Updates

Oh, dear readers, so much has happened lately that I've been unable to do much of anything on the computer(i.e. I haven't been able to post on my blog, views other people's blogs, etc). I've had a sinus infection for the past week resulting in headaches, etc. etc., Mama hasn't been feeling well, I've had so much school work, I'm preparing for a conference coming up at our church by coordinating different resources we'll be buying for the resource table, sending lots of e-mails to members of our church and companies we'll be purchasing resources from, etc. Also, we're(as I type) having a family from our church install laminate(hardwood look-a-like) flooring in our second living room. We had to move out all the furniture(including the computer), books, carpet, carpet padding, etc. etc. out from the room in order to prepare for today-the day the new flooring is being laid. This is what has been keeping me away from the blog. Thank you all so, so much for understanding, for asking about me, for worrying about me( but remember-the Bible says don't worry!! ;)), and for sticking by me even though it seems that I've been abandoning you this past week. I'm really looking forward to the very(Lord willing) near future when everything will get back to normal. I have SO many article and devotional ideas running in my head that I'm SO thankful to God for and so excited about. Unless the Lord wills that something else happen, I should be getting back to my normal(only more involved with many more posts) blog schedule very, very soon.

Thank you all for sticking by me and for being so interested in my blog and me even though I've been bobarded with many things lately. :)

The Lord is good and His will is good, and everything that happens is planned by Him-including this sickness, etc. :) So, I'm excited about getting everything back to normal soon, but am also excited that everything's going according to His perfect plan. :)

May the Lord richly bless you all until I post again(which should be tomorrow, Wednesday or Thursday for sure).

Just Checking In.......

No, I've not forgotten about you all, nor have I forgotten to post about the wonderful retreat. :) I've been very busy with my schoolwork and with finishing up a crocheted baby blanket I'm working on for a baby shower I'm going to tomorrow. Pictures from the retreat will probably be posted today or tomorrow; Monday at the very, very latest!! Keep on looking out for those and for my coverage of the wonderful 2008 Vision Forum Father and Daughter Descipleship Retreat! :)

Hello!

Hello, all! I just have a few minutes to check in with you all, but I wanted to let you know that we returned home safely from the retreat. It was wonderful!!!!

I'm looking forward to sharing with all of you the pictures I took, as well as sharing with you how the retreat was, and what a blessing it was. I must go tackle some of my school work right now, but will come back on here with coverage of the retreat as soon as possible! :)

I'll be leaving for the retreat in just a few minutes. It'll take us 3 hours to drive down there to where it's held in Georgia. Please pray for our safety, that the fathers and daughters would grow closer together, and that the Lord would teach us all want He wants us to learn.

Thank you for your prayers!

I'll be taking pics that I'll post on either Monday or Tuesday.

Have a blessed weekend, dear readers!

Thank you!!

Dear readers,

I want to thank you all so much for the sweet words of comfort you left me in regards to losing my sweet little Cocoa. Your kindness blessed me so much, and helped me to get through this time of sadness. You are all such wonderful friends, and I want you to know what a blessing your sweet comments were to me! I thank the Lord for all of you; each one of you is so dear to me, and your loving words of sympathy really cheered me up quite a bit. Thank you all so, so much!!

In Christian love,

Rebekah Ann

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I published a post the other day on the subject of the upcoming Vision Forum Father/Daugther Retreat. In case some of you had not seen it, please check out that link. And, for those of you who may not have seen my question on that other post, here it is again: are any of you going? If so, maybe we could meet! :) Have you ever been before?

Daily Bible Verse

Hear, my son, and be wise; and guide your heart in the way. Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old. My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.

~Proverbs 23:19,22,26(NKJV)

Tribute to my precious little Cocoa

There are some outside cats that we feed. One of them, Reese's (named so because of her chocolate and peanut butter coloring) had her first litter of kittens last year at the end of May. One of her babies, Cocoa(named because she looks exactly like her Mama, and was predominately brown with some orange markings and an absolutely adorable orange foot and leg) was found by us yesterday in the road. She had gotten run over and was obviously instantly killed. I cried and cried in my room last night as I watched out my window as Mama and Daddy buried her in our backyard. Needless to say, yesterday was a horrible day for me. Little Cocoa had been brought to us from the woods by her Mama at a time in her young life when she was already scared of people. It took a lot of patience and a great deal of time, but I finally got her tamed, and after working with her for so long, we had developed a very special bond. Whenever I would open the door to step outside, she would back away a bit because she was still a little timid. But once she discovered that it was me, and I called her to me, she would immediately walk over. I would pick her up and she would start purring profusely; she'd always gaze up into my eyes or give me a little kiss on the cheek. She was a really sweet little girl. The following is a tribute to my sweet little baby, Cocoa, who will be in my heart forever and ever.

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Cocoa

May 2007 to April 6th or 7th, 2008

In our eyes, your life was far too short, my sweet girl. But in the Lord's eyes, everything in your little life went according to His perfect will and plan. At times, I feel like screaming out to God, "Why did you take her so soon?! She was such a joy to me!". But then I have to step back and look on the bright side-you brought such joy to us, you had a happy little life, and you suffered from no pain or fright when you died. For that, I will be eternally thankful to my merciful Father.

Your life was so short-only 10 1/2 months-but those were such joyous months! :) I so enjoyed the time I spent with you. You were so recognizable by your little orange leg, sweet girl. :) Your cute little perfectly circular eyes used to look up at me with a look of love as I held you. You brought me such joy, and you will be in my heart forever and ever! I miss you terribly, and wish you were still here with us. A part of me almost believes that as soon as I open the front door, you'll come running. I know that isn't the case, though, and I know that I'll never be able to hold my little sweetie again. Just know how much I love you! I'm crying as I type this, sweetie, because I just love and miss you so much. I would give anything to be able to hold you again just once. I miss being able to cuddle you. A part of you will always live on in your Mama-whenever I look at her, your look-alike, I'll think of you with fond and joyous memories, but also with a heavy heart. I love you so, so much, sweet baby, and I will always carry a picture of you in my mind forever and ever. Thank you for blessing my life so richly like you did while you were here with us. Thank you, God, for those few short months that I had with her.

I miss you, sweet girl, but will never forget you!! Everyday, I'll look in our back yard at your little burial spot and will remember all the joy you brought to me. I love you, little Cocoa.

"The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

~Job 1:21b

Daily Bible Verse

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

~Psalm 90:1-2(NKJV)

Great Devotional by the late Mr. Charles Haddon Spurgeon

I was planning on posting one of my own devotionals today, but when I came across this devotional in this book written by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, I just had to share it with all of you.

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and will all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

~Mark 12:30

Suggested further reading: 2 John 1-6

We are bound to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Thus, we deduce that we are to love God supremely. Thou art to love thy wife, O husband. Those canst not love her too much except in one case, if thou shouldst love her before God, and prefer her pleasure to the pleasure of the Most High. Then wouldst thou be an idolater. Child! Thou art to love thy parents; thou canst not love him too much who begot thee, not her too much who brought thee forth; but remember, there is one law that doth override that. Thou art to love thy God more than they father or thy mother. He demands thy first and thy highest affection: thou art to love him "with all they heart". We are allowed to love our relatives:we are taught to do so. He that does not love his own family is worse than a heathen man and a publican. But we are not to lovethe dearest object of our hearts so much as we love God. You may erect little thrones for those whom you rightly love; but God's throne must be a glorious high throne; you may set them upon the steps, but God must sit on the very seat itself. He is to be enthroned, the royal One within your heart, the king of your affections. Have you kept this commandment? I know I have not; I must plead guilty before God; I must cast myself before him, and acknowledge my transgression. But nevertheless, there standeth the commandment-"Thou shalt love God with all thy heart" that is, thou shalt love Him supremely.

