing right now! I'm currently writing an article(the first in a 5part series on this very subject) entitled Stay-At-Home Daughterhood: A Biblical Case. It's a really long article, and I'm so excited about it! I pray that it will be a blessing to all who visit this blog.

The whole "stay-at-home daughterhood thing" came directly from the Scriptures alone. In fact, that was normative prior to radical feminism! Feminism has changed the way we all think(even Christians have been drastically changed by it, sadly), and so now, when we're presented with a Biblical doctrine we tend to kick against it and claim that that surely couldn't be found in the Scriptures anywhere. We need a HUGE change in our thinking! It's high time we stopped conforming to this sinful, God-hating world, and instead transformed our minds!

I was first introduced with the concept of stay-at-home daughterhood through a book I read at the end of 2006/beginning of 2007. I was shocked when I read this part of the book, because I'm ashamed to say, I had no idea this was taught in the Scriptures! I was very feministic in my thinking(and thus, very anti-God and anti-Scripture), and so was so unfamiliar with the Scriptures that I had no idea this sort of idea was contained there. To make sure the authors of this book were actually right and knew what they were talking about, I set out on a deep study of the Word, to "see whether these things be so." I was determined to "rightly divide the Word of truth" and to "test all things; hold fast what is good." I was simply amazed at the end of my study! I had come across even more Scripture passages supporting this idea than the authors had even referenced! I repented before the Lord for not knowing His Word, and for going against what it so clearly teaches. It is now my goal in life to teach the Scriptures(especially on the subject of Biblical daughterhood, womanhood and femininity), to refute feminism by exposing its true history and foundations, etc.

May you have a blessed day, Anonymous! Thank you again for your question, and should you have anymore, please don't hesitate to let me know!

In Christ alone,
Rebekah

Monday, May 19, 2008

Question and Answer Week: Response #7

I received the following question for Q&A Week:



1)I would like to know what your views are on women working outside the home? Do you think it is a sin?

If your answer is it is not, it is something between the Lord and the individual, I have no more questions.

On the other hand, if your answer is yes, do you on principle refuse to go to female doctors, nurses, grocery store checkout ladies, bank tellers, and the 1000 different arenas women are working in today's world?

~AnneK

Hello, AnneK! Thank you for your great question. It's funny you should ask this right now, because I was just in a lengthy debate over on another blog on this very subject! :)

I'm afraid you're going to have to wait for my full answer and all the whys behind it, because I'm currently gathering all my thoughts and Scriptures for a lengthy article on this very subject, that I will be posting here on my blog in the near future. I hope you don't mind the wait; thank you for your patience!

I'll just provide you with my short answer now, and ask that you return for the rest of it, along with the Scriptures that back me up in my upcoming article. Basically, yes, I believe that it is a sin for Christian women to not be homemakers, for they are explicitly commanded to be so, and disobeying our Lord's commands is sin. I will be answering all the arguements I get from people who disagree with me, in my upcoming article, and will also be answering the question: what about single moms and older women?

No, I do not refuse to go to female nurses, etc. One thing we have to understand is that very sadly, the majority of women in the workforce are not Christians(simply because the plain truth and sad fact is that most people are not Christians). Therefore, it's not a sin for them to be in the workforce(although they would greatly benefit from following the Lord's commands that are issued to Christians). Also, going to female doctors, etc., provides us with a great mission field! If we were to refuse to go to female doctors and other females in the workforce, we would be shunning many non-Christians who need the Good News, and we would not have the mission field that we would be blessed with if we did go to these women.

Thank you so much for your question, AnneK! If you should have anymore questions, please don't hesitate to let me know-I love answering my reader's inquiries! :)

Have a blessed day,
Rebekah Ann

Friday, May 16, 2008

Question and Answer Week: Response #6(the first 5 were posted during last time's Q&A Week)

I recently received the following question for Q&A Week:

As you may know many christian families are against romance novels for their children because they might get children thinking about marriage and romance to soon. However, tell me what's the difference between a romance novel and a Disney movie? Disney movies promote romance and marriage so does that mean that we're no longer allowed to let children watch classic Disney movies?

~Anonymous

Hi, anonymous! That's a really great question, and I'm glad you asked it.