For meditation: The Lord Jesus Christ practiced what He preached(Matthew 10:37,38). His Heavenly Father's house came first, but he was obedient in His earthly parents' house(Luke 2:48-51); His Heavenly Father's will came first(Matthew 26:39), but even while He was carrying it out, His earthly mother's wellbeing was upon His heart(John 19:26-27). We love our families, our fellow-believers and the lost ones best, when we love and obey God first.

2008 Vision Forum Father and Daughter Discipleship Retreat!!

I attended the Vision Forum Father and Daughter Retreat with my father for the first time last year. It was a weekend filled with life-changing, convicting, edifying, encouraging messages, walks in the beautiful Callaway Gardens, a Victorian high tea, games and a picnic on a large, beautiful field, an ice-cream social, and blessed fellowship with likeminded fathers and daughters. Needless to say, it was one of the best weekends of my life! The Lord used it to bring my father and me even closer together, and we had such a wonderful, wonderful time together learning from God's Word, making new friends, and enjoying the beauty of nature.

Well, the time of year for the retreat is here again already!! That's so hard to believe. It seems like just a few months ago we were preparing for last year's retreat. I'm so excited about this year's retreat!! :) I can't wait to meet with the dear Botkin sisters, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Botkin, and Mr. Brown again. I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing my friends from last year there, and I can't wait to make new friends! I'm so looking forward to soaking in the wisdom and truth from the great speeches, I'm looking forward to dressing as a Victorian lady for the high tea, and I'm so excited that my dear friend from church, Kelsey, will be attending this year with her father. As you can tell, I'm just really looking forward to the retreat! :) I think I'm looking forward to it even more this year than I was last year, if that's possible. :)

The retreat this year will be held at the beautiful Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia again, from Friday, April 11th thru Sunday, April 13th. For more info, please click here!

So, dear ladies, are any of you attending this great retreat this year? If so, maybe we can meet up!!! :) Have you or someone you know attended this retreat? If you won't be attending this year I highly encourage you to attend next year! :)

Great Devotional by the late Mr. Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was an outstanding preacher who lived in the 1800s. He was nicknamed the Prince of Preachers, and he was indeed that! If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Spurgeon, I highly recommend that you purchase some of his books or sermons. Your soul will be fed and nourished by the convicting yet encouraging words of this amazing man.

The following devotional of his is actually an excerpt from one of his sermons. It's taken from the book 365 Days with Spurgeon Vol. 1. This book is "a unique collection of 365 daily readings from sermons preached by Charles Haddon Spurgeon from his New Park Street Pulpit. I recommend that each of you purchase this book and the other 2 volumes that go along with it. Your life will forever be changed! You will grow closer to the Lord, and after reading just a few of Mr. Spurgeons writings, you will be amazed by how much stronger your faith is.
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Everywhere and Yet Forgotten

"Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind."

~Job 12:9-10

Suggested further reading: Deut. 8:11-20

This forgetfulness of God is growing upon this perverse generation. Time was, in the old puritanic days, when every shower of rain was seen to come from heaven, when every ray of sunshine was blessed, and God was thanked for having given fair weather to ingather the fruits of the harvest. Then, men talked of God as doing everything. But in our days where is our God? We have the laws of matter. Alas! Alas! That names with little meaning should have destroyed our memory of the Eternal One. We talk now of phenomena, and of the chain of events, as if all things happened by machinery; as if the world were a huge clock which had been wound up in eternity, and continued to work without a present God. Nay, not only our philosophers, but even our poets rant in the same way. They sing of the works of nature. But who is that fair goddess, Nature? Is she a heathen deity, or what? Do we not act as if we were ashamed of our God, or as if His name had become obsolete? Go abroad wherever you may, you hear little said concerning Him who made the heavens, and who formed the earth and the sea; but everything is nature, and the laws of motion and of matter. And do not Christians often use words which would lead you to suppose that they believed in the old goddess, Luck, or rested in that equally false deity, Fortune, or tremnled before the demon of Misfortune? Oh for the day when God shall be seen, and little else beside! Better, my brethren, that philosophical discoveries were lost, than that God should be concealed behind them. Better that our poets had ceased to write, and that all their flaming words were buried with their ashes, than that they should serve as a cloud before the face of the eternal Creator.

For meditation: When men replace Father God be mother nature, God leaves them to behave in ways which are unnatural and opposed to their false new deity(Romans 1:21-27).

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Convicting, wasn't it? How guilty we Christians always are of saying to people, "Good luck!" or "Oh, I'm so lucky!" What a horrible witness! We need to erase the word luck from our vocabulary! Instead of saying "Good luck", how about saying, "May the Lord bless you!" Instead of saying, "Oh, I'm so lucky!", how about saying, "Oh, the Lord has blessed me far more than I could ever deserve!". We need to begin taking those worldly sayings from our vocabulary, and begin replacing them with words and phrases that glorify God and bring others to Him.

My pastor often reminds us that we're only one sentence away from witnessing to someone. You can be in the middle of a conversation with a person, and you're always only one sentence away from speaking about the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And that brings me to my next point. So often, we say to people, "God bless you!", thinking that somehow we've just witnessed to that person. What a false idea! The Devil is not scared by us saying "God bless you" to someone! No one is saved or brought closer to Christ by us saying that. The word "God" doesn't offend anyone or bring anyone to salvation. People like Oprah use the word God all the time but are lost as can be. Oprah has said things like "God is whoever you want it to be." Therefore, it becomes obvious that mentioning the word God to someone doesn't really do all that much or help bring them to Christ. The term God means a thousand different things to different people. We need to begin speaking of Christ Jesus. If we don't speak about Him, then our witnessing isn't any good. We're bringing no one to salvation unless we consistantly speak of Jesus Christ- the only Savior there is, without Whom, all go to Hell rather than Heaven. We need to begin adding the words Jesus Christ to our everyday conversations with people. I encourage you to do that this coming week. The more you do so, the more natural it will become. And remember, dear readers: you're only 1 sentence away from spreading the Gospel! :)

Rich blessings to you all!

P.S. I want to hear about all of your witnessing experiences this coming week! Do what I've prescribed above, and then come back and let me know how it went!

Daily Bible Verse

The wise woman builds her home, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands.

~Proverbs 14:1(NKJV)

Spring is in the Air!

Ladies(and gents), let this post serve as your devotional today. I encourage you to read the first few verses of Ephesians chapter 2. Meditate on its words, and remember all that our loving, merciful Savior has done for you! I don't know what the weather is like right now where you are, but spring is in the air here in southern Tennessee, and I'm quite excited about it! :) Winter has a beauty all its own, but there comes a time when one gets tired of all the cold weather!

The beauty of spring is everywhere! To me, spring is such a special time of the year-a time when the Lord richly blesses the earth with abundant new life. Pear trees are budding out beautiful little white flowers, cats are birthing new frisky, furry little kittens, cherry blossoms are showing forth their pink and white lacy flowers, fawns and lambs are being introduced to the big, wide world for the first time, and birds are singing joyfully in the trees, happy(just as I am) that the frigid weather is gone for the most part, and that the Lord has blessed us with warmer days and new precious life everywhere we look. p>

You know, when I think about how the Lord is bringing new life to the world this time of year, I often think of our spiritual lives. We were dead in trespasses and sins and were much like those barren, withered pear trees are during the winter. But then, something miraculous happened! The Lord saved us and gave us new life, just as He does with those pear trees at the beginning of spring. We are now white as snow and those pear trees are now adorned with beautiful, new pure white little flowers!

Yes, spring is indeed a special time of the year!

What is the weather like where you live, dear readers? Are there traces of spring in the air yet? What does spring mean to you? What's your favorite aspect of this season?

To all my treasured blog readers: I Apologize!!!

Ladies (and any gents who may be here),

I deeply apologize for not posting on here for 2 weeks!! I cannot believe it's been so long since I've been on here. You have no idea how very sorry I am for not posting in such a long while. Life has been crazy lately- our days have been filled to the brim with much activity, that has left us buzzing here and there, trying to get everything done that we need to! Needless to say, that has not been possible these past 2 weeks, and one of the things that did not get attended to was this blog. :( I'm so, so sorry! I hope that you all have not given up on me. ;) Please know that I've been thinking about all of you during these past weeks. I may not have been online, but I did not at all forget about you or this blog, which mean the world to me.

So, what have I been doing these past weeks that's kept me so unbelievably busy? Well, these past 2 weeks has been packed with(just to name a few) family time, Easter, lots of school work(for the handful of those who may not know, I'm homeschooled and love it!), much studying for tests in biology and geometry, reading and studying in-depth theology and history books, and planning out, writing, rewriting, editing and polishing many, many articles for this blog. The Lord has given me SO many ideas for numerous blog articles that I believe the women(and young girls) of this century are in desperate need of. Just some of the article titles that you will be seeing here in the near future are: 1.The True History of Feminism, 2.Feminism's Destructiveness, 3.Making Your Home a Haven(tips for young girls and married women alike), 4.Stay-At-Home Daughterhood: A Biblical Principle?, 5.Is it a Sin to not be a Homemaker?(revised and heavily updated), 6.The Burden of the Double Curse: How Feminism is Enslaving and Battering Women, 7.The Curse of Women Rulers(updated with much more Scriptural commentary), 8.How the Lord and His Word Raise Women Up and Extol Them, 9.An in-depth Scriptural Defense of Male Leadership and Female Submission(this article will not only show that these two roles are Biblical, but will also reveal why it is such a blessing to be a woman! Women have a special priviledge of imitating Christ in a way that men do not have), 10. Feminism: Is it really pro-woman or is it enslavement?. These are just some of the many articles that will be posted here in the near future. Others include answers to questions I've recently received from my readers, many more uplifting and encouraging devotionals, quotes from famous men and women in history, excerpts from books, posts on my family life, recipes, and much, much more!! This blog will soon be flooded with articles, so it might have been a good thing that I was gone for so long-that way you could enjoy some rest and relaxation before the numerous articles come. :)

Please refer to my new blog schedule so that you can see what sort of articles and posts to expect when. I've missed you all terribly and pray that you will please forgive me for my absense. I never ever meant to leave you for that long(especially without notice!). Please accept my heartfelt apology, and know that it's so great to be back with you all!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter celebration. This Easter was a very special one for me, and it brought be even closer to my precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I would love to hear how your celebration went, so be sure to drop me a comment or e-mail! :)

A special note to all of those dear blog readers who recently sent me an e-mail or left me a comment: thank you so much!! Your input and inquiries as to how I was doing and where I was greatly blessed me! Thank you all so much! I will be responding to each and every one of your comments and e-mails as soon as is at all possible.

Once again, I deeply apologize for not being on here in so long. Thank you all for understanding and for being so gracious! May the Lord richly bless you all!

With warmest wishes and love through Christ,

Rebekah Ann

Feminism's Hate towards Women

The following is an article that I came across a few weeks ago, written by Virginia Haussegger, an ABC TV news presenter. It's entitled The Sin of our Feminist Mothers and shows in a painfully clear manner that feminism is not pro-woman in the least.

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The Sin of our Feminist Mothers

A few years ago, in my mid-30s, had I heard Malcolm Turnbull pontificate about the need to encourage Australians to marry younger and have more children ("The crisis is fertility, not ageing"), I would have thumped him.

How dare he - a rich father of two, with perfect wife and perfect life - presume for a moment to tell women, thriving at the peak of our careers, that we should stop, marry, and procreate. The sheer audacity of it.

Yet another male conspiracy, a conservative attempt to dump women out of the workplace and back into the home. A neat male arrangement: a good woman to run the household, and a workplace less cluttered with female competition.

A win-win for patriarchy. And precisely the kind of society I was schooled against.

As we worked our way through high school and university in the '70s and early '80s, girls like me listened to our mothers, our trailblazing feminist teachers, and the outspoken women who demanded a better deal for all women. They paved the way for us to have rich careers.

They anointed us and encouraged us to take it all. We had the right to be editors, paediatricians, engineers, premiers, executive producers, High Court judges, CEOs etc. We were brought up to believe that the world was ours. We could be and do whatever we pleased.

Feminism's hard-fought battles had borne fruit. And it was ours for the taking.

Or so we thought - until the lie of super "you-can-have-it-all" feminism hits home, in a very personal and emotional way.

We are the ones, now in our late 30s and early 40s, who are suddenly sitting before a sheepish doctor listening to the words: "Well, I'm sorry, but you may have left your run too late. Women at your age find it very difficult to get pregnant naturally, and unfortunately the success rate of IVF for a 39-year-old is around one in five - and dropping. In another 12 months you'll only have a 6 per cent chance of having a baby. So given all the effort and expense, do you really want to go through with this? Why don't you go home and think it through? But don't leave it too long - your clock is ticking." Then he adds for comic value, "And don't forget, the battery is running low!"

For those of us who listened to our feminist foremothers' encouragement; waved the purple scarves at their rallies; read about and applauded the likes of Anne Summers, Kate Jennings, Wendy McCarthy, Jocelyn Scutt, Morag Fraser, Joan Kirner, Elizabeth Proust etc (all strong examples of successful working women); for those of us who took all that on board and forged ahead, crashed through barriers and carved out good, successful and even some brilliant careers; we're now left - many of us at least - as premature "empty nesters".

We're alone, childless, many of us partnerless, or drifting along in "permanent temporariness", as sociologist Zygmunt Bauman so aptly put it in a recent Age article by Anne Manne to describe the somewhat ambiguous, uncommitted type of relationship that seems to dominate among childless, professional couples in their 30s and 40s.

The point is that while encouraging women in the '70s and '80s to reach for the sky, none of our purple-clad, feminist mothers thought to tell us the truth about the biological clock. Our biological clock. The one that would eventually reach exploding point inside us.

Maybe they didn't think to tell us, because they never heard the clock's screaming chime. They were all married and pregnant by their mid-20s. They so desperately didn't want the same for us.

And none of our mothers thought to warn us that we would need to stop, take time out and learn to nurture our partnerships and relationships. Or if they did, we were running too fast to hear it.

For those of us that did marry, marriage was perhaps akin to an accessory. And in our high-disposable-income lives, accessories pass their use-by date, and are thoughtlessly tossed aside. Frankly, the dominant message was to not let our man, or any man for that matter, get in the way of career and our own personal progress.

The end result: here we are, supposedly "having it all" as we edge 40; excellent education; good qualifications; great jobs; fast-moving careers; good incomes; and many of us own the trendy little inner-city pad we live in. It's a nice caffe-latte kind of life, really.

But the truth is - for me at least - the career is no longer a challenge, the lifestyle trappings are joyless (the latest Collette Dinnigan frock looks pretty silly on a near-40-year-old), and the point of it all seems, well, pointless.

I am childless and I am angry. Angry that I was so foolish to take the word of my feminist mothers as gospel. Angry that I was daft enough to believe female fulfilment came with a leather briefcase.

It was wrong. And Malcolm Turnbull has a point.

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*edited very slightly due to some inappropriate words.

Friday's Devotional: On Prayer

But the prayer of the upright is His delight.

~Proverbs 15:8a(NKJV)

Are you delighting the Lord as you should be, as His child? The prayer of you, His upright servant, is His delight. Are you praying to your Father as often as you should be? I'm preaching to myself every bit as much as I am to you. I'm ashamed to say that I often find myself rushing here and there through the course of each very busy day, not even taking the time to enjoy a deep and intimate conversation with my Savior, the lover of my soul. How sinful and shameful that is! I should desire to speak with Him above anyone else! He's the One who I'd been consistantly sinning against. He's the One I had been the rebellious enemy of-the One whose soul I was grieving because of my unrighteousness. Yet He came down, out of immense love for me that I can't begin to comprehend, to willingly endure the most agonizing, traumatizing, excrutiating death that anyone could possibly go through. Yet He spoke not a word of anger or malice through the whole ordeal. And here I am, not even taking the time to speak with Him?! How that must grieve Him! How that must sadden Him to know that His daughter, who He died for so that He might save and spend eternity with her, isn't even speaking to Him everyday all day as she should be!