Well, for one thing, I don't think the main reason that Christian families are against romance novels is because they get their children thinking about marriage in and of itself too fast(although that may be the case for some, because the fact is that some parents, even Christian ones, don't believe that marriage is very good or something their children should be preparing for), but rather because these books get their children thinking about the physical and emotional aspects of marriage and romance far too early. These books breed impurity and discontentment and thus should not be read by any Christians, let alone children. These kinds of books get a child thinking that his/her spouse will be perfect, and they make adult readers wish that their spouses were more like the characters in the book. This is just one of the reasons why it is highly dangerous for people to read these oftentimes filthy books.

With Disney movies it's a little different. There are some Disney movies that I'm heavily against, because they make witchcraft look cute, teach children things that are heavily contrary to Scripture, etc. But the ones we have in focus now are ones such as Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, and Sleeping Beauty. I don't tend to find anything all that wrong with these particular movies. Some may disagree with me(and if my readers are among those, I encourage you to please leave me a comment explaining why-I may be missing something ;)), but this is my own personal opinion. In fact, I think there are some very good lessons taught in the above mentioned Disney children's movies. First of all, the young ladies in each of these movies is not pining away, waiting for Prince Charming to come. Rather, she's busy about some task, whether it be serving others, learning new things, etc. This is something that many young girls today need to learn. They should be preparing for and saving themselves for their future Prince Charmings, but should not be wasting their time pining away for him. Also, marriage is praised in these movies, and is seen as a good thing. The movie Cinderella teaches us selflessness. Also, Prince Charming comes and rescues his princess. Prince Charming is seen as a strong man who is the protector of his wife-he is the one out fighting for her, protecting her from those who would desire to hurt her, etc. These are very good, Biblical teachings.

In conclusion, one of the huge differences between the romance novels and Disney movies is that in the romance novels, impurity is praised and fills every page, whereas it isn't present in the Disney movies. Romance novels teach many bad things and are worthless, whereas the specific Disney movies mention above teach many good life lessons.

Thank you again so much for your great question, Anonymous! If you ever have anymore questions, please don't hesitate to let me know-I'd be happy to answer them for you!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

The Return of Question and Answer Week

A few months ago, I came up with the idea to host Question and Answer Week, where my dear readers could contact me and ask me any question(s) they wanted-on anything from my favorite food, to what I think regarding different aspects of Biblical womanhood, Biblical daughterhood and Biblical femininity, to inquiries as to homemaking tips, advice on being a faithful daughter and sibling, etc. etc. I was amazed by the huge response and outpouring of inquiries, and was so thrilled to answer each and every one of the great questions I received. It is for this reason that I'm please to announce:

The Return of Question and Answer Week!

Please e-mail me(or leave me a comment) with any questions you may have. I will answer them in interview style, and will post the questions and answers here on my blog.

So, now without further ado, start the questions coming!! :)

Many pictures coming soon!!!

I wanted to let you all know that I will be posting my long-awaited pictures soon. Pics from the Vision Forum Father/Daughter Retreat, the Puritan Family Reformation Conference, recent random family pictures, and pictures that I will take tonight at our church fellowship will all be posted very soon, so please be on the lookout for those!

Also, I'm still currently working on many articles to post on here, and I'm looking into the possibility of making podcasts! I know you all are anxious to start reading those articles, so please pray that the Lord would be gracious and would provide me with the words He wants me to say. I'm also seeking the Lord's guidance over my idea of possibly having my devotionals published! I also have a couple other ministry ideas up my sleeve, that I can't wait to share with you all very, very shortly! :)

Much will be going on here at By His Grace and For His Glory(especially with summer just around the corner), so you won't want to miss a single thing!

I must sign off for now, but before I go, I wanted to let you know that I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to e-mail me (living_for_my_Lords_glory@hotmail.com) or leave me a comment at any time! Another thing I am currently in the process of doing is answering all the many questions, comments and e-mails I've received! If you are one of the people who has sent me an e-mail/question/comment that I have not yet responded to, please be patient. You are all on my mind, and I'm striving to get to each and every e-mail and question as time permits. :)

May you all have a blessed day!

~Numbers 6:24-26

Monday, May 12, 2008

Home Safely! :)

I just wanted to quickly post, to let you all know that we're home safely from the wonderful Puritan Family Reformation Conference!! :) We were so blessed by this outstanding weekend. More info to come soon!

I have to sign off for now, as we're very busy with unpacking, finishing up school for this school year, etc., but I'll fill all of you in asap! :)

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Puritan Family Reformation Conference!!!