Are you guilty of this sin as well? There is hope, dear sister! Repent of this sin and then set aside a special portion of each day to be dedicated to close communion with the Lord. Not only will this delight your Savior, but you will also be filled with much peace and joy yourself!

There's something I want to point our about this verse. It says that the prayers of the upright are a delight to Him. This means that the prayers of those who are not upright or righteous are not delightful to Him whatsoever. This is because the person who is chained in unrighteousness doesn't have a heart and soul yielded completely to His will. This person's prayers, therefore, will be rebellious in nature, selfish, and unpleasing to the Lord. So, if you've found yourself giving into temptation a lot lately, repent of those sins! After you've done so, your prayers will once again be a blessed delight to your merciful Savior!

Announcing: New Blog Schedule!

Hello, ladies! I promised you yesterday that I would post a blog announcement today. Well, here it is! :) I have written up a new blog schedule, that will be in effect as of Monday, March 17th, 2008. This schedule, which reveals what types of posts will appear on which days, goes as follows:

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Mondays- Devotional, "Meal Mondays" recipe

Tuesdays- Daily Bible Verse, posts on daily life(i.e. pictures and stories of my home life, etc.)

Wednesdays- Devotional, Essays in response to questions received, posts on recommended links, books, movies, etc.

Thursdays- Daily Bible Verse, Articles on Biblical daughterhood, Tips on homemaking, etc.(less controversial issues)

Fridays- Devotional, Articles on hot button, controversial topics such as feminism, Biblical femininity, Biblical daughterhood, and Biblical womanhood, education, etc. (on occasional Fridays, the above mentioned type of article will not be posted. In its place will appear excerpts from books, quotes, a blog announcement, etc.)

Saturdays- Daily Bible Verse

Sundays- No posts published (this would be a great opportunity for you to go back and read older posts, that you may have missed!)

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The sorts of posts I mentioned will not all be posted on the mentioned days every single week. In other words, on some Thursdays, for instance, nothing but a daily Bible verse will be posted. But if there's a homemaking tip I want to share, then it will appear on my blog on a Thursday. Does what I'm saying make sense? Am I explaining this well? :)

There will be days when I publish types of posts that weren't specifically mentioned in this schedule, but for the most part, this schedule will be adhered to.

As you can see, there's not really a day that you'll want to miss out on accessing this blog! Important, edifying, encouraging, life-changing posts will be published every day.

It is my prayer that through this new schedule, By His Grace and For His Glory will be able to meet its full potential, and will be able to glorify the Lord all the more.

Now, I have a request to make! :) It's my desire that the message of this blog reach far out into the world, encouraging, strengthening, and edifying as many people as possible. I want to ask you to please help me in this mission by spreading the word about this blog! Tell your friends, family, and fellow church members about it, make a post about it on your blog, link to it on your site, etc. I want to issue forth a huge and very grateful thank you in advance for doing this for me, that the Word of the Lord might be spread!! :) May the Lord richly bless you, my dear and treasured readers!

Daily Bible Verse

The earth, O Lord, is full of Your mercy; teach me your statutes.

~Psalm 119:64(NJKV)

Is this your prayer, dear ladies? I truly hope that it is!

Wednesday's Devotional

A good man obtains favor from the Lord.

~Proverbs 12:2a(NKJV)

This Scripture makes it clear that a good person obtains favor from the Lord. From this, we are able to deduce the following: a wicked person finds no favor in the sight of God Almighty. So, what constitutes a good person? Well, it's evident that this verse is in no way teaching that God only saves good people, for there's no such thing as a good person! All have fallen short of the glory of God. So, it's clear that the favor a good person finds in God's eyes is not the same thing as salvation!

So, we come again to the question: what is a good person? A "good person" is someone who has been saved by God's miraculous grace, has been justified and sanctified, and who has been made righteous through the death of Christ. Because faith without works is dead, it becomes clear that the good person who finds favor in God's eyes is the Christian who lives according to God's Word-by always obeying His commands, living in the manner that is set forth in Scripture, and by imitating Christ in all areas of life. It is only the Christian who obeys the Lord's every command that finds favor in the sight of God. No one else can find favor in God's sight, for all others are enemies of God(as we all were before the Lord graciously saved us) on whom the wrath of God rests. Now, this is not to say that the Christian will never disobey God's Word. Christians are not perfect and will at times disobey God's commands. But a true Christian's life will be characterized by joyful, unquestioning obedience to Christ and His Word. For the person who has favor in the sight of God, disobedience of the Bible causes immense shame, guilt, and sadness. If you want to be a righteous person, a person who finds favor in God's holy sight, then become learned in the Scriptures, and strive to make daily obedience a characteristic of your life.

Are you a person who, without a doubt, has favor in God's eyes? The book of James commands us to diligently examine ourselves to see if we be in the faith. Examine yourself, dear lady, to see if you are truly a peson who has found favor in the Lord's eyes.

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Please make sure you come back tomorrow, for an important blog announcement!

Daily Bible Verse

Beginning tomorrow, I will be returning to my normal blog schedule, I assure you! :) Thank you so much for your patience. These past few days have been filled to the brim with activity. I'm currently working on many new articles, some responses to questions I've recently received, etc. etc., so please be on the lookout for those! :) I will also soon be responding to all the ccomments I've received in the past few days. In the meantime, may the following verse richly bless you all!

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.

~Psalm 134:14(NKJV)

Daily Bible Verse

Hello, dear ladies! I pray that all of you had a truly wonderful weekend. I'm terribly sorry for not posting a devotional today(this day has gone by way too fast and has been filled with much activity!). I haven't even been able to respond to all of the many comments I've received recently(a big thank you to all who have commented in the past few days!!). I'm sorry for my lack of blog time today; thank you so much for understanding!!

I will praise you, O Lord, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your mercy is great above the heavens, and Your truth reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Your glory above all the earth.

~Psalm 108:3-5(NKJV)

"Feminism in an Attack Against Femininity"

The following is a very true and thought-provoking essay on the subject of feminism written by Robert Lewis Dabney(March 5, 1820-January 3, 1898). The wisdom with which he speaks in this essay is nothing short of amazing. In his day, the "Women's Rights Movement" was just beginning to arise. Nonetheless, in each of his essays on feminism, he correctly prophesied what would happen if feminism continued to grow without being quenched. His "prophecies" have sadly come true and our nation is falling apart at the seems and is being destroyed because of feminism. Our country is now anything but what our Christian Founding Fathers designed and planned for it to be due to the wide-spread belittlement of Christian principles. Here is just one of the many essays wise Mr. Dabney wrote on the subject of feminism:

"Feminism in an Attack Against Femininity"

It would not be hard to show, did space permit, that this movement on the part of these women is as suicidal as it is mischievous. Its certain result will be the re-enslavement of women, not under the Scriptural bonds of marriage, but under the yoke of literal corporeal force.

The woman who will calmly review the condition of her sex in other ages and countries will feel that her wisdom is to "let will enough alone." Physically, the female is the "weaker vessel." This world is a hard and selfish scene where the weaker goes to the wall. Under all other civilizations and all other religions than ours woman has experienced this fate to the full; her condition has been that of a slave to the male-sometimes a petted slave, but yet a slave.

In Christian and European society alone has she ever attained the place of man's social equal, and received the homage and honor due from magnanimity to her sex and her feebleness. And her enviable lot among us has resulted from two cases: the Christian religion and the legislation founded upon it by feudal chivalry.

How insane then is it for her to spurn these two bulwarks of defense, to defy and repudiate the divine authority of that Bible which has been her redemption , and to revolutionize the whole spirit of the English common law touching woman's sphere and rights? She is thus spurning the only protectors her sex has ever found, and provoking a contest in which she must inevitably be overwhelmed.

Casting away that dependence and femininity which are her true strength, the "strong-minded woman" persists in thrusting herself into competition with man as his equal. But for contest she is not his equal; the male is the stonger animal. As man's rival, she is pitiful inferior, a sorry she-mannikin. It is when she brings her wealth of affection, her self-devotion, her sympathy, her tact, her grace, her subtle intuition, her attractions, her appealing weakness, and places them in the scale with man's rugged strength and plodding endurance, with his steady logic, his hardihood and muscle, and his exemption from the disabling infirmities of her sex, that he delights to admit her full equality and to do glad homage to her as the crown of his kind. All this vantageground the "Women's Rights women" madly throw away, and provoke that collision for which nature itself has disqualified them, they insist upon taking precisely a man's chances; well, they will meet precisely the fate of a weak man among strong ones.

A recent incident on a railroad train justly illustrates the result. A solitary female entered a car where every seat was occupied, and the conductor closed the door upon her and departed. She looked in vain for a seat, and at last appealed to an elderly man near her to know if he would not "surrender his seat to a lady." He, it seems, was somewhat a humorist, and answered: "I will surrender it cheerfully, Madam, as I always do, but will beg leave first to ask a civil question. Are you an advocate of the modern theory of women's rights?" Bridling up with intense energy, she replied, "Yes, sir, emphatically; I let you know that it is my glory to be devoted to that noble cause." "Very well, Madam," said he, "then the case is altered:You may stand up like the rest of us men, until you can get a seat for yourself."

This was exact poetic justice; and it foreshadows precisely the fate of their unnatural pretensions. Men will treat them as they treat each other; it will be "every man for himself; and the devil take the hindmost." There will be of course a Semiramis or a Queen Bess here and there who will hold her own; but the general rule will be that the "weaker vessels" will succumb; and the society which will emerge from this experiment will present woman in the position which she has always held among savages, that of domestic drudge to the stronger animal. Instead of being what He makes her, one with her husband, queen of his home, reigning with gentle scepter of love over her modest, secluded domain, and in its pure and sacred retirement performing the noblest work done on this earth, that of molding infant minds to honor and piety, she will reappear from this ill-starred competition defeated and despised, tolerated only to satiate the passion, to amuse the idleness, to do the drugery, and to receive the curses and blows of her barbarized masters.

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*the above essay is an excerpt from the booklet: Robert Lewis Dabney: The Prophet Speaks. In this book, this very wise man speaks out on subjects such as government schools, politics, the family, and feminism. He correctly prophesied regarding how government schools and feminism would destroy our country. This is a fascinating book that I very highly recommend! It is available through http://www.visionforum.com/ and is edited by Douglas W. Phillips, Esq., President of Vison Forum Inc.

Devotional on 1 Timothy 2:11

Let the women learn...

~1 Timothy 2:11(NKJV)

I'll be conducting a devotional series on the rest of this passage at some point in the near future. For today, I just wanted to focus on the beautiful words that begin this verse in 1 Timothy.

"Let the women learn." This sentence may not seem so amazing to you, but these 4 little words contain such a treasure! Feminists and feminism-minded women try to tell us that God pushed women down and belittled them when He commanded them to be homemakers, to submit to their husbands, to abstain from being pastors or elders, etc. Nothing at all could be further from the truth! At the time in which this passage of Scripture was written, Jewish society was a horrible place for a woman to live. The Jewish men used to recite a prayer every morning that went like this: "Thank you, God, that I'm not a slave, a pig, or a woman." Women were viewed(as they still are in Muslim society) as things, as second class citizens, etc. Now when Jesus came on the scene, He was viewed as a liberal(today, of course, He's often viewed as too conservative-go figure! :))! He spoke to women, ministered to them, blessed them, began friendships with them, healed them, liften them up, and respected them. The Jews of His day thought He was crazy! Here was the Messiah elevating women(yes, I understand that many Jews did not view Him as the Messiah)! He treated women as exactly what they were: special people, that were equal with men, yet had different roles than men.

In Jewish society at the time when 1 Timothy 2:11 was first penned, women were oftentimes not allowed to learn much of anything. Other Jews allowed women to learn, but didn't see a woman's education as very important, so they certainly didn't encourage it. And then comes a command from our Lord: "Let the women learn!" It was important to our Lord that women learn, that they be fully and highly educated. The Lord saw this as a very important thing, and viewed learning as a woman's responsibility! He believed that women need to be educated, and so He left us with this command: let the women learn!

So, the next time you come across someone who tries to lead you astray by telling you that Jesus hated and belittled women, you point them to this verse and reveal to them that that simply is not the case!

Devotional on 1 Timothy 2:9-10 part 4

In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel with propriety and moderation; not in braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing,but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.

~1 Timothy 2:9-10(NKJV)

Through this devotional study, we've discovered that Christian women are to be adorned with modest apparel. But verse 10 teaches that Christian ladies are also to be adorned with good works and are to be clothed in righteousness.

Proverbs 31:30, " Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." A Christian lady's true beauty does not come from braided hair, fine and expensive clothing, or pearls and gold(which will all pass away). Her true beauty comes from within-when her inner chastity, discreetness, virtue and fear of the Lord shine through, it is then that she is truly beautiful.

A Christian lady is not beautiful in God's eyes because she has perfect clothes or a perfect hairdo. Rather, her beauty that the Lord is enthralled with comes from her heart that has been purified, sanctified, refined by fire, and cleansed by His work in her life. 1 Peter 3:3 says, "Do not let your adornment be merely outward-arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."

If you want to be truly beautiful, then clothe yourself with righteousness, a meek and quiet spirit, and good works. It is only when you've acquired these characteristics that your're truly beautiful. No apparel, hairdo, makeup, or jewelry can make you attractive if you aren't filled with godliness and purity. A Christian lady is only beautiful when she's adorned in modest apparel, righteousness, and good works.

Ladies, begin cultivating in yourself the characteristics that will make you a truly beautiful lady!

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I hope this devotional series has been a blessing to you! Now, it's up to you to share what you've learned in this series with those around you! Be a beautiful, salty shining light for your Lord!

Devotional on 1 Timothy 2:9-10 part 3

...but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.

~1 Timothy 2:10(NKJV)

In the first two parts of our devotional series on 1 Timothy 2:9-10, we discovered what modest clothing really is. It became clear that not only is modest clothing not tight or revealing, but it's also not gaudy, overdone or loud. This also refers to any ornamentation that may be worn-it must not be worn in excessive amounts and our appearance must not be overdone.