We're really busy right now, trying to do school work, pack, and get everything situated for our mini-trip this weekend. I'm SO excited and pleased to announce that we will be attending the Puritan Family Reformation Conference this weekend, presented by Vision Forum and Scott Brown. The conference will be held from Friday, May 9th through Sunday, May 11th in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Please click the above link for more information about this great conference(also be sure to take a peak at the titles of the messages that we will be blessed with this weekend). Also, please click here to watch a video promo for the conference! I'm so excited about this conference, and feel so very, very blessed by the Lord to be able to attend it. It will be so refreshing and encouraging to be around likeminded families, and will be so wonderful to be edified and exhorted in the Word. I'm also really looking forward to learning the history of the family life of many of the puritans, such as Matthew Henry. This weekend will be such a rich blessing. I will be taking pictures that will be posted(along with photos from the father/daughter retreat and the baby shower I mentioned a couple weeks ago) this coming week.

We will be leaving early tomorrow afternoon(as soon as Daddy gets off work) to drive(for about 7 1/2 hours) to Wake Forest, North Carolina. Please pray for safe travel, that the Lord would have His hand on the conference attendees to bless them and keep them safe, that the Lord would teach us all what He wants us to learn and live out, and that we would all come away with a renewed, invigorated Biblical vision for victorious Christian family life. We will be driving back on Sunday afternoon(and will not get home until very late at night!), so please pray that we will have safe travels on the way back, as well. Thank you for your prayers, and I will let you know all about the conference when we return. :)

By the way, Blogger has a new feature that allows blog authors to write up posts that can be scheduled to be posted at a time in the future. If I have time(I'll try my hardest), I will write up a special post for you all that will be posted sometime this weekend while I'm gone, so be on the lookout for that! :)

May the Lord richly bless you this coming weekend, and may all you mothers have a blessed and joyous Mother's Day with your little blessings! :)

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Daily Bible Verse

My lips shall utter praise, for You teach me Your statutes. My tongue shall speak of Your word,for all Your commandments are righteousness.

~Psalm 119:171-172(NKJV)

Monday, May 5, 2008

Please refer to the new blog schedule, so that you can know what to expect here on this blog!

1st Devotional!

I'm trying to get back on track with my blogging, while at the same time, write, edit and rewrite many, many articles for this site. Therefore, I find that it would be most convenient for me to (for the next few days) post(on devotional days) some of my old devotionals. That way, those of you that didn't get to read those when they were first posted can read them now, and doing this will provide me with much more needed time to write my long articles! :) Thank you for understanding! So, without further adeiu, I want to present to you the first ever devotional that I wrote for this blog. I pray that it blesses, convicts, edifies, and encourages you in your walk with our wonderful Lord!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Yay!

I don't have much time at the moment, but wanted to sign in real quick and leave you all with some updates. Praise be to the Lord-I am feeling so much better! I'm on antibiotics right now, and for the first time in a week, I'm actually enjoying more of what is actually a good night's sleep! I'm by no means completely 100% yet, but how wonderful the Lord is! I'm getting more sleep and am not dreading the time when night comes anymore, because I'm actually able to fall asleep and stay asleep longer. Due to my sinus infection and all it brings with it, I had been unable to fall asleep for about an hour, and would then only sleep about 2 hours at a time, with numerous breaks in between my sleep. It was horrible! But the Lord is so merciful, and I'm feeling a lot better. I hope to be fully fine within the next couple days.

Our second living room is still being "refurnished". More pics and updates about that soon!

I'm writing up a daily schedule for myself, where I'll actually be able to get up really early, get everything done, have plenty of time for writing for my blog, be able to dedicate much time to my education, etc. Due to my lack of schedule, I had found myself getting up around 9, drifting from this subject in my homeschooling to that subject, never really feeling like I got a whole, whole lot done, do to the fact that my blog/ministry time was almost nonexistant lately. So, I will be beginning this new schedule on Monday, and this blog will have a LOT of more time and work dedicated to it, while still allowing me to accomplish all the other tons of things I need to do in a day. :) Having this schedule will be so wonderful. I'm really excited! More info on my schedule, etc. will be coming soon!

I must get off now, but will be on either tomorrow or Saturday. And on Monday, this blog will be able to abide by the blog schedule I posted about a month or 2 ago! :)

Have a blessed night, dear readers,
Rebekah