Now we come to the part of the passage that reveals to us why Christian ladies must wear modest clothing: because that is the only type of adornment that is proper for godly women. Flip that around and it soon becomes clear that immodest clothing is not proper for women professing godliness. Yet, what is happening today? Countless girls and women are claiming to be Christians, but are adorning themselves with horribly immodest attire. Many see this and think, "Yeah, what a shame, but so what? It's not that big of a deal." Excuse me? Yes, it is a big deal! Don't ever underestimate just how sinful it is for professing Christians to go around dressing just like the world (or, in some cases dressed even worse than most of what the world wears!). This sort of behavior is causing God's Word to be blasphemed, is making Christians appear as hypocrites (which drives unbelievers away from church, for they don't want anything to do with hypocrisy or fakeness), and is telling the world that the "Christian God must not have any power to change people, because the 'Christians' appear to be just like the world". Christian females being immodestly clad is a huge problem we have in the church today, and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise! Christians wearing the world's attire is a slap in the face of Almighty God, is an abomination to Him, and is a sin that must quickly be repented of and discarded, or we will soon face the Lord's judgment and displeasure for these actions. Lest we think that this is all "no big deal" and that this "doesn't really bother God", let's take a look at Isaiah 3! In this sad and eye-opening passage, we discover that the women of Israel and Judah were anything but modest! When I read this passage, I often think about our culture and wonder, "How long will it be until God does this to us? How long will it be until God shows us just how angry and sick immodesty makes Him?" Isaiah 3:16-26 says, "Moreover the Lord says: 'Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, making a jingling with their feet, therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will uncover their secret parts. In that day the Lord will uncover their secret parts. In that day the Lord will take away the finery, the jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents, the pendants, the bracelets, and the veils; the headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands, the perfume boxes, the charms, and the rings; the nose jewels, the festal apparel, and the mantles; the outer garments, the purses, and the mirrors; the fine linen, the turbans, and the robes. And so it shall be: instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-set hair, baldness; instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty. Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty in the war. Her gates shall lament and mouren, and she being desolate shall sit on the ground." As you can see, immodesty is no little think in the sight of God Almighty. When people profess Him, but don't follow His commands, they will face punishment. Christians dressing immodestly is a serious thing in God's eyes, and so shall it be in ours!

Ladies, if you've been guilty of dressing immodestly, there is hope! 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Repent of your sin of immodesty, and turn from that sin. The Lord will give you the strength needed to never return again to immodesty. With Him, ALL things are indeed possible! :)

Question and Answer Sessions: Responses Part 5

I've so enjoyed receiving and answering all your questions, ladies! Please continue to send them to me(on any subjects), in interview style, and I would be more than happy to answer them!

I received the following questions from my dear friend from church, Hannah.

First of all thank you so much for your great questions, Hannah! If you have anymore, be sure to let me know! :)

What is your favorite story/character in the Bible?

I can only pick one?! lol I have many favorites.

My favorite stories would be the love story of Ruth and Boaz, the love story of Rebekah and Isaac, the parable of the sower, the amazing story of when our Lord did not condemn the adulterous woman, and the story of the sea storm, where the disciples are rebuked for being of little faith. The love stories I mentioned are so beautiful, and show that in reality, every single marriage is an arranged marriage-arranged by our all-loving and all-wise God. The parable of the sower encourages and strengthens me so much to teach God's Word more. The sower didn't know how or when the seed began to grow, but it did by God's grace. He just threw the Word and left the results up to the Lord. To me, that's so very encouraging, because I tend to worry and fret over whether or not the people I'm debating with will realize the Biblical truth of what I'm teaching or not. But, I don't have to worry! :) All I have to do is be faithful to teach God's Word, and leave the results completely in His hands! How refreshing is that! The story of when the Lord forgave the woman caught in adultery simply amazes me! What amazing, wondrous love our wonderful Lord has for us! Lastly, the story of the disciples and Jesus in a boat when the powerful storm arises convicts me every time I read it. I would often be rebuked by the Lord for being of little faith. Not only does this story convict me, but it also encourages me, because it shows that at all times, the Lord is completely trustworthy, and in control of all things.

As to my favorite Bible character, I would have to say Mary. Her unwavering and unquestioning faith in the Lord and willingness to do whatever He required of her absolutely amazes me! Because she was unmarried, she knew that she would be persecuted, ridiculed, looked down upon, made fun of, etc. for being with child. But she was a willing servant of Christ, and her example convicts me so much! I pray that the Lord would make me more like Mary.

Do you like my mother's famous no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies? ;)<p>

I love those! They are so good. Maybe you could bring those to the fellowship meal at church Sunday! :)

Your devotionals are great! Have you ever thought of putting them together as a book?

Thank you so much! That's very kind of you. :) I hope they're a blessing.

It's so funny that you should ask that, as I was talking to Mama about that very idea just a few weeks ago. That is something that I'm very seriously thinking about. If I did have them published, I would probably add study questions, application tips, etc. to the end of each one.

What do you think, ladies? Should I have my devotionals published? Is this something that you would be interested in purchasing? Please share your input!!

Devotional on 1 Timothy 2:9-10 part 2

...not in braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing.

~1 Timothy 2:9b (NKJV)

We are now on part 2 of our devotional study of 1 Timothy 2:9-10. In part 1, we discussed the huge importance of dressing modestly. Part 1 of this series showed that the true godly lady has no desire to draw attention to herself during church services(or at any other time, for that matter), but rather desires that all the attention be directed to the Lord. She wants the worship services to be about Him-not her.

Now we come to the second part of this verse. A lot of confusion arises when people read this part of the passage, because they begin to wonder whether or not it's a sin to braid your hair or to wear jewelry or nice clothing. Let me assure you once and for all: it's not! In fact, it would be sinful for us to not look our best-we are ambassadors for Christ, and so we need to show that we pay careful attention to how we present ourselves, for His glory.

Now to understand what the Bible is teaching on the subject of braiding your hair, we need to look to what is said in this verse after it speaks on braids, and we also must look to the culture in Ephesus at the time this was written, so that we can better understand what God's Word is truly teaching. During the time when this verse was first penned, women were attending church services with ribbons of gold weaved through their braids, as a way to show off and flaunt their wealth. That is what this verse is commanding against. Braided hair, pearls, nice clothing, and gold are all ok-as long as they're not worn in excess, or worn in such a way that you are flaunting what you have. The truly Biblical woman is not haughty or prideful- the Lord abhors pride and hautiness, and this includes hautiness of spirit, adornment, etc.

When we hear the word 'immodest' we tend to think only of clothing that is tight and revealing. But immodest clothing has a much farther range than just this. Gaudy, overdone, excessive, loud clothing and acessories are every bit as immodest as tight, revealing clothes are.

The bottom line about clothing and hair is this: our adornment is not to be tight, revealing, or gaudy and overdone. Jewelry is fine, providing that it's not worn in excess. Braids are beautiful and perfectly modest, providing that you don't adorn them throughout with pearls, gold, etc.

Be sure to return on Monday for part 3 of this series!

I've Been Tagged!

I've just been tagged by my friend Kathleen to do this game! :)

RULES:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are my facts:

1. I skipped second grade.

2. I've had two surgeries: 1 to have my wisdom teeth(that weren't even through the gums yet) removed, and one to have a pin placed in the top of my femur bone after it slipped out of its socket in my hip.

3. I'm HORRIBLY afraid of spiders-I can't even go near them to kill them, because I'm afraid they're going to jump on me(I know-I'm a little strange, aren't I? :))

4. Green peas disgust me!

5. I've never had a cavity.

6. I've only been outside the US once, and that was when I went to Mexico.

7. I would love to go ski-diving(if I knew my parachute would open) and hang-gliding(if my landing was good!), but I'm scared to go bunjee jumping.

That was fun! :) Ok, ladies, now it's your turn to join in on the fun! The ladies I'm tagging are:

1. Anna S.

2. Anna Naomi and Miriam Rebekah over at Maidens of Worth

3. My sweet friends from church Hannah and Geneva over at The Heritage Sisters

4. Ella

5. Monika (since you don't have a blog, feel free to leave your answers in the comment section)

6. Jade and Autumn over at Handmaidens with a Mission

7. Allison

I'm looking forward to reading your answers!

Daily Bible Verse

Whoever loves instruction love knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

~Proverbs 12:1(NKJV)

Devotional on 1 Timothy 2:9-10 part 1

In like manner also, that th women adorn themselves in modest apparel with propriety and moderation.

~1 Timothy 2:9a (NJKV)

This is an exceedingly important command that all too often goes unheeded in the church today. In our culture,(as it was in Ephesus at the time this passage was written), church-going women oftentimes attend worship services dressed in very immodest clothing, whether it be revealing clothing, tight clothing, gaudy clothing, etc. These women are preocupied with the desire to snag a guy by the way in which they're dressed. In the youth group of our old church, many teenage girls attended the church services for the sole reason of getting a young man's attention, and this showed in the way they dressed. Other girls there did truly attend church for the purpose of worshipping the Lord, but they as well attended the worship services in very immodest attire so that they might also acquire the attention of the boys there. Their thoughts were not on being godly young women attending church for the purpose of worshipping God and learning more about His Word. Rather, their thoughts were on ensuring that their clothing, hair, makeup, etc. looked such a way so that they would be liked by the boys at church. Sadly, women guilty of this as well. This is a wicked and vile sin and is immensely abhorred by God Almighty. The female after God's own heart desires to dress in a manner that while she's at church, no one's thoughts are on her, but rather on the Lord to Whom the church service is dedicated. The true godly woman doesn't want attention placed on her in any way, but rather on the Lord and His goodness. When people at church see her, the true Christian lady desires for them to see Christ in her. She wants them to see her modesty, chasteness and love for the Lord.

In his study Bible, Mr. John MacArthur, regarding the words 'propriety' and 'moderation' in this verse, writes that "the Greek word for 'propriety' refers to modesty mixed with humility, which carries the underlying idea of shame. It can also refer to a rejection of anything dishonorable to God, or refer to grief over sin. 'Moderation' basically refers to self-control over sexual passions. Godly women hate sin and control their passions so as to not lead another to sin." As you can see, the truly Christ-like lady is clothed with modesty and humility. Simply the thought of dressing in such a way at church as to cause another person there to sin, or to cause their attention to Christ turn rather to attention dedicated to her, is enough to make her ill. She would never ever want to be guilty of being dressed at church in such a way that there would be sin there in the house of God.

I cannot even begin to express to you the huge importance of dressing in a modest manner at all times-not just at church. We are to be shining lights for Christ in this dark world, and the simple truth is that we will be unable to be a shining light for Him if we're adorned in immodest apparel.

So, ladies, band together with me, and purpose to be a lady of modesty for the glory of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Daily Bible Verse

In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.

~1 Timothy 2:9-10 (NKJV)

Monday's Devotional

Hello, ladies!! I pray that all of you had a wonderful weekend, and a restful, blessed Lord's Day!

For the devotional today, we're going to be doing something a little different.

The following is one of my very favorite songs. I want you to meditate on its lyrics; just soak in the amazing truths found in this beautiful song.

What Wondrous Love Is This?

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this

That caused the Lord of bliss

To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,

To bear the dreadful curse for my soul!

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,

When I was sinking down, sinking down,

When I was sinking down

Beneath God’s righteous frown,

Christ laid aside His crown for my soul for my soul,

Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.

To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing;

To God and to the Lamb I will sing;

To God and to the Lamb, Who is the great I AM,

While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,

While millions join the theme, I will sing.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.

And when from death I’m free

I’ll sing His love for me,

And through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,

And through eternity I’ll sing on.

God's love absolutely amazes me! Just stop and think a minute on how amazing His love is. We were enemies of His; we were vile, wretched, wicked, impure sinners. And He is a pure, holy, righteous, perfect God that cannot stand to be even in the presence of sin. Yet He came down from heaven to die the most agonizing death imaginable, so that we would spend eternity with Him in heaven. That's amazing! Why would He, a righteous, just, holy God, want to spend eternity with us?? It's truly amazing isn't it? What wondrous love is this!

Friday's Devotional

A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

~Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)

I love this verse! It's so comforting and encouraging! We may think that we have our whole lives planned out for ourselves. But that isn't the case! The Lord has planned out the events of our lives-all the joys, sorrow, blessings, and disappointments were planned out before the foundation of the world. He is directing our steps in every area of our lives. He's leading us in the direction He wants us to go. The events of our lives are not planned by us! Rather, they're planned out and directed by our all-wise, all-knowing, all-powerful God Almighty. What immense and blessed comfort there is to be found in that knowledge!

If at any time you find yourself apprehensive and worried about the future and what it holds, I encourage you to simply meditate on this beautiful verse. Know that the Lord is in complete control over what happens in your life. He planned all of your days and what they would contain before a single one of them came to be. His plan for your life is far, far better than anything you could every think about or ask for, or anything you could dream up yourself. Simply trust in that knowledge, and thank the Lord that He's so trustworthy, and that He has planned for you such a wonderful life!

Daily Bible Verse

My son, keep your father's command, and do not forsake the law of your mother.

~Proverbs 6:20(NKJV)

Wednesday's Devotional

If you love Me, keep my commandments.

~John 14:15 (NKJV)

Do you love the Lord? I mean, do you really love Him, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? There's only one way to find out. And that is this: if you truly love Him, then it will be clearly evident in your life, because your life will be a life of complete obedience to Him. That's the only way you'll ever be able to truly discover whether or not you truly love Him. True lasting love is not feelings and emotions. It's dedication to Him and full, unquestioning obedience. If you truly love Him, you will obey Him always, out of your immense love for Him. If you don't obey His commands, then it's extremely doubtful that you love Him at all. That statement may seem a bit harsh, but that's what this verse teaches. We may say that we love the Lord. But that claim is only true if we live a life of complete, total obedience to Christ.

Now, of course that's not to say that we won't still sin and at times disobey Him. We're still sinners! When we became Christians, we didn't all of the sudden become perfect and incapable of committing sin. We will still occasionaly disobey the Lord in some areas. We will still sin, and when we do, we must go to the Lord in repentence. We must ask for His forgiveness, and ask that He make us stronger in the future to resist temptations that we'll face. He will strengthen us, and will bring us closer to Him.

Ladies, if you have a deep, longing desire, as I do, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, then you must begin by living a life of obedience to Him! And you'll only be able to do that if you stay constantly in the Word of God. You will not know what His commands are or how He wants you to live, unless you search out and study the Scriptures often. Psalm "Your Word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You." That's what we all must do; it's crucial to leading a life of complete obedience and love to Christ!

So, I encourage you all to join with me in this adventure! Join me ladies, as I strive to become a young woman after God's own heart. A young woman whose life is characterized by complete obedience to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Meal Mondays #5! (on Tuesday)

Ladies, I'm so sorry for not posting my Meal Mondays recipe yesterday! :(

The following is a recipe for Chicken Almond Casserole. This is one of the best casseroles I've had, and it quickly became a favorite in our family. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! :)

Chicken Almond Casserole

5 cups diced, cooked chicken breasts

2 cups diced celery

3 cups cooked rice

1 (8 oz) can sliced water chestnuts

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 TBSP chopped onion

2 TBSP lemon juice

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp white pepper

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Mix above ingredients and put into buttered 13x9 inch dish.

Topping:

1/2 cup almonds

3 cups crumbled corn flakes

2/3 cup butter

Mix above ingredients and sprinkle on top of casserole. Bake at 350 degrees F.(adjust for your oven, if necessary) for 35-45 minutes. Can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until baking, if desired. ENJOY!

Be sure to let me know how you like the casserole! I'm sure you're going to love it.

Monday's Devotional

For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required;

~Luke 12:48 (NKJV)

Just dwell for a minute on the amazing fact that we've been given so much! We were enemies of Christ, were vile, wicked, wretched, worthless sinners, and yet God-completely holy, pure, blameless, above reproach, perfect in every way-chose to save us! It's amazing that He would desire to have anything at all to do with us, let alone save us so that we'd spend eternity with Him! Isn't He amazing?! We indeed have been given much! Much more than we could ever ever deserve; the Lord's blessed us in countless ways.

We've all been given much, and so, from us, much is required. We're told over and over in God's Word that we're to be salt and light in this dark, vile, lost, sinful, pagan world. That is what is required of us! And nothing less will do. We're required to obey Christ in all things, out of a heart of thanksgiving and love to Him. I know I've said this countless times before, but I'm going to say it again: we must look COMPLETELY different from the world! Because, if we don't, God's Word is going to be blasphemed because of us. That's a guarantee. If the world knows that we call ourselves Christians and yet we act and live just like the world does, rather than living in total obedience to Christ, then the world is going to think that God must have no power whatsoever to change people, and that all that Bible stuff is just a bunch of fairytales. Let me assure you, fellow Christians, that there truly is a whole lot required of us! We are slaves of Christ, and as such, must be obedient to Him in all things. That kind of joyful, complete obedience to Him is what He requires of us.

Therefore, ladies, let's train ourselves to be true warriors for Christ and His Kingdom! Let us join together in fellowship, and let us be dedicated to Him and His Word at all times fully. The world is watching us. Therefore, it's of paramount importance that we reveal to them what a true Christian's life is really like-a life of joy, fulfillment, completeness, loving obedience, and satisfaction.

The Curse of Women Rulers

History is in the making this election year. For the first time in history, a woman is running for the office of President of the United States. Some(namely, the feminists) are cheering for joy, thinking that it's "about time a woman had this opportunity". Others are mourning over the fact that a woman is running for this position, and are wondering what in the world our nation is coming to. But what does God Almighty have to say about all this? Is His Word neutral on this subject, is He for women being in leadership positions, or does He oppose women as rulers?

Let's have God's holy and inspired Word speak for itself. First of all, the Bible is quite clear in its teachings that the woman is not to be the head of the home-her husband is to be in loving authority over the household, leading it with servanthood and care. The wife is to joyfully, willingly and lovingly submit to her husband's leadership, and is to respect the fact that God has wisely ordained that the man be the leader of the home and its inhabitants(Ephes. 5:22-24, Titus 2:5, Col. 3:18, 1 Peter 3:1,6). Likewise, women are not to be in leadership positions in the church. The offices of pastor, elder, bishop, preacher, etc. are all to belong to men-not women. 1 Timothy 2:11-12 says, "Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence." 1 Corinthians 14:34-36 teaches this as well: "Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church." From the Lord's teachings that the leadership of the family and church is to be male, I think it becomes clear that the leadership of cities, states, nations, provinces, businesses, etc. is also to be male. For, if women are not allowed to be leaders of households and churches, what makes us think that it would be fine for them to be in leadership over cities or even nations-which are made up of families and churches? The Lord does not merely leave us to our own guesses or opinions on this subject, though! Rather, He provides for us solid evidence in the Scriptures that reveals it is clearly wrong for women to be rulers.

First, we must remember that 1 Timothy 2:12 says that women are not permitted to have authority over men. Therefore, it goes without saying that women are not to rule over cities, businesses, states, nations, etc., for men are persent in each of these. The Lord goes on to reveal in His Word that not only is it sinful for women to be rulers, but that the nation which has women rulers is under a curse of judgement from God Almighty. In Isaiah 3, we discover that Israel had fallen into disobedience. The people of Israel were not obeying God, and their lifestyles were not in accordance with His design. Because of their wicked disobedience, they were under a curse from God, and were thus experiencing His judgment, wrath and displeasure. Isaiah 3:12 tells us what part of this curse was: "As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them." When a nation has women rulers(whether ruling over the cities and states, churches, or the nation as a whole), it is a clear sign that that nation is under a direct curse from God, for women rulers are a sign of judgment. The feminists would like us all to believe that women being in positions of power and leadership is a sign of progress, and is a wonderful thing that should have happened long ago. However, God has shown us that any nation with women in leadership positions is under judgment from Him. Therefore, women rulers are a punishment for that nation's disobedience to God and His Word.

In light of this passage from Isaiah, it becomes clear that America is already under a curse from God. We may not yet have a woman ruling over the nation as a whole, but countless women are already ruling over businesses, cities, states, government systems, etc. America, rather than following after God and His Word, has been duped by feminism and has fallen prey to its satanical lies. Rather than holding up God's Word as its standard, America has ceaselessly praised the lies of feminism and other worldly, God-hating philosophies. America is no longer the nation its founders designed it to be-a nation founded on Biblical principles. We are now a nation based on humanistic, feministic and evolutionary teachings. We've relentlessly disobeyed God-a God of justice. Because of this, we are now facing the consequences of our disobedience. America is now under a curse from God, and part of that curse is that women are ruling over us.

But there is hope still! We brought this curse upon ourselves because of our disobedience. But 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 says, "If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn form their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." If we want this curse to be lifted, then we must turn from our error and disobedience, and instead embrace God's design for the family, church and nation. It is only then that we will be forgiven and will have this curse lifted from us.

A Beautiful Valentine's Day Celebration

This post is dedicated to all of those dear and precious ladies who are committed to complete purity and chastity. You ladies may find yourselves "alone" by the world's standards on this Valentine's Day, but I hope this post encourages you and lifts your spirits, by showing you that the true Lover of your Souls is right by your side on this holiday! I hope that you will all join with me, and will dedicate this Valentine's Day to the Lord and His glory, honor and praise! God has placed in the heart of every maiden the longing desire to meet her Prince Charming, to be pursued by Him, and to then ride off with him into the sunset to his castle, where she will forever be loved, protected, provided for, and cherished. This is a beautiful and wonderful desire created by God Himself. But Valentine's Day only intensifies this desire all the more, and the images of red and pink hearts, of couples holding hands and going on dates, only brings to mind yet again the reality that because you're a maiden committed to courtship and complete purity, you won't be celebrating Valentine's Day with a special someone as "everyone else" will. You may begin to feel sorry for yourself, thinking that simply because you have no "special someone" this Valentine's Day, that you're somehow all alone. But there's something you must remember, dear maiden: as a Christian, you already have something that countless girls and young women only dream about and wish they had-a perfect, fulfilling, everlasting, true love. As a Christian maiden, your true Knight in Shining Armor and Prince Charming has already come and swept you off your feet! The Prince of Peace and King of Kings has pursued you relentlessly, is jealous for your full attention and dedication, is enthralled by your beauty, has showered you with His amazing love, and will one day escort you to His beautiful castle-the Mansion in Heaven that He's furnished just for you, His own precious treasure. There, you will forever be in His divine, loving presence. You, dear sister in Christ, have already been pursued by the most complete and wonderful love to ever be found-a true and perfect love that will undoubtedly last forever and ever. Only His love is able to fulfill the deepest desires of your heart, and true satisfaction comes only from Him being #1 in your life.

Ladies, don't allow this Valentine's Day to slip by. Don't discontentedly waste your time on Valentine's Day by feeling sorry for yourself and by idlely pining away for your future spouse. Instead, dedicate Valentine's Day this year to the deepening of your relationship with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the lover of your soul. Celebrate this holiday by doing everything in your power to make your relationship with Him deeper and more intimate. Make Thursday a Valentine's Day to remember by spending it in a rendezvous with the King.

So, how about it, maidens? Will you join me this Valentine's Day, with the commitment to dedicate it to the deepening of your love and adoration for the Lord and to the strengthening of your relationship with Him? I wholeheartedly pray that you will, and that this Valentine's Day therefore becomes a day to remember and cherish always. I encourage you to begin planning now what you will do on this special holiday to show the Lord how much you love Him. The following is a group of ideas to get you started:

• Compose a letter of love and thanksgiving to your Savior.

• Spend time in deep conversation with Him.

• Awaken early in the morning(perhaps right after sunrise) and go out on your front our back porch. Spend time alone there(just you and the Lord), reading the Bible-the Lord's precious love letter to you, and enjoy drinking in the beautiful truths to be discovered in this wonderful Book.

• Find little ways to please Him by serving others(perhaps by serving your mother breakfast in bed, or by volunteering to babysit your siblings so that your parents can go on a special Valentine's Day date).

• Memorize verses of God's Word that tell of His immense love for you.

• Sing praises to Him.

May the Lord richly bless you, dear ladies, and may this Valentine's Day prove to be one of the most special and precious days of your life-a day dedicated to the worship and adoration of the Lord! :)